nasa 113463main 05 04astrogram b

8/14/2019 NASA 113463main 05 04astrogram b

1/16

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

April 2005

www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/astrogram/2005/05astrograms.html

South Bay Congressional reps visit Ames

NASAphotobyDominicHart

From left to right: U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (14th District); Ames Center Director G. Scott Hubbard;U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (16th District); and U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (15th District). The congressionalrepresentatives were at NASA Ames on April 4 to hold a discussion concerning the on-going NASAtransformation, and affirmed NASA Ames important role in providing cutting-edge science andtechnology in Silicon Valley.

The loss of jobs at Am es, redu ctionsin mission-enabling research and theeffects of focusing NASAs efforts onreturning human beings to the moon

and exploring Mars were the primarytopics during a unique, jam-packedmeeting in the main auditorium onApril 4.

For the first time in recent mem orythree local U.S. representatives visitedAmes as a group because of concernsabout the Center's future. Rep. Anna

Eshoo (14th District), Rep. Mike H ond a(15th District), and Rep. Zoe Lofgren(16th District) mad e brief opening state

continued on page 5

New NASA Administrator welcomes challenges of transition

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin

NASAphoto

On his first day of work, NASA'snew Adm inistrator Michael Griffin, ad-dressed NASA employees across thenation from Washington via satellite on

Apr il 14, one day a fter being confirmedby th e U.S. Senate a s N ASAs 11th Ad -ministrator.

"That's p robably th e fastest confir-

mation on record," qu ipped Griffin, ex-pressing his appreciation for the confi-dence shown him by the lawmakers.

Although his presentation w as hast-ily arranged, Griffin spoke confidentlyin a poised, frank m anner abou t NASA'sprospects, displayed a good sense ofhum or and insisted on being called sim-ply "Mike' or Michael," pointing outthat the NASA administration is notroyalty."

President George W. Bush nomi-nated Griffin as NASA Administrator inMarch, while he was serving as the h eadof the Space Department at JohnsHopkins Universitys Applied Physics

Laboratory in Baltimore. Griffin said hewas intensely prou d to be nom inatedfor the position to su cceed Sean OKeefe,wh o left the Agency in February.

Looking ahead as NASA und ergoestransformation in order to meet the goalsof the Vision for Space Exploration , Grif-fin n oted that its going to be d ifficult,and its going to be hecticbut weregoing to do this together. The day welost Columbia was p robably the worstday w e ever had, but ou t of that accidentcame a new vision for NASA," Griffinasserted.

Aware that many employees werewon dering about the future of NASA,Griffin p rovided some answ ers, whileattempting to pu t them at ease.

The new Adm inistrator outlined hisupcoming schedule, and said his firstpr iority is "retur n to flight." Followingthat, Griffin said he wou ld receive brief-ings about NASA and then he vowed totour all of NA SA's centers.

My goals are to listen to you ," Grif-fin said. Dur ing its transition, said Grif-fin, NASA will be reshap ed. "There aregoing to be som e d ifficult decisions to

make," Griffin observed. "There w ill betough choices." He pledged to makethose choices as fairly and humanelyas I can.

Following his brief presentation,Griffin opened the forum up to ques-

tions from audiences at NASA Headquarters and among the field centers.

The first question came from an employee at NASA Head qua rters, "It seemslike each of the mission d irectorates havelarge challenges," the employee noted"How do you deal with them all at once?

"I won't solve them all," Griffin re-spond ed, referring to the current p roblems that face the Agencys mission d irectorates. "We will bring ou t a team ofpeople (to solve them)," he explainedHe ad ded that he has rarely seen a moreprecise statement of a mission by gov-

ernm ent official than th at laid out by thePresident wh en he outlined a Vision forSpace Exploration.

"We will reshape NASA accordingto the President's vision, Griffin de-

continued on page 2


2/16

Astrogram April 20052

New NASA Administrator welcomes challenges of transition

clared. He added that to accomplishNASA's goals, he w ill surroun d himselfwith "capable peop le'," and joked that "amanager should be the dum best personon h is team."

A second questioner from NASAHead quarters said that basic science hasseemed to fall by the wayside. Griffindisagreed and said that he thinksNASAs science program is one of"NA SA's crow n jewels."

Nevertheless, Griffin agreed that"there is no d oubt there has been dam -age (to science at NASA)." He said thatwh ile the loss of the Colum bia has causedtemp orary d islocations of science at theagency, he said future budgets call forincreases in science.

"People are concerned abou t the fu-ture of Earth science and aeronautics,"he said and noted that bud get cuts have

to be done w ith a scalpel and not a m eatax.Another qu estion from an em ployee

at the Kenned y Space Center in Floridainquired about the publics reaction tothe national Vision for Space Explora-tion.

Griffin respon ded that with NASAsannua l budget of app roximately $16 bil-lion "the countr y could purchase quite avariety of space programs, and so thequestion of wh at we do w ith the money"is a legitimate one. "When I talk topeople about the Vision, I get nothingbut cheers," he reported.

A questioner from Langley Research

Center in Hampton, Va., asked aboutthe futu re of aeronau tics at NASA.

"Again, aeronautics is a core func-tion of NASA," he stated. "It has beenhard hit," he added. "We do live in aworld of limited resou rces, " he contin-ued. "Aero doesn't rate zero." He ex-

plained that even during the age ofApollo, when N ASA strove to fly to themoon , "we also did a lot of other things,too." He said that NASA flew 199 X-15flights, condu cted lifting bod y researchand a lot more.

Another telephone query fromMarshall Space flight Center in Hunts-ville, Ala., asked what Griffin learnedoutside of NASA that will help "for-ward " NASA's mission?

"One of the things I've seen outsid eNASA in the high-tech world, is theengine of comp etition," he said, addingthat people within NA SA "get immu neto it. We need to open ou r eyes up to that(comp etition)," he ventu red, suggestingthat N ASA needs to bring the nation'sindustrial capacity into the agen cy.

In response to a qu estion from GlennResearch Center in Cleveland, askinghow to pu rsue research in a comp etitivearena, Griffin said , "As m uch as I havebeen impressed (by industrial comp eti-tion) . . . I am not so foolish (to th ink) thatit is a cure for all (we d o)."

Griffin said that while there is aneed for competition in governm ent re-search, there also is a need for govern-ment laboratories to conduct researchand projects that industry would notundertake.

Griffin explained that dur ing WorldWar II, a host of federally sponsored

laboratories were created. He said hewou ld not distinguish between un iversity-run laboratories and th ose that em-ploy civil servants. "It wou ld be impr u-dent to ask compan ies to do things those

companies would not (otherwise) undertake," he said, beginning to explainthe role of those laboratories and NASA'scenters. He maintained that the role ofthe federal laboratories is very impor-tant.

Griffin carefully pointed out thatcompetition also is " healthy, even forfederal centers." But he added that hedid not w ant comp etition to close a labo-ratory so the last person out of the doorwould h ave to "tur n off the lights."

He said he wou ld strive toward s anapp ropriate balance between competition and assigned p rojects at NASA cen-ters. "There shou ld not be so mu ch painthat (we) would (end up w ith imp otenlaboratories)," he added. Competitionwill only w ork if there are enough com-petitors, according to Griffin. "We onlyhave one N avy Some things that thenation d oes are simp ly too big."

Griffin said that NASA JohnsonSpace Center, Hou ston, would h ead the job of making NASA's next spaceshipthat will carry human beings. "I do be-lieve. some core missions tha t N ASAdoes mu st be assigned," he emphasized

As he ended the question-and-an-swer session he said, "I look forward tohelping." The crowd at NASA Head-quarters clapped, and some peoplesmiled.

On April 18, Griffin held his firstnews conference as the new N ASA Administrator. Add ressing reporters gath-ered at NASA Headquarters in Washington and at various N ASA field centers, Griffin vowed to try to be moreaccessible, not less accessible to thenews med ia and said that he planned toestablish a new program analysis andevaluation shop headed by Dr. ScottPace to provid e forward looking plan-ning an d an alysis of the Agencys pr ograms. He also told reporters that hewould r ely heavily on the adv ice of seasoned NASA managers in making keydecisions related to Return to Flight.

Griffin was p resident and chief op-erating officer of In-Q-Tel, Inc., beforejoining Johns H opk ins in Ap ril 2004. Healso served in several positions withinOrbital Sciences Corporation, DullesVa., including chief executive officer oMagellan Systems, Inc.

Earlier in his career, AdministratorGriffin served as chief engineer at NASAand as deputy for Technology at theStrategic Defense Initiative Organization. He has served as an ad junct p rofessor at the University of Maryland , Johns

continued from front page

Ames situation room officially opens

The Ames New Business Office 'Situation Room' openhouse and ribbon cutting event held in March.

N

ASAphotobyDominicHart

The Ames New Busi-ness Office has establisheda situation room locatedin Bldg. 244, Room 203B.to provide a unique meet-ing and w ork space for de-veloping new businessideas.

Designed as a thinktank for new businessplanning and strategy de-

velopment, the situationroom houses a variety ofinformation about Amescapabilities, new businesspu rsuits, potential custom-ers and funding opportu-nities. An open hou se andribbon cutting ceremony w as held inMarch in the situation room.

The situation room is open from8:30 a.m. to noon for drop-in visits,and 1:00 p.m. to 5 p.m. for schedu ledsessions such as seminars brainstorm -ing sessions. Take advantage of the

worksp ace and the informative envi-ronment: bring your ideas and col-leagues.

To learn m ore about th e situationroom, v i s i t the New Bus inessOffice Web s i t e a t h t tp :/ / NewBusiness.arc.nasa.gov.

continued on page 8


3/16

3Astrogram April 2005

Prospective tenants explore space at NRP open house

NASA photos by Dominic Hart

NASA Research Park

welcomes these new tenants

Mejghan Haider, chief of the NASA Research Park Division, speaks with a reporterfrom the Palo Alto Daily News at the first NRP open house held in March.

NASA Research Park account managersAntoinette Price (left) and Cyndi Carbon-Norman (second from left) speak with visitors

from Lockheed Martin who came to seeavailable lease space in building 19.

Steady rain and gray skies did n otkeep prospective tenants from visitingthe sunny halls of two n ewly refurbishedwings in Bldg. 19 in March at NASAResearch Park (NRP) Division's firstopen hou se event.

"This w as ou r first effort to aggres-sively market the existing facilitieswithin the NRP. We had a great turnoutand have over 30 prospects. We plan to

have another open house and sympo-sium this summer," said MejghanHaider, d ivision chief, NASA ResearchPark.

Visitors from numerous small andlarge companies, non-profits and uni-versity research labs toured second floorwings and available first floor space du r-ing the four-hour late afternoon event.

"We were w owed by the response,"

said Antoinette Price, NRP accoun t manager and interior expert wh o created thesun ny h allways. "This was a first of itskind. But then, we should not be sur-prised because this is NASA," she said

The public-private partnerships inthe NRP will benefit the Center in twoways, said Haider. The increased potential for collaboration and par tnershipwill strengthen ou r research p rogramsand revenue generation will help redu ce the G&A burd en to the Center, shesaid. Haider went on to thank all employees who d ropped by and encouraged th eir associates to attend .

For more information abou t N ASAResearch Park visit the Web at http:/ /www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov

BY DIANE FARRAR

The celebration cake at the recent NASAResearch Park first open house event.

Inland Northwest Space All iance (INSA)-- Univ. of Montana sp ace advocacy non-pr ofit organ ization.

Fireball-- Na tionally registered p rovider of inciden t suppor t services

for wild land fires.

Arachi-- Developer of comprehensive dynamic motion technology

providing realistic motion in digital world.

NXAR LLC-- Software development for knowledge n etwork systems.

Venezia Construction, Inc.-- SBA/ HU B Zone certified on-site constru ction.


4/16


Return to Flight space shuttle com-mander Eileen M. Collins and pilotJam es M. Kelly wer e available for a 15-minute question-and -answer sessionwith the news media in March.

The astronauts were at NASAAmes to train at the center's verticalmotion simu lator (VMS). The STS-114

Discovery m ission to th e InternationalSpace Station is schedu led for laun chbetween May 15 and Jun e 3.

While in the simulator, Collinsand Kelly practiced sp ace shuttle land -ing and safety procedures. The VMSaccurately prod uces various landingscenarios, includ ing landing at nigh t,landing with heavy cross winds orland ing with a flat tire. The astronau tswill 'land' the shuttle as many as 30times during th eir four h ours of train-ing in the simulator. Astronaut crews

Return to Flight astronauts visit Ameshave been training atthe vertical motionsimulator since theearly 1980s.

The VMS com-plex provides re -searchers with excep-tional tools to explore,

define and solve is-sues in both aircraftand spacecraft design.It offers fast and cost-effective solutions, u s-ing real-time pilotedsimulation, realisticsensory cues and thegreatest m otion ran geof any flight simula-tor in the world. In ad dition to the spaceshu ttle, the VMS has simu lated veh iclesincluding the AV-8 Harrier jet fighter,

Return to Flight space shuttle commander Eileen Collins and pilotJames Kelly at Ames on March 23.

the CH -47D Chinook helicopter an dconcept aircraft and sp acecraft.

Exploring Saturn family event draws in crowds

An estimated 3,000 people attended theExploring Saturn event held at NASA Ames onApril 16.

On Apr il 16, NASA Am es hostedExploring Saturn at Ames as anotherinstallment in the h ighly successful andongoing fam ily night edu cation series.The free event was open to the public

and was geared tow ard all ages of kidsand adu lts. As estimated 3,000 peop leattended the event.

Hosted by the External Relationsand Development Directorate and spon-sored by the NASA Ames EducationOffice, the event was held in conjunc-tion w ith National Astronomy Day andfeatured NASA's exploration of Saturnand its moons. The event includ ed thelatest images and data from the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, which arrived atthe ringed p lanet in the sum mer of 2004.

The event began with family-oriented educational exhibits and activi-ties. Then, a pan el of planetary scientists and mission experts presented an dexplained information arriving from theCassini satellite curr ently orb iting Saturn and the related Huygens probewh ich land ed on Titan earlier this yearLater, visitors were able to condu ctheir own first-hand exp lorations of Sat

urn and its fascinating rings and moonsthrou gh a variety of telescopes set up bythe Pen insula Astr onom ical Society.

NASA

photobyDominicHrat

Exploring Saturn family event attendees on April 16 waiting in line for a chance to peek at Saturnthrough the telescopes that were provided by the Peninsula Astronomical Society.

NASA photos by Astrid Terlep


5/16


From left to right: U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (14th District); U.S. Rep. ZoeLofgren (16th District); and U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (15th District) atNASA Ames on April 4.

NASAphotobyDominicHrat

continued from front page

South Bay Congressional reps visit with Ames employees

continued on page 13

ments and then fielded q uestions fromconcerned Center scientists, engineersand support staff. Ames faces a morethan $120 million shortfall in its fiscal2006 budget, according to a letter the

repr esentatives sent to M ichael Griffin,the man nominated by President Bushto be NASA's next administrator.

"This is a tremend ous op portun ity,"said G. Scott Hubbard, Ames' centerdirector, as he introduced th e trio. Call-ing Eshoo, Hon da and Lofgren three ofour very best friends, Hu bbard n otedwh enever there are trying times, youfind out who your friends are. I cantimagine three better friends of Amesthan these folks.

Before the gu ests addressed the au-dience, Hu bbard outlined the issues fac-ing Ames. Among those critical chal-lenges is full-cost accounting . "Our [as-

trobiology] scientists are being pricedout of the m arket," he said. Because Am esastrobiologists mu st includ e their entireyears salary with in a competitive grantapp lication, they are un able to competeagainst tenured university professors,wh o typically need to includ e only twomonths salary in their grant p roposals.

Hubbard noted that about 25 per-cent of Ames budget is involved withsome type of advanced technology work.That bud get is being drastically reducedfrom previous years, he said. AlthoughAmes is comp eting w ell where there areopp ortun ities, we have staff at risk andcommitments to various programs at

risk as a result of the program changes.Am es life sciences resear ch alsois at a crossroads, according toHu bbard, and it could be eliminated.The Space Station Biological ResearchProject at Ames, which Hubbard de-scribed as the last fundamental scien-tific research element of the Interna-tional Space Station, may be zeroedout in the FY2006 bud get. Without thiscapability, Hu bbard said N ASA will beseverely challenged to understand theeffects of the space environmen t on hu -mans and provide the necessary coun-termeasures for long-term human sp ace-flight.

Hubbard believes that Ames hasfared better in aeronau tics, with con-tinued funding for air space manage-ment and hopes for future funding ofthe program to transform the nationalairspace. Ames research in hu man fac-tors also took a hit from a variety ofcongressional earmarks, although,Hu bbard said, he is hopeful that fun d-ing will be restored in the futu re. Otheraeronautics p rograms, includ ing rotor-craft, are not funded at all in the bu dgetproposal.

Hu bbard acknowledged the support

Am es is receiving from the Science Di-rectorate at NASA Head quarters forkey program s such as the StratosphericObservatory for Infrared Astronomy(SOFIA). A r ecent external eva luation of

SOFIA deter-m i ned t ha t t hequality of sciencefrom the new air-borne observatoryshould be on a parwith that of theHubble SpaceTelescope. This isa t r em endousachievement forAmes ResearchCenter, H ubbardobserved.

According toH u b b a r d , t h e

South Bay con-gressional repre-sentatives wantedto have a discus-sion about th e on-going NASAtransformation and affirm the impor-tant role that NASA Ames, as an inte-gral part of the Silicon Valley commu-nity, plays in cutting-edge science andtechnology. Honda serves on NASA'sauthorization committee, and he alsohas coauthored n anotechnology legisla-tion, according to Hu bbard.

We have m any challenges. We havemany opportunities, Hubbard con-

cluded.Eshoo, as the senior congressional

representative present and the onewhose district encompasses NASAAmes, add ressed the assembled emp loy-ees first. The fact that a ll three South Baycongressional representatives came toAmes as a team is really an eloquentstatement about Ames emp loyees andthe center as a whole, she said. It un-derscores not only our commitment, butthe seriousn ess of the case that is beforeus.

"We had a collective heart attack"wh en the President's bud get came out,Eshoo stated. Then, she said, they knew

they had to devise a strategy. "One ofmy first questions was, 'how is themorale?'

"You have a fighting team andyou 'll need one," Eshoo ven tured . "Youhave to build coalit ions inside theCongressand outside the Congress,"she added, noting that Congress is areactive, not a proactive, institution.Eshoo then spoke of strategy. "We metwith our two U .S senators [from Califor-nia]," she said. "They most w illingly m etwith us. They got it," she reported , refer-ring to the situa tion at Am es. Both Sena-

tors Boxer and Feinstein understandwhat these proposed cuts will do toNASA Ames, Eshoo explained.

"Another strategy is to work withCongressman H onda," (wh o serves on

the Science, Space and Technology Committee,) she said. She added that thedelegation plans to meet with the ap-propriators who recommend fundingfor the various programs. They also planto partner with congressional delega-tions from districts that include otherNA SA centers facing critical budget issues.

Eshoo referred to a letter the South

Bay delegation recently sent to NASAadministrator nom inee Griffin, outlining what the p riorities are, how criticathey are, not just for NASA Ames, butfor the futu re of our coun try. She saidthat it is incum bent up on u s to secure partners from th e private sector toshow the Congress that private-sectorcompanies in Silicon Valley un der standwh at Ames represents to the nation.

The letter also says that there is ashortfall of $40 million for research innew technology at Ames for fiscal year2006 in the ar eas of intelligent systemsnanotechnology and thermal p rotectionsystems.

The letter conclud es, "NASA Amesstaff and abilities should be considereda national treasure that deserves ourfullest support as it continues to shapethe technologies and und erstanding thawill guide our nation in the 21st Cen-tury."

According to Eshoo, not only N ASAbut also other feder al agencies are expe-riencing cuts in the basic research area"We are cutting back on the innovat ionfor the future of our great nation, ac-cording to Eshoo.


6/16


Teresa and Rafael, Gabriels mother and father, receive aceremonial flag in honor of their son Gabriel Zavala-Diaz.

Banavar Sridhar

Banav ar Sridhar, chief, Au tomationConcepts Branch, Aviation Systems Di-vision, received the 2004 Institute of Elec-

trical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)Control Systems Technology for thedevelopment of modeling and simu la-tion techniqu es for m ulti-vehicle trafficnetworks and advan ced air traffic man-agement systems through innovative ap-plication of control systems concepts.The award recognizes outstanding con-tributions to control systems technol-ogy either in design and implementa-tion or project management. The aw ardconsists of $2,000, a plaque and travelexpenses to the IEEE Conference onDecision and Control.

Sridh ar has a long and d istingu ished

career in flight dynamics, controls andmore recently air traffic management.He is wid ely recognized in ind ustry andacademia for his p ioneering work in theapplication of singular perturbationtheory to the real-time optimal guid-ance of missiles against maneuveringtargets (1980). In the late 1980s, while atLockheed Research Center, he shiftedhis research to address the identifica-tion and control of large space struc-tures. Again, Sridhars contributionswere central to this evolving area ofresearch and were included in the de-sign of major space structures includ ingthe Space Infrared Telescope Facility and

the space station.In 1986, Sridhar joined N ASA, where

he initiated a research effort in com-puter vision for obstacle detection inlow altitud e helicopter flight. He de-vised an innovative app roach for inte-grating airborne state information w ithdigital imagery for detecting range in-formation to obstacles along the flightpath of a vehicle. The incorpora tion of avision sensor for navigation an d guid-ance is essential to the design of manyrobotic and intelligent systems. Sridharachieved a m ajor first with the su ccess-

Sridhar receives IEEE Control Systems Technology Awardful flight demon stration of his real-timeobstacle detection and ranging algo-rithms on a NASA/ Army UH -60 heli-copter in Jun e 1996. His methodologyled to continuing work at universitiesand other government laboratories. TheNASA Aeronautics Advisory Commit-tee comm ended his research as being atthe forefront of spatial signal p rocessingand providing an excellent balance be-tween algorithm development and ex-perimental validation.

In the last seven years, Sridhar hasredirected his research interests in re-sponse to the nation's goal to providethe technology to improve the safetyand capacity of the nations air transp or-tation system. As a p art of this research,Sridhar identified the n eed for an analy-sis tool that could be u sed to validate theusefulness of the prop osed technologiesun der a variety of conditions. This ledto his design and development of a ca-

pability now referred to as the FutureAir Transportation System ConcepEvaluation Tool (FACET). FACET in-cludes a set of air traffic models andanalysis tools that have become a standa rd for system-level analysis. FACET

is key to exploring many of the newconcepts in traffic flow man agement andhas already been used to m ake key in-vestment decisions.

Several organizations have requested and received a copy of theFACET software under N ASA Non-Disclosure and / or Licensing AgreementsFACET received th e 2001 NASA Tur n-ing Goals into Reality (TGIR) AwardDuring 2002, FACET received NASASpace Act Board Award and NASASpace Act Software Release AwardCur rently, FACET is being incorp oratedinto a commercial produ ct referred to asFlight Explorer that is used by m any of

continued next page

Gabriel Zavala-Diaz,test engineer in the AmesARC Jet complex, CodeTSF, passed away on Feb.26 at the age of 29.

Zavala-Diaz joinedNASA in November 2001as an engineering assistantfor the Planetary Aeolian

Facility while pur suing h isbachelors degree in me-chanical engineering fromSan Jose State University.Upon receiving his BS/ MEin May 2003, he joined theThemophysics FacilitiesBranch a s a test engineer.

Zavala-Diaz quicklymatured into a valuablemember of the branch, exhibiting aun ique drive and motivation. He servedas test engineer for Ames jet tests sup-

BY IMELDA TERRAZAS-SALINAS

Gabriel Zavala-Diaz passes away

NASAph

otobyCesarAcosta

porting X-37, Mars Science Lab, In-SpacePropu lsion, Hu ygens/ Cassini and Return To Flight, as well as for in-housematerials d evelopm ent tests and test tocharacterize the facilities. He was described by his colleagues as a conscien-tious worker and approached his jobwith extreme professionalism.

Zavala-Diaz is remembered as a tru egentleman with a zest for life and a senseof hum or. He is survived by two youngchildren , Isela Briann a and Gabriel Isaac

wife, Christina, mother and father,Teresaand Rafael, and two sisters, YesminaLissetta and Cynth ia Liliana.

A flag ceremony in honor of himwas held at Ames on March 24. Ap-proximately 40 family members at-tend ed. Following the ceremon y, TSF

hosted the family to tour Zavala-Diazswork environment.

Gabriel Zavala-Diaz


7/16


Ames and Aerospace Corp. to make 'Black Box' for Spacecraft

BY JOHN BLUCK

Model of the Reentry

Breakup Recorder(spacecraft 'black box') t oscale. The addition of theheat shield is expected tobring its size closer to 1foot (0.3 meters) indiameter.

NASA Ames and a nonp rofit part-ner recently agreed to develop the first'black box' for spacecraft and hope totest a p rototyp e as early as 2006.

A joint program between Ames and

the Aerospace Corpora tion, El Segun do,Calif., will develop a spacecraft blackbox, among m any other low-cost, min-iature space systems, according to aNASA-Aerospace agreement. Blackboxes carried on aircraft record airp lanedata such as speed, altitude and crewconversations. This informa tion can berecovered after an accident to help in-vestigators learn the cause of a mishap.The black box often includes a beaconthat helps investigators find th e box.

"Microspacecraft that can collectspaceflight d ata and return it to Earthwill enhance space travel reliabilitythrough better designs," said Ames

Center Director G. Scott Hubbard.Hu bbard recently signed an agreementwith William F. Ballhaus Jr., Aerospacepresident an d chief executive officer, todevelop the black box.

"People had not figured how to putblack boxes on spacecraft before becausethe boxes would tend to burn u p d uringreentry," said Dan Rasky, a scientist atNASA Ames. The Center is contribut-ing its spacecraft heat shield exp ertise tothe d evelopm ent effort.

"One of the first uses of these space-craft black boxes may be on the CrewExploration Vehicle," Rasky exp lained.The Crew Exploration Vehicle is a fu-

ture spaceship that N ASA plans to useto fly people to the moon an d beyond .

The basis for the effort to developlow-cost spacecraft technologies is thereentry b reakup r ecorder (REBR), a one-foot (0.3-meter) diameter, 2.2-pound(one-kilogram) device that will have aheat shield, batteries, da ta recorder, sen-sors and a transmitter.

The REBR has been und er develop -ment at Aerospace for the p ast severalyears, with N ASA Ames responsible forthe entry system.

The REBR is designed to collect da taas a spacecraft reenters the atmosphereand breaks apart due to aerodynamicheating and loads. After the high-speed

por tion of the reentry, the REBR wou ld'phone home' to relay d ata by satelliteprior to impact. The spacecraft blackbox is only one of many small, light-weight, low-cost devices the partnersplan to develop. These new deviceswou ld allow N ASA and the AerospaceCorporation to flight test miniature sen-sor systems to gather temperatu re, pres-sure and other data, or to validate ther-mal p rotection systems for hu man mis-sions.

"Aerospace may use these devicesto gather data during the reentry andbreakup of space hardw are to validateand calibrate models, and NASA Amesmay use them to test new heat shield

materials and sensors," said EthirajVenkatapathy, planetary explorationtechnology manager at NASA AmesThe team is using nanotechnology todevelop very small, inexpensive sensors.

Nanotechnology is the creation ofmaterials, devices and systems th roughthe control of matter on the nanom eterscale. A nanom eter is one-billionth of ameter, rou ghly 10,000 times smaller thant he wi d t h o f a hum an ha i r"Nan otechnology could lead to changesin almost everything from computersand med icine to automobiles and spacecraft," said James Arnold , a scientist w iththe NASA Ames Center forNanotechnology.

"The initial focus of the collabora-tion will be on development of smallreentry probes," said William Ailor, director of the Center for Orbital and Re-entry Debris Studies at The AerospaceCorporation and Aerospace lead for theeffort.

"Similar technologies could be u sedon an Ames concept called Scout Probesfor Exploration," Rasky said. "This con-cept makes u se of small entry p robes togather information and reconnaissanceon atm ospheric conditions, surface con-ditions and hazards. These probes alsocould serve as landing beacons for fol-lowing piloted or robotic vehicles. ScoutProbes for Exploration could be a critical new capability for reducing risksencountered with remote explorationlandings," Rasky ventu red.

the Airline Operation Centers for themanagem ent and routing of their indi-vidu al fleets. The FAA has includ ed apor tion of the FACET functionality in itslatest release of the En Route TrafficManagemen t System (ETMS).

Sridh ar is widely recognized by hispeers for his many contributions. Hereceived the Bay Area chapter of theAIAA; Engineer of the Year Award in

the category of information systems(1991); IEEE AES Barry Ca rlton Aw ard(1994); NASA Exceptional Service Med al(1995); and th e Best Paper Award by theAmerican Helicopter Society (1996).Sridh ar w as elected Fellow of the IEEE(2001) for adv ances in comp uter vision-based obstacle d etection and develop-ments in low-altitude helicopter flight.AIAA elected Sridhar to Fellow (2001)grade for his fund amental contributionsto automated guidance of aerospacevehicles and the d evelopmen t of a pas-sive ranging system for low-altitude high

speed helicopter operations.In 2001, Am es Basic Research Cou n-

cil elected him as an Ames AssociateFellow. Additionally, Sridhar has a longand distinguished record of service tothe aerospace comm unity. He h as servedthe AIAA in various capacities including technical program chair for the 1999AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) Con ference; conference pro-

gram co-chair for the 1998 AIAA GN Cconference; and a mem ber of the AIAAGNC technical committee. Outside theAIAA, he has served on the editorialboard of IEEE Transactions on Auto-matic Control; IEEE Controls Systemsmagazine; IFAC Journal Control Engi-neering Practice; International Journaof Machine Vision and App lications; andas gu est editor for IEEE Transactions onIntelligent Transp ortation Systems Special Issue on Air Traffic Control Sys-tems.

Sridhar receives IEEE Awardcontinued from previous page


8/16


Wildlife thrives at Ames

The Plover Killdeer bird,above, that is currentlynesting in the rocks on KingRoad at NASA Ames,protecting her four speckledeggs, shown to the right.

NASAphotosbyDominicHart

Vernikos to deliver NRP-sponsored talk at AmesAm es employees and th eir families

are invited to attend a free pu blic lectur eon May 4, featuring author and formerdirector of life sciences at NASA, Dr.Joan Vernikos.

Vernikos, who w orked at Am es inthe 1960s, will discuss the connection

between space exploration, space biol-ogy research and the aging process atthe second N ASA Research Park (NRP)lectur e. The talk will be held May 4 at 7p.m . in Bldg . 943 (the Eagle Room), justoutside the NASA Ames main gate.

Vernikos has an imp ressive resum e.She served as d irector of Life Sciences atNASA Head quarters from 1993 to 2000.She joined NASA Ames Research Cen-ter as a researcher in 1966 after fouryears at Ohio StateUniversity MedicalSchool, where she w as assistant profes-sor of pharmacology.

Trained in London , Vernikosheld academ ic app ointments at Stanford

University, Wright State UniversitySchool of Medicine and was visitingprofessor at the University of Lond on.

During her early years as a spacebiology researcher at NASA, Vernikosquickly noticed th e connection betw eenwh at happ ens to the body in space and

the symptoms of 'normal' aging. Herpioneering work at Ames focused on'bedrest' studies, in w hich h ealthy h u-mans un derw ent long periods of immo-bility in bed, mim icking micro-gravityconditions in space. Her breakthroughresearch created a deeper understand-

ing of the hormonal and behavioralmechanisms that underlie human re-spon se to the stress of long-du rationspaceflight.

Vernikos' talk at Ames will focus onhow to live a vital, healthy life, as dis-cussed in her latest book The G-Con-nection: Harness Gravity and ReverseAging".

"The intent of the N RP lecture seriesis to highlight exploration, in keepingwith N ASA's Vision for Space Explora-tion," said Mejghan H aider, NRP divi-sion chief. The series w ill focus on th reethemes -- 'explore, discover and und er-stand,' she noted. "Stay tuned. Our top-

ics will include everything from newtechnologies that support human mis-sions to the moon an d Mars, to autono-mou s robots and Earth analog research,"she said.

The NRP Exploration Lecture Se-ries was laun ched in Spring 2004 with a

lecture by journalist and au thor And rewChaikin. Chaikin is most know n for hisbest-selling book Apollo an intimateinsider's look at the original Apollo 9astronauts.

After a year's hiatu s, the lectur e series is now on a regular, three times ayear basis. In Februa ry 2005, au thorexplorer and adventurer John Rosstalked about exploration an d risk to anoverflow aud ience. Dr. Seth Shostaksenior astronomer at the SETI Instituteserved as m aster of ceremonies.

Author Dr. Joan Vernikos wil l discuss SpaceExplorat ion: Can Gravit y Reverse Aging? atthe NRP Explorat ion Lecture Series on May 4at 7 p.m. in Bldg. 943 in the Eagle Room.

BY KATHLEEN BURTON

Hop kins University and George Washington University.

He tau ght courses in spacecraft de-sign, applied mathematics, guidance andnavigation, compressible flow, computational fluid dynam ics, spacecraft attitud e control, astrodynamics and introductory aerospace engineering. He isthe lead au thor of more than tw o dozentechnical pap ers, as well as the textbookSpace Vehicle Design .

A registered professional engineer

in Maryland an d California, the Adm inistrator is a fellow of the Am erican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics(AIAA). He is a r ecipient o f the NASAExceptional Achievement Medal, theAIAA Space Systems Medal and theDepartment of Defense DistinguishedPub lic Service Medal, the highest aw ardgiven to a non-government employeeHe is a certified flight instructor withinstrument and mu ltiengine ratings.

BY JOHN BLUCK

continued from page 2New Administrator


9/16


NASA is testing an innovative ap-proach to help improve stud ent perfor-mance in mathematics by challengingthem to solve the real-world problemsinvolved with controlling airplanes inthe sky.

During the m onth of April, NASAscientists and education experts at NASAAmes are conducting student evalua-tions of 'Smart Skies', one of NASA'snewest math-related ed ucational prod -ucts. Smart Skies takes math to a newlevel by ad ding an experiential, hands-on componen t that enables stud ents topa rticipate in real-life interactive simu-lations. The evaluation began on Ap ril 5with mid dle schools in the San FranciscoBay area and continues throu gh the endof the month.

"We are very excited about this,"said Robert Jacobsen, manager of

NASA's Airspace Systems Program lo-cated at N ASA Ames. "Both retired an dactive FAA air traffic controllers fromOakland Center volunteered to help asdocents and to give guidan ce and su p-port to the studen ts who are participat-ing in the exercise."

The Smart Skies p roject is designedto encourage students to explore, dis-cover and u nd erstand mathem atics andits app lications in d aily life. At the hear tof Smart Skies is a carefully constru ctedset of instructional materials that in-cludes classroom m aterials, Web-basedsimulations and the hands-on simula-

tion."The goal is to offer mu ltiple oppor-tunities to develop m ath skills throughapplication to real p roblems," said GregCond on, the creator of Smart Skies.

In the classroom, Smart Skies beginswith basic problems involving two air-planes in pap er-and-pencil exercises. Asthe students imp rove, they move on tomore complex problems involving m ul-tiple aircraft and app roach speeds and aWeb-based simulation.

For the hands-on component of theSmart Skies evaluation, students willtravel to NASA Ames and 'become' airtraffic controllers, pilots and scientificobservers as they solve increasingly com-plex math problems related to distance,rate and time. The simu lation takes placein 'Sector 33', modeled after the FAA'sOakland En Route Cen ter Sector 33, lo-cated east of Modesto, Calif. That sectorcontrols air traffic app roaching th e Bayarea's three international airports fromthe east.

In their role as pilots, stud ents moveelectronically instrumented model air-craft along a designated route of flightlaid out on the floor. A metronome is

used to help them maintain an assignedspeed . Walkie-talkies allow them to hear

instructions from the student control-lers.

In the simulated control room, stu-den t controllers watch th e aircraft move-ment on a computer screen that d isplaysspeed an d d istance information broad -

cast from the model aircraft. Using themathem atics they have learned in a se-ries of paper-and-pencil classroom ex-ercises, they try to d etermine if and wh enthe airplanes will fly too close to eachanother. If problems arise, they radiothe stud ent pilots to adjust their speedor route.

As stud ents improve, they are giventhe task of controlling m ultiple 'San Fran-cisco International Airport' ar rivals thatapproach from different directions andat different speed s. The student control-lers maintain aircraft separation as theyline up flights so they cross over thesame location in sequence.

The hand s-on simu lation is d esignedto add an element of imm ediacy to prob-lem solving, and to train students toquickly analyze problems and makecomplex decisions and calculations intheir heads

Smart Skies was created at NASAAmes un der the spon sorship of the Air-space Systems Program as part of itscommitment to NASA's mission to 'in-spire the next genera tion of explorers' topursue careers in science, technology,engineering and math. The Airspace

Systems Program is a d ivision of NASA'sAeronautics Research Mission Director

ate located in Washington , D.C.For addi t iona l informat ion

abou t Sma rt Skies visit: http :/ /q u e s t . a r c. n a s a .g o v / p r o j ec t s /smart_skies/

NASA adds a physical element to learning mathematics

BY JONAS DINO

NASA Headquarters has for-mally approved the Am es Manage-men t System (AMS), and has au tho-rized Am es to imp lement AMS as itsoperational management system.

AMS is designed to rep lace ISO9000 at Ames. It is intended to bemore responsive to Ames unique

needs. The AMS received a glowingreview from aud itors who visited inFebruary. Their review set the stagefor recent NASA Headquarter ap-proval this month.

Now that Am es is a fully sanc-tioned operational mode of the AMS,all components of the Center areexpected to continue to use the AMSas part of the every day implemen-tation and execution of their dutiesand activities.

AMS formallyapproved


10/16


The Ames Executive Safety Com-mittee recently set two new continuou simprovements safety goals for 2005 toimprove healthy and safety at Ames.

The goals were established by a re-view o f mishap s and close calls in 2004.

For example, injuries related to repeti-tive motion continue to account fornearly h alf of the lost-time or restricted-duty injuries. Additionally, electricalenergy constitutes a potential hazardthat is found in each of our work places.Several close calls involving electricalsystems occurr ed in 2004 that could haveresulted in serious injury or death.

To increase awareness of potentialhazar ds, the Center will take these steps:

Clearly comm unicate injury trendsand / or hazard identification trends toemployees;

Establish an electrical safety com-mittee to promote greater aw areness ofelectrical hazard s;

Perform qu arterly electrical safetyinspections; and

Executive Safety Committee establishes safety goals

Two NA SA robots and tw o geolo-gists are n ow simu lating an exped itionto another p lanet du ring a field test ex-pected to continu e until April 15 in Utah 'sSouth east Desert, near H anksville.

During the ongoing 'Mobile AgentsProject,' NASA engineers are workingto improve h um an-robot interactions tohelp NASA accomplish its Vision forSpace Exploration to retur n to the m oonand venture to Mars. The wheeled ro-bots are attempting to help the astro-naut team to m aintain connection w ith a

NASA testing human-robot interactions in Utah desertwireless computer n etwork.

"As you look at NA SA's explorationvision to return to the moon an d go on toMars, human-robotic cooperation willbe vital to achieve tha t vision," said Eu-gene Tu, dep uty d irector for the Explo-ration Technology Directorate at N ASAAmes.

"One of our biggest problems is to

break ou t of preconceived notions rootedin science fiction or existing robotic tech-nology," said Bill Clancey, p rincipal in-vestigator for the M obile Agent p roject."By bu ilding and testing prototypes, wecan test design concepts."

During the field exercise, the re-searchers' objective is to develop waysto enable robots to take th e initiative towork together to help a team of astro-nauts.

Scientists and engineers from N ASAAmes and NASA Johnson Space Center,Hou ston, are taking p art in the test. Pro-totype 'Extravehicular Activity (EVA)

Robotic Assistants,' developed at NASAJohnson, will follow geologists and re-spond to voice commands at the MarsSociety's Mars Desert Research Station.

According to NASA scientists, hu-man-robotic interactions can best beimproved using in-situ experiments,during which people and robots coop-erate to do research. Scientists plan toexamine the interacting constraints ofland scape, distance, work coordinationand other factors to suggest what new

tools and method s are needed to refineexisting technology.

This process will bring togeth er theremote science team, mission supportthe habitat and its crew, robots, com-pu ter networks and astronauts to simu-late planetary su rface exploration.

A team that includes abou t 20 peoplehas placed equipment in and around the

Mars Desert Research Station. Teammembers are using p rototype tools, including a wireless computer networkthe voice-comm anded robots and voicecommand ed m ission control commu nication services that partly autom ate therole of the kind of commu nications useddu ring the Apollo missions to the moonin the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Researchers are continuing to con-du ct a series of hum an-robot simu latedgeology missions to scout new terraindu ring mu ltiple days. These simulationsalso involve the remote science teamScientists are making audio and video

recordings of the activities.Researchers later will evaluate thedata to learn about hu man-robot interactions including voice commands andwork pr eferences. From analysis of therecordings and other d ata, investigatorscan assess equipment, software and pro-cedures. Scientists can then write newrequirements and specifications to improve human-robot interactions andcooperation.

BY JOHN BLUCK

NASA photo by Bruce Damer

NASA geologist in a simulated astronaut suitwith the robot in the Utah desert.

Increase awareness of stress re-duction techniques (including coursesoffered by th e Safety Health and Medi-cal Services Division).

Ames 2005 Safety Goals

To improve control of identifiedhazard s the Center w ill:

Improve follow-up on ergonomicproblems previously identified;

Complete the tracking system forrequired occupational medical exams;an d

Involve professional health andsafety staff as consu ltants to help su per-visors evaluate safety issues.

You can help achieve these goalsand help yourself and your fellow em-ployees work m ore safely by taking thefollowing actions:

Contribu ting to the close call/hazard reporting program, reporting

any close call or hazard involving ane lect r i ca l hazard a t h t tp :/ /q2.arc.nasa.gov/ hazard request.

Suggesting ways to improve electrical safety by subm itting a safety sug-gestion at http:/ / q/ qh;

Volunteering to participate on anelectrical safety inspection with yoursupervisor;

Attending one of the stress reduction classes offered at Am es during 2005an d

Completing any required occupa-tional med icine exams specified by you rsupervisor.

Working together to imp rove safety

is a cornerston e of the Volunta ry Protection Program.

Impr ove control of identifiedhazards

Increase awareness ofpotential hazards; and


11/16


NASA Ames Ombuds Office services available

Ames HACE remembers Cesar Chavez

Jack Boyd, Ames Ombuds

Geoffrey Briggs, alternate Ames Ombuds

One of the important resources avail-able to employees is the Om bud s Office,

which is available to Ames employee,contractors and stud ents. The officeprovides a sup plemental and confiden-

tial channel of communication to raisesignificant issues and concerns that youperceive could imp act safety, organiza-tional performance and m ission success.

The Ombu ds is accoun table for con-ducting informal inquiries, raising is-sues of concern to app rop riate officials,and redirecting matters not under theOmbu ds's realm to the app ropriate of-fice or organization w ith an existing ad -ministrative system; for example, theInspector General Office, the Equal Op -portunity Office, the Ames Union, pro-curement Om bud s and legal office.

The Ombu ds power rests on theirrepu tation for fairness, objectivity, tact,and respectful concern for the welfare ofall ind ividu als of the NASA commun ityand for the well-being of the agency.

Jack Boyd continues to serve asAm es Om bud s, and Dr. Geoffrey Briggs

is the alternate Ames Ombu ds.The Ombuds office is located in

Building 207, Room 107, Mail Stop 207-

1. The office telephone nu mber is ext. 46688 and the fax number is ext. 4-6673

The Ombud s Web s i te is h t tp :/ /i n s i d e a m e s . a r c . n a s a . g o v / l i f eombudsoffice.php

On March 31, The N ASA Ames His-panic Adv isory Com mittee for Emp loy-ees (HACE) sponsored several AMESemployees to attend a commemorativebreakfast honoring Cesar Chavez . TheMexican H eritage Corporation and hon-

orary co-chairs council member NoraCampos and Vice Mayor Cindy Chavezhosted th e breakfast for Cesar Chavez inhonor of recognizing his life and work.HACE would like to introduce a briefbio about Cesar Chavez.

Born on March 31, 1927, the secondchild of six and oldest son of Libradoand Juana Chavez, Cesario EstradaChavez became noted by Robert F.Kenned y as one of the heroic figur es ofour time. in 1968.

Chavez grew up in the Arizonadesert near the town of Yum a. At the ageof 10, Chavezs family had lost their

farm and belongings and joined thou-sands of migrant farmers to work in thefields in California.

In 1942, Chavez quit school aftergradu ating the eighth grade (an unusu aloccurrence for m igrant childr en) to workfull-time in the fields to help su pp ort hisfamily. Two years later at th e age of 17,he joined the U.S. Navy and returnedhome in 1948 when he married HelenFabela.

Chavez and H elen settled in the EastSide Barrio of Sal Si Puedes (get out ifyou can) and had eight children andeventually 31 grandchildren.

In 1952, a man named Fred Rossfrom the Commu nity Service Organ iza-tion (CSO) asked Chavez to join theorganization to help inform migrantfarm workers of their rights. Chavezwas u neasy about the idea but decidedto join.

He picked apricots during the day

and organized workers in the evening toregister to vo te. After losing his job as afarm worker and working full time atthe CSO for 10 years, Chavez resignedon March 31, 1962 from the CSO andmoved his family to Delano where hefounded the N ational Farm Workers As-sociation (NFWA) which later becameknow n as the United Farm Workers ofAmerica (UFW).

Betw een th e years of 1962 and 1993,Chavez organized many boycotts and

strikes against farm ow ners. In the springof 1966, growers negotiated an agree-ment w ith the NFWA. This agreemenwas the first genuine un ion contract between a grower and farm workers inU.S. history. Chavez also fasted threeseparate times (totaling 86 days between1968 and 1988) to dedicate his move-ment of nonviolence, to protest a lawthat denied farm workers the right tostrike/ boycott and to call attention tofarm wor kers and th eir children strickenby pesticides.

On April 23, 1993, Chavez diedpeacefully while sleeping at the home ofa retired San Luis, Ariz., farm workerChavez was conducting UFW workwhile in Arizona. Six days later, thou-sands o f m our ne r s a t t ended andmarched behind his casket during hisfuneral services in Delano.

Later in 1993, Chavezs family andfriend s established the Cesar E. Chavez

Foundation. Almost 12 years after hispassing, Chavezs service to others stillives. March 31 is now kn own as CesarChavez Day of Service and Learningand considered a Holiday in seven stateand dozens of ci t ies and count iesthroughout the Nation.

Si Se Pued e(it can be d one) - Cesar ioE. Chavez, 1927 - 1993

SUBMITTEDBYTH E AMES HACE OFFICE


12/16


NASA Ames celebrates Earth Day 2005

Hosted by NASA Ames EnvironmentalServices Division

Topic: Global Environmental Trendsand a Blueprint for a MoreSustainable FuturePresenter: Justine Burt, Managerof Pollution Prevention,Sustainability and EMS forSAIC at NASA Ames

Date: Thursday, May 5

Time: 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Location: Building 221, Room 155

Environmental, Health

and Safety Forum set

On A pril 21, the Environm ental Ser-vices Departmen t at NASA Am es hostedits annual Earth Day celebration with aninformational d isplay at the Mega BitesCaf. Sustainability, the concep t of

meeting tod ays need s withou t sacrific-

ing the ability of future generations tomeet their needs served as this yearsEarth Day theme.

The concept of su stainability is es-sential in a society un aware of its ineffi-cient use of raw m aterials. In order topreserve the environment, tod ays gen-eration m ust imp lement practices thatcontinue to nourish economic growthwh ile main taining the integrity of envi-ronmental resources for the long-term.On a daily basis, NASA Ames fosterssustainab ility in the workp lace throu gha variety of activities:

NASA Ames beverage containerrecycling program resulted in the recy-

cling of 241 pounds of aluminum and2,320 pound s of plastic last year. Giventhat the average employee consumes 2.5beverages per day at w ork, commercialprograms provide a significant p ortionof the dom estic recyclable material. In2002, 54 billion cans w ere recycled in theU.S., saving the energy equ ivalent of 15million barrels of crud e oil - America'sentire gas consum ption for one d ay!

In 2004, NASA Ames employeescollectively recycled 182 tons of paper.Every ton of paper that is recoveredsaves 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space.Thanks to commercial recycling pro-grams such as NASA Ames, recycled

pap er fiber now provides almost 37 per-cent of the d omestic raw m aterial sup-ply to the paper prod ucts ind ustry.

Last year, Store Stock began p ro-viding 100 percent post-consumer re-cycled pap er as the d efault item wh enan order is placed for copier paper. Asa result, 95 percent of the over 3,000boxes of copier p aper p urchased fromStore Stock in 2004 were 100 percentrecycled content. According to the U.S.Department of Conservation, the use of20 cases of recycled content pap er saves17 trees, 390 gallons of oil, 7000 gallons

of water and 4100 killowatt-hours (kWh)of energy. It also eliminates 60 poundsof air-polluting emissions and saveseight cubic feet of land fill space. Inaddition, Store Stock now provides the

option of a recycled-content alternativefor most of its pr odu cts. As a result ofthese efforts, nearly 70 percent of itemspurchased at Store Stock in 2004 weremade of recycled content.

NASA Ames attempts to lessenthe im pact of the Bay Areas single larg-est pollutant source motor vehicles by providing employees with electricvehicles, golf carts and bicycles for useon center rather than gas-powered ve-hicles. NASA Ames fur ther decreasesair pollution by providing the Amesshuttle free of charge to all employeeswho choose to ride the train or light railto work . According to the Bay Area AirQu ality Managemen t District, using al-

ternative transportation for 10 miles ofdriving each day, for example, saves0.40 poun ds p er mile per d ay or 100.80pou nd s per year of air pollutants.

NASA Ames has provided renew-able energy systems for peak demandthat provide both environmental andeconomic benefits. Throu gh energy sav-ing performance contracts and center-funded measures, positive environmen-tal results have been achieved. Overallbuilding electricity usage at N ASA Ameshas been reduced by 37 percent since1990, resulting in roughly 94,000 mega-watt-hours (MWh) per year saved. Thisis enough energy to power over 14,000

average hou seholds in California. As anexample of economic benefit from en-ergy efficiency, the use of solar electricpanels on buildings N245 and N235,and the windm ill used at NASA Amesstorm w ater settling basin have redu cedthe amount of energy purchased andsaved $3,200 per year in u tility, opera-tion and maintenance costs (as of Sep-tem ber 2003).

NASA Ames has implemented aplan to reuse at least 50 percent of thecooling and industrial boiler watertreated on site from the aerospace test-

ing facilities. To date, this reuse hasconserved 10 million gallons of potablewater and similarly reduced wastewa-ter d ischarge, resulting in a $45,000 sav-ings from 2002 to July 2004.

The California Departm ent of Fishand Game lists the burrow ing owl andthe western pond turtle as Species ofSpecial Concern, mean ing that the species numbers have declined significantlyand conservation efforts are requiredeven though the size of current p opu lations precludes them from being listedas an endan gered species. Both the bur-rowing owl and western pond turtlelive on the grounds of NASA AmesTheir existence is significant becausethey ar e repor ted as being locally extincin the south Bay Area. NASA Ames hasfar exceeded the basic legal regulationsfor protection by setting aside eighty-one acres as bur row ing owl habitat. In

add ition, NASA Ames has also volun-tarily created a p rogram to protect theturtle population during the Navysupcoming clean-up of the NorthernChannel Sup erfund site where the tu rtlelive.

NASA Ames has made a commit-ment to creating a sustainable workplace as evident by the num erous environmental programs in place here today. These environmen tal efforts ben-efit most from the involvement of em-ployees. From recycling a single can tostarting a carp ool, all efforts lead to th ecommon goal of a sustainab le lifestyleNext time you make a choice, consider

taking the more sustainable and Earthfriendly alternative!

To learn more abou t environmentaactivities at NASA Ames, visit the Webat h ttp :/ / q / qe/


13/16


continued from page 5

South Bay Congressional reps visit with Ames employees

Congratulations to Lockheed Martin for safety award

Ames contractors safety success -- Left to right: Ames Deputy Center Director

Stan Newberry; Marvin Christensen, Lockheed-Mart in site manager; JohnLivacich, Lockheed-Martin safety manager; and Michael Hulet, assistantchief, Code QH.

Lockheed M artin Space Operat ionsat NASA Ames has achieved near ly fiveand a half years without a loss time

injur y or illness. This large and techni-cally diverse contract supports engineer-ing, science, and operations supp ort in-

clud ing machine shop, crane, and forktruck operations in ad dition to manag-ing mu ltiple office and laborator y envi-

ronments.On March

16, Am es Center

Deputy DirectorStan Newberryr e c o g n i z e dLockheed Martinfor their accom-plishments whenhe congratulatedthem for winningt he Na t i ona lSafety Council'shighest recogni-tion Safety Lead -ership Award.

When asked,How do you doit? Their answ er

is s t raightfor-ward . OSHA hasprovided a clearpath to success.I t i s found in

implementing the elements of OSHA'sVoluntary Pro tection Program (VPP). Itall starts with managem ent leadership

and emp loyee involvement. When theleaders of a company d emonstrate thathe health and w elfare of their peop le isa compan y priority, the rest of the orga-niza tion will follow. It is critical tha t althe members within the organization

align themselves with this core safetyvalue.Some skeptics believe that a com-

pany needs luck on their side to h ave asafe workplace.

Lockheed Martin believes that work-ing safely has very little to do w ith luckand a lot to do w ith being d iligent. Acciden ts are just the tip of the iceberg ofhun dred s of close calls and workp lacehazard s. When a company is diligent aidentifying and correcting un safe conditions and unsafe work practices, theyestablish a key comp onent in bu ilding agreat safety program .

Lockheed Martin, along with hu n-

dreds of other companies nationwidehas dem onstrated that the elements oVPP work.

To learn more about OSHA's Vol-untary Protection Program go to theWeb at http:/ / www .osha.gov/ dcsp/vpp/ index.html.

continued on page 14

"Yes, fasten your seat belts. . . . Thisis tough," Eshoo stated. But added thatshe has confidence in w hat Ames d oes

and what it represents to our country."You have produced over and overagain. You h ave man agement that caresabout you," she cont inued. "Scot tHu bbard has beaten down d oors in thehallways of Congress ..." to rally sup-port for Ames, she add ed. We are notafraid of hard work, Eshoo empha-sized. The South Bay delegation willseek supp ort for Ames from "both sidesof the aisle we will go out and lasso[them]," Eshoo said .

Rep. Lofgren opened her remarksby stating that "I love you gu ys." WhatAmes does is imp ortant to her person-ally, to our nation and to our futu re, she

said. Calling the administrations bud-get proposal very adverse to scienceand to Ames, Lofgren n oted that in h er10 years in Congress, only once has theSouth Bay delegation met en masse w ithCalifornias senators and that was todiscuss the challenges facing Ames.

Lofgren reiterated that the delega-tion h as a strategy for garnering sup portinside and outside of Congress. "All ofus are contacting CEOs, not only to lobbythe Congr ess but also to lobby the WhiteHou se and OMB," she said. Lofgren saidthe delegation is optim istic that the next

NASA administrator will understandthe value of science, rather than focus-ing solely on the financial bottom line."What you need to do is to do goodscience," she stated . "We d o valu e youand we are going to fight tooth and nail to make sure the budget prop osalsdo n ot impact Am es science, she add ed.This is the beginning, not the end, ofour engagement on these issues, sheconcluded.

Rep. Hon da then m oved to the po-diu m. "You h ave a team of three of us,"he told th e emp loyees. Hond a believesthat the NASA budget should supportthe m ission, not v ice versa. "The bud get-ing process is a reflection of values,"Honda said. In this instance, he said,the budgeting process is backwards"

for Ames, comm enting again on the ef-fects of full-cost accounting. "As oneperson wh o flies a lot, I don't w ant to seeyour air traffic management projectseliminated," he add ed.

Referring to NASA's administratordesignee, Hon da said, "I sense that [Grif-fin] has an u nd erstand ing of science"and that he believes we h ave a fightingchance and that logic, science andthings that Ames employees under-stand w ill have a better reception und erGriffin than und er previous adm inistra-tors.

"This place is the dream works,"stated H onda, speaking of Ames and its65-year h istory of contribu tions. "This is

wh ere all the d reams come true."At the beginning of the question-

and -answer period, Ames employee JimHi e r onym us com m ent ed t ha t t heCenter's d irection seems to have sh ifted"aw ay from basic research" and is mov-ing in the d irection of short-term p rojects

In response, Hon da said , "We needto constantly keep ham mering away [aelected officials]. Alread y the coalitionsare building, he said, w ith members ofboth p arties.

"You've hit the nail on the head"abou t leaving out ba sic research, Eshooadded. Industry leaders know that thegovernment d oes much of the basic re

search in the U.S., she said, which un-derscores the importance of forming a lliances with corporate lead ers. Lofgrennoted th at cutting funding for basic research throughout the government isdoing immense damage not only toNASA, but to the n ation.

A man wh o works in a collaborativeeffort in NASA Research Pa rk said , "I'dlike to know what I can do" to helpHonda suggested that a coalition ofyoung people could send e-mails to the"different offices" of their representa


14/16


Events Ca lendar

Ames Amateur Radio Club, th ird Thursday of eachmonth, 12 noon, N-T28 (across from N-255). POC:Michael Wrigh t, KG6BFK, at ext. 4-6262.

Ames Ballroom Dance Club. Classes on Tuesdays.Beginning classes meet at 5:15 p.m . Higher-level classmeets at 5:50 p.m. Held in Bldg. 944, the Rec. Center.

POC: Helen Hwang at helen.hwang @nasa.gov, ext . 4-1368.

Ames Bowling League, Palo Alto Bowl on Tuesdaynight s. Seeking full-t ime bowlers and substitutes.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 1:30 p.m., N-210,Rm. 205 . POC: Cheryl Quinn, ext 4-5793.

Ames Contractor Council Mtg, first Wednesday eachmont h, 11 a.m., N-200, Comm. Rm. POC: LindaMcCahon, ext. 4-1891.

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

Ames Federal Employees Union (AFEU) Mtg, thirdWednesday of each month, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Bldg. 221,Rm 104. Guests welcome. Info at: http :// www .afeu.org.POC: Marianne Mosher, ext. 4-4055.

Ames Mac Support Group Mtg , third Tuesday of

each month, 11:30 a.m.to 1 p.m., Bldg. N262, Rm 180.POC: Julie ext. 4-4694 or Tony ext. 4 -0340.

Ames Model Aircraft Club, flying radio-controlledaircraft at the north end of Parsons Ave. on weekendmornings. POC: Mark Sumich, ext. 4-6193.

Ames Sailing Club Mtg , second Thursday of eachmonth (Feb through Nov), from 11.30 a.m. -1 p.m . in thespecial events room in t he Ames Visitor Center in N -223.All are welcome. POC: Jeff Smit h, ext. 4-2586.

Environmental, Health and Safety InformationForum, first Thursday of each month, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30

a.m., Bldg. 221/ Rm 155. URL: http:/ /q .arc.nasa.gov/qe/events/EHSseries/ POC: Stacy St. Louis at ext. 4-6810.

The Hispanic Advisory Commit tee for ExcellenceHACE Mtg, first Thurs of each month in N255 room101C from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. POC: Eric Kristichat ext. 4-5137 and Mark Leon at ext. 4-6498.

Jetstream Toastmasters, Mondays, 12 p.m. to 1p.m., N-269/ Rm.179. POC: Becky Brondos at ext . 4-1959, bbrond [email protected] or Bob Hilton at ext.

4-1500, bhilt [email protected]'l Association of Retired Federal Employees,

(NARFE). Former and current federal employees. Youronly contact wi th Congress. Join to p rotect your federalretirement. Chptr #50 wi ll then meet on the first Fri. ofeach mont h at HomeTown Buffet, 2670 El Camino (atKiely), S. Clara, 11 a.m. lunch. POC Earl Keener (408)241-4459 or N ARFE 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.

Ask the export expert

Good new s! You can now findthe Export Compliance Office (andthe Protective Services Office andthe International Travel Office) un-der Quick Links on the insideAm esWeb s it e l oca t ed a t h t t p :/ / insideames.arc.nasa.gov/ .

And , heres a good tip for search-ing for an Ames Web site from

Question:

I forgot the URL for the ExportCompliance Office Web site, and Icouldnt seem to find it on insideAmes. Can you help me find thissite?

Answer:

insideAm es: Using the Search box inthe upper right hand corner of thepage, type in a key word or words,choose All Am es Sites from th e drop -

dow n m enu below the box and clickon Find . If you d o not chan ge thedefaul t search parameters f rominsideAm es to All Ames Sites, it willonly search the insideAm es Web sitefor your key word s.

Do you have a question for theExport Expert? Send it care ofkw [email protected] . An d, visitthe Web at http:/ / jp.arc.nasa.gov/EC/ EC.html.

BY JOHN BLUCKAND ANN SULLIVAN

continued from page 13

tives and others. Lofgren added, "The

most important p eople for any m emberof Congress are those from their dis-tricts," so a nationwide effort will bemost effective. "Any science/ pr ofes-sional organizations that w ould w eighin on th is issue -- basic research and theeffects it will have on the future of thenation, along with specifics, [wouldhelp]," added Eshoo.

Another Ames employee said, "It'snot the bud get . . . it's what N ASA H ead-quarters [does] with the budget." Theemp loyee continu ed, "If last year's trendscontinue u nrestrained, w e are going tolose the very facilities and personnelthat NASA needs [to complete the Vi-

sion to go back to the moon and visitMars]."

Speaking about h ow Congress dealswith bu dgets, Eshoo said, "We massagethe p olicy" and "place the d ollars next toa policy that we think w ill be better forour nation and certainly for NASAAmes. The key, she said, is introd uc-ing the right language into bud get de-liberations an d getting the langu age ac-cepted by the m ajority party in the Con-gress. Success will only come from abipartisan effort, she said.

According to Lofgren, "We are heretrying to put together a coalition thatwill support good science. We have to

pu ll in other members from other partsof the country and the other side of theaisle..."

Another aud ience member who saidhe worked on the effort to build theInternational Space Station noted that,"One of our concerns is that . . . 20 yearsof developm ent . . . and $90 billion w illbe walked away from. We are literallythrowing away a whole generation'swork," he said, ad ding that h e sees noapp reciation of that work by th e nationsleadership . Eshoo agreed th at There istoo long a list of things that are under

attack. This is about our country and

our vision for our country, she add ed.Jeff Cuzzi, an A mes sp ace scientist,

said that fund s are being redirected out-side of the civil service as a resu lt of fu ll-cost accounting. He suggested that it isimportant to the country to preserve thegovernment science capability as acomplement to the un iversity and p ri-vate sector capabilities.

"What can we do to make peopleaware of our capabilities and contribu-tions?" asked Mary Kaiser. Organizingand bringing together teams to supportAm es in a loud bipartisan voice" fromacross the country is key, Eshoo noted.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tom

Pierson of the non -profit SETI Institutein Mountain View, said, "Some of us d oknow CEOs. What specifically should

we do?" Eshoo answered, "Recruit, re-

cruit, recruit." She recommends thatadvocates for Ames send letters outlin-ing the severe damage that the FY06budget proposal for NASA Ames wildo n ot only to Ames, but to the nation"We need peop le to pu t pen to p aper."

Lofgren ad ded , "I would ask arethere people who are willing to helpwho know people in the administra-tion? I would not exclude connectionspeople might have on the other side ofthe aisle."

"You d on't have a company and cuoff R&D," Honda commented near theend of the session.

The assembled crowd gave the three

representatives a spontaneou s standingovation.

South Bay Congressional reps visit Ames employees


15/16


Ames ClassifiedsAds for the next issue should be sent to

[email protected] must be resubmitted foreach issue. Ads must involve personal needs or items; (nocommercial/third-party ads) and will run on a space-available basis only. First-t ime ads are given prio rity. Adsmust include home phone numbers; Ames extensions andemail addresses will be accepted for carpool and lost andfound ads only. Due to the volume of material received,we are unable to verify the accuracy of the statementsmade in the ads. Caveat emptor!

Housing

Miscellaneous

To hear the centerwide statusrecord ing, call (650) 604-9999 for in-formation annou ncements and emer-gency instructions for Am es employ-ees. You can a lso listen to 1700 KHzAM rad io for the sam e information.

Ames emergencyannouncements

Safety Data

Civil ContractorsServants

Not recordable,first aid cases 8 3

Record able nolost-time cases 1 2

RecordableLOST-TIME cases 0 0

Lost wor kday s 0 0

Restricted du ty days 0 8

Data above is as of 3/ 30/ 05. Maybe subject to slight adjustmen t in theevent of a new case or new inform-ation regard ing an existing case.

Exchange InformationExchange InformationExchange InformationExchange InformationExchange Information

Beyond GalileoBeyond GalileoBeyond GalileoBeyond GalileoBeyond GalileoN-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

Ask about NASA customized gifts for specialoccasions.

Mega BitesMega BitesMega BitesMega BitesMega 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. 4-5969

Visitor Center Gift ShopVisitor Center Gift ShopVisitor Center Gift ShopVisitor Center Gift ShopVisitor Center Gift Shop N-943N-943N-943N-943N-943(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) e xt. 4-5412(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) e xt. 4-5412(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) e xt. 4-5412(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) e xt. 4-5412(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) e xt. 4-5412

NASA logo merchandise, souvenirs, toys, gifts andeducational 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,htt p:// exchange.arc.nasa.gov and click on t ickets.

Information about p roducts, services andopportunities provided to the employee and contractorcommun ity by t he Ames Exchange Council. Visit theweb site at: htt p:/ /exchange.arc.nasa.gov

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

Ticke ts, e tc...Tickets, e tc...Ticke ts, e tc...Tickets, e tc...Ticke ts, e tc... (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

Lake Tahoe-Squaw Valley Townhse, 3bd/2ba, Viewof slopes, close to lifts. Per night: $250, tw o nightminim um. Includes linens, cleaning, propane fireplace,fully equipped. Call (650) 968-4155,[email protected]

South Lake Tahoe cott age w/w ood fireplace, hottub. Rates $50 to $130 per night . Call (650) 967-7659or (650) 704-7732.

Vacation rental, Bass Lake, 4 mls south ofYosemite. 3bd/1.5 ba, TV, VCR, MW, frplc, BBQ, priv.boat dock. Sleeps 8. $1,050/wk. Call (559) 642-3600or (650) 390-9668.

Big Sur vacation rental, secluded 4bd/2ba housein canyon setting. Fully eqpd kitchen. Access to priv.beach. Tub in patio gdn . Halfway between Carmeland Big Sur. $175/ night for 2; $225 for 4 and $250

for more, plus $150 cleaning dep. Call (650) 328-4427.

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

Pine Mountain Lake vacation home. Access togolf, tennis, lake, swimming, horseback riding, walk tobeach. Three bedrooms/sleeps 10. $100/n ight. Call(408) 799-4052 or (831) 623-4054.

Incline Village: Forest Pines, Lake Tahoe condo, 3bd/ 2ba, sleeps 8. Fireplace, TV/VCR/DVD, MW, W/D,

jacuzzi, sauna, pool. Walk to Lake, close to ski areas.Visit Web page for pictures: htt p:/ /www .ACruiseStore.com. $120/ night low season,$155/night high season (holidays higher) plus $156cleaning fee and 12% Nevada room t ax. Charlie (650)366-1873.

Disneyland area vacation rental home, 2 b d/1ba.

Nearing completion completely remodeled w/newfurn iture. Sleeps 6 (queen bed, bunk beds, sleepersofa). Air hockey and football tables. Introduct oryrate $600/wk, once completed rate will be $1000/wk.Security deposit and $100 cleaning fee required. Call(925) 846-2781.

Ski Park City Utah, NASA Ski Week XIV, Feb 5 - 12,2005. Space limited. E-mail Steve at [email protected] or call (408) 432-0135.

New York, 5th Ave. One fully furn ished bedroomin 24 hour security bldg. overlooking WashingtonSquare Park, $1,000/wk or $3,600/mo. negotiable.Call (650) 349-0238.

Paris/France: Fully furnished studio, 5th Arr, LatinQuarter, Not re Dame and Ile-St. Louis., $1,400/wk.negotiable. Call (650) 349-0238.

See daily menu at: htt p:/ /exchange.arc.nasa.gov

NAS A-Ames Occupational

Illness-Injury Data for Calendar

Year-to-Date 2005

Jan. 1, 2005 Mar. 31, 2005

S ecu rity /Law En forcemen t A ctiv ity Fire Protectio n A cti vi ty

A statistical sum mar y of activitiesof the Protective Services Division'sSecurity/ Law Enforcement and Fire

Protective Services monthly activity

Would like a roommate to share expenses. Nice home,less than 5 miles from Ames. Part time/ non-smokerpreferred. Lets talk. Donna (408) 309-8475 (cell).

Room in 4bd/2 ba home, excellent, quiet Mtn Viewarea close to Ames. Washer, dryer, microwave, wired forcable modem. Tidy person and nonsmoker. Easy access toAmes, H85, 237, & 101. $425 and dep. and share utilities.Avail. May 1. Call (650) 964-1900.

The Ames Cat Network needs help fi nding homes forcats trapped at Moffett . They range from feral toabandoned/lost pets. Tested, altered and inoculated. CallIris at ext. 4-5824 if you or someone you know areinterested in fostering or adopting a cat.

Protection Services units for the monthof April 2005 is shown below.

Mot orcycle, 1987 Honda Shadow 1100cc, 46K mls,$1,000 or B/O. Barry Cunningham at (510) 793-4457.

Very beginner t ennis player would like a partner forlunch-tim e (11:30 a.m). play on the Moffett courts. Ifinterested, contact Leticha at (408) 209-5342.


16/16


Nat ional Aeronaut ics and SpaceAdministration

Ames Research CenterMof fett Field, CA 94035-1000

Official BusinessPenalty for Private Use

PLEASE RECYCLE

Printed on recycled and recyclable paper with vegetable-based ink.

FIRST CLASS MAIL

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

NASA

Permit No. G-27

The Ames Astrogram is an official pub lication ofAmes Research Center, National Aeronautics andSpace Administration.

Editor-in-Chief......................... Gregory Gibbs

Managing Editor..........................Ann Sullivan

Editor, Layout and Design...........Astrid Terlep

You can reach the Astrogram Office at:[email protected] or by phone at(650) 604-3347.

On A pril 14, more than 90 studentsfrom San Francisco Bay Area had the

opportunity to learn first hand fromExpedition 9 astronaut Michael Fincke,what it is like to live in space. Stud entsattending the talk were from SlaterElementary School and two Bay AreaExplorer Schools, Toyon ElementarySchool and Barnard White MiddleSchool.

Fincke discussed his six-monthmission on th e International Space Sta-

tion as part of the Expedition 9 crew.The talk was h eld at the centers NASAExploration Center. He also spoke toAmes emp loyees in the afternoon. Hispresentation was a compilation of thehighlights of the mission and includ eda tou r of the ISS and science onboard .

Fincke was selected in 1996 to jointhe astronaut corps. Exped ition 9 waslaunched from Kazakhstan aboard aSoyuz TMA-4 spacecraft, and dockedwith the International Space Station onAp ril 21, 2004. Lt. Col. Fincke spen tsix-months on the station, du ring whichtime he continued ISS science opera-tions, mainta ined station systems andperformed four sp acewalks.

Expedition 9 astronaut inspires Bay Area students at Ames

Expedition 9astronaut MichaelFincke (right)receives amemento duringhis recent visit to

Ames from AmesCenter Director G.Scott Hubbard.

Astronaut Fincke during the question-and-answer period with visiting students at Ames.BY JONAS DINO

NASAphotobyTom

Trower

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

NASAphotoby

Tom

Trower

nasa 113463main 05 04astrogram b

Documents