October 2006

www.nasa.gov

California Space Authority honors Ames with two awards

continued on page 2

NASA Ames tests small spaceship capsule model at high speed

The California Space Authority 

(CSA) has announced that two NASA 

Ames teams are recipients of the 2006 

SpotBeam awards. 

The SpotBeam awards recognize 

“space enterprise community leaders 

who have made extraordinary contributions to California and U.S. leadership in the international space arena. 

The SpotBeam awards are CSA’s 

highest honor,” according to the CSA 

Web site.

“I am delighted that CSA has 

acknowledged Ames’ exceptional contributions in thermal protection and 

space science with these prestigious 

awards,” said NASA Ames Director 

S. Pete Worden. “Ames has a long 

history of outstanding achievements 

in these fields, and these awards add 

to our proud tradition of cutting-edge 

science and research.”

Ames received the Civil Space 

Award for the development and 

associated research on the Phenolic 

Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) 

heat shield used for the Stardust reentry capsule. In January 2006, the Stardust capsule re-entered Earth’s atmosphere 

at the highest re-entry speed ever, 

penetrating Earth’s atmosphere much 

like a meteor. This event provided a 

unique opportunity to observe and 

analyze the performance of the heat 

shield and the chemistry associated 

with the heat shield as it eroded during re-entry.

NASA Ames leads the agency’s 

thermal protection systems research. 

The results of the Stardust analysis 

will be used to design the thermal protection system for the agency’s new 

crew exploration vehicle. The Boeing 

Company (Huntington Beach, Calif.) 

was selected in September 2006 to 

support the design and development 

of a lunar direct return-capable heat 

shield for the Orion crew exploration 

vehicle. Ames will use its thermal 

(arc jet), structural and environmental 

facilities to conduct extensive testing and evaluation of Boeing’s PICA 

deliverables, assessing the material 

performance and suitability for use as 

the Orion heat shield.

Page 3 - Globus and Cruikshank 

 recognized as Ames 

 Associate Fellows

Page 5 - Jonathan Trent receives 

 nanotechnology award

Page 7 - NASA helps aircraft glide into

 a more efficient landing

Page 7 - Ames and M2Mi Corp. to

 develop ‘Automated M2M 

 Intelligence’

Page 14 - Ames Ongoing Events

On the Inside . . .

NASA recently conducted highspeed tests of small models of the 

agency’s new Orion crew exploration 

vehicle to learn about its stability during flight.

by John Bluck

 News media were invited to view 

the Hypervelocity Free-Flight Facility 

at NASA Ames in October.

The hypervelocity test facility 

uses a gun to shoot Orion models 

between 0.5 and 1.5 inches (1.25-3.75 

centimeters) in diameter. The facility 

can conduct experiments with speeds 

up to 19,000 miles per hour (30,400 

kilometers per hour).

These tests allow engineers to 

analyze aerodynamic characteristics 

of the blunt capsules in flight, and will 

be used to help design safe, controllable profiles for re-entry through 

Earth’s atmosphere. The Orion spacecraft will succeed the space shuttle as NASA’s vehicle 

for human space exploration. Orion 

is designed to carry six astronauts to 

low-Earth orbit or four astronauts to 

the moon. Orion’s first crewed flight 

to the International Space Station is 

planned for no later than 2014. Orion’s 

first flight to the moon is planned for 

no later than 2020.

For further information about 

Ames’ hypervelocity free-flight tests, 

please visit: http://thermo-physics.

arc.nasa.gov/range.htm For more information about the 

Orion crew capsule, please visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pag- es/constellation/orion/ 

The Orion crew exploration vehicle (CEV) M1 

model, recently underwent high-speed testing 

at Ames. The tests were performed to learn 

about Orion’s stability during flight.
 Astrogram October 2006

NASA has selected Jonathan 

Fortney, a scientist at NASA Ames, 

for the prestigious new Early Career 

Fellows in Planetary Science award 

and research grant, which honors 

outstanding young scientists for their 

exceptional achievement in space sci- ence research.

Employed at Ames through a co- operative agreement with the SETI In- stitute in Mountain View, Fortney has 

been studying the atmosphere, interior 

and evolution of ‘gas giant’ planets. 

The most familiar gas giant planets are 

Jupiter and Saturn, which are made up 

mostly of hydrogen and helium. “We are delighted that Jonathan won this award and recognition for 

the importance of his ideas. Jonathan 

represents NASA’s future,” said Dr. 

Steven Zornetzer, associate director 

for institutions and research at NASA 

Ames. “His research will both inform 

us and raise new questions that we 

will need to answer in the future. 

Ames is proud that Jonathan and SETI 

are breaking new barriers to understanding the evolution of planetary 

bodies,” Zornetzer added.

“I was given the award to study 

the evolution and changing temperatures of Jupiter and Saturn,” said 

Fortney, a former National Research 

Council postdoctoral associate and 

now a Spitzer Space Telescope Fellow. 

“Specifically, I will try to understand 

how ‘helium rain’ affects the cooling 

of these planets. Understanding this 

cooling process will help astronomers 

detect and understand the temperature of giant planets in other solar 

systems as well,” he added.

According to Fortney, giant planets 

are very hot when they form, but cool 

off over time. Deep within the hot interiors of these planets, at one million 

times the atmospheric pressure that 

we feel on Earth, hydrogen turns to a 

liquid metal. After a giant planet has 

cooled significantly, the helium can 

no longer mix with the surrounding 

metallic hydrogen, much as oil and 

water don’t mix. Instead of rising to 

the surface as oil does in water, the helium atoms merge to form drops that 

‘rain’ into the deeper layers within the 

planet. As the helium drops sink within the planet, the friction between the 

drops and the surrounding metallic 

hydrogen adds thermal energy to the 

planet. The result is that these planets continue to cool, but much more 

slowly. Saturn, and perhaps Jupiter, 

NASA honors Ames scientist with planetary science fellowship

is currently warmer than one expects 

when this effect is not taken into account.

“The hydrogen-helium mixing 

effect is similar to what happens when 

you add sugar to your morning coffee 

– if you add too much sugar, it won’t 

dissolve any more, and it simply sinks 

to the bottom,” said Fortney. “The 

sinking sugar puts a tiny amount of 

additional energy into the coffee. It is 

not enough to raise the temperature of 

the coffee, but it slightly slows down 

how fast the coffee cools off. Likewise, 

but on a much larger scale, the sinking 

helium imparts energy that slows the 

cooling of a planet. It is not a perfect 

analogy because the sugar grains have 

only a very tiny effect on the coffee. At 

Saturn, this process has been a major 

energy source over the past two billion 

years, and seems to have started in Jupiter more recently. New Saturn data 

from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will 

help shed new light on the cooling of 

these planets,” he added. “Dr. Fortney’s pioneering work on the cooling of Jupiter and Saturn will 

help us better understand how planets 

are formed and change over time. 

This is particularly important, since 

we now know of over 200 Jupiter-like 

planets orbiting around other stars,” 

said Mark Marley, Ph.D., a space sci- entist at Ames.

The award was given as a result of a proposal entitled ‘A Consistent 

Evolutionary History for Jupiter and 

Saturn’ that Fortney submitted to the 

Outer Planets Research Program in 

2005.

He will receive a $160,000 research 

grant over three years to study the 

cooling process of these giant planets, 

and will have the opportunity to apply 

for an additional $120,000 in research 

grant funding. Born and raised near St. Paul, 

Minn., he received his bachelor of sci- ence degree in physics from Iowa State 

University in Ames, Iowa, in 1999, and 

was awarded a doctorate in planetary 

sciences from the University of Ari- zona, Tucson, in 2004. 

by Ruth Marlaire

CSA also presented its Space Science Research Award to planetary 

astronomer Dr. Mark Showalter of the 

SETI Institute, Mountain View, and to 

collaborating scientist Dr. Jack Lissauer of NASA Ames, for the discovery 

of two new rings, Uranus’s 12th and 

13th, and two new moons, Mab and 

Cupid, around the planet. 

The discovery was reported in 

December 2005, following a long-term 

observing campaign by Showalter 

and Lissauer. The two scientists cap- tured numerous visible-light images 

of Uranus between 2003 and 2005 

with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for 

Surveys and also found the rings in 

archival images taken during Voyager 

2’s flyby of Uranus in 1986. Previously 

unnoticed because they are extremely 

faint and much farther from the planet 

than expected, the rings were located 

by a careful analysis of nearly 100 

Voyager images.

The awards will be presented at 

the CSA SpotBeam awards dinner 

on Nov. 30 at the Westin Hotel, Los 

Angeles International Airport, as part 

of the Transforming Space Conference 

(http://www.californiaspaceauthority.

org/conference2006/index.html).

Governed by a statewide board 

of directors, the CSA is a nonprofit 

corporation representing the commercial, civil and national defense/homeland security interests of California’s 

diverse space enterprise community in 

industry, government, academia and 

workforce. 

continued from front page

by Ann Sullivan

California Space Authority honors Ames

NASA photo by Tom Trower

Jonathan Fortney of Ames recently was honored 

with the Early Career Fellow in Planetary Science 

award and research grant. The award honors 

outstanding young scientists for exceptional 

achievement in space science research.
 Astrogram October 2006

The Division for Planetary Sciences 

of the American Astronomical Society has awarded the 2006 Gerard P. 

Kuiper Prize for outstanding contributions to the field of planetary science, 

and especially planetary astronomy, to 

Dale Cruikshank, research scientist at 

NASA Ames. Cruikshank pioneered 

the application of infrared spectrosco- py to solar system bodies, developed 

laboratory techniques that became 

tools for interpreting the observations, 

and has been a leader in the design 

of instruments for remote sensing observations from deep space planetary 

exploration probes. Cruikshank’s key 

contributions concern the detection 

and characterization of volatiles and 

organics of the surfaces of asteroids 

and outer solar system bodies. His 

discoveries, spanning four decades, 

confirm the early conjecture that common ices are dominant components of 

outer solar system bodies. With colleagues, he discovered the five ices known on Triton, three 

on Pluto, and water ice on satellites 

of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and 

Pluto. With colleagues, he was first to 

find water ice in the Kuiper Belt, and 

methanol ice on a Centaur (an asteroid 

whose orbit is out beyond Jupiter) that 

links these bodies to comets. 

The ices he found on Triton and 

Pluto are the sources of the atmo- spheres of these two bodies, especially 

fitting discoveries as it was G.P. Kuiper who discovered the first satellite 

atmosphere, on Titan. 

Cruikshank pioneered thermal infrared determinations of the albedos of 

small bodies beyond the asteroid main 

belt, leading to the recognition that 

low-albedo material is prevalent in the 

outer solar system. His spectroscopic 

work gave the first firm evidence for 

complex organic solids on a planetary 

body (Saturn’s satellite Iapetus), and 

provides the basis for progress on 

the identification of such materials 

elsewhere.

A distinguished scientist and a rec- ognized leader in the planetary community, Cruikshank has participated 

in a number of past and present NASA 

missions, including Voyager, Cassini, 

Spitzer and New Horizons.

Cruikshank - winner of 2006 Gerard P. Kuiper Prize

by Stephanie Langhoff

Dr. Ruth Globus and Dr. Dale 

Cruikshank have been named as Ames 

Associate Fellows for 2006. This is 

one of the highest honors that Ames 

bestows on its scientific and engineering staff. The award includes a $4,000 

personal honorarium, a $2,500 travel 

grant and a $40,000 research stipend. 

Any civil servant with more than five 

years of service is eligible to win the 

award. The Science and Technology 

Council is responsible for making the 

selections. Globus was selected for her 

research contributions and leadership 

in facilitating and implementing innovative science programs. Her investigations into cellular and molecular 

mechanisms defining how gravitational loading affects skeletal structure 

and function have established her as 

a leader in the field of gravitational 

biology. She co-directs the Bone and 

Signaling Laboratory at Ames and 

serves as a project science expert, developing plans to prevent space flight 

deconditioning for the NASA artificial 

gravity and countermeasures projects. 

She serves as science manager for the 

Ames suite of centrifuges and scientist 

sponsor for the Space Settlement De- sign Contest education and outreach 

project at Ames. She has been success- ful in bringing more than $2 million in 

research awards in the last five years. 

Globus has also been an outstanding 

mentor for more than 40 undergradu- ate students graduate students, and 

postdoctoral scholars at Ames.

Cruikshank was elected for his 

research achievements in planetary 

science and astrophysics. He has made 

significant research contributions to 

the understanding of the surface composition of solar systems objects. He 

is one of the pre-eminent authorities 

on organic matter and ices in the solar 

system. His work on outer planetary 

systems has contributed heavily to our 

understanding of how organic matter 

is connected to primitive bodies and 

how it may have been delivered to 

Earth at early times. He also has made 

major contributions to spacecraft 

activities and to the organization of 

planetary science and astronomy. He 

is internationally recognized for excellence in his research field with more 

than 320 research articles in major 

journals. He has delivered numerous 

invited lectures to both professional 

scientists and amateur astronomers. 

Cruikshank is a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and of the 

American Geophysical Union. He was 

recently announced as the winner of 

the 2006 Gerard P. Kuiper Prize. The call for nomination for Ames 

Associate Fellows for 2007 has just 

been issued via a centerwide an- nouncement. Nominations of eligible 

staff members may be made by any 

Ames staff member. Nominations are 

due no later than Nov. 17, 2006.

Contact Dr. Stephanie Langhoff, chief scientist at NASA Ames, at slang- hoff@mail.arc.nasa.gov, for further 

information.

Dr. Ruth Globus was selected by the Science 

and Technology Council as an Ames Associate 

Fellow. She was awarded this honor for her 

research contribution and leadership in facilitating and implementing innovative science 

programs.

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

Dr. Dale Cruikshank was selected by the Science 

and Technology council as an Ames Associate 

Fellow for his research achievements in planetary 

science and astrophysics. Cruikshank also was 

awarded the 2006 Gerard P. Kuiper Prize.

Globus and Cruikshank selected as Ames Associate Fellows
 Astrogram October 2006

During an Oct. 4 ceremony, Ames 

presented its 2006 Honor Awards. 

Award recipients included: 

Administrative Professional

Joanne A. Comstock

Evelyn T. Perez

Best First Paper at Ames

T. Barbara Nguyen-Vu

Commercialization/Tech Transfer 

Award

David L. Iverson

FACET

Community Service/Volunteer

Wendy W. Dolci and Yvonne J. 

Pendleton

Eric R. Mueller

Contractor Employee

Mark R. Anderson, 

 QSS Group, Inc.

Estela H. Buchmann

 Science Applications 

 International Corporation

Nathan J. Burnside

 AerospaceComputing, Inc.

Charles E. Niggley

 Computer Sciences Corporation

Daniel T. Pappas, Jr.,

 Planners Collaborative

Karin E. Perkins, 

 Lockheed Martin

 Engineering & Sciences Co.

Christopher D. Youngquist,

 INFONETIC

EEO

Wendy L. Holforty

Engineer

Stuart E. Rogers

Glen E. Sasaki

Gloria K. Yamauchi

Ames presents Honor Awards for 2006

Group/Team

ARC TOPS Proposal Team

Electronic Employee Checkout 

Process Development Team

European Modular Cultivation 

System (EMCS) Project Team

Global Connection Project

2006 Joint Flight Demonstration 

Test Team

STS-121 FIT Payload Team

Vertical Motion Simulator JSF 

Team

Mentor

Charles R. Friedericks

Raymond T. Gilstrap

Joseph W. Skiles III

Project Manager

Daniel R. Andrews

Mike D. Madson

Julie A. Mikula

Kent C. Shiffer

Safety and Environment

Susan P. Suffel

Arlen R. Lyon

Scientist/Researcher

Ramakrishna R. Nemani

Scott A. Sandford

Secretary/Admin. Assistant Support

Erlinda M. Fox

Student

Christiana E. Woodward

Supervisor/Manager

Sidney Sun

Kimberly M. Wagenbach

Technical Support

Thomas H. Hinke

Hugh La Master

Technician

John G. Amaral

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

NASA Ames Honor Award recipients in the N201 auditoriumduring the awards ceremony held at 

Ames in October. 
 Astrogram October 2006

For his work in using proteins 

from extremophiles to create nanoscale electronic and medical devices, Ames’ Jonathan Trent won a ‘Nano 

50 award,’ that Nanotech Briefs will 

present to him during a conference in 

Boston, Nov. 9 -10, 2006.

Extremophiles are forms of life 

that survive in extreme conditions, 

including severe heat, cold and acidic 

conditions, among others. Nanotech 

Briefs, launched in January 2004, is a 

digital magazine from the publishers 

of NASA Tech Briefs.

“Our innovation takes advantage 

of the innate ability of proteins to form 

Ames’ Jonathan Trent wins nanotechnology award

into ordered structures and for us to 

use genetic engineering to change 

nature’s plans, transforming these 

structures into something useful,” 

said Trent, principal investigator of a 

research project to produce ‘nano-electronics’ at NASA Ames. A nanometer 

is roughly 100,000 times smaller than 

the width of a human hair. “Building structures on the nanoscale is an 

incredible engineering challenge,” he 

said.

Trent currently is working on two 

related nanotechnology projects. “We 

are attempting to get funding from the 

Department of Energy (DOE) to support our research on bio-nano technology,” he said. “We have one project 

to transform sawdust into ethanol for 

the DOE bio-fuel initiative. We’re also 

working on bio-sensors to detect bio 

threats, or any form of life, which may 

be interesting to NASA’s future Mars 

missions.”

The Nano 50 awards recognize 

the top 50 technologies, products and 

innovators that have significantly impacted - or are expected to impact - the 

state of the art in nanotechnology.

by John Bluck

Speakers sought to share the Vision for Space Exploration

Jennifer Kremer, Planner’s Collaborative, 

speaks to an elementary classroom as part of the 

NASA Ames Speakers Bureau Program. She 

is describing the different functions of a NASA 

spacesuit to the students.

Would you like to share the 

excitement of working for NASA, to 

inform the public about the agency 

and the Vision for Space Exploration, to inspire the next generation 

of explorers and to stimulate their 

interest in math and science? Do you 

have an upcoming speaking engagement or need a speaker from NASA 

to talk at the event? If so, the NASA 

Ames Speaker’s Bureau can help!

The people who talk to community and educational groups about 

NASA, about Ames and about their 

jobs play a vital role in ‘spreading the word’ about the agency. 

People love to hear about NASA 

and consider this one of the ‘coolest’ places to work. Whether you are 

talking to a classroom of 30 eager 

students, addressing 3,000 people at 

a math, science and technology fair, 

or speaking at a meeting of the local 

civic club, you are helping to spread 

the word about NASA and Ames. 

The NASA Ames Speakers 

Bureau, lead by Sheila Johnson of 

the Public Affairs Division, supports 

this invaluable service by providing speakers who offer programs 

and information to the educational 

community, libraries and museums, 

as well as to professional, technical, 

civic and social organizations. Speakers also may participate in conferences, workshops and lectures, and staff 

NASA exhibits at local community 

events.

To carry out this important work, 

the Speakers Bureau needs YOUR 

help. We need a listing of potential 

speakers, their areas of interest and 

expertise, and their availability. Speakers with a wide range of backgrounds, 

skills and experiences are needed. We 

need speakers with expertise in science, aeronautics, space flight, computers and living in space. We especially need bilingual volunteers who 

can reach out to underserved groups.

In FY06, Speakers Bureau volunteers reached more than 40,000 

individuals with information about 

NASA and its programs, all delivered 

with a personal point of view. We 

can do even more, but we need more 

speakers!

Anyone -- scientists, engineers and 

administrative staff, both civil servants 

and contractors -- can help the Speakers Bureau reach out to the Bay Area 

community, as well as to other states. 

For those who are interested, and 

whose supervisors agree, we sometimes have travel opportunities (paid 

by the requesting organization) to 

other states. 

You can help share the NASA 

vision and excitement of working 

for NASA by volunteering for an 

event or notifying the Speakers 

Bureau of an upcoming speech you 

are presenting. Please contact Sheila 

Johnson, Speakers Bureau manager 

at ext. 4-5054.
 Astrogram October 2006

The problems scientists must solve to enable robots to explore Mars 

and examine Earth’s oceans are very 

similar, according to NASA computer 

scientists. 

One major difficulty for large, collaborative groups of scientists scattered around the globe is for them to 

cooperatively and efficiently operate 

instruments and robots investigating 

distant planets and moons. To meet these challenges, NASA experts have developed computer 

‘tools’ to keep these scientists on the 

‘same page’ using the power of electronic ‘whiteboards,’ computers and 

the Internet’s linking ability to connect 

people, machines and spacecraft. 

Two NASA systems that increase 

speed and efficiency for scientists 

are XBoard and ScienceOrganizer. To 

demonstrate how useful they could 

be, NASA Ames provided them to 

scientists during a major experiment 

in the Pacific Ocean off the central 

coast of California - the largest oceanographic field study ever conducted in 

the United States. 

From July through mid September 2006, oceanographic researchers from 

more than a dozen institutions car- ried out four major experiments in a 

mammoth, multi-pronged effort in 

Monterey Bay, home of a deep under- water canyon. The overall experiment, 

called Monterey Bay 2006, or ‘MB 06,’ 

included 13 vessels, fixed and drifting 

instruments and several dozen robotic 

vehicles.

“It’s a demonstration project,” said Kanna Rajan, principal researcher for 

autonomy at the Monterey Bay Aquar- ium Research Institute (MBARI), Moss 

Landing, Calif. MBARI is the institution that organized the MB 06 effort. 

“MBARI is a key player because all the 

data come through the MBARI data 

portal. It (gathers) in data from under- water assets, ships and underwater 

robots - everything,” Rajan explained. “This particular engagement 

with MBARI has to do with enabling 

scientists to track their reasoning 

processes as they conduct their field 

experiments,” said Richard Keller, 

a computer scientist in charge of 

ScienceOrganizer software development at NASA Ames. 

“In terms of using ScienceOrganizer to track the scientific reasoning and planning processes, this is a 

new way of using our tool,” Keller 

observed. “We haven’t had anybody 

use the system for this purpose during 

an actual scientific mission, but we 

did develop a prototype for the Mars 

Exploration Rovers mission. This (the 

group of Monterey Bay experiments) 

is an opportunity for us to test some 

of these ideas in the field in practice,” 

Keller said.

The two computer systems demonstrated during MB 06 -- XBoard and 

ScienceOrganizer -- are in the forefront 

of NASA’s efforts to proficiently plan 

and conduct science. They and prede- cessor NASA systems are intended to 

help scientists avoid excessive paper 

handling, to improve organization, to 

increase speed and to help simplify 

their jobs. 

For MB 06, ScienceOrganizer stores scientific proposals, short text sum- maries, data, plots, graphs and written 

analyses. All these are interlinked in 

multiple ways to make it easier for sci- entists to find and access information 

they want. In 2003 and 2004, NASA 

used ScienceOrganizer to help during 

the investigation of the space shuttle 

Columbia accident. 

The second system, XBoard, includes a central server computer 

to store hand-written ideas, pictures, 

diagrams and data. Electronic ‘white- boards’ -- about the size of small 

chalkboards -- can display these items 

simultaneously at various sites across 

the world where teams of scientists 

work.

Scientists at each location can 

brainstorm, print lists of ideas and 

sketch on the whiteboards, which are 

large enough for each group of scien- tists to study without squinting. These 

electronic whiteboards - XBoards -- are 

also touch screens that scientists can 

touch with their fingers to control each 

whiteboard’s computer programs, just 

as scientists could control them with 

computer mice. “In the XBoard, one of my students has built what’s called a situational 

awareness tool,” Rajan noted. “That 

tells you where each asset is located in 

the ocean based on a global positioning system (GPS) location, and it (the 

awareness tool) also connects each of 

the assets to the data stream so you 

can look at the data and assess what 

the ship or the robot is doing,” Rajan 

said.

According to Rajan, using XBoard, 

the MB 06 scientists were able to get 

together every other day. 

For more information about the 

MBARI undersea experiments, please 

visit: http://www.mbari.org/

mb2006/default.htm

For more information about 

ScienceOrganizer, please visit: http://

sciencedesk.arc.nasa.gov 

NASA computer systems help explore ocean depths and beyond

by John Bluck

Photo courtesy of David Fierstein (c) 2003 MBARI

The Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network (AOSN) Monterey 2003 Field Experiment involved several ships and dozens of floating, diving and flying oceanographic instruments operating simultaneously. The goal was to observe and model water movement, temperature and other upwelling-related 

processes in Monterey Bay over a 4-week period during August 2003. This is a computer-generated 

image of the Monterey Bay study area.
 Astrogram October 2006

Ames and M2Mi Corp. to develop 

‘Automated M2M Intelligence’

Johnson Space Center’s Robonaut (foreground) performing a mock weld 

while Ames Research Center’s K10 robot (center) assists two EVA crew 

inspecting a previously welded seam.

continued on page 8

To help enable machines to make 

choices and efficient- ly communicate with 

one another without 

human intervention, NASA Ames 

and M2Mi Corp. 

have agreed to work 

together to develop 

automated ‘machineto-machine (M2M) 

intelligence.’

An agreement 

between the center 

and M2Mi Corp. 

calls for the two 

organizations to 

cooperate to evolve 

‘automated M2M intelligence’ for space 

missions. A satellite 

that would repair itself in low orbit is 

an example of how the new, automated M2M intelligence could be used in 

the very near future. M2Mi is located 

in NASA Research Park, a dynamic 

research and education community 

adjacent to NASA Ames that cultivates collaborative partnerships with 

academia, industry and non-profits 

to stimulate innovation and education in science and research disciplines 

critical to space exploration. “We are delighted to cooperate with the M2Mi Corp. to develop 

automated intelligence for computers, spacecraft and robots so they can 

‘mind-meld,’ enabling them to make 

their own decisions,” said S. Pete 

Worden, director of NASA Ames, who 

NASA is saving jet fuel by helping aircraft achieve the ideal glide path as 

they approach a crowded airport for 

landing. NASA Ames and The Boeing Com- pany, Chicago, Ill., in partnership with 

the Federal Aviation Administration 

(FAA), Washington; United Airlines, 

Chicago; and the San Francisco International Airport (SFO), have completed trials to study the effectiveness 

of the Oceanic Tailored Arrivals (OTA) 

concept for aircraft landing at SFO.

Currently, the ideal landing approach, an even continuous descent, 

often is interrupted with course 

changes and altitude level-offs. These 

deviations can result in increased 

fuel use, noise and environmental 

emissions. The study is investigating 

the customization of aircraft descent 

procedures using the latest in communications and aircraft navigation 

technology and NASA air traffic management algorithms to maintain the 

ideal approach.

“The goal of the Oceanic Tailored 

Arrivals initiative is to allow aircraft to 

descend in a manner that is both fuel 

efficient and environmentally friendly,” said Rich Coppenbarger, lead 

investigator for the Oceanic Tailored 

Arrivals Initiative at NASA Ames. 

“We are prototyping automation tools 

and procedures to help controllers 

strategically anticipate and solve arrival problems well in advance, allowing for more ideal descent operations, 

especially during busy traffic periods 

where potential benefits are greatest.” During the initial portion of the trials, researchers are working with 

controllers at the FAA’s Oakland AirRoute Traffic Control Center and the 

Northern California Terminal Radar 

Approach Control to tailor the approach of a United Airlines Boeing 777 

equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, approaching SFO en route from 

Hawaii.

At approximately 300 miles from 

the destination airport, a four-dimensional descent profile, customized 

for each aircraft and airspace conditions, is generated with help from the 

NASA Ames-developed En Route 

Descent Advisor (EDA). The ideal 

descent profile is then transmitted via 

high-speed data link to the aircraft. 

Once reviewed by the flight crew, the 

profile is loaded automatically into the 

aircraft’s flight management system 

(FMS) where it is used to compute a 

complete trajectory prediction to the 

runway. The FMS uses this prediction 

to accurately guide and control the air- craft to landing with very few manual 

inputs required by the flight crew. Along with fuel savings, OTA ap- proaches have the potential to signifi- cantly reduce noise and environmental 

impact at surrounding airports. Tai- lored arrivals also may reduce work- load by providing pilots and control- lers with a common understanding of 

the intended arrival path and reducing 

the need for voice communications. 

Tailored arrivals enable pilots to fly 

airplanes as they were designed to 

be flown, which helps reduce crew 

workload and errors, according to Rob 

Mead, Boeing Phantom Works lead 

engineer for advanced air traffic management air/ground communications.

In addition to the SFO trials, Boeing has spearheaded trials in Australia 

and the Netherlands.

“Early reaction from pilots and 

controllers to the OTA concept has 

been very encouraging,” said Coppenbarger. “Initial fuel savings for a Boe- by Jonas Dino

and Daryl Stephenson

NASA helps aircraft glide into a more efficient landing

ing 777 have been estimated at 200 to 

800 pounds per flight, in comparison 

with simulated operations represent- ing congested traffic periods where 

continuous descent approaches are 

impeded,” he added. Trials are expected to continue later this year after the initial data are 

compiled and analyzed. The Oceanic Tailored Arrivals 

Initiative is funded through the NASA 

Airspace Systems Program at NASA 

Headquarters, Washington. The En 

Route Descent Advisor is a build- ing block of the next-generation air 

transportation system that scientists at 

NASA Ames are helping define. For more information about the 

NASA/Boeing Oceanic Tailored Arrivals Initiative, visit: http://www.nasa.

gov/centers/ames/research/2006/

conops_ota.html

For more information about 

NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission 

Directorate, visit: http://aeronautics.

nasa.gov
 Astrogram October 2006

continued from page 7

by John Bluck

recently signed the agreement. “In 

turn, M2Mi intends to spin off automated intelligent software to industry 

to help make business and factories 

more efficient,” Worden said.

Automated M2M intelligence will work with a wide variety of mecha- nisms including wired or wireless 

tools, sensors, devices, server com- puters, robots, spacecraft and grid 

systems. A grid system is a network 

of many computers that can work 

together to complete tasks. “Our technology interconnects all machines and provides an intelligent 

way for them to communicate and 

exchange information much more effi- ciently than before,” said Geoff Brown, 

CEO and M2Mi Corp. founder. “It provides a basis for true ma- chine self-dependency. We are hon- ored to partner with NASA to further 

develop this technology in demanding 

and unique environments,” Brown 

explained. “The vast cost of machine manage- ment is actually in the machines and 

complexity of the machines. Devices 

currently communicate in a very ex- pensive way. For example, if you look 

at the space shuttle, the cost of hav- ing computers communicate is very 

expensive,” Brown noted.

According to computer scientists, automated M2M intelligence uses a 

recognized standard ‘semantic web’ 

communication format so all machines 

can converse easily. Automated M2M 

intelligence encodes the information 

that computers and machines need to 

exchange into a universal language 

- the semantic web. Similarly, human 

beings speak hundreds of languages 

worldwide, and these people sometimes use a universal language -- such 

as French or English - to ease communications.

“This removes a lot of cost and 

complexity (when computers and 

other machines are) talking to one 

another,” Brown said. “We focus on 

making it easier for software to communicate with the actual machines. 

It is similar to making a human brain 

communicate more easily with the 

body’s muscles,” Brown clarified.

“The problem is, if you have a 

hundred machines, and you roll out 

new software without automated 

M2M intelligence, you can’t change 

your components in real time,” Brown 

said, explaining some of today’s 

problems. “It’s not flexible enough to 

facilitate change,” he said. Automated M2M intelligence will enable machines to be aware of what 

is going on around them, foresee 

events and be able to make plans and 

decisions without human intervention, 

according to computer scientists.

“The prime market [for intelligent 

Ames and M2Mi Corp. to develop M2M intelligence

automation] is commercial enterprise software that will optimize how 

machines work. For example, this 

automated M2M intelligence would 

permit an automated factory to adjust 

its system to be more efficient,” Brown 

said. 

For the first time, NASA scientists 

invited journalists to a prestigious 

workshop in Chicago to discuss the 

challenges of communicating science 

to the public. The third Pale Blue 

Dot workshop was held at the Adler 

Planetarium and Astronomy Museum 

in September. The ‘pale blue dot’ 

refers to Carl Sagan’s description of 

Earth’s appearance from space, and is 

the name of the series of workshops 

co-convened by Adler and the NASA 

Astrobiology Institute.

“Our sphere of knowledge is much 

greater now, and because of this, 

substantial involvement by the media 

has become increasingly important,” 

said Dr. David Des Marais, a principal 

investigator at the NASA Astrobiology 

Institute at NASA Ames.

Casual table talk between the me- dia and scientists included the public’s 

reaction to Pluto’s re-classification to 

a dwarf planet. “I don’t think Pluto 

cares what we call it,” said Dr. Alan 

Grinspoon, an internationally known 

planetary scientist and recipient of 

the American Astronomical Society’s 

2006 Carl Sagan Award. “There really 

is great science being done; it’s more 

than just nomenclature.”

While some discussed the public’s 

passion over Pluto’s demoted status, 

others were similarly interested in the 

public’s demand to remove ‘evolution’ 

from public school textbooks. 

“I write for people who have an interest in science,” said David Perlman, 

science 

editor for 

the San 

Francisco 

Chronicle, 

when 

asked who 

he writes 

for. ”It isn’t 

my job to 

pick up 

the role of 

a failed education system. The biggest 

obstacle in my job is the competition 

for space with other reporters. I’m 

constantly fighting for space to tell a 

story,” Perlman lamented. 

“As a science reporter, my biggest 

problem is being inundated with information. I receive over 200 e-mails a 

day requesting that I write someone’s 

story,” said Leonard David, a science 

journalist for Space.com. Some felt that the public’s indifference to science has had an effect on 

some projects in the past. One example 

was the shutdown of the Superconducting Super Collider project in 1993 

by the U.S. Congress. A discussion of the social benefits 

of keeping the public informed of sci- entific developments raised the issues 

of helping people make sense of their 

lives and directing their attention to 

the needs of future job markets. The NASA Astrobiology Institute 

currently represents more than 700 

investigators across the United States. 

It also has partnerships with astrobiology research organizations around the 

world.

by Ruth Marlaire

NASA scientists invite news media to 

workshop about the search for alien life
 Astrogram October 2006

New NRP partner Advanced Wireless Communications (AWC) Inc. 

designs and maintains metro-scale 

(citi-wide) wireless networks, and at- tempts to do what most people see as 

impossible. AWC has been awarded jobs throughout the United States and has 

worked with many 

California public 

safety agencies. 

“We specialize in 

surveillance sys- tems coupled with 

wireless technology 

transport. We want 

to apply technology in ways never 

before seen,” said 

AWC Chief Technology Officer Zachary 

Pereyo.

“Most of our 

work is now terrestrial based and often 

focused on emergency communications,” said AWC 

Director of Operations Brian Trumbull. 

“Wireless communication systems 

are extremely effective in overcoming 

catastrophic events. We can provide 

an immediate response and deploy 

communication systems rapidly to 

prevent communication breakdowns 

like those that occurred during Hur- ricane Katrina,” he added.

“We are growing astronomi- cally,” said Trumbull. “We had three 

NRP welcomes Advanced Wireless Communications

people in early 2005 and immediately 

doubled to six in our original 2500 sq. 

ft. Pacific Grove headquarters. Since 

arriving at the NASA Research Park 

this September we have again doubled 

to 12. We have decided to make NRP 

our headquarters and are now open- ing offices in the midwest and on the 

East Coast.”

“We are very interested in lunar and interplanetary communications, 

including all forms of satellite com- munication,” said AWC chairman 

Andrew Gold. “We formed an R&D 

department, and our engineers have 

significant satellite experience. We 

would like to be able to provide 

increased data flow capacity between 

here and the moon, in support of the 

government and the emerging commercial space industry.”

“Advanced Wireless has been well 

received by NRP. We find it appealing 

to be surrounded by brilliant companies and brilliant people in Silicon Valley’s technology sector. Surrounding 

ourselves by the technology industry 

allows us to give our best”, Gold said.

“We are very interested in working with NASA not only to deploy, 

but to develop wireless 

technology to support 

FEMA and Homeland 

Security. We are in 

discussion with NASA 

Ames to participate in 

emergency communica- tion testing. We would 

like to provide equipment and test protocols 

to support all such 

organizations.”

“We forecast continued growth, expecting to have more than 

25 engineers and IT 

skilled employees by 

the beginning of 2007. We are looking 

for the best and the brightest. We are 

in search of installers with exceptional 

mechanical experience, and engineers 

with wireless and emergency technical 

skills”, Gold said.

AWC Inc. was founded in 2005 in 

Monterey, Calif., as a spin-off from 

another high technology networking 

company. 

by Diane Farrar

photo by Diane Farrar

The latest partner to join the NASA Research Park (NRP) is Advanced Wireless 

Communication (AWC) Inc. AWC team 

members are, left to right, Jeff Ottinger, 

Zachary Pereyo, Brian Trumbull, Tor 

Amundson, Andrew Gold and Dusty 

Rhoades. The AWC team designs and 

maintains metro scale (citi-wide) wireless 

networks.

Dozens of university students 

are helping NASA to prepare, monitor and analyze the science from a 

‘nano’ satellite scheduled to launch in 

December.

NASA’s GeneSat-1 satellite is 

scheduled to ride aboard an Air Force 

rocket being launched into Earth orbit 

on Dec. 11, 2006. The small satellite 

will carry bacteria that researchers 

will analyze to determine the effects 

of space flight on microscopic living 

things.

Ames provided a media opportu- nity Oct. 26 for reporters to interview 

students from Santa Clara University, 

Santa Clara, who are helping NASA 

with the GeneSat-1 mission. In addi- tion, Ames’ John Hines GeneSat proj- ect manager, and Bruce Yost, GeneSat 

mission manager, were also on hand 

for interviews with the media.

The 10-pound (4.5-kilogram) satellite will be a ‘secondary payload’ on 

an Air Force Minotaur rocket, derived 

from a Minuteman missile and modified to launch payloads into orbit. 

The main purpose of the launch from 

the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in 

Virginia is to loft an Air Force TacSat 

2 satellite into orbit. NASA’s separate 

GeneSat-1 will carry bacteria inside a 

miniature laboratory to study how the 

microbes may change genetically during spaceflight.

The micro-laboratory includes 

sensors and optical systems that can 

detect proteins and specific genetic 

activity. The student-operated GeneSat 

communications system, located in the 

Stanford foothills, will receive data via 

radio from the satellite’s onboard micro-laboratory after it has completed 

its observations and tests of the bacteria carried on the spacecraft. This data 

will be relayed through the Internet to 

the GeneSat mission operations center 

at NASA Ames.

Santa Clara University students 

will control the spacecraft from the 

mission operations center at NASA 

Ames. The students developed software that will send commands to the 

satellite, analyze spacecraft health and 

calibrate biological data.

With this program, NASA continues the agency’s tradition of investing 

in the nation’s education programs. 

The program directly ties into the 

agency’s major education goal of 

strengthening NASA and the nation’s 

future workforce. Through this and 

the agency’s other college and university programs, NASA will identify and 

develop the critical skills and capabilities needed to achieve the Vision for 

Space Exploration.

University students help NASA with GeneSat mission

by John Bluck
10 Astrogram October 2006

The Hispanic Advisory Committee for Employees (HACE) celebrated Hispanic Heritage 

Month (Sept.15 - Oct. 15) by hosting the 4th 

Annual Hispanic Heritage Golf Tournament at 

the Moffett Golf Course. Many golf enthusiasts 

participated and many non-golfing enthusiasts 

came out to enjoy the Mariachi group that 

performed after the golf tournament. The entire 

HACE team would like to thank everyone who 

participated and supported this event. The golf 

tournament was a great success and we hope to 

see more familiar faces on the green next time.

Photos by Vivian Torres

Fourth annual Hispanic Heritage Golf Tournament held

NASA Ames staffed a tent exhibit at the 2006 

Salinas California International Air Show recently. 

The NASA exhibit was a collaboration with the 

Salinas Valley Memorial Heathcare System and featured astronaut Steve Robinson signing autographs. 

The tent contained almost 1,000 square -feet of 

exhibits, demonstrations and information about 

research and programs at Ames. An estimated 

3,000 visitors came through the exhibit. Highlights 

of the exhibit included scale models of the Pioneer 

spacecraft operated by Ames and an interactive display of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared 

Astronomy (SOFIA), an airborne observatory that 

will study the universe in the infrared spectrum in 

our galaxy. Also featured in the tent was a spaceshuttle heat-shield tile demonstration. 

In and around Ames . . .

Ames’ Salinas Air Show exhibit attracts huge crowds

Photos by Astrid Olson
11 Astrogram October 2006

On Oct. 1, 1958, the National Advisory Committee 

for Aeronautics (NACA) passed into history at the 

relatively young age of 43, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was born. The 

new agency boasted three laboratories (now research 

centers) and a workforce of 8,000 people. Its annual 

budget was $100 million. This year, NASA celebrates its 48th birthday. Its civil service workforce 

has more than doubled and the number of centers 

has tripled. The budget has grown a bit as well. The 

Ames Exchange helped celebrate the birthday by 

inviting Ames employees to enjoy an ‘anniversary 

cake’ in celebration of NASA’s 48th year during the 

lunch hour at the Ames Cafeteria on Oct. 2.

Ames celebrates NASA’s birthday

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

On Oct. 4, NASA Ames held a fun 

run (top left photo) and on Oct. 5, the 

annual safety fair (lower right photo) 

and chili cook off (remaining photos). 

Awards for the cook off were as follows: Judges’ Choice: #18 Hog Wild; 

Five Alarm: #3 Southern Death Cult 

Renaissance; Best Presentation: #13 

Merlin’s Magic; People’s Choice: 1st 

Place, #7 NFAC is Back and 2nd Place, 

#15 Wizards of Chili

Ames holds safety fair, chili cook off and fun run NASA photo by Dominic Hart

NASA photos (chili, safety) by Tom Trower
12 Astrogram October 2006

David Engelbert passed away on 

Sept. 22 following a lengthy battle 

with cancer. Engelbert joined Ames 

in 1963 with an engineering degree 

from Colorado State University and 

retired from Ames in 1996, during which time he made significant 

contributions as a project manager, 

engineering branch chief, Engineering and Facilities Division chief and 

as deputy director for facilities and 

operations. 

During his tenure at Ames, he 

was recognized as an outstanding 

manager who had oversight of engineering design of major space projects and the design and construction 

of a wide range of facilities projects. 

Working with principal investigator Palmer Dyal, he created the first 

lunar surface magnetometer, which 

flew with the Apollo astronauts to 

the moon. He permanently changed 

the skyline of Ames by directing the 

construction of the 80-foot-by-120-

foot addition to the 40-foot-by-80-foot 

wind tunnel subsequently named 

the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics 

Complex. 

Engelbert also was project manager for the unique Vertical Motion 

Simulator, which is used to prepare 

space shuttle commanders and pilots 

for their final approach and landing 

flight maneuvers on return from orbit. 

In his ‘retirement,’ Engelbert held 

management positions in the private sector, served as San Jose State 

University’s principal investigator for 

the creation of the Space Technology 

Center for small spacecraft development, while finding time to travel extensively and enjoy his grandchildren 

Allie and Nick Chew. 

On Sept. 28, 120 of Engelbert’s 

family and friends held a ‘celebration 

of life’ service for Engelbert at the 

Hakone Gardens in Saratoga. Engelbert is survived by his wife Lynne 

and their four children: Lisa Engelbert, 

Jennifer (Engelbert) Chew, Shanti Sethi 

and Sam Kalitta.

Ames engineer David Engelbert

In memory of . . .

Nolie Johnson passed away 

on Sept. 13 at Stanford University Medical Center, after years of 

struggling with a rare lung disease. 

Johnson worked for many years at 

NASA Ames until his health forced 

him to stop working. He was a 

member of the African-American 

Advisory Group (AAAG) at Ames, 

a contributor to the Astrogram and 

an avid horseman. His children 

and horses were his first love.

 He leaves behind his wife, 

Lynn Johnson; two sons, Joshua 

and Caleb, of Texas; his mother, 

Sallie Johnson of 

Dillon, South Carolina, as well as a host 

of family members 

and friends in South 

Carolina, Texas and 

California. Services 

were held in Dillon, 

South Carolina on 

Sept. 23 and at his 

home in Merced, 

Calif., on Oct. 8.

Nolie Johnson (right) worked in Code JIT at NASA Ames.

David Engelbert

Ames employee Nolie Johnson
13 Astrogram October 2006

Alfred J. Eggers Jr., a NASA Ames 

scientist, was famous for his pioneering work on atmospheric re-entry. 

Eggers was born June 24, 1922, in 

Omaha, Neb. As a child, he favored 

math and was fascinated with air- planes. He did his undergraduate 

work at University of Omaha, then 

continued his studies at Stanford 

University, where he earned a master’s 

degree in science and, in 1956, a doc- torate in engineering mechanics. Eggers was named one of the ``Ten Outstanding Young Men of 

1957.’’ He was affiliated with a num- ber of prestigious science and aero- nautical associations, was a Jerome 

Hunsaker professor at the Massachu- setts Institute of Technology for sev- eral years and, when home, enjoyed a 

round of golf with the Stanford Golf 

Club.

Eggers’ greatest achievement while employed at NASA, was his work 

on supersonic interference lift, which 

led to the XB-70 Valkyrie supersonic 

bomber.

Eggers lived for his work, said his elder son, Alfred “Jock’’ Eggers. His 

father joined the National Advisory 

Committee for Aeronautics, the pre- cursor to NASA, in 1944. He was assistant administrator for policy when 

he left in 1971 to become the National 

Space Foundation’s first director. 

After the six-year stint in Washing- ton, D.C., Eggers returned to the Bay 

Area and started his own company, 

Research Applied to National Needs, 

in Palo Alto. He refused to retire until 

six months ago, when he learned he 

had lung cancer.

Eggers died Sept. 22 at his home 

in Atherton. ``Several weeks earlier, 

I asked him what he was thinking about,’’ Jock Eggers said. The 

84-year-old’s answer was ``thermal 

dynamics.’’

It was the ``perfect storm’’ when 

Eggers was pulled out of the Navy’s 

officer training school to join NACA. 

There was money after World War II, 

his son said, and also ``a clear and 

present danger,’’ when the Soviet 

Union launched Sputnik in 1958. 

Eggers was put in charge of NASA’s 

manned satellite team the same year.

He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Anne Eggers; sons Alfred J. Eggers III of Vallejo and Philip Eggers of 

Salt Lake City; a brother, Robert Eggers of Kennewick, Wash.; and three 

grandchildren. Services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Nov. 9 at Stanford 

Alfred J. Eggers Jr., manned space flight pioneer 

Memorial Church. Contributions in 

Alfred J. Eggers Jr.’s name can be sent 

to Pathways Hospice, 585 N. Mary 

Ave., Sunnyvale, Calif., 94085.

NASA photo by Cesar Acosta 

Alfred J. Eggers Jr.

On Oct. 2, 2006, the NASA Shared 

Services Center (NSSC) began facilitating and supporting the administrative 

processes for permanent change of 

station (PCS) and temporary change 

of station (TCS) travel for all 

NASA centers. 

By visiting the NSSC 

customer service Web site (see 

URL below), employees and 

centers can access up-to-date 

information and quick reference guides that explain the 

services that will be provided 

by the NSSC. Questions or 

concerns pertaining to relocation may 

also be directed to the NSSC customer 

contact center between 7 a.m. and 7 

p.m., CST.

The NSSC contact center Web site 

address is www.nssc.nasa.gov/cus- tomerservice The telephone number 

is (877) NSSC-123. The e-mail address 

is nssc-contactcenter@nasa.gov

The NSSC is coordinating efforts 

to make the transition seamless for 

NASA and its employees. This transition will have no affect on employees 

authorized relocation or travel prior 

to Oct. 2, 2006. Therefore, any employee currently on travel, or who is 

authorized to travel, will continue to 

coordinate through the current point 

of contact. After Oct. 2, 2006, em- ployees should have seen a minimal 

change and only then to their point of 

contact. No alterations will occur to 

employees’ current entitlements. Additionally, the NASA Human Resource 

(HR) Office also experienced minimal 

change. 

All relocation authorizations made on or after Oct. 

2 were approved by the 

NASA center, but coordinated through the NSSC. Each 

centers’ HR office will complete, approve and forward a 

relocation authorization form 

to the NSSC for the employee’s authorized relocation. Once the 

relocation form has been received by 

the NSSC, the relocation process will 

begin.

More information about the process may be found by accessing the 

following Web site at http://www.

nssc.nasa.gov/customerservice/fm/

cto/changeOfStation/index.htm

NASA Shared Services Center update PCS / TCS relocation
14 Astrogram October 2006

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 July 2006 is shown 

below.

Protective Services 

monthly activity

Ames Ongoing Monthly Events Calendar

 Safety Data 

 NASA-Ames Occupational

 Illness-Injury Data for 

 Calendar Year-to-Date 2006

 Jan. 1, 2006 – Sept. 30, 2006

 Civil Contractors

 Servants

 

 First aid cases 11 17

 Lost Workday cases 0 3

 Recordable cases 3 7

 Restricted duty days 0 0

 Above data are as of 09/30/06. May 

 be subject to slight adjustment in the 

 event of a new case or new inform-

 ation regarding an existing case. 

Ames Amateur Radio Club, third Thursday 

of each 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 3rd Wednesday of the month. The meeting location is 

Building 19, Conference Room 1083 and the 

meeting time is 12 noon - 1 p.m. Contact 

Julie Nottage at jnottage@mail.arc.nasa.gov, 

ext. 4-3711. By-laws of Ames Bicycling Club 

can be found at http://zen.arc.nasa.gov; the 

link is right under the picture.

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 Tuesday in N229/Rm 117 from 12 - 1:30 p.m. POC: Julie 

Schonfeld, ext. 4-6504.

Ames Contractor Council Mtg, first Wednesday each month, 11 a.m., N-200, Comm. Rm. 

POC: Doreen Cohen, ext. 4-5203.

Ames Diabetics (AAD), 1st & 3rd Weds, 12 

noon to 1 p.m., at Ames Mega Bites, Sun room. 

Support group discusses news affecting diabetics. POC: Bob Mohlenhoff, ext. 4-2523/email at: bmohlenhoff@mail.arc.nasa.gov.

Ames Federal Employees Union (AFEU) Mtg, 

third Wednesday of ea. month, 12 p.m. to 1 

p.m., Bldg. 221, Rm 104. Guests welcome. 

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

Mosher, ext. 4-4055.

Ames Mac Support Group Mtg, third Tuesday 

of ea. month, 11:30 a.m.to 1 p.m., Bldg. N262, 

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.

Ames Sailing Club Mtg, second Thursday 

of ea. month (Feb through Nov), from 12:00 

p.m. -1:00 p.m. in Bldg. N-262, Rm 100. URL: 

http://sail.arc.nasa.gov/. POC: Becky Hooey, 

ext. 4-2399.

Environmental Forum, first Thursday every 

other month, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Bldg. 

218/2nd floor training room. URL: http://

q/qe/events/EHSseries/ POC: Stacy St. 

Louis at ext. 4-6810.

The Hispanic Advisory Committee for Excellence (HACE) Mtg, first Thurs of month 

in N255 room 101C from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 

p.m. POC: Eric Kristich at ext. 4-5137 and 

Mark Leon at ext. 4-6498.

Jetstream Toastmasters, Mondays, 12 p.m. to 

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

at ext. 4-1397, mhayashi@mail.arc.nasa.gov, 

Web: http://jetstream.freetoasthost.com

Native American Advisory Committee Mtg, 

fourth Tues each month, 12 noon to 1 p.m., 

Bldg. 19, Rm 1096. POC: Mike Liu at ext. 

4-1132.
15 Astrogram October 2006

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 4:00 p.m. and Sat 12 p.m. to 4 

p.m.) ext. 4-5412

NASA logo merchandise, souvenirs, toys, gifts and 

educational items. 

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, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.) ext. 4-5412 and Beyond 

Galileo (4-6873)

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

Housing

Miscellaneous

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.

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

Astrogram deadlines

Please submit articles, calendar and 

classified advertisements to astro- gram@mail.arc.nasa.gov no later than 

the 10th of each month. If this falls 

on the weekend or holiday, then the 

following business day becomes the 

deadline. For Astrogram questions, 

contact Astrid Olson at the aforemen- tioned e-mail address or ext. 4-3347. 

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! 

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.

Skylane C182A, $41,500. New paint and recent 

annual. New fuel bladders. Iridium spark 

plugs. Good condition. Basic IFR panel. Will 

also consider 1/2 share partnership to base at 

LVK, 4Q5, or TCY. Key Dismukes. Call (408) 

938-0455.

Ames retiree estate items. Master bedroom

furniture, queen size Sera Perfect Sleeper mattress and box springs, tall chest of drawers, full 

size dresser, exc. condition. All $500

Call (408) 252-0386 or e-mail billduke777@

yahoo.com

New Thermidor six burner, 36”, gas cook top 

and new Dacor 24” Electric Food Warmer - both 

unused. Original costs $1729 and $634 respectively. Asking $900 and $350. Call (925) 933-8706.

Lake Tahoe Squaw Valley townhouse, 3bd/2baequipped, balcony view, horseback riding, hiking, 

biking, golf, river rafting, tennis, ice skating and 

more. Summer rates $100 per night, 2 night minimum. Call (650) 968-4155, e-mail DBMcKellar@

aol.com

Vacation rental, Bass Lake, 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 

in 24 hour security bldg. overlooking Washington 

Square Park, $1,000/wk or $3,000/mo. negotiable. 

Call (650) 349-0238.

Paris/France: Fully furnished studio, 5th Arr, Latin 

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

negotiable. Call (650) 349-0238.

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

Maui luxury oceanfront resort one-bedroom condo 

available one week. Rents for $345/night now, 

$495/night in the summer. We will rent to an Ames 

family for $1,750 for the week. See the condo at 

http://www.starwoodvo.com/resorts/villafeatures.

jsp?resortID=12 Call (650) 572-8877 for availabilty 

and questions.

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.

House to share for 2 people - 4 bd/2.5 ba, close 

to Highway 85 - direct route to Ames - in Los 

Gatos. Large pleasant yard, living room, family 

room, quiet family neighborhood. $750 per 

month per person plus $250 dep. Contact owner 

at (559) 338-0066 for more information.

Unfurnished room in house in San Jose, close to 

light rail and Caltrain. $525 incl utils and WiFi. 

Available to quiet, mature, non-smoking female 

student or professional. Email: mbualat@stanfordalumni.org or call (408) 578-9580.

‘01 Kawasaki ZX11 Ninja motorcycle. Mint 

condition w/ 27K miles. Many extras, including after market exhaust (complete w/ 

re-jetting), Corbin seat, GenMar handle-bar 

risers, tank bag, tank bra, smoke wind screen 

and Scott steering damper! It is immaculate; 

has never been down and is magenta (a deep 

purple) in color. Asking $5,100 or B/O.

Kevin (408) 209-0768.

Automotive

RV Lots Available Call to reserve a 

space at (650) 603-7100/01.

 Civilian/Contrators, $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.

Ring at the tennis courts. Call Sophie at ext. 

4-2860

Found
16 Astrogram October 2006

National Aeronautics and Space 

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The Ames Astrogram is an official publication of 

Ames Research Center, National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration.

Editor-in-Chief................................. Laura Lewis

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

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/centers/ames/news/astrogram/2006/06astrograms.

html

Ames Research Center

Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000

David Morrison, senior scientist of the Astrobiology Institute at NASA 

Ames, joined U.S. Representative 

Mike Honda (CA-15) and former San 

Jose math teacher in applauding the 

achievements of six local mid- dle-school students and their 

teachers at a recent awards 

banquet at the Shoreline Golf 

Club in Mountain View. The 

essay contest and awards 

banquet are outreach efforts of 

the San Francisco Section of the 

American Institute of Aeronau- tics and Astronautics (AIAA). Three seventh graders and three eighth graders were 

selected from more than 300 

entrants across nine Bay Area 

counties responding to the 

question, “What steps would 

you take to protect the Earth 

from a major asteroid impact?” Morrison spoke to the 60 students, parents, teachers and 

AIAA members and guests, 

lauding the students for their research 

and creativity. He provided an infor- mative and entertaining history of 

government research on the subject 

of asteroid impact mitigation, and he 

pointed out the strengths and weak- nesses of the approaches suggested in 

the students’ essays. In his remarks, Honda extolled the virtues of math and science educa- tion and encouraged the students and 

teachers in the audience to continue 

their efforts. 

“The nation’s future is in your hands,” he said. Honda personally 

awarded a Congressional certificate of 

achievement to each winning student. Essays were judged based upon originality and realism of ideas, 

soundness of logic, quality of com- position and clarity of expression. 

Savings bonds in amounts ranging 

from $100 to $500 were awarded to the 

winning students; their teachers were 

awarded certificates of achievement.

Now in its 18th year, the essay contest has awarded thousands of 

dollars to young people with promis- ing futures in science and engineering. 

Established and wholly supported by 

the San Francisco Section of the AIAA 

and its volunteers and donors, the 

essay contest was renamed this year to 

the Juanita Ryan Awards for Scientific 

Composition to honor the founder 

and longtime director of pre-college 

outreach for the local AIAA section. 

Ryan is a teacher at San Jose’s Toyon 

Elementary School and a former chair- woman of the local AIAA section.

Any seventh- or eighth-grade student residing in one of 

the nine Bay Area counties 

is eligible to enter the essay 

contest each spring. The essay 

question changes each year 

to address a topical issue of 

the day. Entries are judged by 

a corps of local AIAA volun- teers and teachers. Said this 

year’s committee chair Pallavi 

Shah, “The kids are so bright 

and creative. Reading the es- says is a treat-it’s rewarding, 

sometimes educational, and 

always entertaining.” The scholarship program is funded and administered 

by the AIAA San Francisco 

Section, which welcomes vol- unteer support and financial 

donations. For more infor- mation, please refer to the AIAA San 

Francisco Section Web site at www.

aiaa-sf.org or contact Todd Farley at 

chair@aiaa-sf.org. At the conclusion of the awards 

ceremony, Honda was presented with 

a certificate naming him an AIAA 

“Honorary Rocket Scientist.” For 

Morrison, who already has an asteroid 

named in his honor (2410 Morrison), 

the AIAA renamed San Francisco 

councilmember (and NASA Ames 

researcher) Eric Mueller as “Eric 2410 

Morrison” in Morrison’s honor.

Morrison, Honda address AIAA essay contest winners

by Todd Farley

U.S. Representative Mike Honda (CA-15) (first from left) and Dr. David 

Morrison of Ames (rear, second from right) congratulate student and teacher 

winners of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) 

essay contest. The essay subject was “What steps would you take to protect 

the Earth from a major asteroid impact?”