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

September 2008

www.nasa.gov

Ames hosts Round Table with four former Ames center directors by Michael Mewhinney

continued on page 9

Four former Ames directors 

recently were invited to Ames 

to share some of their memories 

of the center during a special 

Director’s Round Table. The 

four former directors were 

G. Scott Hubbard (far left); 

Sy Syvertson (third from left); 

Dale Compton (fourth from 

left) and Hans Mark (far right) 

shown with Ames historian and 

senior advisor to the director, 

Jack Boyd (second from left) 

and Ames Center Director 

S. Pete Worden (second from 

right).

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

As part of NASA’s 50th anniversary, four former Ames directors 

provided a glimpse into the center’s 

colorful history during a Director’s 

Round Table held Sept. 16, 2008 at 

NASA’s Ames.

 Ames Center Director S. Pete 

Worden invited four of his distinguished predecessors to return to the 

center to share some of their memories 

about Ames during their careers as 

director. 

 “Each of these individuals has 

made significant contributions to 

Ames and NASA and it will be interesting to hear about the challenges 

they each faced and the key contributions they feel they and the center 

made during their tenures as center 

director,” Worden said.

 Held in the main auditorium, the 

Director’s Round Table drew hundreds of employees to hear remarks 

from former directors Hans Mark, Sy 

Syvertson, Dale Compton and G. Scott 

Hubbard. 

 Jack Boyd, Ames historian and a 

senior advisor to Worden who worked 

with each of the four former directors, 

gave a brief introduction and welcomed them back to Ames.

 First up was Hans Mark, who 

served as Ames director from 1969 to 

1977 and then as Deputy Administrator of NASA, Secretary of the Air Force 

and Chancellor of the University of 

Texas. 

“I worked for him,” said Mark, 

pointing at Boyd. “They all worked for 

me – they just didn’t know it,” Boyd 

jokingly responded.

 Sporting a jacket festooned with 

patches of various NASA missions that 

he bought in 1970 (despite being 38 

years old, the jacket still fit perfectly), 

Mark noted that one of the major projects during his tenure, the Tilt-Rotor, 

which began with the XV-15 prototype 

at Ames and later evolved into the 

V-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotor aircraft that is 

Page 3 - Employees recognized at 2008

 Ames Honor Award Ceremony

Page 4 - Ames Remembers 9/11

Page 5 - NASA, SF Giants Celebrate 

 50 Years of History

Page 10 - Ames ongoing monthly events

calendar

Page 11 - Classifieds

On the Inside . . .

See full story page 2

In early September, NASA's Ames held a"Return to the Moon Family Night" where visitors had an 

opportunity to speak to scientists and engineers to learn more about the Lunar CRater Observation 

and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission. Launching early next year, LCROSS will search for water 

ice in one of the moon's permanently shadowed craters. Family night included hands-on activities and 

presentations by key NASA and space industry experts that provided information about NASA's exciting 

new plans to explore the moon and destinations beyond. Activities and exhibits included: driving a rover 

through a lunar obstacle course, making and using spectroscopes, competing in a lunar trivia competition, 

launching paper rockets, demonstrating robotics and viewing the moon's features through large amateur 

telescopes.

Ames celebrates 2009 Moon mission 

NASA photo by Eric James
2 Astrogram September 2008

Thousands of moon enthusiasts 

of all ages gathered at NASA's Ames 

Research Center on Saturday, Sept. 6, 

2008 to participate in NASA Ames’ 

second 'Return to the Moon Family 

Night.'

 Approximately 4,000 guests 

braved late afternoon temperatures 

that soared into the 90s to learn about 

NASA's plans to return to the moon, 

initially with robotic missions, then 

with humans and eventually establishing a lunar outpost by the year 2020. 

 A steady stream of cars passed 

through the main gate from the 

beginning of the event at 3 p.m. PDT 

and continued into the evening as its 

evolved into a moon-viewing party. 

 For the visitors, event organizers 

developed a comprehensive collection of space-themed presentations 

and displays, robotics demonstrations 

and hands-on activities that highlight 

the moon and NASA's Lunar CRater 

Observation and Sensing Satellite 

(LCROSS). 

 Evidence suggests that near the 

moon's poles, craters that have not 

seen sunlight in billions of years, may 

Enthusiastic crowd enjoys ‘Return to the Moon Family Night’

contain water ice. 

The LCROSS mission, launching in 

early 2009 will investigate one of these 

craters. 

For those wanting to learn about 

the mission, key 

LCROSS personnel gave hourly 

presentations and 

representatives from 

Northrop Grumman, United Launch 

Alliance, Ecliptic 

Enterprises Corp. 

and the Lewis Center for Educational 

Research staffed 

information booths 

and discussed their 

roles in the mission.

 In conjunction with the presentations, visitors were encouraged 

to make dirty snowballs to mimic a 

comet; construct home-made spectrometers that split light into its component wavelengths; test their knowledge of the moon; or dance in front 

of the Stratospheric Observatory for 

Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) project’s 

infrared camera. 

Kids were especially fascinated 

with how the camera displayed different body temperatures from a red-hot 

forehead to a tongue cooled by a drink 

of water.

 As anticipated, the event attracted 

large numbers of young children filled 

with curiosity. The event exhibitors 

were happy to respond to that curiosity with information about astronomy, 

math and science. These children are 

the right age to help carry out NASA’s 

exploration plans for the moon, Mars 

and beyond as the next generation of 

scientists and engineers.

 The event also attracted large 

numbers of high school students 

interested in robotics. NASA’s Robotics Alliance Project sponsored booths 

featuring NASA-sponsored FIRST 

Robotics teams and the chance to run 

micro rovers through a lunar obstacle 

course. 

 As darkness approached and 

temperatures cooled, lines formed behind the 25 large telescopes set-up to 

view the moon’s features. A network 

of local amateur astronomers eager to 

share their passion about space provided the telescopes for the event.

 “Visitors waited in long lines to 

get a glimpse of our constant companion, the moon,” said Brian Day, one 

of the organizers of the event. “As an 

amateur astronomer, it is great to see 

in others the excitement that looking 

through a telescope brings.”

 This second Return to the Moon 

Family Night was a success due to 

the participation of countless exhibit 

personnel, volunteers and NASA 

employees.

 I’m very thankful to all of the participant and visitors that helped make 

this event a success,” said Day. “It has 

been a very exciting, fun-filled night of 

exploration.”

 Exhibitors included: Orion, SETI, 

United Launch Alliance, Northrop 

Grumman, the Astronomical Society 

of the Pacific, the Lewis Center for 

Education Research, the NASA Ames 

Small Spacecraft Office, the NASA 

Robotics Alliance Project, the SOFIA 

project, the NASA Ames Supercomputing Facility, the Planetary Society, 

Ecliptic Enterprises Corp., the NASA 

Lunar Sciences Institute and the Ames 

Education and Public Outreach team.

by Jonas Dino

“Return to the Moon Family Night” recently 

drew thousands of visitors to the center. The 

event featured many hands-on activities and 

displays, including an opportunity to look at the 

moon through telescopes set up on the parade 

grounds.

NASA photos by Eric James

Visitors participated in the science hands-on activities during the recent 

“Return to the Moon Family Night” held at Ames.
3 Astrogram September 2008

Technician

Ronald Hovland

Employees recognized at 2008 Ames Honor Awards ceremony

The 2008 Ames Honor Awards 

were held Sept. 17, in the Main Auditorium (N-201). This center-sponsored 

program features a peer nomination 

process and is considered one of 

Ames’ most prestigious honors. A 

committee made up of a cross section 

of employees determined the finalists based on write-ups submitted for 

consideration. 

Awards were presented to 28 

employees who have been selected for 

individual awards, and to the leads of 

10 groups which have been selected 

for their excellence in the Group/

Team category. 

Admin Professional

John Adams

Jimmy Fong

Michael Hutnik

Marianne Shelley

Caroline To

Best First Paper

Rodger Mueller

Commercialization/Tech Transfer

David Blake

Community Service

Alan Dunn

Contractor

Greg Bennett

Bosco Dias

David Encisco

Yvonne Ibarra

Lynnette Jacome

Michael Kupfer

Steve Prescott

Eduardo Solis

EEO

David Morse

Engineer

Robert Barber

Adel Belous

Nans Kunz

Group/Team

Small Exploration Cost Estimating Team

Shuttle Database Development Team

Security Operations Center Team

NASA Astrobiology Institute Central Team

NAS Visualization Team

Lunar Science Conference Organizing Team

En Route Descent Advisor Tailored Arrival Research Team

ARC AP/AR/FBWT

Application Performance and Productivity Group

Agency Budget Execution Dashboard Team

Mentor

Jennifer Heldmann

Andrew Mattioda

William Warmbrodt

NASA Employee

Glenn Fuller

Karlin Toner

Project Management

Kenneth Freeman

Michael Landis

Safety/Environment

Gregory Zilliac

Scientist/Researcher

Cetin Kiris

Aaron Zent

Supervisor/Manager

Jolen Flores

Mark Fonda

Richard Papasin

Student

Daniel Federman

Secretary/Admin

Gabriel Lozano

Technical Support

Boris Rabin

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden (left) presents a Group/Team 2008 Ames Honor Award to 

the Agency Budget Execution Dashboard Team, at the recent awards ceremony held at the center.
4 Astrogram September 2008

 Ames remembered the tragic 

events of Sept. 11, 2001 during an 

emotional ceremony held seven years 

to the day the tragedy occurred.

 A small, respectful audience gathered on the lawn of 

the former Moffett Field parade grounds on Thursday, 

Sept. 11, 2008, to pay tribute 

to those who lost their lives 

on that fateful day now simply known as 9/11.

 Hosted by the Admiral 

William A. Moffett American 

Legion Post 881 based at 

Moffett Field, the ceremony 

brought together soldiers, 

firefighters, police officers, 

first responders, American 

Legion officials, local community leaders and NASA 

officials and employees. 

 It was a day to remember and reflect on the series 

of events that shaped that 

horrific day when terrorists 

hijacked four commercial 

airliners and crashed them, 

killing thousands of innocent 

people.

 It was a day that began 

at 8:45 a.m. when American 

Airlines Flight 11 struck the 

North Tower of the World 

Trade Center in New York 

City. A few minutes later at 

9:03 a.m., United Airlines 

Flight 175 struck the South 

Tower of the World Trade 

Center, and shortly thereafter, at 9:43 

a.m. American Airlines Flight 77 

struck the Pentagon. Finally, at 10 a.m., 

United Airlines Flight 93 slammed 

into a field near Shanksville, Pa. 

 And, it was also a day to remember not only the many lives that were 

lost, but also the heroes who helped 

save the lives of countless other 

victims of the terrorist attack.

 During the ceremony, the 

American flag was raised and then 

gently lowered to rest at half mast. 

Bells were struck slowly in remembrance. The national anthem was 

sung, the Pledge of Allegiance was 

recited and prayers were said softly.

 Carolann Wunderlin, founding post commander of the Admiral 

William A. Moffett American Legion 

Post 881, delivered welcome remarks 

and introduced the various speakers who paid tribute to sacrifices that 

were made. 

NASA Ames Research Center 

Director S. Pete Worden, a retired Air 

Force Brigadier General, recalled that 

day seven years ago when “we came 

together as a community to share our 

grief... and to stand tall against terrorism.” Worden paid tribute to the brave 

people, including Ames’ own Disaster 

Assistance and Rescue Team (DART), 

who worked well past exhaustion to 

help rescue victims, and said that the 

heroic efforts of September 11 provide 

a lasting legacy.

 The solemn ceremony was 

marked by symbolism. Occupying a 

prominent place in front of the speaker’s podium, stood a long table with 

only one empty chair because those 

who lost their lives could be there; a 

single red rose tied with a red ribbon, 

Ames remembers 9/11 with solemn ceremony by Michael Mewhinney an inverted glass, a slice of lemon to 

signify the bitterness of the event, and 

a shaker of salt to represent the tears 

that have been shed.

 Another symbolic event involved 

a fire service tradition, called the 

“Striking of the three threes” which 

dated back to the mid-1800s, before 

the advent of radios, pagers or fire 

alarms. In those early days, daily 

announcements were sent from headquarters to firehouses by a system of 

bell commands and telegraph, and 

when a firefighter died in the line of 

duty, headquarters would transit three 

bell strikes, repeated in three series. 

The custom has continued to this day.

 As a military detachment retired 

the colors, a mournful bagpipe played 

Amazing Grace and the solitary sound 

of Taps pierced the morning air to 

conclude the remembrance event.

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

On Sept. 11, 2008, the Moffett 

American Legion Post 881 remembered the sombre events of Sept. 11, 

2001, with a ceremony on the parade 

grounds at Moffett paying tribute to 

those who perished on that fateful day.

NASA photo by Eric James
5 Astrogram September 2008

It was a day to remember – in 

more ways than one for NASA and the 

San Francisco Giants.

 Both NASA and the Giants turned 

50 this year, and as part of their joint 

birthday celebration, NASA Ames 

employees, their families and friends 

were invited to enjoy NASA Day at 

AT&T Park in San Francisco on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008 and watch the Giants 

battle the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

 On a bright, sunny afternoon, an 

estimated 150 Ames employees, their 

families and friends turned out for the 

game, enjoying hot dogs and other 

refreshments. The game provided 

plenty of highlights, as the Giants, 

who were behind by five runs, scored 

an amazing 10 runs -- all in the fourth 

inning -- and won the game by a score 

of 11 to 6 over the visiting Pirates. 

 Special commemorative t-shirts 

were distributed and highlights 

of NASA’s and the Giants’ first 50 

years were featured on the ballpark’s 

Jumbotron screen in center field. A 

filmed segment featuring the crew of 

the International Space Station throwing out the first pitch and leading the 

seventh inning stretch were shown on 

the screen. 

 Also featured in the NASA 

highlights were clips from 1958 of 

NASA, San Francisco Giants celebrate 50 years of history

the founding of NASA, shots from 

astronaut John Glenn’s orbital flight 

in 1962, clips from the 1969 Apollo 11 

mission and space shuttle Columbia’s 

first flight in 1981. 

 Highlights of the Giants’ colorful history were also shown on the 

by Michael Mewhinney

San Jose Mayor visits Ames’ Osmotic Lab and hyperwall-2

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed recently met with 

Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden and also took 

a quick tour of the Osmotic Lab and hyperwall-2 

at Ames. Reed is seen here (sitting, right) at the 

hyperwall-2 with Steve Hipskind, Chief, NASA’s 

Earth Science Division (left).

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

big screen, much to the delight of the 

more than 34,000 fans who attended 

the game. 

 All in all, it was a great way to 

celebrate a birthday!

NASA photos by Eric James

NASA employees enjoy 

the recent NASA Day 

at AT&T Park in San 

Francisco.

Highlights of NASA’s and the Giant’s 

first 50 years were displayed on the 

ballpark’s Jumbotron screen shown at 

left.
6 Astrogram September 2008

This year’s Safety Awareness Week in early 

September included several safety aware events 

including a street fair (right) that included 

many health and safety related booths; a presentation given by Marine L. Col. Wes Sharp, 

sharing his account of an F-18 midair collision 

and lessons learned from the experience; the 

safety awards program (ASAP II) awards 

ceremony and various safety briefings. Ames 

reached a major safety milestone earlier this 

year when it achieved a record of more than five 

million hours worked by the civil service staff 

without a lost- time injury. 

The Ames Contractor Council 

recently held a very successful golf 

tournament fund-raising event with 

proceeds exceeding $5,000. 

Co-chaired by Jennifer Kremer 

(Planners Collaborative) and Terry 

Reichert (Tessada), the event was 

completely sold out and also received 

generous sponsorships from ACC 

company donations. This year, both 

a chipping and a putting contest were 

added to the fun. 

The ACC Golf Tournament is open 

to all members of the Ames community, and the proceeds go to benefit 

Ames community programs and 

events, such as education programs 

designed to inspire the next generation of explorers.

The Ames Contractor Council 

(ACC) is a non-profit (501)(c)(4) organization whose membership consists 

of representatives from the contractor 

companies performing work at NASA 

Ames. 

To learn more about the ACC and 

how it actively supports the Ames 

community, visit the Web site at: www.

amescontractorcouncil.org. If you are 

eligible for membership in the ACC, 

you are also eligible to be included in 

Ames Contractor Council holds successful golf tournament by Doreen Cohe

photo by Steve Perry

photo by Doreen Cohen

Ames Contractor Council (ACC) President 

Kathleen Starmer (right photo) welcomes golf 

tournament attendees to the start of the ACC 

golf tournament held in August at Ames.

First place low gross score 

golfers at the recent Ames 

Contractor Council golf 

tournament (left to right) Terry 

Reichert, Jordan Pogon, Mel 

Carter and Danny O’Sullivan.

the online list of companies under the 

“About” section of the Web site. This 

list links directly to each company’s 

Web site, where company information 

and job opportunities may be found.

NASA photo by Eric James

Ames reaches major safety milestone
7 Astrogram September 2008

“Tell me how much money you 

need,” Paul Hertz, chief scientist of 

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, 

told a crowd of scientists gathered 

Aug. 27 in the Space Science auditorium for an Ames all-hands meeting.

 In the past, scientists were held to 

end-of-year accounting metrics that 

seemed impossible to meet, given that 

they received their research dollars 

late in the year.

 “Getting money obligated on 

time” has become a central issue of 

Edward Weiler, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate 

(SMD) at NASA Headquarters, and 

to meet the agency’s fiscal guidelines, 

new strategies have been developed to 

help scientists at field centers accomplish that goal, according to Hertz.

 How serious is the new associate 

administrator? “Ed Weiler is so serious about meeting SMD accounting 

metrics that two-thirds of my performance evaluation is on how fast we 

get the R&A money into your hands,” 

said Hertz.

 “If you can’t spend all of your 

research money in a given year, we’ll 

take it back and give it to you when 

you need it,” said Hertz. A data tracking program called RAPTOR will be 

used for SMD’s budgets and disburseNASA Headquarters promises timely funding for science by Ruth Dasso Marlaire ments, which gives the centers

viewing privileges of their cash 

flows in the following year. 

“It is time to trust each 

other on this,” said Yvonne 

Pendleton, NASA Ames deputy 

associate center director. After 

a year and a half working in 

SMD as the Senior Advisor for 

Research and Analysis (SARA), 

Pendleton has recently returned 

to Ames to lead the center’s 

research efforts with Steve 

Zornetzer, associate director of 

research.

 In a competitive environment for research funding, 

NASA scientists are urged to 

be realistic with their proposal 

costs. “Labor costs should be 

honest, or the burden falls 

back on the centers,” said Pendleton. 

“Everybody needs to work together,” 

she said, adding that Weiler clearly 

understands the funding difficulties 

scientists have experienced in recent 

years.

 Another area where SMD is 

prepared to meet the next fiscal challenge involves the next White House 

administration, regardless of which 

party wins the election in November. 

“We have briefings to answer a variety 

of questions a transition team might 

ask, especially if we are asked what 

we would do with more money,” said 

Hertz. 

 “I don’t think science will get 

any big offer,” he said. “The really 

big question is if the total budget will 

increase, or if they’ll just increase one 

budget, while reducing another,” 

Hertz noted. 

Overall, the exchange of information between the scientists, Hertz and 

Pendleton was well received by all, indicating a good foundation for future 

communication and collaboration.

Paul Hertz, chief scientist of NASA’s Science Mission 

Directorate, spoke at the center about the agency’s commitment 

to helping scientists at the field centers accomplish their goals 

by providing timely funding for research.

NASA photo

Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) 

Institute and an observer for Project Phoenix as well as an active participant in various 

international forums for SETI research, recently spoke at a Director’s Colloquium at Ames 

entitled, “When Will We Discover the Extraterrestrials?” about the prospects for finding 

aliens. The scientific hunt for extraterrestrial intelligence is now into its fifth decade, and 

still no confirmed “peep” from any cosmic company. Could this mean that finding aliens, 

even if they exist, is a project for the ages -- one that might take centuries or longer? New 

technologies suggest that, despite the continued dearth of signals from other societies, there 

is good reason to expect that success might be just around the corner -- that we might find 

evidence of sophisticated civilizations within a few decades. Why this is so, and what contact 

would mean, was the subject of the talk on the continuing efforts to establish our place in the 

universe of thinking beings.

SETI seeks to learn if we are the only intelligent life out there

NASA photo by Dominic Hart
8 Astrogram September 2008

Dr. Ronald Sims, professor and head of the Biological and Irrigation Engineering Department 

at Utah State, presented a colloquium entitled, "Algae-based Research and Synthetic Biomanufacturing for Biodiesel and Other Products at Utah State University." Utah State University (USU) has been awarded a Utah Science Technology and Research Center (USTAR) for 

microalgae-based production of biodiesel utilizing both open pond systems as well as enclosed 

photobioreactors that utilize sunlight and fiber optic systems to manage light distribution and 

intensity for algal growth. USU also has been awarded a USTAR Center for Biosynthetic 

Manufacturing utilizing synthetic biology tools and engineering methodologies for the production of new microbial-based products. The new centers are related to the new Biological 

Engineering Program implemented at USU, and also involve the participation of other units, 

including the university’s Electrical Engineering Department, Mechanical and Aerospace 

Engineering Department, Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Biology Department and 

the state of Utah Water Research Laboratory. Sims described the current research of these two 

microbe-based centers and the interest of USU in collaborating on relevant research.

Utah State professor discusses microbial-based products

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

NASA photos by Dominic Hart

Recently, Mike Skidmore (left), Eduardo Almeida (center), Richard Boyle (right) and other members 

of the Foton team gave a general description of the Foton-M3 mission and the differences between 

Foton-M2 and Foton-M3, which was followed by a summary of the scientific results derived from 

these joint US-Russian missions. The Foton-M3 spacecraft launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome 

(Kazakhstan) on Sept. 14, 2007 and landed 12 days later, approximately 130 km south of Kustanay, 

Northern Kazakhstan. The Foton-M3 flight, following the 16-day Foton-M2 spaceflight (June 

2005), represented a unique opportunity to re-fly and improve the Foton-M2 experiments. For 

Foton-M3, important improvements were made in hardware, experimental design and operational 

logistics.

U.S., Russian Foton-M2 & Foton-M3 mission reviewed
9 Astrogram September 2008

On Sept. 2, Mark Kasevich, a professor of physics and applied physics at 

Stanford University, presented a Director’s Colloquium entitled, “Atom 

Interferometry.” Attendees learned about how atom interferometry can 

lead to new breakthrough technologies relevant to NASA’s mission. Atom 

de Broglie wave interferometry has emerged as a tool capable of addressing a diverse set of questions in gravitational physics, and as an enabling 

technology for advanced sensors in geodesy and navigation. This talk 

reviewed basic principles and discussed recent applications and future 

directions. 

Stanford professor explains atom wave interferometry

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

continued from front page

Jack Boyd, Ames historian and senior advisor to the center director (on stage left), introduced the four 

former Ames Center Directors, Hans Mark, Sy Syvertson, Dale Compton and G. Scott Hubbard at the 

recent Directors Round Table held at the center. Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden is seated at right.

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

still in use today by the U.S. Marines 

Corps.

 Mark was followed by Sy Syvertson, who began his career at Ames 

in 1948 (“about 20 years after Jack”) 

conducting research in hypersonics 

and was named Ames center director 

in 1977. 

 Syvertson, who retired in 1984, 

recalled that in those early days, a 

three-bedroom bungalow cost only 

$5,000. He said he has always been 

impressed by the quality of the staff 

at Ames, “that started when I came to 

Ames in 1948.”

 Compton joined Ames in 1958 

and rose through the ranks of the 

center’s aeronautics and space sciences 

divisions before being named center 

director in 1989. He said during his 

tenure as director, he worked hard to 

bring the center’s facilities up to good 

condition, to improve the center’s 

project management capabilities, and 

to retain Moffett Field under NASA’s 

control after the U.S. Navy closed its 

naval base. 

 Hubbard arrived at Ames in 1987 

and served in various project management and science mission management 

capacities. He served as center director from 2002 to 2006 and currently 

is a professor at Stanford University. 

He cited three “guiding principles” 

from his tenure, including achieving 

research excellence; maintaining a connection to space and staying grounded 

with Silicon Valley.

 Following their brief remarks, 

the former directors fielded questions from employees, ranging from 

how they viewed Ames as a research 

center, to what it took to become a 

center director. They noted that it was 

a combination of “dumb luck”, doing 

a good job and being recognized for 

their hard work that led to their being 

named as center directors.

 “If you’re given a job and do it 

well, promotions will come,” Compton concluded.

Ames hosts Round Table with four former Ames center directors
10 Astrogram September 2008

Ames emergency 

announcements

To hear the centerwide status record- ing, call (650) 604-9999 for informa- tion announcements and emergency 

instructions for Ames employees. You 

can also listen to 1700 KHz AM radio 

for the same information.

Ames Ongoing Monthly Events Calendar

Security/Law Enforcement Activity

Fire Protection Activity

A statistical summary of activities of the Protective Services Division’s 

Security/Law Enforcement and Fire Protection Services units for the month 

of August 2008 is shown below.

Protective Services monthly activity

 Safety Data 

 NASA-Ames Occupational

 Illness-Injury Data for 

 Calendar Year-to-Date 2008

 Jan. 1, 2008 - Aug. 31, 2008

 Civil Contractors

 Servants

 

 First aid cases 17 13

 Lost Workday cases 1 2

 Recordable cases 2 5

 Restricted duty days 0 2

 Above data are as of Aug. 31, 2008. 

 May be subject to slight adjustment in

 the event of a new case or new informa- 

 tion regarding an existing case.

Ames Amateur Radio Club, third Thurs., of 

ea. month, 12 noon, N-T28 (across from N-255). 

POC: Michael Wright, KG6BFK, at ext. 4-6262. 

Ames Ballroom Dance Club, Classes on 

Tuesdays. Beginning classes meet at 5:15 p.m. 

Higher-level class meets at 5:50 p.m. Held in 

Bldg. 944, the Rec. Center. POC: Helen Hwang 

at helen.hwang@nasa.gov, ext. 4-1368.

Ames Bicycling Club, every third Wednesday 

of each month, 12 noon - 1 p.m., Bldg. N-245 

Auditorium. POC: Julie Nottage at jnottage@

mail.arc.nasa.gov, ext. 4-3711. 

Ames Bowling League, Homestead Lanes on 

Thursday nights at 6:20 p.m. Seeking substitute 

bowlers. Questions to sign up: Mike Liu at ext. 

4-1132. 

Ames Child Care Center Board of Directors 

Mtg., every other Monday, 1 - 2:30 p.m., Bldg. 

N-262/Rm 180. POC: Sally Miller, ext. 4-5411.

Ames Contractor Council Mtg., first Wednesday of ea. month, 11 a.m., Bldg. N-200, Committee Room. POC: Kathleen Starmer, ext. 4-6959

Environmental Forum, first Thursday every 

other month, 9 a.m. - 10 a.m., T20-G conference 

Rm. 129. URL: http://q/qe/events/EHSseries/ POC: Stacy St. Louis, ext. 4-6810.

Ames Federal Employees Union (AFEU) Mtg, 

First Wednesday of November (7th), noon. 

First Wednesday of December (5th), noon. 

Bldg. N-247, Rm. 109. Beginning 2008, third 

Wednesday each month, same location. Guests 

welcome. Info at: http://www.afeu.org. POC: 

Paul K. Davis, ext. 4-5916. 

The Hispanic Advisory Committee for 

Excellence (HACE) Mtg., first Thursday of each 

month, 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m., Bldg. N-255, Rm. 

101C. POC: Eric Kristich, ext. 4-5137 and Mark 

Leon, ext. 4-6498.

Jetstream Toastmasters, Mondays, 12 p.m. 

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

Hayashi, ext. 4-1397, mhayashi@mail.arc.nasa.

gov. Web: http://jetstream.freetoasthost.com

Ames Mac Support Group Mtg., third Tuesday 

of each month, 11:30 a.m.to 1 p.m., Bldg. N-262, 

Rm 180. POC: Tony ext. 4-0340.

Ames Model Aircraft Club, flying radio-controlled aircraft at the north end of Parsons Ave. 

on weekend mornings. POC: Mark Sumich, 

ext. 4-6193.

Native American Advisory Committee Mtg., 

fourth Tuesday each month, 12 noon - 1 p.m., 

Bldg. 19, Rm 1096. POC: Mike Liu, ext. 4-1132.

Ames Nimble Knitters Club, every Tuesday 

at 11:30 a.m., Bldg. N-241/Rm 237. POC: 

Rosalyn Jung, knitfan2@yahoo.com or Diane 

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

nasa.gov

Ames Safety Committee, third Thursday of 

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

Rm. 201. POC: John Livacich, jlivacich@mail.

arc.nasa.gov, ext. 4-3243 or Terry Reichert, 

treichert@mail.arc.nasa.gov, ext.-4-0375.

Ames Sailing Club Mtg., second Thursday of 

each month (March through November), from 

12 p.m. - 1 p.m., Bldg. N-260, Rm. 113. URL: 

http://sail.arc.nasa.gov/. POC: Clif Horne, 

ext. 4-4571.
11 Astrogram September 2008

The Ames Cat Network needs help finding 

homes for cats trapped at Moffett. They 

range from feral to abandoned/lost pets. 

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

Minn Kota electric trolling motor, 30 LB Thrust, 

never been used. $125, Call (650) 369-0578.

2 bd/2 1/2 ba spacious townhome in Sunnyvale, a den and two private patios, central heating and airconditioning. Excellent neighborhood 

within walking distance to shops, restaurants, 

golf course, schools and parks. Easy access to 

highways 101, 280, El Camino Real, Central Express and Lawrence Expressway. $1,900/month 

plus $1K deposit. Call (408) 393-7641. 

One bedroom duplex for rent in Mountain View, 

one mile from Ames. Call (408) 829-1890.

Housing

Miscellaneous

Need help on your 

next tech eval?

NASA has a free automated tool to help 

you evaluate change proposals. Find 

out more and get your user ID and password at https://turbotech.gsfc.nasa.gov . 

Sign up today for a web-based demo 

with Joann.M.Carter@nasa.gov.

Ames Classifieds Exchange Information

Beyond Galileo Gift Shop N-235 in 

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

Don’t forget to purchase your baby shower, birthday, holiday gifts at Ames’ two gift shops!

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

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

Visitor Center Gift Shop N-943 

M-F, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., ext. 4-5412

NASA logo merchandise, souvenirs, toys, gifts and 

educational items. 

Ongoing Vacation Opportunities

Information about products, services and opportunities provided to the employee and contractor 

community by the Ames Exchange Council. Visit 

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

NASA Lodge (N-19) 603-7100

Tickets, etc... N-943 outside the main gate, 

10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., ext. 4-5412 and Beyond 

Galileo, 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. ext. 4-6873

See daily menu at: http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov

The pool is heated year round! The pool is currently available for lap swim, pool parties and 

special events. POC -Chana Langley, Pool Manager 

(650) 603-8025. Memberships: single memberships: $40/yr. Family memberships: $60/yr. After 

purchasing a membership, there is an entrance fee: 

daily entrance fee - $3/day or lap pass fee - $40 for 

20 uses. Platinum membership - $360/yr. (no daily 

fee). Special events: include military training, swim 

team events, kayak role practice, etc. The cost for 

special events is $50/hr.

Ames Swim Center (N-109) 603-8025

Ads for the next issue should be sent to astrogram@

mail.arc.nasa.gov and must be resubmitted for each 

issue. Ads must involve personal needs or items; (no 

commercial/third-party ads) and will run on a spaceavailable basis only. First-time ads are given priority. 

Ads must include home phone numbers; Ames extensions and email addresses will be accepted for carpool 

and lost and found ads only. Due to the volume of 

material received, we are unable to verify the accuracy 

of the statements made in the ads. Caveat emptor! 

RV Lots Available Call to reserve a 

space at (650) 603-7100/01.

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

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

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

19 (43 rooms), rate: $55/night ($5 ea add’l adult); 

Bldg. 583 (150 rooms), rate: $45/night ($5 ea. add’l 

adult) 

Moffett Field Golf Club with ‘Tee minus 

1’ Grill and Sports Bar. Call (650) 603-8026.

Lake Tahoe-Squaw Valley Townhse, 3bd/2ba, 

View of slopes, close to lifts. Per night: $250, plus 

$145 cleaning fee. Two night minimum. Includes 

linens, propane fireplace, fully equipped. Call (650) 

968-4155, DBMcKellar@aol.com.

Bass Lake vacation rental, 4 mls south of Yosemite. 

3bd/1.5 ba, TV, VCR, MW, frplc, BBQ, priv. boat 

dock. Sleeps 8. $1,050/wk. Call (559) 642-3600 or 

(650) 390-9668.

Big Sur vacation rental, secluded 4bd/2ba house 

in canyon setting. Fully eqpd kitchen. Access to 

priv. beach. Tub in patio gdn. Halfway between 

Carmel and Big Sur. $175/night for 2; $225 for 4 

and $250 for more, plus $150 cleaning dep. Call 

(650) 328-4427.

Pine Mountain Lake vacation home. Access to golf, 

tennis, lake, swimming, horseback riding, walk 

to beach. Three bedrooms/sleeps 10. $100/night. 

Call (408) 799-4052 or (831) 623-4054.

Incline Village, Forest Pines, Lake Tahoe condo, 3 

bdrms/2 ba, sleeps 8, fireplace, TVs/VCR/DVD, 

stereo w/CD player, microwv, W/D, jacuzzi, 

sauna, outdoor pool. Walk to lake. Close to ski 

areas. Visit web site for pictures: http://www.

ACruiseStore.com $135/night spring and fall, 

$173/night summer and winter (holidays higher) 

plus $125 cleaning fee and 12 percent Nevada 

room tax. Charlie (650) 743-8990.

New York, 5th Ave., one fully furnished bedroom 

apt. in 24 hour security fbldg. overlooking

Washington Square Park, $1,000/week or

3,000/month, negotiable. Call (650) 430-6977.

Paris/France: Fully furnished studio. 5th arr, Latin 

Quarter, Notre Dame and Lie-St. Louis, $1,400/

week, negotiable.Call (650) 430-697

Santa Cruz townhouse, 2 bedrooms plus study, 

2 baths, decks, totally furnished, 3 blocks from 

beach, available July, August, September; $1,600 

per month. Call (831) 423-5777 (H) or (831) 277-

8476 (C).

Lake Tahoe cabin rental in Agate Bay, North Shore. 

4bd/3ba tri-level, AEK, cable TVs, fireplace, BBQ, 

deck, sleeps 10. Closest skiing is Northstar, Alpine 

and Squaw. Rates are $375 a weekend, $1,000 a 

week. Call (408) 867-4656.

Florida west coast vacation in St. Petersburg, 

beautiful 2bd/2ba condo, fully equipped kitchen 

and furnished, sunset views, 1/4 mile from St. Pete 

Beach, monthly or 2 week minimum rentals only. 

Call (703) 299-8889 or e-mail: jdgoehler@aol.com

Monterey Bay vacation rental at Pajaro Dunes, 20 

miles south of Santa Cruz, 3bd/2ba beach house 

with distinctive architecture. Beautiful ocean and 

valley views, only 150 ft from the beach, first-class 

tennis courts. $700/wkend, $2,100/wk including 

cleaning by the maid service when you depart. 

Call (408) 252-7260.

South Lake Tahoe large cabin surrounded by 

protected forest, 8 miles from Stateline Sleeps 12 

comfortably, 4 bd/3ba. Hot tub/pool table/65” TV 

Matt (408) 482-5286

South Lake Tahoe cozy home backs up to large 

open meadow, 1 mile from Heavenly Valley. Sleeps 

11, 3 bd/2.5 ba. Large deck with hot tub. Matt (408) 

482-5286.

Astrogram deadlines

Please submit articles, calendar 

and classified advertisements to 

astrogram@mail.arc.nasa.gov no later 

than the 10th of each month. If this 

falls on a weekend or holiday, then the 

following business day becomes the 

deadline. For Astrogram questions, 

contact Astrid Olson at the aforementioned e-mail address or ext. 4-3347. 
12 Astrogram September 2008

Special Olympics 

golf tournament set On Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 7 

p.m, physicist Leonard Susskind of 

Stanford University will give a nontechnical, illustrated lecture entitled, 

“The Black Hole Wars: My Battle with 

Stephen Hawking.” This talk kicks off 

the 2008-2009 series of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures. 

The talk will be held in the Smithwick Theater at Foothill College, El 

Monte Road and Freeway 280, in Los 

Altos Hills. There is no cost to attend 

and the event is open to the public. 

Parking on campus costs $2. Call the 

series hot-line at (650) 949-7888 for 

more information and driving directions. No background in science will 

be required for this talk. Seating is 

‘Black Hole wars’ explained

A charity golf tournament, the 

"Walmart Golf for the Gold Classic" 

for the Northcal Special Olympics, 

is scheduled for Oct. 13, from 8 a.m. 

to 6 p.m., at The Brentwood Golf 

Country Club, located at 100 Summerset Drive, Brentwood, Calif., 

94513. The Walmart Corp. is sponsoring the golf tournament. NASA 

personnel are invited to participate 

in this event.

The teams consist of four golfers ready to spend the day golfing, 

eating and having fun. Each team 

contributes $600 ($150 per member) 

for the charity which includes green 

fees and use of golf cart. 

There will be raffles throughout 

the day and goodie bags given to 

all participants as well as meals and 

snacks for the day. The winners will 

receive a large trophy and all bragging rights for helping the Special 

Olympics. 

After the event, golfers will 

be treated to a steak dinner to 

celebrate the participation of all 

concerned. For more information, 

contact Dan Jones at (408) 607-7679.

first come, first served.

Black Holes, the collapsed remnants of the largest stars, provide 

a remarkable laboratory where the 

frontier concepts of our understanding 

of nature are tested at their extreme 

limits. For more than two decades, 

Susskind and a Dutch colleague have 

had a running battle with Stephen 

Hawking of Cambridge University 

about the implications of Black Hole 

theory for our understanding of reality 

-- a battle that he has described in his 

book “The Black Hole Wars.” 

During the discussion, Susskind 

tells the story of these wars, explains 

the ideas that underlie the conflict, 

and recounts how he got Hawking to 

retract some of his claims. What's at 

stake is nothing less than our understanding of space, time, matter and 

information. Susskind is Felix Bloch 

professor of theoretical physics at 

Stanford University and the author of 

two books and many articles on recent 

developments in science and their 

meaning. 

The lecture is co-sponsored by 

NASA Ames; the Foothill College Astronomy Program; the SETI Institute; 

and the Astronomical Society of the 

Pacific.

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 Olson

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.

NASA Deputy Administrator 

Shana Dale’s corner on Inside-NASA 

this month features an article entitled, 

“Skyrocketing Student Performance 

in Kentucky.” Following is an excerpt 

from the article.

Educating American students in 

the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) 

is vitally important to the survival 

of America’s space program. And 

though NASA’s benefits are national 

in scope, its real beneficiaries are 

students in communities all across 

the country.

Kentucky’s Phelps High School 

exemplifies NASA’s benefits. Phelps, 

a small rural school (450 students in 

grades 7-12), located at the eastern 

corner of Kentucky, had a dropout rate of almost ten percent and 

ranked near the bottom of Kentucky’s 

schools according to an assessment of 

the Commonwealth Accountability 

Testing System (CATS) a decade ago. 

Andy Dotson, the school’s former social studies teacher became principal 

in 1999, and the school began to make 

steady improvements in performance.

That improvement wasn’t enough. 

School leaders realized that reaching 

their goal of a 100 score on the CATS 

assessment by 2014 required more. 

Phelps needed an extra push. And that 

push came from NASA.

In 2002, Dotson attended a special 

leadership academy for Kentucky 

administrators at NASA’s Langley 

Research Center in Hampton, Va. 

After returning from the academy, 

Dotson initiated several actions. He 

created school leadership teams and 

established solution-oriented attitudes 

by encouraging teachers to express 

a “we can” instead of “we cannot” 

attitude with students. Dotson and 

his team also developed a clearer vision for the school, established higher 

expectations, created an instructional 

plan, and focused on overall student 

performance.

Simultaneously, Phelps’ teachers received support from NASA 

experts at the Langley Research 

What’s on InsideNASA . . .

Center through training at the NASA 

Leadership Academy. The teachers 

began to use NASA’s Digital Learning Network, including interaction 

with the crew of the International 

Space Station. They participated in 

three national conferences and experienced a full partnership with NASA 

when Phelps High School’s sister 

school, Phelps Elementary, became a 

NASA Explorer School in 2004. Phelps 

students and staff are still working 

toward their goal of scoring a perfect 

100 on the assessment test by 2014.

Over the past six years, student 

performance has skyrocketed. Phelps 

now ranks sixth in academics in 

Kentucky, and its dropout rate was reduced to just over one percent in 2006. 

”This educational partnership has 

made a significant difference in the 

lives of students, staff, and community 

in rural Kentucky,” declared Dotson 

To learn more about this partnership, 

visit http://insidenasa.nasa.gov/

nasa_stories/Education_Success.html