TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RISK MITIGATION PRINCIPAL CENTER
Welcome to the Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation (TEERM) Principal Center
NEWS
December 2011
TEERM Presents at Surface Mount Technology Association
A representative from the NASA Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation Principal Center (TEERM) was a special guest speaker at a meeting of the Space Coast Chapter of the Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA) on December 13, 2011. TEERM’s presentation was on the TEERM Lead-Free Electronics project involving NASA and the DoD community. The project was initiated to address issues with lead-free (Pb-free) components finding their way into the inventories of aerospace and military assembly processes. Mixed inventories of tin-lead (SnPb) and Pb-free will result in increased risks associated with the manufacturing, product reliability, and subsequent repair of aerospace and military electronic systems. The transition to Pb-free components and processes has been ongoing for over a decade without sufficient testing data to know if Pb-free is feasible for use in high reliability systems. TEERM’s project provides the data and analysis needed to help determine reliability of Pb-free solder interconnects, including reworked and mixed (Pb-free/SnPb & SnPb/Pb-free) solder interconnects.
Joint NASA-Air Force Space Command Project Update
The NASA Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation Principal Center (TEERM), the NASA Corrosion Technology Laboratory, and the University of Dayton Research Institute (representing the Air Force Research Laboratory) conducted an 18 month evaluation of coatings placed at the KSC Corrosion Beach Site as part of a joint NASA-Air Force Space Command project to test low volatile organic compound (VOC) content coatings for use on launch facilities and ground support equipment. The majority of the coatings showed excellent corrosion resistance and maintained their color and gloss. Those coating deemed acceptable will be added to the Approved Products List in NASA-STD-5008B (the specification that oversees protection of launch facilities).
NASA-DoD Lead-Free Electronics Project News The NASA Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation Principal Center (TEERM) organized a meeting of members of the NASA-DoD Lead-Free Electronics project on December 14 - 15, 2011 at Harris Corporation in Melbourne, Florida. The two-day meeting objective of concluding discussion and agreements for incorporation of the project team’s comments into the final Joint Test Report was met. The final report captures the team’s efforts and results from the four year NASA-DoD Lead-Free Electronics project. Key project stakeholders from Rockwell Collins, Lockheed Martin, COM DEV, MSFC (Jacobs Engineering Group), Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane Division and Harris participated in the meeting.
November 2011
NASA/C3P International Workshop
NASA and the Portuguese Center for Pollution Prevention (C3P) held an international technical workshop on November 15 - 18, 2011 at the European Space Agency (ESA)'s Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. NASA TEERM provided primary coordination for the event. The workshop provided an excellent forum to showcase innovative and emerging pollution prevention and renewable energy technologies, share lessons learned, and identify new joint opportunities. More than 110 individuals from eleven countries attended the workshop. For the first time since the inception of NASA-C3P workshops, a full day was dedicated to a student session. Fifteen students from around the globe gave oral presentations along with poster displays relating to the latest technologies in environmental and alternative energy strategies. Judges from NASA, C3P and ESA awarded plaques to the top three students.
October 2011
TEERM Visit to ESTEC Facility in Netherlands
TEERM met with ESA representatives at their ESTEC facility in The Netherlands to kickoff a joint project focused on the identification and testing of alternatives to hexavalent chromium for the protection of aluminum on launchers and spacecraft. Additionally, meetings were held to identify and discuss potential areas for future collaborative projects and to aid in the planning of the upcoming NASA/C3P International Workshop.
QuEST Newsletter
The annual TEERM newsletter, QuEST, is now available on the TEERM website. The newsletter highlights projects and achievements of TEERM throughout the previous year. This year's edition discusses how TEERM identifies risks to NASA and works with our NASA, Department of Defense, international, and industry partners to find mitigation strategies. It also highlights our Materials Management and Substitution, Alternative Energy, and other efforts in the pursuit of our goals to enhance NASA mission readiness and reduce risk while minimizing duplication and associated costs.
September 2011
TEERM Presentation at PEERM
The NASA Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation Principal Center (TEERM) has been an active participant in the Aerospace & Defense Pb-Free Electronics Risk Management (PERM) Consortium which was formed to address the issues surrounding lead-free electronics. On September 27, 2011 TEERM provided a NASA-DoD Lead-Free Electronics Project status presentation to the PERM at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Indiana.