NRP POST a Publication of NASA Research Park Spring 2010

National Aeronautics and Space Administration The NRP POST A publication of NASA Research Park Spring 2010

NRP’s Bloom Energy Debuts Advanced Fuel Cell to Change the World

NASA Technology Comes to Earth*

Bloom Energy can trace its roots to work performed at the University of Arizona as part of the NASA Mars space program. Dr. KR Sridhar and his team were charged with creating a technology that could sustain life on Mars. They built a device capable of producing air and fuel from electricity, and/or electricity from air and fuel.

They soon realized that their technology could have an even greater impact here on Earth.

In 2001, when their project ended, the team decided to continue their research and start a company. Originally called Ion America, Bloom Energy, was founded with the mission to make clean, reliable energy affordable for everyone on earth.

(L-R) California Governor Arnold Schwarzeneggar with Bloom Energy Principal In 2002, John Doerr, and Kleiner Perkins became Co-Founder and CEO K.R. Sridhar, Phd, at Bloom Energy launch Feb. 24, eBay the fi rst investors in the company. Kleiner Perkins Townhall, San Jose, CA was legendary for its early backing of other industry changing companies, like Google, Amazon.com, Bloom Energy Staff , Sunnyvale, CA Netscape, and Genentech, but Bloom was its fi rst clean tech investment. In fact, at that time, clean NRP Partner Bloom Energy Corporation, a Silicon Valley-based Com- tech was not even really a word. pany committed to changing the way people generate and consume With fi nancing in place, the team packed three U- energy, announced Feb. 24 the availability of the Bloom Energy hauls and headed to NASA Research Park at Ames Server™, a patented solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology that pro- Research Center in Silicon Valley to set up shop. vides a cleaner, more reliable and aff ordable alternative to both to- Over the next few years, the technology quickly day’s electric grid as well as traditional renewable energy sources. The developed from concept, to prototype, to product, Bloom Energy Server provides distributed power generation, allowing as the major technological challenges were solved and the systems became more powerful, more ef- customers to effi ciently create their own electricity onsite. fi cient, more reliable, and more economical.

The company introduced its groundbreaking technology at eBay In early 2006 Bloom shipped its fi rst 5kW fi eld Inc. headquarters with a keynote by California Governor Arnold trial unit to the University of Tennessee, Chatta- nooga. After two years of successful fi eld trials in Schwarzenegger, Bloom Energy Board Member General Colin Powell Tennessee, California, and Alaska, to validate the and several of its early customers. Built using abundant and aff ord- technology, the fi rst commercial (100kW) products able materials, Bloom’s fuel cell technology is fundamentally diff er- were shipped to Google in July 2008. ent from the legacy “hydrogen” fuel cells. The Bloom Energy Server is distinct in four primary ways: it uses lower cost materials, provides Since that time Bloom’s Energy Servers have helped our customers generate millions of kWhs unmatched effi ciency in converting fuel to electricity, has the ability of electricity and eliminate millions of pounds of to run on a wide range of renewable or traditional fuels and is more CO2 from the environment. easily deployed and maintained. From humble beginnings on Mars, Bloom Energy cont’d on p.3 is now changing the Earth for the better. 1 *http://bloomenergy.com/about/company-history/ NRP Post Contents Bloom Energy 1

CMSV: Advanced Communications & Disaster Management 2 Unimodal Systems LLC 5 Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley Launches Research Center & California Native Gardens Initiative in Advanced Communications & Disaster Management 6 by Nichole Dwyer, Manager of Web Communications Space Business Carnegie Mellon CyLab Roundtable: Cureton Event 7 Late in 2009, the International Center for Advanced Communication Technologies (interACT) launched its latest site at Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley. With sites in Pittsburgh, Germany, Airship Earth 8 Hong Kong and Tokyo, Silicon Valley marks the fi fth center that interACT has launched. Space Systems/LORAL: Propulsion System InterACT’s mission is to carry out scientifi c research on Advanced Communication Tech- for Moon Exploration 9 nologies as well as to promote and facilitate education in an international, cross-cultural setting. The research emphasis is in speech recognition, language processing, speech Bright Green Energy, USA translation, multimodal and perceptual user interfaces. The research team at Silicon Val- 10 ley campus includes Director Dr. Alex Weibel, professor of computer science; Dr. Ian Lane, Singularity University systems scientist; Dr. Joy 2010 Graduate Zhang, assistant research Studies Program 11 professor; and Dr. Matthias Eck, research technician. Khalid Al-AliAppointed Executive Director of UARC 12 The Silicon Valley team was the fi rst to success- NASA 70th fully deploy a full-scale Anniversary Gala 12 statistical machine trans- Tibion Corp New CEO 13 lation application on a mobile device. Dr. Joy Zhang and Dr. Matthias Eck introduce Jibbigo App Dan Bolfi ng/Zystech 13 “In the past, people used grammar-based translation techniques, which requires human ef- forts in writing grammar rules to build up a translation lexicon. However, this is expensive to CMU: 1991 Cold-Case Criminal Investigation 15 build and diffi cult to deploy for any new set of languages and domains. By using data-driven machine translation, we are able to learn the translation model automatically from a set of Yuri’s Night 16 translation examples. This allows us to create a new set of systems for new languages or new domains in a much shorter time frame,” said Dr. Zhang, machine translation expert. Conrad Foundations 2010 Spirit of Innovation Awards 17 The fi rst project to come out of interACT’s research at the Silicon Valley site is Jibbigo. Jibbigo is an iPhone app that translates language back and forth. The Jibbigo app has Airship Ventures 18 been tremendously successful, becoming one of the top travel apps, even rising to the number one selling app in Japan. It was also submitted to CrisisCampHaiti to aid in relief Economics Benefi t Study eff orts after the devastating earthquake in January. A translation app is critical for relief 20 eff orts in Haiti when volunteers, including medical professionals, who do not speak the Moff ett Museum local language are on the ground aiding Haitians. Open House 20 Also aiding in disaster recovery is the newly established Disaster Management Initiative (DMI). Launched by Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley and the CyLab Mobility Research Cen- ter, DMI is a new technology partnership and incubator that brings together key partners and individuals to collaborate on next-generation solutions for more eff ective management of disaster and emergency response among the public, emergency responders and command centers in California and beyond.

The DMI held its fi rst workshop, “Disaster Management and Emergency Services: Next Generation Device, Communication, and Collaboration Technologies” on March 26, 2010. The workshop focused on defi ning the framework for new devices, communication and 2 www.nasa.gov NRP Post Bloom cont’d from p.1 Unlike traditional renewable collaboration technologies and identify- sooner, accelerate response times and ing projects to be explored further during provide new communication channels, energy technologies, like solar CrisisCampSiliconValley. Agenda items at ultimately saving lives, and many of those and wind which are intermittent, the DMI workshop included panels with innovations were born in Silicon Valley. Bloom’s technology can provide many DMI partners covering sensors, The goal of our Disaster Management renewable power 24/7. Each mobile devices, WiFi, 3G and 4G net- Initiative and CrisisCampSiliconValley is Bloom Energy Server provides working, systems integration, common to be a driving force behind the further 100 kilowatts (kW) of power in operating picture and next-generation development of new technologies that roughly the footprint of a park- emergency operation centers. will encourage innovation and a renewed ing space. Each system gener- focus on the area of disaster manage- ates enough power to meet Following the DMI workshop, Carnegie ment.” the needs of approximately Mellon Silicon Valley hosted CrisisCamp- SiliconValley on March 26-28. Notable While interACT will advance communi- 100 average US homes or a attendees included Matthew Betten- cations technology and DMI will bring small offi ce building. For more hausen, Secretary of CalEMA (California together collaborators in management power, customers simply deploy Emergency Management Agency) who and response, both will develop research multiple Energy Servers side by gave the keynote , and Mike Dayton, to further disaster relief. Their work will side. The modular architecture Deputy Director of Legislative Aff airs for push technology from useful to neces- allows customers to start small California Homeland Security. sary for disaster recovery and humanitar- and “pay as they grow.” ian eff orts. CrisisCamps brings together domain Bloom’s customers have de- experts, developers and fi rst respond- To learn more about interACT, visit ployed the solution to lower ers around improving technology and sv.cmu.edu/research/interact/. practice for humanitarian crisis. In the and/or fi x their energy costs, fi rst quarter of 2010, we’ve already seen To learn more about the Disaster Man- while signifi cantly cutting natural disasters in California, Haiti, Chile, agement Initiative, visit dmi.sv.cmu.edu. their carbon footprint and en- New Guinea, Cuba and Japan. hancing their energy security by reducing their dependence “Natural disasters occur worldwide killing on the grid. Customers who tens of thousands of people, and in some purchase Bloom’s systems cases hundreds of thousands of people, at can expect a 3-5 year payback a time,” said Dr. Martin L. Griss, director on their capital investment of Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley. “Ad- from the energy cost savings. vances in technology can predict threats Depending on whether they are using a fossil or renewable fuel, they can also achieve a 40-100% reduction in their carbon footprint as compared with the U.S. grid. Customers announced today include Bank of America, The Coca- Cola Company, Cox Enter- prises, eBay, FedEx Express, an operating company of FedEx Corp, Google, Staples, and Walmart.

Since the fi rst commercial customer installation in July 2008, Bloom’s Energy Servers have collectively produced

NASA DART Chief Robert Dolci leads tour of NASA Ames cont’d on p.4 DART Collapsed Structure Rescue Training site www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 3 NRP Post

Bloom cont’d from p.3

more than 11 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of in stealth, has actually delivered. electricity, with CO2 reductions estimated at Americans want clean, aff ordable, 14 million pounds – the equivalent of pow- energy, 24x7 -- and all the jobs ering approximately 1,000 American homes that go with it. Bloom’s boxes are for a year and planting one million trees. a breakthrough, serving energy, serving demanding customers, “Bloom Energy is dedicated to making clean, and serving our country.” reliable energy aff ordable for everyone in the world,” said Dr. K.R. Sridhar, principal Bloom Energy’s management co-founder and CEO of Bloom Energy. “We team possesses expertise believe that we can have the same kind of across a number of relevant in- impact on energy that the mobile phone had dustries, including aerospace, on communications. Just as cell phones cir- high volume manufacturing, cumvented landlines to proliferate telephony, semiconductors, automotive, Bloom Energy will enable the adoption of dis- naval nuclear, and Silicon tributed power as a smarter, localized energy Valley startups. In addition to source. Our customers are the cornerstone of CEO Sridhar, the company’s that vision and we are thrilled to be working board members include John with industry leading companies to lower their Doerr, partner, Kleiner Perkins energy costs, reduce their carbon footprint, Caufi eld & Byers; General Colin improve their energy security, and showcase Bloom Energy Servers installed in summer 2009 Powell, former U.S. Secretary at eBay headquarters, San Jose, CA. Other early their commitment to a better future.“ adopters of Bloom Energy Servers include Google, of State; Scott Sandell, general Inc., Walmart, Coca Cola, Bank of America, Cox partner, New Enterprise As- Powder to Power – How It Works Enterprises, FedEx Express and Staples. sociates (NEA); T.J. Rodgers, Founded in 2001, Bloom Energy traces its chairman, SunPower; and roots to NASA’s Mars space program. Sridhar Eddy Zervigon, managing di- and his team were charged with building rector, Morgan Stanley. Bloom technology to help sustain life on Mars using solar energy Energy’s investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufi eld & Byers, and water to produce air to breathe and fuel for transpor- representing the fi rm’s fi rst clean tech investment, as well as tation. They soon realized that their technology could have Morgan Stanley, NEA, and Northgate Capital. an even greater impact here on Earth and began work on what would become the Bloom Energy Server. Bloom Energy, a partner in NASA Research Park since 2004, has been featured on 60 Minutes, in Newsweek and Fortune The Bloom Energy Server converts air and nearly any fuel Magazines among others. source – ranging from natural gas to a wide range of biogases – into electricity via a clean electrochemical process, rather than dirty combustion. Even running on a fossil fuel, the systems are approximately 67% cleaner than a typical coal-fired power plant. When powered by a renewable fuel, they can be 100% cleaner. Each Energy Server consists of thousands of Bloom’s “NASA is a tremendous environment for fuel cells – flat, solid ceramic squares made from a common encouraging innovation—it’s all about sand-like “powder”. solving problems that are seemingly “Today we witnessed something special,” said John Doerr, unsolvable. After realizing that we could partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufi eld & Byers and Bloom make oxygen on Mars, making electrons Energy board member. “This is a new kind of product on Earth seemed far less daunting. We’re Announcement, coming long after a product has shipped and grateful to NASA for giving us a challenge directly from marquis customers. For years, there have been with serendipitous impact for mankind.” promises of new energy solutions that are clean, distributed, - K.R. Sridhar aff ordable, and reliable. Today we learn that Bloom, formerly

4 www.nasa.govwww.nasa.gov NRP Post

Could Investors Fund City’s for Shoreline Boulevard over the years. Light rail projects have cost $100 million per Transit Future? mile while SkyTran would cost only $10 million per mile, according to Baertsch. The Council resolution favors general company claims its passive magnetic levitation technology is a breakthrough in terms concept of ‘personal rapid transit’ of cost and effi ciency. by Daniel DeBolt, Mountain View Voice Staff , April 1, 2010 Baertsch said his company is “getting extremely close” to securing several million in venture capital funding to fi nish developing SkyTran. A company that has set up shop at NASA Research Park claims its system for au- Unimodal believes SkyTran fares could generate revenue for local government agen- tomated pod travel could lift Mountain cies while buses and light rail do not. In tough economic times, Baertsch said, Mountain View out of its traffi c and public trans- View offi cials may be happy to know that the fi rst city to agree to a SkyTran system will portation woes -- and the city may not not have to spend a dime on it. have to spend a dime on it. That city would also get a SkyTran factory as part of the deal, Baertsch said, So claims Unimodal Systems LLC., which “That’s part of the package.” says that for the fi rst city to say yes, it can build its SkyTran system -- small cars or Valley Support “pods” which move about automatically San Jose International Airport and the University of Michigan are among other loca- on a network of rails, heading to their tions considering a SkyTran system. But while Michigan’s desire to reinvent itself as destination at the push of a button the center of transportation technology is attractive, Unimodal wants to create what it -- while getting all of the funding from believes will be a multibillion dollar industry in Silicon Valley, said Elizabeth Thompson, private investors. the company’s director for strategic partnerships.

“Investors have told us, bring us a project The technology still has to be tested, and Unimodal is planning to build a 1,000-foot oval and we’ll fi nance it,”said Robert Baertsch, test track on the tarmac behind Hangar Two at Moff ett Field. NASA Ames director Pete Unimodal’s vice president Worden is highly support- of software engineering. ive of the project, and the space agency’s technol- Though the jury is still out ogy is expected to fi nd on the merits of such a sys- its way into SkyTran engi- tem, the City Council has neering, Baertsch said. Photo: Michelle Le already made a preliminary step in its favor. On Feb. 23, Unimodal envisions a the council unanimously system serving a rede- supported “the general veloped NASA Research concept of an automated Park, running across personal rapid transit (PRT) Stevens Creek to Google system in Mountain View” headquarters, to down- after being lobbied by town Mountain View another PRT company -- and eventually expand- one not located at Moff ett ing all the way to the SkyTran’s lightweight personal compartments can transport up to three passengers. -- called ULTra. Travelers board the pod-like vehicles and select their destination on a touch screen. San Jose airport, where a request for proposals for The city is considering a PRT system from a PRT project connecting it to the Santa Clara train station is expected later this year, the downtown train station to the Shore- Baertsch said. line area, where young employees from Google and Microsoft are expected to New Relevance embrace its cutting-edge means of mov- The City Council’s resolution opens the door for PRT to be studied for the Shoreline area ing people around. as the city updates its General Plan. The council has supported allowing Google, Micro- soft and other companies to build buildings up to seven stories high in the Shoreline Council members say it is premature Area, which could pose traffi c management challenges for the neighborhood north of to call PRT their favorite transportation Highway 101. solution for the Shoreline area, but so far its purported low cost and effi ciency “How we get around is probably just as important to think about as the buildings themselves,” looks attractive in comparison to the said council member John Inks. light rail and shuttle services touted cont’d on p.6

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Unimodal cont’d from p.5 The city of San Francisco Council member Mike Kasperzak said asked SkyTran for the he fi nds the idea of PRT in Mountain costs of a seven-mile View “exciting” and was impressed with system on Geary Street. SkyTran’s prototype during a recent visit Using the current fare Photo: Michelle Le to Unimodal’s modest facility at NASA box revenue for the Ames. Geary Street buses, Baertsch calculated that And on a recent trip to London he was the system would begin able to experience the ULTra PRT system to turn a profi t after four being tested at Heathrow Airport. Ultra’s years. More than 3,000 pods are battery powered cars riding on people per square mile cement paths at up to 30 miles per hour. are needed to make He said the ride was “smooth” and some- a profi t with SkyTran, thing like a ride at Disneyland. the company says, and Mountain View has Robert Baertsch, vice president of software engineering for Unimodal, Steve Raney, principal for ATS ULTra about 6,000 people per shows off a SkyTran pod prototype at NASA Research Park. North America, said Mountain View was square mile. the fi rst city in the country to pass a resolution in favor of PRT as a concept. High Speeds The light rail system in Santa Clara County has been little used in part because of its Despite the interest, in tough budget slow speed -- it averages 12 miles per hour in some places. SkyTran plans for 50 mile per times council members said it was un- hour speeds just to start off , but is designed to reach up to 150 miles per hour. Unimodal likely the city could fund such a project. claims that one SkyTran guideway can provide the capacity of three freeway lanes. An 8.5-mile-long system with 24 stations would cost between $60 million and $130 Because of its light weight, the system supposedly can be mounted from light poles— million, according to a city staff report. no expensive new infrastructure needed. Unimodal says SkyTran’s benefi ts are due to its “passive mag-lev” technology the company is developing, which allows the pods to How to Fund basically fl oat on their overhead guideways once at speed. Among the fans of Personal Rapid Transit and SkyTran is transportation guru Rod Diri- If PRT really turns out to be aff ordable and safe (Unimodal says it is 20 times safer than a don, executive director of the Mineta Trans- car and safer than fl ying), then its appearance may be its hardest selling point. portation Institute. He said the city could probably qualify for federal funding for the “It looks kind of futuristic,” said council member Margaret Abe-Koga. “I’m not sure if folks project if necessary, especially if it could be would be open to that.” shown that it would create jobs quickly. Baertsch said Unimodal was not attached to the exterior design of the pods, and joked To qualify, matched funding of 20 per- that the company would build retro style pods that looked like San Francisco trolley cent would have to come from the city’s cars if that’s what people wanted. Shoreline Community tax district, the Valley Transportation Authority or the Shoreline tech companies that would make use of PRT. Before federal funds could even be applied for, the city would have to fi nd $1 million for initial studies, Diridon said. He recommended working with the VTA to expand PRT regionally.

Unimodal has already worked with Google, which considered using SkyTran to connect a new million-square-foot campus at NASA Ames to Hangar One, which they have considered using as a parking lot, Baertsch said. And Google’s co-founder, Larry Page, has made com- ments about his personal interest in PRT technology. California Poppy (Eschscholzia Californica) at Ames.

6 www.nasa.gov NRP Post Space Business Roundtable Kicks Off with Cureton Event CIO Linda Cureton spoke on March 22, SVSBR provides forums by leading 2010 at the inaugural luncheon of the aerospace leaders to educate the Silicon Valley Space Business Roundtable industry on new initiatives and goals. (SVBR). The event was attended by over SVSBR educational outreach programs 150 members of the Bay area’s aerospace will also encourage students to enter community, representing 30 commercial, these fi elds by their support to educa- government and university organiza- tional institutions in the Silicon Valley. tions. Each quarter, the SVSBR will hold an event with invited government guests The Silicon Valley Space Business Round- and speakers. This allows members table is a new organization founded opportunities to network with invited by NRP resident Joy Colucci of SGT and guests including prominent political Khalid Al-Ali of the UARC. The non-profi t and government leaders and col- organization encourages the growth and leagues from local companies. Selected development of aerospace-related busi- speakers represent a cross-section of ness in California’s Silicon Valley. top political, NASA, and DOD leaders. Linda Cureton, NASA Chief Information For future event and membership Ofﬁ cer, NASA Headquarters, Washing. DC, Ames’ Jack Boyd introduced Cureton, information, see www.svsbr.org. kicks off the ﬁ rst Silicon Valley Space Busi- who spoke about her vision for the ness Roundtable at the Hilton Santa Clara. future of NASA’s IT infrastructure in her presentation entitled “How to Make NASA IT Stellar”. The mission of the NASA IT organization is to increase the productivity of scientists, engineers, and mission support personnel by responsively and effi ciently delivering reliable, innovative and secure IT services.

NASA’s IT organization is one of the most highly regarded federal IT organizations, a sought-after innovator, and respected partner for NASA’s mission and mission support organizations – and innovation was a key theme in Cureton’s presentation. Cureton explained that we can learn a lot about innovation by looking at lessons taught to us by the tiny mustard seed, as tiny seed blossoms into a large sprawling plant and has many uses. So too, small amounts Bay Area aerospace professionals at SVSBR’s inaugural event. of innovation can blossom into extensive capabilities that can give The roundtable series was founded by NRP’s Dr. Joy Colucci, your organization the ability to adapt, grow, and thrive. SGT (Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies) and Dr. Khalid Al-Ali, UARC (University Afﬁ liated Research Center).

Converting Conventional Hummingbird Sage (Salvia Spathacea): Landscapes to California California native Native Gardens perennial which attracts Anna’s and Photos by Kathleen Burton other California Hummingbirds. Native plantings are located at Ames’ Bldgs. 200, 235, 269 and at NRP’s Bldg. 3 with plans to further expand native plantings California Lilac (Ceanothus), an evergreen, to NRP by Ames’ JC Division. drought tolerant native. www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 7 NRP Post Airship Earth at NASA Research Park HIPerSpace is an unparalleled visualiza- tion resource for informal education, by Thomas Grimm, Chief Innovation Offi cer allowing guests and content experts Airship Earth to gather in front of displays in far- fl ung locations as if they were in the Airship Earth, a new media production, technol- same room. The display system’s sto- ogy and telecommunications group, co-founded rytelling capacity extends advances by Kathryn Schubel and Thomas Grimm, is a proud in simulation, data streaming, and member of the NASA Research Park community human-computer interaction to a of academic, industry and government partners. broader public. HIPerSpace has a Kathryn holds a PhD in Earth and Planetary Sci- unique capacity to bridge global en- ences, with extensive experience in formal and vironmental knowledge gap through informal education, interactive exhibit display their capacity to distribute massive systems, and distance learning technologies. amounts multifaceted, multidimen- Thomas is a new media entrepreneur, fi lmmaker sional data in shared, virtual spaces. and former lead technical designer of Landscape Each new HIPerSpace installation Carbon Analytics for the Clinton Foundation. adds to the growing global com-

munity connected by advanced, Kathryn and Thomas see potential in a new generation of ultra-scale, high multi-gigabit-per-second networks. resolution display networks linked to high performance graphics process- As policy-makers, business leaders, ing clusters, especially in Earth and and scientists grapple with Environmental Sciences, Informal climate change, biodiversity Education and Emergency Manage- and habitat loss, land deg- ment. Dubbed “HIPerSpace,” these radation, water pollution, highly interactive arrays developed by depleted fi sheries, rising sea researchers at the Calit2 at UCSD, that levels, ocean acidifi cation can simultaneously present a mix of and the challenges of the Ur- streaming high defi nition media from ban Ocean, new HIPerSpace observatories and sensor networks in Portals can provide new interactive environments that allow collaborative spaces that researchers, decision makers and will help distant research students collaborate in exploring and communities work ever understanding complex subjects, such more eff ectively together. as climate change, ocean acidifi cation HIPerSpace Portals repre- and biotechnology. In Aquariums and sent a powerful new global Science Centers, HIPerSpace presenta- resource for understanding tions of Discovery Channel, National the complex environmental Geographic programming can be processes that directly im- greatly enhanced with live streaming pact human society and the media from observatories and content global climate, upon which experts. all life depends. The focus of Airship Earth is to work Another powerful applica- with the developers of HIPerSpace tion of HIPerSpace technol- technologies to develop user com- NRP Partner Magenn Power Inc. aims to produce electricity at 1,000 feet through helium-ﬁ lled tethered wind turbines. The ogy will be in the area of munities and new venues for HIPer- aerostats could be especially useful in poor or remote regions Emergency Management. Space display systems. Airship Earth without an electrical grid, and could be quickly deployed Multidimensional data as- is currently designing a stand-alone after natural disasters that cause major damage to electrical infrastructure. sociated with large-scale HIPerSpace Ocean Observatory for disasters is growing expo- the Aquarium of the Pacifi c, located in nentially, overwhelming Long Beach, California, where educators, students and the public will be able to rather than enhancing the coordina- explore gigapixel-size graphics and streaming media from space, land and sea- tion of emergency response opera- borne observatories, research vessels, buoy sensors, autonomous underwater tions. HIPerSpace Portals can provide vehicles, seafl oor instruments and deep sea moorings. 8 www.nasa.gov NRP Post First Responders and Incident SPACE SYSTEMS/LORAL to Provide Space-Proven Commanders with eff ective new ways of analyzing, processing Propulsion System for Moon Exploration Palo Alto, CA and converting complex data into actionable intelligence and more Space Systems/Loral, a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications and the coherent response. Airship Earth leading provider of commercial satellites, announced Jan. 6, 2010, it has been is collaborating with Carnegie selected to provide a propulsion system to NASA Ames Research Center for the Mellon and Geodan, a Geoinfor- Lunar Atmosphere Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft. matics specialists based in the Netherlands to display Emer- “We are pleased to have gency Management “Common this opportunity to work Operating Pictures.” HIPerSpace with our neighbor NASA COP applications will be designed Ames, and to help the U.S. to collect and fi lter space-borne, Government leverage the airborne and ground-based data, extensive heritage and including building and infrastruc- mission capability of ture sensor data and social media technologies developed geotagged time stamped data, for commercial satellites,” fusing and sharing critical data. said John Celli, President of Space Systems/Loral. Airship Earth and Magenn Power “NASA Ames has designed In an eff ort to address the need for a versatile spacecraft emergency power and telecom platform for unmanned needs that can hobble Disaster space exploration and Response eff ectiveness, Airship our propulsion system is Earth entered into a Teaming available as a long-term Agreement with Magenn Power, solution for these impor- to co-develop lighter-than-air, tant scientifi c missions.” wind powered aerostats that can Artist rendering of NASA’s LADEE Spacecraft planned for provide emergency power and launch in 2012. NASA’s LADEE spacecraft communications in disaster areas. is a small observatory planned for launch in mid-2012 to study the moon’s thin Their shared goal is to develop atmosphere and dust above the lunar surface. The LADEE propulsion system rapidly deployable emergency will be a variant of the mission-critical system used for many years on SS/L’s power. Antenna and surveillance geostationary satellites for television, radio, broadband internet, meteorology payloads are being developed to and other services. Currently there are 59 SS/L-built satellites orbiting Earth, restore cellular communication and the company has logged more than 1,600 satellite years on orbit. impacted by disasters while pro- viding high resolution, continu- According to Stevan Spremo, LADEE deputy project manager at NASA Ames, ous surveillance over landscapes “The LADEE mission will help researchers understand how the lunar environment impacted by earthquakes, hurri- will aff ect future explorers. Space Systems/Loral understands the importance of canes and wildfi res. As operational this mission and presented a unique propulsion solution for our Modular Common experience builds and funding be- Spacecraft Bus. Working with a commercial manufacturer is helping NASA meet comes available, the team intends demands for a lower-cost approach to science missions.” to fl y aerostats with increasingly capable payloads. Pierre Rivard, “Loral has a long standing Space Act Agreement with NASA Ames’ Airfi eld Manage- CEO of Magenn Power expressed ment Offi ce to transport the satellites, and an Enhanced Use Lease with NASA Re- enthusiasm about the teaming search Park to store satellite containers and thermal vac in Hangar 2,” said Mejghan agreement, “Airship Earth has been Haider, Chief of Business Development at NRP. a God-send to Magenn Power. This teaming agreement will greatly accelerate our R&D activities at NASA Research Park.”

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 9 NRP Post

Greene, Gold, and Bright Green: Centers in Bangladesh, Greene put Guerilla Geeks Take Action To together a short fi lm entitled “New Empower Women Faces of Geeks and Entrepreneurs” by Miki Huynh (http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=-rKtNDnpM3M) that aimed Andrew Gold, Founder of I-Net Solutions to dispel the notion of “geeks” as Inc., and Laina Greene, CEO of GetIT Inc., are strictly “men with glasses” and to venturing forth into Bangladesh. They’ve a show the dramatic technological business for a sustainable non-profi t venture and life altering changes possible at called Bright Green Energy USA, formed in the hands of women in their home partnership with Bright Green Energy Foun- communities. Gold met Greene dation, the grassroots organization started through a mutual friend and was by Dipal Barua, Zayed Future Energy Prize impressed with her keynote speech recipient, co-founder of Grameen Bank and at the Clean Tech Open. After a Founder of Grameen Shakti. series of meetings directed towards Andrew Gold and Laina Greene at NRP rethinking strategies for social and Bright Green Energy (BGE) is a microcredit program environmental change in third world countries, they focused on empowering communities in Bangladesh formed a partnership with Dipal Barua of Bangladesh through training women. The women receive training at to solidify their ideas and to extend the reach of BGE. BGE’s Green Technology Centers located within 10 miles of a rural community, and up to 200 women can be trained at As Greene and Gold see their mission, bringing social a time. Within a three week training course, these women change and eventual environmental improvements learn how to install home solar systems, self manufacture is not about shipping people into these areas to save the day, but about identifying talent and potential within the target communities and empowering them. BGE USA is helping to further refi ne, franchise and scale the model that Dipal Barua has mastered in Bangladesh and to make it portable and applicable to other developing nations i.e. India, Africa, and Latin America. Andrew envisions the formation of what he calls “Eco Villages,” sustainable communities Margarita Quhuis, Research Fellow at Stanford Persuasive Technologies Lab, implementing new technology to leverage biogas, Stanford students Diane Lee, Yang Hong, Stephany Sy, Patricia Ho, and Clay grow organic foods, purify water, and develop sus- Sader with Greene and Gold after a BGE USA marketing strategy presentation. tainable local infrastructure within these countries. DC to DC convertors, charge control- lers and solar lighting devices and The project is now underway as fi nd themselves able to dramatically students from Stanford University increase their income and improve their have begun organizing fundraising quality of life. They receive clean en- strategies and targeting donors. Two ergy, access to communications and Stanford graduate students, Patricia clean lighting for less than the price Ho and Clay Sader, will also travel to they pay for kerosene and eliminate Bangladesh with Greene and visit their family’s exposure to indoor air pol- the training sites later this summer. lution. In addition the equipment has a useful life of over 20 years and they end Bright Green Energy USA taps into up owning the system outright after 3 people’s passion for change. Gold and years – you do the math – 17 years of Greene are connecting people abroad nearly free clean energy! (http://www. with people at NASA Ames, Stanford makingitmagazine.net/?p=459) and Silicon Valley through a shared passion for entrepreneurship, technol- After making her acquaintance with Andrew Gold welcomes newest member of NASA’s ogy and women‘s empowerment. family. Andrew with wife Sharon, son Julian, and Grameen Shakti and the Green Tech daughter Meredith.

10 www.nasa.gov NRP Post Singularity University Welcomes 2010 Graduate Studies Program by Salim Ismail, Executive Director of 10^9: Graduate Studies Singularity University Program Team Projects and Successes On June 19, Singularity University will This summer, Graduate welcome its second Graduate Studies Studies Program students Program class of 80 student to their will self-organize into teams, summer home at NASA Research Park tasked with the goal of for an intensive, ten-week program. “positively aff ecting at least The program is designed to facilitate a billion people.” Students SU and NASA Ames meet during SU’s winter Executive Program (L-R) David understanding and collaboration from last year’s summer Morse, Chief, Entrepreneurial Initiatives Division, Innovative Partnerships Program; Susan Fonseca-Klein, Founding Architect, SU; Lewis Braxton, across a set of rapidly advancing sci- program made impressive III, Ames Deputy Director; Peter Diamandis, Founder/Chairman, SU; Keith entifi c and technological disciplines progress toward this goal Powers, VP Strategic Development, SU; Chris Boshuizen, Co-Chair Space & whose developments are exponen- by leveraging Singularity Physical Sciences Track, SU tially accelerating. University’s unique resources. Greater Success through NASA-SU Collaboration “The past year of global disruption Through Singularity University part- Through Singularity University’s collabo- has resulted in a signifi cant shift in the nerships, team projects benefi t from ration with NASA, students have gained zeitgeist for exponential technologies,” cutting-edge research of NASA and exposure to NASA’s innovative research said Salim Ismail, Executive Director Silicon Valley. For example, Xidar Sys- and partnership programs, enabling a of Singularity University. “Exponential tems, focused on applying exponen- unique experience and education. technologies can scale to meet the tial technologies to disaster response, demands of our grand challenges. leveraging knowledge from domain For example, NASA Ames Research Singularity University fosters students’ experts, including NASA’s Disaster Center Director Dr. Pete Worden dis- understanding of these accelerating Assistance and Rescue Team. cussed new developments with stu- and converging technologies to ad- dents during Singularity University’s dress humanity’s grand challenges.” Space and Physical Sciences track. A highlight for participants was Dr. Building a World-Class Faculty Jonathan Trent of NASA’s GREEN Singularity University has attracted team, who discussed how cutting- leading minds to its faculty, help- edge biotechnology applies to the ing to realize its vision of positively grand challenge of clean water. addressing humanity’s grand chal- Participants in Singularity Univer- lenges. From nanotech expert sity’s 9-day Executive Program also Ralph Merkle to three-time shuttle received an overview of NASA’s astronaut Dan Barry, applicants long-term goals from scientists worldwide are eager to learn and across research areas, including share knowledge with SU faculty, Singularity University Executive Program participants David Director Gary Martin, New Ventures Gessel (left) and Robin Winsor (right) working with 3-D to better understand innovations fabrication on their class gift in their spare time - a new podium & Communications Directorate. across the 10 academic tracks. for SU’s main classroom at NASA Research Park Looking Forward Beginning with GSP-10, SU is pleased Many of last year’s projects evolved “2009 was a ground-breaking inau- to welcome John Gage of Sun Micro- into companies, now with funding gural year for Singularity University,” systems/Kleiner Perkins as a Co-Chair and nearing public launch. “Based said Ismail. “The world-class group of of the Networks and Computing on the early work of the team projects students and faculty joining Singular- Systems track. Credited with coining from 2009, and the growing success ity University continues to exceed our the phrase “the network is the com- of the spin-out companies, we expect expectations. We expect 2010 to be puter,” Gage will lead discussions and the eff ects of our Graduate Studies another great year of innovation, col- workshops, and serve as an advisor Program alumni to be far-reaching in laboration, and progress.” to GSP-10 projects. aff ecting humanity’s challenges over the coming years,”said Ismail. http://www.singularityu.org

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 11 NRP Post Khalid Al-Ali Appointed Executive Director of UARC with NASA Ames,” said Martin Chemers, vice provost for Silicon Valley Initiatives The University of California, Santa Cruz, at UCSC. appointed Khalid Al-Ali as executive director of the University Affi liated Research Al-Ali has led several major NASA Center (UARC) on January 25, 2010. He research projects involving advanced oversees the center’s research contract aircraft and spacecraft technologies, with NASA and special relationship with intelligent avionics, novel power the NASA Ames Research Center. systems, planetary rovers and robots, spacecraft, and autonomous explor- Established in 2003 as a contract between atory vehicles for Lunar, Martian, and NASA and UC managed by UCSC, UARC is Antarctic missions. He founded the Dr. Khalid Al-Ali, Executive Director, UARC a key element of UCSC’s presence in Silicon Carnegie Mellon Innovations Labora- Valley and the campus’ growing partner- Berry, now president of University As- tory at NASA Research Park, directing ships with NASA Ames. Research at the sociates - Silicon Valley, a partnership its activities to create advanced tech- center focuses on five technology areas: between UCSC and other academic nologies for compact, highly capable aerospace systems (which includes air traf- institutions that is developing a sus- mobile autonomous vehicles cover- fic management and rotorcraft research), tainable community for education and ing ground, air, and space operations. earth sciences, information sciences, space research at NASA Research Park. He earned a B.S. in mechanical and sciences, and nanotechnology. aerospace engineering at the Univer- “We are very fortunate that we are able sity of Colorado, Boulder, and a Ph.D. Al-Ali oversees 140 scientists, engineers, to hire someone of Khalid’s experience in mechanical and electrical engineer- and administrative staff affi liated with and expertise. We look forward to Khalid ing at UC Berkeley. the UARC contract. He succeeds William being part of our dynamic relationship

NASA 70th Anniversary Gala Event

NRP Partners joined the NASA community in celebrating Ames 70th Anniversary at a gala dinner January 23, 2010, at Santa Clara University. Actress Nichelle Nichols, Lt. Uhura of Star Trek, (she helped NASA widen its recruiting in the early days) gave the keynote. Ames was founded on Dec. 20, 1939, after Charles Lindbergh recommended this location as the ideal spot for America’s second research laboratory for aeronautics.

Susan Fonseca-Klein, JD, BA, Co-Founder Singularity University, with Actress Nichelle Nichols

Back Row: (L-R) Paul Pelosi, Jr., Eric Dahlstrom (SU), Lew Braxton, Will Marshall (NASA) Front Row: (L-R) Roger Hunter (NASA), Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom (SU), Bob Richards (SU), Pete Worden, Jack Boyd, Susan Fonseca-Klein (SU), Bruce Klein (SU), Nhu Anh Can (SU), Chris Boshuizen (NASA) NRP’s Dave and Trish Guerrieri, GaryAir, Dr. Khalid Al Ali, UARC Executive Director, with Ames Deputy Director Lewis Braxton, III 1212 www.nasa.govwww.nasa.gov with Actress Nichelle Nichols NRP Post Tibion Corporation New CEO The Next Big Wave by Miki Huynh Mr. Charles Remsberg joined Tibion in late 2009 after serving for three years as CEO of Hocoma Inc., the U.S. sales and marketing …Dan Bolfi ng, like energy guru Amory Lovins, arm of the privately held Swiss company Hocoma AG. Hocoma thinks the greatest advances in transportation AG is best known for its clinic-based Lokomat® robotic gait effi ciencies can be attained with lighter weight orthosis that has helped thousands of American patients with vehicles and better aerodynamics… spinal cord, stroke, traumatic brain injury and cerebral palsy recover their ability to walk. Dan Bolfi ng knows how to ride a wave of opportunity when he sees one, and create a few of his own. Prior to that position, Mr. Remsberg Dan met Timothy Collins, founder of KleenSpeed was head of worldwide sales for Technologies Inc., and they formed a partnership Hocoma, and for more than ten for joint ventures between KleenSpeed and Dan’s years, an executive of Biodex companies, ContactScale and Zystech. Medical Systems in Shirley, NY. At Biodex, he rose from product “Dan is riding a composite tsunami,” said Collins, not- development manager to head ing that Bolfi ng is known as a preeminent source of worldwide sales for the nation’s for composite parts for vehicles in the US and leading supplier of balance, gait around the world, with a specialty in exotic parts and joint rehabilitation systems. and emergent technology. Mr. Charles Remsberg, Mr. Remsberg lives in Palo Alto with Tibion Corporation CEO his wife and two daughters.

Tibion Corporation develops innovative equipment that can help individuals recover physical function lost due to disease, trauma or aging.

The New Science Behind Neurorehabilitation Approximately 700,000 strokes occur annually in the United States. Half of the 550,000 survivors experience residual hemiparesis and approximately 165,000 of those individuals have mobility defi cits requiring assistance with walking. Recent advances in motor-learning-based therapies have opened new possibilities for recovery of motor functions after stroke. Central neural plasticity – the ability of the brain to rewire Dan Bolﬁ ng with a Zystech Machine for prototype design itself to bypass disease and trauma-compromised regions – has emerged as a prime mechanism that may be exploited to optimize therapy for hemiparesis in the lower limb. At present, As a KleenSpeed partner, Dan consults, designs, CAD the Tibion Bionic Leg is in clinical use at selected sites across processes, 3-D renders, and prototypes the electric the nation. Early reports suggest that patients with hemipa- vehicles KleenSpeed outputs. He builds molds for resis due to strokes – even strokes fi ve or more years in the custom 1-off automotive parts as well as parts in mass past – responds well to the therapeutic intervention with the production. He also builds CNC hotwire machines Tibion Bionic Leg. that prepare the parts for cutting and drilling.

Tibion Corporation, at NRP since 2003, has grown from 200 At his Zystech offi ce in the old auto service station square feet to more than 5,000 square feet and has entered its in NASA Research Park, Bolfi ng surrounds himself marketing and scalability phase. with electric car parts and unique prototyping machinery, but his story begins with surfboards. By the age of fi fteen, Bolfi ng understood his passion for surfi ng. Since boards cost $250-$300 each, the high schooler found the sport out of his price range.

cont’d on p.14 www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 13 NRP Post Bolfi ng cont’d from p.13 Instead of buying surfboards, he decided After a decade of international success, as machine built boards satu- to build his own. Gathering inspiration for rated the market and Japan and Brazil entered an economic reces- dimensions and decorative stenciling from sion, the windsurf industry began to freeze. It was time to change surfi ng magazines, he shaped boards out course. Dan used his experience and self-built CNC (Computer of foam inside a home garage. With a little Numerically Controlled) machines to create a successful sign making artistry and plenty of resourcefulness, he business, until a serious fall forced him into long-term rehabilitation. and a friend discovered they could hand . make boards of better quality than the With plenty of time to think, Dan decided his real passion is cars. store bought variety, and Bolfi ng found With skills in building and modifying prototyping machinery, he his calling. planned to prototype movie cars in Los Angeles, but then recog- nized an epicenter of automotive innovation in the Bay Area, which Things took sail when he upgraded to wind- he compares to the past hotbed for windsurfi ng in Hawaii. surfi ng at age thirteen, winning third place against the world’s best in his fi rst competi- Bolfi ng innovates new prototyping processes and new vehicles, tion by the age of sixteen. It wasn’t long and wants to push his fabrication team toward developing lighter until, disgruntled with college, Bolfi ng left weight electric cars for better mileage and overall improved safety. San Francisco State University for Hawaii He is even investigating possibilities for constructing organic cars to seek out the legendary Jimmy Lewis, out of materials like paper and honeycomb. one of the world’s best known windsurf board designers. KleenSpeed has exciting new projects on the way, and Dan Bolfi ng is ready to catch the next big wave.“Dan’s knowledge of composite Bolfi ng recalls his fi rst encounter with fabrication technique is profound, and complemented by his ability to Lewis: “I’m hitchhiking up a mountain to integrate software and hardware to design and produce CNC machines. get to Jimmy’s workshop at the top. A car Zystech Machines are cost eff ective and can enable manufacturers’ use fi nally stops, and who is behind the wheel of composites in any country,” Collins said. but Jimmy himself.” Since the current board shaper at the shop, Peter Thommen, was abroad competing, Lewis agreed to hire eighteen-year old Bolfi ng, who was only in his second day of residence in Hawaii, during Thommen’s absence. A year later, Lewis invited Dan to work at his surfboard Photo: Diane Farrar manufacturing company full-time - after Bolfi ng delayed college a second time, returning once more to Hawaii.

Bolfi ng gained international recognition in windsurfi ng competitions and board designs in the ensuing years, while helping the industry push changes in the materials used in windsurf boards, from polyester and clark foam to full vacuumed bags foam construction. In Hawaii, Dan was at the epicenter of the windsurfi ng world, Dan at Zystech with his design products, from surfboards to automobiles with his own company, designing boards for brands like Nifty, Cabrinha, Island Comp and Northshore Extreme (and fi nd- ing time to visit CA and graduate at SFSU.)

14 www.nasa.gov NRP Post CMU Silicon Valley, NASA Ames, USGS, Senseta, and Santa Clara DA’s Ofﬁ ce Solve 1991 Cold-Case Criminal Investigation Excerpted from a paper by Corey Ippolito, Ritchie Lee, Yoo-Hsiu Yeh, Khalid Al-Ali, Robert Kayan, John Spritzer, Geoff Phelps Carnegie Mellon University, NASA Ames Research Center, United States Geological Survey

Carnegie Mellon Innovations group for support. The NASA group Lab (CMIL) in collaboration was already working with CMIL and with the NASA Payload the USGS, and had developed real- Directed Flight research time processing algorithms and team from the Intelligent platforms for magnetic and ground Systems Division at NASA penetrating radar sensors hosted Ames, and the United States on small autonomous aerial and Geological Survey in Menlo ground vehicles, for intelligent au- Park, assisted the County of tonomous earth science missions. Santa Clara’s District Attor- Additionally, the NASA group was ney’s Offi ce in CA in solving also already working closely with a 1991 cold case murder Senseta Inc., a Carnegie Mellon investigation. The team Silicon Valley spin-off specialised deployed a Senseta MAX in aerospace technologies and USGS personnel carrying the NASA instrumented Senseta MAX 5.0A Rover, an autonomous rover during Alviso survey unmanned intelligent systems. ground vehicle, to perform In response to the DA’s request, magnetic surveys of a vacant and buried in a large abandoned lot in the mixed team of scientists and lot in Alviso, CA, looking for buried Alviso. The exact location in the lot was engineers from CMIL, NASA Ames material evidence, which included not specifi ed, and the cost to excavate and the USGS deployed an instru- car parts and a possible body buried the entire area was too high. Further, mented Senseta MAX 5.0A rover in the old junk yard. Applied research the lot contained a substantial amount hosting the research technologies algorithms developed by NASA of buried and surface metallic debris, under development, and mapped and CMU combined with USGS and making a simple survey with metal the magnetic environment of the Senseta technologies provided the detectors insuffi cient. survey area. The USGS received means to collect data and locate the the processed data set, and after buried material evidence, which was The DA’s offi ce requested surveying ex- further post-processing, presented excavated. The excavation led to a pertise from the USGS, who contacted the county DA’s offi ce with their conviction and resolution of the 18 NASA’s Payload Directed Flight research analysis and possible locations for year old cold-case. excavation. Based on this data, the county The CSI Case excavated the site and In 1991, Bernado Bass retrieved car parts that killed Dawn Sanchez, but matched the suspect’s her body and the gun used car. Confronted with in the murder was not dis- this evidence in court, covered in the ensuing in- on August 29, 2009, the vestigation. Mr. Bass’ car, in suspect Bernardo Bass which Ms. Sanchez was last pleaded no contest to seen, was also missing. The the charges, was con- case was dismissed in 1991 victed of manslaughter, due to lack of evidence. and sentenced to six The case was recently reo years in prison. pened, when an informant reported that the car may have been disassembled Research Engineers Ritchie Lee and Yoo-Hsiu Yeh of the Carnegie Mellon Innovations Lab operating the Ground Station Setup at the Alviso Survey Location.

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 15 NRP Post rra Fa NRP at Yuri’s Night Fa ane Di

By Brian Black Di

Sales Manager, New Business to:

Planners Photo: Diane Farrar Pho es e li u g gu NRP partners Planners Collaborative r ag a

and KleenSpeed Technologies, Inc. l M e ni

hosted popular stops at Yuri’s Night a D : to on April 10. The day started blustery to o ho

and cloudy, but by late afternoon rays Photo: Daniel Margulies P of sunshine emerged and by evening the wind subsided. The ear plugs went in as the festival atmosphere featuring mega bands grew.

KleenSpeed showed off its prototype electric powered race car with lithium ion battery packs. KleenSpeed’s 2009 West WX 10T set the lap record at 92.5mph, a ar winning the four wheel vehicle trophy r Far and First Place overall at “Refuel – the e : Dian o

First Alternative Vehicle Demonstration t ho

and Electric Time Trials” at Laguna Seca, Photo: Diane Farrar P Monterey, CA, in July 2009.

The Collaborative’s interactive six-hole miniature golf course, featuring sustainable products and services, was a huge hit. Thousands putted through the 21stGreen course, learning about NASA Ames’ sustainable future with partners such as Magenn, Swinerton Builders, GaryAir, and many others. iPads featuring each of the participants were illuminated at night, fascinating the attendees.

On April 9 Ames hosted Education Day, in conjunction with Yuri’s Night, for six thousand students. 2010 Pete Conrad Scholars and Spirit of Innovation Award participants won grants, commercial opportunities and a Zero Gravity fl ight! Onstage the Collaborative’s own Brian Day inspired attendees by giving NASA LCROSS Mission updates, and at 21stGreen, students learned about a sustainable future.

16 www.nasa.gov NRP Post Conrad Foundations 2010 Spirit of Innovation Awards by Michael Marlaire

Nancy Conrad, widow of Apollo astronaut Pete Conrad - the third man to walk on the Moon and the fi rst to dance on it - created the Conrad Foundation to inspire STEM education. The foundation’s second annual Spirit of Innovation Awards for high school students, held April 8-10 at Moff ett Field Conference Center in NASA Research Park, was billed as “Revenge of the Nerds meets American Idol.”

The program encourages high school Nancy Conrad welcomes guests with Astronaut Pete Conrad’s image on students to solve 21st century challenges by the screen. creating breakthrough technologies in one of four categories: aerospace, green schools, renewable energy and space nutrition.

Each winning team received a $5000 cash award from the Conrad Foundation. Ames Center Director Dr. Pete Worden spoke at the event and distributed free Yuri’s Night tickets to students and teachers. Former NASA Ames Director for Aeronautics, Dr. Skip Fletcher, representing AIAA, presented $500 awards to the teachers of the winning teams.

A number of VIPs attended including: Lori Garver, NASA Deputy Administrator; Miles O’Brien, chairman of the NASA Advisory

Miles O’Brien and Lori Garver Council for Education and Public Outreach; discuss NASA and the future Steve Westly, The Westly Group; Chairman Jon with guests. Wellinghof, Federal Energy Regulatory Com- mission; recording artist and music producer Pharrell Williams, N.E.R.D.; Keith Cowings, NASA Watch; and entrepreneurs Rafe Furst, John Gage, Fred Nazem and Ari Meisel.

NASA HQ Director for Innovative Partnerships Doug Comstock, Ames New Ventures and Communication Director Gary Martin and NRP Director Michael Marlaire also attended.

Nancy Conrad with the People’s Choice Winners (AM Rocks) and N.E.R.D. lead singer Pharrell Williams

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 17 NRP Post Happenings at Airship Ventures by Gus Holweger, Ambassador Airship Ventures, Inc. The bags empty from the top, Annual Maintenance and the helium is pumped into “Eureka”, again at the top, “Eureka”, Airship Ventures’ Zeppelin, the only US-based where it pools upward, push- airship designed for passenger travel, just completed ing the heavier air out through its annual maintenance as required by the Federal Avia- her ventral ports. tion Administration (FAA).

As you will see from the highlights of this “Annual Physi- cal” the airship, one of only three in the world, is diff erent from a blimp. The maintenance is performed by Airship Ventures’ technical staff and by three experts from Ger- many’s Zeppelin company, which built the airship.

Excerpts from the maintenance checklist shows how comprehensive this annual project is. Here are the components: • Instrumentation • Engines • Complete Airframe • Electrical System • Pressure Management System • Fuel System • Helium Purifi cation

Following are details of two of the tasks that are very specifi c to an airship: The crew moves the helium storage bag # 3 into position and begins to fold fully deﬂ ated bag #2 Helium Purifi cation: Other companies using helium have chosen to let the gas escape rather than purify it. Airship Ventures’ purifi cation process, that lasts 48 hours, purifi es the helium from 75% (with 25% atmospheric impurities) to 98.5%, thus signifi cantly increas- ing lift for the airship. The process is as follows:

The Eureka is drained of helium and the gas pumped into three large helium storage bags with a capacity of 2,300 cubic meters each (the airship holds a total of 7,400 cubic meters with the residual 500 cubic meters, or ‘dregs’ being vented as they get atmospheric impuri- And then, as the cloud of helium ties during the transfer process). Each large storage bag begins to struggle against the heavy is held in place by 400 lb. concrete blocks on castors. bag, we move in the “Abstract Elephant” phase. What a treat! After the airframe has been completely inspected (this task is described below), the helium, before being pumped from the large storage bags back into the airship, is purifi ed by passing it through membranes. These membranes remove any atmospheric impurities that accumulated during the operation of the airship. The purifi ed helium is pumped back into the airship.

18 www.nasa.gov NRP Post Airframe Inspection: This task must be done after the helium has been drained from the airship. The technician has to be inside the structure of the airship. For this purpose a temporary ‘catwalk’ is installed.

The airframe components that will be 100% inspected are: • “Longerons”, the aluminum beams that run from the front to the back of the airship. The longerons are pressure tested up to a maximum pressure of 5 atmospheres • “Crossbeams”, carbon fi ber triangles, that are connected to the longerons at regular intervals. • “Knotplates”, the highly engineered and designed connector plates that connect and hold together the longerons and crossbeams.

This structure is vastly diff erent from the airships of yesteryear where huge aluminum structures were held together by millions of rivets. Incidentally, the “ballonets”, the two self-contained “air” bags inside the airship used to balance the pressure and lift of the airship, remain infl ated while the above tasks are being performed. After these and all other tasks have been completed, an FAA inspector will check the compliance with FAA regulations, accuracy and eff ectiveness of “Eureka’s” Annual Physical and give it its ‘seal of approval’ - the green light for Airship Ventures to resume its operations for the upcoming seasons.

Decals and Banners – What’s the Diff erence? Decals: The design is given to a This part of Airship Ventures’ scope local company that produces the of activities falls under “Branding” decal made of a self-adhesive vinyl, and many of you have seen blimps and, when attached to the airship, in the air advertising someone’s accommodates its shape. A decal’s product or service. Branding is one life expectancy is about one year. of Airship Ventures’ three revenues While the decal is self-adhesive and streams (passenger “fl ightseeing” the vinyl weather-resistant, it must and scientifi c projects being the be perforated with very small pin- The airship “Eureka” with a Valentine’s Day decal other two). holes before being attached. The airship’s envelope, while extremely How is a decal or banner diff erent sturdy and multi-layered, still lets NASA/AV Joint Scientifi c Projects from advertising on a billboard? helium escape in very small quan- In the last edition of NRP Post, we reported about tities. If the decal is not perforated, the airship being equipped with a “Remote Sensing A billboard, regardless of size, has the escaping helium might create Platform” for various scientifi c projects, one of the fi rst a fl at surface and posters are at- bubbles underneath. being the Ocean Color Science Mission. These collab- tached to it with some adhesive. orative projects, which also include the SETI Institute The airship is shaped like a cigar Banners: For illustrating purposes, in Mountain View, were described in an October 2009 and has curved surfaces. Lettering a banner might be compared to a NASA press release. logos or pictures, in order to avoid big sail made of a material that is distortions, must therefore be not only sturdy, but also moisture Alex Travell, Airship Ventures’ Special Missions Sales designed and produced taking the resistant (moisture would add Manager, jointly with NASA Ames staff , is investigat- curvatures of the airship into con- weight to the airship which is not ing the integration of a standardized “pod” where sideration. Special software is used desirable). While the same software research staff can install – within bounds – telemetry to design decals and banners for is used to design a banner as for for a wide variety of experiments and observations in this application. Airship Ventures designing a decal the actual banner the lower atmosphere. The standardization of the pod uses Airborne Graphics software. may be produced by a company is expected to ease physical integration, speed up the that can meet the material and paperwork process, and reduce project costs, thus mak- manufacturing specifi cations. ing the Zeppelin more accessible as a science resource for projects that face budgetary constraints. The airship envelope has been equipped with banner hooks to Airship Ventures’ Management and staff wish all NASA / tightly affi x a banner. There are Ames neighbors, colleagues and friends a beautiful Spring enough banner hooks to allow for 2010 and hope to see you aboard the airship “Eureka”. various size banners.

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 19 NRP Post Moffett Field Historical Society Economics Beneﬁ t Study Museum Open House April 16-17, 2010

(L-R) Eugene “Frenchie” Choiniere, Kay Case, R.S. "Red" Brooks, Carol Henderson, Harry “Herb” Parsons. Photo: Bob Lopez Carol Henderson, whose husband, Lee, was a ﬂ ight engineer in the Navy, started the Moffett Field Historical Society Museum in 1994 to remember all the military branches that were once based at Moffett.

NASA Research Park published in March an Economics Beneﬁ t Study on NASA Ames Research Center and NASA Research Park highlighting NRP as a NASA and national asset. NRP was recently cited in the National Photo: Diane Farrar Research Council’s report - “Understanding Research, Science and Technology Parks: Global Best Practices.” Our NRP community is part of NASA’s bold effort to shape the future by improving STEM education, assisting the commercial space economy, advancing next generation Visitors view Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter and F-104 Starﬁ ghter, information technologies, sensors, robotics, developing new exhibits on display outside the museum. new sustainable technologies, and other innovations. Photo: Mejghan Haider

Save the date: Ames Child Care Center (ACCC) 14th Annual Charity Golf Tournament, Friday, July 23, 2010 at the Golf Course at Moff ett Field. Join us for a great day of golf and fundraising benefi ting the Ames Child Care Michael Marlaire (center), NRP Director, briefed Mieke Eoyang (left), Rep. Anna Eshoo’s Chief of Staff, on NASA Research Park partner- Center! Registration at noon, with shotgun ships and development plan in early April. They were joined by Rod start at 1:00 PM. Your Corporate Sponsored Bersamina (right), Field Representative, Ofﬁ ce of Rep. Eshoo. team could be the fi rst ever winner of the ACCC Sippy Cup! Look for more details in an upcoming [email protected] e-mail or contact the ACCC at 650-604-5100 for more information. Editor ...... Diane Farrar Layout and Design ...... Miki Huynh

NRP Post deadlines Please submit articles to [email protected] on or before June 11, 2010 for the next issue. Phone: (650) 604-2NRP Email: [email protected] Website: www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov