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An electronic publication from the NASA Scientific and Technical

Information (STI) Program
...From STI Lead Center at Langley

Prototype Evaluation of Possible New STI Database

The STI Program Office has recently completed a prototype evaluation of a potential new STI database

search and retrieval system that could either supplement or replace the current STI Database, RECONplus.

This prototype system, called the Aeronautics and Space Access Page (ASAP), has a web interface and is

based on the BRS search engine. It was recently tested online by customers of the STI Program and by STI

Program personnel at all 10 centers plus several contractor libraries to determine if it warranted further

development. ASAP has initially received a favorable review as well as constructive input, which will allow

it to undergo further revision, development, and beta-testing. For more information on future beta-testing,

contact George Roncaglia at g.j.roncaglia@larc.nasa.gov or Simon Chung at s.s.chung@larc.nasa.gov.

Agency Team Gives Report to NASA HQ

The Agency team to acquire NASA-produced STI, which was sponsored by the STI Program Office of the

Lead Center, gave its final report to NASA HQ on June 18, 1998. This team was predominantly composed

of internal customers of the STI Program with STI personnel serving as advisors. A shadow team of STI

personnel at all 10 centers provided support for the Agency team. The team was given a 6-month charter to

recommend ways for NASA to increase the amount and variety of NASA-produced unclassified, unlimited

STI that is captured and used to benefit NASA projects and initiatives. The final report is currently being

reviewed by STI personnel at all centers. After center feedback is received, an implementation plan will be

formulated; this plan will include a listing of what items the STI Program will begin to implement and the

priority to do so. For more information on this project, contact g.j.roncaglia@larc.nasa.gov or

n.l.heimerl@larc.nasa.gov.

STI Lead Center Gains Additional Responsibilities

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between NASA Headquarters and the Center

Director for Langley Research Center regarding STI; this MOU moves the responsibility and authority for

the international STI Program and additional policy tasks for the Agency STI Program from Headquarters to

Langley, effective immediately. Responsibility for the overall Agency STI Program, NASA Policy Directive

(NPD)-level policy, and the Agency STI Director will remain at NASA Headquarters. For additional

information, contact Roland Ridgeway at rridgeway@hq.nasa.gov or George Roncaglia at

g.j.roncaglia@larc.nasa.gov.

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...From Goddard

Library's Third Generation Web Site

In April of this year, the Goddard Library staff began the process of totally redesigning its Web site. Having

maintained a Web presence since 1994, the staff concluded that the time was right for a third revision of the

Web site. Changes in user preference and styles of use, advances in technology and improvements in vendor

products were some of the factors influencing the need to change our Web site. In addition, the Web is a

dynamic environment and invites, encourages, and requires change to remain a viable service to customers.

The first and second generation sites were designed to be an extension of traditional library services, and in

fact, the first site was designed to be a virtual representation of Goddard's physical library. Since that time, it

has become apparent that the Web site is no longer an extension of services, but it has become a service in

itself.

Major changes in the Web site include a new design and layout featuring frames. It is graphically appealing,

yet is relatively stressless for today's average user at NASA Goddard. The content is arranged by categories of

Web site services and is consistent with user requests and librarians' suggestions. Service offerings include

the Library Catalog, Electronic Journals, Databases, New Books Lists, Web Bibliographies, and Request

Forms. A Visitor's Page offers information and services available to everyone including users from outside of

Goddard.

Check out the new Web site at http://library.gsfc.nasa.gov. As with any service, comments that will inspire

positive changes and improvement in Web site content and appearance are welcome. Initial feedback from the

user community has been very positive. Send comments about the Web site to library@sun.gsfc.nasa.gov or

contact Robin Dixon at rmd@sun.gsfc.nasa.gov.

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...From JPL

Annual Honor Awards Ceremony

The Annual NASA Honor Awards Ceremony was held Tuesday, June 30, on the mall at the Jet Propulsion

Laboratory. Awards were presented to 182 recipients by Dr. Wesley T. Huntress, Associate Administrator,

NASA Office of Space Science; Dr. Edward C. Stone, JPL Director; and Larry N. Dumas, JPL Deputy

Director. Following the ceremony, a luncheon honoring 1998 NASA award recipients was held in the garden

of the house of California Institute of Technology President, Dr. David Baltimore. Linda J. Kosmin, Manager

of the Library, Archives, and Records Section and the JPL STI Manager, was given a NASA Exceptional

Achievement Medal. The Library-Archives Team also received a Group Achievement Award for development

and implementation of significant upgrades to the JPL Library and Archives to provide state-of-the-art

information delivery and service to JPL personnel and NASA partners. Jennifer Momjian, Library Cataloging

Group Leader and the BEACON Coordinator, accepted the group award for the team. The Mars Pathfinder

Multimission Image Processing Team received a Group Achievement Award accepted by Susan K. LaVoie,

Manager of the Science Data Processing Systems Section.

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...From KSC

Standards for the 21st Century

The staff of the Kennedy Space Center Library Documents, Specifications, and Standards Department uses a

combination of old and new technologies to provide access to the specifications and standards which are so

vital to KSC and its mission. The Department has specifications and standards from a variety of sources,

including: KSC, JSC, MSFC, NASA; Department of Defense, Federal and state governments; and industrial,

societal, and international organizations. The specifications and standards are available in one or more formats:

hardcopy, microfilm, CD-ROM, and over the Internet.

KSC specifications and standards are available in hardcopy and electronically in Portable Document Format

(PDF) on the Internet. KSC GP-364, "index of Kennedy Space Center Specifications and Standards," is

published each January. The index is organized by title and number and is accessible on the Internet at URL

http://www-lib.ksc.nasa.gov/lib/gp364.htm. The Internet version of the index provides updated information

and is the access point for electronic KSC specifications and standards. Changes, revisions, and cancellations

of KSC specifications and standards are routinely announced in the KSC Bulletin--along with changes,

revisions, and cancellations of JSC standards. For historical purposes, canceled or superseded KSC

specifications and standards are maintained within the Department.

The Department maintains hardcopies of pertinent Johnson Space Center standards and some are available on

the Internet at URL http://sspweb.jsc.nasa.gov/ntdata/ssp/webdata/pdcweb/pdc.htm.

Current NASA standards may be obtained from the Department and many are also on the Internet. Internet

access is provided through records for the individual standards in the NASA GALAXIE online catalog at URL

http://nasagalaxie.larc.nasa.gov; from the NASA Technical Standards Program at URL

http://standards.nasa.gov/esscdraft.htm; or the NASA NODIS Directives Library at URL

http://nodis.hq.nasa.gov/Library/processes.html.

All current Department of Defense specifications, standards, and handbooks, and Federal specifications and

standards are available through a non-networked, standalone CD-ROM system and can be printed upon request.

Hardcopies of canceled, revised, and superseded DoD and Federal specifications, standards, and handbooks may

be available. Hardcopy and CD-ROM indexes offer subject as well as numerical access to DoD and Federal

specifications and standards. Some frequently used DoD and Federal specifications and standards are cataloged

in the NASA GALAXIE online catalog at URL http://nasagalaxie.larc.nasa.gov, which provides title,

subject, and number indexing. State of Florida specifications and standards are available in hardcopy, and some

are also cataloged in the NASA GALAXIE online catalog.

Specifications and standards issued by over 50 industrial, societal, and international organizations are included

in the Department's collection. Current versions of AIA/NAS, ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code,

ASTM, AWS, AWWA, CGA, EIA, IEEE, ISO (quality/measurements/safety/testing/environment), MSS,

SAE (AMS and AN), and UL, specifications and standards are available through a non-networked, standalone

CD-ROM system. Through licensing agreements with the issuing bodies, these copyrighted materials may be

printed upon request. Current NFPA standards are available online through the Base Operations Network

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...From KSC

Standards for the 21st Century

(BON) and AASHTO standards are on microfilm. Hardcopies of some current, canceled, or superseded

copyrighted specifications and standards are maintained for use in the KSC Library. The Department provides

hardcopy subject and numeric indexes for many standards-issuing organizations. Records for copyrighted

specifications and standards are being added to the NASA GALAXIE online catalog at URL

http://nasagalaxie.larc.nasa.gov, which provides title, subject, and number indexing. CD-ROM indexing

offers access by keywords, issuing body, and number whether or not the Department actual has the

specifications or standards. Many standards-issuing organizations maintain Internet sites, providing the means

of identifying required specifications and standards. These can be accessed directly or through links provided

by the NASA Standards site at URL http://standards.nasa.gov/standorg.htm. The American National

Standards Institute's (ANSI), Internet site at URL http://www.nssn.org/ provides title, date, and number for

thousands of ANSI approved specifications and standards.

Specifications and standards required for accomplishment of work related, mission specific activities may be

requested from the Department. Copies of non-copyrighted specifications and standards and copyrighted

specifications and standards on CD-ROM, are made and given to requesters. Copyrighted specifications and

standards for long-term retention in offices require a 16-19 Form for purchase and are loaned for one year. In

general, copyrighted specifications and standards are not available free of charge over the Internet.

The Kennedy Space Center Library Documents, Specifications, and Standards Department is located in HQ,

Room 1124. For additional information, call (407) 867-3613.

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How to Order NASA STI

NASA scientific and technical information (STI) can be ordered from the NASA

Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI). A brochure containing the full price

list for standard and special materials, including videos, is now available.

Payment options, return policy, and the various ways to contact CASI are also

included in this 2-page PDF file. Select the "How to Order NASA STI" button in

the left margin. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0, you may download

it from the Adobe web site.

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Back by Popular Demand...

The STI Bulletin is once again available in a PDF (Portable Document Format) file. It is being offered as an

alternative way to view and print this and all future issues. Simply select the "PDF Version" button in the

left margin, and the complete issue will open via the Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have version 3.0,

you may download it from the Adobe web site.

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NIX Update

The NASA Image eXchange (NIX) project, which currently links digital image databases of 9 NASA centers,

will shortly include JPL's "Planetary PhotoJournal." NIX and JPL technical personnel have linked the

"PhotoJournal" to a developer's version of NIX prior to releasing it to the main NIX meta-search engine.

Other work is continuing to expand the NIX Browse categories. These Browse categories allow users to

access the best images in NIX on pre-selected topics without using the search engine. NIX also currently

includes a help desk that assists customers locate specific images. You can reach the help desk via e-mail to

the Lead Center Information Desk at sti+leadcid@larc.nasa.gov.

NIX is located at url http://nix.nasa.gov/

NIX was recently chosen as a web "Incredibly Useful Site" with a comment that "your tax dollars can

produce something wonderful...the stunning NASA Image eXchange."

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Earth Images Available

Online ordering available for Earth images taken by astronauts

Images taken by NASA astronauts flying high above the Earth aboard the space shuttle can now be ordered

online.

The "Best 500" images from the NASA Space Shuttle Earth Observations Photography database of more

than 250,000 images have been available for free downloading for quite some time. Now, thanks to a trial

cooperative effort between JSC's Space and Life Sciences Directorate, Information Systems Directorate

(ISD), Public Affairs Office (PAO) and the Eastman Kodak Co., the public may purchase high-resolution

photographic prints of the images over the Internet.

Kodak's Commercial & Government Systems unit activated its online ordering site on May 22 as part of a

market trial agreement with JSC aimed at determining public interest in obtaining quality digital prints of

images from NASA missions.

Anyone who would like to order a print is asked to search the Space and Life Sciences-developed Earth

observations image database at http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/. When the search results are returned, users will see

a link labeled "Order a Photographic Print of (Photo number)." Clicking on this link will take the user to a

Kodak site that will allow them to input their order.

Images range in size and price from 8-by-10 inches at $13.95 to 20-by-24 inches at $29.95, and include a

location map, title, and North locator.

Dr. Kam Lulla, chief of JSC's Earth Science Branch, is in charge of NASA's Earth observations

photography collection. Richard Slater, ISD's technical monitor for imagery, is in charge of the Internet

image database, and the IMPASS contractor manages the web site. PAO's Kelly Humphries is JSC's project

manager for the trial agreement.

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NASA History Office

The NASA History Office has just posted online the full text of NASA SP-4003, Space Medicine

in Project Mercury, originally published in 1965 and long out of print. It is available at URL:

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4003/cover.htm

This book should be especially timely considering John Glenn's upcoming second space flight and

NASA's 40th anniversary. Special thanks to volunteer Scott Frick, who did a great job with the

HTML formatting.

Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in the History of the U.S. Civil

Space Program, Volume 3: Using Space

Edited by John M. Logsdon, with Roger D. Launius, David H. Onkst, Stephen J. Garber.

(Washington, D.C.: NASA SP-4407, 1998), pp. vii, 608; hardcover with dustjacket.

Exploring the Unknown is an essential reference for anyone interested in the history of the U.S.

civil space program and its development over time. The third of a six-volume series containing a

selection of key documents in the history of the U.S. civil space program, this book contains 110

key documents, many available here for the first time. The three major sections of this book,

"History of Satellite Communications," "Observing the Earth from Space," and "Space as an

Investment in Economic Growth," include essays and critical documents in the history of space

flight. Each document is introduced by a headnote providing context, bibliographical details, and

background information necessary to understand the document.

This third volume comes on the heels of much praise for the first two volumes of Exploring the

Unknown. It should prove a valuable source both for students and scholars. Additional volumes

will appear later that trace the evolution of space transportation, human space flight, and space

science.

How to order: For sale for $40.00 (domestic postpaid) from the Superintendent of Documents. By

Mail: Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. By fax (202)

512-2250. By Phone (202) 512-1800. Order stock number 033-000-01195-4. This book may also

be purchased from the NASA Information Center, Code CMI-1, NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street

SW, Room 1H23, Washington, DC 20546-0001, or call 202-358-0000.

Visit the NASA History Office at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/

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Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly

"Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly" is seeking academic articles along with shorter pieces on space

history. The former magazine is being converted to academic standards for "feature" articles, and the

time-to-publication is VERY quick right now. Academic space history articles for the September and

December issues are needed, so if you have some article(s) complete or nearly so, and are looking for quick

publication with academic credentials, you might want to consider submitting these to Quest.

If anyone would consider being part of our peer review network for space history articles or book reviews,

please contact us. We are well on the way to recruiting the leading space historians to be part of our network

of contributors and reviewers. The task shouldn't be onerous, only 1 article every year or two, with book

reviews if desired. Contributions are always welcome, of course.

Find out more about Quest from our Web site, http://www.space.edu/quest. The first publication contained

articles by J.D. Hunley and W. David Lewis. Subscription information can be found there as well.

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Tech Briefs

NASA Tech Briefs--Engineering Solutions for Design & Manufacturing

The NASA Commercial Technology Program encompasses a national network of specialized centers and

organizations that assist United States businesses and industry in accessing, utilizing, and commercializing

NASA-funded research and technology. The organizations work in close coordination with each other to

provide a full range of technology transfer and commercialization services and assistance. The NASA

Commercial Technology Network (NTCN), consists of the Commercial Technology Organizations at each

of the NASA field centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC),

the six Regional Technology Transfer Centers (RTTCs), NASA Tech Briefs, COSMIC, UNISPHERE, and

other specialized organizations and services. They are dedicated to fostering dual-use technology partnerships,

and the transfer and commercialization of NASA-sponsored research and technology.

An essential measure in promoting greater use of NASA technology is letting potential users know what

technologies are available for transfer. This is accomplished primarily by the publication NASA Tech Briefs.

Each issue of Tech Briefs contains information on newly developed products and processes, advances in basic

and applied research, improvements in shop and laboratory techniques, new sources of technical data and

computer programs, and other innovations originating at NASA field centers or at the facilities of NASA

contractors. Most briefs offer a Technical Support Package, which explains the technology in greater detail

and provides contact points for questions or licensing discussions.

As an official publication of NASA, Tech Briefs also contains feature articles on successful NASA spinoffs,

profiles of NASA tech transfer resources, news briefs, and application stories. Regular columns describe new

patents, industry products, software, and literature. Issued monthly, this award-winning, free publication is a

current awareness medium and problem solving tool for more than 200,000 government and industry readers,

making it the largest U.S.-circulation engineering magazine.

For additional information on NASA Tech Briefs or to register for a subscription, visit the NASA Tech

Briefs web site at http://www.nasatech.com/.

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