Goddard Space Flight Center Vision Statement"We revolutionize knowledge of the Earth and the universe through

scientific discovery from space to enhance life on Earth."

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Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt)Facilities Master Plan

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)located in Greenbelt, Md., is the Agency's Center ofExcellence for scientific research. GSFC maintainsthis leadership position in space and Earth sciencethrough world-class researchers, cutting-edge facili-ties and equipment, and bolstered by a robustprogram in advanced technology. From astronomyto planetary geology, from biodiversity to oceanog-raphy, researchers use data from spacecraft,balloons, sounding rockets and comprehensiveground-based field campaigns to make new discov-eries about the birth and evolution of the universe,the complex interactions between our Sun and theEarth, and the natural and human-induced causesof changes on the Earth's long-term climate.

Why is the Greenbelt Site important toGoddard and NASA? GSFC conducts a broad range of activities in scien-tific research and development. Activities includeengineering and technology development, thebuilding, testing and operating of high-altitudeballoons, sub-orbital rockets and orbiting space-craft, and the sharing of scientific results withGSFC's customers such as the science community,educators and the public.

To successfully perform this mission, GSFC facili-ties must serve the scientists, engineers andprofessional staff who conduct Goddard's far-ranging activities. GSFC scientists and engineersrequire specialized facility resources in laboratories,cleanrooms, state-of-the-art computers, spacecrafttesting, instrument building, laser ranging and

materials coating. Goddard-Greenbelt houses someof the world's fastest supercomputers, and is hometo a unique combination of facilities such as optics,detector development, and nanosat technologylaboratories essential to Goddard's science andtechnology mission.

What Do Goddard's Greenbelt Facilitiesinclude? Goddard Space Flight Center facilities serve peoplewho create, build, test, launch, operate, analyzeand disseminate the findings from these scienceand technology research programs to a world-widenetwork of customers. GSFC facilities also provideinstitutional services including office work, meet-ings, libraries, food services, health services,childcare services and storage. GSFC also gener-ates and distributes utilities to our buildings fromonsite central plants.

GSFC has two major sites: Greenbelt, Maryland,and Wallops Island, Virginia. The Greenbelt siteserves about 7,600 civil servants and contractors in33 major buildings and over 50 minor buildingstotaling nearly 3.8 million square feet. The site,about 15 miles northeast of Washington D.C.,includes about 2 square miles of property.

How has the Greenbelt Site developed? At present, GSFC's mission, facilities and workforceare divided. Running north from Greenbelt Road(Maryland Rt. 193), Soil Conservation Service(SCS) Road cuts across our site, dividing it into a

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West Campus and an East Campus (see Figure 1).Until 1980, Goddard's mission and facilities fitmostly on the West Campus. But after the WestCampus filled up, growth shifted to the EastCampus.

This separation causes difficulties, including pedes-trian safety across SCS Road, and an increasedsecurity risk to utilities supply lines and services.

Goddard's divided site make our mission morecomplex, costly and difficult. Changes to our facili-ties, roads and land use are critical to alleviatingthese risks.

What is a Facilities Master Plan? A facilities master plan is a 20-year look-ahead atthe anticipated needs and requirements of the

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Center for the purpose of developing a comprehen-sive plan that can serve to guide an organization'sability to manage its buildings, roadways, utilitiesand land use. Goddard's last master plan, preparedin 1988, is out of step compared to the Center'sexpected needs. To remain efficient and effective incarrying out its scientific research, changes toGSFC's environment are necessary.

NASA recognizes that it must become more effi-cient and effective. Just as the technologies andworkforce skills must keep pace with thesechanges, so must our facilities. We must rethinkhow our buildings are built, operated, maintained,and renewed or closed over time.

GSFC has drafted a new, up-to-date facilitiesmaster plan which will enable the Center to meetchanging goals and resources in the future. Thenew master plan will help GSFC compete for andwin challenging work, attract a highly skilled workforce and provide an up-to-date workplace to carry out its critical research and ensure missionsuccess.

What does the Master Plan propose? Addressing the West Campus/East Campus separation is a major reason for the changesproposed in Goddard's master plan. GSFC proposesjoining these separate campuses. Land along thecurrent path of Soil Conservation Service Road,which separates the campuses, will be used for keymission and support activities. Non-NASA traffic willhave a new route around the heart of Goddard’sactivities, ensuring that our neighbors havecontinued access across our land (see Figure 2).

The buffer zone of trees surrounding the campuswill be preserved, maintaining a safe, quiet andpleasant environment for our neighbors. Behind thenatural buffer, GSFC also proposes redeveloping apart of the West Campus that does not currently fitour changing needs. This partnering and outreachzone will contain a variety of activities compatiblewith GSFC's work, such as housing our public andprivate sector partners, holding conferences andhelping develop new science and technology busi-nesses.

Overall, the number of people who work onGoddard land, including both the secured unifiedcampus and the partnering and outreach zone,should remain about as it is today.

How is the Facilities Master Plan beingdeveloped?• Development: The Center used a step-by-step

process to define needs, study today's condi-tions, and propose changes to buildings, utilitysystems, and land use.

• Documentation: Decisions are recorded andavailable for those interested in learning aboutand helping refine the plan. The documentsinclude studies of how proposals affect the envi-ronment and area roadway conditions.

• Goal: To develop a plan that considers andresponds to the needs of all interested parties,including our neighbors, workforce, partners, andcustomers.

What goals does the Master Plan helpGSFC achieve? The proposed master plan changes will helpGoddard achieve its goals:

SafetyAvoid unnecessary risk to people and missionQualityEnsure that facilities are the best fit for activitiesEfficiencyUse buildings and services to the fullest Unified CampusEnable workforce to work more effectivelyPartnersEnable GSFC to work closely with our partners

What does the Master Plan mean to thecommunity?As part of the Greenbelt community, GSFC seeksto maintain relationships with its neighbors thatbenefit all. GSFC brings the community manystable, well-paid jobs and important businessopportunities, and we are sharing our knowledgeand values with area schools, civic institutions andcommunity groups. The master plan is, first andforemost, a commitment by GSFC to remain a vitalworkplace and a vital participant in our community.

That vitality affects our neighbors in other ways aswell. Because much of our property is woodland,the community benefits from a natural enclave inan increasingly crowded area. The Unified Campusstrategy focuses facilities changes in the middle,developed parts of GSFC property, helping us topreserve these natural areas. Perhaps the mostevident effect for many neighbors is rerouting SoilConservation Service Road (shown in Figure 2).

For some, the change will make automobile tripslonger. Figure 3 puts the change in a regionalperspective, showing current and future road align-ments. The change to the length of a typical tripincluding the new alignment would be modest.

How will the external community beinvolved?GSFC is interested in receiving community inputabout its facilities master plan, and intends to use itto refine the plan. GSFC will solicit publiccomments via electronic mail, direct mail and willhold public meetings so that its neighbors can learnmore about the plan and have an opportunity toprovide comments, and hear directly from GSFC'sfacilities planners. GSFC is compiling a mailing listof those interested in the facilities master plan. Ifyou would like to be added to our mailing list,please send an electronic mail message with yourname and address to:fmplan@pop100.gsfc.nasa.gov

GSFC welcomes public comment on its new facili-ties master plan and will use input from the localcommunity and its neighbors to refine the plan.GSFC is collecting this informal community input

prior to entering into a formal community reviewprocess with the National Capital PlanningCommission.

What is the schedule?• Complete: Defining Center needs, study of cur-

rent condition

• Complete: Initial proposal of changes to build-ings, utility systems, land use

• In Progress: Documentation of plans and earlycommunity input

• 2001: Formal community review process with theNational Capital Planning Commission

How can I learn more?For further information regarding GSFC's facilitiesmaster plan, please write

NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterOffice of Public AffairsAttention: Master Plan, Code 130Greenbelt, MD 20771

or send electronic mail tofmplan@pop100.gsfc.nasa.gov

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Regional Map Figure 3

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