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 ma- jor partner of the JASON project. NASA scientists who work in the areas of Earth sci- ence 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.