Communication for the Information Technology Age June 2002 ...€¦ · Power Engineering Society sponsored a pre-sentation and luncheon at Ames on May 22 followed by a tour of Ames’

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

Communication for the Information Technology Age June 2002

amesnews.arc.nasa.gov

A dramatic announcement by NASA sci-entists on May 28 -- that instruments on the2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft have foundenormous quantities of water ice just be-neath the surface of Mars -- has once againraised the possibility of a human mission toMars. The discovery of enough water ice tofill Lake Michigan twice was widely reportedby news media around the world.

“This is really amazing. This is the bestdirect evidence we have of subsurface waterice on Mars,” said William Boynton, principalinvestigator for Odyssey's gamma ray spec-trometer at the University of Arizona, Tuc-son. “We were hopeful that we could findevidence of ice, but what we have found ismuch more ice than we ever expected.”

Scott Hubbard, deputy director for re-search at Ames and former head of NASA’sMars program, shared the scientists’ excite-ment. “I am just ecstatic,” he said. “A greateffort went into making Odyssey successfulin the aftermath of the Mars mission failures.We are now reaping the great scientific re-wards of this effort.”

Scientists used Odyssey's gamma ray spec-trometer to detect hydrogen, indicating thepresence of water ice, in the upper three feetof soil in a large region around the planet'ssouth pole. “It may be better to characterizethis layer as dirty ice rather than as dirtcontaining ice,” added Boynton. The detec-

Abundant water ice found on MarsAbundant water ice found on MarsAbundant water ice found on MarsAbundant water ice found on MarsAbundant water ice found on Marstion of hydrogen is based both on the inten-sity of gamma rays emitted by hydrogen, andby the intensity of neutrons that are affectedby hydrogen. The spacecraft's high-energyneutron detector and the neutron spectrom-eter observed the neutron intensity.

The amount of hydrogen detected indi-cates 20 percent to 50 percent ice by mass inthe lower layer. Because rock has a greaterdensity than ice, this amount is more than 50percent water ice by volume. This means thatheating a bucket of this ice-rich soil, wouldresult in more than half a bucket of water.

While news media throughout the worldare reporting that NASA now plans to send ahuman mission to Mars, “The agency has setno timetable for the human exploration ofMars,” said Hubbard. “But the ability to ‘liveoff the land’ by use of existing resources likewater would make the planning for such ajourney much more feasible. Ice can be usedto make oxygen to breathe, water to drinkand rocket fuel for travel,” he added.

The other key question resulting from thisdiscovery is whether it increases the likeli-hood that life at some level exists, or onceexisted, on the red planet. “The theme of therestructured Mars program is ‘Follow theWater’,” Hubbard said. “Liquid water is a keyto life. What is being detected is strongevidence for water ice. We do not know of

continued on page 10

There are fundamental changes under-way at NASA. It is definitely not ‘business asusual’ at the nation’s space agency -- be it insubstance, process, focus or image.

Nowhere was that more evident than inthe second ‘NASA Update’ for agency em-ployees on May 21 carried live on NASA TV.Dressed smartly, but less formally than hispredecessor, Administrator Sean O’Keefebegan by declaring his intention to spend alittle time “chatting” with “members of theNASA family,” and discussing President Bush’sFreedom to Manage initiative. And he did so– in a relaxed, conversational style on a ‘set’more reminiscent of late night network TVnews analysis programs than the traditionalNASA stage, table and podium setup.

O’Keefe stressed that his primary focus is“looking specifically at how we emphasizeagency objectives and ‘one NASA’ kinds ofobjectives.” He said that it is important forNASA to undertake “collaborative efforts” –to be “specific about our focus” across enter-prises, across centers, and across bound-aries. This approach, while a departure fromthe past, “takes away nothing from the richhistory of every center,” and the 44-yearlegacy of the agency, O’Keefe maintained.

Calling NASA a “storied institution,”O’Keefe said we must identify “what webring to bear that uniquely identifies ourcontribution” and that which, “if we didn’tdo it, it might not get done at all.” Workingtogether with the enterprise associate ad-ministrators and NASA center directors,O’Keefe said that his senior managementteam has identified three NASA primary mis-sion objectives: protection of the homeplanet, exploration of the universe, and in-spiration of the next generation of explorers.

These objectives are “not specific to anyone center, any one aspect of headquarters,or any one enterprise,” O’Keefe stated. “Ourrich diversity of backgrounds is one of ourgreatest assets. We must work in collabora-tive and cooperative” ways, “not unique toany one center or any one enterprise.”

O’Keefe paid particular attention toNASA’s responsibility to engage young peoplein the pursuit of technical careers. He notedthat “people, especially kids, identify withus;” they find us “exciting beyond measure.”Still, he observed, the number of studentspursuing careers in math, science and engi-neering has continued to decline over the

O’Keefe features new message, approach, styleO’Keefe features new message, approach, styleO’Keefe features new message, approach, styleO’Keefe features new message, approach, styleO’Keefe features new message, approach, style-- Administrator emphasizes ‘One NASA’ and ‘Freedom to Manage’-- Administrator emphasizes ‘One NASA’ and ‘Freedom to Manage’-- Administrator emphasizes ‘One NASA’ and ‘Freedom to Manage’-- Administrator emphasizes ‘One NASA’ and ‘Freedom to Manage’-- Administrator emphasizes ‘One NASA’ and ‘Freedom to Manage’

past decade, even as opportunities in thesefields are growing. At NASA, “how can weuse what we do everyday to inspire the nextgeneration?” O’Keefe wondered aloud, par-ticularly since “the requirement for doing sowas never more present than now.”

Turning to his main theme, O’Keefe asked“how do we accomplish our mission objec-tives as part of our primary everyday focus,not after all the other things are done?” Howdo we prevent ourselves from becomingdistracted by the bewildering range of im-pediments we face daily? he asked. Theanswer is found in the ‘Freedom to Manage’(F2M) initiative that NASA is now eagerlyexploring, he said.

“The President has given us the opportu-nity to challenge and contest the way we dobusiness,” O’Keefe pointed out. We mustask ourselves why we do business at NASAthe way we currently do. Is it the law, is ithabit, are the obstacles self-inflicted, or arethey perhaps imagined – is there even a ruleor restriction in play at all?

We face statutory limitations, O’Keefenoted, and there may “not always be a betterway.” But, “due to the President’s leader-ship,” there is an “opportunity,” a “receptiv-ity to challenge, rethink and contest” the waywe operate. We must ask ourselves, “what isthe purpose, outcome, objective and how dowe accomplish it best?” We must “know nobounds,” by enterprise or center.

O’Keefe declared that “we have put inmotion at NASA a process for looking at this,”for “breaking down boundaries” throughthe F2M initiative. It is “already starting toyield some results,” he added, although notnecessarily of the “Earth-shaking” variety. Asexamples, he cited the streamlining of NASA‘time and attendance’ practices, the stan-dardization of all NASA badges and entryprocedures, and efforts to address hiringimpediments and delegate authority as closeas possible to the entity responsible for actualprogram performance.

O’Keefe promised NASA will operate incontinued on page 9

The Ames Astrogram June 20022

Education has taken a front seat at NASAwith Administrator Sean O’Keefe’s recentdeclaration that education is a core compo-nent of the agency’s mission. The agency isto engage studentsand inspire the nextgeneration of explor-ers. One successfulmeans of doing this isthrough robotics.

On May 11, hun-dreds of local middleand high school stu-dents from 30 teamscompeted in the Sili-

con Valley Botball 2002 tournament held atthe Moffett Training and Conference Center.

Unlike most robotics competitions, BotBallrobots are autonomous. All instructions areprogrammed into the robots, using a form ofC computer language, prior to the start ofeach match. Anticipating an opponent'smoves while completing their tasks is a testa-ment to the planning and engineering skillsof these competitors.

"Future engineers get a kick out of build-ing things. This program challenges them tobuild both software and hardware and cre-ate an autonomous mobile robot," said TerryGrant, NASA engineer and Botball mentor.

For this year's competition, opposing ro-bots placed colored ping-pong balls intovarious scoring areas in the 4 foot-by 8-footarena. Scoring ranged from one point forballs released from 'nests' to seven points forballs placed in a basket placed about 15inches above the playing field. For ‘extreme’points, robots battled for one large foam ballworth up to 30 points. Each round lasted 90seconds, at which time each robot automati-

cally shut off or received no points.Every year, Botball students, who range

from 13 to 18 years old, receive identical kitsto build their robots. Each kit contains hun-

dreds of parts, including sensors, motors,battery-powered microcomputer/controllersand programming software. The studentswork on a strict deadline to design, build andtest their robots.

"The students learn how to work underpressure as a team because they are givenonly six weeks to prepare for the contest."

Botball tournament showcases student initiativeBotball tournament showcases student initiativeBotball tournament showcases student initiativeBotball tournament showcases student initiativeBotball tournament showcases student initiativeGrant said. "Botball also challenges studentsto learn and use Internet research skills forthe research-design project portion of thetournament."

Volunteer mentors from NASA, industryand educational institutions were involvedduring the design and testing phases toprovide technical support when needed. Anarmy of NASA volunteers also gave up theirSaturday to ensure the tournament ransmoothly.

Botball tournaments have gained popu-larity nationwide, with hundreds of teams in11 regionals: Silicon Valley, Southern Califor-nia, Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, WashingtonD. C., Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indi-ana and Massachusetts. National champion-ships will be held June 29 - July 2 in Norman,Okla.

The Botball concept was developed bythe non-profit KISS Institute for PracticalRobotics (KIPR) based in Norman, OK. KIPRis a community-based organization that pro-vides improved learning and skills develop-ment through applied technology. The Ro-botics Education Project spearheads roboticseducation for NASA and supports other stu-dent robotic programs such as FIRST Robot-ics and FIRST Lego league.

Tournament results can be found on theinternet at: http://www.botball.org/php/standard/region.html?reg_id=9 Informationabout the NASA Robotics Education Projectcan be found at: http://robotics.nasa.gov

BY JONAS DINO

B-17, B-24 thunder over MoffettB-17, B-24 thunder over MoffettB-17, B-24 thunder over MoffettB-17, B-24 thunder over MoffettB-17, B-24 thunder over Moffett

Two fully restored World War II vintage bombers, a B-17 Flying Fortress and a B-24 Liberator, wereon display and available for rides May 31 through June 3 at the nationwide ‘Wings of Freedom Tour’at Moffett Field. The event was sponsored by the Collings Foundation to support ‘living history’events that teach Americans about their heritage.

Students competing in the recent Botball2002 tournament at NASA Ames.

photos by Jonas Dino


The Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the IEEEPower Engineering Society sponsored a pre-

sentation and luncheon at Ames on May 22followed by a tour of Ames’ Arc Jet Facility.The presentation offered insight into thedesign choices for the modernization of theobsolete thyristor stacks and controls for the60 MW DC power supply. Project managerFrancis Choy of Code FEF gave an overviewof the project and the arc heaters, whileproject engineer Boris Ilinets of JacobsSverdrup spoke about the facility designitself. Stig Nilsson of Exponent Failure Analy-sis discussed the new design technology atthe component level, while Joe Hartman,Code ASF branch chief, Ernie Fretter, Arc JetFacility manager and Ryan Cooper, lead ArcJet electrician, provided tours. More than 50engineers from Silicon Valley were in atten-dance. The event was organized by theDMJMH&N Electric Power Office.

The NASA Ames 60 megawatt DC powersupply was built in 1974 to provide con-trolled DC power for the ThermophysicsFacility Arc Jet Laboratory. The Arc Jet Labo-ratory uses a sustained high-voltage electricarc to develop very high temperatures inorder to test the thermal performance ofvarious materials. Ames is historically strongin space technology development. The Ther-mal Protection Systems and Arc Jet TestingLaboratory enable hypervelocity flight in theatmospheres of the Earth and other planetsand were essential for the Apollo, shuttle andGalileo Probe vehicles. Advances in thermalprotection will also support the explorationof Mars, the outer planets, and sample return

missions. They are being further applied tostudies of reusable launch vehicles in the

NASA technologydevelopment part-nership with indus-try. Ames is work-ing with otherNASA centers onaerobraking andadvanced regen-erative life supporttechnology to per-mit human Marsexploration with-out the need fornew, larger launchvehicles.

The powersupply has gradu-ally lost reliabilitydue to outdatedtechnology andcomponent lifelimitation. NASAhas decided toupgrade the exist-

ing rectifier modules with contemporary high-

IEEE sponsors power supply presentation and Ames tourIEEE sponsors power supply presentation and Ames tourIEEE sponsors power supply presentation and Ames tourIEEE sponsors power supply presentation and Ames tourIEEE sponsors power supply presentation and Ames tour

Boris Ilinets reviews the existing rectifier design at the Ames Arc Jet Facility.

BY FRED JONES

photo by Fred Jones

Recently, the NASA Ames Plant Engineer-ing Branch (Code JFP) was awarded the 2002Environmental Achievement Award from theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Re-gion 9 office in recognition of exceptionalwork and commitment to the environment.

As a result of improved managementpractices, Ames realized significant reduc-tions in pesticide and fertilizer use, as well asa dramatic drop in solid wastes disposal in2001. The Plant Engineering Branch uses anintegrated approach to landscaping andgrounds maintenance that consists of threecomponents -- integrated pest management(IPM), integrated vegetation management(IVM) and composting. With its integratedgrounds and landscaping management pro-gram, Ames achieved a 98 percent reductionin pesticide and herbicide use in 2001 com-pared to pesticide use prior to the implemen-tation of its IPM and IVM programs. Inaddition, in 2001 Ames reused 100 percentof its landscaping debris, resulting in savingsof approximately $60,000 -- the cost ofapproximately 2200 cubic yards -- by pro-ducing its own compost on site. Over one-third of the center’s total solid waste volumewas diverted from land disposal in 2001 dueto the onsite reuse of landscaping debris.

Pest control activities at Ames historically

included the use of pesticides and herbicidesin outdoor areas, building perimeters andbuilding interiors. Prior to implementationof the integrated grounds and landscapingmanagement program, an average of 4,000gallons of pesticides and herbicides was usedat Ames each year.

Integrated pest management (IPM) em-ploys management techniques that reducethe quantity and toxicity of pesticides used.In some cases, large-scale pesticide applica-tion has been eliminated entirely and trapsare used instead. Pesticide and herbicideapplication has been reduced from 4,000gallons in 1997 to less than 50 gallons usingIPM and IVM techniques. Reduced use ofpesticides, herbicides and chemical fertiliz-ers has resulted in reduced exposures tohuman and animal populations.

Integrated vegetation management in-cludes the utilization of less toxic herbicides,reduced use of these less-toxic herbicidesand use of native vegetation that is hardierand more drought-tolerant. In addition, aunique IVM approach at Ames is the use ofgoats to control ‘stubborn’ vegetation.

The benefits of IPM and IVM are notlimited to reduced environmental impacts.Reduced use of pesticides, herbicides, andchemical fertilizers has resulted in cost sav-

Code JFP wins EPA awardCode JFP wins EPA awardCode JFP wins EPA awardCode JFP wins EPA awardCode JFP wins EPA award

continued on page 12

power electronics and control equipment.The power supply includes three, three-wind-ing rectifier transformers. The power controlsystem was replaced in December 1999 andconsists of a combination of LabView TMbased control protocol and hard-wired relaylogic. The firing angle control system iscontrolled by the firing angle regulation.The present firing angle control system isobsolete.

This project includes a complete replace-ment of obsolete thyristor stacks in all sixrectifier modules, and rectifier bridge firingand control systems. High-power, water-cooled thyristors and freewheeling diodeswill be used. The output current rating ofeach of the six modules will be 4000 amps at5500 volts. The firing angle control signalwill be sent from the facility control system tothe six modules through fiberoptic cable.The power supply control and monitoringsystem will include a master programmablelogic controller (PLC) in the facility buildingand a slave PLC in each rectifier module. Thissystem also will monitor each thyristor andfreewheeling diode in each stack and theauxiliary equipment.


Chris Alderete, NASA Ames wildlife biologist,spoke at Ames on May 15 about the center’swildlife management plan. Several wildlifestudies are currently being conducted to gaininformation used to manage sensitivespecies. Alderete discussed current and futuremanagement strategies and objectives inboth coastal salt marsh and uplandgrassland habitats.

Carolyn S. La Follette, chief of the Acqui-sition Branch for Center Operations andSpace, was recently honored as the NASAprocurement supervisor of the year.

The award was presented to La Folletteby the associate administrator for procure-ment, Tom Luedtke, at the NASA Procure-ment 2002 Conference held March 12-14 inTysons Corner, Va.

The award specifically recognized LaFollette’s support of her employees withregard to training, education, promotionsand diversity.

La Follette has been at Ames since 1975and has been a supervisor for 20 years. Herbranch currently supports Codes J and S, aswell as the entire center for all grants andcooperative agreements.

Tom Luedtke, assistantadministrator for procurement(Code H), presents the ‘NASAProcurement Supervisor of the Year’award to Carolyn S. La Follette,chief, Acquisition Branch for CenterOperations and Space (Code JAC).The award read as follows“Procurement Supervisor of theYear. In recognition of yourcontribution and outstandingsupport to the United States SpaceProgram and to the Office ofProcurement.”

Ames’ La Follette named NASA ‘supervisor of the year’Ames’ La Follette named NASA ‘supervisor of the year’Ames’ La Follette named NASA ‘supervisor of the year’Ames’ La Follette named NASA ‘supervisor of the year’Ames’ La Follette named NASA ‘supervisor of the year’

The position description management(PDM) is one of the project modules thatcurrently is cascading into implementa-tion under the agency-wide integratedfinancial management program.

PDM will automate the position de-scription classification process through useof a Web-based program. This module isscheduled for ‘roll out’ this summer atAmes.

In order to introduce the new PDMmodule to supervisors, PDM demonstra-tions are scheduled during the months ofJune and July. Supervisors will be notifiedabout how to sign up for a particular

photo by Debora McCallum, Goddard S pace Flight Center

PDM project module updates setPDM project module updates setPDM project module updates setPDM project module updates setPDM project module updates setdemonstration session.

The PDM demo sessions are sched-uled as follows: • June 18, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

• June 26, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

• July 10, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

• July 18, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

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Wildlife planningWildlife planningWildlife planningWildlife planningWildlife planningat Amesat Amesat Amesat Amesat Ames Safety data for March - April 2002Safety data for March - April 2002Safety data for March - April 2002Safety data for March - April 2002Safety data for March - April 2002

Civil Servants ContractorsNot recordablefirst aid cases 6 3

Recordable no losttime cases 3 2

Restricted workday cases 0 2

Lost workday cases 0 0

Data above are as of 5/28/02. May be subject to slight adjustment dueto late reporting or new information or reclassification.

VPP STAR Tip:

....Margaret Richardson, in Preparingfor the Voluntary Protection Programs,Copyright @ 1999 by John Wiley &Sons

Very few work sites are checking tosee how well the training they provide ishelping the worker to understand andwork more safely.


Ames psychophysiologist Dr. PatriciaCowings is featured in a new museum exhi-bition honoring African-American inventorsat San Francisco International Airport.

The San Francisco Airport museum isfeaturing Cowings in an exhibit entitled ‘Cali-fornia Inventors’ through August. The pho-tography exhibit features 12 African-Ameri-cans who have made contributions to sci-ence, medicine and technology in California.It will be on display in the airport’s Terminal1 Gate 36 exhibit gallery.

“I’m very flattered when I’m asked toparticipate in things like this. There just aren’tenough African-American women in scienceand technology,” said Cowings, director ofthe Psychophysiology Research Facility atAmes. “It is important to let people knowthat NASA’s here and what we are doing.”

The exhibit highlights Cowings’ develop-ment of a system to combat space adapta-tion syndrome and its earthly counterpart,motion sickness. The patented technology,called the ‘autogenic-feedback training ex-ercise,’ enables pilots, astronauts and pa-tients with balance disorders to learn tocontrol symptoms of nausea and dizziness.

When using the system, an astronautwears a bodysuit garment designed byCowings. The suit measures body tempera-ture, blood pressure, heart rate, respirationand sweating, and then gives the wearer aread-out of his or her physiological state.Cowings also created training software that

BY KENDALL POWELL

Ames’ Cowings featured in new airport displayAmes’ Cowings featured in new airport displayAmes’ Cowings featured in new airport displayAmes’ Cowings featured in new airport displayAmes’ Cowings featured in new airport displaycan be used over the Internet.

Cowings has trained space shuttle astro-nauts, Russian space station Mir cosmonauts,search-and-rescue pilots, and military per-sonnel. “We are looking at what the environ-ment is doing and whether the treatment isworking. Does the sickness affect your per-formance? Once the symptoms are relieved,does your performance improve?” Cowingsasked.

The airport exhibit also showcases sevenother inventors whose innovations have con-tributed significantly to the space program,including: Christine Darden, aerospace en-gineer at NASA Langley Research Center,Hampton, Va.; George Carruthers, a researchphysicist at the Naval Research Laboratory,inventor of a camera used on the Apollo 16moon mission; Ayanna Howard, an artificialintelligence expert at NASA’s Jet PropulsionLaboratory, Pasadena, Calif.; Irene Long, chiefmedical officer of Spaceport Services at NASAKennedy Space Center, Fla.; VanceMarchbanks Jr., an Air Force colonel whohelped design the Apollo moon mission spacesuit; and retired astronauts Dr. Mae Jemisonand Guion Bluford Jr.

“This is a way of letting people knowabout the wealth of creativity and innova-tions in other communities. Our audiencemay not be aware of the role African-Ameri-cans have played in aeronautics, chemistryor whatever,” said Timothy Taylor, curator ofthe San Francisco Airport museums. “But we

wanted their stories, talents and creativity tocarry the day and not their race.” Moreinformation is available at: http://www.sfoarts.org/

Cowings earned her doctorate in psy-chology from the University of California,Davis, in 1973 and came to NASA Ames as aNational Research Council post-doctoral as-sociate. She has won the Ames Honor Awardfor Excellence, the Candace Award for Sci-ence and Technology, and the Ames HonorAward for Technology Development.

“I was one of three women in my depart-ment at Davis and the only brown person,”Cowings said. “I was also known as the‘space cadet’ because I would encourageeveryone to watch all the space launches.When I got to Ames I knew I was home, I hadgotten here. The people here were doingexciting research, not just thinking or talkingabout it.”

Cowings cited other African-Americanwomen who were pioneers in their field asher inspiration, including Jemison, the firstblack woman in space, and Nichelle Nichols,the actress who played Lt. Uhura on TV’s‘Star Trek’ series. “I was planning on being Lt.Uhura -- I even had the earrings! She was abreakthrough personality of her time. Icouldn’t relate to Spock with his pointy ears,but I could relate to her,” Cowings said.

Dr. Adrian Mandel, a former Ames em-ployee, succumbed to cancer on April 3,2002. Mandel, an immunologist, was em-ployed at Ames from 1966 until 1990, fol-lowing his first career in the Army. Through-out his research career, he made major con-tributions to microbiological contaminationcontrol, serving as a member of the Inter-agency Committee of Back Contamination,developing the barrier system for the studyof returned lunar material, studying long-term isolation effects on the immune systemat McMurdo Base, Antartica, developing animmunology program for prodromal diag-nosis of infectious diseases, and consultingon microbial control in the Spacelab pro-gram.

He is survived by his wife, Claire, of LosAltos Hills, Calif.; his sons Robert Mandel ofDenver, and St. Petersburg, Fla; MichaelMandel of Seattle; John Mandel ofWatsonville, Calif.; his daughters JaneWeinstein of Haifa, Israel; Elizabeth Mandelof New York City; and Susan Mandel of PaloAlto, Calif.; five grandchildren and one greatgrandchild. His intellect, dry sense of humorand wonderful sense of worth will be missedby his many colleagues at Ames.

Dr. Adrian Mandel (left) is shown here speaking with Ames’ ‘Hall of Fame’ member Harv Lomax.

photo by Roger Brimmer

Former Ames employee Adrian Mandel passes onFormer Ames employee Adrian Mandel passes onFormer Ames employee Adrian Mandel passes onFormer Ames employee Adrian Mandel passes onFormer Ames employee Adrian Mandel passes on


AstroBiology Explorer selected for concept studyAstroBiology Explorer selected for concept studyAstroBiology Explorer selected for concept studyAstroBiology Explorer selected for concept studyAstroBiology Explorer selected for concept studyOn April 17, the AstroBiology Explorer

mission team at Ames learned that their first-time proposal submission had been selectedby the NASA Explorer Program for a ‘phase A’feasibility study. Such selection is a rare eventin the Explorer program.

Dr. Scott Sandford of the Amesastrochemistry laboratory (in Code SSA) isprincipal Investigator; Sylvia Cox of the SpaceProjects Division (Code SF) is managing theeffort. The AstroBiology Explorer, known asABE, is a proposed space telescope that willlook at five different classes of celestial ob-jects using infrared spectrometers tuned towavelengths that can detect the signaturesof organic compounds –- the pre-biotic

chemical building blocks that are importantfor life.

ABE will receive $450,000 in funding toassist with development of the mission con-cept as a candidate under NASA's Medium-class Explorer program -- a roster of low-cost,focused next-generation spacecraft in the$180 million or less range. The ABE conceptuses highly sensitive instruments fitted to asolid hydrogen-chilled telescope.

If selected as a fully funded mission, thespacecraft could fly as early as 2007. The ABEspacecraft will be put into an orbit aroundthe sun, gradually drifting 14 million milesaway from Earth during its 18-month mis-sion lifetime. Mission plans incorporate both‘guest observer’ and robust education andpublic outreach programs.

"This is a critical step along the road

toward becoming a real mission; we are nowgetting down to designing the nuts andbolts of the project," said Sandford. "We willbe looking for the infrared signatures oforganic materials in space, and we need aninfrared telescope in space to do this. Wecouldn't measure the signals we are search-ing for using even the largest ground-basedtelescopes because the Earth's atmosphereglows in the infrared, and absorbs radiationfrom space at many infrared wavelengths."

During the four-month, phase A feasibil-ity study period, the team will expand ondetails of the mission design, explore addi-tional ways to improve cost, risk and effi-ciency factors of the mission and select a

mission management partner. The Amesteam is working with Ball Aerospace andTechnologies Corp., which will build theinstrument and spacecraft. The ABE teamwill generate a concept study report forNASA review in October. ABE is one of fourmissions selected for study. In March 2003,NASA will choose two of the four missions tobe fully developed for flight as medium-classExplorer or MIDEX missions to be launchedin 2007 and 2008.

The telescope and its instruments willmeasure light in the infrared portion of thespectrum at wavelengths about 10 timeslonger than what the human eye can see andthat we experience as heat. These wave-lengths are ideal for searching for organics inspace since they span the range of frequen-cies associated with molecular vibrations.

Most organic molecules produce character-istic spectral 'fingerprints' in the infrared.

"The ABE telescope must be chilled andput into space in order to detect the veryweak signals it seeks, which would otherwisebe lost in the flood of infrared radiationproduced by the Earth's own warmth," saidSandford. "It's as if we were trying to detectthe light from a candle that is held in front ofa searchlight. Chilling the telescope andputting it in space is like turning off thesearchlight."

ABE will search for organic molecularcompounds in galaxies, the interstellar me-dium, dense clouds, dying stars, asteroidsand comets. ABE’s primary goal is to under-stand the molecular chemistry in space andto identify the molecules that are found in arange of space environments. ABE observa-tions will provide new insights into the physi-cal nature of the young stars, comets, galax-ies and other objects in the universe.

ABE's science team comprises world ex-perts in astrochemistry and space astronomy.These researchers, from scientific institutionsaround the world, will look for the spectralsignatures of complex organic molecules andthe simpler molecules from which they areformed, such as water, ammonia and metha-nol. In recent laboratory simulations of cold,space-like conditions, Sandford and otherAmes astrochemists found that organic mol-ecules, including those necessary for life,may be produced in deep interstellar space.

One advantage ABE will have over previ-ous infrared space observatories is its large,sensitive infrared light detectors. These de-vices, developed jointly by the Ames Sensorsand Instrumentation Branch (Code SFD) andRaytheon Infrared Operations, will allow ABEto collect millions of pixels of information atonce, a vast improvement over previous in-frared space missions.

"ABE will have three instruments calledspectrometers, which will slice up the lightcollected by the telescope," said Ames' Dr.Tom Greene, the ABE mission architect. "Thedetectors in these spectrometers will sensethe unique infrared signatures of many at-oms, molecules and dust grains."

Ames leads NASA research in astrobiol-ogy, the study of the origin, evolution, distri-bution and destiny of life in the universe.

The Explorer program is managed byNASA's Goddard Space Flight Center,Greenbelt, Md., for the Office of Space Sci-ence, Washington, D.C.

More information about ABE is availableat: http://www.astrochem.org/abe.htmlMore information about the Explorer pro-gram and the other selected proposals isavailable at: http://fpd.gsfc.nasa.gov/410/index.html

The Astrobiology Explorer will use a cooled infrared telescope to detect and identify organicmolecules throughout the universe. (This artist's rendition was designed by Andy Christie of SlickFilms, Inc. The spacecraft image was designed by Dr. Jason Dworkin, the SETI Institute. Theimage was published in Scientific American, July 1999).

BY KATHLEEN BURTON


On May 29, NASA officials signed anagreement to explore development of aworld-class center designed to investigatescience and commercial applications of un-manned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped withhigh-resolution digital imaging systems.

During a ceremony at NASA Ames, offi-cials from Ames; NASA Dryden Flight Re-

search Center, Edwards, Calif.; Clark Univer-sity, Worcester, Mass.; and the non-profitGirvan Institute, signed a memorandum ofunderstanding to establish a ‘UAV Applica-tions Center’ in the NASA Research Park.

“We are delighted to be working withClark University, the Girvan Institute and ourfriends from the Dryden Flight Research Cen-ter to explore prospects for developing thisexciting new center here at the NASA Re-search Park,” said Ames Center Director Dr.Henry McDonald.

The charter of the new center is to con-duct collaborative research and development,leading to enhanced scientific and commer-cial utilization of UAVs as high-resolutionimaging platforms in national airspace. Spe-cific activities will include planning futureUAV image acquisition campaigns; develop-ing procedures for operating UAVs in FederalAviation Administration-controlled airspace;testing and evaluating high-resolution imag-ing systems; testing real-time telemetry sys-tems for payload control and data transfer;evaluating data acquisition and control sys-tems for real-time applications; developingand packaging automated image processingstreams; integrating imaging payloads ontoUAVs; and implementing educational re-search opportunities for university students.

“We are excited by the tremendous com-mercial potential of UAV research and happyto be working with NASA Ames and our

NASA centers, academia to cooperate in forming UAV centerNASA centers, academia to cooperate in forming UAV centerNASA centers, academia to cooperate in forming UAV centerNASA centers, academia to cooperate in forming UAV centerNASA centers, academia to cooperate in forming UAV centerother partners on this project,” said ClarkUniversity President John Bassett. “We areconfident that the UAV Applications Centerwill serve as a useful model for efficient andresponsible technology transfer.”

The Ames-based research team is cur-rently conducting a $3.76 million project forNASA’s UAV science demonstration program.

The effort will pro-vide the first-evertest of the com-mercial use of aso lar -poweredUAV operating innational airspace.Dr. StanleyHerwitz, professorof earth science atClark University,serves as principalinvestigator andleads a team of 15researchers. Theselected demon-stration site will bethe largest coffeeplantation in theUSA, located onthe Hawaiian is-land of Kauai.

The projectwill use a light-weight flyingwing called thePathfinder Plus,developed forNASA DrydenFlight ResearchCenter with part-

ner AeroVironment Inc., Monrovia, Calif. Ifsuccessful, the project holds broad implica-tions for any users needing high-resolutionimagery in near-real time. This emergingtechnology could be used to fight forestfires, evaluate environmental change, or as-sess civil emergency responses.

Visit http://www.clarku.edu/faculty/herwitz/ for details about the UAV CoffeeProject.

“The agreement comes at an opportunetime when NASA is working more with theFederal Aviation Administration and the De-partment of Defense to enable UAV opera-tions in the commercial marketplace,” saidRich Christiansen, associate director for plan-ning at the Dryden Flight Research Center.

“This dynamic new collaboration willprovide an excellent stimulus for accelerat-ing technology development betweenNASA’s field centers, the academic commu-nity, and the private sector,” said CarolinaBlake, chief of the Ames Commercial Tech-nology Office. “This proposed center willcomplement NASA Administrator SeanO’Keefe’s vision and goals for the agency.”

Clark University is a private, coeduca-tional research university with 2,000 under-graduate and 600 graduate students. Sinceits founding in 1887 as the first all-graduateschool in the United States, Clark has chal-lenged convention with innovative programssuch as the International Studies Stream, the

Strassler Family Center for Holocaust andGenocide Studies and the five-year BA/MAprograms with the fifth year tuition-free.

Further information about Clark Univer-sity is available at: http:// www.clarku.eduFor information about the NASA ResearchPark, visit the project Web site at: http://researchpark.arc.nasa.gov Publication-sizeimages of the signing ceremony and UAVcoffee project are available at: http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/releases/2002/02images/coffee/coffee.html

BY MICHAEL MEWHINNEY

NASA Ames Research Center Director Dr. Henry McDonald (front, center),Clark University President John Bassett (front, left) and Paul Coleman, CEO/President of the Girvan Institute (front, right), signed an agreement on May29 to explore development of a world-class center designed to investigatescience and commercial applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)equipped with high-resolution digital imaging systems. Second rowparticipants: Stephen Dunagan, Dave Peterson, Jim Brass, Stan Herwitz, KenSouza (Code DK), Estelle Condon (Code S) and Carolina Blake (Code DK).

photo by Tom Trower

Do you develop, distribute or main-tain information via the Web or procurethe development of Web sites at NASA? Ifso, that makes you a Web site curatorresponsible for adhering to Section 508 ofthe Rehabilitation Act. Section 508, whichwent into effect June 21, 2001, requiresnew federal Web sites to comply with 16basic standards (http://www.webaim.org/standards/508/checklist) that facilitate in-formation accessibility for people withdisabilities.

Because of the importance of Section508, the Web services group, Code JTA,has scheduled a presentation to ensurethat Ames Web developers have the infor-mation needed to comply with this regu-lation.

Boot Camp II will be a panel presenta-tion with the new Web services grouppresenting information about specificpolicy guidelines and the 16 standards. Afocus will be on the most common mis-takes made by Ames Web masters infollowing the 16 standards. Specific dem-onstrations and examples will show:

• Web image handling for Section 508 compliance;

• Differences in programming data tables and formatting tables on the Web; and

• How programming technology can be used for 508 compliance by easily developing alternative, accessible versions of a Web site

The panel also will introduce conceptssuch as information design and usabilityand discuss how these techniques relateto developing accessible Web sites. At theend of the presentation, the Web servicesgroup will be available at individual work-stations for more specific questions anddemonstrations. For more information,visit: http://webmasters.arc.nasa.gov/ac-cess/508/

The date of the presentation is June27, at 10:30 a.m., in N245 auditorium.Visit http://ittrain.arc.nasa.gov for classinformation and/or contact Elisabeth Tu,[email protected]

Section 508 forSection 508 forSection 508 forSection 508 forSection 508 forWeb developers,Web developers,Web developers,Web developers,Web developers,Boot Camp IIBoot Camp IIBoot Camp IIBoot Camp IIBoot Camp II


A gallery of NASA pictures, with eachimage linked to news releases and otherrelated items, recently was added to NASA

Ames’ public affairs Web site at: http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/imagearchive/archive.html

Most images are provided in previewversions, as well as in higher resolution files.Almost all of the larger files are suitable forpublication. A help section describes variouslevels of quality, rights issues and how todownload images through the Internet to auser's computer.

"We redesigned how we present imagesto make the site more efficient to the newsmedia, general public and students," said theimage gallery's author, Anil Jindia, of Ames’Public Affairs Office, Code DX. "These im-ages can help readers to better comprehendour news items."

"The new image gallery is part of a com-prehensive re-design of the Web site," saidJonas Diño, the site's curator, also of Ames’Public Affairs Office. "The Web site has beensimplified to make sure people, includingthose with physical challenges, can easilyaccess information."

General groups of images in the galleryinclude: popular images, aerospace, educa-tional and commercial technology, informa-tion technology, Earth sciences, NASA/Ames/Moffett Field and astrobiology. Astrobiologyis the study of the origin, evolution, distribu-tion and future of life in the universe.

More pictures and image subject groupswill be added over time. In addition, the'amesnews' site, located at: http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/ provides links toother scientific and technical Web pages,educational materials and the Ames em-ployee newspaper, the 'Astrogram.'

The Astrogram newsletter, though in-tended for employees, often contains news-worthy information of interest to a wideraudience, including the general public andjournalists. On-line issues of the Astrogram,beginning with the Jan. 1, 2000 newspaper,are in portable document format (PDF).

The Ames Education Web site includes asection describing the NASA Ames EducatorResource Center that has lesson plans, edu-cational publications and audiovisual instruc-tional materials.

NASA Ames news releases also are avail-

Stunning NASA pictures added to ‘AmesNews’ Web siteStunning NASA pictures added to ‘AmesNews’ Web siteStunning NASA pictures added to ‘AmesNews’ Web siteStunning NASA pictures added to ‘AmesNews’ Web siteStunning NASA pictures added to ‘AmesNews’ Web site

BY JOHN BLUCK

photos by Dominic Hart

With the Centennial of Flight approach-ing, the fourth annual Turning Goals IntoReality (TGIR) conference focused on NASA'spast, present and future involvement in aero-space. The conference took place May 21 to23 at the Westin Hotel in Santa Clara, Calif.

Held this year in conjunction with theAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astro-nautics (AIAA) X-Vehicles symposium, theTGIR conference is a means by which NASA'sOffice of Aerospace Technology (OAT) canrecognize the outstanding work performedby the men and women of NASA's aerospaceenterprise.

Dr. HenryMcDonald openedthe conference bywelcoming thenearly 250 attend-ees representingthe military, indus-try partners andNASA personnel.Sam Venneri, cur-rent Associate Ad-ministrator forAerospace Tech-nology, presentedan overview of howthe aerospace en-terprise is refiningitself to meet the challenges set forth by theNASA Administrator.

The conference had presentations andpanel discussions on the future of aerospace,improving the national airspace system, tech-nological innovations in aerospace, increas-

TGIR features ‘Future of Flight’TGIR features ‘Future of Flight’TGIR features ‘Future of Flight’TGIR features ‘Future of Flight’TGIR features ‘Future of Flight’ing access to space, the impact of informa-tion technology and aerospace applicationsof nanotechnology and biotechnology.

On the last day of the conference, TGIRawards were presented and some partook ina tour of Ames 80ft by 120ft wind tunnel,VSTOL research facilities, IT research labs andFutureFlight Central. A highlight of the lastday was the demonstration of a reusablelaunch platform by student winners of theAerospace Technology Engineering Chal-lenge.

For Increasing Capacity, Direct-To (D-2)was recognized. D-2 is a decision supporttool that can cut flight times by making itpossible for aircraft to take the most directroute to their destinations. The SIRCA TPSteam received the award for MissionAffordability for this work on organo-ce-ramic thermal protection.

A Pioneering Technology Innovationaward was given to the Advanced DesignTechnologies Testbed team for this rapidanalysis tools in support of the Space LaunchInitiative. The Commercialize Technologyaward was given to the Smart Surgical Probeteam for adapting a Mars soil probe for use

in breast cancer applications.More information about TGIR and award

winners and nominees can be found at:h t tp : / / amesnews . a r c .na sa .gov /

astrogram/2002_astrograms/tgir/tgir.html

BY JONAS DINO

able at the time of issue by e-mail. To receiveAmes releases via e-mail, send an e-mail withthe word 'subscribe' in the subject line to:[email protected]. Tounsubscribe, send an e-mail to the same

Aerospace Technology Engineering Challengeaward winners Christopher Broere and BrendanDwyer brief TGIR attendees on their design fora reusable launch platform.

TGIR attendees read information about award winners and other posterpresentation materials.

address with 'unsubscribe' in the subject line.Additionally, NASA Ames Web pages in

Spanish, 'Amesnoticias,' are available at: http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/index_span.html


Four men will brave unknown, unfamiliarand unearthly conditions this summer. Butthey’re not going into space, they’re step-ping inside Ames’ 20-G centrifuge for a 22-hour ride at up to twice Earth’s gravity.

The men will participate in a first-of-its-kind study of how humans adapt to pro-longed exposure to hypergravity, gravita-tional forces higher than Earth’s normal grav-ity. Dr. Malcolm Cohen, chief of the HumanInformation Processing Research Branch, willhead the study to begin in July.

“There is virtually no objective scientificdata on the human body’s response to pro-longed hypergravity,” Cohen said. “We wantto find out if people can function normally inthis type of environment and also if there arephysiological changes that help people adaptto increased gravity.”

When astronauts travel in space at 0G forextended periods, their bodies adapt toweightlessness. In one major change, anastronaut’s heart does not work as hard toget blood to the brain since it’s not pumpingagainst gravity. Such adaptations producenegative effects upon return to 1G on Earth,such as fainting or dizziness.

“At NASA, we look at gravity as a con-tinuum,” Cohen said. “Can exposure tohypergravity give you opposite, positive ef-fects? Are there advantages from prolongedexposure to high G?” One of the study’s testswill look at whether the hearts of the menspinning in the centrifuge work harder topump blood up to their brains against higher-than-normal gravity.

Each subject, a healthy male between theages of 18 and 35 and under 5’8” tall, willspin 22-hour sessions at increasing G-forcesover a nine-week period. Each session willstart with a G-tolerance test, which measuresthe highest G-force limit each subject canwithstand. A cab designed specifically for thistest sits on one side of the 58-foot centrifugearm, where the subject will sit in a swing-out

BY KENDALL POWELL

Study to put new ‘spin’ on how humans handle gravityStudy to put new ‘spin’ on how humans handle gravityStudy to put new ‘spin’ on how humans handle gravityStudy to put new ‘spin’ on how humans handle gravityStudy to put new ‘spin’ on how humans handle gravitychair. The centrifuge will pick up speed,increasing the gravitational force by 1G ev-ery 15 seconds.

“As the G-force increases, one of the firstsymptoms is called grayout, where vision

dims and colorsfade and you startto lose peripheral vi-sion,” said researchscientist AbigailBautista, a coordi-nator for theproject. “The testgauges how muchthey can take be-fore blackout oc-curs, although wenever want to actu-ally get to the pointof blackout.” Thesubject’s safety isfirst priority; he canstop the test at anytime.

During the spin,Ames’ medical ser-vices officer Dr.Ralph Pelligra willkeep tabs on thesubject’s heart rateand blood flow tothe brain. A light

ring around the subject’s head keeps track ofperipheral vision. Lights on both sides flashfirst out at the edge of the subject’s field ofview and then the flash moves in toward thecenter. While looking straight ahead, thesubject presses a button to shut off the lightsas soon as he can detect them. The centri-fuge will automatically shut down if thesubject does not respond before the lightsreach the space within a narrow field ofvision 40 degrees wide.

“It’s the oddest thing. You get tunnelvision where everything goes dark but youare still conscious,” recounts ArsenioDimanlig, a research engineer in the Aero-mechanics branch. He took the G-tolerancetest during a preliminary phase of the projectin the summer of 2000. “You have a hardertime breathing and it feels like someone’spressing you down into your seat.”

Like Dimanlig, the subjects will climb intothe habitation cab on the other end of thecentrifuge arm to spend 22 hours spinning at1.25G, 1.5G, 1.75G, or 2G. The enclosedcab contains a cot, toilet, food, water, atelevision and a laptop computer. The re-searchers and centrifuge operators monitorthe subjects by video. The subjects can eat,read, watch movies or play computer games.

“They will be encouraged to sit ratherthan lie down because they are not stressingtheir cardiovascular system if they are lyingdown,” Cohen said. Every four hours, thesubjects will be asked to spend three minuteslying down, three minutes sitting and threeminutes standing up.

During these transitions, blood pressurein the head drops and the cardiovascularsystem has to adjust to get blood to thehigher head positions. A biofeedback sensor

vest worn by the subjects will monitor theirvital signs, including blood pressure, circula-tion in the extremities, and blood flow to thehead. The data will help researchers deter-mine how quickly a subject adapts to cardio-vascular stress imposed by gravity.

After the 22-hour spins, the G-tolerancetest will be repeated. Cohen wants to knowif spending many hours in hypergravity willincrease a person’s G-tolerance. The maxi-mum G-force tolerated by any human isabout 6G, but each individual’s maximumtolerance varies. Astronauts experiencehypergravity for brief periods during take-offand re-entry. Using a similar centrifuge, grav-ity might be simulated during long-termspace travel or work on the space station.

“If we are looking at landing on Mars,there’s a 5G re-entry profile that is at the limitfor most people -- especially people de-conditioned from traveling in 0G conditions,”Cohen said. “Then the astronauts will haveto deal with martian gravity. While it’s onlyroughly a third of Earth’s gravity, it’s stillgravity after months of weightlessness. Wehope what we learn will help us better pre-pare for something like that.”

The Ames 20-G centrifuge will be used in the upcoming study about howhumans adapt to hypergravity.

photo by JT Heineck

the spirit of the Freedom to Manage initiativeand in accordance with three fundamentalprinciples espoused by Secretary of StatePaul O’Neill. Those principles are that weassume everyone at NASA is a professionaland treat them accordingly; we provide theresources required so that NASA employeescan do their jobs; and we hold everyoneaccountable for their performance.

A focus of efforts this year in preparationfor the FY04 budget submission, O’Keefesaid, will be to determine “how do we allo-cate the resources we have to achieve mis-sion objectives?” What emerges will becomethe “template for making program deci-sions” that provide “a fighting chance tocarry out mission objectives.” O’Keefe stressedthat NASA must be “selective, targeted andfocused.”

With respect to decision-making models,he observed that NASA will employ a varietyof centralized, decentralized and hybrid ap-proaches. He said that we must considercarefully “what ‘lead center’ means,” andwhile “program management may be at thecenters, authority and oversight may comefrom somewhere else entirely.”

In closing, O’Keefe reiterated in responseto a question that the integrated financialmanagement planning activity is “the high-est initiative that we have to implement.” Wemust -- and will -- do so in a “seamless”manner by the Sept. 30, 2002 target, headded.

Further information about the Freedomto Manage initiative can be found on theWeb at: http://f2m.nasa.gov/

O’Keefe featuresO’Keefe featuresO’Keefe featuresO’Keefe featuresO’Keefe featurescontinued from front page

BY DAVID MORSE


A region in the western tropical PacificOcean may help scientists understand howVenus lost all of its water and became a 900-degree inferno. The NASA study also shouldhelp researchers understand what condi-tions on Earth might lead to a similar fatehere.

The phenomenon, called the ‘runawaygreenhouse’ effect, occurs when a planetabsorbs more energy from the sun than itcan radiate back to space. Under these cir-cumstances, the hotter the surface tempera-ture gets, the faster it warms up. Scientistsdetect the signature of a runaway green-house when planetary heat loss begins todrop as surface temperature rises. Only onearea on Earth -- the western Pacific ‘warmpool’ just northeast of Australia -- exhibitsthis signature. Because the warm pool cov-ers only a small fraction of the Earth’s surface,the Earth as a whole never actually ‘runsaway.’ However, scientists believe Venus didexperience a global runaway greenhouseeffect about 3 billion to 4 billion years ago.

“Soon after the planets were formed 4.5billion years ago, Earth, Venus and Marsprobably all had water. How did Earth man-age to hold onto all of its water, while Venusapparently lost all of its water?” asks MauraRabbette, Earth and planetary scientist inCode SGP. “We have extensive earth sciencedata to help address that question.”

Rabbette and her co-investigators fromNASA Ames, Christopher McKay, PeterPilewskie and Richard Young, used atmo-spheric conditions above the Pacific Ocean,including data recorded by NASA’s Earthobserving system of satellites, to create acomputer model of the runaway greenhouseeffect. They determined that water vapor

high in the atmosphere produced the localsignature of a runaway greenhouse.

At sea surface temperatures above 80 F(27 C), evaporation loads the atmospherewith a critical amount of water vapor, one ofthe most efficient greenhouse gases. Watervapor allows solar radiation from the sun topass through, but it absorbs a large portionof the infrared radiation coming from theEarth. If enough water vapor enters the tro-posphere, the weather layer of the atmo-sphere, it will trap thermal energy comingfrom the Earth, increasing the sea surfacetemperature even further.

The effect should result in a chain reac-tion loop where sea surface temperatureincreases, leading to increased atmosphericwater vapor and more trapped thermal en-ergy. This causes the temperature increaseto ‘run away,’ causing more and more waterloss through evaporation from the ocean.On Earth, sea surface temperatures neverreach more than about 87 F (30.5 C), so therunaway phenomenon does not occur.

“It’s very intriguing. What is limiting thiseffect over the warm pool of the Pacific?”asked Young, a planetary scientist. He sug-gests that cloud cover may affect how muchenergy reaches or escapes Earth, or that theocean and atmosphere may transport trappedenergy away from the local hotspot. “If wecan model the outgoing energy flux, thenmaybe we can begin to understand whatlimits sea surface temperature on Earth,” hesaid. The Ames researchers are not the first tostudy the phenomenon. No consensus hasbeen reached on the energy turnover or thelimitation of sea surface temperature.

Rabbette analyzed clear-sky data abovethe tropical Pacific from March 2000 to July

2001. She determined that water vapor above5 kilometers (3 miles) altitude in the atmo-sphere contributes significantly to the run-away greenhouse signature. She found that,at 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) above the Pacificwarm pool, the relative humidity in the at-mosphere can be greater than 70 percent --more than three times the normal range. Innearby regions of the Pacific where the seasurface temperature is just a few degreescooler, the atmospheric relative humidity isonly 20 percent. These drier regions of theneighboring atmosphere may contribute tostabilizing the local runaway greenhouseeffect, Rabbette said.

The Ames team uses real climate informa-tion such as relative humidity and tempera-ture -- not hypothetical numbers -- in themoderate resolution atmospheric radiativetransfer, or MODTRAN, modeling program.The program calculates how much energyescapes back to space from the top of Earth’satmosphere. The researchers plan to experi-ment with the model to test the runawaygreenhouse signature’s sensitivity to climateconditions. By varying the abundance ofother greenhouse gases, such as carbon di-oxide and by adding clouds in the model,they will see the overall effect on the outgo-ing energy.

The model may help researchers uncoverwhy Venus experienced a complete runawaygreenhouse and lost its water over a periodof several hundred million to a billion years.The research may also help determine whichplanets in the so-called ‘habitable zone’ of asolar system might lack water, an essentialingredient for life as we know it.

Tropical runaway greenhouse provides insight to VenusTropical runaway greenhouse provides insight to VenusTropical runaway greenhouse provides insight to VenusTropical runaway greenhouse provides insight to VenusTropical runaway greenhouse provides insight to Venus

BY KENDALL POWELL

10

Abundant water ice found on MarsAbundant water ice found on MarsAbundant water ice found on MarsAbundant water ice found on MarsAbundant water ice found on Mars

BY ANN HUTCHISON

continued from front pageorganisms that live on ice, but where there isice today could once have been liquid. Wemay be seeing the ‘tip of the iceberg,’ withliquid water still somewhere below the sur-face.”

The gamma ray spectrometer senses thecomposition below the surface to a depth asgreat as three feet. By combining the differ-ent types of data from the instrument, theteam has concluded that hydrogen is notdistributed uniformly over the upper threefeet, but is more concentrated in a lowerlayer beneath the top-most surface.

The team also found that the hydrogen-rich regions are located in very cold areaswhere ice should be stable. This relationshipled the team to conclude that the hydrogenis, in fact, in the form of ice. The ice-rich layeris about two feet beneath the surface at 60degrees south latitude, and within one footof the surface at 75 degrees south latitude.

“Mars has surprised us again. The earlyresults from the gamma ray spectrometerteam are better than we ever expected,” saidStephen Saunders, Odyssey project scientistat NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. “In a fewmonths, as we get into martian summer inthe northern hemisphere, it will be excitingto see what lies beneath the cover of carbondioxide dry-ice as it disappears.”

“The signature of buried hydrogen seen

in the south polar area is also seen in thenorth, but not in the areas close to the pole.This is because the seasonal carbon dioxidefrost covers the polar areas in winter,” saidWilliam Feldman, principal investigator forthe neutron spectrometer at Los AlamosNational Lab. “As northern spring ap-proaches, the latest neutron data indicatethat the frost is receding, revealing hydro-gen-rich soil below.”

“We have suspected for some time thatMars once had large amounts of water nearthe surface. The big questions we are tryingto answer are, 'where did all that water go?'and 'what are the implications for life?' Mea-suring and mapping the icy soils in the polarregions of Mars is an important piece of thispuzzle. But we need to continue searching,perhaps much deeper underground, for whathappened to the rest of the water we thinkMars once had,” said Jim Garvin, Mars pro-gram scientist at NASA headquarters.

Another new result from the neutrondata is that large areas of Mars at low tomiddle latitudes contain slightly enhancedamounts of hydrogen, equivalent to severalpercent water by mass. Interpretation of thisfinding is ongoing, but the team's prelimi-nary hypothesis is that this relatively smallamount of hydrogen is more likely to bechemically bound to the minerals in the soil,than to be in the form of water ice.

“We have been waiting more than 20years to fly a detector of this sort aroundMars,” noted Hubbard. “I was a scientist atLawrence Berkeley Lab as we developed thefundamental technology for Boynton's sen-sor. It is very satisfying to see the goal finallyreached.”

JPL manages the 2001 Mars Odysseymission for NASA's Office of Space Science.Investigators at Arizona State University,Tempe; the University of Arizona, Tucson;and NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston,operate the science instruments. The Univer-sity of Arizona provided the gamma rayspectrometer in collaboration with the Rus-sian Aviation and Space Agency, which pro-vided the high-energy neutron detector, andthe Los Alamos National Lab., New Mexico,which provided the neutron spectrometer.Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, de-veloped and built the orbiter. Mission opera-tions are conducted jointly from LockheedMartin and from JPL.

2001 Mars Odyssey launched on April 7,2001, and arrived at Mars on Oct. 23, 2001.Additional information about Mars Odysseyand the gamma ray spectrometer is availableon the Internet at: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/ and at: http://grs.lpl.arizona.edu


NASA Ames recently hosted the NASAFederal Law Enforcement Training Academy

(NFLETA), including instructors from theKennedy Space Center, where the program

BY LT. MARK TARTE

is administered.Designed to train new protective service

law enforcementand security offic-ers, the four-weekcourse of instruc-tion covered suchdiverse topics asconstitutional law,United Statescriminal code,NASA regulations,federal arrest au-thority, use offorce, defensivetactics and com-munity relations.All NASA Amesprotective servicepersonnel receivedannual first re-sponder training inHAZMAT, first aid/CPR, weaponsqualifications andemergency vehicle

operations.The class graduated 13 new protective

11

Ames hosts law enforcement training academyAmes hosts law enforcement training academyAmes hosts law enforcement training academyAmes hosts law enforcement training academyAmes hosts law enforcement training academyservice personnel, 12 assigned to Ames andone assigned to the Stennis Space Center.Ames security officer Greg James was awardedthe honor graduate certificate for having thehighest combined score for academic andphysical achievement. Protective Serviceschief Clint Herbert administered the oath ofoffice to all of the new officers at the gradu-ation ceremony on March 27.

The Ames security officers entered a two-week, on-the-job training program concen-trating on entry control, badge control, facil-ity security and other physical security areas.The law enforcement officers entered a 10-week, field-training program during whichtime they will be trained and evaluated byfield training officers on their abilities tohandle emergency situations, patrol duties,traffic control and other duties they are calledupon to handle on a daily basis.

The final result is a qualified, well-trainedand dedicated officer, equipped to handleany contingencies so as to ensure the safetyand protection of all personnel and facilitiesat NASA Ames.

photo by Tom Trower

Safety and Quality week events draw crowdsSafety and Quality week events draw crowdsSafety and Quality week events draw crowdsSafety and Quality week events draw crowdsSafety and Quality week events draw crowds

photos by Tom Trower

Many at Ames participated in the SafetyWeek fun run held on May 21. TheSafety Street Fair held on May 23 includedvarious safety and health vendor booths,providing information such as ergonomictraining, water conservation, asbestoscontainment, fitness information andmany others. Music was provided, as wellas cake and punch, for attendees.

Security Officer Greg James (front left) receives the Distinguished GraduateAward from Protective Services Office Chief Clint Herbert (right) in March.


The NASA Astrobiology Institute extendscongratulations to two new members of theNational Academy of Sciences (NAS). Dr.John P. Grotzinger of the NAI Harvard leadteam and Dr. Gerald Schubert of the NAIUniversity of California Los Angeles lead teamjoin 13 other NAI researchers as members ofthe National Academy of Sciences. Only 72new members of the NAS were selected thisyear. Election to membership in the acad-emy is one of the highest honors that can beaccorded a U.S. scientist or engineer. Thoseelected this year bring the total number ofactive NAS members to 1,907.

Grotzinger, Schrock professor of earthsciences and director of the Department ofEarth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences,Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cam-bridge, is senior project investigator for ‘ThePlanetary Context of Biological Evolution:Neoproterozoic-Cambrian EnvironmentChange and Evolution.’ He is developingdigital mapping techniques that will be ap-plicable to studies of martian geology.Grotzinger also examines subsurface cores inOman for paleontologic information aboutCambrian ecosystem expansion.

Schubert, professor and department chairof geophysics and planetary sciences, Uni-versity ofCalifornia, Los Angeles, addressesthe physics of the Earth and the planets, theirstructures and evolution. He has conductedresearch on fundamental geophysical fluiddynamics, structure of planetary interiors,mantle convection in the Earth and planets,plate tectonics, chemistry of upper atmo-spheres, and planetary atmospheres, sur-faces and interiors. He is co-author of the

books Geodynamics and Mantle Convectionin the Earth and Planets.

It is estimated that approximately 150members of the NAI would be eligible forelection in the NAS. A previous calculationfound 13 existing members of the NAI whoare also in the National Academy of Sciences.Previously admitted NAI members of theNAS include:

Dr. John Abelson, NAI Jet Propulsion Labo-ratory. 1 lead team; Dr. Thomas Ahrens, NAIJet Propulsion Laboratory, 1 lead team; Dr.Baruch Blumberg, NAI director; Dr. JohnHayes, NAI Harvard University, lead team;Dr. Paul Hoffman, NAI Harvard University,lead team; Dr. Heinrich Holland, NAI HarvardUniversity, lead team; Dr. Andrew Knoll, NAIHarvard University, lead team; Dr. NormanPace, NAI University of Colorado, Boulder,lead team; Dr. Julius Rebek, NAI ScrippsResearch Institute, lead team; Dr. J. WilliamSchopf, NAI University of California, Los An-geles, lead team; Dr. Melvin Simon, NAI JetPropulsion Laboratory, 1 lead team; Dr.George Wetherill, NAI Carnegie Institutionof Washington, lead team; Dr. Hatten Yoder,NAI Carnegie Institution of Washington, leadteam.

In addition to the NAI lead team mem-bers, eight members of the NAI Director'sScience Council also have been elected intothe NAS. They include: Dr. Sidney Altman,Yale University; Dr. Walter Alvarez, Universityof California, Berkeley; Dr. Philip W. Ander-son, Princeton University; Dr. Sydney Brenner,Molecular Sciences Institute; Dr. Murray Gell-Mann, Santa Fe Insitute ; Dr. Robert Laughlin,Standord University; Dr. Joshua Lederberg,

The Rockerfeller University; and Dr. MaxineF. Singer, Carnegie Institution of Washing-ton

The National Academy of Sciences wasestablished in 1863 by an act of Congress,signed by Abraham Lincoln. The academy isa private organization of scientists and engi-neers ‘dedicated to the furtherance of sci-ence and its use for the general welfare.’

For more information about the NationalAcademy of Sciences, visit http://www.nationalacademies.org/

NAI members elected into National Academy of SciencesNAI members elected into National Academy of SciencesNAI members elected into National Academy of SciencesNAI members elected into National Academy of SciencesNAI members elected into National Academy of Sciences

The Applied Technology Division, CodeJT, is proud to present the upgraded Amescalendar service. The old Netscape calen-dar service was phased out and the newand fully supported Ames calendar servicewas activated on April 29. This upgradereplaced a service that was operating at itsmaximum capacity with one that can eas-ily accommodate the projected usage atAmes. Before the upgrade, new accountscould not be added and calendar supportwas limited. Now, the new service is fullyoperational and ready to handle new cal-endar accounts.

To prepare Ames residents for the cal-endar service upgrade, the Applied Tech-nology Division set up a series of town hallmeetings. The audience included key ITpersonnel and users of the old calendarservice. Pertinent issues such as desktopsoftware requirements for the new ser-vice, account registration, benefits, sched-ule, and contact information were ad-dressed. Wei Lin, the project lead, and thecalendar service project team were presentat the meetings to address concerns, is-

sues and answer questions from users.For quality control purposes, it was

decided that no new calendar accountswould be added until the new calendarservice was deemed stable and perform-ing as expected.

Effective June 3, after a month of care-fully monitoring the performance of thenew calendar service, the Applied Tech-nology Division is now ready to acceptnew accounts. You may register for yournew calendar account at: http://amescalendar.arc.nasa.gov. A signedregistration form must be submitted be-fore a calendar account can be processed.

For more information about the Amescalendar service, log on to: http://amescalendar.arc.nasa.gov. Here you’llfind new user information, quick refer-ence guides, support and contact num-bers, policy and even access your calendarvia the Web!

Upgraded calendar service is hereUpgraded calendar service is hereUpgraded calendar service is hereUpgraded calendar service is hereUpgraded calendar service is here

Code JPFB winsCode JPFB winsCode JPFB winsCode JPFB winsCode JPFB winsEPA awardEPA awardEPA awardEPA awardEPA awardcontinued from page 3

ings and significantly reduced potential ex-posures to workers applying these productsand other employees, as well as exposurereduction to resident animal populationswho might otherwise come into contactwith such materials.

All debris generated by landscaping andgrounds maintenance operation, plus a lim-ited amount of shredded paper, are col-lected and composted onsite. The operationproduces all the compost used at Ames.Compost is used in landscaping operationsand is also used to enhance bioremediationof fuel-contaminated soil generated fromstorage tank removal projects.

Each year, the EPA celebrates and recog-nizes outstanding environmental advocateswho have made significant contributionstoward enhancing and protecting the qual-ity of our environment. Representatives fromCode JFP, Johnson Controls, Inc., ShimadaLandscape, A-Pro Pest Control and SouthBay Maintenance received their award at theEPA office in San Francisco on June 6.

For more information, contact Al Lyon atext. 4-3319.

• 6/12: EPR and Section 508 Town Hall meeting N245 auditorium, 10:00 a.m.

-- People who buy electronic and information technology

• 6/19: AppleTalk phase out briefing N269 Rm 100, 1:15 p.m. -- MAC support personnel• 6/20: HVAC Town Hall meeting N233, Rm 172, 10:30 a.m. -- N233 residents• 6/27: Web and Section 508 outreach N245 auditorium, 10:30 a.m. -- Web developers

June IT events:June IT events:June IT events:June IT events:June IT events:


Advancing the triumvirate of nano-, bio-and information technology, research withinthe NASA Advanced Supercomputing divi-sion has attracted recognition with theaward of a Director’s Discretionary Fundgrant to researchers Deepak Srivastava andChris Henze. Their proposal for the‘biomimetic simulation of signal transmis-sion in nanotube-based dendritic networks’represents an innovative step forward in thedivision’s work on nanotechnology. Inspiredby the structure and operations of biologicalneural systems, the scientists plan to investi-gate the properties of a 3-D, tree-like archi-tecture of carbon nanotubes and prove itsviability.

The field of molecular electronics usingcarbon nanotubes has progressed rapidly inrecent years resulting in several newly pat-ented technologies, which experts believewill ultimately lead to the next generation ofelectronic computing devices. The NationalScience Foundation estimates that by theyear 2015, the market for products manufac-

tured using nanotechnology will reach $1trillion. In his latest budget proposal, Presi-dent Bush included a 17 percent increase inspending on nanotechnology research.

NAS division’s proposal of a 3-D, tree-likecircuitry takes a unique approach to currentresearch by private industry and academia,which has so far focused on 2-D models. “Werecently showed that three-terminalnanotubes grown as a y-junction serve asrectifier switches and have analog logic ca-pacity,” said Srivastava, senior scientist andlead of computational nanotechnology in-vestigations at NAS. “These properties in-spired us to consider the concept of a systemarchitecture similar to the biological neuralsystem, but made up of synthetic material.”

By taking data derived from stimulatingthe nerve cells of crickets, Henze, a seniorresearch scientist, is able to simulate theirelectronic behavior. Such simulations are amajor tool in determining exactly how sig-nals are transformed as they pass throughthe branch structures of neurons. “What’s

Growing the next generation of computersGrowing the next generation of computersGrowing the next generation of computersGrowing the next generation of computersGrowing the next generation of computers

BY JULIE A. JERVIS

13

On May 23, the Occupational Safety andHealth Administration (OSHA) recognizedNASA Ames for its excellence in health andsafety programs.

Gabriel Gillotti, director of OSHA’s Re-gion IX Voluntary Protection Program (VPP)presented the VPP Star flag to Nancy

Ames celebrates VPP Star statusAmes celebrates VPP Star statusAmes celebrates VPP Star statusAmes celebrates VPP Star statusAmes celebrates VPP Star status

BY SHELLEEN LOMAS

becoming clear is that there’s a lot of non-linear processing going on in the complexbranching structures,” said Henze, “and ithas a lot to do with the geometry of thebranching.” This observation, combined withSrivastava’s simulations in building branchednanotube systems, led to a confluence ofideas for the proposal that the scientists hopewill ultimately demonstrate how signals couldbe transmitted and processed as they passthrough a branched-tree system made ofcarbon nanotubes.

The Director’s Discretionary Fund pro-vides seed money for innovative and high-risk research that, if successful, could lead tofundamental scientific breakthroughs. TheNAS scientists hope that showing a high levelof functionality will inspire other groups totry to grow the tree and eventually lead tovery complex sensing and computing appli-cations.

Bingham, NASA Ames Deputy Director (Act-ing) at a commemorative ceremony heldduring the center’s annual safety and qualityweek. Gillotti complimented the center on

the outstanding cooperation he has seenfrom the union, management and employ-ees as a team working together as partners

with OSHA.The Star certification represents OSHA’s

most prestigious award. Ames became thefirst federal facility in the western region toearn Star status, which includes the states ofCalifornia, Arizona and Nevada. Ames is thethird NASA site in the country to achieve theStar level.

As a VPP Star site, Ames is recognized ashaving an exemplary commitment to work-place health and safety. For over two yearsmanagers, union members and employeeshave worked together to achieve this symbolof excellence. Suzanne Meyer, vice presi-dent of the Ames Federal Employee Union,said “certification means the relationshipbetween union, management and employ-ees is working. It is a model of success.”

Bingham observed that today is not theend of the process, but the culmination ofour efforts. We must continue to showimprovement, defending and maintainingwhat we have and achieving ever-greaterexcellence in our safety and health pro-grams, in our facilities and in our commit-ment.

The Star ceremony concluded at the flagpole in front of Building 200 where thecombined management, union and em-ployee team together raised the VPP Starflag.

Bingham remarked, “each one of you --our entire workforce -- are the beneficiariesof what we have jointly accomplished. Youare also the instrument and the means to oursuccess. I thank each and every one, andencourage you to take responsibility, be thestandard bearer and continue to build mo-mentum for our safety and health prioritiesand programs.”

photo by Tom Trower

From left to right: Holding the VPP Star flag, Nancy Bingham, Ames Deputy Director (Acting); GabrielGillotti, director of OSHA’s Region IX Voluntary Protection Program (VPP); and Marc M. Cohen,president Ames Federal Employees Union. The flag was presented to Ames on May 23 in recognitionof the center’s excellence in its health and safety programs.


Do you know what ‘electronic and infor-mation technology (EIT) accessibility’ or itscommonly used nickname Section 508 isabout? Do you know that Ames’ implemen-tation will impact how purchase requests(PRs) will be processed in the future?

With the exception of micro-purchases(under $2,500), all PRs that include the pur-chase of EIT will require a market survey andcertification. The new process is illustrated inthe above flow chart.

To learn more about the process, and

how it will impact PR initiators, Code J issponsoring a town hall meeting on Wednes-day, June 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.in the N245 auditorium. All Ames personnelwho are impacted by this change in process

are encouraged to attend. The roll-out sched-ule is set forth below.

All PRs (ePR, paper-based) will begin thecompliance process on June 20. As of thatdate, the acquisition civision will no longeraccept PRs that do not include the Section508 certification.

Service requests to SERV I will begin thecompliance process on Oct. 1. Again, as ofthat date SERV I will not accept SRs that donot include the Section 508 certification.

Code JT maintains a Web site, located at:

http://section508.arc.nasa.gov/ that pro-vides additional information and assistancefor Ames personnel to comply with the newlaw.

Ames modifies PR processesAmes modifies PR processesAmes modifies PR processesAmes modifies PR processesAmes modifies PR processes

Implementing successful centerwidechange requires the commitment, supportand teamwork of people at all levels. Under-standing this need for collaboration, theAmes Integrated Financial Management Pro-gram (IFMP) has created an infrastructure toprovide leadership, direction and resourcesto ensure program success. The IFMP teamconsists of a steering committee, processowners, project module teams and an imple-mentation support team (IST).

IFMP is following a modular implementa-tion strategy that cascades the ‘go live’ datesof projects. This cascading strategy allowsthe IFMP team to pay attention to balancingthe human side of change as well as therequirements associated with a large-scaleenterprise resources system implementation.

Centerwide implementation of the projectmodules requires the ability to identify andmake the necessary changes in processesand working relationships. The most effec-tive and enduring way to make these changesis through the direct involvement and com-

Integrated financial management moves forwardIntegrated financial management moves forwardIntegrated financial management moves forwardIntegrated financial management moves forwardIntegrated financial management moves forwardmitment of people within the processes.That is why there is such broad participationin each of the module projects.

Each group within the IFMP infrastruc-ture has roles and responsibilities that helpguide and coordinate this work. The AmesIFMP steering committee is responsible forthe overall coordination of the program,providing resources, removing barriers, em-powering action, resolving any center-levelconflicts and serving as a sounding board forproject team issues. At the strategic level,this primary role is to develop a vision, a‘concept of operations’ of how Ames will dobusiness in the new IFMP environment. TheIFMP vision at Ames is to empower staff tomake strategically sound business decisions.

Project module teams are the ‘engines’ ofIFMP implementation because they workacross a range of functional, change man-agement, and IT roles to drive the process.Project team members are chosen from thefunctional area(s) affected by the modulebeing implemented. The project team is

responsible for planning and implementingthe project. Teams work with their func-tional leaders, called process owners, to ana-lyze issues, solicit support and resources,make decisions about changes and imple-ment the project in an effective and timelymanner. The implementation support teamreports to the steering committee, and itprovides services to its customers, the projectteams, and the team’s stakeholders or peoplewho are impacted by the change.

The steering committee and an imple-mentation support team provide importanton-going support for IFMP, including:

• An enduring ‘implementation machine’that ensures that the implementation of eachand every project fits into the overall visionand business strategy;

• Lessons learned from each project, whichare then applied to future implementation atthe center;

• Build the capacity for process improve-ment and sustained organizational changethroughout the center. Developing an expe-rienced core of change managers and agentswho can help future change efforts.

The key roles of the IST are:• Actively pursue opportunities for knowl-

edge transfer between centers;• Assess the center’s change readiness;• Identify barriers to IFMP-related change;• Navigate and minimize organizational

barriers to change;• Implement process changes at Ames;• Customize program and lead center

change management approaches;• Identify and close skills gaps through

training and other learning activities;• Provide regular status updates to lead

center and program office;• Provide specific feedback to the pro-

gram office.The IST team has articulated guiding

principles to help this accomplish its workand realize this vision. Their guiding prin-ciple statement reads:

In all that we do we want to ensure afocus on improving processes and enhanc-ing the quality of work life for all employees.For information about IFMP and the IFMPteam, contact any IST member:

• Greg Josselyn, IST Lead, [email protected]

• Gail James, Training [email protected]• Linda Jensen, Transition Management

[email protected]• Ely Cooper, Change Management [email protected]• Pam McGee, Communication

[email protected]• William Likens, IT [email protected]


Event Calendar

MiscellaneousMiscellaneousMiscellaneousMiscellaneousMiscellaneous

TransportationTransportationTransportationTransportationTransportation

Ames ClassifiedsAmes ClassifiedsAmes ClassifiedsAmes ClassifiedsAmes ClassifiedsAds for the next issue should be sent to

[email protected] by the first Friday follow-ing publication of the present issue and must be resub-mitted for each issue. Ads must involve personal needsor items; (no commercial/third-party ads) and will runon a space-available basis only. First-time ads are givenpriority. Ads must include home phone numbers; Amesextensions and email addresses will be accepted forcarpool and lost and found ads only. Due to the volumeof material received, we are unable to verify the accuracyof the statements made in the ads.

HousingHousingHousingHousingHousing

Ames Public Radio & PhoneAmes Public Radio & PhoneAmes Public Radio & PhoneAmes Public Radio & PhoneAmes Public Radio & Phone1700 KHz AM radio -- information announcements

and emergency instructions, when appropriate, for Amesemployees. The emergency information phone numberfor Ames is (650) 604-9999.

Exchange InformationExchange InformationExchange InformationExchange InformationExchange Information

Beyond GalileoBeyond GalileoBeyond GalileoBeyond GalileoBeyond Galileo N-235 (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)N-235 (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)N-235 (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)N-235 (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)N-235 (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)ext. 4-6873ext. 4-6873ext. 4-6873ext. 4-6873ext. 4-6873Ask about NASA customized gifts for specialoccasions. Make your reservations for Chase Park.

Mega Bites Mega Bites Mega Bites Mega Bites Mega Bites N-235 (6 a.m. to 2 p.m.)N-235 (6 a.m. to 2 p.m.)N-235 (6 a.m. to 2 p.m.)N-235 (6 a.m. to 2 p.m.)N-235 (6 a.m. to 2 p.m.)ext. 4-5969ext. 4-5969ext. 4-5969ext. 4-5969ext. 4-5969See daily menu at: http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov

Visitor Center Gift ShopVisitor Center Gift ShopVisitor Center Gift ShopVisitor Center Gift ShopVisitor Center Gift Shop N-223 N-223 N-223 N-223 N-223(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) ext. 4-5412(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) ext. 4-5412(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) ext. 4-5412(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) ext. 4-5412(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) ext. 4-5412NASA logo merchandise, souvenirs, toys, giftsand educational items.

Open 7 days a week, 7:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. Ratesfrom $40 - $50.

Vacation OpportunitiesVacation OpportunitiesVacation OpportunitiesVacation OpportunitiesVacation Opportunities

Check Web site for discounts to local attractions,http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov and click on tickets.Jul 20 Champions on Ice; Aug 17 Circus (Oakland)

Information about products, services and oppor-tunities provided to the employee and contractorcommunity by the Ames Exchange Council. Visitthe web site at: http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov

Lake Tahoe-Squaw Valley Townhse, 3bd/2ba, Balcony view, horseback riding, hiking, biking, golf, river rafting, tennis, ice skating, and more. Equipped. Summer rates. Call (650) 968-4155, [email protected]

South Lake Tahoe Cottage w/wood fireplaceand hot tub. Rates from $50 to $130 pernight. Call (650) 967-7659 or (650) 704-7732.

Vacation rental, Bass Lake CA 14 mls south ofYosemite. 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.

Big Sur vacation rental, secluded 4bd/2bahouse in lovely canyon setting. Fully eqpdkitchen. Access to priv. beach. Tub in patiogdn. Halfway between Carmel & Big Sur.$175/night for 2; $225 for 4 and $250 for more,plus $150 cleaning dep. Call (650) 328-4427.

Incline Village: Forest Pines, Lake Tahoe condo,3 bd/2 ba, sleeps 8. Fireplc, TV/VCR, MW,W/D, jacuzzi, sauna, pool. $120/night low season;$155/night high season. $90 cleaning fee and12% Nevada room tax. Charlie (650) 366-1873.

Tahoe Donner vacation home, 2 bd/2ba. trees, deck, sun, fun. Access to pools, spa, golf, horseback riding, $280 wkend, $650 week. Call (408) 739-9134.

NASA LodgeNASA LodgeNASA LodgeNASA LodgeNASA Lodge (N-19) 603-7100 (N-19) 603-7100 (N-19) 603-7100 (N-19) 603-7100 (N-19) 603-7100

Tickets, etc...Tickets, etc...Tickets, etc...Tickets, etc...Tickets, etc...(N-235, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)(N-235, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)(N-235, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)(N-235, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)(N-235, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)ext. 4-6873ext. 4-6873ext. 4-6873ext. 4-6873ext. 4-6873

Ames Diabetics (AAD), 1st & 3rd Weds, 12 noon to1 p.m., at Ames Mega Bites, Sun rm. Support groupdiscusses news affecting diabetics. POC: Bob Mohlenhoff,ext. 4-2523/email at: [email protected].

Ames Federal Employees Union (AFEU) Mtg, thirdWednesday of each month, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Bldg. 19, Rm1042. Info at: http://www.afeu.org. POC: Marianne Mosher atext. 4-4055.

Ames IT Security, Birds-Of-A-Feather Mtg, June 13,10 a.m. to 11a.m., Bldg. 245/272 auditorium, Topic:Wireless Technology at Ames. Open to all IT professionalsinterested in learning about Wireless LANS. Presenters:Thom Stone and Mark Radwin. POC: Bob Lopez, ext. 4-0097/ [email protected]

Ames Sailing Club Mtg, second Thursday of eachmonth, 11.30 a.m. -1 p.m. POC: Diane Purcell ext.4-3232.Check Web site for monthly calender of events, http://sail.arc.nasa.gov

Environmental, Health and Safety InformationForum, first Thursday of each month, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30a.m., Bldg. 19/Rm 1040. URL: http://q.arc.nasa.gov/qe/events/EHSseries/ POC: Julie Quanz at ext. 4-6810.

Jetstream Toastmasters, Mondays, 12 noon to 1p.m., N-269/Rm. 179. Guests welcome. POC: CathyPayne at ext. 4-0003.

Model HO/HOn3 Railroad Train Club at MoffettField, Bldg. 126, across from south end of Hangar One.Work nights: usually Friday nights, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.Play time: Sundays, 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. John Donovan (408)735-4954 (W) or (408) 281-2899 (H).

Nat'l Association of Retired Federal Employees,(NARFE), first Friday of each month, S. J. Chptr #50 mtg,9:30 a.m., July 5 mtg., 51st anniversary luncheon, ThreeFlames Restaurant, 1547 Meridian Avenue., 11 a.m., $16 pp.POC: Earl Keener (408) 241-4459 or NARFE 1-800-627-3394.

Native American Advisory Committee Mtg,fourth Tues each month, 12 noon to 1 p.m., Bldg. 19,Rm 1096. POC: Mike Liu at ext. 4-1132.

Ames Amateur Radio Club, third Thursday of eachmonth, 12 noon, N-T28 (across from N-255). POC: MichaelWright, KG6BFK, at ext. 4-6262. URL: http://hamradio.arc.nasa.gov.

Ames Ballroom Dance Club. Classes meetTuesdays. Begin classes start at 6:15 p.m. Higher-levelclass meets at 5:15 p.m. Held in Bldg. 944, the Rec.Center. POC: Helen Hwang, [email protected].

Ames Bowling League, Palo Alto Bowl on Tuesdaynights. Seeking full-time bowlers and substitutes. Pre-leaguemeeting at Palo Alto Bowl on Tues, August 28 at 6 p.m.Questions to sign up: Mike Liu at ext. 4-1132.

Ames Child Care Center Board of Directors Mtg,every other Thursday (check web site for meeting dates:http://accc.arc.nasa.gov), 12 noon to 2 p.m., N-269, Rm.201. POC: Joan Walton, ext 4-2005.

Ames Contractor Council Mtg, first Weds ea. mon, 11a.m., N-200, Comm. Rm. POC: Paul Chaplin, ext. 4-3262.

Bunkbed, student desk, and chest of drawers. Knottypine. $500. Linda (408) 262-6136.

Wanted: Olympus OM-1n or OM-2n camera body ingood working order for astrophotography. Zuiko lensesalso wanted if avail. Give your unused equipment a goodhome! Brian at [email protected] or (650) 940-1673.

Electric train board. Sturdy wood structure, slidesunder twin bed for easy storage. $90. Linda (408) 262-6136.

Student piano. Hobart M. Cable upright. goodcondition. $500. Linda (408) 262-6136.

Kenmore washer/dryer stack unit, two years serviceguarantee. Eight months old. Pd $997; sell for $500. CallPhilip or Rafael (408) 295-5684 (H); (408) 655-9692 (cell).

Hamilton portable record turntable, model 935,integrated circuit, 4 speed, 78, 45, 33, 16. $50. Worksfine. Email for photos. [email protected]

Found: Leather cap, hand made(?), dated 1978. CallDoug Pearson, ext. 4-6854.

Lost and FoundLost and FoundLost and FoundLost and FoundLost and Found

Mini motor-home, self-contained. 104K mls on '87Ford Econoline engine. $9,500 or B/O. [email protected] or call (415) 826-3041.

'94 Plymouth Voyager, V6 3.0L, AC, AT, roof rack,72k mls, great cond. $3,800. Call (650) 948-6310 eves.

‘94 Geo Prism, well maintained by one owner, 94miles, $3,200. Automatic, airbags, new timing belt, airconditioning. Call (650) 964-0496.

'96 Ford Windstar, GL model, dark green, all power,excellent condition, 124k mls, one owner. $7K. Call(408) 847-9106 after 6:30 p.m.

'98 Acura Legend, white, 146K mls, 5-spd manual,pwr windows, moon roof, sound mechanical condition,runs smoothly, $2,200 or B/O. Call (408) 773-8078.

‘00 Lexus RX300 SUV. 17K mls, AC, stereo, CD, sunroof, and many more. Call (408) 446-4416.

Duplex 1bd/ba and gar. in Mt.View, 5 min. to Ames.Rent $1,050 plus dep. Pet OK. Long (650) 962-8728.

For rent: single-story home, IBM area, S. San José,3bd/2ba, 2 car garage, fireplace, D/W, freshly paintedoutside $1,650/mo, plus dep. Call (408) 365-7265.

Room in 2bd/1ba apartment in Sunnyvale. $505/mo.plus deposit. Female preferred NS/NP. Avail July, located10-15 min. from Ames. Estela (408) 738-1718.

Palo Alto condo for rent. 2bd/1ba, new windows/paint/carpets/blinds, AEK, appliances, pool, $1,550/mo.Call (650) 493-1079.

Room in 3bd/2ba MV townhouse, close to downtown.$800 rent (incl. utilities). Share with professional female.Private bathroom. Complex has tennis courts, pool and hottub. Female preferred. N/S. Call (650) 254-1121.

Large room to rent in spacious home w/two otherbusy professionals, short commute. $600. Availableimmediately. W/D, utils included (except phone).Peaceful/low stress environment. John (408) 567-0365 oremail at: [email protected]

Room for rent w/private bath, W/D, yard, quiet area/housemate in Fremont. $570 plus utils and dep. Carpoolsome days possible. No: smokers, slobs, allergies to cats.Avail. mid-June. Call (510) 797-7442.

Apartment for rent: 1bd/1ba, Sunnyvale- Fair Oaks/101. Quiet/clean/large. Free laundry. $925/mo, $900dep. Call (408) 988-0880.

Need riders for van pool from Los Banos to Amesand return. Arrive Ames 6:00 a.m. leave 3:30 p.m. Saveyour car. For more details call ext. 4-6793.

Van PoolVan PoolVan PoolVan PoolVan Pool

Baby clothes and items; lots of infant-12 mth boyclothes, swing, bouncie, walker and other items. All inexcellent condition. Call (408) 365-7575.

Sailboat 1/4 partnership. 25' Pacific Seacraft in FortMason marina (San Francisco). 4K or B/O. [email protected] or call (415) 826-3041.

Toshiba microwave oven, 24.5 in. wide, goodcondition, $45. Call (650) 369-0578.

6 cylinder motor for a 1965 Mustang. Goodcondition, $225. Call (510) 657-4247.

Wicker chaise lounger chair. $55. Tan w/grey edges.4.5 feet long. Email for photos: [email protected]

Wanted: ping-pong table in good condition. Deanna(408) 260-1180.

Yarn wanted, any kind and color. My mom crochetslap robes for Veterans Hospital and hospice patients. Anyamounts greatly appreciated. Linda (408) 739-7066.

Large plastic dog kennel w/grated door and windows.Holds up to 50 pd dog. Hardly used. $40. Call (510) 490-6505.

Pair of 49er tickets. Pre-season: Kansas City, Aug. 10,$84/pair; San Diego, Aug. 28, $84/pair. Call (650) 583-3046.

15

Ames RetirementsAmes RetirementsAmes RetirementsAmes RetirementsAmes RetirementsName Code DateName Code DateName Code DateName Code DateName Code DateDavid H. Denbow AF 5-31-02


National Aeronautics and Space Admnistration

Ames Research CenterMoffett Field, CA 94035-1000

Official BusinessPenalty for Private Use

PLEASE RECYCLEPrinted on recycled and recyclable paper with vegetable-based ink.

FIRST CLASS MAILPOSTAGE & FEES PAID

NASAPermit No. G-27

The Ames Astrogram is an official publicationof Ames Research Center, NationalAeronautics and Space Administration.

Managing Editor.......................David MorseEditor.......................................Astrid Terlep

We can be reached via email at:[email protected] or by phoneat (650) 604-3347

All Ames employees are invited to submitarticles relating to Ames projects and activitiesfor publication in the Astrogram. When submit-ting stories or ads for publication, submit yourmaterial, along with any questions, in MS wordby e-mail to: [email protected] onor before the deadline.

Astrogram deadlines

Deadline: Publication:July 1 July, 2002July 31 Aug, 2002

16

NASA Ames hosted the NASA LaboratoryAstrophysics Workshop at Moffett on May 1- 3. This programmatic workshop is periodi-cally held by NASA to assess the current stateof knowledge in the interdisciplinary field of

laboratory astrophysics, and the need tosupport current and future NASA spacemissions.

The workshop was sponsored by the Of-fice of Space Science (OSS) at NASA head-quarters and brought together a rich panelof experts in astrophysics, astronomy, phys-ics, chemistry and planetary sciences, includ-ing top names in the field, and NASA pro-gram managers from headquarters and Ames.

The science event attracted 140 partici-

Ames hosts astrophysics workshopAmes hosts astrophysics workshopAmes hosts astrophysics workshopAmes hosts astrophysics workshopAmes hosts astrophysics workshoppants and featured invited oral presentationsand poster sessions that sampled an excep-tionally rich scope of science topics coveringthe spectrum of this multidisciplinary field.Topics ranged from high-energy astrophys-

ics to the study ofinterstellar dustand solar systemobjects. The wel-coming talk wasdelivered by ScottHubbard, deputydirector for re-search at Ames.

"This was anexcellent and use-ful workshop. Itresulted in an ex-ecutive summarysent to headquar-ters and a whitepaper to be sent atthe end of the

month to support NASA's strategic planningon space science and astrophysics. Thescience program was organized by a nationalscience organizing committee. The hard workof the local organizing committee, and inparticular of Ames' Sara Acevedo and Dr.Jason Dworkin, resulted in a very enjoyableconference as we often heard from manyparticipants," said Dr. Farid Salama, CodeSSA, conference organizer and chair of theworkshop's science organizing committee.

BY KATHLEEN BURTON

More information and all abstracts andproceedings can be found at: http://www.astrochem.org/nasalaw/

Documents

Communication for the Information Technology Age June 2002 ...€¦ · Power Engineering Society sponsored a pre-sentation and luncheon at Ames on May 22 followed by a tour of Ames’