An electronic publication from the NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI) Program

September 1998

Space Technology Brought

Down to Earth

* NASA Commercial

Technology

NASA Turning 40

"The World Takes Flight"

National Aerospace Conference

Interplanetary Internet

NASA History Office

...From the STI Lead Center

...STI at the Centers

 NASA STI News Other NASA News NCT Program *

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STI Homepage

NASA Commercial

Technology Network

(NCTN)

Spinoff

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PDF Version
...From the STI Lead Center at Langley

Online Version of NASA SP-7084

Through the joint cooperation of the Lead Center Information Desk, Langley Research Center's Data Analysis

and Imaging Branch, and the STI Publications Policy Review Committee, NASA SP-7084, "Grammar,

Punctuation and Capitalization: A Handbook for Technical Writers and Editors" is now available via the web in

both HTML and PDF at URL

http://stipo.larc.nasa.gov/sp7084/

STI's NASA Image eXchange (NIX) Update

NIX has recently added Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Planetary Photojournal to the digital image databases that it

accesses. NIX now accesses and searches selected digital image databases from all major NASA centers and JPL.

In addition, new browse categories and a link to the NASA Website Privacy Statement have recently been added

to NIX. You can view and search NIX at URL

http://nix.nasa.gov.

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...STI at the Centers

The STI Program is alive and well...and in each of the NASA Centers.

In part, the NASA STI Program Plan states that, "The NASA Scientific and Technical Information Program is an

integral part of NASA's future. The program supports the Agency's missions to communicate scientific knowledge

and understanding and to help transfer NASA's research and development to the aerospace and academic

communities.... By ensuring a fast, two-way process of internal and external information exchange, the STI Program

helps NASA to avoid duplication of research, time, and cost and to make its wealth of information available to

benefit its customers.... Each Center is responsible for acquiring, tracking, and producing or having produced NASA

STI related to their Center mission; and for ensuring that Center STI reaches the STI Database," at the NASA Center

for AeroSpace Information.

To that end, each NASA Center executes the STI Program mission and objectives by way of a team of individuals

who apply professional publishing standards to all scientific and technical information passing through its doors.

Whether the information will result in a document to be distributed through the traditional print and mail process, or

an electronic document available on the Internet, or both--the teams responsible for making it happen go through the

process step-by-step with each customer. Visit the following URL to access the STI Program at any NASA Center:

http://stipo.larc.nasa.gov/sti_link4text.html

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NASA Turning 40

October 1, 1998 marks the 40th anniversary of NASA. Visit the following URL for more information, including

publications, photographs, videos, biographies, documents, and other interesting information.

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/40thann/40home.htm

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"The World Takes Flight" National

Aerospace Conference

October, 1-3, 1998

Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio

Take a comprehensive look at flight's first century. Spend three days in the "Birthplace of Aviation," surrounded by peers, industry

experts, educational specialists, and famous aviation and aerospace pioneers.

Conference themes/Concurrent sessions:

Flight, Society and Culture

Flight and Public Policy

Flight, Science, and Technology

Examine Wright State University's Wright Brothers Archives--the second largest collection in the world. Visit Dayton's historic aviation

sites, including the United States Air Force Museum and the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, featuring the 1905

Wright Flyer III, Huffman Prairie and the Wright Cycle Shop.

Conference Registration Fee - $50

Speakers Include:

John D. Anderson, Jr. - Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Maryland

Roger E. Bilstein - University of Houston, Clear Lake

Joseph J. Corn - Stanford University

R.E.G. Davies - Aeronautics Division, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Robin Higham - Sunflower University Press, Manhattan, KS

Peter Jakab - Aeronautics Division, National Air and Space Museum; Wright Brothers scholar

William M. Leary - University of Georgia

W. David Lewis - Auburn University

Neil Loving - Pioneer Aircraft Homebuilder

Hans Mark - University of Texas; former secretary of U.S. Air Force

William Trimble - History Department, Auburn University

Susan Ware - New York University

Further inquiries and requests for additional information may be addressed to:

Aviation History Conference and Events

Rm E180 Student Union

Wright State University

Dayton, OH 45434-0001

The complete agenda and online registration materials are available at URL:http://www.wright.edu/beyond/flight

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Interplanetary Internet

Dr. Vinton Cerf, widely known as the "Father of the Internet" for co-developing the TCP/IP protocol, will be

serving a two-year post as Distinguished Visiting Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). This will be

in addition to his regular position as senior vice president of Internet Architecture and Engineering at MCI

Communications Corp. Cerf will work in concert with Adrian Hooke, manager of NASA's Space Mission

Operations Standardization Program and a member of Gael Squibb's staff in the Telecommunications and Mission

Operations Directorate.

The first job of the team will be to develop a new interplanetary Internet architecture which can cope with the

long transmission delays and noisy, intermittent data links inherent today in deep space communications. Cerf

will also work with JPL to address how space missions can be made more openly accessible to the public; for

instance, by allowing scientists to use familiar Web-based tools via interplanetary gateways that operate

throughout the solar system. Cerf sees the possibility that any spacecraft landing on a planet or other celestial

body can "leave behind a little piece of the Internet" for future interplanetary communications development.

Hooke notes that the development of what is termed the "InterPlanNet" is inevitable.

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NASA History Office

Ames Collaborates With History Office

We are pleased to announce that NASA Ames has a launched a history project--a chance for everyone at Ames to reflect

upon their contributions to aviation and space technology. Plans are to have a book--about 300 pages and full of

illustrations--published by the Government Printing Office in time for Ames's 60th anniversary celebrations in December

1999. The archival component of the project involves building databases of documents deposited at the National Archives

and Records Center in San Bruno, as well as processing historical materials donated during the history project.

Also important in this process is a Web page on the Ames History Project. It is accessible at URL:

http://history.arc.nasa.gov

To work on this Ames history project, the Center has contracted with Glenn E. Bugos. Bugos holds a Ph.D. in the history

of technology from the University of Pennsylvania, teaches at the University of California Berkeley, and works as a

contract historian for Bay Area businesses. He is assisted by Helen Rutt as project archivist. Her task is to build databases

of documents deposited at theNational Archives and Federal Record Center in San Bruno, as well as processing historical

materials donated during the history project. You may reach Bugos at Historian@mail.arc.nasa.gov, or Rutt at

Archivist@mail.arc.nasa.gov. They are available by regular mail at NASA Ames Research Center MS 19-1, Moffett Field,

California 94035-1000, telephone, (650) 604-0910 [fax], (650) 604-2992.

New Publications List

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 spaceflight and NASA's 40th

anniversary. Special thanks to volunteer Scott Frick, who did a great job with the HTML formatting.

Other publications recently announced through the NASA History Office include:

The Legislative Origins of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958. This is a 76 page, paperbound monograph

illustrated with B&W photos. It contains the proceedings of an oral history workshop that was conducted by John M.

Logsdon of The George Washington University on April 3, 1992.

Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in the History of the U.S. Civil Space Program, Volume III: Using Space,

edited by John M. Logsdon, with Roger D. Launius, David H. Onkst, and Steven J. Garber.

This book is an essential reference series for anyone interested in the history of the U.S. civil space program and its

development over time. Using Space is the third book in the six volume series that contains a selection of key documents,

many of which are available for the first time.

Next Page
Destination Moon: A History of the Lunar Orbiter Program (Washington, DC: NASA TM-3487, 1977) is now available

online at URL:

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/TM-3487/top.htm

Written by Bruce Byers, this technical memorandum is a book-length scholarly work detailing the history of the robotic

Lunar Orbiter program, which provided very useful mission planning data for the Apollo program.

For more information on ordering any of the books in the NASA History Series, visit the NASA History Office web site.

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/publicat.htm

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Space Technology Brought Down to Earth

NASA's Biomedical Advancements Revolutionize the Medical Field

Although NASA's primary missions remain space exploration, space science, and advanced aeronautical research,

NASA continues to reach new heights in many other fields. The medical field in particular, has benefited

significantly from NASA research. Space technology and modern medicine often work hand-in-hand. As a result

of space technology, numerous life-saving medical breakthroughs have been developed through the NASA

Commercial Technology program.

A few of today's space-derived medical developments include blood pressure monitors, self-adjusting pacemakers,

a breast biopsy system, electrocardiographs, exercise equipment, and ultrasound images. Many of these

innovations are less painful, less costly and cause less trauma to patients. These discoveries have proven NASA

successful in revolutionizing the practice of medicine.

Yesterday's accomplishments, coupled with today's rising advancements, pave the way for tomorrow's successes.

The medical technology of tomorrow will include microwave surgery, tissue replacement, heart pumps, low

radiation imaging, and fetal imaging. NASA's Commercial Technology program continues to focus its efforts on

the transfer of technologies into state-of-the-art products and services. As NASA's research in the medical field

progresses, we can expect more of these spinoff technologies to affect and enhance our everyday life.

For additional information on medical-related NASA spinoffs, visit the Spinoff website at

http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinoff.html.

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