Ames Faces Great Challenges . . . and Great Opportunities

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA February 2005

Ames faces great challenges . . . and great opportunities As NASA undergoes a major trans- To assist this, Ames has established are astrobiology (the study of the origin, formation and field center budgets get a New Business Office headed by Wendy evolution and distribution of life in the tighter, Ames faces both “a great chal- Dolci. Hubbard said the New Business universe), integrated next generation Office will man- computing systems; intelligent/adap- age all potential tive systems; entry, descent and landing new business as systems (with the Jet Propulsion Labo- though it were a ratory and NASA Langley Research corporate sales Center); and air traffic management sys- portfolio, and tems. Four of the five core competencies will regularly are exclusive to Ames. track and report Hubbard said that the approval of on potential new Ames’ core competencies places the cen- business oppor- ter “in the critical path” for implement-

NASA photo by Tom Trower tunities. In addi- ing the agency’s priorities, particularly tion, he said that The Vision for Space Exploration. Em- managers will be phasizing the importance of maintain- required to visit ing a strong, viable work environment, key customers at Hubbard said Ames will conduct a least once a “health assessment” of its core compe- month, and that tencies by the end of March. project principal To deal with a substantially reduced investigators, “core” center budget, Hubbard an- branch chiefs or nounced a “belt-tightening” action plan Ames Center Director G. Scott Hubbard “whoever has ac- for Ames to prevent the loss of as many countability for a as 400 civil servants and 400 contractor lenge and a great opportunity” as it given product” will also be responsible jobs in a worst-case scenario. He said the changes the way it conducts business to for sales and the marketing of their work. center’s contractor workforce has already meet the goals of The Vision for Space Hubbard said the agency’s new been reduced significantly and warned Exploration. emphasis on “competitive sourcing” that contractor tasks will be “descoped” “The transformed Ames will be fo- represents a culture change for a signifi- where there are acute budget problems. cused, responsive, and entrepreneurial cant portion of Ames. While Ames has “However, we will not ‘balance the in order to be competitive and success- traditionally done well in the past when books’ using only our contractor ful,” Hubbard told a capacity audience competing for project and program workforce,” Hubbard emphasized. In a in the main auditorium during an all- funding, the new competitive process is positive vein, Hubbard observed that hands update for center employees on different. “The clear trend is for more fully one half of Ames’ potentially “un- Feb. 7 to discuss the implications for and more funding being open to com- covered capacity” for FY06 in the civil Ames of the president’s FY 2006 budget petition. We have a lot that we can go service workforce is fully aligned with request for NASA. “We have to change for, but we also face a lot of challenges,” The Vision for Space Exploration and and be more responsive to the people Hubbard observed. the center’s core competencies, making who pay the bills,” Hubbard concluded. On a positive note, Hubbard said them excellent candidates to propose for Hubbard said the agency’s approach that Ames did very well during an new work. to funding NASA centers has changed agency-wide evaluation of core compe- Hubbard said all overhead, support from large annual allocations to the field tencies at each of its 10 field centers. and operations will be cut immediately centers to multiple competitions among “There were only 24 agency core com- by 20 percent, the center’s overhead costs the centers and non-government orga- petencies approved, and Ames won ap- will be reduced through implementa- nizations for smaller individual project proval for five of the eight that it pro- tion of a “leaner management structure,” and program awards. As a result, Ames posed,” Hubbard said. He stated that he and that the center’s operating costs will must aggressively pursue new business was very proud of the center’s ability to be reduced by vacating and closing build- -- not only from within NASA, but also make its case with NASA headquarters ings and trailers immediately. He said from such external sources as other agen- and of the recognition of Ames’ capa- Bldg. 19 would be vacated and 110 em- cies and the private sector -- Hubbard bilities that was acknowledged by the ployees in codes P and J will be relo- called upon all employees to support agency. cated. Later, all remaining Ames em- and pursue such new opportunities. Ames’ approved core competencies continued on page 4

-- NASA searches for answers to questions as old as humanity, and asks new ones

www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/astrogram/2005/05astrograms.html Ames hosts thousands of students for annual JASON event Pull on a pair of galoshes and be moved to JASON City, situated in NASA help filter and purify fresh water. Many transported on an exciting adventure Ames' Hangar 211, where the students of the local JASON students and teach- exploring the mysteries and marvels of participated in more Louisiana's disappearing wetlands. than 16 enrichment From Jan. 31 through Feb. 4, the activities ranging main auditorium at NASA Ames was from art, live dem-

NASA photos by Dominic Hart onstrations and ers have been studying the south bay animal exhibits to salt pond restoration project to learn hands-on science about local ecosystems. experiments cus- Now in its 16th year, the JASON tom-designed to project is a multi-disciplinary education enhance the program designed to spark the imagi- broadcast content nation of students and enhance the class- and classroom room experience. Previous JASON ex- curriculum. peditions have highlighted the Earth's polar regions, ac- tive volcanoes, ocean depths and dense tropical rain forests. NASA is a major partner of the JASON project. NASA scientists who work in the areas of Earth science and remote sensing routinely participate in live JASON broadcasts. For this expedition, 'transformed' into the Mississippi River Marco Giardino, Delta and Louisiana's Cajun country from NASA hosting 5,200 Bay Area students and Stennis Space Cen- teachers who participated in the 2005 ter, located near JASON Expedition: Disappearing Wet- Bay St. Louis, lands. The students interacted with Rob- "While we realize that most of the Miss., discussed the wealth of informa- ert Ballard, a team of scientists and stu- learning happens in the classroom, a tion about the health of the Louisiana dent and teacher 'argonauts' via 20 live, visit to Ames during the JASON project wetlands and coastline, which is avail- interactive broadcasts. is inspiring and fun for our students," able from satellite imagery. "The JASON project is a rare and said Will Shaw, JASON project coordi- NASA Ames has hosted the JASON exciting experience for the students," nator for NASA Ames. broadcasts and JASON city for the past said Wendy Holforty, JASON project Wetlands are critical, life-support- 11 years. manager at NASA Ames. "They have ing ecosystems that provide a habitat For more information about the the opportunity to interact with scien- for an incredible diversity of plants and 2005 JASON Expedition: Disappearing tists in the field via the live broadcast animals. These ecosystems are 'nurser- Wetlands, visit the Web at http:// and run experiments of their own in ies' for countless species of fish and shell- www.jasonproject.org/and http:// JASON City." fish. Wetlands also protect the vulner- quest.arc.nasa.gov/projects/jason/ After the broadcast, the students able coastlines from storm surges and BY JOHN BLUCK Astrogram 2 February 2005 NASA software tool helps prevent air traffic bottlenecks No one is happy with long lines and tecture," and helped air traffic managers steady but manageable flow of air traf- delays at our nation's airports. In re- prevent bottlenecks at the Philadelphia fic. sponse to the growing need to improve International Airport. "Future tests will seek to gradually the national airspace system, NASA is "The evaluation successfully dem- expand the McTMA operational enve- onstrated the ad- lope to demonstrate multi-center, time- vantages of the based metering of departures, arrivals McTMA depar- and en route flows to multiple destina- ture metering ca- tions," Davis said. pability over cur- Earlier versions of the system are rent techniques," used to schedule arriving aircraft at said Tom Davis, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Minneapolis, Los An- the principal in- geles, Denver, Houston, Miami and At- vestigator for lanta airports. As testing progresses, McTMA, and McTMA's time-based metering may be chief of the Ter- applied to departures, arrivals and en minal Area Air route aircraft across broader airspace Traffic Manage- regions and air traffic corridors. ment Research Testing of the newer McTMA sys- Branch at Ames. tem is scheduled to resume this month "During several at the same facilities. If fully successful, periods at Phila- NASA and the FAA will work together delphia, when to bring the technology into future op- airborne holding erations to benefit air travelers. is routinely en- The program is managed by the NASA photo by Dominic hart countered, no Airspace Systems Division of NASA's such holding was Aeronautics Research Mission Director- developing tools to ensure future air observed when McTMA was in use," ate. The software was developed at travel will be safe and efficient. Davis added. Ames. NASA, the Federal Aviation Ad- Frequently, adjustments of just a For information about the McTMA ministration (FAA) and the MITRE few minutes at the point of origin can system and other air traffic manage- Corp., McLean, Va., have successfully alleviate airborne traffic jams at the des- ment decision support tools, visit http:/ conducted tests of the Multi-center Traf- tination. The result is safer and more /www.ctas.arc.nasa.gov/ fic Management Advisor (McTMA) at efficient operations for airlines and the project_description/mctma.html air traffic facilities responsible for the flying public as the system produces a northeastern United States. Initial re- BY JONAS DINO sults indicate the software's scheduling capabilities helped air traffic managers prevent bottlenecks. Museum visitors journey through space At the heart of McTMA is a power- ful 'trajectory synthesis' engine capable ‘Space Journey,’ an exciting, new and Rocket Center’s Space Laboratories of converting radar data, flight plans exhibit showcasing NASA’s numerous provided ‘Science in Orbit,’ full-scale, and weather information into accurate contributions to aeronautics and space walk-through mock-ups of the Interna- forecasts of air traffic congestion. flight, both past and present, is now tional Space Station and Russian Mir featured at the Museum of Idaho in laboratories. It focuses on the science, McTMA uses these forecasts and input Idaho Falls and will continue through from air traffic personnel to generate a engineering, physical and cultural chal- specific advisory, typically a small de- Sept. 10, 2005. ‘Space Journey’ com- lenges of conducting research in space. lay, for each aircraft predicted to en- memorates the centennial of powered, NASA Ames contributed an authen- counter congestion. controlled flight that began on Dec. 17, tic moon rock from the Apollo era, and "McTMA is an advanced air traffic 1903, with the historic flight by the a model of the Lunar Prospector space- Wright Brothers. It also highlights craft that was launched in 1998 and dis- management system that makes pos- NASA’s current and future space mis- sible a fundamental shift in air traffic covered water ice at both of the moon’s control from distance-based to time- sions. polar regions. based metering of aircraft," said Tom Anchored by a variety of displays NASA Headquarters contributed a Edwards, deputy director of the Aero- provided by all of NASA’s 10 field cen- major exhibit entitled ‘Aerospace De- nautics Directorate at Ames. "Time- ters, the 9,000-square-foot exhibit is sign: The Art of Engineering from NASA’s first major exhibition to be NASA’s Aeronautical Research,’ which based metering can reduce airborne de- shown in the western region states of lays and improve coordination and plan- features more than 70 artifacts, some of ning between adjacent air traffic control Idaho, Montana and Utah. which date back to NASA’s predeces- facilities," he added. Among the highlights of the exhibi- sor, the National Advisory Committee Tests were conducted with manag- tion are a full-scale replica of the Apollo for Aeronautics. In addition to the his- ers at the air route traffic control centers Command Module that was used in Uni- toric displays, the exhibit features some versal Studio’s ‘Apollo 13’ movie; a full- of the latest research being conducted in New York, Washington, Boston and scale replica of the Mercury spacecraft; Cleveland; the Philadelphia Terminal by NASA to make future air travel safer Radar Approach Control and the Na- and an actual first-stage rocket engine and more efficient, including advanced tional Air Traffic Control System Com- similar to those that launched America’s aircraft designed with ‘morphing’ wings, mand Center in Herndon, Va., first orbital astronauts. self-healing ‘skins’ and biologically in- The successful tests validated the NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Cen- McTMA "distributed scheduling archi- ter, Huntsville, Ala., and the U.S. Space continued on page 8

Astrogram 3 February 2005 Ames scientist Daniel Reda receives distinguished AIAA award Daniel Reda, senior staff scientist ronments. His recent review article for Year Competition. at Ames, was recently selected to re- the AIAA Journal of Spacecraft and In 2003, scientific peers on the Ames ceive the American Institute of Aero- Rockets summarizes the state of the art Basic Research Council elected him as concerning roughness-dominated tran- an Ames Associate Fellow for sustained sition in reentry applications. He also is innovative and creative contributions to the world’s leading authority on the use transition research. Only two such of shear-sensitive liquid crystal coatings awards are given at the Center each for the visualization and measurement year; in addition to the scientific recog- of global surface shear stress vector dis- nition, these awards are accompanied tributions, holding patents on both meth- by personal, travel and research hono- odologies. raria totaling nearly $25,000. Reda is widely published in the sci- Reda is a Fellow of AIAA and ASME entific literature. He has been invited to and has been cited in both Who’s Who in

NASA photo by Roger Brimmer lecture at the von Karman Institute for Science and Engineering and Who’s Who Fluid Dynamics, Stanford University, in Engineering. He served as associate University of California-Berkeley, and technical editor of the ASME Journal of Columbia University-Geologic Obser- Fluids Engineering and as co-editor of vatory, among many others. He has the ASME Proceedings ‘Boundary Layer given international presentations at Stability and Transition to Turbulence.’ ICAS, ICIASF and AGARD conferences. Throughout his career, he has been ac- Dr. Daniel Reda He has received many honors and tively involved in the technical aspects awards for his pioneering research, of both societies and has served on five nautics and Astronautics (AIAA) among them a prestigious NASA Space technical committees, including the Thermophysics Award for 2005. This Act Award and selection as a top 10 AIAA Thermophysics TC. award is presented for an outstanding finalist in the NASA Inventor-of-the- singular or sustained technical or scientific contribution by an individual in thermophysics, specifically as related to Great challenges and opportunities the study and application of the proper- continued from front page ties and mechanisms involved in ther- ployees in the building will be moved mal energy transfer and the study of science, space operations, and aeronau- out, both to reduce costs and to enhance tics. environmental effects on such proper- revenue opportunities. Science projects include Discovery, ties and mechanisms. The award cita- In addition, Hubbard said prepara- Explorer, New Frontiers, Mars Scouts, tion reads “For pioneering research on tions are underway for another possible Lunar Robotic, Earth Science Pathfind- boundary layer transition for hypersonic buyout at Ames, and that some transi- ers, New Millennium and Living with a flows over ablative thermal-protection- tion employees will be assigned other Star. Exploration systems projects to be system materials and the advancement tasks that save money or pursue new competed are the Crew Exploration of ballistic ranges.” The award consists business. He said the center also is ex- Vehicle, Crew Launch Vehicle, Project of an engraved bronze medal, a certifi- ploring possible reassignments of em- Prometheus, and exploration research cate of citation and a rosette pin and will ployees to other field centers, possible and technology. Space operations furloughs of employees and -- as a last be presented to Reda at an awards lun- projects include launch services to the resort -- a reduction in force (RIF). International Space Station and other cheon at the AIAA thermophysics con- Although only 34 employees took users, and new breakthrough flight dem- ference in Toronto, Canada, this June. the buyout offer, Hubbard said he was onstration projects in aeronautics. Throughout his distinguished and “guardedly optimistic” that Ames could Hubbard concluded his presenta- productive career, spanning over 35 get through FY 2005 with minimal dis- tion by recalling the famous “To be or years of combined service in govern- ruption, but warned that FY 2006 prom- not to be” soliloquy from William ment and private industry, Reda has ises to offer even greater challenges. Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet,’ in which Ham- made notable and valuable contribu- Hubbard said that the FY 06 budget let asks, “whether ‘tis nobler in the mind tions toward advancing the state of the guidelines differ from previous years in to suffer the slings and arrows of outra- art in aerothermodynamics, fluid me- that large amounts of funding are now geous fortune” or to “take arms against being held at NASA Headquarters pend- chanics and aerodynamic measurement a sea of troubles and, by opposing, end ing competition. He said that over the them.” technologies. He is a nationally and in- next five years, Ames and the other “Well, in my mind, for this center ternationally recognized authority in the NASA field centers, along with indus- there is no debate,” Hubbard said. “We field of boundary layer transition to tur- try and academia, will have an opportu- will take arms against a sea of troubles” bulence and he pioneered the use of nity to compete for more than $10 billion and, together, we will overcome them hypersonic ballistic ranges for the in new projects in exploration systems, and succeed. study of transition and related aerothermodynamic phenomena on ab- BY MICHAEL MEWHINNEY lating reentry materials in real-gas envi-

Astrogram 4 February 2005 Ames pioneer’s wife presents Ames with commemorative shovel

NASA photo by Jonas Dino

Helen Robinson (above photo), wife of Russell Robinson (right photo, in right hand corner) who had built the 8-foot wind tunnel at Langley after graduating from Stanford in 1930. He was a National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) staffer on the Lindbergh committee and the man who turned the first shovel at Ames in 1939. Helen Robinson is seen here at the 65th anniversary celebration held at Ames Dec. 20, presenting Ames Center Director G. Scott Hubbard with a commemorative shovel.

Astronaut Sally ride visits Ames Navy to conduct tests on Hangar One On Jan. 20, astronaut Sally Ride presented a In late March, the Department of the director's colloquium Navy will begin a series of air quality entitled 'Encouraging and material tests on Hangar One as Girls and Women in Sci- part of the Navy’s Remedial Investiga- tion and Feasibility Study. The goal of ence and Engineering.' this study is to provide additional data Ride was the first necessary to determine the extent of PCB woman in space and contamination of the hangar. founded the ‘Sally Ride Air samples will be taken both up- Science’ at http:// wind and downwind from Hangar One www.sallyridescience.com/ and material samples will be extracted , which provides support from different locations on the hangar. for girls who are, or may A crane will be used to assist in gather- become, interested in sci- ing some of the hangar material samples. ence, math and technol- During the approximately 8-10 weeks of ogy. sampling, no road closures will be The organization’s necessary. mission is to increase the For these tests, the Navy has se- number of girls who are lected to partner with SulTech, a joint technically literate and venture between California-based com- who have the founda- panies Sullivan Consulting Group and tion they need to go on Tetra Tech, Inc. For further information, in science, math or engi- please contact Dan Winningham of the neering. Code QE Environmental Office at [email protected] or call NASA photo by Dominic Hart ext. 4-0927.

Astrogram 5 February 2005 NASA shares exploration vision with Hawaii explorer schools NASA's Chief Education Officer Dr. part in making the vision a reality. South in Houston and dean of profes- Adena Williams Loston recently went "This is an exciting time for our sional programs and dean of vocational to Hawaii to share NASA's excitement nation's students with the impending and plans for the Vision for Space Ex- return of the space shuttle to flight and ploration with Hawaii's two NASA Ex- the vision to explore the moon, Mars and beyond." said Loston. "NASA is committed to working with the educational community to engage and inspire students through the NASA Explorer Schools Program and other NASA educational initiatives." Waimea Middle School and Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School were among the first 50 NASA Explorer Schools selected in 2003. During their first year as Explorer schools, students Tom Gates, aerospace education specialist, gives a student a chance to see what it's like to and school staff have participated in be an astronaut. numerous NASA-inspired enrichment activities, including a downlink from the International Space Station (ISS), vis- education. In 2002, Loston assumed her its from NASA aerospace education spe- duties as NASA's top educator and over- cialists, teacher workshops and NES stu- sees NASA's efforts to organize and en- dent design challenges. The three-year hance the agency's education programs. partnership is designed to give students Loston's service has been recognized the foundation and inspiration to pur- with numerous NASA and educational sue careers in science, mathematics and awards. technology using NASA's unique capa- Fincke recently completed 187 days Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle's Kauai bilities. in orbit onboard the International Space liason, Laurie Yoshida, reads a "The students and staff of Waimea Station (ISS) as part of the Expedition 9 proclamation in support for the Vision for Middle School are excited to have Dr. crew. Fincke participated in four Space Exploration from Hawaii . Loston and Michael Fincke visit our spacewalks logging more than 15 hours school," said Jade Bowman, Waimea NES plorer Schools (NES). team lead. "It will be an experience that On Jan. 31, Loston and Expedition 9 will serve to motivate and inspire well astronaut Michael Fincke visited into the future, while helping us further Waimea Middle School in Kamuela. our school vision: a place of infinite pos- On Feb 1, astronaut Richard sibilities." Linnehan, a veteran of three shuttle mis- "The NES team had a successful first sions, joined Loston at Chiefess year opening the NASA window for our students and staff," said Mel- issa Speetsjen, Kamakahelei NES team lead. "We are honored and privileged to have Dr. Loston and astronaut Ri- chard Linnehan visit our school and look forward to strengthening a partnership with NASA that will extend past the program's Expedition 9 astronaut Michael Fincke speaks at three years." the Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Space Center. Richard Lenehan, a veteran of three shuttle missions, visits a Loston is a classroom at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School in Lihue, Hawaii. veteran educator of extravehicular activity (EVA) time. with more than Linnehan has flown three times as a Kamakahelei Middle School in Lihue. 30 years of experience in higher educa- mission specialist on STS-78 in 1996, as With the theme of 'There is a place for tion, holding a master and a doctorate the payload commander on STS-90 in me at NASA,' Loston and the astronauts degree in philosophy and has served in 1998 and as a member of the four-man discussed the Vision for Space Explora- various educational positions, includ- EVA crew on STS-109, in 1992. He has tion and how the students play a large ing president of San Jacinto College continued on next page Astrogram 6 February 2005 NASA shares exploration vision with Hawaii explorer schools continued from previous page

NASA's chief education officer, Dr. Adena Williams Loston, makes a presentation to Patricia Rice, principal of Waimea Middle School in Waimea, Hawaii. Mother and son participate in an aeronautics workshop at the 2005 Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Science Day held at the University of Hawaii, Hilo. logged over 43 days in space, including For more information about the http://explorerschools.nasa.gov/por- more than 21 hours of EVA time. NASA Explorer schools program, visit tal/site/nes/ BY JONAS DINO NASA Shared Services Center to consolidate activities The NASA Shared Services Center staff, the Ames center transition team, nssc.nasa.gov/. The Web site contains (NSSC) is being established to consoli- supervisors and employees in impacted background information on the NSSC, date select transactional and adminis- functional areas, the Ames Federal Em- various presentations, the status of the trative activities that are currently being ployee Union leadership and future A-76 competitive process, agency and performed at NASA centers at one loca- NSSC customers. center team members and points of con- tion. The NSSC will be a separate orga- For more information regarding the tact and other information. nization from NASA centers, reporting NSSC, visit the Web site at http:// BY RANDY RODRIGUES to NASA Headquarters and working collaboratively with centers to meet their service needs. Potential sites for the NSSC include Brook Park, Ohio; Hunts- Girl scouts invest in themselves ville, Ala.; and NASA's Stennis Space Center, Miss. The final location of the NSSC will be determined by the out- come of the competitive process later this year. Functional areas with activities being consolidated are financial management, procurement, human resources and information technology. The transition of activities will take place over a three-year period beginning in October 2005. The Ames NSSC transition team has been working closely with the agency transition team and the functional sub- teams to develop the transition strategy and approach, as well as impacts to the Center. The NASA Shared Services Center agency transition team began visiting each of the NASA centers last Septem- ber. The overall objectives of the center Recently, Girl Scout troop 142 from Mountain View held its investi- visits are to raise the level of awareness ture ceremony at Ames. Girl Scouts of NSSC, to provide current status and hold this event yearly to renew their next steps and to understand the issues, belief in the Girl Scout promise and concerns and requirements of each cen- law and to reflect upon the meaning ter. The team will come to Ames to meet of girl scouting in their lives. with several groups of personnel, including the executive council and senior NASA photos by Astrid Terlep

Astrogram 7 February 2005 Ames scientist Dale Cruikshank elected as AGU fellow Ames’ Dale Cruikshank, a planetary outer regions of the solar system. The Kuiper Belt is a belt of objects be- scientist, recently was elected as a life- Scientists use spectroscopic instru- yond Neptune that astronomer Gerard long fellow of the American Geophysi- ments that often include prisms to split Kuiper predicted early in the 1950s. cal Union (AGU). light samples into spectra - colored, rain- Cruikshank is a scientist on the bow-like displays in order to study Spitzer Space Telescope mission. This them. Researchers examine the patterns, telescope - originally called the Space or ‘signatures,’ of the colored light in Infrared Telescope - was launched into spectra to determine the chemical make- space on Aug. 25, 2003. The telescope up of substances from which the light detects infrared energy, or heat, that under study was reflected. objects in space radiate. Much infrared Cruikshank also has used spectros- radiation is blocked by Earth’s atmo- copy to link certain kinds of meteorites sphere, but Spitzer is above Earth's air with specific asteroid types. He currently and so can collect much more infrared is exploring the spectroscopic signatures data than can Earth-bound telescopes. of numerous small bodies (asteroids, In addition, Cruikshank is a science NASA photo by Dominic Hart centaurs and Kuiper Belt objects) to team member on the Cassini mission to search for the presence and identity of the Saturn system and co-investigator complex organic solids that appear to on the New Horizons mission to the give the surfaces of these bodies their Kuiper Belt and the Pluto-Charon sys- very low reflectivity and distinctive color tem. He also teaches an introductory properties. astronomy course, ‘The Solar System,’ Centaurs are celestial objects that at Santa Clara University. are much larger than comets, but like comets, include clouds of dust and gas. BY JOHN BLUCK

Dale Cruikshank Museum visitors journey through space Cruikshank specializes in the detec- continued from page 3 tion, identification and study of ices, minerals and organic solids found on spired sensors to protect the environ- dena, Calif., including NASA’s Project the solar system's small bodies. He is ment. Prometheus, a project to develop the only one of three Fellows that the AGU Additional exhibits include a multi- first nuclear reactor-powered spacecraft selected for planetary science fellow- axis trainer that simulates a space shuttle for deep-space missions; a half-scale rep- ship this year. His honor was awarded landing, a lunar rover model, a Skylab lica of the Mars Odyssey spacecraft that in the planetary science category. entered martian orbit on Jan. 11, 2003; Cruikshank works in Ames’ Astrophys- and a model of the Sojourner rover that ics Branch, in Code SSA. “No mere one-hit wonder, Dale’s landed on Mars on July 4, 1997, follow- scientific contributions have time and ing a seven-month cruise through space. again over the years set the pace in the The exhibit also includes space suits and field of planetary science, today making space food, a model of the Wright Flyer, him an internationally recognized and a meteor display and a display demon- respected leader in the field,” said Dou- strating how plants are grown in space. glas M. Hudgins, Astrophysics Branch In addition to NASA, exhibitors in- chief, describing Cruikshank's work. clude Utah State University and the “His election as a Fellow of the Ameri- Space Dynamics Laboratory, both in can Geophysical Union is a richly de- Logan, Utah; the U.S. Space & Rocket served external acknowledgement of this legacy of groundbreaking contributions Center, Huntsville, Ala.; the Space Mu- -- a legacy, which continues today with seum, Titusville, Fla.; the Cosmosphere his involvement in the exciting Cassini & Space Center, Hutchinson, Kan.; the mission to the Saturnian system.” Hill Aerospace Museum at Hill Air Force “One of the few honors that AGU Base, Utah; and the Battelle Energy Alli- confers, fellowship is awarded to scien- A full-scale replica of the Apollo command ance, Idaho Falls, Idaho. tists who have attained acknowledged The Museum of Idaho is located at eminence in one or more branches of module that was used in Universal Studio’s ‘Apollo 13’ movie is featured at the Museum 200 North Eastern Ave., at the corner of geophysics,” said AGU President John Broadway and Yellowstone Highway, A. Orcutt. “The number of fellows of Idaho’s ‘Space Journey’ exhibit. elected each year is limited to no more in Idaho Falls. Additional information than 0.1 percent of the total membership about the exhibit, including exhibit hours of AGU,” Orcutt added. gyroscope, a nose cone, a space shuttle and ticket prices, is available at the Mu- Using large telescopes and infrared tile and a $100 million Iridium satellite, seum of Idaho Web site at http:// spectroscopic techniques, Cruikshank one of only two on public display. www.museumofidaho.org has found and identified ices of Pluto, Also featured will be displays from Triton, the large moons of Uranus and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasa- BY MICHAEL MEWHINNEY ices of numerous other bodies in the

Astrogram 8 February 2005 Hot-spring organism proteins are also in blood Scientists have discovered heat-re- "We got into this study because we ing what exact functions these double- sistant proteins in the layers surround- were looking for the upper temperature ring proteins play in blood cells," Trent ing cells and determined that these pro- at which life can exist, and now we have explained. stumbled on a potential tool that may be That organisms living in near-boil- important for medical uses such as learning sulfuric acid have a protein, which is ing how healthy blood is before it's trans- also present in human beings, suggests fused," said NASA Ames scientist this protein is doing something funda- Jonathan Trent, principal author of the mentally important in cells, said Chris National Academy of Sciences paper. Wagner, of LifeCell Corp. Branchburg, "There is a microbe that lives in near- N.J, the lead author of the Journal of boiling sulfuric acid. This microbe pro- Biological Chemistry article. In addition duces a protective protein that we re- to Wagner, Trent's co-investigators in- cently discovered is also in human clude Chad Paavola, Andrew McMillan blood," Trent explained. "It was a big and Hiromi Kagawa, who work at NASA NASA photo by Dominic Hart surprise to find that a protein from such Ames. Ames scientist Jonathan Trent examining a 3-D a weird organism is also in human As part of NASA's astrobiology pro- glass model of a chaperonin protein complex. blood," he added. gram, scientists are looking for the most Previously, scientists believed that extreme environments in which life can teins protect cells from leaks, according these double-ring proteins play a role in exist on Earth. This knowledge gives to a NASA study. the cell's manufacturing of other pro- NASA clues about where to look for life Living cells make the special, heat- teins – the building blocks of all living on other planets. resistant proteins when organisms are things. "For NASA, the double-ring protein exposed to high temperatures, scientists "We have now learned that these also may prove useful for monitoring revealed. These proteins form micro- double-ring proteins are not involved in astronaut health during space travel," scopic double rings called 'chaperonins' manufacture of other proteins, but are Trent added. that look like two donuts, one on top of essential in protecting cell membranes Detailed information can be found the other, according to scientific papers from leaks," said Trent. "We've discov- on the Internet at: http:// recently published in the Proceedings of ered that if a person gets a fever, these bionanex.arc.nasa.gov the National Academy of Sciences and proteins move to the membranes of hu- the Journal of Biological Chemistry. man red blood cells. So now we're study- BY JOHN BLUCK NASA awards contract for Kepler mission photometer NASA Ames has awarded a new derstanding of planetary systems. portional to the 2/3 root of the planet's contract to Ball Aerospace and Tech- The photometer will be used to orbital period," the scientists will be able nologies Corp. (BATC) of Boulder, Colo., measure the very small changes in a to calculate the planet’s orbit. The scien- to design, fabricate, assemble and test a star’s brightness caused by the repeated, tists then will be able to determine if the photometer for the Kepler mission. periodic ‘transit’ of a planet in front of its planet is located in the habitable zone, The not-to-exceed value of this let- star, as viewed from our solar system, where liquid water can exist on the sur- ter contract is $13.4 million; the esti- similar to the transit of Venus in front of face of the planet. mated value of the total contract is $75.1 the sun in June 2004. The focal plane of Led by the project’s principle inves- million, which is part of a five-phased the photometer will be made up of light- tigator William Borucki and the project’s acquisition. A cost-plus-incentive-fee sensing charge coupled devices (CCDs) deputy principal investigator David contract is anticipated, with a three-year similar to those in a digital camera, but Koch, both of NASA Ames, the science period of performance that does not in- much larger, with a total of 100 team is comprised of 27 scientists from clude any contract options. megapixels. 15 institutions in the United States, Under the terms of the contract, Ball The photometer will survey a single, Canada and Denmark. Aerospace is responsible for designing, large patch of sky for the entire four- NASA Ames will manage the pho- fabricating, integrating, testing and com- year mission, an area equivalent in size tometer contract, while NASA’s Jet Pro- missioning the scientific instrument to two open hands held together at arms’ pulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, called the photometer. Under a separate length. The location in the sky is in the Calif., will manage the spacecraft con- contract, the corporation also is respon- Cygnus-Lyra regions, between the very tract. JPL is responsible for the project’s sible for the three-axis stabilized space- bright stars Vega and Deneb. The pho- overall mission development through craft designed to operate in deep space. tometer will produce light curves, not launch and commissioning. NASA The Kepler mission is the first space images, for at least 100,000 stars simul- Ames will manage the mission’s opera- mission specifically designed to detect taneously. It is the equivalent of a tions phase and lead the scientific analy- Earth-size planets orbiting solar-like 100,000-channel light meter, hence the sis and interpretation of data. Ball Aero- stars in their habitable zone. The habit- term photometer. space will operate the spacecraft able zone is that distance from a star By searching for a sequence of ‘tran- throughout the mission for NASA. where liquid water could exist on the sits’ in the light curves from each star, Scientists expect this mission will surface of the planet. scientists will determine the planet’s detect numerous Earth-size planets Scheduled to launch in October 2007 orbital period. From the depth of the around solar-like stars and hundreds to on a Boeing Delta II expendable launch ‘transit’ and knowing the size, mass and thousands of planets of various sizes, in vehicle, Kepler is the 10th mission in temperature of the star, the team can various orbits around a wide variety of NASA’s Discovery program series. calculate the planet’s size and the stars. Project scientists will survey our ex- planet’s characteristic temperature. Us- Further details about the Kepler tended solar neighborhood to detect and ing Kepler’s Third Law, which can be mission can be found at: http:// characterize hundreds of terrestrial and paraphrased as "For circular orbits, the Kepler.NASA.gov larger planets to provide a greater un- distance of a planet from its star is pro- BY MICHAEL MEWHINNEY Astrogram 9 February 2005 NASA evaluates eight-legged Scorpion robot for future exploration An eight-legged Scorpion robot pro- Colombano. A human inner ear has a pending upon conditions on the planet totype is now under evaluation at Ames, cluster of hollow areas that interconnect and the problems scientists wish to solve, where scientists are analyzing how simi- like a system of tiny caves and helps a according to Colombano. lar robots someday may explore plan- person to maintain stability and hear. "We would like to make it a lot ets. Colombano said that Richard Boyle, a smarter," Colombano said. "And the scientist at Ames, is developing the ability to learn would be nice to include unique inner ear for the robot. Scorpion in the system." Scientists believe a later also has a TV camera and uses ultra- version of the Scorpion robot could act sound, like a bat uses echoes, to sense as a scout for a larger rover, and explore distances to objects. areas where a rover should not venture. If scientists command the Scorpion More advanced robotic exploration to go straight ahead, its sonar will help possibilities include teams of robots ca- the robot sense when to stop before hit- pable of supporting each other, ting an obstacle. "The robot's feet also Colombano said. Robots could even re- can act as sensors, just like we can feel pair each other, by trading parts and NASA photo by Tom Trower our terrain below us," Colombano finding other ways to continue work- added. ing, he added. "At this point, the only mind that it A Scorpion robot could help people has is about the size of that of a cock- on Earth, according to scientists. For roach," Colombano said. "It has a set of instance, researchers have proposed that patterns for moving, and a set of reflexes the robot might explore a largely inac- that allows it to go over small rocks. But cessible mine where extremophile life it doesn't reason about what to do. It forms exist. Extremophiles are forms of Eight-legged Scorpion robot. doesn't have any higher planning abili- life that live in extreme conditions, such ties. Those can be put in a different as in very high or low temperatures or in computer, or they can be programmed very acidic environments. "Maybe this Scientists say descendants of the on board, and these abilities will be in- robot could also go into rubble in small dog-sized scorpion robot, able to climb cluded in the next stage of development areas and find survivors of an earth- over boulders and rappel on cables down for the system," he explained. quake," Colombano said. cliffs, may help explore Mars. Scorpion's "If you see it move now, it looks like "Legged robotics is very much at the inventor, Professor Frank Kirchner, is it's ready to go, but in addition to higher beginning. Eventually, there will be a developing a second prototype at the cognitive levels, we also still have to convergence of robotics with the skills University of Bremen in Germany. make sure that the particular martian of biological systems. The robots are "The most interesting scientific sites environment can be coped with in terms always going to be the pioneers, but on Mars are not on very easy terrains," of dust and temperature and all of the they'll never be able to completely take said Silvano Colombano, an Ames sci- things that haven't really been taken the place of humans," Colombano said. entist and the NASA collaborator on the into account yet," Colombano said. "We have to think in terms of develop- Scorpion robot project. "Very often, the One of the important problems that ing an exploration strategy that will in- sites that are interesting are on the sides engineers need to overcome to improve clude robots and people, and this col- of a cliff, for instance, or very rocky the Scorpion is to provide it with enough laboration ultimately will be the way we areas. So we need the kind of robot that power to complete complex planetary explore the universe." can go into these areas, look at the geol- missions. "It needs to be connected to a For audio file interview segments ogy and pick up samples that are diffi- larger robot that can provide it with related to this story, please click on this cult or impossible for a rover, which is power, or recharge it," explained URL: http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/ about the size of a small car, to go into," Colombano. Computer 'brains' for the audio/scorpion/scorp.html Colombano explained. Scorpion could be both inside it and "If you want to go over rocks, you inside another robot or spacecraft, de- BY JOHN BLUCK need large wheels, and you can’t go in small spots," said Colombano. "With small wheels, you get stuck in sand. With legs, you can climb over things and negotiate a wide variety of terrains." Ask the ‘export expert’ Robots with legs are just at the beginning of their development, accord- Question: ing to scientists. Engineers who are de- I’m going on foreign travel for For a more complete description veloping legged robots are turning to NASA. Can I take my laptop with of the process, visit the Web at biology for inspiration. The Scorpion me? http://jp.arc.nasa.gov/EC/ robot uses a walking pattern inspired by travel.html#hand. the movement of scorpions coupled with Answer: Do you have a question for the reflexes that will help the robot to free a Yes, you can, provided the equip- export expert? If so, send it to stuck leg, among other things. ment is within the export control limi- [email protected]. And, visit "People at Ames will put a model of tations and the appropriate paper- the Web at http://jp.arc.nasa.gov/ the inner ear in the robot to see if it helps work is completed and filed. EC/EC.html. the robot maintain its balance," said

Astrogram 10 February 2005 Lessons learned in project management, systems engineering

The Ames Systems Management the next launch. In an effort to meet operation are still within design limits. Office (SMO) was established by the this new compressed schedule, an en- a. When changes to a system’s center director to improve the effec- gineer, who did not understand the baseline are made, ensure they are tiveness and efficiency of the Center’s purpose of one of the vehicle compo- documented and supported with ap- projects. Since this time, the SMO has nents, substituted a different type of propriate analysis, testing and train- interacted with many projects and has rocket motor stage interlock during ing. documented numerous lessons learned vehicle assembly. The launch was a b. Under these conditions, it is im- (LL) to share with the rest of the Cen- failure, with the vehicle coming apart portant to maintain the integrity of the ter. shortly after launch. quality control and configuration man- The following is a summary of a The lessons learned from this were: agement processes such that changes lesson learned that can be seen in its 1. Success in one environment or made to the system are traceable and entirety on the SMO’s Web site http:/ configuration does not guarantee suc- understood. /smo.arc.nasa.gov/. Look to future cess in another. Furthermore, a nearly c. A system’s track record of previ- Astrograms for additional lessons optimized system/process, as indi- ous successes should not be used as learned from the SMO’s archives. cated by its success, should not be al- the sole basis to streamline an activity, The challenges and pitfalls of tered without implementing a thor- especially those having a low number adapting a previously successful sys- ough re-optimization effort. of occurrences, since the statistical sig- tem for an application different than a. Successes that are low in number nificance of these samples is very low. its original design: (statistically insignificant) can lead to a 2. Project managers should get The agency needed a launch ve- false sense of security. buy-in from project personnel (includ- hicle for research payloads and de- 2. Decisions to alter systems and ing system engineers, flight testers, de- cided to use an existing Air Force ve- processes, especially those already signers, researchers and manufactur- hicle by adapting it to the payload’s working, need to be reviewed by all ing) prior to adopting a new budget, launch requirements. The first two appropriate domain experts. schedule or technical approach. launches were successful, so an accel- The recommended actions to con- a. The risks of adopting the new erated schedule, despite minor differ- sider include: schedule/budget/scope should be as- ences in the launch environment, of 1. Each time a system is adapted to sessed and used to determine if the one-third less time (as determined by a new environment or application, a new risk is acceptable. management without consulting key full analysis should to be accomplished launch team members) was used for to ensure all its systems and modes of

Dedicated Ames runners recognized Congratulations to the 13 dedi- attendance for all 14 fitness center races cated runners who completed all 14 in 2004 are: of the fitness-center sponsored races in 2004. Dennis Jespersen (not in photo) Award winners were there Doug Smith through rain or shine. If they were Harold Reimer out of town, got caught in a meeting, Ron Johnson or had a baby, they would run or Michael Rogers walk the race on their own and turn Bob Kufeld in their time. Rudy Jaklitsch In 2005, the fitness center plans to Mick McIlmoil have a 5K run or 2 mile walk/run the Janice Shook third Tuesday of each month; a Susan White 2-mile fun walk; a run in the spring Douglas Hudgins and fall; as well as a 10K race in the Charles DeRoshia spring and fall. Sonia Maiello Check out the fitness center Nancy Dunagan, the fitness Web page located at: http:// center coordinator, (front fitnesscenter.arc.nasa.gov/for more right corner). race information. All are welcome. NASA photo by Tom Trower The names of those with perfect

Astrogram 11 February 2005 Moving tribute concludes the AATT Project at Ames The centerpiece of NASA Ames’ ative application of basic research con- aeronautical research, the Advanced Air ducted at Ames during the 1970s and Transportation Technologies (AATT) 1980s. At that time, NASA researchers project, recently celebrated the conclu- had developed the algorithms that even- sion of nine years of highly successful tually became the foundation for cur- research, development and technology rent aircraft flight management systems. transfer to the FAA and aviation indus-

NASA photos by Dominic Hart

Associate Administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters Dr. Vic Lebacqz was at Ames in January for an event to recognize the members of the AATT Project. He presented them with certificates in appreciation for their continous accomplishments on the project.

Over 70 members of the AATT project team attended the recognition event and received certificates the National Airspace System.” for their accomplishments during the 9-year project. There are many other AATT achievements, including the Collabora- try. On Jan. 3, Victor Lebacqz, associate These same researchers began work on tive Arrival Planner (CAP), Surface administrator of the Aeronautics Re- adapting these algorithms into a ground- Movement Advisor (SMA) and System search Mission Directorate, attended a based system that would provide air Wide Evaluation Tool (SWEPT) that are ceremony at NASA Ames acknowledg- traffic controllers with better informa- in daily operational use by the FAA and ing the project’s completion and pre- tion to support their air traffic manage- at airline operations centers. The Sur- sented certificates of appreciation to ment decisions. face Management System (SMS) Build some of the nearly 600 individuals who, With the introduction of high-speed 1, scheduled for transfer to the FAA’s over the years, have worked on this computer workstations and advanced terminal business unit, is already pro- pioneering project. AATT was sup- graphics displays, NASA was able to viding benefits to Federal Express at ported by staff from Ames; Glenn Re- package these ideas into what became Memphis International Airport and search Center in Cleveland, Ohio; Lan- known as the Center TRACON Auto- United Parcel Service at Louisville In- gley Research Center in Hampton, Va.; mation System (CTAS), which became ternational Airport. and the IV&V Facility at Fairmont, W.Va. the foundation for a suite of decision- The project also explored some out- “NASA drew upon its aeronautics support tools for enroute and terminal of-the-box concepts for increasing ca- roots and engineering expertise to ven- controllers as well as traffic manage- pacity that include giving pilots more ture into a different aspect of aeronau- ment coordinators. control over route changes and main- tics research," said Lebacqz. "AATT has During its nine-year history, the taining separation from other aircraft. established NASA as a technology de- Ames-led project has had numerous The Distributed Air/Ground Traffic velopment leader for the modernization success stories, starting with the deliv- Management research investigated the of the National Airspace System," he ery to the Federal Aviation Administra- ramifications of eliminating the restric- added. tion (FAA) of Traffic Management Ad- tions imposed by the current model AATT was established in fiscal year visor (TMA). TMA has been applauded of air traffic management. This work 1996 as a focused technology develop- by pilots and controllers alike. Marion culminated in a successful, ment project within the Advanced Sub- Blakey, FAA administrator, has been groundbreaking, multi-facility simula- sonic Technology Program. In May of quoted in speeches and in senate hear- tion that involved networking pilots and 1997, it was moved to what is now the ings as saying, “TMA is one of the most controllers in NASA laboratories on dif- Airspace Systems Program. The major successful technologies to be transferred ferent sides of the country. focus of the AATT project was to im- to the FAA.” She went on to say, “At “The success of the AATT project is prove the capacity of civil transport air- each location where TMA is now in use, a direct result of the highly motivated craft operations at and between major we get a e percent to 5 percent increase and skilled air traffic management and airports in the national airspace system. in capacity.” human factors researchers and program- This was accomplished by developing TMA is currently in eight FAA air matic staff dedicated to the project’s ob- decision-support tools to help air traffic route traffic control centers, with sched- jective of safely improving the efficiency controllers, airline dispatchers and pi- uled deployments planned for four ad- of the air transportation system,” said lots improve the air traffic management ditional Ccnters. Airspace Systems Pro- Michael Landis, AATT project manager. and control process gate-to-gate. gram manager Robert Jacobsen com- Funded at $400 million, with work In many respects, AATT is a tribute mented, “FAA officials have told us re- spanning four NASA research facilities, to the original NASA basic research con- peatedly that TMA was the single larg- the AATT project has garnered at least cept. The project was born from the cre- est successful software modification to continued on next page Astrogram 12 February 2005 Ames supports National Lt. Governors Association reception In February, members of the Explo- ration Technology Directorate's outreach team and Ames Public Affairs Division demonstrated the Personal Exploration Rover (PER) to attendees at the National Lieutenant Governors Association reception at NASA Headquarters. PER, a

NASA photo by Nick Veronico

NASA photo by Brett Casadonte Brett Casadonte of Ames' Exploration Technology Directorate outreach walks Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll through a PER rover demonstration.

Nick Veronico of the Ames Public Affairs Division gives an overview of the PER rover at the National Lieutenant Governors Association reception at NASA Headquarters. collaboration between NASA Ames and Carnegie Mellon University, was developed as an educational tool to demonstrate the principles of autonomy for K- 12 students. Among the guests taking part in the PER demonstration were the lieutenant Ames Safety Committee governor of the Commonwealth of Penn- sylvania (home of Carnegie Mellon Uni- versity), the lieutenant governors and/ Employee Driven Making a Difference or their staff members from California, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Dakota, Created in July of 2004, the new third Thursday of every month from American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands Ames Safety Committee was the in- 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Building 218, and the Territory of Guam. spiration of former Ames Center Room 210. All civil servants and on- Deputy Director Allen Flynt. site contractor employees are invited Flynt recognized the need to get to attend. Meeting minutes are posted AATT project employees more actively involved in on the Code Q, Safety Committee Web continued from previous page applying safety directly to their work. site, which can be accessed at http:// five Turning Goals Into Reality awards He believed that while recognizing q.arc.nasa.gov. for technologies developed during its and correcting safety issues is always The Ames Safety Committee sees years of operation. At the peak of the an individual responsibility, we must its role as advocates for organizations. project’s execution phase (2001 to 2003), also pursue safety at the Center level. The committee provides a forum in the direct workforce of NASA and on- He also believed that by working in which to recommend and implement site contractor personnel numbered well safety committees, we could focus on improvements in Ames’ safety and over 200 men and women annually. larger safety concerns that affect the health programs. The project leaves a legacy of world- wider Ames’ community. Flynt’s de- If you would like to become a part class air traffic management research sire was that the Ames Safety Com- of the Ames Safety Committee and labs and simulation facilities. One of the mittee be “a driving force for the imple- most important legacies resulting from participate in safety programs and task AATT’s success is that Ames has been mentation and improvement of vari- forces that will make the Center a positioned as a leading developer of ous safety challenges at our Center.” safer place for everyone, contact software decision support tools for air The work of the Ames Safety Com- Jones at [email protected]. gov traffic management and NASA is now mittee has only just begun. Fred Jones or contact Livacich at viewed as the primary innovator for is serving as chair and John Livacich is [email protected] technologies for national airspace sys- the co-chair. Meetings are held the tem modernization. BY LESLYE MOGFORD Astrogram 13 February 2005 Ames Diabetics (AAD), 1st & 3rd Weds, 12 noon to a.m., Bldg. 221/Rm 155. URL: http://q.arc.nasa.gov/ Events Calendar 1 p.m., at Ames Mega Bites, Sun room. Support group qe/events/EHSseries/ POC: Stacy St. Louis at ext. 4- discusses news affecting diabetics. POC: Bob Mohlenhoff, 6810. Ames Amateur Radio Club, third Thursday of each ext. 4-2523/e-mail at: [email protected]. The Hispanic Advisory Committee for month, 12 noon, N-T28 (across from N-255). POC: Ames Federal Employees Union (AFEU) Mtg, third Excellence HACE Mtg, first Thurs of month in N255 Michael Wright, KG6BFK, at ext. 4-6262. Wednesday of ea. month, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Bldg. 221, room 101C from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. POC: Eric Ames Ballroom Dance Club. Classes on Tuesdays. Rm 104. Guests welcome. Info at: http://www.afeu.org. Kristich at ext. 4-5137 and Mark Leon at ext. 4-6498. Beginning classes meet at 5:15 p.m. Higher-level class POC: Marianne Mosher, ext. 4-4055. Jetstream Toastmasters, Mondays, 12 p.m. to 1 meets at 5:50 p.m. Held in Bldg. 944, the Rec. Center. Ames Mac Support Group Mtg, third Tuesday of ea. p.m., N-269/Rm.179. POC: Becky Brondos at ext. 4- POC: Helen Hwang at [email protected], ext. 4- month, 11:30 a.m.to 1 p.m., Bldg. N262, Rm 180. POC: 1959, [email protected] or Bob Hilton at 1368. Julie ext. 4-4694 or Tony ext. 4-0340. ext. 4-1500, [email protected]. Ames Bowling League, Palo Alto Bowl on Tuesday Ames Model Aircraft Club, flying radio-controlled Nat'l Association of Retired Federal Employees, nights. Seeking full-time bowlers and substitutes. aircraft at the north end of Parsons Ave. on weekend (NARFE). Former and current federal employees. Your Questions to sign up: Mike Liu at ext. 4-1132. mornings. POC: Mark Sumich, ext. 4-6193. only contact with Congress. Join to protect your Ames Child Care Center Board of Directors Mtg, federal retirement. Chptr #50 will then meet on the Ames Sailing Club Mtg, second Thursday of ea. first Fri. of each month at HomeTown Buffet, 2670 El every other Thursday (check Web site for meeting dates: month (Feb through Nov), from 11.30 a.m. -1 p.m. in the http://accc.arc.nasa.gov), 12 noon to 1:30 p.m., N-210, Camino (at Kiely), S. Clara, 11 a.m. lunch. POC Earl special events room in the Ames Visitor Center in N-223. Keener (408) 241-4459 or NARFE 1-800-627-3394. Rm. 205. POC: Cheryl Quinn, ext 4-5793. All are welcome. POC: Jeff Smith, ext. 4-2586. Ames Contractor Council Mtg, first Wednesday each Native American Advisory Committee Mtg, Environmental, Health and Safety Information fourth Tues each month, 12 noon to 1 p.m., Bldg. 19, month, 11 a.m., N-200, Comm. Rm. POC: Linda Forum, first Thursday of each month, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 McCahon, ext. 4-1891. Rm 1096. POC: Mike Liu at ext. 4-1132. Ames staff, public invited to NRP exploration lecture Ames staff and the public are in- The free event, part of the NRP Ex- to the moon and Mars and the chal- vited to a NASA Research Park (NRP) ploration Lecture Series, will be held lenges that lie ahead from space radia- evening lecture on March 15 at NASA from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Bldg. 943, in the tion, micro-meteorites and other envi- Ames entitled ‘Extreme Exploration/ Eagle Room. ronmental hazards. The Moon, Mars and Beyond: The Sci- Author and explorer John F. Ross For more information, visit the Web ence of Risk.’ will discuss NASA's upcoming missions at http://researchpark.arc.nasa.gov.

Astrogram 14 February 2005 Vacation rental, Bass Lake, 4 mls south of Ames Classifieds Exchange Information Yosemite. 3bd/1.5 ba, TV, VCR, MW, frplc, BBQ, priv. Ads for the next issue should be sent to boat dock. Sleeps 8. $1,050/wk. Call (559) 642-3600 Information about products, services and [email protected] and must be resubmitted for or (650) 390-9668. opportunities provided to the employee and contractor each issue. Ads must involve personal needs or items; (no community by the Ames Exchange Council. Visit the Big Sur vacation rental, secluded 4bd/2ba house commercial/third-party ads) and will run on a space- web site at: http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov in canyon setting. Fully eqpd kitchen. Access to priv. available basis only. First-time ads are given priority. Ads beach. Tub in patio gdn. Halfway between Carmel must include home phone numbers; Ames extensions and Beyond Galileo N-235 (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and Big Sur. $175/night for 2; $225 for 4 and $250 email addresses will be accepted for carpool and lost and ext. 4-6873 for more, plus $150 cleaning dep. Call (650) 328- found ads only. Due to the volume of material received, 4427. we are unable to verify the accuracy of the statements Ask about NASA customized gifts for special Tahoe Donner vacation home, 2 bd/2ba. trees, made in the ads. Caveat emptor! occasions. deck. Access to pools, spa, golf, horseback riding, Housing Mega Bites N-235 (6 a.m. to 2 p.m.) $280 wkend, $650 week. Call (408) 739-9134. ext. 4-5969 Pine Mountain Lake vacation home. Access to Looking for 3 bdrm house to rent in April. Must have golf, tennis, lake, swimming, horseback riding, walk to See daily menu at: http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov fenced yard and garage, in a safe area for two children. beach. Three bedrooms/sleeps 10. $100/night. Call $1,700 per month. E-mail [email protected] (408) 799-4052 or (831) 623-4054. Visitor Center Gift Shop N-943 (10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) ext. 4-5412 Incline Village: Forest Pines, Lake Tahoe condo, 3 bd/2ba, sleeps 8. Fireplace, TV/VCR/DVD, MW, W/D, Miscellaneous NASA logo merchandise, souvenirs, toys, gifts and jacuzzi, sauna, pool. Walk to Lake, close to ski areas. educational items. The Ames Cat Network needs help finding homes for Visit Web page for pictures: http:// www.ACruiseStore.com. $120/night low season, cats trapped at Moffett. They range from feral to Tickets, etc...(N-235, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.) abandoned/lost pets. Tested, altered and inoculated. Call Tickets, etc... $155/night high season (holidays higher) plus $156 Iris at ext. 4-5824 if you or someone you know are ext. 4-6873 cleaning fee and 12% Nevada room tax. Charlie (650) interested in fostering or adopting a cat. 366-1873. Check web site for discounts to local attractions, Beautiful, sleeveless wedding dress, satin, lace, pearls, http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov and click on tickets. Disneyland area vacation rental home, 2 bd/1ba. size 8, $75. Call (408) 234-0025. Nearing completion completely remodeled w/new furniture. Sleeps 6 (queen bed, bunk beds, sleeper Starter PC: 333MHz CPU, 164MRAM, 15GB HD, 52x NASA Lodge (N-19) 603-7100 sofa). Air hockey and football tables. Introductory CD-ROM, Windows2000, USB, keyboard, mouse and Open 7 days a week, 7:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. Rates rate $600/wk, once completed rate will be $1000/wk. speakers (no monitor). Perfect for child's first computer. from $40 - $50. Security deposit and $100 cleaning fee required. Call $95. Call (408) 295-2160. (925) 846-2781. Heathkit HM-102 RF power meter, $45. Hewlett- Ski Park City Utah, NASA Ski Week XIV, Feb 5 - 12, Packard HP-200AB signal generator, $45. The pair for $60. Vacation Opportunities 2005. Space limited. E-mail Steve at e-mail Call (650) 851-5290. Lake Tahoe-Squaw Valley Townhse, 3bd/2ba, View [email protected] or call (408) 432-0135. 1914 Vintage pocket watch. Waltham, 15 jewels, of slopes, close to lifts. Per night: $250, two night New York, 5th Ave. One fully furnished bedroom engraved 14K gold filled case, running and keeps good minimum. Includes linens, cleaning, propane fireplace, in 24 hour security bldg. overlooking Washington time. $145. Call (650) 851-5290. fully equipped. Call (650) 968-4155, Square Park, $1,000/wk or $3,000/mo. negotiable. [email protected] Three hand-carved, hand-painted mahogany airplanes, Call (650) 349-0238. each with a removable desk stand: Blue Angles F/A-18, SR- South Lake Tahoe cottage w/wood fireplace, hot Paris/France: Fully furnished studio, 5th Arr, Latin 71Blackbird, Navy P-3 Orion. $110 each. E-mail tub. Rates $50 to $130 per night. Call (650) 967-7659 Quarter, Notre Dame and Ile-St. Louis., $1,400/wk. [email protected] or (650) 704-7732. negotiable. Call (650) 349-0238.

Astrogram deadlines Ames emergency Deadline: Publication: Mar. 7 Mar. 2005 Safety Data Apr 5 Apr. 2005 announcements All Ames employees are invited to submit To hear the centerwide status articles relating to Ames projects and activities recording, call (650) 604-9999 for in- NASA-Ames Occupational Illness- for publication in the Astrogram. When submit- formation announcements and emer- Injury Data for Calendar Year 2005 ting stories or ads for publication, submit your gency instructions for Ames employ- Jan. 1, 2005 – Jan. 31, 2005 material, along with any questions, in MS word by e-mail to: [email protected] on ees. You can also listen to 1700 KHz Civil Contractors or before the deadline. AM radio for the same information. Servants Not recordable, first aid cases 2 1

Recordable no Protective Services monthly activity lost-time cases 0 3 A statistical summary of activi- ment and Fire Protection Services units ties of the Protective Services for the month of January 2005 is shown Recordable Division's Security/Law Enforce- below. LOST-TIME cases 0 0 Lost workdays 0 0 Security/Law Enforcement Activity Fire Protection Activity Restricted duty days 0 3

Data above is as of 2/10/05. May be subject to slight adjustment in the event of a new case or new information regarding an existing case.

Astrogram 15 February 2005 National Disability Employment Awareness Month observed

To increase the public's awareness program initiatives to demonstrate lead- of the contributions of American work- ership and commitment to diversity pro- ers with disabilities, NASA Ames com- grams." memorated National Disability Employ- Participants toured the NASA Ex- ment Awareness Month. On Feb.23, the ploration Center and met with Ames Ames Office of Equal Opportunity Pro- Equal Opportunity Programs Director grams invited seven Bay Area residents Adriana Cardenas and Robert Zier, manager for TransAccess' School-To- Career program. They also met with Ames scientists to discuss their research and career opportunities for people with NASA photos by Dominic Hart disabilities. BY VICTORIA STEINER

Explore space at NASA Research Park

The NASA Research Park Divi- with disabilities to get a glimpse of the sion is hosting an open house on center's 'everyday science'. March 22, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the lobby of Bldg. 19 to show available The event was organized in collabo- lease space to potential university ration with TransAccess, a San Jose- and industry R & D partners with based nonprofit organization that pro- research goals that align with NASA's vides training and competitive employ- new exploration mission. Refresh- ment for people with disabilities. ments will be served. "This event promotes career devel- or universities to align with opment for college students and indi- * 200 to 5,000 sq. ft. lease NASA's mission viduals with disabilities through career space available exploration and job shadowing partici- * Historic District Shenandoah For more information, call (650) pation," said coordinator of the event, Plaza - Bldg. 19 604-2NRP or visit http:// * seeking R & D companies Barbara Miller of Ames. "The activity researchpark.arc.nasa.gov. supports Ames' and NASA Headquar- ters’ diversity and equal opportunity

FIRST CLASS MAIL POSTAGE & FEES PAID NASA National Aeronautics and Space Permit No. G-27 Administration

Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000

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The Ames Astrogram is an official publication of Ames Research Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Editor-in-Chief...... David Morse Managing Editor...... Ann Sullivan Editor, Layout and Design...... Astrid Terlep

You can reach the Astrogram Office at: [email protected] or by phone at PLEASE RECYCLE (650) 604-3347. Printed on recycled and recyclable paper with vegetable-based ink.

Astrogram 16 February 2005