National Aeronautics and Space Administration

A publication of NASA Research Park Summer 2010

NRP POST The

New construction at NRP is expected to 

total approximately $2.8 billion, generating an average of 1,700 construction jobs 

annually over the next 15 years in the 

Bay Area, 1,900 in California, and more 

than 2,800 nationally.

“With the unemployment rate in the 

Bay Area for construction workers at 30 

percent, the development of the NASA 

Research Park may create thousands of 

jobs that will help put people to work 

and stimulate the local economy. It is 

these types of projects that create a triple 

bottom line: higher education, economic 

development and good jobs,” said Neil 

Struthers, chief executive offi cer of the 

Santa Clara and San Benito Building and 

Construction Trades Council.

109+

NASA Ames Stimulates Economy

KleenSpeed Sets 

EV Lap Record

Singularity University

Addressing Humanity’s 

Greatest Challenges 

by Karen Hanner

NASA Ames Public Aff airs

NASA’s Ames Research Center generated 

5,300 jobs and $877 million in total annual economic activity in the nine-county 

San Francisco Bay Area in 2009, according 

to a new economic benefi ts study.

The study found that nationally, NASA 

Ames supports more than 8,400 jobs 

and generates $1.3 billion in annual 

economic activity. Coordinated by the 

NASA Research Park Offi ce and prepared 

by Emeryville-based Bay Area Economics 

(BAE) in association with Architecture, 

Engineering, Consulting, Operations and 

Management’s San Francisco offi ce, the 

study also reported that NASA Ames 

produced 5,900 jobs and contributed 

$932 million to California’s economy in 

2009. The study also forecast that NASA 

Ames’ total economic impacts will grow 

Claims First in All Classes for Second 

Consecutive Year

by Lita Vallis and Diane Farrar

The KleenSpeed WX10 set a new lap record for electric vehicles with a historic 2.238 mile, 11 turn race 

averaging 94 miles per hour at the Second Annual 

Sport Electric Time Trials on July 11, 2010. 

Economic Benefi ts Study Shows Jobs, Innovation

story on page 10

cont’d page 6

cont’d page 3

Race driver and KleenSpeed President Timothy Collins fl ies by the 

competition at Mazda Raceway. Not quite airborne, but...“We want 

Electric Aviation (EA) companies to know about our interest in EA, and 

our newly developed telemetry/intuitive Battery Management / Charge 

system,” said Collins, a former general aviation and aerobatic pilot.

signifi cantly as its NASA Research Park 

(NRP) is completed.

“As Ames explores space and our 

planet, it stimulates economic growth 

by employing scientists and engineering 

professionals, promoting technology 

innovation, and preparing the workforce 

of the future — all to enhance the health, 

growth, and long-term competitiveness 

of the Bay Area and the nation,” said 

Ames Director S. Pete Worden.

Currently host to more than 70 on-site industry, university and non-profi t partners, NRP 

will ultimately comprise 5.7 million square 

feet of new construction for research and 

development offi ces, university classrooms 

and laboratories, rental housing, museums, 

and a conference and education center.

Larry Page, co-founder 

of Google, spoke at the 

opening ceremony. “If I 

was a student today, this is 

where I would want to be.” 

photo courtesy of SU

photo courtesy of SU

photo courtesy of Kleenspeed

Top grad and postgrad students and 

entrepreneurial leaders worldwide 

engage in “groundbreaking disruptive thinking” aimed at solving some 

of our most pressing challenges.
NRP Post

2 www.nasa.gov

NRPWelcomes Contents

NASA Ames/

NASA Research Park 1, 5, 13

KleenSpeed 1, 6

Singularity University 1, 10

New Partners 2

UCSC Silicon Valley Initiatives: 

Gordon Ringold 3

Carnegie Mellon 

Silicon Valley 4

Kentucky Space/

Kentucky Science and 

Technology Corporation 8

United Negro College Fund 

Special Programs 9

Google: Tiff any Montague 9

RMV Technology Group 11

reQall 12

Airship Ventures 14

Five9 Network Systems

Bldg 566, Rooms 100-102, 107, 109, 109a

Commencement date: 7/1/10

Founded just two short years ago, Five9 

Network Systems’ mission is to design 

and manufacture computer systems with 

the latest industry standard technology 

for workstation, server, software, storage 

and networking products, optimized for 

the rigorous requirements of the world’s 

most demanding networks. Focused on 

providing systems to Original Equipment 

Manufacturers (OEMs), Five9NS’ off erings include specialty services to 

help customers design solutions ideally suited for their environments. For 

more information, please see our website at http://www.fi ve9network.com 

or come see us in 566!

LatIPnet, Inc.

Bldg 19, Room 1074

Commencement date: 7/1/10

LatIPnet’s focus is on entrepreneurial education, technology licensing and 

commercialization. The staff works with leading scientists, entrepreneurs, 

universities and corporations in Latin countries building collaborations, 

and catalyzing businesses with US partners.

California Institute NanoTechnology

Bldg 19, Room 1076

Commencement date: 8/1/10

CAInstNanoTech conducts research in emerging nanotechnology working with NASA researchers and Stanford University Research on advanced 

workforce training on thin fi lm nano-coating and photovoltaics.

Purdue Research Foundation

Bldg 19, Rooms 2021, 2023

Commencement date: 8/1/10

PRF is a nonprofi t corporation that manages and licenses Purdue’ University’s intellectual property, accepts gifts, administers trusts, acquires 

property, negotiates research contracts and performs other services 

helpful to Purdue. Numerous restricted and unrestricted contributions 

have enabled the foundation to provide the university with scholarship 

funding; to assist the university in its economic development initiatives; 

to provide technology transfer assistance; and to acquire real estate for 

the expansion of the university’s main campus in West Lafayette, Indiana 

as well as its regional campuses and agricultural centers.

L to R: Mark Warda, Norm Erwin, Deira Gerritsen, 

Nicola Sessions, Annie Lin-Johnson, Regina 

Saliba, Souheil Saliba, Aileen Casanave, Rabih 

Saliba. Staff not pictured: Cecilia Lancaster, Dan 

Baigent, Carl Meske and our summer intern- Haki 

Saliba

NRP outreach at the Sunnyvale Art & 

Wine Festival on June 5 and 6, 2010

photo courtesy of Five9

photo by Mejghan Haider
NRP Post

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 3

Upon full occupancy, NRP partners may 

further stimulate the local, state, and 

national economy with new jobs and 

economic activity. Bay Area Economics 

estimated that NRP would trigger $4 billion in new annual economic activity resulting in an additional 21,400 jobs in the 

Bay Area region. The study also predicted 

that nationally, NRP will contribute $5.8 

billion in new annual economic activity 

and 33,800 new permanent jobs.

The NRP was developed in partnership 

with the neighboring cities of Mountain 

View and Sunnyvale. “For many years 

the City of Mountain View and NASA 

Ames have enjoyed a close partnership. 

This Economic Benefi ts Study quantifi es 

Ames’, and particularly the Research Park’s, 

employment and economic output contribution to our region, and 

the city looks forward to 

continuing this partnership 

to enhance these benefi ts 

for our community,” said 

Mountain View City Manager Kevin C. Duggan.

The study concluded that 

NASA Ames also plays a 

critical role in supporting 

the nation’s drive to promoting future economic 

growth. NASA Ames has 

forged numerous partnerships with private industry, 

educational institutions, 

and nonprofi t organizations that have 

contributed to breakthroughs in climate 

change research, disaster response capacity, commercialization of space, robotics, 

supercomputing, nanotechnology, small 

satellites, and green/clean technology.

Economic Benefi ts Study cont’d from page 1

NRP IMPACTS LOCAL JOBS and REAL ESTATE

Tibion Corporation, co-founded by former Tibion CEO Kern Bhugra, began leasing 

at NASA Research Park in 2003 with a core team huddled in 200 square feet. Tibion 

occupied almost 6,000 sf in the spring of 2010 before moving to Sunnyvale to set up 

shop in an expansive manufacturing space. “NRP was very instrumental in Tibion’s build 

up -- the perfect place for product development ” said Charles Remsberg, Tibion’s new 

CEO hired to lead the marketing and scalability phases. 

Former NRP Partner Apprion grew from 700 sf to 10,000 sf occupancy in 2009 before 

leasing their own building in Mountain View to begin their manufacturing phase. 

NRP’s Bloom Energy, in addition to their NRP Test Facility, now count 500 people in a 

50,000 sf facility in Sunnyvale.

Additionally, Nanostellar Inc., originally based in NRP, moved to Redwood City in 2004, 

and Benetech Technology, formerly Arkenstone, grew at NRP and moved to Palo Alto in 

early 2000.

“NASA Ames fuels innovation through 

exploration that creates jobs and helps 

power the Silicon Valley economy,” said 

Silicon Valley Leadership Group Chief 

Executive Offi cer Carl Guardino. “This is 

yet one more stellar example of NASA 

Ames’ contributions to our region, state 

and nation.”

NASA is working to educate the next 

generation of scientists, engineers, and 

technical professionals, and operates a 

comprehensive set of educational programs that teach students and train teachers in science, technology, engineering 

and math. The NRP’s educational partners 

include the University of California Santa 

Cruz, Carnegie Mellon University, Santa 

Clara University, Foothill/ De Anza Community College, United Negro College 

Fund Special Programs 

Corporation, and Singularity University.

“In addition to the NRP 

research and development collaborations, 

we are developing 

more formal multi-party 

relationships, including 

science, technology, 

engineering and math 

education and regional 

disaster assistance, with 

the fundamental premise 

of leveraging all parties’ 

expertise, facilities and 

resources to accomplish more than we can 

as individual organizations,” said NRP Director Michael Marlaire. 

Alavita CEO Gordon Ringold to Head 

UCSC Silicon Valley initiatives

Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal

June 10, 2010

Alavita Pharmaceuticals Inc. CEO Gordon Ringold 

will take the reins of UC Santa Cruz’s growing 

initiatives in Silicon Valley.

UC Santa Cruz said it currently oversees $35 

million annually in Silicon Valley-related research, has about 600 employees here and is 

developing a 75-acre education and research 

community in partnership with NASA Ames.

Ringold, a UCSC alumnus, will step down 

from his post at Mountain View-based Alavita. He replaces Martin Chemers, professor of 

psychology, who retired in March.

“Gordon Ringold is uniquely qualifi ed to lead 

our Silicon Valley Initiatives. He is a successful 

entrepreneur with strong connections in the valley as well as academic and research experience,” 

said UCSC chancellor George Blumenthal.

Ringold co-founded several biotechnology 

companies including SurroMed Inc., Maxygen 

Inc., Alexza Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Alavita.

He was chairman and CEO of SurroMed from 

2000 to 2005, and he serves on the boards of 

Maxygen, Alexza, and 3V Pharmaceuticals.

UCSC’s Silicon Valley Initiatives focus on 

professional and executive education and 

research eff orts designed to fuel technological innovation. The campus has established 

a broad-based partnership with the NASA 

Ames Research Center in Mountain View that 

includes the University Affi liated Research 

Center and the Advanced Studies Laboratories. A range of academic programs are offered at the UCSC Silicon Valley Center in the 

NASA Research Park, as well as through UCSC 

Extension in Santa Clara.

“Part of the reason for UCSC to be in 

Silicon Valley is to connect with the incredible 

breadth and depth of the high-tech community, and I look forward to strengthening 

campus relationships there, not only to 

build our Silicon Valley programs, but to 

raise awareness on this side of the hill of the 

superb academics and research eff orts on the 

Santa Cruz campus,” said Ringold.

photo courtesy of CMU

photo courtesy of SJ Business Journal

3

Senseta Corporation’s Max 5R rover, 

Carnegie Mellon Innovation Lab, NASA 

Research Park
NRP Post

4 www.nasa.gov

Associate Dean Martin Griss to Chair MobiCASE 2010

by Sylvia Leong

Dr. Martin Griss, Director of Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley and Associate Dean of the 

College of Engineering, will be chairing the 2nd annual MobiCASE Conference, to be 

held October 25-28, in Santa Clara, CA. The Second International Conference on Mobile 

Computing, Application, and Services, continues to provide great opportunities to 

researchers and practitioners, from both academia and industry, to present and discuss 

their work on mobile applications and service provisioning.

Extensive research eff orts in mobile computing have led to increased results in the 

consumer space. The ultimate goal of mobile computing is to build useful applications 

and services that meet people’s needs. Based on this premise, the MobiCASE conference specifi cally focuses on application-layer research and development in mobile 

computing: applications, application management, and application services. The 

increasingly larger customer base that’s moving towards an almost all-mobile lifestyle 

is what compels the consumer space today: high-end mobile phones, high-bandwidth 

wireless networks, novel applications, and scalable software infrastructures. This focus 

diff erentiates MobiCASE from other conferences.

“I’m excited to be part of a conference that focuses so much on real solutions and 

tangible results,” said Griss. “The CyLab Mobility Research Center partners with industry 

collaborators for this very reason, to create solutions for real needs. Carnegie Mellon’s 

strong reputation in research and innovative technology helps us lead the way in defi ning the way research can be done in the mobile computing space. MobiCASE gives 

us an opportunity to work with some of the brightest leading researchers and industry 

leaders in this area. I look forward to the collaborations that will be formed as a result 

of this conference.”

MobiCASE currently has an open call for papers and an open call for demos and posters. MobiCASE organizers seek novel submissions in all areas in mobile applications, 

services, and systems research above the transport layer (i.e. above TCP/IP or equivalent), with an emphasis on complete end-to-end solutions and their 

components.

The satellite Workshop on Mobile Security has an open call for workshop papers, and the satellite Workshop on Mobile Software Engineering has an open call for position papers.

CalEMA Selects Carnegie 

Mellon as Site for Latest 

Emergency Unit

by Linda Kloth

The California Emergency Response 

Agency (CalEMA) has selected Carnegie 

Mellon Silicon Valley as the site for one of 

twelve OASIS “COM62” Emergency Units. 

Hosting the Emergency unit on campus 

is one way Carnegie Mellon supports the 

CalEMA mission.

“By locating this important emergency 

response resource at Carnegie Mellon 

Silicon Valley, CalEMA has provided the 

Disaster Management Initiative with a 

number of valuable opportunities for 

experimentation, training, and exercises,” 

said David Coggeshall, Adjunct Associate 

Professor at Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley and Program Director of the Golden 

Gate Safety Network.

The OASIS emergency unit sports a new/

recently-upgraded AVL Technologies/

Trackstar auto-deploying 11/14 GHz 

dish and RF system which automatically 

determines the trailer’s location and orientation then seeks the target satellite. 

The trailer system is complemented by 

redundant earth stations supporting 

connection to the state wide-area network for the 12 mobile units and over 

57 fi xed stations in each county plus 

Carnegie Mellon 

 Silicon Valley

photo courtesy of CMU

Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley Director Martin Griss with CalEMA offi cials
NRP Post

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 5

Carnegie Mellon’s Silicon Valley Campus Partners with Institut 

Telecom to Expand Research and Educational Opportunities

by Chriss Swaney

Carnegie Mellon University’s 

Silicon Valley campus is partnering 

with the prestigious Institut Telecom, a consortium of European 

higher education and research 

institutes involved in telecommunications and mobility research.

“We are extremely bullish about 

this new partnership as we continue to make our Silicon Valley 

campus more global and industryfriendly,” said Martin Griss, director 

of the Silicon Valley campus and 

co-director of the CyLab Mobility 

Research Center.

Institut Telecom inaugurated a new Institut Telecom Silicon Valley on May 11 with a 

three-continent video teleconference of a joint ribbon cutting at Carnegie Mellon 

Silicon Valley and the launch of a series of monthly Institut Telecom alumni meetings.

Griss said the joint Carnegie Mellon and Institut Telecom working groups have identifi ed several areas of potential research collaboration with American academic and 

industrial sectors, including biometric security technology, microchip cards, mobile 

applications and globalization. Both partners also will collaborate to host the international MobiCASE conference in Santa Clara in October.

Philippe Letellier, deputy research director at Institut Telecom, said they are excited to 

partner with Carnegie Mellon to push open innovation between California and Europe, 

initiating collaboration between large companies and small businesses from both 

Carnegie Mellon and Institut Telecom. They intend to support several small French 

innovative companies seeking to come to Mountain View, Calif., the hottest site of innovation in California. Letellier is responsible for international development, valuation, 

technology transfer and partnerships.

Because Carnegie Mellon’s Silicon Valley campus has a suite of research projects similar 

to those also under way at Institut Telecom, the match is a perfect mix of innovation 

and collaboration and a platform for future entrepreneurship, according to Griss, an 

associate dean of the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon.

“Mobile computing is dynamic and ubiquitous and we have to be prepared to understand, measure and innovate to enhance the experience and impact organizations are 

having with all these new mobile technologies,” Griss said. “The new business startup 

activity in this area of mobility has been exceptional and we are here to help industry 

leverage those technologies.”

Startups are also the lifeblood of Institut Telecom, which has 5,400 students and 650 

professors. It spins off 65 startups a year from its fi ve incubators.

In May, Carnegie Mellon researchers at Silicon Valley launched an initiative to address 

the need for industry-wide, globally accepted measures for calculating the benefi ts 

and risks of cloud-computing services, and a disaster management initiative to develop emergency service technologies in the public interest.

Institut Telecom Silicon Valley’s Director, Christian 

Martin, at ribbon cutting ceremony with Martin Griss, 

Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley Director

additional agency locations. Built as a 

military-transportable chassis, they are 

designed for transport by C-130 cargo 

planes and can be air-lifted and set down 

by helicopter.

“These recently upgraded OASIS trailers provide key linkage among State 

and local responders when traditional 

communications infrastructure may be 

compromised,” said Coggeshall. “The 

ability to relocate the unit to the scene of 

an incident, and quickly establish voice 

and data linkage among fi eld personnel and the State Operating Center, will 

greatly enhance our ability to mount an 

eff ective and coordinated response to a 

wide range of emergency situations.”

The wide-area network connection on 

OASIS provides state network access, 

primarily for the RIMS (Regional Information Management System) ICS (Incident 

Command System) and data collection 

databases, Internet access for other 

agencies’ web services, and customized 

access to the AT&T public phone system. 

The current bandwidth is roughly 1-1.5 

Mbps with higher bandwidth available 

later this year.

Recent deployments for this and similar 

units have been to the Southern California/Mexican-border earthquake area, 

the Cosco Buson oil spill command post, 

and the Indians Complex fi re command 

post at Fort Hunter-Liggett. They often 

support training and situation awareness 

video and data for large exercises such as 

Golden Guardian and Urban Shield.

The Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley 

campus is located at NASA Research Park 

on Moff ett Field, which is growing as a 

disaster response area due to its secure, 

central location and access to communications technology. Carnegie Mellon 

Silicon Valley has recently launched the 

Disaster Management Initiative, developing next-generation solutions to coordination and collaboration in disaster 

and emergency situations.

photo courtesy of CMU
NRP Post

6 www.nasa.gov

KleenSpeed’s Eiata Project

by Diane Farrar

“To Teach You is the Greatest Honor

 To Learn from You is the Greatest Gift” 

This original quote by Dante Zeviar, 

KleenSpeed’s Chief Technology Offi cer, is 

prominent in KleenSpeed’s shop where 

summer interns converted a Miata original 

sport model to an electric vehicle (dubbed 

the “Eiata” and pronounced “ee-ata”) under 

Zeviar’s inspired and friendly guidance.

“KleenSpeed selected the 1990 Mazda 

Miata for conversion and kit production 

because the fi rst-year-of-production car 

is the lightest -- changes in subsequent 

models invariably add weight. Kleenspeed purchased the one owner car because it needed a major engine overhaul,” 

said KleenSpeed President Timothy Collins.  Approximately 800,000 Miatas have 

sold since 1990, making it the world’s 

most popular sports car. 

“Our conversion utilizes the “KleenSpeed 

Project” low power system, which incorporates a 110 volt AC motor with a peak 

of 50 horsepower available (equivalent 

to the original 116 horsepower gasoline 

motor) and 36 lithium ion Prismatic 

batteries, giving the system 20.7 kWh of 

battery energy. The KleenSpeed battery 

management system and charge system, 

developed for use in the KleenSpeed WX 

10 race car, is utilized and further updated with data, with a display tailored 

for a mainstream consumer EV.” 

Zeviar assembled a team of four gifted 

interns who devoted the summer to this 

project. “I am going to disclose all my 

technical knowledge to you and I expect 

no less from you in regard to the others. 

Teamwork is most important,” Zeviar told 

the dedicated young men at their daily 

team meeting. 

Zeviar divided the interns into electrical 

and mechanical divisions. “Interdisciplinary teaching was the theme of this 

summer internship. I wanted the electrical engineers to teach the mechanical 

engineers and vice versa. I want them all 

to be well rounded.”

Hosted by REFUEL in cooperation with Speed Ventures at Mazda Raceway, 

Laguna Seca, near Monterey, CA, the event fosters innovation in the face of 

environmental challenges.

The KleenSpeed WX10 also set the Electric Vehicle lap record in 2009, but in 

2010 KleenSpeed broke its own record and the competition was at least 10 

seconds behind. The KleenSpeed Electric Vehicle system was refi ned this past 

year, most signifi cantly adding a new battery management system coupled to 

a high-power charging station. The system includes a custom display which 

communicates the most pertinent information to the driver. It is now possible 

to wirelessly transmit this data, allowing KleenSpeed engineers to monitor the 

car’s operating parameters from the pit.

The new KleenSpeed WX10 

system was developed by 

Dante Zeviar, the Chief 

Technology Offi cer, and a 

team of other KleenSpeed 

offi cers and advisors. “Thanks 

to our telemetry, we know 

exactly what is going on 

with the race car, in real 

time, as things happen. 

The information we have 

collected under a variety of 

driving cycles played a crucial role in gaining invaluable understanding of our 

systems. Such an approach allows us to make correct decisions and helps us 

transform our R&D eff orts into real-world products for the commercial Electric 

Vehicle sector,” Zeviar said.

According to race driver Timothy Collins, President and Founder of KleenSpeed 

Technologies Inc., “The fact that I do not need to shift gears and worry about 

over-revving the motor allows me to concentrate on driving to a greater extent 

than when I drive internal combustion engine race cars. The performance 

characteristics of Electric Vehicle systems deliver instantaneous torque, which 

makes for a smoother driving experience and explosive response. ”

The KleenSpeed WX10 is the product of a joint venture between West Race 

Cars, who provided a state of the art prototype sport racer platform, and KleenSpeed, who sourced, developed, installed and integrated the complete electric 

power system.

REFUEL created three classes of Electric Vehicles: Prototype (KleenSpeed and 

other race cars), Production (Tesla) and Electric Motorcycles. The 2010 event 

brought stiff competition with about 20 entries over the three classes. Several 

new prototype cars made their fi rst appearance. 

Kleenspeed cont’d from page 1

photo courtesy of Kleenspeed

KleenSpeed Team with First Place Trophy at Mazda Raceway (L-R) Matt Klein, Kyle Greenhaw, Kevin Mitz, Laurence 

Rivard, Darrin Vallis, Timothy Collins, Dante Zeviar, Lita Vallis, 

Morgan Cunningham, Kevin Jones, Mr. Jones
NRP Post

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 7

KleedSpeed’s Eiata Intern Team

Mechanical Division: 

Matt Klein and Kyle Greenhaw 

Matt Klein, 24, a mechanical engineering 

graduate of UC Davis, was responsible 

for design and construction of the Eiata’s 

motor mount, battery boxes and electrical 

rack. Matt enters graduate school this fall 

and KleenSpeed plans to collaborate as an 

industry partner on his master’s thesis.

Kyle Greenhaw, 25, met Zeviar at the 

CA Space Authority/NASA Lunar Regolith Competition held last October in 

Bldg. 503, next door to KleenSpeed’s 

shop. Kyle was responsible for chassis 

modifi cations, fabrication, welding and 

installation of components. With his 

father, Jim Greenhaw, Kyle and other 

team members built and entered a robot 

in last year’s lunar regolith competition. 

Electrical Division:

Kevin Jones and Morgan Cunningham

Kevin Jones is entering his senior year in 

Electrical Engineering at North Carolina 

A&T State University, Greensboro, NC. Kevin 

was responsible for the motor controller 

hardware in the loop testing, programming 

and high voltage system design. Kevin also 

installed all electronic systems, batteries, and 

the battery management and charge system. 

Morgan Cunningham, 21, is a senior 

at McMaster University in Hamilton, 

Ontario, Canada. The son-in-law of NRP 

Partner Magenn Power 

CEO Pierre Rivard, Morgan 

was responsible for the 

electrical utilities, wiring 

harness, and diagram. 

Morgan redesigned the 

wiring harness and managed the conversion of 

Eiata lighting to LED.

Says Zeviar, “Doing my 

master’s thesis at BMW 

while attending the Technical University of Munich 

brought me much more 

understanding – it helped 

shape me, made me better. 

Learning about teamwork 

and working outside the 

university changed 

my life. I want these 

L-R Timothy Collins, President, KleenSpeed; Dante Zeviar, CTO, 

KleenSpeed; with interns Morgan Cunningham, Matt Klein, Kevin 

Jones, Kyle Greenhaw

students to have the same opportunity. I want to give back and make them better,” 

adding that KleenSpeed hopes to continue to mentor their interns and assist them in 

career development. 

“EV technology is going to be a dominant transportation technology in the 21st

century. I want to set up young people for this revolution. I want them to be 

ready when it goes big. I think luck favors the prepared. We are going to send 

them off prepared,” Zeviar said.

“The Eiata should travel 100 miles on a charge. The conversion retains the transmission, and top speed of 100 mph should be available to the driver. Most of the 

drive time will occur in third gear and below 70 mph. KleenSpeed’s Eiata conversion package will be off ered as a kit, with or without the transmission, creating a 

new maintenance-and–carbon-free life for the car and driver,” said Collins.

Rear battery pack in KleenSpeed Eiata trunk provides 

10.5 kWh, with room for golf clubs or suitcase. KleenSpeed Eiata has two battery packs (one in front and 

rear) for balance, each comprised of 18 prismatic lithium 

ferrous phosphate cells.

photo by Eric James photo by Eric James

photo by Eric James
NRP Post

8 www.nasa.gov

Success Cubed: Kentucky Space Celebrates Three Launches 

With More Underway

by Miki Huynh

NRP followed up with Kris Kimel on developments for Kentucky Space, LLC 

and their non-profi t entrepreneurial space ventures. 

CubeLab

On July 12, 2010, the fi rst Nanorack platform housing the fi rst CubeLab 

was plugged in and powered up inside the International Space Station. 

The NanoRack was launched in two phases: Space Shuttles Discovery (STS 

131) on April 5 and Atlantis (STS-132) on May 14. 

The 4”x4”x4” Kleenex box-sized units, fi tting into racks along the walls 

of the space station, create the lab area needed to conduct studies in 

Exomedicine, a new initiative defi ned by Kentucky Space as “the study 

of disease mitigation and health enhancement in space.” Kimel says that 

experimenting in the microgravity environment may off er breakthroughs 

in the fi elds of biology and medicine, and a number of outside companies 

have voiced interest in CubeLabs to research microgravity’s aff ect on tissue 

growth, cancer cell growth, disease treatment, and drug development.

The units will be tested and used for several months in orbit. Following 

the success of this fi rst testing period, Kentucky Space plans to launch 

6 to 8 CubeLabs a year, each intended to stay online for an entire Earth 

orbital period.

CubeSats

Kentucky Space served as integrator for the fi rst ever ejection of CubeSats 

into space on a sub-orbital mission. CubeSats developed by Kentucky and 

Cal Poly students were ejected from a Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding 

rocket at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on March 27, 2010. The spacecraft 

reached an altitude of 270km and remained in space for 10 minutes.

The Taurus XL rocket carrying the KY Sat-1 CubeSats built by Kentucky 

students will launch on November 10, 2010 from Vandenberg Air Force 

Base. As a part of the NASA ELaNa (Educational Launch of NanoSatellties) 

program, the mission will be the fi rst orbital launch of student-built CubeSats by NASA.

Idea Festival

Louisville, KY

KSTC (Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation), an NRP partner 

since 2004, continues to encourage the mingling of great minds and 

emergent ideas in science, art, design, business, education, technology, 

and numerous fi elds at its annual Idea Festival, taking place September 

29 to October 2 at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts. The event 

features a diverse set of speakers and performers such as designer Stefan 

Sagmeister, theoretical physicist Sean Carroll, author Sapphire, and singer 

songwriter Janelle Monáe. This and more information is found at their 

website: http://ideafestival.com.

Nathan Fite, Morehead State University (left); Anthony 

Karam, University of Kentucky (back); Daniel Erb, 

University of Kentucky (front) and Tyler Rose, Morehead State University (right) receive their fi rst data 

packet from Frontier-1 proving their satellite worked.

Orange carpet event of the 2009 Idea Festival

Faculty Advisor Dr. James Lumpp, University of 

Kentucky (left) and Daniel Erb, University of Kentucky 

(right) take a break from work on the Nanoracks and 

CubeLab modules.

Jason Bratcher, University of Kentucky (left), Tyler 

Burba, Morehead State University (center) and Faculty 

Advisor Dr. Benjamin Malphrus, Morehead State University (right) calibrate the mobile earth station at NASA 

Wallops Flight Facility during the Frontier-1 Launch

photo courtesy of Kentucky Space photo courtesy of Kentucky Space photo courtesy of Kentucky Space photo courtesy of Kentucky Space
NRP Post

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 9

NRP Post

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UNCF Special Programs - NASA Science and Technology Institute 

for Minority Institutions

by Sheryl Karpowicz 

UNCFSP

2010 marks the fourth anniversary of the NASA Science and Technology Institute for 

Minority Institutions (NSTI) Project. Under the administration of the United Negro College Fund Special Programs (UNCFSP), the project has grown to include three diff erent 

programs, bringing the talent and expertise of students and faculty from Minority 

Institutions to diff erent NASA Centers. Minority Institutions include Historically Black 

Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges 

and Universities (TCUs), and Other Minority Institutions (OMIs).

The NSTI Summer Scholars (NSTI SS) program off ers undergraduate minorities in 

science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fi elds the opportunity to 

participate in cutting edge research over the course of 10 weeks. Students are placed 

at one of three NASA centers: Glenn Research Center, Johnson Space Center, and here 

at the Ames Research Center. The 18 participants of the 2010 NSTI Summer Scholars 

are working on a wide range of research projects relating to their chosen fi eld of study 

at their home academic institution.

The NSTI Faculty Fellowship (NSTI FF) off ers early career STEM faculty at Minority Institutions the chance to further their research experience at NASA. Faculty incorporate 

what they learn from their summer experience into their curriculum once they return 

to their home institution. 

Since its inception in the summer of 2009, the NSTI FF has grown rapidly to provide 

faculty from MIs research opportunities at several diff erent NASA centers. The nine 

participants of the 2010 NSTI FF program were placed at Marshall Space Flight Center, 

Goddard Space Flight Center, Johnson Space Center, and Ames Research Center.

The Summer Scholar and Faculty Fellow projects feed into and support a third component of the NSTI program, called the NSTI Research Clusters. The three research 

cluster teams provide the means and opportunity for engaging the minority higher 

education community in government and private industry research. NSTI Research 

Clusters facilitate research collaboration among MIs, NASA, government agencies, 

and private STEM organizations.

For more information about UNCFSP and the NSTI project, log on to 

www.uncfsp.org/nsti or visit our offi ce in Building 19, Room 2015 at NASA Research Park. 

Meet Google’s Space 

Commander

by Ashlee Vance

New York Times Blog

July 27, 2010

Google, as you may know, runs a 

search engine and sells ads. How 

odd then that Tiff any Montague 

works at the company.

Ms. Montague is the manager of 

Google’s space initiatives –- overseeing things like sending robots 

to the moon and ogling Mars. It’s 

not exactly the stuff that keeps the 

lights on at the Googleplex, but 

this type of work seems to make 

Sergey Brin and Larry Page happy.

Unlike many Google employees, 

Ms. Montague is not an engineer 

by trade. Rather, she arrived at 

Google about fi ve years ago, 

after serving as an offi cer for the 

Air Force and working at the National Reconnaissance Offi ce. Ms. 

Montague’s specialty centered on 

fl ying high altitude aircraft and 

snooping on stuff .

“I had a down-looking sensor,” Ms. 

Montague said, during a recent 

interview, declining to share more 

information about the nature of 

this sensor or what it observed.

Here’s something else that’s 

odd about Ms. Montague –- she 

speaks with an American accent 

but was raised in England.

Tiffany Montague, the manager of Google’s 

space initiatives, once hoped to become an 

astronaut.

cont’d page 10

Bottom Row (L to R):Najjiyya Franklin-Huff, Adrienne Haynes, Roger Riviere, Edgar Ferrer. Middle (L to R): Crystal Arrington and Dr. Gbekeloluwa 

Oguntimein. Top Row (L to R): Dr. Duane Carbon, Dr. William Warmbrodt, 

Dr. Ole Mengshoel, Dr. Carla Cotwright-Williams and Ray Gilstrap

photo courtesy of UNCF

photo courtesy of NYTimes Blog

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 9

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10 www.nasa.gov

Singular Summer

by Miki Huynh and Diane Farrar

The opening ceremony of Singularity University’s Graduate Studies Program (GSP-10) 

on June 19 grabbed attention throughout the media after keynote speakers Ray Kurzweil, Larry Brilliant, Larry Page, Peter Diamandis, 

Pete Worden, and Dan Barry welcomed the 

entering class to the school of “groundbreaking, 

disruptive thinking.” Each speaker mentioned 

the opportunity awaiting these students and instructed them to put out ideas, Dan Barry stated, 

“as crazy as they might be... until you change 

the world.”

In the following weeks, students accepted the 

challenge to combine the Singularity University 

mission to harness the growth and combination 

of exponential technologies with profi table 

world improvement. The SU program, “10^9+” 

(ten to the ninth power plus), tasked the students with devising strategies to positively 

impact a billion people within ten years guided by fi ve topics for group projects: Food 

for Cities, Home Energy Usage, Upcycle: Waste Reduction and Reprocessing, Sustainable Water Assets, and To Boldly Stay: Extending Humanity into the Solar System. Team 

projects were presented at the end of the program on August 26 in Building 583C.

To assemble their business plans, students spent ten intensive weeks in classes and 

lectures split into ten tracks covering subjects such as forecasting, entrepreneurship, neuroscience, and engineering. They also received Zero G and NASA-style educational perks. 

The 78 students--doubled from 2009--arrived from multiple disciplines and 35 diff erent 

countries, linked together by demonstrations of brains, leadership, and initiative. Those 

who shared their 2010 experience included Mercy Njima from Kenya, co-founder of 

two companies focused on career opportunities for women and creating investments, 

Justin Pahara from Canada whose aim was to “start economic revolutions on Aboriginal reservations in Canada and Pakistan where synthetic biology can help transform 

societies to knowledge-based economies,” and Alison Lewis, a fashion, design and 

technology expert who maintains the site Switch.

To engage the greater public, SU held a discussion 

panel on July 13 entitled “Women at the Frontier.” Sonia 

Arrison Senkut of Pacifi c Research Institute moderated 

panelists Yvonne Cagle of NASA, Susan Fonseca-Klein 

of SU, Liddy Karter of Karter Capital Advisors, Cynthia 

Kenyon of UCSF, Laurie Yoler of GrowthPoint Technology Partners, and Rebecca Moore of Google as they 

discussed ways to address 10^9+. On August 10 - 11, 

SU off ered a public two-day seminar about future technologies. SU cofounder Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Ames 

Center Director Dr. Pete Worden and new NASA HQ 

Chief Technologist Dr. Bobbie Braun welcomed guests. 

SU AI/Robotics Co-Chair Dr. Neil Jacobstein reviewed 

the challenge of Artifi cial General Intelligence; three-time shuttle astronaut Dan Barry, 

MD, PhD, discussed robotics and the challenge of “adaptation.” Other presenters included Scott Summit of Summit Design on 3-D printing, and SU Nanotechnology Chair 

Dr. Ralph Merkel. Each lecture was followed by Q & A and group discussion.

Following the summer program that concluded with Closing Ceremonies on August 

28, several 4 and 9 day Executive Programs are scheduled through 2010 and into 2011. 

For more information, please visit www.singularityu.org.

NRP Post

10 www.nasa.gov

“I was very in love with the 

United States,” she explained. 

“I learned everything I could 

from the ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ and 

‘Hawaii Five-O.’ I grew up with 

a very romanticized notion of 

America.”

Since she can remember, Ms. 

Montague has dreamed of going to space. It’s why she joined 

the Reserve Offi cers’ Training 

Corps (ROTC) while attending 

the ultra-liberal Smith College, 

and why she ended up in 

the Air Force. Ms. Montague 

skipped a couple of grades, 

crossed the pond and went to 

university at 16.

Ultimately, however, Ms. Montague fi gured that her odds 

of getting to space as a NASA 

astronaut were thin.

“It was clear to me that there 

are people who are more 

qualifi ed than I am who are 

not selected,” she said. “I joined 

Mensa. I went to a great school. 

I did all the right things. There 

was just no way I was going to 

make it.”

Ms. Montague would seem to 

have a bit of the renegade in 

her. Her dark hair — except for 

one blue streak — goes with 

her black leather jacket and 

black boots.

Google fi rst hired Ms. Montague as a project manager in 

the engineering group only 

to see her aim her “20 percent 

time” at the nearby NASA Ames 

Research Center, and for that 

20 percent time to turn into her 

full-time job.

Montague cont’d from page 9

cont’d page 11

photo courtesy of SU

Three time shuttle astronaut and co chair 

for SU’s AI and Robotics Track Dan Barry, 

MD, PHD speaking at GSP-10

10 www.nasa.gov

NASA’s new Chief Technology Offi cer 

Robert Braun discussed the role of 

innovation and technology in NASA’s 

future at SU’s public seminar.

photo courtesy of NASA.gov

NRP Post
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RMV Technology Group, LLC September 16 Open House: 

Showcasing Expanded ESD Materials Testing Lab and Training Facility at NRP

by Renee Mitchell

NRP tenant RMV Technology recently expanded their operations with a move to Bldg. 

19’s Room 1073, commonly referred to as the “Map Room”. 

To showcase their expansion, RMV will host an Open House at their new lab on 

September 16, 2010 from 8AM to 12PM to demonstrate their technology to NASA-Ames 

engineering and technical staff and NRP partners.

At the Open House, Doug Smith 

of RMV, former Distinguished 

Member of the Technical Staff , 

Bell Labs, will conduct live demonstrations of electro-static 

discharge (ESD) eff ects on electronic equipment. In addition, 

Bob Vermillion, RMV’s founder, 

will demonstrate a simple 

method for measuring electrifi cation of materials in a lunar 

environment. 

With RMV’s recent expansion, 

the team now can conduct 

system level ESD testing of electronic products in compliance with IEC 61000-4-2 or to customer requirements. For basic 

system level testing, RMV can test to the actual failure level for each test point or test to a 

pre-determined level above the standard test level. Smith, a renowned ESD/EMC expert 

on design troubleshooting, can also conduct enhanced system level testing using two 

separate “worst case” simulators, uncovering problems due to inadequate simulator specifi cations in the testing standards. 

 

RMV’s unique, specialized testing services 

include small metal ESD testing, internal 

chair ESD testing, and applying system level 

tests to devices. System Level Problem troubleshooting is another unique capability that 

RMV has developed, which is not available at 

other ESD labs. 

RMV has had several business successes 

lately including a DOD contract to provide 

ESD technology engineering services for a USAF prime contractor. In addition, RMV 

will provide suspect counterfeit training for the avoidance, mitigation and evaluation of 

aircraft parts packaging and materials. 

According to a recent Department of Commerce study, the rapid increase in counterfeit parts globally has aff ected every type of business but is especially critical in the 

aerospace/defense and space technology sectors. 

At the recent NASA Cape Canaveral Quality Leadership Forum held in March 2010, Vermillion gave a talk that focused on the cost savings that result from combatting the global 

proliferation of counterfeit parts. Al Cook (Lockheed Martin Space Opns.) commented, 

“Your presentation made a BIG splash and was noticed! Fresh and new! You off ered a 

totally diff erent angle about understanding counterfeit problems and issue.” 

NRP Post

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 11

It turns out that Pete Worden, 

the head of NASA Ames, used 

to mentor Ms. Montague during 

her days with the Air Force. And 

the two have rekindled their 

relationship.

“NASA Ames is very innovative 

for a NASA center,” Ms. Montague said. “I think that is largely 

due to the fact that Pete Worden 

runs the show over there. He 

is not afraid of consulting with 

industry.”

Google already works with 

NASA on a number of projects, 

including gathering astronomical data and images and making 

them available to the public. In 

addition, Google sponsors the 

Singularity University, which is 

run on the NASA campus.

Soon enough, Google will open 

a new campus on the NASA 

Ames site as well.

Ms. Montague, who plays a role 

in all these eff orts, said she’s 

encouraged by the progress 

various groups are making as 

they try to commercialize space.

“At Google, we are cheerleaders 

of those guys,” she said. “We 

look at space like any other 

problem that Google attacks 

and say, ‘I think this should be a 

lot simpler.’ We are outlandishly 

big thinkers. We are audacious.”

Perhaps Ms. Montague will have 

a chance to direct that audacity 

and her past experience with spy 

craft toward building a new fl eet 

of Mars-mapping Google bots.

Draw your shades, Martians. 

Draw your shades.

Montague cont’d from page 10

Douglas Smith, Renee Mitchell, and Bob Vermillion in the 

Map Room

ESD testing machine components

cont’d page 12

photo by Miki Huynh

photo by Miki Huynh

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 11

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12 www.nasa.gov

Total reQall

Infocomm News From Singapore

Aug 4, 2010

NRP’s reQall, the company behind the 

voice-enabled memory aid that integrates 

the mobile phone, e-mail, text messaging, 

and instant messaging into a powerful organiser, reminder system and productivity 

assistant, is setting up its regional headquarters in Singapore. It has also taken the 

high-tech reminder system, popularised 

on the iPhone and Blackberry mobile platforms, into the Android space as well.

As a service, reQall lets users capture 

key action items and ideas through their 

mobile devices, either by voice or text, and 

integrate that information into their mobile 

phone, e-mail, and messaging applications, 

turning it into a powerful organiser and 

reminder system.

reQall-captured information is automatically processed and organised into the user’s 

schedules, and the application also stays 

aware of context changes, such as location 

and the time of day. Finally, it lets the user 

know via voice, e-mail, text, or instant messaging services, not only what needs to be 

done, but when and where as well.

“We help people by precisely bringing the 

relevant information to them just when they 

need it based on the context and location,” 

said Mr Rao Machiraju, Co-founder and Chief 

Executive Offi cer of reQall. “Therefore, location is very important for reQall. reQall uses 

both text and voice as input mechanisms 

and this is pretty much industry standard for 

input on smart phone applications.”

While these functions have already been available on the iPhone and Blackberry platforms 

for a few years, they have earlier this year 

debuted on Android-based devices as well.

The specialized RMV engineering staff also 

provide design troubleshooting seminars, 

NASA ANSI/ESD S20.20-2007 and NASASTD-8739.7 Compliance Training, Advanced 

Troubleshooting Techniques, Suspect Counterfeit Avoidance, Detection & Mitigation of 

Electronic Parts & Packaging, iNARTE FCC 

Testing, including iNARTE ESD Engineer 

& Technician Preparation Training. Other 

courses are available by clicking on the 

www.esdrmv.com website. 

“Android is slated to be released by many 

carriers around the world,” said Mr Machiraju. “We think this is a signifi cant opportunity for reQall and we are excited about the 

possibilities on this platform.”

Founded four years ago as a MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) spinoff , 

the company decided to set up its regional 

HQ in Singapore earlier this year.

“The ease with which one can do business, 

have easy access to various Asian countries, 

and to the regional offi ces of many international companies right here in Singapore 

are all pluses,” said Mr Machiraju. “Obviously, as a company you want to be in a 

place where you can do your business very 

eff ectively and infrastructure and people, 

all these things, will be a part of it.”

reQall lets users capture key action items 

and ideas through their mobile devices and 

integrate that information into their mobile 

phone, e-mail, and messaging applications.

Mr Machiraju likened SIngapore to the Silicon Valley, which he also sees as a very small 

enclosed area that thrives because of the 

universities, research institutions, dynamic 

infrastructure and people.

“That is the reason why we said this is 

where we want to build our R&D,” he said. 

“Because there are groups like A-Star, with 

the research capabilities, and the universities; it’s compact and easy for me to go to 

a coff ee shop and sit down and chat with 

somebody and not miss reading an e-mail 

at the same time.”

Mr Machiraju also praised the Singapore 

government for its proactive eff orts. 

“The support you get from the Singapore 

Government really stands out. For us, we 

worked with Infocomm Investments and 

they really interacted with us on a regular 

basis, to make sure we get referred to the 

recruiters that we needed, off ering simple 

suggestions, and providing some handholding, if you will,” he said. From Infocomm 

Investments Pte Ltd, the investment arm 

of the Infocomm Development Authority 

(IDA) of Singapore, reQall also learnt about 

IDA’s iCentre grant, which provides developmental support for foreign start-ups 

looking to set up their engineering centres 

in Singapore. The company subsequently 

applied for, and received the grant to help 

it set up its regional HQ in Singapore.

Incorporated as reQall Singapore, the offi ce 

will serve as the regional headquarters for 

Asia, and the company expects to have a sixperson team by the end of the year.

“We see the next six months as time for us to 

fully settle into Singapore. The partnerships 

we strike with various companies and carriers in the region will be the driver for us to 

expand in 2011 and beyond.”

RMV Technology Group, LLC is a California Small Business, SDVOSB/8(a) and 

SDB fi rm. It is a service disabled veteranowned company, with over 30 years of 

leadership in the electronics industry for 

electrostatic mitigation of materials in 

harsh environments. A published author 

and international speaker, Vermillion has 

developed a conductive material for a 

future MARS mission. He can be reached 

at 650.964.4792 or bob@esdrmv.com. 

RMV Open House cont’d from page 11

photo by Miki Huynh

photo courtesy of macnn.com

Anti-static workspace
NRP Post

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 13

A Hub of Innovation

NASA Research Park blends 

government, venture capital,

education and startups

by Chris Kenrick

Palo Alto Weekly

July 9, 2010

By something of a federal real-estate accident, 

a host of cutting-edge cleantech development is taking place on the grounds of 

the old Moff ett Field Naval Air Station — 

repurposed in the last decade as the NASA 

Research Park after the U.S. Navy closed its 

operation and handed the property over to 

the space agency.

Unknown to most local residents, 

the 2,000 acres surrounding the 

iconic Hangar One host 50 companies, 14 universities, a future 

Google campus, the California Air 

National Guard and 2 million square 

feet of planned rental housing.

It is a curious blend of government resources, venture capital, educational 

institutions and private startups.

The vision — so far only partly 

realized — is “a world-class research 

park with graduate students, faculty 

and young Google workers who 

rent the housing and walk to work,” 

said NASA Research Park Director 

Michael Marlaire.

To date, the 42-acre future Google site is 

under long-term lease but not yet built.

But the personal aircraft of Brin and Page 

and Google CEO Eric Schmidt — as well as 

a Google-affi liated research aircraft — are 

based at the airfi eld, Marlaire said.

Also based there is Airship Ventures, home 

to the familiar white Zeppelin often seen 

fl oating over the Bay Area.

By paying anywhere from $199 to $950 

per person, members of the public can 

fl oat above it all as well, on tours ranging 

from 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Another airship company is due to move 

in soon with the intention of manufacturing airships in one of the hangars.

“We’re in it for the long term,” Marlaire 

said of NASA’s commitment to developing the research park.

“Our goal is to select partners in R&D and 

STEM (science, technology, engineering 

and mathematics) education pursuits,” he 

said, adding that tenants pay market rents 

and that the planned housing development is on hold because of the economy.

Graduate students from many institutions fl ow in and out of the research park. 

Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Mellon University already has awarded 400 masters’ 

degrees at its West Coast site, he said.

Many corporate startup tenants enjoy a mix of 

venture backing and government incentives.

Tesla tests its vehicles on the tarmac, 

Marlaire said.

Another tenant company, Unimodal, is trying to develop “personal rapid transit” that 

would run on magnetic levitation tracks. 

Users would sit in small “pods” resembling 

something out of The Jetsons, and 

enter their destination into a 

computer.

“There would be hundreds of 

pods going all over the place. 

It would be like the Internet, for 

people,” he said.

Another tenant, Magenn Power, 

is developing high-altitude wind 

power, in which a tethered wind 

turbine sends power back to the 

ground.

An early tenant, K.R. Sridhar of 

Bloom Energy, began developing his high-effi ciency fuel-cell 

“Bloom Boxes” while working as a 

scientist in NASA’s Mars Program.

When the program was cancelled, Sridhar obtained venture funding 

(the high-profi le fi rm Kleiner Perkins Caufi eld & Byers describes Bloom as “KPCB’s 

fi rst greentech investment”) and landed 

at NASA Research Park.

He has since expanded to Sunnyvale, 

where he employs several hundred people 

producing Bloom Boxes.

“We have the ability to use these old facilities and hangars as the best cutting-edge 

location for people who are going to 

change the world,” Marlaire said. “People in 

the business of startups and new companies fully understand what’s over here.” photo courtesy of Palo Alto Weekly

Bloom Energy’s testing facility located at the NASA Research Park at 

NASA Ames

Research Park

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 13
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14 www.nasa.gov

What It Means to Be “The Only Game in Town”

by Gus Halweger

Airship Ventures airship “Eureka” is the only airship in the United States certifi ed to carry fare paying passengers and one 

of two airworthy airships of a total of four in the world. It is into its third year of operation out of its base at Moff ett Field 

and has become a familiar sight to its neighbors and to Californians along the coast and – as of late – in Sacramento. 

The reputation and versatility of the semi-rigid dirigible Zeppelin has gotten much publicity in the Media. As a result, 

the demand for its services include:

• Passengers touring in its twelve-passenger gondola 

• Corporations chartering dirigibles for customers or deserving employees, to advertise products or services

• Scientists mounting instruments on the Zepplin’s nearly vibration and noise free gondola for aerial surveys 

• Federal and local government agencies using the dirigible as a “command post” and observation platform for 

 disaster management 

These expanding opportunities are indicative of the Zeppelin’s market potential. 

Following are the latest developments since the last issue of the NRP Post: 

The Farmers Insurance Airship

For a second time this year, the 

Farmers Insurance Group selected Airship Ventures as a partner, 

rebranding the hull of the Zeppelin Eureka with the Farmers 

logo. The two companies previously partnered in January 2010, 

when the Farmers Insurance 

Airship took to the skies above 

San Diego, providing aerial footage and acting as the ultimate 

skybox for passengers above the 

Farmers Insurance Open PGA 

Golf Tournament at Torrey Pines. 

The success of this partnership, 

which exposed Farmers to 

millions via TV coverage of the 

tournament on CBS and other 

networks around the globe, 

and the ability for Farmers to 

leverage the airship as a beacon 

of hospitality and community 

commitment to thousands of 

employees and customers onsite and in the region, prompted 

the second airship branding. 

Broken Records! World Distance Record! 

The Farmers Airship, the Zeppelin Eureka, owned and operated by Airship 

Ventures, broke the world distance record for modern airships on May 25, with 

a fl ight of 459.3 miles from Moff ett Field to San Diego’s Brown Field. This record 

broke the standing Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) record, previously held by a Russian team, by 70.2 miles. 

The fl ight was not only record-breaking but also took in breathtaking scenery 

over California’s Central Valley and Coastline. Its route passed over, among 

others, the cities of: Salinas, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Ventura, Malibu, Santa Monica, Downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach, Seal 

Beach, Huntington Beach, and Dana Point. Jenna Wolfe of NBC’s TODAY SHOW 

was aboard the Eureka for the record-setting fl ight and covered it from the 

Moff ett Field take-off to the champagne celebration in San Diego. Her report 

was aired nationwide. It was a great fl ight and we at Airship Ventures now 

await offi cial FAA confi rmation of the new record. 

photo courtesy of Airship Ventures

14
NRP Post

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 15

The participants aboard the Zeppelin 

were impressed with the demonstrations and consider the airship an under 

utilized resource of immense potential. 

All commented on the quiet and roomy 

gondola, the stability of the airship, 

and its accuracy to hover (thanks to its 

vectored engines) coupled with the 

transition speed between incidents. 

Alex Travell, Airship Ventures’ Special 

Mission Manager, pointed out the 

potential for further expansion and 

refi nement of applications. Using the 

airship as an airborne command center 

with high defi nition full spectrum optics 

down linked to fi rst responders and control centers should be a pre-requisite for 

future incidents, she noted. May 18, 2010 Disaster Management Simulation – aerial view of one Golden Guardian 

Exercise 2010 site from the Farmers Airship Eureka at the Port of Oakland

Disaster Management : yet another capability of the Eureka

In a cooperative venture between Airship Ventures, Inc. and NRP’s Western Disaster Center, under the auspices of the 

California Post Earthquake Information Clearinghouse and the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA), 

Airship Ventures’ airship “Eureka”, sponsored by Farmers Insurance, was deployed on May 18, 2010, to provide a demonstration observation and communication platform over simulated incidents during the 2010 Golden Guardian Exercise. 

The airship fl ew from its Moff ett Field base to the fi rst exercise at the Port of Redwood City, and then transited to the 

second Bay Area exercise at the Port of Oakland. A group of eight observers were on the airship representing Cal EMA, 

the US Geological Survey, the California Chief Information Offi ce, the Department of Homeland Security, and Farmers 

Insurance. Imagery was sent directly from the airship to Cal EMA headquarters in Sacramento, where a large number of 

agencies were able to see events in real time. When combined with data relayed after the airship landed, these images 

were used to produce the Common Operating Picture to brief senior state offi cials. 

photo courtesy of Airship Ventures

Neighborhood Last Minute Zeppelin Flights

This program is off ered to all federal employees, AMES interns and contractors, NASA Research Park (NRP) partners 

and military personnel. It applies to all 90 and 120 minute fl ights departing from Moff ett Field, is available for the 

bargain price of $199 plus taxes, but can only be booked less than 24 hours prior to fl ight time, provided a seat 

is available. Flyers with qualifying details have been distributed to key locations at Moff ett Field. Flight schedules 

can be accessed on AV’s website: www.airshipventures.com. Airship Ventures’ Guest Services staff (650) 969-8100 

ext. 111 will also be glad to answer any questions related to the program. 

You can see what it means to be the only game in town. Airship Ventures is in the enviable position of owning 

and operating the only semi-rigid Zeppelin in the country. However, while it is our goal to remain the only game in 

town, we want to provide the “Eureka” with a companion. 
Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Diane Farrar

Layout and Design . . . . . . . . Miki Huynh

NRP Post deadlines

Please submit articles to Diane.Farrar-1@nasa.gov 

on or before November 19, 2010 for the next issue.

Phone: (650) 604-2NRP

Email: researchpark@mail.nasa.gov

Website: www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov

Sustainability Base at NASA Ames 

Research Center

from A Look At NASA

August 6, 2010

Construction of the new Sustainability Base collaborative support facility, expected to become the highest-performing building in the federal government, continues at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moff ett Field, Calif. The new building is designed 

to achieve a platinum rating under the Leadership in Energy and 

Environmental Design (LEED) new construction standards for 

environmentally sustainable construction developed by the U.S. 

Green Building Council, Washington. D.C. When completed by 

the end of 2010, the $20.6 million building will feature near zero 

net energy consumption, use 90 percent less potable water than 

conventionally built buildings of equivalent size, and will result 

in reduced building maintenance costs. Find out more about 

the Sustainability project at: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/

greenspace/sustainability-base.html

Sustainability Base at NASA Ames Research Center is designed to 

achieve a platinum rating under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) new construction standards for environmentally 

sustainable construction developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. 

NASA HQ Real Property Division at NRP White House Fellow Tours NRP and Ames

NRP Summer Picnic

Frank Bellinger, 

Director of Facility, 

Engineering and Real 

Property Division, 

NASA HQ, visits NRP’s 

Unimodal Systems on 

May 27, 2010.

photo courtesy of Photozig

photo courtesy of Photozig

photo courtesy of SU

photo by Miki Huynh

photo by Mejghan Haider

NRP Staff with Paul Walden, Planning and Real Estate 

Management Branch, Facilities Engineering and Real Property 

Division, NASA HQ.

White House Fellow, Nicole Campbell (fourth from left with Singularity University 

VP Susan Fonseca-Klein and GSP-10 students), visited the NRP on August 

17-19, 2010. Nicole toured CMU Silicon Valley, Space Portal, and UNCF-SP 

Minority Academy, in addition to Bloom Energy’s Sunnyvale facility, Google, 

and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group off-site. At Ames, Ms. Campbell met 

with Director Pete Worden, fl ew the VMS simulator and visited the Arc Jet Facility, the Supercomputer, and the Ames Exploration Encounter. Ms. Campbell 

has been at NASA Headquarters for most of her Fellowship.

August 5, 2010