June 2013 - A Quarterly Publication

www.nasa.gov

NASA's Kepler Mission has re- cently discovered two new planetary 

systems that include three superEarth-size planets in the "habitable 

zone," the range of distance from a 

star where the surface temperature 

of an orbiting planet might be suitable 

for liquid water.

The Kepler-62 system has five 

planets; 62b, 62c, 62d, 62e and 

62f. The Kepler-69 system has two 

planets; 69b and 69c. Kepler-62e, 62f 

and 69c are the super-Earth-sized 

planets.

Two of the newly discovered 

planets orbit a star smaller and cooler 

than the sun. Kepler-62f is only 40 

percent larger than Earth, making it 

the exoplanet closest to the size of 

our planet known in the habitable 

zone of another star. Kepler-62f is 

likely to have a rocky composition. 

Kepler-62e, orbits on the inner edge 

of the habitable zone and is roughly 

60 percent larger than Earth.

The third planet, Kepler-69c, is 70 

percent larger than the size of Earth, 

and orbits in the habitable zone of a 

star similar to our sun. Astronomers 

are uncertain about the composition 

of Kepler-69c, but its orbit of 242 days 

NASA's Kepler discovers its smallest 'habitable zone' planets to date

by Michele Johnson

continued on page 5

Relative sizes of all of the habitable-zone planets discovered to date alongside Earth. Left to right: Kepler-22b, 

Kepler-69c, Kepler-62e, Kepler-62f and Earth (except for Earth, these are artists' renditions). Image credit: NASA 

Ames/JPL-Caltech. 

around a sun-like star resembles that 

of our neighboring planet Venus.

Scientists do not know whether life 

could exist on the newfound planets, 

but their discovery signals we are 

another step closer to finding a world 

similar to Earth around a star like our 

sun.

"The Kepler spacecraft has certainly turned out to be a rock star of 

science," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The discovery of 

these rocky planets in the habitable 

zone brings us a bit closer to finding 

a place like home. It is only a matter 

of time before we know if the galaxy 

is home to a multitude of planets like 

Earth, or if we are a rarity."

The Kepler space telescope, which 

simultaneously and continuously 

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden visits Ames

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden (far left) visited 

Ames May 24, 2013, to view demonstrations of Ames’ 

contributions to the PhoneSat nanosatellite mission and 

3D printing activity and to meet with local news media. 

U.S. Congressman Mike Honda, 17th Congressional 

District, California, (third from left) and Ames Research 

Center Director S. Pete Worden (second from left) were 

at the site of PhoneSat and additive manufacturing demonstrations. Demonstrating the 3D printing technology 

was Sarah Hovsepian (far right) SpaceShop manager. 

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is 

a critical part of President Obama’s push for building a 

strong American manufacturing sector. The PhoneSat 

program recently launched three small satellites built 

from off-the-shelf cellular phone technology.

NASA photo by Dominic Hart
2

Astrogram June 2013 

Airborne imaging technology 

NASA developed and transferred to 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 

Forest Service (USFS) in 2012 is 

being tested to prepare for this year's 

wildfire season in the western United 

States. 

The Autonomous Modular Sensor (AMS) is a scanning spectrometer 

designed to help detect hot-spots, 

active fires and smoldering and postfire conditions. Scientists at Ames 

and USFS engineers installed it on a 

Cessna Citation aircraft that belongs 

to the Forest Service. The USFS plans 

to use it in operational fire imaging 

and measurement.

The western United States is 

expected to have continued droughts 

this year resulting in increased potential for fire outbreaks, according to 

the National Interagency Fire Center 

(NIFC) in Boise, Idaho. To help mitigate fire danger, NASA researchers 

and USFS firefighters are collaborating to improve fire management 

capabilities. 

NASA imaging sensor prepares for Western wildfire season

by Ruth Dasso Marlaire

"NASA technologies in the fields of 

data communication, aircraft systems, 

advanced sensing systems and realtime information processing finally 

have coalesced into the operational 

use that supports national needs in 

wildfire management," said Vincent 

Ambrosia, principal investigator of the 

continued on page 7

NASA-developed 

wildfire imaging technology 

transferred to the 

U.S. Department 

of Agriculture's 

Forest Service 

(USFS) has 

begun test flights 

onboard a Forest 

Service aircraft 

in preparation for 

this year's wildfire 

season in the 

western United 

States. 

Image credit: 

USFS 

Wildfire Research and Applications 

Partnership project and a senior research scientist at Ames and California State University, Monterey Bay.

Developed by NASA's Airborne 

Sciences Program, the Autonomous 

Modular Sensor acquires high-resolution imagery of the Earth's features 

The Ames Contractor Council (ACC) 

recently held its annual Excellence 

Awards Ceremony in the Syvertson 

Auditorium. This event celebrates and 

acknowledges the contributions that 

both individuals and teams have made 

to Ames activities. This year, Length of 

Service awards were added for contractor staff with 20 or more years of 

service at Ames.

 The event was hosted by Master of Ceremonies Neill Callis, ACC 

President; presentations were made 

by Gregory Hite, ACC Vice President, 

and Lewis S. G. Braxton III, Deputy 

Center Director. A total of 18 individuals 

and 12 teams were recognized for their 

outstanding performance over the past 

year. A total of 210 contractors were 

recognized for their length of service.

 The ACC also presented its Safety 

Excellence Award at the event, recog- nizing Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, 

Inc., for their best-of-class safety perfor- mance at NASA Ames during 2012.

Ames Contractor Council hosts 2013 Excellence Awards ceremony

by Patricia Elso

Ames Deputy Center Director Lewis Braxton (right) congratulates contractor staff in attendance 

with 40 or more years of service to NASA Ames: Back row, left to right: Doug Pearson (55), Fred 

Witteborn (54), Herbert Finger (42) and Rick Serrano (47). Front row, left to right: John Humbert 

(49), Vera Vizir (40) and Lynn Albaugh (40).

NASA photo by Dominic Hart
3

Astrogram June 2013

Transmissions from all three 

PhoneSats have been received at multiple ground stations on Earth, indicating they are operating normally. The 

PhoneSat team at Ames will continue 

to monitor the satellites. The satellites 

are expected to remain in orbit for as 

long as two weeks.

"It's always great to see a space 

technology mission make it to orbit 

-- the high frontier is the ultimate test- ing ground for new and innovative 

space technologies of the future," said 

Michael Gazarik, NASA's associate 

administrator for space technology 

in Washington. "Smartphones offer 

a wealth of potential capabilities for 

flying small, low-cost, powerful satel- lites for atmospheric or Earth science, 

communications, or other space-born 

applications. They also may open 

space to a whole new generation of 

commercial, academic and citizenspace users."

Satellites consisting mainly of the 

smartphones will send information 

about their health via radio back to 

Earth in an effort to demonstrate they 

can work as satellites in space. The 

spacecraft also will attempt to take 

pictures of Earth using their cameras. 

Amateur radio operators around the 

world can participate in the mission by 

monitoring transmissions and retrieving image data from the three satellites. Large images will be transmitted 

in small chunks and will be reconstructed through a distributed ground 

station network. More information can 

found at: http://

www.phonesat.

org

NASA's offthe-shelf Phone- Sats already have 

many of the sys- tems needed for a 

satellite, including 

fast processors, 

versatile operating 

systems, multiple 

miniature sensors, 

high-resolution 

cameras, GPS 

receivers and 

several radios. 

NASA engineers 

kept the total cost 

of the compo- nents for the 

three prototype 

satellites in the 

PhoneSat project 

between $3,500 and $7,000 by using 

primarily commercial hardware and 

keeping the design and mission objec- tives to a minimum. The hardware for 

this mission is the Google-HTC Nexus 

One smartphone 

running the An- droid operating 

system.

NASA added 

items a satellite 

needs that the 

smartphones 

do not have -- a 

larger, external 

lithium-ion battery bank and a 

more powerful 

radio for messages it sends 

from space. The 

smartphone's 

ability to send 

and receive 

calls and text 

messages has 

been disabled. 

Each smartphone is housed 

in a standard 

cubesat structure, measuring about 

four inches square. The smartphone 

acts as the satellite's onboard computer. Its sensors are used for attitude 

determination and its camera for Earth 

observation.

The PhoneSat project is a technology demonstration mission conceived 

of at Ames and funded by NASA’s 

Space Technology Mission DirecNASA successfully launches three smartphone satellites

by Ruth Dasso Marlaire

The PhoneSats are approximately the size of a coffee cup. 

torate at NASA Headquarters. The 

directorate is innovating, developing, 

testing and flying hardware for use in 

future science and exploration mis- sions. NASA’s technology investments 

provide cutting-edge solutions for our 

nation’s future. 

The PhoneSat family of systems 

is part of an overall Ames effort to as- sess commercial grade technologies 

for use in small- and nano-spacecraft 

systems to save development costs 

and leverage industry investments in 

high-quality, mass-produced compo- nents. Ames has successfully complet- ed and delivered eight nanosatellites 

for launch since 2006.

"Smartphones' ability to tolerate 

vigorous use makes them able to with- stand the launch and space environ- ment; and their compact, modern elec- tronics components make them work 

in the vacuum of space more easily. 

After we realized this, we set out to 

explore whether smartphones can be 

used as the core components of a 

satellite," said Jim Cockrell, PhoneSat 

project manager at Ames.

For more about information about 

NASA's Small Spacecraft Technology 

Program and the PhoneSat mission, 

visit: http://www.nasa.gov/smallsats

For more information about 

NASA's Space Technology Mission 

Directorate, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/

spacetech.

PhoneSat 1.0 hanging from a high-altitude balloon. PhoneSat 1.0 during 

high-altitude balloon test.

NASA photos by Ben Howard
4

Astrogram June 2013 

Ames wins NASA’s 2012 Government Invention of the Year award

NASA’s Ames has won the 2012 

NASA Government Invention of the 

Year for a tiny sensor that can detect 

chemicals in the air.

“High Sensitive, Low Power and 

Compact Nano Sensors for Trace 

Chemical Detection” was invented 

by Jing Li and Meyya Meyyappan of 

NASA Ames, and Yijang Lu of the Uni- versity of California, Santa Cruz.

The invention includes methods 

and systems for estimating one or 

by Jessica Culle

A multiple-channel silicon-based sensing chip, consisting of 64 nanosensors and is less than 

one square centimeter, is the winner of the 2012 NASA Government Invention of the Year. 

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

more unknown parts of a gas using 

carbon nanotubes. The electronic 

sensors developed from these car- bon nanotubes are inexpensive, 

light-weight and consume very little 

power. A typical sensor device based 

on this concept includes a set of 

comb-shaped metal microelectrodes 

fabricated by photolithography on an 

electrically insulating substrate.

The sensors have been deployed 

by NASA to detect trace gases in the 

crew cabin on the International Space 

Station. Other federal agencies are 

using sensors based on this technol- ogy to detect trace gases in various 

environments. Specific applications 

for which the innovative sensors have 

been tested and used include trace 

chemical detection in planetary explo- ration, air monitoring, leak detection 

and hazardous agent detection using 

cell phones. Potential future applica- tions may include environmental moni- toring, industrial process monitoring 

and control and biomedical diagnosis.

“We’re very pleased to have Ames 

inventiveness recognized with this 

award for the third consecutive year,” 

said S. Pete Worden, NASA Ames 

center director. “With this invention, 

our people have basically created the 

insides of a tricorder, and based on 

the uses we’ve already demonstrated, 

I can’t wait to see the fantastic applica- tions that NASA and industry are going 

to devise for it.”

Each NASA field center submits 

nominations for the awards, which 

are evaluated by NASA’s Inventions 

and Contributions Board. The board 

determines which nominations qualify 

for each category, ranks the nominees, 

and makes recommendations to the 

NASA Office of the General Counsel 

for review and approval.

This year Ames also won a Com- mercial Invention of the Year run- ner- up recognition for its Rehydration 

Beverage, a patented water-electrolyte 

beverage that results in significantly 

greater body hydration levels than sim- ilar beverages available on the market. 

Invented by Ames’ John Greenleaf, it 

has been used by astronauts before, 

during and after spaceflight, including 

missions to the International Space 

Station, and by athletes who require 

rapid rehydration after strenuous 

exercise.

Ames previously earned the NASA 

Government Invention of the Year 

award in the following years:

 - 2007, for low-density, light- weight heat shield materials

 - 2008, for a high-speed 3-D la- ser scanner with real time processing

 - 2010, for software that creates 

simulations for managing air traffic 

scenarios

 - 2011, for a low-cost, light- weight, two-piece, thermal protection 

system for use on space vehicles dur- ing atmospheric re-entry at hypersonic 

speed

Ames also won NASA Commercial 

Invention of the Year in 2010 for the 

Powder Handling Device for Analytical 

Instruments.

California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. joined more than 500 world-renowned researchers 

and scientists May 23, 2013, to release a groundbreaking call to action on climate change. The 

event was held in the NASA Research Park and marked Sustainable Silicon Valley’s fourth 

annual Water, Energy and Smart Technology (WEST) Summit and Showcase of Solutions 

for Planetary Sustainability at NASA's Ames Research Center. From left to right, California 

Governer Jerry Brown, Daniel Rasky, Waleed Abdalati, James Hansen, Anthony Barnosky and 

Banny Bannerjee.

California Governor meets scientists at AmesNASA photo by Dominic Hart
5

Astrogram June 2013

measures the brightness of more than 

150,000 stars, is NASA's first mission 

capable of detecting Earth-size planets around stars like our sun. Orbiting 

its star every 122 days, Kepler-62e 

was the first of these habitable zone 

planets identified. Kepler-62f, with an 

orbital period of 267 days, was later 

found by Eric Agol, associate professor of astronomy at the University of 

Washington and co-author of a paper 

about the discoveries published in the 

journal Science.

The size of Kepler-62f is now measured, but its mass and composition 

are not. However, based on previous 

studies of rocky exoplanets similar in 

size, scientists are able to estimate its 

mass by association.

"The detection and confirmation 

of planets is an enormously collaborative effort of talent and resources, 

and requires expertise from across 

the scientific community to produce 

these tremendous results," said William Borucki, Kepler science principal 

investigator at Ames and lead author 

of the Kepler-62 system paper in Science. "Kepler has brought a resurgence of astronomical discoveries 

and we are making excellent progress 

toward determining if planets like ours 

are the exception or the rule."

The two habitable zone worlds 

orbiting Kepler-62 have three companions in orbits closer to their star, two 

larger than the size of Earth and one 

about the size of Mars. Kepler-62b, 

Kepler-62c and Kepler-62d, orbit every 

five, 12, and 18 days, respectively, 

making them very hot and inhospitable 

for life as we know it.

The five planets of the Kepler-62 

system orbit a star classified as a K2 

dwarf, measuring just two-thirds the 

size of the sun and only one-fifth as 

bright. At seven billion years old, the 

star is somewhat older than the sun. It 

is about 1,200 light-years from Earth in 

the constellation Lyra.

A companion to Kepler-69c, known 

as Kepler-69b, is more than twice the 

size of Earth and whizzes around its 

star every 13 days. The Kepler-69 

planets' host star belongs to the same 

class as our sun, called G-type. It is 

93 percent the size of the sun and 80 

percent as luminous and is located 

approximately 2,700 light-years from 

Earth in the constellation Cygnus.

"We only know of one star that 

hosts a planet with life, the sun. Find- ing a planet in the habitable zone 

around a star like our sun is a significant milestone toward finding truly 

Earth-like planets," said Thomas Bar- clay, Kepler scientist at the Bay Area 

Environmental Research Institute in 

Sonoma, Calif., and lead author of the 

Kepler-69 system discovery published 

in the Astrophysical Journal.

When a planet candidate transits, 

or passes in front of the star from the 

spacecraft's vantage point, a percentage of light from the star is blocked. 

The resulting dip in the brightness 

of the starlight reveals the transiting 

planet's size relative to its star. Using the transit method, Kepler has 

detected 2,740 candidates. Using 

various analysis techniques, ground 

telescopes and other space assets, 

122 planets have been confirmed.

Early in the mission, the Kepler 

telescope primarily found large, gaseous giants in very close orbits of their 

stars. Known as "hot Jupiters," these 

are easier to detect, due to their size 

and very short orbital periods. Earth 

would take three years to accomplish the three transits required to be 

accepted as a planet candidate. As 

Kepler continues to observe, transit 

NASA's Kepler discovers its smallest 'habitable zone' planets to date

continued from front page

Kepler-69 and the Solar System - The diagram compares the planets of the inner solar system 

to Kepler-69, a two-planet system about 2,700 light-years from Earth in the constellation 

Cygnus. The two planets of Kepler-69 orbit a star that belongs to the same class as our sun, 

called G-type. Kepler-69c, is 70 percent larger than the size of Earth, and is the smallest yet 

found to orbit in the habitable zone of a sun-like star. Astronomers are uncertain about the 

composition of Kepler-69c, but its orbit of 242 days around a sun-like star resembles that of 

our neighboring planet Venus. The companion planet, Kepler-69b, is just over twice the size of 

Earth and whizzes around its star once every 13 days. The artistic concepts of the Kepler-69 

planets are the result of scientists and artists collaborating to help imagine the appearance 

of these distant worlds. The Kepler space telescope, which simultaneously and continuously 

measures the brightness of more than 150,000 stars, is NASA's first mission capable of detect- ing Earth-size planets around stars like our sun. Image credit: NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech

signals of habitable zone planets the 

size of Earth orbiting stars like the sun 

will begin to emerge.

Ames is responsible for Kepler's 

ground system development, mission 

operations, and science data analysis. 

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 

Pasadena, Calif., managed Kepler 

mission development.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies 

Corp. in Boulder, Colo., developed the 

Kepler flight system and supports mission operations with the Laboratory for 

Atmospheric and Space Physics at the 

University of Colorado in Boulder.

The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore archives, hosts and 

distributes Kepler science data. Kepler 

is NASA's 10th Discovery Mission and 

was funded by the agency's Science 

Mission Directorate.

For more information about the 

Kepler mission and to view the digital 

press kit, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/

kepler
6

Astrogram June 2013 

Acterra, a Silicon Valley-based environmental non-profit, just announced the prestigious 2013 Acterra Business Environmental Awards. NASA 

Ames' Sustainability Base was selected a winner in the category of Sustainable Built Environment. Sustainability Base (http://www.nasa.gov/sustainability-base) advances dual goals of providing a healthy, productive work environment, while pushing the envelope of high-performing buildings 

by incorporating technologies from NASA's aeronautics and space exploration missions into its built environment. Acterra (www.acterra.org) is a 

non-profit organization with a 43-year history of environmental stewardship in and around Silicon Valley.

NASA Ames Sustainability Base wins again!

NASA photo by Jon-Pierre Wiens

NASA photo by Eric James

Jaiwon Shin, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Aeronautics 

Research, recently visited Ames and spoke to Ames employees 

during an All Hands. He discussed the proposed budget for the 

Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) portfolio and 

the ARMD Strategic Implementation Plan. He also presented 

ARMD Associate Administrator Awards to Ames recipients.

Shin showcases aeronautics
7

Astrogram June 2013

from its vantage point aboard research 

aircraft. The sensor transmits nearly 

real-time data to ground disaster management investigators for analysis. 

The sensor has been modified to 

fly on various crewed and uncrewed 

platforms, including NASA's Ikhana 

remotely piloted aircraft, a Predator-B 

modified to conduct airborne research. 

Between 2007 and 2010 the AMS flew 

on the Ikhana and NASA's B-200 King 

Air to demonstrate sensor capabilities, 

support national and state emergency 

requests for wildfire data, and ensure 

its operational readiness.

Data gathered during those flights 

was used to develop and test algorithms for scientific programs that 

monitor changes in environmental 

conditions, assess global change and 

respond to natural disasters.

The Autonomous Modular Sensor 

will be operated daily over wildfires 

throughout the United States, provid- ing an unprecedented amount of data 

to the fire research and applications 

communities. USFS also will use the 

sensor to support other agency objectives, such as vegetation inventory 

analysis, and water and river mapping.

"I see tremendous opportunity for 

my agency and other land management agencies to benefit from the 

application of NASA-developed technology," said Everett Hinkley, national 

continued from page 2

NASA imaging sensor prepares for Western wildfire season

remote sensing program manager 

with USFS in Monterey, Calif. "The 

AMS expands our current capabilities 

and offers efficiencies in a number of 

remote-sensing applications, including 

fire, post-fire and forest health applications."

NASA will continue to support the 

Forest Service's use of the Autonomous Modular Sensor. Researchers 

with NASA and other agencies will 

have access to the data and can 

request mission use through partnerships.

For more information about Autonomous Modular Sensor, visit: http://

airbornescience.nasa.gov/instrument/

AMS.

All civil servant and support service contractors, 

who in the performance of their tasks complete 

secretarial, administrative or clerical duties, were 

invited to attend Administrative Professionals 

Day, April 25, 2013. Those who attended are 

shown at left. This was an interactive workshop 

geared toward the recognition and appreciation of the secretarial, administrative support 

professionals and clerical support community 

during Administrative Professionals Week at 

Ames. This year, secretaries and administrative 

support staff were recognized for their integral 

role at Ames with the workshop theme of “Taking 

a Stand.” This theme highlighted and recognized 

all the administrative support professionals at 

Ames and their work supporting the NASA mission. Administrative support professionals were 

shown some self-defense tactics and learned 

how to react to a hostile situation (lower right 

photo).

Ames honors support staff on Administrative Professionals DayNASA photos by Dominic Hart
8

Astrogram June 2013 

SOFIA observations reveal a surprise in massive star formation

by Nick Veronic

 Researchers using the airborne 

Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared 

Astronomy (SOFIA) have captured the 

most detailed mid-infrared images yet 

of a massive star condensing within a 

dense cocoon of dust and gas.

The star is G35.20-0.74, com- monly known as G35. It is one of the 

most massive known protostars and 

is located relatively close to Earth at a 

distance of 8,000 light-years.

Until now, scientists expected the 

formation process of massive stars 

would be complicated by the turbulent, 

chaotic environments in the centers 

of new star clusters where they form. 

But observations of G35 suggest this 

giant star, more than 20 times the 

mass of our sun, is forming by the 

same orderly process as do stars with 

the same mass as the sun. Stars most 

like the sun are understood to form by 

simple, symmetric collapse of interstel- lar clouds.

"The focus of our study has been 

to determine how massive stars actually form," said Yichen Zhang of the 

University of Florida. Zhang is lead 

author of a paper about the discovery 

published April 10, 2013 in the Astrophysical Journal. "We thought the G35 

protostar's structure would be quite 

complicated, but instead we found it is 

simple, like the cocoons of protostars 

with the sun's mass."

The observations of G35 were 

made in 2011 with a special camera aboard SOFIA, a 

modified Boeing 747SP 

aircraft that can carry 

a telescope with an 

effective diameter of 

100 inches (2.5 meters) 

to altitudes as high as 

45,000 feet (13,700 

meters).

G35 was an ideal 

target for investigations because it is in an 

early stage of development. But infrared light 

coming from G35 is so 

strong it prevented infrared space telescopes 

from making detailed 

images. Also, the 

protostar is embedded 

so deeply in its natal 

cloud that it cannot be 

detected by optical telescopes observing from 

the ground at visible 

wavelengths.

Flying high above 

the light-blocking water 

vapor in Earth's atmo- sphere, the airplanemounted Faint Object Infrared Camera 

for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST) 

enabled astronomers to see G35 

where 

it hides 

-- inside a 

dark, dense, 

interstellar 

dust cloud -- 

by collecting 

infrared light 

escaping 

the cloud. 

Uniquely 

suited for 

this work, 

FORCAST 

detected 

faint details next 

to bright 

structures at 

wavelengths 

inaccessible 

to any other 

telescope on 

the ground 

or in space.

"Massive stars, although rare, are 

important because there is evidence 

they foster the formation of smaller 

stars like our sun, and because at the 

ends of their lives they create and 

distribute chemical elements that are 

the basic building blocks of Earth-like 

planets," said co-author James De 

Buizer, a SOFIA staff scientist with the 

Universities Space Research Association (USRA) at NASA's Ames Research Center.

Images of G35 may be viewed on 

NASA's SOFIA site: http://www.nasa.

gov/sofia 

Figures 1a and 1b show FORCAST images of G35 at wavelengths 

of 31 and 37 microns. Figures 2a and 

2b respectively present G35 images 

obtained by NASA’s Spitzer Space 

Telescope and the Gemini-North 

telescope at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, also 

used in this study. Figure 3 shows 

computer model images intended to 

match characteristics of the central 

regions of the images in figures 1a 

and 1b.

The model images show greatly 

simplified versions of what is revealed 

especially in the SOFIA images: a 

luminous protostar heating a dense 

interstellar cloud from the inside while 

simultaneously expelling cone-shaped 

jets of gas toward the tops and bot- toms of the frames. The top outflow 

cone appears brighter because it is 

directed toward us and there is less 

obscuring material along the line of 

sight.

The high resolution of the images 

showcases the capability of modern 

Figures 1a and 1b show the G35 protostar at wavelengths of 31 

and 37 microns taken by the FORCAST instrument on the SOFIA 

observatory’s infrared telescope in 2011. (Zhang et al. 2013, 

Astrophysical Journal)

Figures 2a (left) and 2b (right) present G35 protostar images obtained by 

NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and the Gemini-North telescope at Mauna 

Kea, Hawaii. (Zhang et al. 2013, Astrophysical Journal)

continued on page 9
9

Astrogram June 2013

NASA's SOFIA marks 100th flight

The staff of NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) gathered April 

11, 2013 on the ramp outside the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif., to mark 

a milestone—the flying observatory's 100th flight. The airborne observatory departed from the 

facility that evening on an engineering flight for the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz 

Frequencies (GREAT) spectroscopic receiver. GREAT works like a very high frequency radio 

receiver that detects light waves rather than light particles. The GREAT instrument was developed by a consortium of German research institutes led by the Max Planck Institute for Radio 

Astronomy in Bonn, Germany. 

NASA photo by Tom Tschida

Figure 3 shows computer 

model images intended to 

match characteristics of 

the central regions of the 

images of the G35 protostar in figures 1a and 1b. 

The model images show 

greatly simplified versions 

of what is revealed in 

the images taken by the 

FORCAST instrument on 

the SOFIA observatory's 

infrared telescope: a luminous protostar heating 

a dense interstellar cloud 

from the inside while 

simultaneously expelling 

cone-shaped jets of gas 

toward the tops and bottoms of the frames. The 

top outflow cone appears 

brighter because it is 

directed toward us and 

there is less obscuring 

material along the line of 

sight. (Zhang et al. 2013, 

Astrophysical Journal)

infrared detector arrays when used 

on an airborne platform and gives 

scientists hope that data gathered 

in this way substantially will advance their understanding of the 

Milky Way galaxy.

FORCAST was built by a team 

led by Terry Herter of Cornell University in Ithica, N.Y. Co-authors of 

the Astrophysics Journal paper include scientists from the University 

of Florida in Gainesville; University 

of Wisconsin in Madison; University 

of California at Berkeley; Louisiana 

State University in Baton Rouge; 

the Arcetri Observatory in Florence, 

Italy; and the USRA SOFIA science 

staff at Ames.

SOFIA is a joint project of NASA 

and the German Aerospace Center. 

SOFIA is based and managed at 

NASA’s Dryden Aircraft Operations 

Facility in Palmdale, Calif. NASA’s 

Ames Research Center in Moffett 

Field, Calif., manages the SOFIA 

science and mission operations in 

cooperation with the USRA headquartered in Columbia, Md., and 

the German SOFIA Institute at the 

University of Stuttgart.

For links to USRA and the German SOFIA Institute, visit NASA’s 

SOFIA site and click on “SOFIA 

Science Center.”

continued from page 9
10

Astrogram June 2013 

Bob Rubin’s, 1941 - 2013, home- town was Philadelphia, Pa. He com- pleted undergraduate and graduate 

studies at Case Western Reserve 

University in Cleveland, Ohio. His 

advisor, Robert Hjellming, was inter- ested in the physics of H II regions 

– interstellar clouds of gas ionized by 

nearby hot stars. He ignited in Bob an 

interest in such objects that endured 

the rest of his life. 

Bob’s thesis included a detailed 

model for the photoionization and 

thermal structure of an H II region. 

This was the first such model to ac- curately incorporate radiative transfer 

of the ionizing photons, and, conse- quently, Bob's continually updated 

NEBULA code has been used ex- tensively ever since. After receiving 

his PhD in 1967, Bob took postdoc- toral positions at the National Radio 

Astronomy Observatory and then at 

the University of Illinois, after which he 

taught for several years at Cal State 

Fullerton.

In 1980, Bob moved to NASA 

Ames where he began modeling H II 

regions to interpret measurements of 

far infrared emission made from the 

Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) 

by Ed Erickson’s group. For example, 

combined with the group’s data, the 

models established gradients as a 

function of distance from the Galactic 

Center in the abundances of nitrogen, 

oxygen, neon, and sulfur relative to 

hydrogen, and provided evidence for 

the previously unsuspected presence 

of hot stars in the vicinity of the Galac- tic Center.

To further our understanding of 

the structure and composition of ion- ized nebulae, Bob conceived observ- ing programs to measure spectral 

lines from galactic and extra-galactic 

sources to compare with his models.

Recently, he had been working 

to deduce the unobservable extreme 

ultra-violet spectral energy distribu- tions of hot stars that are critical to 

the relevant physics in these nebulae. 

Via successful proposals, he obtained 

data on both H II regions and plane- tary nebulae with various radio tele- scopes, the KAO, the Hubble Space 

Telescope, the Infrared Space Obser- vatory, the Spitzer Space Telescope, 

the Herschel Space Observatory, and 

most recently, SOFIA. 

Bob consistently supported his 

research at Ames with such proposals, 

funded by NASA through his personal 

venture - named for his favorite, signaBob Rubin, astrophysicist and student mentor, passes away

ture nebula - Orion Enterprises:

http://spacescience.arc.nasa.gov/

staff/robert-rubin and http://space- science.arc.nasa.gov/~rubin/ .

One of the most significant aspects 

of Bob's legacy is the many students 

that he mentored over the years. He 

always involved students in his re- search activities, attracting them both 

from local high schools and through 

various Ames programs that support 

college students for a semester or a 

summer. Often Bob included them 

as co-authors on his papers, deserv- edly for their efforts and in gratitude 

for their help. Many of his high school 

students have gone on to study at toprated American universities.

In his younger days, Bob enjoyed 

piloting planes, running and hiking. 

He was an avid fan of competitive 

sports, especially track and field, and 

was enthusiastic about any team from 

Philadelphia. Bob’s “Door” collection 

of some 200 non-astronomy Orion 

references was a favorite hobby: 

http://www-space.arc.nasa.gov/~rubin/

door8.html .

He valued and spoke often of 

his collaborators and friends, both 

from Ames and elsewhere. The latter 

included Reggie Dufour (Rice U.), Bob 

O’Dell (Vanderbilt U.), Ben Zuckerman 

(UCLA), Pat Palmer (U. Chicago), and 

others all over the world. It is a credit 

to NASA Ames that it accommodates 

dedicated, accomplished and produc- tive scientists like Bob Rubin.

Bob passed away on March 3, 

2013. He will be missed and well-re- membered by his many colleagues.

Edie Watson began her career 

at Ames in 1945, when it was part 

of NACA, working in the Electrical 

Section. Her husband, William “Sput” 

Watson, was stationed as a U.S. naval 

officer at Moffett Field. In 1946, they 

moved back to their hometown of 

Shellman, Ga. Soon after, Sput was 

offered the job of Industrial Relations 

officer at Moffett and they returned to 

the Bay Area. As she was lunching 

with old friends at Ames, she ran into 

Deputy Director Jack Parsons, who 

asked her to return to work at Ames. 

From 1946 to 1954, she worked 

for Harvey Allen in the High Speed 

Research Division, answering the tele- phone and directing correspondence 

for such aerospace luminaries as 

Walter Vincenti, Dean Chapman and 

Charlie Hall. In 1954, Ralph Hunts- berger, head of the new design group 

for the national Unitary Plan Wind 

Tunnels lured Watson away to support 

his division, where she worked for a 

decade. When Harvey Allen became 

director in October 1965, he asked 

Watson to manage the director’s suite. 

When Hans Mark arrived as director 

in February 1969, Watson stayed on 

and introduced him to how things got 

done at NASA. As the top profes- sional secretary at Ames, she set both 

policy and an open and efficient tone 

for the Center’s administrative staff. 

Her direct staff of three handled the 

director’s calendar, all international 

travel, and all correspondence for the 

research projects. She was, then, the 

unofficial historian of the Center, and 

collected an important set of docu- ments. 

“Edie was the friendly face of 

Ames, always caring,” remembers 

Jack Boyd, who also came to rely 

upon her. “She was the soul of profes- sionalism and honored to be part of 

the NACA and NASA mission. She 

was a devoted friend and always will- ing to help the Ames family as well as 

the newcomers on Center.” 

Following 30 years of govern- ment service, Watson retired in June 

1975. The Ames Golf Club perpetually 

awarded her as the Most Congenial 

Golfer and, in retirement, she worked 

on her golf game and volunteered with 

the Navy League. She survived three 

loving husbands. Sput died in 1976, 

Harvey Kuhr in 1996, and William 

Blackman in 2005. Born just three 

days after NACA, she died April 21, at 

the age of 98. 

Robert H. Rubin

Edie Watson, former secretary to Hans Mark and Harvey Allen, dies

Edie Watson
11

Astrogram June 2013

The Ames Cat Network needs help finding 

homes for cats trapped at Moffett. They 

range from feral to abandoned/lost pets. 

They are tested, altered and inoculated. 

Call Iris at ext. 4-5824 if you or someone 

you know are interested in fostering or 

adopting a cat.

Ames Cat Network

Ames Ongoing Monthly Events Calendar

African American Advisory Group (AAAG) 

Mtg., last Tuesday of each month, 12 - 1 p.m., 

Bldg. N255 Rm 101C. POC: Rose King, ext. 

4-3442. 

Moffett Aikido Club, Monday and Wednesday evenings, 6:30 p.m., Bldg. 944. Aikido 

is a non-competitive, defensive martial art 

known as the “Way of Harmony.” POC: Diane 

Pereda (650) 575-9070 or Robert Dean (650) 

787-1007, email: mfaikido@aol.com

Ames Amateur Radio Club, third Thurs., of 

each month, 12 noon, N-T28 (across from 

N-255). POC: George Tucker, at ext. 4-2200. 

Ames Bluegrass Club, every Tuesday from 

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Bldg. 944. Players of all 

instruments and all levels are welcome, but we 

are particularly interested in experienced players willing to help improve the group’s musical 

skills. POC: Bob Haberle at ext: 4-5494 or 

email: robert.m.haberle@nasa.gov

Ames Bocce Ball Club, Ames’ newest Exchange-sponsored club is seeking members. 

POC: Mike Lindsay email: michael.c.lindsay@

nasa.gov

Ames Bowling League, Homestead Lanes 

Thursdays at 6 p.m. Need substitute bowlers. Sign up questions: Steve Howard at ext. 

4-4884.

Ames Contractor Council Mtg., first Weds. 

of each month, 11 a.m., Bldg. N-200, Committee Room. POC: Herb Finger at ext. 4-6598.

Ames Federal Employees Union (AFEU) 

Mtg, third Wednesday of each month, noon. 

Bldg. N-204, Rm. 101. Guests welcome. 

Check for occasional schedule changes at: 

http://www.afeu.org. POC: Paul K. Davis, ext. 

4-5916.

Ames Golf Club, Members have the opportunity to play approximately 13 tournaments per 

year at a variety of 18-hole golf courses in the 

Bay and Monterey Area. POC: Barry Sullivan: 

Barry.T.Sullivan@nasa.gov.

Ames Green Team (formerly the Green Ames 

Working Group) meetings are held the first 

Tuesday of each month in N237, Room

101, from 10-11 a.m. For information, call 

Roger Ashbaugh, Ames Environmental 

Management Division, ext. 4-5660.

http://environmentalmanagement.arc.nasa.

gov/reports/eo-13514.html

The Hispanic Advisory Committee for 

Excellence (HACE) Mtg., first Thursday of 

each month, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Bldg. 

N-255, Rm. 101C. POC: Jeanette Zamora, 

jeanette.zamora-ortega-1@nasa.gov.

Ames Jazz Band Club, Bldg. 944, 5:30 

p.m. - 7 p.m., POC: Ralph Bach, email: 

ralph.e.bach@nasa.gov

Jetstream Toastmasters, Mondays, 12 p.m. 

- 1 p.m., Bldg. N-269/Rm.179. POC: Tim 

Steiger, ext. 4-0195, tim.steiger@nasa.gov. 

Web: http://jetstream.freetoasthost.com

Ames Nimble Knitters Club, every Tuesday 

at 11:30 a.m., Bldg. N210/Rm 141. POC: 

Rosalyn Jung, knitfan2@yahoo.com or Diane 

Alexander at ext. 4-3140. URL: http://knit.arc.

nasa.gov

Ames Roller Hockey Club, meets daily 

from noon to 1 p.m. at rink on north end of 

the 80-foot-by-120-foot wind tunnel, Players 

should have experience skating and must 

wear protective equipment. 

Ames Safety Committee, third Thursday of 

each month, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m., Bldg. N-237, 

Rm. 200. POC: John Livacich, jlivacich@

mail.arc.nasa.gov, ext. 4-3243.

Women’s Influence Network (WIN), first 

Wednesday of each month, Bldg. 241 room 

237, 11:30 - 12:30 p.m., POC: Elena Serna, 

elena.serna@nasa.gov

Ames emergency announcements

To hear the centerwide status recording, call (650) 604-9999 for information 

announcements and emergency instructions for Ames employees. You also 

may listen to 1700 KHz AM radio for the same information.

Exchange Information

Beyond Galileo Gift Shop N-235 in the 

cafeteria, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., ext. 4-6873

Mega Bites Cafeteria N-235, 6 a.m. to 

2 p.m., ext. 4-5969/Catering ext. 4-2161

Barcelona Café Bldg. 3, 6:30 a.m. to 

2 p.m., ext. 4-4948/Catering ext. 4-4948

See daily menus at: http://exchange.arc.

nasa.gov/cafe/menu.html 

Visitor Center Gift Shop (Exploration 

Center), Tues-Fri, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sat. - 

Sun, 12 - 4 p.m., ext. 4--5412

Remember to purchase your baby shower, birthday 

and holiday gifts at Ames’ two gift shops!

Information about products, services and opportunities provided to the employee and contractor community by the Ames Exchange Council. Visit our 

web site at: http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov

NASA Lodge (N-19) (650) 603-7100

The swimming pool is now open. Hours of operation 

are as follows:

Lap swim only:

MWF 10 a.m.- 1 p.m.

MWF 3 p.m.-6 p.m.

TTH 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

TTH 4 p.m.-7 p.m. The pool is heated year round. 

The pool normally is available for lap swim, pool 

parties and special events. POC: Ryan Storms, 

Pool Manager (650) 603-8025. Memberships: 

single memberships: $60/yr. Family memberships: 

$80/yr. After purchasing a membership, there is an 

entrance fee: daily entrance fee - $3/day or lap pass 

fee - $50 for 20 uses. Platinum membership - $380/

yr. (no daily fee). Special events: include military 

training, swim team events, kayak role practice, etc. 

The cost for special events is $75/hr, or $50/hr for 

military.

Exchange Basketball Gym is now open, Bldg. 2

(650) 603-9717

Hours of operation:

M-F 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

M-F 4 p.m.-7 p.m.

Ames Swim Center (N-109) (650) 603-8025

RV Lots available. Call to reserve a space 

at (650) 254-1808.

Where to stay when you’re too tired to drive home? 

What about the lodge?! Two types of rooms: Bldg. 

19 (43 rooms), rate: $65/night ($5 ea add’l adult); 

Bldg. 583 A&B (150 rooms), rate: $55/night ($5 ea. 

add’l adult); B547 rate $60/night (for large groups)

Moffett Field Golf Club with ‘Tee minus 

One’ Grill and Sports Bar. Catering available. Call (650) 603-8026. Extended Happy 

Hour Thursdays, $5 and $6 pitchers of beer 

starting at 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Civilian/Contractors, $50/mo; military $25/mo

Chase Park reservations, call ext. 4-4948

NACA Park reservations, call ext. 4-4948

Orphanage Without Borders Mtg., 

Mondays, Buiding 211, Room 205, 11:30 

a.m.-12:30 p.m. The mission of Orphanage 

Without Borders (OWB) is to improve the 

lives of children living in orphanages and 

abandoned children. Our goal is to create a 

network of organizations that work together to 

provide children worldwide with the acceptable standards of life such as education, 

health, hygiene, discipline, affection, responsibility, hope of future, shelter, nutrition, clean 

water, joy and safety. We aim to apply these 

standards universally, meaning that they will 

be independent of the nationality, religion, 

culture, race, political opinion or social class 

of the children or orphanage location. For 

additional information contact Miguel at 

mvcharcos@orphanagewithoutborders.org or 

mcharcos@sofia.usra.edu. 

Ames’ annual 100 percent wall-to-wall physical 

inventory for NASA tagged, bar-coded property 

is proceeding as scheduled. As a reminder, all 

controlled equipment documented on a NASA 

Form 892 “Employee Property Pass/Loan 

Agreement and Removal Permit” must have 

their NF 892 up to date. Employees are encouraged to bring in that property for scanning. 

Property passes are assigned to those people 

authorized to carry government equipment on 

and off Ames Research Center. If you have 

questions, contact Nelson Japlit at ext. 4-3428. 

Physical Inventory Underway
12

Astrogram June 2013 

The Ames Astrogram is an official publication of 

Ames Research Center, National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration.

Managing Editor......................Michael Mewhinney

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

You can reach the Astrogram Office at: astrogram 

@mail.arc.nasa.gov or by phone at (650) 604- 

3347. Astrogram Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/

ames/astrogram.

National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration

PLEASE RECYCLE

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

FIRST-CLASS

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

PERMIT NO. 85

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA

Ames Research Center

Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000

A statistical summary of activities of the Protective 

Service Division’s Security/Law Enforcement and Fire 

Protection Services units for the three-month period 

ending April 2013 is shown below.

Protective Services 

monthly activity

Security/Law Enforcement Activity

Fire Protection Activity

Astrogram NP-2013-05-01-ARCNASA photo

Recently, Chris Simpson (Code I) shown above, bowled a perfect 

300 game in the All Ames Bowling league. The Ames Bowling 

League plays at the Homestead Lanes Thursdays at 6 p.m. For 

sign up questions, contact Steve Howard at ext. 4-4884.

Simpson bowls 300