National Aeronautics and Space Administration Volume 53 Number 16 August 19, 2011 Aerospace night a hit Haise, ALT crews score home run with fans By Jay Levine X-Press Editor Fred Haise has been a research pilot, astronaut, leader of industry, a hero and, as of Aug. 13, a bobblehead. The lucky first thousand fans at the JetHawks Aerospace Appreciation Night received a bobblehead of him, courtesy of the JetHawks and their sponsors. Everyone at Clear Channel Stadium in Lancaster saw Haise throw a ceremonial first pitch right down the strike zone. And the crowd was wowed by a flyover by Dryden pilot Troy Asher and videographer Lori Losey in one of the center’s F/A- 18s. For seventh grader Kevin Petersen, the event was a chance to meet one of his heroes. “It was amazing. It was like meeting a movie star, the president and a superhero all rolled into one,” Petersen said. Before Haise was transferred to Johnson Space Center, Houston, for ED11 0250-059 NASA Photo by Tony Landis astronaut training in 1966, he spent Above, the first crews of the space shuttle prototype three years as a Dryden test pilot. Enterprise and the NASA 747 that carried it to His work at the center included altitude for test were recognized at the JetHawks’ helping to pioneer the lifting body Aerospace Appreciation Night Aug. 13. The crew aircraft with flights of the M2-F1. included Fred Haise, second from right, as the He also flew the variable-stability commander and C. Gordon Fullerton, right, in the T-33A to simulate M2-F2 flights and pilot’s seat for Enterprise. Fitz Fulton, second from the PA-30 to evaluate lifting-body left, and Tom McMurtry flew the host NASA 747. handling qualities. He returned to Dryden in 1977 as part of two two- At left, Haise spoke to Dryden employees at the member crews for the space shuttle main campus on Aug. 11 about his work at the orbiter Enterprise prototype. center, which included flying research aircraft such as the M2-F1, with its Pontiac tow vehicle on the See Aero Night, page 4 screen behind him. ED11 0244-57 NASA Photo by Tony Landis www.nasa.gov/ Special Delivery August 19, 2011 Laser techniques tested with DC-8 By Beth Hagenauer These are the same types of surfaces Dryden Public Affairs that a laser instrument would find Twenty scientists flew aboard when used to study components of NASA’s DC-8 flying laboratory in Earth’s atmosphere from space. July to conduct an airborne test of Additional flights are taking the four laser techniques used in remote aircraft over the California and measurement of atmospheric carbon Nevada deserts and offshore over dioxide and two laser instruments the Pacific Ocean. During an early that remotely measure oxygen. August flight to British Columbia, The DC-8 also carried two “truth” Canada, the instruments collected instruments – devices known to data over snowfields in mountainous produce accurate data – that took regions. The aircraft will also deploy air samples to be compared with the briefly to Minneapolis and St. Paul, laser measurements. Minn., to fly over atmospheric As part of a research campaign radiation measurement sites for dubbed Active Sensing of CO 2 comparison of airborne and ground- Emissions over Night, Days and based measurements. Seasons II, or ASCENDS II, the Photo courtesy Emily Schaller/NSERC “Conducting unique flight aircraft flew over central California The DC-8 flew over this Canadian glacier during a recent mission to conduct experiments on the DC-8 is very July 28. an airborne test of four laser techniques used in remote measurement of exciting and is as close as many of The focus of the mission, which atmospheric carbon dioxide and two other laser instruments that remotely us will get to being a modern-day is funded by the Earth Science measure oxygen. division of NASA’s Science Mission explorer,” said ASCENDS II mission Directorate, is further development then get the instruments into the area near Merced to take sample scientist Edward Browell of Langley of laser-based Earth-observing air for in-flight analysis. gas measurements with the truth Research Center in Hampton, Va., satellite instruments designed “The DC-8 flying laboratory instruments. The laser instruments who has conducted more than 25 to measure atmospheric carbon is often used to facilitate these were then flown over the airport DC-8 science missions around the dioxide. assessments,” he added. “It is at various altitudes up to 40,000 world since 1987. “Satellite instruments start in a interesting to observe what an feet so that data collected could The instrument teams are from laboratory and mature to a point instrument that will fly on a satellite be compared with those collected Langley, Goddard Space Flight Center where they need to be used in the goes through to be certified for with truth instruments. in Greenbelt, Md., ITT Geospatial atmosphere,” said Frank Cutler, operational use.” The aircraft flew the instruments Systems in Fort Wayne, Ind., and DC-8 project manager at the During an instrument-validation over different land surfaces, from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility flight, the DC-8 first flew snow and ice to oceans, forests and Pasadena, Calif. A similar ASCENDS in Palmdale, Calif. “The cheapest descending and ascending spiral deserts, to test surface-reflectance instrument validation mission was way to test is first on the ground and patterns above the Castle Airport effects on instrument performance. flown in July 2010. G-III mission continues volcano imaging By Beth Hagenauer interest. While the aircraft was en Dryden Public Affairs route from its home base at the NASA’s Gulfstream III Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility environmental research aircraft in Palmdale, Calif., the radar recently completed a brief mission, imaged volcanoes in the Cascade on which it took radar imaging of Range over California, Oregon and Alaskan volcanoes. Now the lengthy Washington. work of analyzing the data begins. “All indications are that data During the mission Aug. 1-4, were collected successfully,” said the G-III flew several flights from scientist Paul Lundgren of the Jet Elmendorf Air Force Base near Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Anchorage. The UAVSAR synthetic Calif., where the specialized radar aperture radar, installed in a pod was developed. “However, to beneath the G-III, imaged volcanoes detect changes in activity requires in the Aleutian Island chain to detect computation of differential ED07 0027-54 NASA Photo by Tony Landis and measure small changes in Earth’s The pod beneath NASA’s Gulfstream III research aircraft houses the Jet surface that are of geophysical See G-III, page 4 Propulsion Laboratory’s sophisticated synthetic aperture radar. Special Delivery August 19, 2011 Kirk honored with SFA award Kathleen “Katie”Congratulations! Kirk, a nurse practitioner in the Dryden Health Unit, News was recently honored with a NASA Space Flight Awareness award for her support of the agency’s human spaceflight programs. Kirk, an employee of STG International at Dryden, was among 143 civil at NASA servants and contractors who work at NASA facilities across the country to receive the award. Agency forms According to the nomination submitted by flight surgeon Gregg Bendrick, Health Unit chief, Kirk was honored “for her attention to detail, devotion to new directorate duty and tireless efforts in support of the human spaceflight program. NASA has announced formation “Her actions above and beyond the expectations and requirements of her of the Human Exploration and job duties have contributed greatly to the post-flight medical assessment Operations Mission Directorate. and treatment of crewmembers on five different space shuttle missions,” The new organization, which Bendrick wrote. “Her willingness to do what it takes in order to accomplish combines the Space Operations the mission has contributed directly to the turn-around and ferry operations and Exploration Systems of the shuttle orbiters, and has likewise ensured a maximum degree of mission directorates, will focus medical readiness” in the event of an emergency. on International Space Station Kirk and members of her family, along with other award recipients, operations and human exploration traveled to Kennedy Space Center in Florida to tour the center and beyond low-Earth orbit. participate in activities associated with launch of space shuttle Atlantis “America is opening a bold on the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station, the shuttle new chapter in human space program’s final mission. Kathleen “Katie” Kirk exploration,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. “By combining resources and creating Summer – the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, yum, yum! we are recommitting ourselves to American leadership in space for Cool slices of watermelon were years to come.” a big hit at the annual Dryden The new organization combines summer picnic, held July 30 the talents, skills and experiences at Tehachapi’s Central Park. of the two previous directorates. It Activities included a bounce more fully integrates the operation house, obstacle course, three-man of NASA’s in-space assets and gladiator joust, tug of war and current capabilities with planning watermelon-eating contest. Lunch for the agency’s future, including was catered by Western Way BBQ. the size and type of the work force, facilities and contracts. Though the transition and personnel assignments will ED11 0235-46 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida take several weeks to finalize, the HEO Mission Directorate Uncovering already is supporting space station operations. Commercial crew and cargo developmental programs a legend will also be managed through the Retired NASA astronaut and research directorate, as will construction pilot Fred Haise, left, and Dryden of the Orion multi-purpose crew Center Director David McBride vehicle, development of a new unveil a new Bob Schaar historical heavy lift rocket known as the painting of Haise and several of Space Launch System, and other the aerospace vehicles he flew.