2007 Holiday Greetings from the Ames Center Director NASA Ames Study

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

December 2007 2007 Holiday greetings from the Ames center director b y S. Pe t e Wo r d e n and help prepare NASA to put boots on see NASA in a whole new way. As 2007 draws to a close, it’s the moon by the end of the next decade. Next year promises to be even important to take time to pause and This year, NASA Ames helped fire- more exciting. NASA will be cel- reflect on our numerous accomplish- fighters battle some of the worst wildfires ebrating its 50th anniversary. In the ments. We had a great year. We made in California’s history. NASA flew a fall, we’re launching LCROSS on its major contributions in several key remotely piloted aircraft called the Ikhana mission to the moon. In 2009, we’re areas, including lunar exploration, over devastating wildfires in Southern looking forward to seeing the Kepler environment, collaborations and explo- California, Oregon and near Gilroy. Us- mission begin its search for habitable ration, establishing Ames as a premier ing its sophisticated imaging technology planets. It’s an exciting time to be research center. on board, Ames was able to help firefight- here at NASA Ames. NASA announced this year that ers peer through the dense smoke to see So as we say goodbye to 2007 the new Lunar Science Institute will how best to combat the fierce flames. and look forward to 2008, I want to be based at Ames, ensuring that our Ames forged key partnerships with express my sincere thanks to each center will play a key role in future some of the best and brightest compa- and every one of you for all your hard exploration as NASA returns to the nies on the planet, including our Silicon work and numerous contributions moon and later travels to Mars. Next Valley neighbors, Google and Microsoft. to the center. I know that with your year, the Lunar CRater Observation We are working with Google to develop help, we can make 2008 even better. and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) will Google Moon so that everyone can take I wish you and your families happy slam into the moon and provide scien- a virtual trip to the lunar surface. With holidays and best wishes for the new tists with a wealth of data that will tell Microsoft, we are developing an immer- year. us a great deal about the lunar surface sive imaging technology that lets people NASA Ames study reveals less water in Mars’ clouds b y Jo h n Bl u c k “The martian clouds we are study- much harder to initiate cloud forma- Martian clouds may contain less ing are composed of water ice, like tion at these cloud temperatures than water than previously thought, ac- some clouds on Earth. However, they what we thought,” he explained. cording to a new NASA Ames study. are forming at very cold temperatures, “This difficulty results in larger New NASA laboratory measure- often below minus 100 degrees Cel- cloud particles, which fall out of the atmosphere more quickly and, thus, results in less cloud mass and a drier One place where water can be found on Mars is its colorful atmosphere,” Colaprete explained. clouds. In this photo, taken by Colaprete presented his findings Viking Orbiter 1, which visited Dec. 11, 2007, during the annual Amer- Mars in 1976, water clouds are ican Geophysical Union (AGU) fall visible just after sunrise in and meeting at San Francisco’s Moscone around a maze of canyons known Convention Center. as Noctis Labyrinthus. Scientists don’t yet know, however, why Previously, scientists believed that these clouds formed, and why martian clouds would form at 100 some stick to the canyons. One percent relative humidity, but the new possibility is that water sometimes study shows that martian air has to condenses in shaded regions of the be more supersaturated with water to canyons, only to evaporate into form clouds than scientists theorized clouds when exposed to the morn- before. ing sun. Water in any form on continued on page 2 the Mars might be important to sustaining life and possible future human exploration. On the Inside . . . Page 2 - Scientists assess possibilities of Photo: Viking Project, USGS, JPL, NASA water and life on Enceladus Page 5 - Ames top stories in 2007 ments of simulated martian clouds sius (minus 148 degrees Fahrenheit),” Page 7 - Ames transformed into ‘North Pole’ reveal that scientists may have been said Tony Colaprete, an Ames plan- overestimating the amount of water in etary scientist. “What we have found Page 8 - NASA flies Ikhana over wildfires the planet’s atmosphere. in our laboratory studies is that it is Page 13 - Classifieds www.nasa.gov Scientists assess possibilities of water and life on Enceladus b y Jo h n Bl u c k Life," on Dec. 10, There is a chance liquid water may 2007, at the Moscone exist on Saturn's moon, Enceladus – Convention Center and even a possibility that life could South in San Fran- be there, too – according to NASA cisco. photo NASA scientists who are studying data from Though Saturn's NASA's Cassini spacecraft. moons are far from High-resolution Cassini images the sun, there could show icy jets and towering plumes be liquid water on ejecting large quantities of particles Enceladus because very rapidly as seen in images taken the "general thought by the spacecraft. Scientists have is that there must found evidence the jets might be be some sort of Plumes of icy material extend above the southern polar region of Saturn’s erupting from near-surface pockets of tidal heating," said moon Enceladus as imaged by the Cassini spacecraft in February 2005. The monochrome view is presented along with a color-coded version on the right. liquid water above 32 degrees Fahr- McKay. The latter reveals a fainter and much more extended plume component. enheit, like cold versions of the Old Some scien- Faithful geyser in Yellowstone Nation- tists hypothesize might live on Enceladus. The bacte- al Park, according to NASA reports. that bacteria, living off hydrogen and ria would be "similar to subsurface, Scientists are eagerly anticipating carbon dioxide, and making methane, continued on page 9 the results from a closer Enceladus flyby proposed for an extended Cassi- Study reveals less water in Mars’ clouds ni mission, according to Christopher continued from front page McKay, a scientist at NASA Ames. and time,” Colaprete observed. Clouds "The geysers seem like good “We want to understand the climate of Mars and how the martian in the atmosphere largely control the evidence for liquid water," McKay ob- amount of water that comes off of the served. "The geysers and the methane water cycle operates,” Colaprete said. “Clouds are integral to this system, north pole and migrates to the south in them both seem to up the chances just as on Earth. However, assuming pole. for life. I would say that the chance for the clouds form or behave the same as “Water that reaches the southern life is good enough to warrant further on Earth may be a bad assumption.” winter pole freezes to the surface,” Co- investigation." According to Colaprete, more ac- laprete said. “In the southern spring, Scientists believe the methane curate understanding of the processes this water re-evaporates and returns could come from three potential that control martian clouds and water to the northern polar cap. The cycle is sources. Researchers say it could be cycle are critical to understanding repeated year after year.” primordial – very ancient – or it could Mars’ current and past climates. If all the water in the atmosphere be manufactured deep within Encela- A large water ice cap at the mar- were to freeze out to the surface, it dus, and lastly, and least likely, the tian north pole dominates the martian would make a layer of ice about one- methane could be biological in origin. water cycle. During the northern fifth the thickness of a human hair, McKay and Carolyn Porco, Space summer this water ice cap evaporates, according to Colaprete. Science Institute, Boulder, Colo., pre- and winds carry the resulting water “Cloud mass is typically only 10 to 20 percent of the total water content. sided over numerous scientific pre- vapor to the south pole, according to Colaprete. However, the thin martian atmosphere sentations during a morning session, is much more sensitive/reactive to the "Enceladus: Possibilities for Water and “The amount of water in the martian atmosphere varies greatly in space influence of these clouds,” he said. American Geophysical Union conference held The annual American Geophysical Union, (AGU) conference took place from Dec. 10 - 14, 2007, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco (right photo). Chris McKay of Ames and Carolyn Porco, Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo., presided over numerous scientific presentations during a morning session, ‘Enceladus: Pos- sibilities for Water and Life.’ Ames science writer John Bluck wrote several articles based upon recent discoveries that were the subject of some of the presentations at the conference. The articles, ‘NASA Study Reveals Less Water in Mars’ Clouds’ focuses on recent findings by NASA Ames planetary scientist, Tony Colaprete, photo by Eric James NASA who presented his study results on Dec. 11; the article ‘NASA Scientists Assess the Possibilities of Water and Life on Enceladus;’ and the story, ‘NASA Scientists Predict Major Ecosystem Carbon Loss in Western States,’ are all included in this issue of the Astrogram.

2 Astrogram December 2007 Scientists predict major ecosystem carbon loss in western states b y Jo h n Bl u c k Future climate scenarios of air temperature warming imply that ecosystems across the western United States will experience large carbon losses to the atmosphere and tree growth decline in the western United States, according to NASA Earth scientists. The losses will occur "except in Photo by Christopher Potter most isolated forest areas of the high mountain zones where the snow packs remain deep," said Christopher Potter, a scientist at NASA Ames. Ecosystem carbon is the carbon that green plants remove from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, and which plants use to make roots, stems and foliage. Scientists estimate potential losses of carbon across the western United States during a warmer and drier than average year will range from 10 to 40 grams of carbon per square meter, which may equal 10 percent of the National maps of net carbon sinks (red) and sources (blue) from 2000 to 2004, in units of billion total green plant production annually metric tons of carbon per year predicted by NASA Ames computer modeling. at many locations, according to Potter. data from sensors throughout the future ecosystem carbon changes," Carbon loss from green plants and world and predicts past, present and Potter explained. other organic matter results from an continued on page 6 earlier and warmer springtime climate in the mountainous West, which ac- Ames Advanced supercomputing facility opens celerates snow melt and water losses b y Ho l l y A. Am u n d s o n from the higher elevation ecosystems. Ames’ participation in the AH- A VIP tour of the Army super- More extensive wildfires later in the PCRC consortium, which includes computers operated at the NASA Stanford University, the Army, High summer also lead to carbon loss. Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) Performance Technologies, Inc., and Potter and research collabora- facility at Ames kicked off an event several minority universities across tors from California State University, on Nov. 29, 2007 to celebrate the the U.S., will yield several benefits: le- Monterey Bay, and the University of opening of the new Army High verage of the Army’s investments and Arizona, Tucson, presented their find- Performance Computing Research expertise in HPC; collaboration with ings on Dec. 13, 2007 during the an- Center (AHPCRC). consortium partners in multiple re- nual American Geophysical Union fall search areas of interest to the agency; meeting at San Francisco's Moscone and many more. West Convention Center. Following the photo opportu- "According to data from the nity and tour at the NAS facility (see photo), VIP invitees of the event (in- MODIS sensor on NASA’s Terra satel- cluding Major General Fred D. Rob- lite and Ames computer modeling, inson, Jr., Commanding General, U.S. the forested mountain areas of the Army Research, Development and West still have the capacity to take up Engineering Command; Dr. Charbel carbon from the atmosphere so long Farhat, director of AHPCRC; and Dr. as wildfires do not increase notably," John Hennessy, president of Stanford NASA photo by Eric James Potter also observed. University) were taken to Stanford for From left to right: Lt. Col. Fredrick Ludden; Charlie a ceremony, which included speeches The scientists conducted their Nietubicz, chief, Advanced Computing and Com- research during the last four years and from Congressman Xavier Becerra; Dr. putational Sciences division director, Major Shared John Parmentola, director for Research used satellite data, information from Resource Center; Dr. John Parmentola, director for and Laboratory Management for the ground-based instruments and read- Research and Laboratory Management for the U.S. Army; and Fred D. Robinson, commanding general, U.S. Army; and Ames’ Dr. Steven Zor- ings taken from Earth-observing air- U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering netzer, Associate Center Director for planes to arrive at a computer model Command, during the recent event celebrating the Institutions and Research. for the study. opening of the new Army High Performance The event concluded in the after- "The computer model we used Computing Research Center. noon with tours of the NAS facility. reads in current satellite and climate

Astrogram 3 December 2007 Hurricane animation improves storm damage prediction by John Bluck and made more accurate animations of tracks for 1980 through 2005 showed New hurricane animation devel- the actual storms,” he explained. that cyclones and typhoons are more oped by NASA can help forecasters Skiles and one of five interns who prevalent in the Pacific than are hurri- predict overall storm damage more worked on the project presented their canes off the eastern U.S. coast,” Skiles accurately, thanks to a student intern findings Dec.12, 2007, during the an- said. science team that developed new computer graphics using satellite imagery. The students used data from the NASA Quick Scatterometer (QuikScat) satellite, Tropical Rainfall Measuring NASA/GSFC photo

This graphic illustrates that there are many more typhoons and monsoons than hurricanes in the Pacific region. Students animated ocean storms in the Western Pacfiic Ocean at NOAA’s request. Tracks in the graphic above are courtesy of the National Hurricane Center and Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Back- ground Image courtesy of NASA.

nual American Geophysical Union fall “The PRICIP anatomies convey meeting at San Francisco’s Moscone the impacts associated with extreme Satellite image of Super Typhoon Pongsona, Convention Center. storm events and the causes of them to Dec 10, 2002. Students completed studies in the “By understanding past storm emergency managers, coastal planners summer of 2007. anatomies, it may be possible to pre- and the general public in a manner dict destruction and damage of future that is easy to access, understand and Mission, Jason-1 and Aqua to create Pacific storms as well as others around use,” said John Marra, coastal natural accurate storm animations instead the world,” Skiles explained. The hazards specialist from the NOAA In- of the cartoon-like graphics seen on students’ animation uses real data to tegrated Data and Environmental Ap- many television weather forecasts. The indicate the storm’s size and intensity, plications Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. students were engaged through Devel- according to Skiles. The animation “The NASA Ames Research Center op, a NASA Applied Sciences program shows real rain, wind and temperature and the Develop team contributed that extends science research to local data over maps of the Pacific Rim area. significantly to this effort. From the communities. Develop student teams “The students’ animations, com- PRICIP perspective, the content the research NASA science capabilities bined with other socio-economic data students created was a great example relevant to community concerns and compiled by NOAA, will yield a better of how diverse types of satellite data create advanced computer-generated understanding of the potential for could be integrated and visualized. visualizations demonstrating research destruction that Pacific storms have,” It also provided us with a wonderful results. Skiles said. “That’s the purpose of the illustration of the mutual benefits of The team developed precise project.” collaboration.” animations in collaboration with the The PRICIP project may eventu- “NOAA gave the students the National Oceanic and Atmospheric ally become an interactive decision- names of the storms, and that’s about Administration’s (NOAA) Pacific Re- support tool to assist decision makers it,” gion Integrated Climatology Products as they lead recovery from natural Skiles said. “The students looked (PRICIP) project. hazards, reducing coastal vulnerability at about eight satellites and deter- “You probably have seen hurri- to storms, according to Skiles. mined that four would yield the cane animation on TV that looks like At NOAA’s request, the students data necessary to show what NOAA a pinwheel spinning over a satellite animated three storms in the western wanted to see in the graphics.” picture. What you see on television Pacific Ocean: Typhoon Chata’an For example, the students used weather reports is an image of the top (July 2002), Super Typhoon Pongsona Jason-1’s radar altimeter data to deter- of the clouds,” said Jay Skiles, an Earth (December 2002) and Cyclone Heta mine the sea level height, sometimes scientist at NASA Ames. “Our team of (January 2004). called storm surge, of all the storms students has taken accurate observa- Hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons they studied. According to Skiles, each tions from the ocean surface and atmo- are all ocean storms, and they form satellite data stream required differ- sphere from actual NASA satellite data in different parts of the world. Storm continued on page 11 4 Astrogram December 2007 Fires, moon, high-tech collaborations highlight 2007 b y Mi c h a e l Me w h i n n e y Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission active, 3-D photographic collection of Devastating wildfires, moon will provide scientists with a wealth the space shuttle Endeavour prepar- research and high tech Silicon Valley ing for a mission to the International collaborations were top stories for Space Station. NASA Ames Research Center in 2007. The software uses photographs from standard digital cameras to con- California Wildfires: struct a 3-D view that can be navigat- NASA helped firefighters battle ed and explored online. The software some of the worst wildfires in the combines hundreds or thousands state's history. In September, NASA of regular digital photos of a scene flew the remotely piloted Ikhana The Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing to present a detailed 3-D model of a airplane and its instruments that Satellite (LCROSS) mission to look for water on subject, giving viewers the sensation can see through smoke over the Lick the moon will be a ‘secondary payload spacecraft.’ of smoothly gliding around the scene wildfire near Gilroy, Calif. NASA Launch is scheduled for October 2008 on an Atlas from every angle. Ames developed the Autonomous V rocket from Kennedy Space Center, Fla. A collection can be constructed Modular Sensor-Wildfire instrument using photos from a single source or of data that will tell us a great deal multiple sources. about the lunar surface and help The NASA images can be viewed prepare NASA to put boots on the at Microsoft's Live Labs at: http:// moon by the end of the next decade. labs.live.com/ As evidence of the significant interest For more information on Google in the moon by the American public, Moon, visit: http://www.google. a 'Return to the Moon Family Night" com/moon/ For more information held at NASA Ames drew more than on Google Earth, visit: http://earth. 6,000 local residents. google.com NASA Dryden photo For more information and images, NASA's Ikhana, a remotely piloted science aircraft. visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ Exploration: ames/missions/2007/lcross.html NASA Ames continues to play a to look through the smoke to see hot major role to support the space shuttle spots, flames and temperature dif- Collaborations: program with its work in thermal pro- ferences. The data is then overlaid NASA Ames forged key partner- tection systems and the heat shields on maps and made available to fire ships with some of the best and bright- that protect the space shuttle during incident commanders to assist them est companies on the planet, including its fiery re-entry to the Earth's atmo- in allocating resources. In October, its Silicon Valley neighbors, Google sphere. NASA pilots again flew the Ikhana and Microsoft. Under an agreement This year, NASA Ames developed over numerous raging wildfires in with Google, NASA Ames is helping a new space shuttle tile inspection Southern California. The flights were make NASA's vast archives of images method using wireless scanners to re- part of the Western States Fire Mission and planetary data more accessible place manual inspection. NASA first that demonstrated improved wildfire to the public. Ames is working with used the new method in August 2007 imaging and mapping capabilities of Google to develop Google Moon so to look for cracks and other imperfec- the sophisticated sensor and real-time that that everyone can take a virtual tions in some of the 24,000 tiles that data communications equipment trip to the lunar surface. New higher cover space shuttle Endeavour. In the developed at NASA Ames. past, workers at NASA Kennedy Space To view and download images Center, Fla., visually analyzed tiles and for additional information, visit: and measured dings and cracks with http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/ small hand-held scales. Each scanner lookingatearth/socal_wildfires_oct07. weighs approximately 2.9 pounds and html is about the size and shape of a small resolution lunar imagery and maps teapot. Technicians place the machine Lunar Exploration: that include NASA multi-media con- on the tile's flaw to scan it. in about NASA announced that the new tent are available on the Google Moon three seconds, the data are computer- Lunar Science Institute would be Web site. ized and archived. based at NASA Ames, ensuring that NASA Ames also collaborated Engineers can scrutinize comput- the center will play a key role in future with Microsoft to develop Photosynth, erized 3-D pictures of the flaws. The exploration as NASA returns to the a new immersive imaging technology images show the length, width and moon and later travels to Mars. Next that enables viewers to see detailed depth of the flaws on the surface of year, NASA Ames is going to have a images of NASA. In August 2007, the tiles. Ames engineers developing mission that will slam into the moon. NASA and Microsoft released an inter- a heat shield system for NASA's new The Lunar CRater Observation and continued on page 9

Astrogram 5 December 2007 Ames Contractor Council holds 2007 Excellence Awards ceremony b y Do r e e n Co h e n QSS Group Inc., a Perot Systems Co., The Ames Contractor Council PKI Support Team was honored recently recently hosted its 2007 Excellence at the Ames Contractor Council 2007 Awards Ceremony in the Ames main Excellence Awards Ceremony. auditorium. Awards chair Kathleen Starmer served as master of ceremo- nies with president Chris Johnson presenting the certificates along with Deputy Center Director Chris Christensen. The awards ceremony recognizes deserving contractor employees and teams of contractors for excep- NASA photos by Dominic Hart tional performance on NASA Ames Research Center programs, presented annually in front of their peers and management from both the civil servant and contractor staff. There were 22 individuals and 16 Above, left to right: Ames Contrac- teams honored this year in recogni- tor Council President Chris Johnson; tion of their service to Ames. award recipient Dominic Wong, QSS Group Inc.; and Deputy Center Director Marvin “Chris” Chris- tensen.

Intrinsyx Technologies, Constellation Data Systems, one of the award recipients at the recent Ames Contractor council 2007 Excellence Awards Ceremony.

NASA’s retirement and benefit programs transition to NSSC NASA’s retirement and benefit ter at: 1-877-NSSC123 (1-877-677-2123) NSSC center liaison, Elena Marti- programs will transition to the NASA or e-mail: nssc-contactcenter@nasa. nez, at ext. 4-4135 or by e-mail at: Shared Services Center (NSSC) begin- gov. You may also contact the Ames [email protected]. ning Jan. 6, 2008. NASA employees will need to contact the NSSC with questions pertaining to health insur- Major ecosystem carbon loss predicted ance benefits, life insurance, civilian continued from page 3 or military deposits, survivor benefit The researchers estimated past and According to Potter, scientists counseling and retirement estimates. future carbon balance for ecosystems need to gather information about cur- Local Center Human Resources (HR) in the western United States. Carbon rent and past places where carbon is offices will no longer provide this balance is the difference between trapped to provide a point of compari- service. carbon sinks (such as carbon captured son for future actions. The NSSC understands that the from the air by green plants) and "We cannot say yet with certainty carbon sources (such as factories and activities associated with these life what the ecosystem carbon effects will automobiles that burn fuel and put be on climate regionally, but we do events are very important to employ- carbon into the air). know that land areas anywhere in the ees. The NSSC is committed to pro- "We conducted this research be- world that do not consistently se- viding the same exceptional level of cause the influences of climate change quester and store carbon over several service employees received from their on carbon held in ecosystem vegeta- decades will add notably to already local center human resource office. tion and soils — an important mecha- increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide For additional information about nism for offsetting fossil fuel carbon from fossil fuel burning, which is the this transition, visit the NSSC Custom- emissions — are not well understood, main human factor contributing to er Service Web site at: https://www. making projections in a changing global warming," Potter said. nssc.nasa.gov/customerservice, con- climate quite uncertain," Potter ex- tact the NSSC Customer Contact Cen- plained. 6 Astrogram December 2007 Tips for a “Green” holiday season, and how to reduce waste b y St a c y St. Lo u i s tickets, gift certificate to a local spa or • Consider getting alternatives to a While the annual holiday season dinner restaurant, cooking or dance cut tree, such as a live potted tree or an brings good cheer, it also delivers lessons, a gym membership, a pass to artificial tree. more solid waste to the landfill and • Use a timer on your consumption of natural resources. holiday lights to avoid Americans throw away about 25 Every year, there are 2.65 billion holiday lights turning on too percent more trash between Thanks- cards sold in the U.S. That’s enough to fill a early or staying on all giving and New Year’s Eve. That’s an night. additional 5 million tons of garbage! football stadium field 10 stories high. • Buy certified organic, Regardless of which holiday you cel- free-range turkeys for ebrate, take a minute to consider the local museums, a Bay cruise or an an- your holiday celebrations. Raised with- following ideas for a “green” holiday nual National Parks pass. out confinement, with access to the season this year. • When shopping for gifts and holiday outdoors, and fed organic grain, these • As an alternative to traditional wrap- food, carry your own canvas bags. turkeys actually have more muscle ping paper, try using pages from an old • For holiday parties, use reusable and lower fat content than typical dishes, cups store-bought turkeys. Plus, hormones and utensils, and antibiotics are never used on the If every American family wrapped just three holiday and cloth nap- animals, making them even healthier presents in reusable materials, it would save enough kins. for your family to consume. • If you send • Donate old electronic gadgets. For paper to cover 45,000 football fields. holiday cards, a local listing of facilities, visit www. look for those ciwmb.ca.gov/Electronics/Collection/ magazine, old maps, fabric, newspaper made of recycled paper. Eliminate en- With careful thought, it is possible or decorative tins. velopes and send a postcard instead. to reduce waste, conserve resources, • Reduce packaging by giving an • Make gift tags or decorations from and promote environmental protection “experience” such as: concert or movie last year’s holiday cards. during this busy season. NASA transforms into ‘North Pole’ for children’s fantasy flight b y Jo n as Di n o The Cops Care Cancer Foundation hosted its annual Christmas Fantasy Flight for children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses on Satur- day, Dec. 15, 2007. The event was held in the San Jose Police Department Air Support Unit hangar, N211, at NASA Ames. Children from San Francisco Bay Area hospitals, including Lucile Pack- ard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center and Children’s Hospital and Re- search Center Oakland, were treated to a day of fun with their families. For the event, the hangar was transformed into the 'North Pole' filled with fun activities, food, drinks and music. Highlighting the event was the arrival of Santa in a police helicopter, NASA photo by Dominic Hart bearing gifts for each child and his or Santa arrives at Ames to give presents to the kids waiting for him during the recent her siblings. Other activities included Cops Care Cancer Foundation’s annual Christmas Fantasy Flight event. a 'bubble zone', jumper houses, face for additional photos see page 14 painting, carnival games and special access to police and fire department their arrival, a variety of special guests, In addition, each family received vehicles. including Ultimate Fighting Champion check-in gifts and a gift card to help Cops Care CanPolice officers and Daniel Puder and California Assem- purchase Christmas dinner from Yahoo firefighters from the San Jose Police De- blymember Alberto Torrico, local and the Cops Care Cancer Foundation. partment and Sunnyvale Department police officers, cartoon characters and For more information about the of Public Safety greeted the children more than 100 foundation volunteers, Cops Care Cancer Foundation, visit the at Yahoo's Sunnyvale campus before greeted the children to make each one foundation Web site at http://www. boarding buses to NASA Ames. Upon feel like a VIP. CopsCareCancerFoundation.org Astrogram 7 December 2007 NASA, partners enable remotely piloted plane to fly over wildfires b y Jo h n Bl u c k incident commanders near the fires via wildfire hot-spot information by see- If not for the extreme effort of a the Internet in as little as five minutes. ing through smoke with infrared eyes NASA-partners team, a remotely pilot- But the missions of the Ikhana to is an incredibly powerful tool in these ed aircraft would not have been able observe Southern California’s wild- unfortunate circumstances. We hope to fly over Southern California wildfires may not have taken place, or be- to work with NASA and other public fires in October 2007 to aid firefighters, gun as early as they did, if not for the agencies to make this capability more efforts of NASA widely available and accessible in the people and their future,” Berry added. partners from “I do not know how many hours industry and the Pat (Grant) and Ted (Hildum, both academic world. of the University of California, Santa At NASA’s Cruz and) any other University Affili- Dryden, the ated Research Center staff have gone sensing system without sleep to get the sensor work- had been re- ing so that the flight could happen, but moved from the I do know they deserve tremendous airplane in early praise, not only from us, and from August – the NASA, but from all of California,” typical end of the said Larry Hogle, of the University of western wildfire California, Santa Cruz, whose office is season. Workers at Ames. alsohad begun “In preparation for the last group dismantling the of flights we had failure of a computer Ikhana aircraft’s disc drive at 40,000 feet before the wings while pre- wildfires in Southern California,” ex- paring the flying plained Ted Hildum of the University NASA Dryden photo machine for With smoke from the Lake Arrowhead, Calif., area fires streaming in the background, of California Santa Cruz, who works NASA’s Ikhana remotely-piloted aircraft heads out on a wildfire imaging mission, another aeronau- at Ames as a sensor engineer. “We had Oct. 24, 2007. tical research ex- to fix that hard drive to get the sensor periment in the ready to fly,” he explained. upcoming 2008 “We had to entirely replace the according to observers. wildfire season. Then the call for help hard drive and reinstall the operat- The California Governor’s Office came. Workers scrambled and toiled ing system and our special computer of Emergency Services and the Na- into the night to reinstall the sensing code,” Hildum said. tional Interagency Fire Center, Boise, system and prepare the aircraft for fire According to Hildum, Dryden Idaho, had asked NASA to fly wildfire operations. people had been getting ready to missions to provide near real-time aer- “The entire crew stayed up much install new equipment on the Ikhana, ial fire images to incident commanders of the night to get not only the in- and they had removed the wing pod, to help them to deploy firefighters and strumentation, but the aircraft ready which is on the left wing. The pod is equipment. for the mission,” said Jim Brass, about eight feet long and about three The flights of the Ikhana aircraft, the co-mission manager with Vince feet high and two feet wide. “That’s which took off from NASA Dryden Ambrosia, who was working from where our sensor is, and the rest of Flight Research Center, Edwards Air the National Interagency Fire Center data system and infrared,” Hildum Force Base, Calif., seemed simple in Boise, Idaho. “I think we had at explained. enough as described in news stories. least 15 people involved from NASA’s “Putting the pod back together Firefighters used the aircraft’s smoke- Ames and NASA’s Dryden.” The sys- and hanging it on the airplane is pret- piercing images help battle some of tem can see the thermal infrared band ty easy, but the thing that took all the the 15 fires that destroyed about 2,100 that humans cannot see, according to time was rebuilding the disc drive,” homes and charred 800 square miles, Brass. Hildum observed. It took all Tuesday according to news reports. “We were impressed by the inter- (Oct. 23, 2007), 7 a.m. to about 9 p.m. Though the smoke from the Cali- est of the incident commanders, and PDT, 14 hours altogether to be ready fornia wildfires was thick, firefighters that they used it as much as they did,” for flight the next morning,” Hildum saw through it, thanks to a special said Brass. recounted. NASA autonomous aerial imaging “The University of California The wildfire sensor that the system onboard the remotely piloted Santa Cruz, through its University Ikhana carried contains a number of aircraft, according to headlines that AffiliatedResearch Center, is proud main pieces. These include the infra- appeared on Oct. 24, 2007. to support NASA Ames in relief of red sensor and its data system and the The system, developed by NASA the Southern California fires,” said in-flight data processing computer. Ames, took aerial, thermal infrared William Berry, UARC Director. “Our The sensor is precisely calibrated and images of fire hot spots from as high people have shown incredible dedi- sensitive to specific thermal infrared as 27,000 feet. Called the Autono- cation, and it pleases is all that their wavelength so, it can peer through mous Modular Sensor (AMS) Wildfire efforts demonstrate how this new thick smoke and haze to take tempera- Instrument, the system on the air- technology can be so valuable to fire- tures, discern hot spots and monitor craft delivered data in real-time by a fighters on the front lines. The experi- the movement of wildfires during a satellite data link for distribution to mental capability to provide real-time continued on page 11 8 Astrogram December 2007 Two ‘GREEN’ events highlight Earth-friendly energy resources Two Global Research into Energy and the Environment at NASA (GREEN) events were recently held at the center. The first was with Dr. Marty Hoffert (left photo) who presented a director’s colloquium entitled ‘Electricity from Orbit: The case for R & D.’ Hoffert spoke about how cost-effective space solar power (SSP) could be a breakthrough technology for large-scale power generation, provide highly flexible power distribution and a sustainable carbon-neutral base load for Earth. Hoffert is Professor Emeritus of Physics and former chair of the Depart- ment of Applied Science at New York University.

The second GREEN event was entitled ‘Renewable energy: What’s NASA’s role?’ This event was the second in a series of seminars to consider how tools and expertise developed by NASA for the exploration of space can be applied to problems associated with sustainable energy and clean technologies on planet Earth. The afternoon session consisted of a lecture from an expert in renewable energy technologies, a review of NASA’s historic and current roles NASA photo by Dominic Hart in energy-related research and a discussion of how NASA might contribute to renewable energy in the future. The invited speakers included Professor Ali Shakouri, University of California, Santa Cruz, and Dr. Valerie Lyons, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, (left lower photo.) NASA photo by Eric James NASA

Fires, moon, high-tech collaborations highlight 2007 continued from page 5 spaceship Orion already are using a For high-resolution images of the search of water ice at one of the lunar larger, desktop version of the scanner scanner, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ poles. mission_pages/shuttle/news/wire- In 2009, the Kepler mission will less_scanner.html begin its search for habitable planets. Kepler is NASA's first mission capable The Year Ahead: of finding Earth-size and smaller plan- Next year promises to be even ets. The Kepler mission will monitor more exciting for NASA Ames. NASA the brightness of stars to find planets will be celebrating its 50th anniver- that pass in front of them during the sary. In the fall, Ames will launch the planets' orbits. LCROSS on its mission to the moon in

Possibilities of water and life on Enceladus continued from page 2 methanogen ecosystems found on The Cassini-Huygens mission is Earth," McKay explained. "Water rock a cooperative project of NASA, the reactions produce the hydrogen from European Space Agency and the Ital- basalt," McKay said, after citing two ian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion types of chemical reactions. Laboratory (JPL), a division of the According to McKay, if the California Institute of Technology in NASA photo by Dominic Hart methane is going to be recycled back Pasadena, Calif., manages the mission NASA Ames’ space shuttle tile wireless to hydrogen, then there needs to be a for NASA's Science Mission Director- scanner, which replaced manual inspections region in Enceladus with temperatures ate. The Cassini orbiter was designed, of the tiles. about 500 degrees Celsius (932 degrees developed and assembled at JPL. Fahrenheit) or more. to study heat shield samples tested at Ames. Astrogram 9 December 2007 Get to know the Ames Traffic Management Plan b y An n Su l l i v a n are three types of tickets: a courtesy of age, must be restrained in a child Did you know that Ames has a warning, with no traffic violation safety seat that meets California motor traffic management plan? Or that in points; a correction notice for vehicle vehicle safety standards. If you ride the past 12 months, Ames’ law en- safety/equipment violations; and the a motorcycle or a bicycle, wear an forcement officers wrote 1,550 traffic standard notice for a violation that appropriate helmet. You must have a citations? may result in the assessment of points valid driver’s license, and your vehicle Of those 1,550 citations, 578 were (e.g., a speeding ticket). Points can must be licensed and insured. for failing to come to a complete stop vary from two for a minor infraction The maximum speed limit at Ames at a stop sign, while more than 300 to 12 for reckless driving or for failing is 25 mph unless otherwise posted. drivers were cited for exceeding the to obey a traffic or pedestrian cross- The speed limit at all entry points and in all parking lots is 15 mph. Should you be tempted to exceed the speed limit, please keep in mind that Ames security police officers do use radar devices to detect speeders. If your vehicle breaks down, move it off the pavement to the right side of the road. Get everyone out of the vehicle and off the road if the vehicle cannot be moved. A vehicle with a flat tire should be driven slowly off the road. Turn on emergency warning lights. Use taillights if the vehicle doesn’t have warning or hazard lights. At night, also turn on the car's inside lights. Contact the Ames Emergency Dispatch Office if assistance is needed or in an emergency. Of course, it goes without saying that it is unlawful for anyone under the influence of alcohol or drugs to drive a vehicle at Ames, or to drive in NASA photo by Eric James a reckless manner. Officer Robert Dean of Ames’ Protective Services writes up a ticket for a motorist for speeding Pedestrians should use common at the center. The maximum speed limit at Ames is 25 mph unless otherwise posted. The speed sense when walking or jogging at limit at all entry points and in all parking lots is 15 mph. Ames, by using sidewalks when available, walking on the left side of the road if there is no sidewalk, and yield- posted speed limit. There also were walk or sign resulting in serious injury ing the right of way to all vehicles if 29 motor vehicle accidents at Ames to a pedestrian. crossing anywhere except within a during that period. The most common Accumulating 12 or more points crosswalk. reasons for accidents are unsafe speed in a two-year period may result in Bicyclists must obey all traffic and unsafe backing. Most resulted suspension of driving privileges on signs and signals, not ride more than in some vehicle damage, but fortu- Ames property for 30 days or more for two abreast except on a path or shoul- nately, only a couple of injuries were non-criminal violations. In addition, der of a road, ride on a bike path if one reported. criminal activities resulting from the is available, and at night, have a front “Protective Services makes every operation of a motor vehicle on Ames white light and a red reflector on the effort to ensure that motorists, bicy- property may be referred to the United rear. clists and pedestrians alike can safely States Attorney's Office for criminal The Ames traffic management traverse the roads and pathways at prosecution. plan is in place, and its regulations Ames,” said Ken Silverman, chief of NASA security police have author- are enforced, for your safety and for security. “By adhering to the Ames ity to enforce the Ames traffic plan, the safety of everyone who works at traffic management plan, Ames’ which doesn’t differ much from state or visits Ames. Don’t become a traffic employees, visitors and guests can traffic laws. Obey the speed limit. Stop statistic! help us ensure a safe environment for completely at stop signs. Use com- To see the complete Ames traf- everyone.” mon sense when driving. Wear seat fic management plan, go to http:// Violating the traffic management belts. Children under the age of four server-mpo.arc.nasa.gov/Services/ plan can result in a ticket issued by years, regardless of weight, or weigh- CDMSDocs/Centers/ARC/Dirs/ Ames’ security police officers. There ing less than 40 pounds, regardless APR/APR1600.5.html

10 Astrogram December 2007 NASA, partners enable remotely piloted plane to fly over wildfires continued from page 8 were trying to keep the flights at 10 long period of time. hours or less,” Finch added. The wildfire data is overlaid on “The aircraft headed south to San Google Earth maps and sent in near- Diego and the border region to cover realtime to the National Interagency fires there (Harris Fire) then progres- Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, and made sively moved north to cover remain- available to fire incident commanders ing fires,” according to Ambrosia, the at the fires to help them to decide how principal investigator for the missions, to use their fire-fighting people and who described the first flight of the equipment. series that took off Oct. 24, 2007. “I designed the new data system On that first mission, the aircraft for the sensor -- built a lot of it. This gathered images and data from at system is hardware and software. It least 11 fires: the Harris, McCoy, Witch records imagery from the infrared / Poomacha, Coronado Hills, Rosa, sensor, stores it on a disk and teleme- Slide, Grass Valley, Buckweed, Ranch, ters it back down to the ground. It’s Magic and San Clemente. The aircraft received in the Ikhana ground station collected and transmitted 99 image at NASA’s Dryden. It’s then sent to files, flew more than nine hours and a server computer at NASA Ames,” retuned to NASA’s Dryden. Hildum said. “During the course of the four “At that point it’s massaged a missions over the Southern Califor- NASA photo little bit by Francis Enomoto of NASA nia wildfires, the Ikhana operated on NASA Ames engineers Sally Buechel and Ted Ames,” explained Hildum. “He refor- distinct flight paths to ensure collect- Hildum prepare to load the Autonomous Modular mats the data so it can be displayed in ing the most pertinent and timely data Scanner into the Ikhana remotely piloted aircraft’s Google Earth, which is a visualization possible over the various evolving fire payload pod, Oct. 23, 2007 to observe the Califor- tool. It put the images from our sensor events,” Ambrosia said. “During some nia wildfires onto a terrain map that can be viewed missions, multiple passes during the on the Internet.” day were made over critical, active The lead for the sensor, Jeff Myers “Sally Buechel wrote the software, fires to provide fire movement data to of the University of California Santa which takes the image and corrects it teams,” he added. Cruz; the data systems lead, Don Sul- to be draped over terrain maps, and it “Users in the field are very pleased livan of Ames; and others from also detects fire perimeters,” Hildum with the Ikhana imagery as ‘real data’,” Ames also worked on the wildfire added. Buechel works at NASA Ames said Tom Zajkowski, a U.S. Forest Ser- missions. and is employed by Bay Area Envi- vice remote sensing analyst who was at For additional images and more ronmental Research Institute. The the Witch Fire. According to Zajkowski, information about the wildfire demon- software also automatically detects the imagery showed how effective strations, please visit: http://www1. and identifies hot spot data in the data burnout operations were, locating hid- dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/Ikhana/ stream, according to Ambrosia. den hotspots after fires went by. index.html “My job was to stand in for Sally Buechel to run the AMS wildfire instrument, and the thermal scanner that takes imagery of temperatures,” said Patrick Finch, another team engineer Hurricane animation improves predictions who works at NASA Ames for Califor- continued from page 4 nia State University, Monterey Bay. “The instrument was developed ent processing methods and analysis. University of Oklahoma, Norman; by Ted Hildum and his group,” Finch “So, that’s why it took the students Josh Ingham, University of Idaho, said. 10 weeks, or all summer of 2007, to Moscow; Frank Garcia, University of “Sally Buechel also wrote all of the complete the project.” California Santa Barbara; and Seema software to process the imagery into “Because of the differences in data Gupta, Wellesley College, Wellesley, a useful product, a color-coded image streams from the satellites, it probably Mass. The mentors for the project showing active hotspots and smolder- is not possible to produce these anima- were Cindy Schmidt of San Jose State ing areas and unburned areas,” Finch tions in real time,” Skiles said. University, San Jose, Calif., who works continued. Skiles said NOAA is enthusias- at Ames; and Jay Skiles of Ames. “When you’re looking at really tic about the new hurricane anima- The Develop Program began in hot, burning fires, the color palette tion and wants interns to continue 1998 when three students authored a would change from a nice green from to improve it. “At NOAA’s request, paper titled “Practical Applications of unburned areas, and then as things got this project will be continued in the Remote Sensing.” hotter, would fade into a very bright, summer of 2008, with new students,” For more information on Develop, white color where you’d see some visit: http://develop.larc.nasa.gov reds where things are warm but not Skiles said. necessarily actively burning,” Finch The five students who worked on The students’ animation will be explained. the project are Casey Teske, University available on the NOAA Web site at “We flew a few different times of Montana, Missoula; Nicole Simons, http://www.noaa.gov. during the week,” Finch said. “They Astrogram 11 December 2007 Ames Ongoing Monthly Events Calendar Ames Amateur Radio Club, third Thurs., of Environmental Forum, first Thursday every Ames Model Aircraft Club, flying radio-con- ea. month, 12 noon, N-T28 (across from N-255). other month, 9 a.m. - 10 a.m., T20-G conference trolled aircraft at the north end of Parsons Ave. POC: Michael Wright, KG6BFK, at ext. 4-6262. Rm. 129. URL: http://q/qe/events/EHS- on weekend mornings. POC: Mark Sumich, series/ POC: Stacy St. Louis, ext. 4-6810. ext. 4-6193. Ames Ballroom Dance Club, Classes on Tuesdays. Beginning classes meet at 5:15 p.m. Ames Federal Employees Union (AFEU) Mtg, Native American Advisory Committee Mtg., Higher-level class meets at 5:50 p.m. Held in First Wednesday of November (7th), noon. fourth Tuesday each month, 12 noon - 1 p.m., Bldg. 944, the Rec. Center. POC: Helen Hwang First Wednesday of December (5th), noon. Bldg. 19, Rm 1096. POC: Mike Liu, ext. 4-1132. at [email protected], ext. 4-1368. Bldg. N-247, Rm. 109. Beginning 2008, third Wednesday each month, same location. Guests Ames Nimble Knitters Club, every Tuesday Ames Bicycling Club, every third Wednesday welcome. Info at: http://www.afeu.org. POC: at 11:30 a.m., Bldg. N-241/Rm 237. POC: of each month, 12 noon - 1 p.m., Bldg. N-245 Paul K. Davis, ext. 4-5916. Rosalyn Jung, [email protected] or Diane Auditorium. POC: Julie Nottage at jnottage@ Alexander at ext. 4-3140. URL: http://knit.arc. mail.arc.nasa.gov, ext. 4-3711. The Hispanic Advisory Committee for nasa.gov Excellence (HACE) Mtg., first Thursday of each Ames Bowling League, Homestead Lanes on month, 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m., Bldg. N-255, Rm. Ames Safety Committee, third Thursday of Thursday nights at 6:20 p.m. Seeking substitute 101C. POC: Eric Kristich, ext. 4-5137 and Mark each month, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m., Bldg. N-237, bowlers. Questions to sign up: Mike Liu at ext. Leon, ext. 4-6498. Rm. 201. POC: John Livacich, jlivacich@mail. 4-1132. arc.nasa.gov, ext. 4-3243 or Terry Reichert, Jetstream Toastmasters, Mondays, 12 p.m. [email protected], ext.-4-0375. Ames Child Care Center Board of Directors - 1 p.m., Bldg. N-269/Rm.179. POC: Miwa Mtg., every other Monday, 1 - 2:30 p.m., Bldg. Hayashi, ext. 4-1397, [email protected]. Ames Sailing Club Mtg., second Thursday N-262/Rm 180. POC: Sally Miller, ext. 4-5411. gov. Web: http://jetstream.freetoasthost.com of each month (March through Nov), from 12 p.m. - 1 p.m., Bldg. N-262, Rm. 100. URL: Ames Contractor Council Mtg., first Wednes- Ames Mac Support Group Mtg., third Tuesday http://sail.arc.nasa.gov/. POC: Becky Hooey, day of ea. month, 11 a.m., Bldg. N-200, Commit- of each month, 11:30 a.m.to 1 p.m., Bldg. N-262, ext. 4-2399. tee Room. POC: Chris Johnson, (650) 938-8017. Rm 180. POC: Tony ext. 4-0340.

Ames emergency Protective Services monthly activity announcements A statistical summary of activities of the Protective Services Division’s To hear the centerwide status record- ing, call (650) 604-9999 for informa- Security/Law Enforcement and Fire Protection Services units for the month tion announcements and emergency of November 2007 is shown below. instructions for Ames employees. You can also listen to 1700 KHz AM radio for the same information. Security/Law Enforcement Activity

Safety Data

NASA-Ames Occupational Illness-Injury Data for Calendar Year-to-Date 2007 Jan. 1, 2007 - Nov. 30 , 2007

Civil Contractors Servants

First aid cases 13 14 Fire Protection Activity

Lost Workday cases 0 2

Recordable cases 2 4

Restricted duty days 0 2

Above data are as of Nov. 30, 2007. May be subject to slight adjustment in the event of a new case or new information regarding an existing case.

12 Astrogram December 2007 Ames Classifieds Exchange Information Ads for the next issue should be sent to astrogram@ Pine Mountain Lake vacation home. Access to golf, mail.arc.nasa.gov and must be resubmitted for each Information about products, services and oppor- tennis, lake, swimming, horseback riding, walk issue. Ads must involve personal needs or items; (no tunities provided to the employee and contractor to beach. Three bedrooms/sleeps 10. $100/night. commercial/third-party ads) and will run on a space- community by the Ames Exchange Council. Visit Call (408) 799-4052 or (831) 623-4054. available basis only. First-time ads are given priority. the web site at: http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov Ads must include home phone numbers; Ames exten- sions and email addresses will be accepted for carpool Beyond Galileo Gift Shop N-235 in Incline Village, Forest Pines, Lake Tahoe condo, 3 and lost and found ads only. Due to the volume of the cafeteria , 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., ext. 4-6873 bdrms/2 ba, sleeps 8, fireplace, TVs/VCR/DVD, material received, we are unable to verify the accuracy stereo w/CD player, microwv, W/D, jacuzzi, Don’t forget to purchase your baby shower, birth- of the statements made in the ads. Caveat emptor! sauna, outdoor pool. Walk to lake. Close to ski day, holiday gifts at Ames’ two gift shops! areas. Visit web site for pictures: http://www. ACruiseStore.com $135/night spring and fall, Transportation N-943 Visitor Center Gift Shop $173/night summer and winter (holidays higher) ‘95 Toyota Camry, emerald green exterior, 4dr, M-F, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., ext. 4-5412 5-speed manual transmission. 187,500 miles, plus $125 cleaning fee and 12 percent Nevada room tax. Charlie (650) 743-8990. great condition, runs smoothly, gives 26mpg, has NASA logo merchandise, souvenirs, toys, gifts and educational items. recent smog certificate and complete mainte- New York, 5th Ave., one fully furnished bedroom nance records since 1995! $3,000. Anupa (650) Tickets, etc... N-943 outside the main gate, apt. in 24 hour security fbldg. overlooking 862-2869 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., ext. 4-5412 and Beyond Washington Square Park, $1,000/week or Galileo, 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. ext. 4-6873 3,000/month, negotiable. Call (650) 430-6977. Miscellaneous Mega Bites Cafeteria N-235, 6 a.m. to Paris/France: Fully furnished studio. 5th arr, Latin Quarter, Notre Dame and Lie-St. Louis, $1,400/ The Ames Cat Network needs help finding 2 p.m., ext. 4-5969/Catering ext. 4-2161 homes for cats trapped at Moffett. They range week, negotiable. Call (650) 430-6977. from feral to abandoned/lost pets. Tested, altered and inoculated. Call Iris at ext. 4-5824 See daily menu at: http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov Santa Cruz townhouse, 2 bedrooms plus study, if you or someone you know are interested in 2 baths, decks, totally furnished, 3 blocks from fostering or adopting a cat. Moffett Field Golf Club with ‘Tee minus beach, available July, August, September; $1,600 1’ Grill and Sports Bar. Call (650) 603-8026. per month. Call (831) 423-5777 (H) or (831) 277- E-bike for sale/donation to local school pro- 8476 (C). gram. Fully loaded 24V E-bike by EV Global RV Lots Available Call to reserve a with brand new battery cells is available in space at (650) 603-7100/01. Lake Tahoe cabin rental in Agate Bay, North Shore. exchange for a $400 donation to the PACT pro- 4bd/3ba tri-level, AEK, cable TVs, fireplace, BBQ, gram, a local Mountain View school (originally Civilian/Contractors, $50/mo; military $25/mo deck, sleeps 10. Closest skiing is Northstar, Alpine sold for $1800.) Bike is fully loaded (two pan- and Squaw. Rates are $375 a weekend, $1,000 a niers, headlight, taillight, front shocks..) will NASA Lodge (N-19) 603-7100 week. Call (408) 867-4656. travel 12mph on electric alone. Call Krisstina at Where to stay when you’re too tired to drive home? Florida west coast vacation in St. Petersburg, (650) 964-3926 or e-mail klwilmoth@sbcglobal. What about the lodge?! Two types of rooms: Bldg. net if you’d like to take a look. beautiful 2bd/2ba condo, fully equipped kitchen 19 (43 rooms), rate: $55/night ($5 ea add’l adult); and furnished, sunset views, 1/4 mile from St. Pete Bldg. 583 (150 rooms), rate: $45/night ($5 ea. add’l Beach, monthly or 2 week minimum rentals only. adult) Call (703) 299-8889 or e-mail: [email protected] (N-109) 603-8025 Ames Swim Center Monterey Bay vacation rental at Pajaro Dunes, 20 The pool is heated year round! The pool is cur- miles south of Santa Cruz, 3bd/2ba beach house rently available for lap swim, pool parties and with distinctive architecture. Beautiful ocean and special events. POC -Chana Langley, Pool Manager valley views, only 150 ft from the beach, first-class (650) 603-8025. Memberships: single member- tennis courts. $700/wkend, $2,100/wk including ships: $40/yr. Family memberships: $60/yr. After cleaning by the maid service when you depart. purchasing a membership, there is an entrance fee: Call (408) 252-7260. daily entrance fee - $3/day or lap pass fee - $40 for 20 uses. Platinum membership - $360/yr. (no daily South Lake Tahoe large cabin surrounded by fee). Special events: include military training, swim protected forest, 8 miles from Stateline Sleeps 12 team events, kayak role practice, etc. The cost for comfortably, 4 bd/3ba. Hot tub/pool table/65” TV special events is $50/hr. Matt (408) 482-5286 Ongoing Vacation Opportunities South Lake Tahoe cozy home backs up to large open meadow, 1 mile from Heavenly Valley. Sleeps Lake Tahoe-Squaw Valley Townhse, 3bd/2ba, View 11, 3 bd/2.5 ba. Large deck with hot tub. Matt (408) of slopes, close to lifts. Per night: $250, plus $145 482-5286. cleaning fee. Two night minimum. Includes linens, propane fireplace, fully equipped. Call (650) 968- 4155, [email protected].

Bass Lake vacation rental, 4 mls south of Yosemite. 3bd/1.5 ba, TV, VCR, MW, frplc, BBQ, priv. boat dock. Sleeps 8. $1,050/wk. Call (559) 642-3600 or (650) 390-9668. The Ames Astrogram is an official publication of Ames Research Center, National Aeronautics and Astrogram deadlines Big Sur vacation rental, secluded 4bd/2ba house Space Administration. Please submit articles, calendar and in canyon setting. Fully eqpd kitchen. Access to priv. beach. Tub in patio gdn. Halfway between classified advertisements to astro- Managing Editor...... Michael Mewhinney [email protected] no later than Carmel and Big Sur. $175/night for 2; $225 for 4 and $250 for more, plus $150 cleaning dep. Call Editor, Layout and Design...... Astrid Olson the 10th of each month. If this falls on (650) 328-4427. a weekend or holiday, then the follow- You can reach the Astrogram Office at: astrogram@ ing business day becomes the dead- mail.arc.nasa.gov or by phone at (650) 604-3347. line. For Astrogram questions, contact Astrogram Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/ Astrid Olson at the aforementioned ames/astrogram. e-mail address or ext. 4-3347.

Astrogram 13 December 2007 Children enjoy holiday fantasy flight at Ames ‘North Pole’ continued from page 7

The annual Christmas Fantasy Flight was hosted by the Cops Care Cancer Foundation for children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses on Dec. 15, 2007. The event was held in the San Jose Police Department Air Support Unit hangar, N211, at NASA Ames.

NASA photos by Dominic Hart

14 Astrogram December 2007