Eugene Tu Takes the Helm As New Ames Center Director
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July 2015 - A Quarterly Publication New Horizon’s Pluto images amazes and surprises everyone After more than nine years and more than three billion miles, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft made its Pluto in this image from the Long closest approach, its primary mission, Range Reconnaissance Imager to Pluto on July 14, 2015. (LORRI) aboard NASA’s New The spacecraft was launched Jan. Horizons spacecraft, taken July 19, 2006, from Cape Canaveral Air 13, 2015, when the spacecraft was Force Station in Florida, and it is the 476,000 miles (768,000 kilome- first spacecraft to explore the Pluto ters) from the surface.This is the system with its five known moons and last and most detailed image sent the Kuiper Belt. With this milestone, to Earth before the spacecraft’s closest approach to Pluto on July the United States becomes the first 14.The color image has been com- nation in the world to have landed on bined with lower-resolution color or flown by every major body in our information from the Ralph instru- solar system. ment that was acquired earlier on Ames has three scientists who July 13.This view is dominated by play key roles on the New Horizons the large, bright feature informally science team. Kim Ennico, as New named the “heart,” which measures Horizons deputy project scientist approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 and co-investigator, manages the kilometers) across. instrument readiness and calibration aspects of the mission. Her expertise includes instrument development, space qualification and calibration; NASA photo by NASA/APL/SwRI optical/infrared astronomy; optical/ infrared detectors, optics, cameras, hands-on classroom activities.) tigator, Jeff Moore is the imaging node spectrometers; and science communi- As Geology and Geophysics Inves- leader for the New Horizons mission. cation (social media, public speaking, tigation (GGI) team lead and co-inves- continued on page 6 Eugene Tu takes the helm as new Ames center director Administrator Charles Bolden “I am honored and humbled,” announced the selection of he said after the announcement Ames’ own Dr. Eugene L. Tu as was made during the Ames Execu- the next NASA Ames Research tive Council meeting. “I’ve spent all Center director May 5, 2015. my career at Ames so there should Tu most recently was Ames’ be no doubt of my love for this cen- director of Exploration Technolo- ter and the agency.” gy. He began his career at Ames After progressing through vari- as a co-op student in 1984. ous research and managerial posi- Later, as a research scientist, he tions in computational aerodynam- conducted computational fluid ics, information technology, and dynamics research on the steady high performance computing and and unsteady aerodynamics of communications, Tu was selected complex aircraft configurations. into the Senior Executive Service As director of Exploration Candidate Development Program Technology, he was in charge (SESCDP) in 2002. He has served of four technology research and in the Office of Biological and development divisions, including Physical Research at NASA Head- two of the agency’s critical infra- quarters, and was acting deputy structure assets: NASA’s consoli- NASA photo by Dominic Hart director of Exploration Technology dated arc jet testing complex and Eugene Tu (left) at his inaugural all hands as Ames Center for a year prior to his selection as NASA’s primary supercomputing Director, May 20, 2015, with Tom Edwards (right), Ames’ new director of Exploration Technology. facility. deputy center director. Tu spoke about his past at Ames as well as his future plans for the center. continued on page 3 www.nasa.gov Sea level rise discussed at public meeting at Ames The Ames community was knowledge, education and steward- projections; addressed the on-going invited to a public meeting to raise ship of the Earth. challenges and risks; and high- awareness about the effect of sea NASA Ames has partnered with lighted local initiatives and actions in level rise on Santa Clara County the San Francisco Bay Conserva- Santa Clara County. Members of the residents and businesses, June 19 tion and Development Commission public heard from keynote speaker at Ames. The event, called “Meet- (BCDC) to explore sustainability Gary Griggs, Distinguished Profes- ing the Challenge of Sea Level Rise technologies that will help monitor sor of Earth Sciences at University in Santa Clara County,” is part of and model water management in of California, Santa Cruz; Cristina NASA’s ongoing effort to enhance the Bay Area. BCDC estimates that Milesi, Earth senior research sci- $62 billion in economic entist at Ames; federal, state and value of Bay Area local experts; and elected officials Shoreline development including U.S. Congresswoman and 270,000 people in Anna Eshoo (photo left), California the Bay Area are at risk Assemblyman Rich Gordon and San from a rise in sea level. Mateo County Supervisor Dave Pine This event dis- (photo below). cussed in more detail the latest sea level rise NASA photos by Dominic Hart 2 Astrogram July 2015 NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman visits Ames NASA Deputy Administrator Dr. screens, totaling 245 million pixels, high-fidelity modeling and simula- Dava Newman hosted a Town Hall used to display and analyze science tion projects. at Ames, July 16 to discuss NASA and engineering results from NASA’s updates. Newman and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden also signed an inter- agency agreement the same day. The signing event formalizes collaboration between NASA and the USDA and establishes a framework for enhanced cooperation in the areas of Earth sci- photo by Don RIchey NASA ence research, technology, agricultural photo by Dominic Hart NASA management, and the application of science data, models and technology in agricultural decision-making. The agencies also seek to better collaborate on education and commu- nication activities that inspire youth in America to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Following the signing, Newman and Harden were given a demonstra- tion highlighting NASA and USDA research data at Ames’ hyperwall. Dr. Dava Newman, NASA Deputy Administrator (photo right) hosted a town hall at Ames The hyperwall is a 23-by-10 foot liquid July 16. She also signed an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture crystal display composed of 128 (USDA) Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden and visited the Ames hyperwall facility (photo left) and several other Ames facilities that same day. Eugene Tu takes the helm as new Ames center director continued from front page Tu has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and a masters and Ph.D. in Aero- nautics and Astronautics from Stan- ford University. An Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aero- photo by Don Richey NASA nautics and Astronautics (AIAA), he received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal in 2000 and the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executive in 2009. Rupak Biswas will be acting director for Explora- Above photo: Executive tion Technology. Council meeting May 5 during which NASA Headquarters announced Eugene Tu (top far right at table) as Ames’ new Right photo: Eugene Tu, Ames’ center director. new center director (left) and Tom Edwards, Ames’ new deputy center director during the May 20 All Hands, answering questions from the audience. NASA photo by Dominic Hart 3 Astrogram July 2015 William Borucki awarded 2015 Shaw Prize in Astronomy William J. (Bill) Borucki has been dard Memorial Trophy, the 2013 awarded the 2015 Shaw Prize in National Academy of Sciences Astronomy. The announcement of this Henry Draper Medal (also won prestigious award, often referred to by eight Nobel prize winners), the as the “Nobel of the East,” was an- 2012 American Institute of Aero- nounced recently in Hong Kong. The nautics and Astronautics Space prize honors Borucki for “his conceiv- Science Award, the 2012 SPIE ing and leading the Kepler mission, Goddard Space Science Award, which greatly advanced knowledge the 2012 Space Frontier Foun- of both extrasolar planetary systems dation Vision to Reality Award, photo by Dominic Hart NASA and stellar interiors.” The award will the Space Foundation’s 2012 be presented Sept. 24, 2015, and is Jack Swigert Award for Space accompanied by a prize of $1 million. Exploration, the National Space Borucki retired July 3, 2015, in his Club’s 2012 Nelson P. Jackson 53rd year as a civil servant at Ames Aerospace Award, the Astronomi- Research Center. He started his fed- cal Society of the Pacific’s 2012 eral service in 1962, working on the Maria & Eric Muhlman Award, development of the heat shields for and the American Astronomical the Apollo mission in the Hypersonic Society’s 2011 Lancelot M. Berke- Free Flight Branch at Ames. ley Prize for Meritorious Work in After the successful moon land- Astronomy. ings, he transferred to the Theoretical John Grunsfeld, associate Studies Branch where he investigated administrator of NASA’s Sci- lightning activity in planetary atmo- ence Mission Directorate, said, spheres and developed mathematical “Bill’s unique leadership, vision models to predict the effects of nitric and research tenacity has and William Borucki oxides and chlorofluoromethanes on will continue to inspire scientists Earth’s ozone layer. He was most around the world. He retires on such the essence of NASA — the childlike recently a research scientist in the a high note that he leaves a legacy of spirit of discovery, the tireless work Space Sciences and Astrobiology inquiry that will not only be celebrated, ethic and the playful tinkering and risk- Division at Ames, where he was the it will be remembered as opening a taking that leads to bold innovation.” principal investigator for the Kepler new chapter in the history of science mission.