Volume IX - Issue IX - September 2007
Fascinating Projects
Phoenix Rises from Florida A Delta II expendable rocket shot skyward from Space Launch Complex 17A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA at 10:26 a.m. GMT on Saturday August 4, 2007, carrying NASA's Phoenix spacecraft. Phoenix is the first in NASA's "Scout Program," which are spacecraft designed to be highly innovative and relatively low-cost complements to major missions being planned as part of the NASA's human Mars Exploration Program.  Following a 10-month journey to Mars, Phoenix will collect Martian soil and ice in the arctic region and use its onboard scientific instruments to analyze the samples. NASA's goal is to study Martian water history and habitability potential in the planet's arctic ice-rich soil. Shortly following launch, the Phoenix spacecraft successfully separated from the Delta II rocket, and ground controllers at NASA's Deep Space Network acquired its signal and began assessing its health. The solar panels that will power the mission's cruise phase will be deployed and Phoenix will be pointed to best receive solar power and communicate with Earth. The spacecraft has oriented itself to the sun as it was programmed to do. It will use solar panels to generate electricity during the nine-month coast to Mars. A separate set of solar arrays is attached to the lander itself
 NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander is scheduled for a risky descent and landing on Mars next year. Instead of roving to hills or craters, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander will claw down into the icy soil of the Red Planet's northern plains and look beneath a frigid arctic landscape for conditions favorable to past or present life. The robot will investigate whether frozen water near the Martian surface might periodically melt enough to sustain a livable environment for microbes. To accomplish that and other key goals, Phoenix will carry a set of advanced research tools never before used on Mars. Phoenix is scheduled to land on Mars in May 2008. The Phoenix Mars Mission is the first of NASA's competitively proposed and selected Mars Scout missions, supplementing the agency's core Mars Exploration Program, whose theme is "follow the water." The University of Arizona was selected to lead the mission in August 2003 and is the first public university to lead a Mars exploration mission. The Phoenix mission is led by Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Tucson, Arizona. Project management is based at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and a development partnership based at Lockheed Martin in Denver, Colorado. The NASA Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center and the United Launch Alliance are responsible for the Delta II launch service. International contributions are being provided by the Canadian Space Agency, the University of Neuchatel (Switzerland), the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), the Max Planck Institute (Germany) and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, USA. Additional information on the Phoenix mission is available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/phoenix. Additional information on NASA's Mars program is available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/mars. Created in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is America’s focal point for research, development and exploration of outer space. In 2005, the US President and Congress committed the United States to exploring the solar system and beyond: completing assembly of the International Space Station, flying the new Crew Exploration Vehicle no later than 2014, returning astronauts to the moon by the end of the next decade, and sending human missions to Mars and beyond. For nearly 50 years, NASA has been leading the world in the development and usage of advanced program and project management. Additional information about NASA can be found at www.nasa.gov.
NASA'S Shuttle Endeavor Begins Mission to the International Space Station - Teacher in Space Finally a Reality! NASA's Administrator and top launch managers celebrated the flawless liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour Wednesday evening, 8 August 2007, as the fulfillment of a legacy. The space shuttle Endeavour and its seven-member crew lifted off at 23:36 GMT (6:36 p.m. EDT) Wednesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The astronauts were on their way to the International Space Station for an assembly mission, designated STS-118.  "This is serious business we're in here," said Endeavour's Commander Scott Kelly to the shuttle launch director shortly before lift off. "I'm proud of your team for getting Endeavour ready to go fly. I'm also proud of my crew and the rest of the astronaut office for the competence and professionalism, and for consistently making something that is incredibly difficult look easy." Kelly then added, "We'll see you in a couple of weeks, and thanks for loaning us your space shuttle." Endeavour is scheduled to dock to the station on Friday. During the 11-day mission, the crew will add the Starboard 5 (S5) truss segment to the right side of the station's backbone. The segment will provide clearance between sets of solar arrays. The flight will include at least three spacewalks during which the astronauts will install a new gyroscope and external spare parts platform to the station. Endeavour's mission will debut a new system that enables docked space shuttles to draw electrical power from the station to extend visits to the outpost. If this system functions as expected, three additional days and a spacewalk will be added to the flight. Joining Kelly on the crew are Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and mission specialists Tracy Caldwell, Rick Mastracchio, Barbara R. Morgan, Alvin Drew and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dave Williams. This is the first flight for Barbara Morgan (pictured), the teacher-turned-astronaut whose association with NASA began 22 years ago when she was selected as the backup in the Teacher in Space Project.
 Morgan was selected as the backup candidate for the NASA Teacher in Space Program on July 19, 1985. From September 1985 to January 1986, Morgan trained with Christa McAuliffe and the Challenger crew at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas. Following the Challenger accident, Morgan assumed the duties of Teacher in Space Designee. From March 1986 to July 1986, she worked with NASA, speaking to educational organizations throughout the country. In the fall of 1986, Morgan returned to Idaho to resume her teaching career. She taught second and third grades at McCall-Donnelly Elementary and continued to work with NASA’s Education Division, Office of Human Resources and Education. Her duties as Teacher in Space Designee included public speaking, educational consulting, curriculum design, and serving on the National Science Foundation’s Federal Task Force for Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering. Selected by NASA as a mission specialist in January 1998, Morgan reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1998. Following the completion of two years of training and evaluation, she was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Space Station Operations Branch. She then served in the Astronaut Office CAPCOM Branch, working in Mission Control as prime communicator with on-orbit crews. More recently, she served in the Robotics Branch of the Astronaut Office. This mission is the 119th space shuttle flight, the 20th flight for Endeavour and the 22nd U.S. flight to the International Space Station. The mission is Endeavour's first flight in more than four years. The shuttle underwent extensive modifications, including the addition of safety upgrades already added to shuttles Discovery and Atlantis.  The space shuttle is one of the most complex machines ever built. The shuttle’s capacity enables humans today to build the world’s largest orbiting laboratory, paving the way back to the moon, on to Mars and further into the universe. Created in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is America’s focal point for research, development and exploration of outer space. In 2005, the US President and Congress committed the United States to exploring the solar system and beyond: completing assembly of the International Space Station, flying the new Crew Exploration Vehicle no later than 2014, returning astronauts to the moon by the end of the next decade, and sending human missions to Mars and beyond. For nearly 50 years, NASA has been leading the world in the development and usage of advanced program and project management. Additional information about NASA can be found at www.nasa.gov. This article is based on information from NASA press releases and website.
The Lucky Games! Countdown Begins to Beijing Olympics News media around the world posted stories about the Beijing Olympics on 8 August, marking the countdown to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in China. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge addressed the world from Beijing to mark the beginning of the final year’s countdown to the Olympic Games in China, which will open on 8 August 2008 in Beijing  In front of thousands of people during an official ceremony in Tiananmen Square, IOC President Rogge addressed the sports movement, the people in China and those all over the world who are watching Beijing in anticipation of the Games in 12 months’ time. He symbolically handed over the invitations to the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of countries hosting upcoming Games - China, Canada, Great Britain and Russia, as well as to the NOC of Greece, where the first Olympic Games of the modern era were hosted back in 1896. According to Mr. Rogge, “The world is watching China and Beijing with great expectations. With one year remaining until the Opening Ceremony, we have reached a place from which we can see both vast achievements behind us and the great potential that lies ahead. Since July 2001, the Organising Committee, lead by President Liu Qi, has worked extremely hard to give Beijing an Olympic shape. Venues are almost finished and look fantastic.”  According to an article on www.telegraph.co.uk , much of the £20 billion cost of staging the Games has gone towards the construction and modernization of the 37 Olympic venues. The centerpiece of the 2008 Summer Olympics will be the Beijing National Stadium, nicknamed the "Bird Nest" because of its nest-like skeletal structure. Construction of the venue began on December 24, 2003. Government officials engaged architects worldwide in a design competition. A Swiss firm, Herzog & de Meuron Architekten AG, collaborated with China Architecture Design & Research Group to win the competition. The National Stadium will feature a lattice-like concrete skeleton forming the stadium bowl and will seat 80,000 people. The Beijing National Stadium will be the site of the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletics events and soccer finals. By May 2007, construction of all thirty-one of the Beijing-based Olympic Games venues had begun. The Chinese government is also investing in the renovation and construction of six venues outside Beijing as well as fifty-nine training centers. Its largest architectural pieces will be the Beijing National Stadium, Beijing National Indoor Stadium, Beijing National Aquatics Centre, Olympic Green Convention Centre, Olympic Green, and Beijing Wukesong Culture & Sports Center. The five venues outside of Beijing will be in Qingdao, Hong Kong, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Qinhuangdao.
 Almost 85 percent of the construction budget for the six main venues is being funded by US$2.1 billion (RMB¥17.4 billion) in corporate bids and tenders. Investments are expected from corporations seeking ownership rights after the 2008 Summer Olympics. Some venues will be owned and governed by the State General Administration of Sports, which will use them after the Olympics as facilities for all future national sports teams and events. In contrast to the Athens Games, which was dogged by building delays, Beijing is on course to complete construction of the Olympic sites, including those in Qingdao (sailing) and Hong Kong (equestrian events), well in advance of the opening ceremony on August 8. According to Wikipedia, the 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, were awarded to Beijing, China after an exhaustive ballot of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on July 13, 2001. The games will be celebrated from August 8, 2008 to August 24, 2008, with the opening ceremony commencing at 08:08pm and 08 seconds. Some events, including football (soccer), sailing, and new 10 km swimming marathon events will be held in other cities of China. PMForum welcomes articles and news about projects and project management for the Olympic Games, in Beijing, London and other cities. Please send articles to editor@pmforum.org. Sources for this article:
Big Project - World’s Longest Rail Tunnel on Land Opens Reported by Alexander Matthey in Switzerland Switzerland has opened the world’s longest rail tunnel on land – the 34 kilometer (21 mile) Loetschberg Tunnel under the Alps. It will cut the journey time between Germany and Italy by at least a third, according to new reports. The tunnel is set to be fully operational in December and will eventually handle more than 40 passenger and 80 freight trains per day.  The estimated cost of the project is 4.3bn Swiss francs (£1.75bn; $3.5bn). Construction started eight years ago. Worldwide the Loetschberg is third in length, behind Japan's Seikan tunnel and the Channel tunnel, both of which are underwater. But it is the longest tunnel on land. Switzerland is one of Europe's major junctions for freight and the tunnel is meant to move cargo off the roads and onto rail. More than 4,000 heavy lorries cross the Swiss Alps by road every day, leading to traffic jams, air pollution and accidents. The Swiss rail tunnel project - including a second, parallel tunnel, due for completion in 2015 - is one of the biggest engineering projects in the world. Millions of tonnes of rock have to be shifted.
The second rail route, the Gotthard rail tunnel, will measure 60km - making it the longest in the world - and will cut the travel time from Zurich to Milan to only two-and-a-half hours Other major tunnel projects in Switzerland include Twin tunnels being built to move road freight to the rail Loetschberg base tunnel (Frutigen- Raron) that opened in June 2007 and a New Gotthard tunnel due to go into operation in 2015. Combined construction costs are currently put at more than $13bn. erremoto Reta la Gestión de Proyectos en el Peru Reported by Jose Machicao in Lima, Peru La tierra estuvo temblando por dos largos minutos a las 6:40pm el último 15 de agosto. Un sismo de magnitud 7,9 sacudió el territorio en Perú. Actualmente, tres ciudades con poblaciones entre los 100 y 200 mil habitantes tienen más del 60% de la infraestructura de edificaciones colapsada. 500 personas están muertas. Todas estas ciudades tiene un enorme potencial de crecimiento agroindustrial, pero conviviendo con segmentos de población pobre.  Durante esta primera semana de proyectos de rescate, han ocurrido cosas positivas y negativas. En el lado bueno, una enorme solidaridad ha emergido de toda la población, de organizaciones públicas y privadas y de instituciones internacionales. Como resultado positivo, muchas víctimas han sido rescatadas vivas durante los tres primeros días, incluso de debajo de los escombros. En el lado malo, fue imposible parar la ola de robos a las víctimas y a la ayuda que llegaba de Lima u otras ciudades en las autopistas temporalmente muy lentas y la secuencia de acciones resultó desorganizada, haciendo muchos esfuerzos inútiles en los primeros días del rescate. Peru 21, uno de los periódicos más populares publicó un editorial afirmando que el Estado Peruano y la gente había reaccionado con una solidaridad enorme, que sin embargo había sido una “solidaridad desorganizada”.
Este es un llamado enorme y claro a la gestión. Antes del desastre, la prevención, de hecho, tuvo un efecto positivo. Especialmente en Lima, muchas campañas promovieron la defensa civil en empresas, edificios, colegios y universidades, y tuvieron éxito. El comportamiento y orden de la mayoría de personas durante el sismo en Lima fue bueno. Por ejemplo, durante un programa de televisión, la gente fue capaz de abandonar el edificio caminando en filas organizadas, bajo las directivas de los organizadores, sin ningún accidente ni pánico. En realidad, no hubo accidentes de pánico en Lima. Desafortunadamente, esta organización todavía no alcanza las ciudades más pobres en el Perú. Chincha, Pisco, Cañete e Ica están lejos de las inspecciones de las municipalidades y entidades de regulación de construcciones, y precisamente mucha de la falta de prevención se relaciona a asuntos de construcción. Durante el desastre, estos pueblos no tenían ningún equipo de emergencia. Ninguna entidad tenía generadores eléctricos autónomos, ni en los primeros minutos, ni horas, ni los primeros días luego del sismo. Todas las ciudades pasaron en penumbra las noches, sin agua y sin comunicaciones. Las compañías de telefonía celular no pudieron recuperar el servicio en los primeros días. Internet era el único medio de comunicación mientras hubiera electricidad o quedara energía en las baterías de las laptops, pero todo esto se terminó poco después del sismo. Actualmente, estamos en la fase post-sismo. Muchos retos ya han sido identificados. El gobierno está trabajando arduamente en focalizarse en los lugares críticos, y la ayuda está llegando más rápido. Desafortunadamente, no se ha diseñado un sistema explícito de lecciones aprendidas. Muchas organizaciones todavía están ayudando a la gente sin un sistema centralizado de información. Las carreteras siguen siendo víctimas de pandillas de robo. No se ha hecho una evaluación de las reglas y procedimientos de prevención.
 Todavía estamos bajo el riesgo de un desastre similar debido a la proximidad de toda la costa de Perú al borde de la Placa de Nazca, por lo tanto la prevención debe ser totalmente rediseñada, priorizando las zonas más pobres y desprotegidas. Las organizaciones de gestión de proyectos no son todavía lo suficientemente fuertes como deberían para influenciar fuertemente al Estado y a las instituciones privadas para focalizarse en la prevención del desastre y en un manejo optimizado de las acciones durante y después de un desastre nacional, pero hay una enorme oportunidad de hacerlo.
Como un homenaje y deber con aquellos que han perdido sus vidas, casas y pertenencias en este evento, nosotros, los gerentes de proyectos debemos escuchar el llamado y continuar acrecentando nuestra organización para la ayuda, como parte de nuestro deber en hacer de la gestión de proyectos una herramienta útil para la calidad de vida.
Earthquake Challenges Project Management in Peru Reported by Jose Machicao in Lima, Peru Editor’s Note: The following article submitted by our International Correspondent in Lima, Peru is a call for project managers worldwide to take a more active role in responding to natural disasters. Project management professional worldwide are encouraged to contact Peruvian Government and help management entities for information on how to help in Peru, following the massive earthquake there on August 15, 2007. We at PMForum extend our sympathies to those affected by this event.  The earth was trembling for two long minutes at 6:40pm on latest August 15th. A 7.9 magnitude seismic event shook the territory in Peru. Currently, three cities with populations between 100 and 200 thousand people collapsed reaching almost 60% of the residential infrastructure: Pisco, Chincha, Cañete and Ica. 500 people dead. All these cities are largely potential agro industrial emporiums growing, but co-living with poor segments of the population.
During all this first week of rescue projects, positives and negative things happened. On the right side, an enormous solidarity aroused from all the population, private and public organizations, and international institutions. As a positive result, many victims were rescued alive during the first three days, even from beneath the collapsed buildings. On the wrong side, it was impossible to stop the wave of robbery to the victims and to the help arriving from Lima and other cities in the temporarily slow driving highways and the sequence of actions were disorganized, making a lot of efforts useless during the first days of rescue. Peru 21, one of the most popular newspapers in Peru, published an editorial saying that Peruvian State and people have reacted with an enormous solidarity, but unfortunately it is a “disorganized solidarity”.
 This is an enormous and clear call for project management. Before the disaster, prevention had a positive effect, in fact. Especially in Lima, many campaigns promoting civil defense in companies, buildings, schools and universities, have been successful. The behavior and order of most of the population during the earthquake in Lima was good. During a TV show, for instance, people were able to leave the building walking lined up out of the building, with clear directives from the managers, without any accident of panic scene. There were no panic accidents in Lima. Unfortunately, this organization still does not reach the poorest cities in the rest of Peru. Chincha, Pisco, Cañete and Ica are far away from the inspections from the Municipalities and construction regulation entities, and most of the lack of prevention was related to construction issues. During the disaster, those towns were not provided with emergency equipment. No fuel electric generators were found in the surroundings, not the first minutes, hours and even days after the seism. All cities were in dark at nights, without water and without communications. The cell phone companies were not able to recover their service during the three first days. Internet was the only way of communication, while some electricity was left on the batteries of some laptops, but that finished quickly after the seism.
Currently, we are in the post-seismic phase. Many challenges were identified already. The government is working hard on focusing the help on the critical places, and help is arriving to them faster. Unfortunately, no explicit lessons learned system was designed. Many organizations are still helping people without a centralized information system. The highways are still under the robbery gangs. No evaluation of the rules and prevention procedures is being done. We are still under the risk of another similar disaster because the proximity of the entire cost of Peru to the border of the Nazca plaque, so the prevention has to be entirely redesigned, prioritizing the poorest and unprotected cities. Project management organizations are not as strong as they would need to be to influence government and private institutions to focus on disaster prevention, and for an optimized management of the actions during and after a national disaster. This is now an enormous opportunity to do it. As a homage and duty to those who lost their lives, houses, and belongings during this event, we, project mangers, should hear the call and continue to grow our organization for help as part of our duty to make project management a useful tool for life quality.
Space Shuttle Endeavor Returns Safely Home Ahead of Hurricane
The space shuttle Endeavour and its crew arrived safely back on Earth on Tuesday, 21 August, after completing a 13-day journey of more than 5.2 million miles in space. Endeavour's STS-118 mission successfully added another truss segment, a new gyroscope and external spare parts platform to the International Space Station. Endeavour's Commander Scott Kelly, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh and mission specialists Tracy Caldwell, Rick Mastracchio, Barbara R. Morgan, Alvin Drew and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dave Williams landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday at 12:32 p.m. EDT (17:32 GMT).
Williams, Mastracchio and station flight engineer Clayton Anderson, with the help of their crewmates, made four spacewalks to accomplish the construction tasks. The spacewalkers also completed work in preparation for upcoming assembly missions, such as relocating an equipment cart and installing support equipment and communication upgrades. During the mission, a new system that enables docked shuttles to draw electrical power from the station to extend visits to the outpost was activated successfully. Because the system worked, two additional days were added to Endeavour's mission. Although managers addressed several issues with Endeavour's heat shield, including a small gouge in the protective tile on the orbiter's belly, inspections in orbit revealed no critical damage. Endeavour's thermal protection system was declared safe for re-entry on Monday. The orbiter will be processed immediately for its next flight, targeted for February 2008.
 Over the last week, NASA officials closely monitored the path of Hurricane Dean, which hit the Yucatan Peninsula of southeastern Mexico on Tuesday morning and was expected to reach the United States by August 22 or 23. Endeavor’s mission was cut short by one day so the Shuttle could return to Florida before Hurricane Dean arrived. During the Endeavor’s return, this photo of Hurricane Dean was taken from the Shuttle. According to NASA, with Endeavour and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the next phase of International Space Station assembly. Preparations continue for space shuttle Discovery's scheduled launch in October of the STS-120 mission to deliver the pressurized Node 2 connecting module to the station. STS-118 was the 119th space shuttle flight, the 22nd flight to the station, the 20th flight for Endeavour and the second of four missions planned for 2007. The space shuttle, one of the most complex machines ever built, is the only spacecraft with its robust capacity. The shuttle fleet is enabling humans today to build the world’s largest orbiting laboratory, paving the way back to the moon, on to Mars and further into the universe. For more on the STS-118 mission and the upcoming STS-120 mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle. Created in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is America’s focal point for research, development and exploration of outer space. In 2005, the US President and Congress committed the United States to exploring the solar system and beyond: completing assembly of the International Space Station, flying the new Crew Exploration Vehicle no later than 2014, returning astronauts to the moon by the end of the next decade, and sending human missions to Mars and beyond. For nearly 50 years, NASA has been leading the world in the development and usage of advanced program and project management. Additional information about NASA can be found at www.nasa.gov.
Fires in Greece affecting Projects & Project Management Reported by Theofanis Giotis in Athens Unfortunately, fires in Greece have killed more than 63 people until today. More people are missing as fires mainly in the southern Greece, Peloponnese, are destroying everything in their path.  We all know that modern project management evolved mainly for dealing with difficult projects, crisis situations and wars. But it seems that project planning for dealing with fires in Greece was inadequate. Of course we must take into account other 2 factors:
The title “Project Manager” as a career path does not exist for the Greek Government and local agencies. Project Management and proactive risk management are terms that have been introduced very lately in Greece. More and more people are now talking about “proper project planning”. Everyone now understands than you cannot have “project execution” and “project controlling” without “extensive project planning”. This means the project management will be a “hot issue” in Greece for the months and years to come. The PMI Greece Chapter will contact the Greek government in the next few days offering its professional Project Management services at the Government’s disposal. Over the next few days, the European Union will announce special projects for helping the affected people and the burned areas.
Microsoft Office Project Conference 2007 Set for October in Seattle Reported by Marc Zocher in Seattle, WA, USA 
The 4th annual Microsoft Office Project Conference is being held October 28 – 31, 2007 at the Washington State Trade and Convention Center in Seattle, Washington, USA. This is one of two Microsoft Office Project Conferences scheduled for 2007; the second will be held in Madrid, Spain in early December. According to Microsoft, these conferences aim to help individuals and organizations develop a better understanding of the end-to end capabilities of the Microsoft 2007 family of products and further advance their Project Management Potential. Participants will have opportunities to:
Attendees can learn how organizations are obtaining business value out of Microsoft’s Enterprise Project Management Solution. Best practices and approaches will be presented by various project management experts, including requirements for Project Management, organizational project maturity, business process mapping, resource management, time sheets, reporting, and project collaboration. Technical details and information on how to adopt, deploy, configure and customize Microsoft Office Project and the Microsoft Office EPM Solution will be presented.
For more information or to register, visit http://www.msprojectconference.com.
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