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Former DOJ Attorney Iris Lan Assumes General Counsel Role at NASA
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Former DOJ Attorney Iris Lan Assumes General Counsel Role at NASA

Iris Lan, former associate deputy attorney general at the Department of Justice, has been appointed general counsel at NASA.

She succeeds Sumara Thompson-King, who has held the role since 2014 and retired from the agency in December 2022 after 36 years of service, NASA said Monday.

In her previous role at DOJ, Lan was responsible for the nation’s 93 U.S. attorneys and the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys.

Lan started her career at DOJ as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, where she prosecuted cases related to export control, cyber intrusion, counterterrorism, counterintelligence and corporate fraud.

She then became deputy chief of the appellate section and supervised attorneys in briefing cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Lan is an elected member of the American Law Institute.

“Our team of attorneys, paralegals, and professionals are critical to NASA fulfilling our mission to explore the unknown in air and space, innovate for the benefit of humanity, and inspire the world through discovery. With Iris at the helm, I am confident they will continue to help NASA maintain our standing as the world’s premier space agency,” said Bill Nelson, administrator of NASA.

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DOD Issues Updated Guidance on Digital Capability Acquisition
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DOD Issues Updated Guidance on Digital Capability Acquisition

The Department of Defense’s office of the chief information officer has released an updated guidance outlining policy and procedures for the acquisition of digital capabilities.

The document details the responsibilities of principal acquisition professionals in the procurement of programs containing information technology, including national security systems, across all acquisition pathways.

DOD CIO and 2023 Wash100 awardee John Sherman approved the document, which took effect on Thursday, June 1, and supports the National Defense Strategy and the DOD Digital Modernization Strategy.

According to the guidance, program managers and acquisition personnel must consider government contracting laws and regulations with regard to the use of DOD IT category management purchasing platforms, Enterprise Software Initiative and component-level enterprise software licenses and document such considerations in their acquisition strategies.

PMs and procurement professionals should incorporate in the acquisition of digital capabilities cyber requirements, including cybersecurity risk management, operational mission-based design and evaluation of survivability, operational resilience and cyberspace defense, the guidance dictates.

Does Bitcoin Have a Place in the Federal Sector?
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Does Bitcoin Have a Place in the Federal Sector?

Although Bitcoin has been around for more than a decade, it’s still relatively new in the global economy, and it certainly hasn’t quite been embraced by the public sector as quickly as it has been in the private sector. As Bitcoin continues to mature and grow, is there a space for it in the federal landscape?

Unchained Capital Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer Dhruv Bansal argues that there is, but it will take some time, patience and a thoughtful approach. In a new video interview with Executive Mosaic, Bansal acknowledged the potential pain points behind Bitcoin but also highlighted the potential long-term benefits of adopting such an “exceptional” piece of software.

“Bitcoin is new, it’s scary, it’s novel, it doesn’t work the way that we expect it to. And at first order, whether it’s the energy usage, whether it’s the freedom of transactions and the uncensorable and private nature of them, whether it’s the idea that attacks and computer security become more profitable and immediate — these can be very scary first order effects,” Bansal shared. “But I think the second order effects can be really positive.”

“I think the long term outcome is actually a better system, a more robust system, a more distributed system that is fairer to its participants and better aligned with their interests than the centralized systems that we have today,” he added.

Bansal said he hopes for a nuanced response from the government as Bitcoin grows more popular around the world.

“If we react too quickly out of ignorance or fear or lack of familiarity, we set ourselves back as a nation with respect to the rest of the world that is more open, perhaps, to embracing Bitcoin and witnessing the changes that it will create in their societies,” warned Bansal.

The good news, he shared, is that Bitcoin is popular in the U.S. and its users are willing and eager to advocate for its balanced, smart and informed adoption in the federal space.

“Bitcoin is here to stay. We’re not going to get rid of it, and it’s not something we want to get rid of. It’s going to make the world better. It’s going to be a painful transition. But if we can guide it and respond in a nuanced way, I think we’re going to get the best out of it,” Bansal noted.

Watch Dhruv Bansal’s full video interview here.

If you’re interested in learning more about cyber, join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2023 Cyber Summit on June 8! Register here.

TikTok Debate Offers 4 Important Lessons for Application Security, Says Invicti’s Frank Catucci
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TikTok Debate Offers 4 Important Lessons for Application Security, Says Invicti’s Frank Catucci

Security concerns regarding TikTok have brought about new restrictions on the app, which has now been banned from government devices tied to the White House, military services, Congress and various state governments.

Frank Catucci, chief technology officer and security research lead at Invicti Security, views the TikTok debate as just one portion of the wider application security conversation, which he discussed in a piece published to Federal News Network on Monday.

According to Invicti research, 86 percent of federal cybersecurity leaders faced breach activity connected to a web application over a recent one-year period. The TikTok issue, said Catucci, has shined a light on four areas that government information technology officials should consider to create a better method of application security scanning.

Both legacy systems and modern applications are vulnerable to application security risks. Due to the quick launch times of mobile applications, Catucci said that security scanning should be scalable and thorough across all applications.

Application programming interfaces are discreet endpoints that are often overlooked by simple security scans. This lack of oversight leaves gaps that threat actors can easily exploit, and application security scanning tools must be trained on the logic and behaviors of APIs to detect these vulnerabilities, Catucci wrote.

Least privileged access is another step federal agencies can take to manage their application security, said Catucci. He noted that the majority of applications request more permissions than they need, and recommended that these permissions be regulated.

Applications can also make connections to unnecessary outside services that may go unseen. Scanning products, Catucci said, must be programmed to identify these connections to prevent connections to insecure networks.

The best security scanning approaches, per Catucci, use a combination of dynamic and static application security testing and software composition analysis in one scan while including coverage for development and production ecosystems and web applications. These tools should also be Software-as-a-Service-based to swiftly adapt to face changing threats.

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DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Uses AI to Enhance X-Ray Image Comparison of Materials
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DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Uses AI to Enhance X-Ray Image Comparison of Materials

The Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has designed an artificial intelligence-based method that would make it easier for scientists to compare X-ray images of semiconductor materials.

The lab, which is operated by Stanford University, is banking on the technology to support its Linac Coherent Light Source, the first hard X-ray free electron laser facility in the world, DOE said Thursday.

Scientists use X-rays to detect the current and changing atomic structure of materials, which help them develop new elements. The process is valuable in the creation of next-generation computers and chip-based technologies.

The new AI technique proved 10 times faster than previous methods of comparing X-ray images, and 100 times faster when combined with new hardware such as the upgraded LCLS. LCLS II is being designed to capture up to a million snapshots per second, exponentially higher than the 100 images per second capability of its previous version.

AI also enabled SLAC researchers to study high-temperature superconductors and analyze data in real-time, saving them time and providing a shortcut to pinpointing and investigating intriguing results.

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is the site of the 2-mile Stanford Linear Accelerator, the longest particle accelerator in the world.

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NASA Conducts Hot Fire Test of RS-25 Engine for Future Space Missions
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NASA Conducts Hot Fire Test of RS-25 Engine for Future Space Missions

NASA has carried out a hot fire test of an RS-25 certification engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand at Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, to validate its performance capabilities in supporting future deep space missions.

The Aerojet Rocketdyne-manufactured engine was powered for about eight and a half minutes and fired up to 113 percent power, surpassing the required 111 percent power level to help launch NASA’s Space Launch System for future Artemis missions, the agency said Friday.

The hot fire is part of a test series to certify production of the redesigned RS-25 engine for future deep space exploration missions, starting with Artemis V.

In April, NASA conducted a 12-minute hot fire test to study the pivoting capabilities of the engine.

SLS uses four RS-25 engines with a combined thrust of over 2 million pounds.

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NSF Invests in Radar Development for Weather Observation, Prediction
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NSF Invests in Radar Development for Weather Observation, Prediction

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research has secured $91.8 million in funding from the National Science Foundation to support the development of an airborne phased array radar for severe weather observation and forecasting.

NSF said Thursday APAR will be attached to an aircraft to get close 3D views of high-impact weather events, such as severe storms, to help researchers see deeper into cloud and rain formations to create weather prediction models.

APAR will also work to collect high-resolution measurements of storm dynamics and intensity to enable researchers in recording the changing life cycle of severe storms.

Rick Spinrad, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said APAR will be mounted on the C-130J hurricane hunter aircraft NOAA is planning to acquire.

“The funding from NSF and the work of NCAR and other partners on this Airborne Phased Array Radar will enable a transformative leap in our radar and data-collecting capabilities and lead to improved forecast guidance,” Spinrad said.

APAR activities will be led by research teams from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Colorado State University, State University of New York Stony Brook, University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Oklahoma.

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GSA’s Laura Stanton: IT Professional Services SIN Could Help Agencies Accelerate IT Procurement Process
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GSA’s Laura Stanton: IT Professional Services SIN Could Help Agencies Accelerate IT Procurement Process

Laura Stanton, a General Services Administration official, said federal agencies looking to gain access to a pool of experienced information technology vendors, achieve cost savings and speed up the procurement of IT platforms and services on the Multiple Award Schedule should consider using the IT Professional Services Special Item Number.

Federal agencies spent approximately $10 billion on IT products and services through the IT Professional Services SIN in 2022, Stanton, assistant commissioner for the office of IT category at GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, wrote in a blog post published Thursday.

Some of the federal agency users of the SIN are NASA, Customs and Border Protection, GSA and various components of the Department of Defense.

Stanton discussed how a federal agency offering aid to foreign countries used the IT Professional Services SIN to acquire a secure application from a team of three small businesses in support of its Field Employee Support Tablet Initiative project.

“By leveraging the expertise of contractors through the IT Professional Services SIN, agencies can implement IT solutions that meet their specific needs, improve efficiency, and better fulfill their missions,” she added.

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Army Solicits Proposals for Data-Wiping Technology Development
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Army Solicits Proposals for Data-Wiping Technology Development

The Army Applied Small Business Innovation Research Program is inviting small businesses to submit proposals to develop data-wiping technology to prevent adversaries from extracting critical information from military equipment.

The solicitation calls for novel technologies that can digitally erase sensitive field-programmable gate array systems and prevent reverse-engineering of hardware used on abandoned military technologies, the U.S. Army said Thursday.

According to the solicitation, the service aims to assess technologies that incorporate trigger mechanisms for automatic activation and information erasure.

Up to two small businesses will be selected to receive Army SBIR Direct to Phase II contracts worth $1.3 million each to mature and demonstrate their technologies.

The project will run for two years and interested companies may submit proposals between June 14 and July 18.

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Sidus Space to Build Additional Hardware for NASA’s Artemis Mission; Carol Craig Quoted
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Sidus Space to Build Additional Hardware for NASA’s Artemis Mission; Carol Craig Quoted

Sidus Space has been subcontracted to produce additional hardware for NASA’s Artemis initiative and Space Launch System Manned Vehicle.

Under the subcontract with Craig Technologies, Sidus is expected to construct the Umbilical Quick Disconnects on the Dynetics-developed Universal Stage Adapter, the Cape Canaveral, Florida-based organization announced last week.

Carol Craig, founder and CEO of Sidus Space, noted that the Umbilical Quick Disconnects are predicted to be an important piece of hardware on the SLS manned vehicle.

“The award of this subcontract further validates Sidus’ ability to deliver mission-critical hardware to our key partners and vendors,” she said.

Craig added that the organization is “proud to be a part of” the Artemis program’s efforts to put a human on the moon and progress deep space exploration.

NASA’s Artemis program is focused on bringing people back to the moon, building a long-term human presence on its surface and setting the stage for manned missions to Mars. The SLS, which will carry the Orion spacecraft, astronauts and cargo to the moon in one trip, represents the core of the initiative. It can also be tailored to deep-space locations.

Sidus’ Umbilicals were first delivered to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for testing in July 2022. The subcontract represents the company’s authorization to manufacture the Qualification test set Umbilicals and conduct the related Qualification testing to guarantee that the Umbilicals will function properly for the Universal Stage Adapter on the Artemis rocket.

Dynetics, a Leidos subsidiary, was awarded the prime contract to build the Universal Stage Adapter in June 2017. Less than a year later, the company concluded the preliminary design review for the technology, which is intended to enable the SLS to transport large payloads, including habitats, landers and scientific equipment alongside humans and the Orion spacecraft.

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