January 2007

www.nasa.gov

Page 2 - Computer screens to be virtual 

 NASA spaceship windows over

 Mars

Page 3 - Jack Boyd marks his 60th year

 at NASA

Page 4 - Ames’ commitment to diversity 

Page 9 - Ames Ongoing Events

Page 10 - Classifieds

On the Inside . . .

A very small Ames satellite has 

proven that scientists can quickly 

design and launch a new class of 

inexpensive spacecraft -- and conduct significant science.

The 11-pound (5-kilogram) 

GeneSat-1, carrying bacteria 

inside a miniature laboratory, was 

launched in December. It was a 

secondary payload on an Air Force 

four-stage Minotaur 1 rocket that 

delivered the Air Force TacSat 2 

satellite to orbit. GeneSat-1 began to transmit data on its first 

pass over the mission’s California 

ground station. Scientists still 

receive data from the satellite 

regularly. 

“GeneSat proves that big science can be done using small satellites,” said GeneSat project manager John Hines, an engineer and 

scientist at Ames. “GeneSat’s success 

points out how NASA can spend less 

money and time to learn new things in 

space,” Hines observed.

GeneSat shows small satellites can deliver big science

GeneSat-1 was designed and built 

at NASA Ames, and the mission is 

being managed from Ames. According to Hines, GeneSat-1 is NASA’s 

first fully automated, self-contained 

biological spaceflight experiment on 

a satellite of its size. “Based on this 

success, we expect that in the near 

future, this class of small satellite 

will see increasing acceptance and 

usage by the science community,” 

Hines noted. 

“All systems - the biology experiment, the life support, ground 

antenna and communications - performed beyond our wildest expectations,” Hines said. “These small 

satellites will help us understand 

the hazards and risks associated 

with human space travel,” Hines 

ventured.

The cost to develop the GeneSat satellite class, launch the first 

spacecraft and operate it was a 

fraction of what it normally costs 

to conduct a mission in space, according to scientists. Subsequent 

GeneSat-class missions will cost 

much less, Hines predicted.

Researchers say that knowledge 

gained from GeneSat-1 will help 

continued on page 6

On Jan. 10, the African-American 

Advisory Group (AAAG) hosted a Dr. 

Martin Luther King (MLK) celebration in the main auditorium, attracting approximately 100 people. As 

attendees were arriving, they enjoyed 

a slide show featuring photos of King, 

a famous leader of the American civil 

Inspirational program at Ames celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King

NASA photo Dominic Hart

A GeneSat prototype. GeneSat-1 was launched in December and 

continues to orbit Earth. The satellite is expected to reenter the 

atmosphere and burn up before the end of the year.

Sheila Johnson of the Public 

Affairs Office at Ames (left) 

shared information on the life of 

Dr. Martin Luther King’s wife, 

Coretta Scott King, during 

a recently held tribute to the 

famous leader of the American 

civil rights movement. The 

event was hosted by the African-American Advisory Group 

at Ames. Dr. Martin Luther 

King is seen with his wife, 

Coretta, on the presentation 

screen in the photo. 

continued on page 10

rights movement. Steven Zorntezer, 

associate director for institutions and 

research at Ames, gave a very memorable welcome, reflecting on his experience as one of the 250,000 people that 

participated in the March on Washington where King delivered his famous ‘I 

Have A Dream’ speech.
 Astrogram January 2007

Computer screens to be virtual ‘NASA spaceship windows’ over Mars

NASA Ames is providing a unique 

opportunity to the public to suggest 

photo targets for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), the spacecraft 

that recently took a history-making 

image of the Mars Exploration Rover 

Opportunity on the rim of Victoria 

Crater. 

MRO, which began orbiting Mars 

on March 10, 2006, carries a sharpeyed camera called 

the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment 

(HiRISE), that can 

image objects as 

small as an easy 

chair on the martian surface while 

the spacecraft 

orbits 186 miles 

(300 kilometers) 

overhead. 

The HiRISE, 

with 14 chargecoupled device 

(CCD) detectors, 

takes pictures having more than 300 times more pixels 

than found in a typical consumer 

8-megapixel camera image. As MRO 

continues its mission to survey our 

neighboring planet, NASA’s Mars 

science team will review suggestions 

from the public for photo targets and 

task the spacecraft to take pictures 

of those proposed targets having the 

greatest scientific merit.

Here are URLs to visit to make 

suggestions for Mars picture-taking 

and for viewing images: http://

marsoweb.nas.nasa.gov/hirise/, or 

http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu 

This Web site contains many images of Mars taken during previous 

missions and by other satellites still 

orbiting the planet. These wider views 

give Internet users a way to survey the 

red planet from a distance, and then 

zoom into closer views to pinpoint 

where new, even more-detailed pictures could be taken by HiRISE.

“We are creating a Web site where 

one can virtually explore Mars using 

a variety of high-resolution images,” 

said Glenn Deardorff, the HiRISE Web 

developer at NASA Ames. He has 

built the preliminary Web site with 

images available from Mars missions 

as old as the two Viking orbiters of the 

1970s.

The Web site includes complete 

directions explaining how to locate areas on Mars and make suggestions for 

picture taking. Generally, here’s how 

you can make a suggestion:

First, before making a proposal, 

the user must locate where a superhigh-resolution picture is to be taken. 

This is done by looking at wider views 

of the planet, and gradually zooming in to locate interesting features. 

The user can select the area of interest 

on the Mars pictures by clicking and 

dragging a mouse or selecting area 

outlines of a HiRISE image ‘footprint.’ 

When the user does this, the Web site’s 

HiRISE ‘tool’ automatically displays 

latitude and longitude numbers.

Second, the user needs to fill in a 

form on-line. The selected latitude and 

longitude figures automatically appear 

in the form after the user has zeroed in 

on a Mars location.

Then, the requestor needs to 

choose a ‘science theme’ that best fits 

his/her suggestion. Some examples of 

science themes are ‘volcanic,’ ‘glacial 

processes’ and ‘future landing sites.’ 

There is a block where the requester 

must write a short justification for the 

suggestion.

In order to submit a suggestion, 

one has to first register, according 

to Dr. Virginia Gulick, who holds a 

doctorate in geosciences. She also is a 

HiRISE science team member and education and public outreach lead from 

the SETI Institute, Mountain View, 

who works at Ames. The requester 

will create a user name and password. 

These will allow the user to go back to 

the Web site to view his/her suggestions and to permit the HiRISE team to 

send return e-mail to alert suggesters 

when an image or images within their 

region of interest were acquired.

“We are doing this because HiRISE 

is only going to image about 1 percent 

of the planet’s surface, and we want 

to image the best - or 

the most interesting areas,” Gulick 

said. Mars’ surface is 

about the same area 

as Earth’s continental areas.

The team also 

will invite Internet 

users to volunteer 

to be ‘click workers.’ “We will ask 

volunteers to help us 

initially locate and 

eventually create 

databases of boulders, gullies, craters 

- any kind of geologic feature on the surface that may 

be of interest in the images,” Gulick 

explained.

“The resulting databases can 

provide a better understanding of 

how these surface features formed, as 

well as provide better insight into the 

planet’s geologic and climatic history,” 

Gulick said. “Scientists or students can 

use these data bases to propose theories about Mars that could be proven 

by future exploration,” she added.

According to Gulick, scientists 

expect the mission to last at least two 

years. “But it may last another decade, if we’re lucky, partly because 

we didn’t have to use as much fuel 

as originally planned to make flight 

corrections on the way to Mars,” 

she explained. The primary HiRISE 

science phase started in November 

2006. “That’s when we began taking 

pictures officially for science after the 

orbit circularized,” said Gulick.

In addition to pictures and image 

submission forms, the site contains 

information about each HiRISE science theme. “So, if you don’t know 

what ‘aeolian processes’ are, you will 

learn that they are wind-related. If 

Image taken of wrinkle ridges in Solis Planum by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars 

Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on Nov. 20, 2006. 

continued on page 5
 Astrogram January 2007

This poem was written by Ted Drenton of San Francisco, who is now 

85. He wrote the poem in 1935, when 

he was 15, while attending Campbell 

High School. He spent his childhood 

and adolescence on a Santa Clara 

prune orchard at the corner of Saratoga Avenue and Pruneridge Avenue, 

which back then were simple country 

roads. As a youth, he assisted his 

father in his 14-acre prune orchard. 

During that time, he witnessed 

the Macon fly over the pruneyard 

and was inspired by the site of the 

immense airship. He also used to 

visit Moffett Field with his parents 

and saw the massive airship slip out 

of its hangar, rising into the sky and 

fly south toward the Pacific Ocean. 

He heard about the recent search 

for the remains of the Macon off of 

Point Sur and thought that having 

the poem published would show 

what an immense impact the Macon 

had on so many people whenever it 

flew over the county. 

The poem was sent to Jack Boyd 

to be published in the Astrogram.

Jan 15, 2007 marked the 60th 

anniversary of the day that Jack Boyd, 

senior advisor to the Ames center 

director, first reported to work at what 

is now NASA Ames. Boyd originally 

traveled on a transcontinental train 

from Virginia to the San Francisco Bay 

Area. Most of his Virginia Tech classmates chose to work at Langley, but 

Boyd chose another path, Ames.

He first reported to work on Jan. 

15, 1947, with a starting salary of 

$2,644 a year. Walter Vincenti was his 

branch chief, Harvey Allen, his division 

chief. Aircraft and spacecraft fly better 

because of his research in the Ames 

1-foot-by-3-foot and 6-foot-by-6-foot 

wind tunnels -- including swept wings, 

conical camber, canards on supersonic 

aircraft, flights through non-Earth 

atmospheres, and the shaping of space 

capsules. 

In 1963, Harvey Allen called on 

Boyd for technical assistance to marshall all the new work at Ames into 

comprehensive research programs. In 

the late 1960s, he served as the Ames’ 

point person with NASA Headquarters in creating new research programs 

when America was redefining its exploration mission.

He became deputy director for aero-

‘The Glorious Macon -- My Zeppelin’

My ancient memory-wrapped zeppelin,

My silver-wild Macon

Hovering over my green prune orchard,

Motor-murmuring child-dream,

Parting!

Only then I dream of summer’s 

 wonder-tasting prunes

Spread on trays, so wrinkled and black,

Such splattered square wooden-

 splintered trays,

Spread over them black prunes

 simmering in the sun.

Now like a blue-bright cloud the

 quivering airship

Slides horizonward.

Then, alas, the sparrow-singing 

 orchard stills--

Bay Area native remembers the Macon at Moffett Field

Waits?--

Like me, forlorn, for my glorious 

 Macon to appear

Again?

With its pulsing motors once more

 haunting me

Into hazy childhood dreams.

Ah later!--

I horror-heard--

My Macon had crashed into the 

 sad-clouded Pacific sea.

Thus so alone my tears cried with me

For my lost great wondership up there.

So long ago amidst Santa Clara

 Valley prune blossoms

I stood in my orchard

Of Never-Again!

 -- Ted Drenton

The US Navy Zeppelin ZRS-5 at Moffett Field. The airship 

was built with a rigid hull made of aluminum alloy and was 

kept aloft by 12 large, helium-filled cells inside the hull.The 

zeppelin was 785 feet long and uniquely designed to carry 

five single-pilot Sparrowhawk biplanes that could be released 

and retrieved in mid-air using a special skyhook-trapeze 

mechanism. Although weighing 200 tons when fully loaded, 

the airship could reach speeds of 80 miles per hour, thanks 

to eight large propellers driven by eight powerful gasoline 

engines. In 1933, the Macon was deployed to the West Coast 

and berthed at a specially built hangar at Moffett. The Navy 

planned to use the Macon and its Sparrowhawks as longrange reconnaissance for the Pacific Fleet, warning Navy 

battleships of distant threats from air and sea. Photo courtesy US Navy

nautical and flight systems at Ames; 

deputy director of Dryden Research 

Center; acting deputy director and associate director of NASA Ames and then 

associate administrator for management at NASA Headquarters. He was 

tasked to work on the consolidation of 

NASA’s helicopter research program, 

preparing Dryden as a shuttle landing 

site; implementing affirmative action 

programs for the agency; completing 

NASA’s advanced secure computing 

facility; working with defence agencies on classified research, and leading 

NASA to implement the reorganization 

and reforms of the Packard report on 

federal laboratories.

In his ‘second career’ at Ames, he 

began in educational outreach. Even 

when he became the executive assistant 

to the director, his primary role was 

that of advisor, teacher and mentor. 

Today, he is the senior advisor for 

history and the center Omsbud, as well 

as the senior advisor to the center director at Ames. He has inspired generations with his unfailing optimism and 

enthusiasm, his desire for efficiency and 

accomplishment, his spirit of fairness 

and cooperation, his love of learning 

and teaching, and his understanding of 

the value of history in envisioning our 

future. The agency is a much better 

place because of his dedication and 

commitment to it.

Jack Boyd marks his 60th year at NASA

NASA photo by Tom Trower

Jack Boyd, senior advisor to the center director at 

NASA Ames, during the recent celecbration in 

January of his 60-year mark at the center.

By Astrid Olson, with information compiled

from letters written in January to Jack Boyd

from Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden and

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin.
 Astrogram January 2007

In November 2006, Ames Center 

Director S. Pete Worden held a cen- ter all-hands meeting to kick off the 

Center Diversity Implementation Plan. 

In his comments, using an example 

from past experiences, Worden stated 

that “diversity is a way to solve prob- lems,” that you never know where 

the solution will come from. He cited 

an example where a diverse group of 

people found a solution to a problem 

from someone they least expected, 

and that when a group is not all of one 

mind, more possibilities for ideas and 

solutions exist. 

The Ames Diversity Implemen- tation Plan is a major step forward 

toward ensuring the ongoing creation 

of a working environment that places 

a value on and utilizes employee con- tributions at all levels. It will support 

an environment that encourages open 

dialogue and values individual ideas. The purpose of this plan is to establish an overarching structure for 

managing the implementation of diWhat is the NASA Ames Diversity Plan? 

versity initiatives 

at Ames. This 

includes address- ing objectives 

identified within 

four elements: 

assessment, 

awareness, ac- countability and 

actions.

Working 

teams were de- veloped for each 

element, made 

up of volunteers 

from across the 

center, including 

diversity leader- ship alumni, rep- resentation from 

employee, man- agement, and 

supervisory and 

directorate levels. Teams were respon- sible for the development of the Ames 

plan. To review the Ames plan visit by Darlene Gross

The working team leads are (left to right): Awareness, Leticha Hawkins; 

Accountability, Darlene Gross; Action, Mike Liu; and Assessment, Ruth 

Marlaire. Each team developed goals and objectives and identified activities 

to address each element within the diversity plan.

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

the ODEO Web page at: http://eo.arc.

nasa.gov/ARC%20Diversity%20Plan.

pdf

NASA’s Policy Statements on 

Diversity and Equal Opportunity state 

that “NASA provides an environment that honors excellence, teamwork, fairness and equity. We strive 

to exemplify in all of our decision 

making the principle that employees 

have the freedom to compete on a fair 

and level playing field. To design the 

most effective systems, NASA must 

have a diversity of views, ideas and 

perspectives. This requires taking into 

account all the possible sets of training 

and experience that come from people 

of different backgrounds and life experiences. It is the widest diversity of 

viewpoints and considerations that go 

into making good technical solutions 

for NASA.”

In accordance with NASA policy statements on diversity and equal 

opportunity, the Ames Diversity and 

Equal Opportunity Board (DEOB) 

was reestablished in the spring of 

2005. The DEOB is chaired by the 

center director and its membership is 

comprised of all directorate heads, the 

director of diversity and equal oppor- tunity, the chief counsel, the director of 

human capital, a representative from 

the Ames Federal Employees Union, 

and a representative from each of the 

Ames employee advisory groups. 

The responsibilities of the DEOB 

members are extensive. Members are 

Ames’ commitment to diversity demonstrated with DEOB

to maintain current knowledge and 

engage in continuous learning on 

diversity and EO issues and trends at 

the national level and at Ames. They 

must closely monitor the effects of 

such trends and issues at Ames and 

they must promote diversity and 

equal opportunity policies and help to 

demonstrate commitment to such poli- cies in all NASA programs, processes 

and practices at all levels throughout 

the center. 

In addition, members must assist 

in the development and implementa- tion of internal/external outreach programs to accomplish Ames’ diversity 

objectives and address unique centerwide diversity and equal opportunity 

problems and challenges that require 

center attention and make or implement recommendations for resolution. They must provide leadership 

to management and center employees 

on MD-715 requirements and provide 

leadership to center management 

when implementing plans for historically black colleges and universities, 

Hispanic-serving institutions, and 

tribal colleges and universities. They 

must also support efforts to ensure 

that minority and women-owned busi- ness enterprises have an opportunity 

to fully participate in the performance 

of NASA contracts. Finally, they must 

lead Ames’ efforts to assist individuals 

with disabilities by addressing architectural and communication barriers. 

In FY 2006, the DEOB demonstrated its commitment to diversity and 

equal opportunity through various important actions. The DEOB approved 

the Ames Diversity Implementation 

Plan, which will be put into practice at 

Ames over the next three years. The 

DEOB also has taken an active role 

in identifying barriers to equal op- portunity at Ames as is required by 

Management Directive 715. The DEOB 

is currently looking into barriers that 

impede the inclusion of women and 

minorities in the SES employment 

program. In addition, the DEOB has 

continued on page 10
 Astrogram January 2007

you want to take pictures of dunes or 

dust tracks, then you should suggest 

aeolian processes as a science theme. 

The suggestion will then be ranked by 

priority by the HiRISE team members 

responsible for that science theme,” 

Gulick said.

The site also will provide a way 

for users to browse, zoom and view 

extremely large HiRISE images 

overlaid with other Mars data such as 

elevation, latitude and longitude and 

mineral and infrared data.

“For students and educators, we 

currently have coloring books for 

younger children, comic books geared 

Computer screens to be virtual NASA spaceship windows over Mars

continued from page 2

by John Bluck

for middle and high school students 

and activity books for kindergarten 

through sophomore college level,” Gulick observed. “These books will teach 

students more about Mars, and also 

help them learn how to make a good 

image suggestion,” she continued.

HiRISE educational materials 

comply with national science standards, and there are teacher guides for 

each activity book. The guides contain 

answers and solutions for each activity 

and background material.

“We want to share this excellent 

resource with everybody,” Deardorff 

added. “It is called the ‘people’s camera’ by the team,” he explained.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 

operated by the California Institute 

of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., 

manages the Mars Exploration Rover 

and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter 

missions for the NASA Office of Space 

Science, Washington, D.C. The Lunar 

and Planetary Lab, University of Arizona, includes the HiRISE operations 

center, where researchers plan and 

process images. The HiRISE camera 

was designed, assembled and tested at 

Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp. 

Boulder, Colo.

Bradford Alden Evans, former 

public information official at NASA 

Ames, died Nov. 27, 2006, in South- ern Pines, N.C. He was 88. 

Evans was born in Boston and 

raised in the San Francisco area. He 

graduated from the College of San 

Mateo and earned his bachelor’s 

and master’s degrees with honors 

from Boston University. He also 

graduated from the Air Force Command and Staff College. 

During World War II, Evans 

served in the North African and ItalRemus N. Bretoi was born April 9, 1925 and passed away on Dec. 28, 

2006. A family funeral and inter- ment has taken place in Minnesota. 

A memorial service was held in 

January in Los Altos. Bretoi earned his bachelor of 

science degree in aeronautical 

engineering from the University of 

Minnesota in 1945 and a master of 

science degree in the same discipline 

in 1946. He played football for the 

Uhiversity of Minnesota Gophers. He worked for 18 years with Minneapolis Honeywell, and for 30 

years at NASA. His first job with 

NASA was at the newly formed 

Electronics Research Center (ERC) 

in Cambridge, Mass., across the 

street from MIT. The ERC opened 

in September 1964 and served to 

develop the space agency’s in-house 

expertise in electronics during the 

In memory of . . .

ian campaigns and was the commanding officer of the 96th ‘Red Devils’ 

Squadron of the 2nd Bombardment 

Group. He commanded and was the 

lead pilot of the Mediterranean Allied 

Air Force bombing of the historic 

Monte Cassino monastery in Italy. He 

was awarded the Distinguished Flying 

Cross for his role in the mission. 

Evans also served tours of duty 

in the Pentagon as a planning officer, 

in Korea on the United Nations staff 

at the Panmunjom truce talks and in 

Cape Canaveral, Fla., as an international relations officer. He retired 

from the Air Force with the rank of 

lieutenant colonel.

Evans then joined Ames as a 

public information officer in 1962. 

Ames colleagues remember him as an 

outgoing man who led the center’s 

new efforts in public affairs during 

the decade when preparations for the 

nation’s moon landing were at their 

peak.

Evans is survived by his wife of 

53 years, Dorothy; and a son, Bradford, of Woodside, Calif.

Bradford A. Evans, former Ames public information officer

Apollo era. The ERC was closed in 

1970 and Bretoi transferred to NASA 

Ames. At Ames he had several roles, 

including chief of the Avionics Research Branch, head of a division 

advanced planning team, and he later 

did work in human factors for human 

space flight. He received an MBA degree from Golden Gate University in 

1979. He was a long-time, enthusiastic 

member of the Toastmasters group at 

Ames. Bretoi retired from NASA in 

1997.

He is considered a pioneer in the 

field of flight control. He was a 60-year 

member of the American Institute of 

Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is 

survived by his wife, Yvonne, of 53 

years, sons Christopher, Stephen and 

Kim, daughter Anita (Ralston), seven 

grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and sisters Viorica Hawley and 

Elena Bretoi. Memorials to the UniverRemus Bretoi, former avionics research branch chief

Remus Bretoi

sity of Minnesota Institute of Technology, or to St. Stefan’s Romanian 

Orthodox Church in South St. Paul, 

Minn., are suggested.
 Astrogram January 2007

The rest of the program covered 

the ‘Life, Dream and Legacy of Dr. 

King.’ Kicking off the ‘life’ portion of 

the presentation, Fay Farrow of Code 

CS painted a vivid picture of King’s 

life including time before the civil 

rights movement. Sheila Johnson of 

Code EX continued by sharing information on the life of King’s wife, 

Coretta Scott King. Both speeches were 

recited while a picture of the young 

Martin and Coretta was displayed in 

the background. Darlene Gross commented, “The impact this presentation 

had on me was that I learned more 

about Martin Luther King and Coretta 

and the messages they shared and it 

will stay with me longer and in a new 

way.”

The ‘dream’ portion of the 

program was narrated by Leticha 

Hawkins of Code HRM, while displaying a picture of one of King’s 

many arrests. Kevin Jones, AAAG 

chair, Code TNE, read parts of King’s 

letter from the Birmingham jail to his 

fellow clergymen. The screen was 

changed to show a photo of the March 

on Washington, and then Ernest 

Jennings delivered King’s ‘I have a 

Dream Speech.’ Two months to the 

day before King was assassinated, he 

delivered ‘The Drum Major’s Instinct’ 

sermon, which was read by Terrence 

Montgomery. Many say this sermon 

was King’s own eulogy. Afterwards, 

Marion Brewer sang a soulful rendition of ‘Precious Lord, Take My Hand.’ 

The audience’s emotions were running 

high and tears flowing, as participants 

were taken back to 1968 by the poignantly delivered dramatic readings 

and heartfelt vocal.

During the last segment of the 

program, the ‘legacy’ of Dr. King, 

David Morse, Code E, shared news 

of a groundbreaking ceremony held 

in celebration of a national King 

memorial being built in Washington, 

D.C. Situated across the water from 

the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and 

near the Washington Monument and 

Lincoln Memorial, construction is 

already under way with an anticipated 

completion in 2008. For more information about the King Memorial, including a virtual tour and pictures of the 

groundbreaking, visit the Internet at 

http://www.mlkmemorial.org. 

After the event, Morse conveyed 

the following: “I’ve seen a lot of 

events, but this was one of the most 

inspirational and best executed that I 

have ever seen, at Ames or anywhere. 

I feel truly privileged and proud to 

have been asked to participate.”

The program concluded with a 

brief closing by Jones, during which 

he thanked the AAAG event planning 

committee and the many supporters 

that made this event so successful. 

Thanks to the Ames Exchange and 

Ames Softball League, participants enjoyed refreshments in the lobby while 

viewing more photos of King’s life, 

dream and legacy. Karen Bradford of 

Code D wrote, “This truly was the best 

presentation I have seen in the past 7 

years I have been at Ames, and one of 

the best seen in my 18-plus years with 

the government.”

For those unable to attend the 

Martin Luther King program, a DVD 

capturing the event will be available 

shortly on the AAAG Web site located 

at: http://eo.arc.nasa.gov//AAAG/

indexnw.htm

Inspirational program celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King held at Ames

continued from front page

by Kevin Jones

Astronaut Jeff Williams spoke 

at Ames in January, briefing 

the Ames community about 

Expedition 13 and the two Ames 

experiments. One of the experiments was Fungal Pathogenesis, 

Tumorigenesis, and Effects of 

Host Immunity in Space (FIT), 

which studied the susceptibility 

to fungal infection, progression 

of radiation-induced tumors and 

changes in immune function in 

sensitized Drosophila, or fruit 

flies; and the other was Analysis 

of a Novel Sensory Mechanism in 

Root Phototropism (Tropi), which 

observed the growth and collected 

samples of plants sprouted from 

seeds. By analyzing the samples 

at a molecular level, researchers 

gain insight on what genes are 

responsible for successful plant 

growth in microgravity. Williams 

served as the NASA science officer 

on the expedition that lasted from 

March - September 2006.

Astronaut Jeff Williams speaks at Ames

NASA photo by Tom Trower
 Astrogram January 2007

The NASA Engineering and Safety 

Center (NESC) Academy offered its 

fifth knowledge-capture 

course ‘Human Factors: 

Learning from the Past 

and Looking to the Future 

with Dr. Cynthia Null 

and Colleagues.’ Thirtytwo students gathered in 

the Science Technology I 

Building at George Mason 

University in Fairfax, Va., 

recently to participate in 

this unique learning experience. 

Null, the NESC discipline expert (NDE) for 

this course, assembled a 

diverse team of experts in 

the field of human factors. 

Topics included human 

characteristics and capabilities, development of in-space systems, 

engineering new systems, procedure 

development, maintenance and manufacturing, lessons learned from mishap 

investigations, control center design 

and ground operations.

Null’s human factors course became available in late January 2007 as 

an online Web-based course for those 

interested in taking it in a self-paced 

mode. The four previous courses, 

given by Henry Rotter (Active Thermal Control and Life Support Systems), George Hopson (Space Propulsion Systems), Robert Kichak (Power 

and Avionics) and Cornelius Dennehy 

(Satellite Attitude Control Systems), 

are also currently available online. StuJoel Lachter of the Human Systems Integration Division and Jetstream 

Toastmasters was the winner of the Toastmasters District 4 Humorous Contest 

held recently with more than 100 people in attendance. District 4 Toastmasters 

covers the area from San Francisco to Monterey and has more than 200 clubs. 

Lachter competed at the club, area and division contests to reach the district 

level contest, where he competed with seven other speakers. Lachter said shortly 

after winning the contest, “I can hardly believe that I won this contest. I always 

had a reputation as a pretty poor speaker and suddenly I am giving a speech 

and people loved it.”

Come visit Jetstream Toastmasters and see how Toastmasters can help you with 

your speaking, listing, thinking and leadership skills. Jetstream Toastmasters, 

a member of Toastmaster International, is an Exchange-supported club that 

meets in Bldg. N-269, conference room 179, every Monday from 12 noon to 

1 p.m. The very supportive, low-pressure atmosphere in the meetings is very 

conducive to improving one’s speaking abilities. The photo shows Joel Lachter, 

second from right, with trophy, along with three other club members from,left 

to right, Miwa Hayashi, club president; Etta Rosamond and Frank Chang. All 

Ames staff are cordially invited to attend the meetings.

Because of security reasons, access to geographic 

information system (GIS) via the Web is temporarily suspended. For services, please contact 

Charlie Tonda at ext. 4-5003. 

NESC Academy delivers course on human factors

dents may register for these courses on 

the NESC Academy Web site located 

at http://www.nescacademy.org.

Null currently serves as the NDE 

for human factors at NESC. Since 

1997, she has been the base research 

and technology program manager for 

aviation operating systems at Ames. 

Prior to coming to NASA, she served 

as executive director for the Federation of Behavioral, Psychological and 

Cognitive Sciences and as an associate 

professor at the College of William 

and Mary. 

The NESC Academy was established to capture, share and preserve 

the lifetimes of experience and knowledge of NASA’s senior scientists and 

engineers; to guide the next generation of NASA scientists and engineers 

The recent graduating class from the fifth course, “Human Factors: Learning from 

the Past and Looking to the Future with Dr. Cynthia Null and Colleagues.,’ was 

held recently in FairFax, Va. The courses are sponsored by the NASA Engineering 

and Safety Center.

as they develop expertise in technical 

problem solving; and to foster interest 

in NASA careers. NESC, the 

National Institute of Aerospace, and CIBER partner to 

design, develop and deliver 

these three-day classroom 

experiences led by selected 

NDEs.

The Academy will offer a 

total of 11 courses by September 2008, each focusing on a 

specific discipline area, such 

as flight sciences, propulsion, robotic operations, and 

materials. The next course is 

scheduled for March 12-15, 

2007, and features Michael 

Aguilar and colleagues on the 

topic of software. For more 

information about the NESC 

Academy, please visit http://

www.nescacademy.org.

Ames’ Joel Lachter wins district Toastmasters’ contest

by Marsha Gibson, NESC
 Astrogram January 2007

Ames Ongoing Monthly Events Calendar

 Safety Data 

 NASA-Ames Occupational

 Illness-Injury Data for 

 Calendar Year-to-Date 2006

 Jan. 1, 2006 – Dec. 31, 2006

 Civil Contractors

 Servants

 

 First aid cases 16 21

 Lost Workday cases 0 6

 Recordable cases 3 11

 Restricted duty days 0 0

 Above data are as of 12/31/06. 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. Bylaws 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 N-229/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, Committee 

Room. POC: Chris Johnson, ext. (650) 938-

8017.

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 (March 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.

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 

Dec. 2006 is shown below.

Protective Services monthly activity
 Astrogram January 2007

Ames Classifieds Exchange Information

Beyond Galileo Gift Shop N-235 in 

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

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

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

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

Visitor Center Gift Shop N-943 

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

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

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

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 astrogram@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 aforementioned 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.

Child Care: We are interested in sharing an 

infant slot at the Ames Child Care Center beginning around March, 2007. Our baby only needs 

the day care two days per week and the other 

three would be available to your infant. Other 

arrangements may be possible. The Ames Child 

Care Center currently charges $610 every two 

weeks for full time care (5 days/week). If interested, please call Jolene or Jay at (408) 720-1417.

Time share for sale. Club Tahoe at Incline Village, Nevada week 19 runs May 13-20 one week, 

Sunday to Sunday. Sleeps six, has two bedrooms 

two baths and a loft. Fully furnished, dishes, 

linens, towels, fireplace, etc. Unit 79. Asking 

$4,500 or B/O. Call (408) 973-1842 or e-mail: 

citwox@comcast.net

Trundle bed and pullout, $245. Cover and pillows included. Call (650) 339-9375. See http://

home.comcast.net/~aqkua/trundle/ for pics.

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

of slopes, close to lifts. Per night: $250, plus $145 

cleaning fee. Two night minimum. Includes linens, 

propane fireplace, fully equipped. Call (650) 968-

4155, DBMcKellar@aol.com

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, $2,000/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.

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.

Short term house rental from July 8 to Dec. 10, 

2007. Fully furnished 5 bd/2 ba house. Includes 

gardener, membership in swim/tennis club 

around the corner. Quiet street. Beautiful garden. 8 minutes to Ames. $2,500 monthly. Call 

(650) 494-6492.

Housing
10 Astrogram January 2007

National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration

PLEASE RECYCLE

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

FIRST-CLASS

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

PERMIT NO. 85

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA

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

scientists understand how spaceflight 

affects the human body. GeneSat-1’s 

onboard micro-laboratory includes 

sensors and optical systems that can 

detect proteins that are the products of 

specific genetic activity. 

Biological data returned so far 

have exceeded the project’s pre-launch 

success criteria, according to GeneSat-1 lead biologist Macarena Parra. 

“Throughout the experiment, the 

temperature remained constant and all 

systems functioned properly to record 

our required data,” Parra said. 

Researchers will further analyze 

GeneSat-1’s on-board systems during the remaining life of the satellite, 

according to Bruce Yost, the GeneSat-1 

mission manager.

“We plan to conduct a number of 

engineering tests and evaluations to 

increase our confidence in the GeneSat 

platform,” Yost said. “In the next few 

weeks, we will hand over the GeneSat1 spacecraft to Santa Clara University, 

Santa Clara, Calif., for use as a training 

tool for future aerospace engineers.” 

GeneSat-1 will reenter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up before the end 

of the year.

“Our partnership with the Santa 

Clara University mission operations 

team has surpassed all of our expectations with their level of performance 

and professionalism,” Hines said. 

“This is the first NASA mission to be 

operated by a student-based team; 

they worked around the clock and 

over a holiday break to complete our 

primary mission. It was a remarkable 

success,” Hines added.

“Having students apply their 

engineering knowledge and skills in 

compelling, real-world applications 

is a critical component of our robotics 

program,” said Professor Chris Kitts of 

Santa Clara University. “Our partnership with NASA on the GeneSat-1 

mission is a great example of this. SCU 

students are an integral part of an 

exciting, cutting-edge space mission, 

and they are gaining valuable experience in applying their engineering 

skills within the context of a diverse, 

interdisciplinary team,” Kitts added.

“We are looking forward to flying 

more small satellites,” Hines concluded.

The Small Spacecraft Office at 

NASA Ames teamed with industry 

and local universities to develop 

GeneSat’s fully automated, miniature 

spaceflight system that provides life 

support for small living things. 

Genesat shows small satellites can deliver big science

continued from front page

by John bluck

by Gabriella Gannon

demonstrated its support for the as- sistance of individuals with disabili- ties by asking Ames Center Director S. 

Pete Worden to request that all NASA 

Research Park participants consider 

architectural barriers when building or 

remodeling existing structures in the 

NASA Research Park. The DEOB also 

approved a recruitment plan that will 

take into consideration the targeted 

recruitment of women and minorities 

for employment at Ames beginning in 

FY 2007.

Ames’ commitment to diversity

continued from page 4

As the DEOB moves into FY 2007, 

it continues to foster a workforce 

culture at Ames that is built on trust, 

respect, teamwork, communication, 

empowerment and commitment in 

an environment free from discrimination. The DEOB meetings are an open 

forum and welcome employees to 

bring any concerns or questions. For 

additional information about meetings 

or to ask to be placed on the agenda, 

please contact Barbara Miller at ext. 

4-0783.