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

June 2008

www.nasa.gov

Page 2 - NASA develops world’s highest

 resolution visualization system

Page 4 - Ames Team wins Collier Trophy

Page 5 - Presidential/NASA Honor awards

Page 6 - Space Act Awards presented

Page 13 - Classifieds

On the Inside . . .

NASA and Google Inc. announced 

on June 4 plans to develop a new hightechnology campus at NASA Ames.

Under the terms of the 40-year 

agreement, Google will lease 42.2 

acres of unimproved land in NASA 

Research Park at Ames to construct 

up to 1.2 million square feet of offices 

and research and development (R&D) 

facilities in a campus-style setting.

"With this new campus, we will 

establish a new era of expanded 

collaboration with Google that will 

further enhance our Silicon Valley connections," said Ames Center Director 

S. Pete Worden. 

"This major expansion of NASA 

Research Park supports NASA's 

mission to lead the nation in space 

exploration, scientific discovery and 

aeronautics research." 

"This long-term lease agreement is 

a key component of Google's strategy 

for continued growth in Silicon Valley," said David Radcliffe, Google's 

vice president of real estate and 

workplace services. "We believe this 

collaboration between Google, NASA 

and the city of Mountain View is 

emblematic of the mutually beneficial 

partnerships that can be created between the public and private sectors."

Under the terms of this enhanceduse lease (EUL), Google will pay 

NASA an initial base rent of $3.66 

million per year. This rate is based on 

appraisals establishing fair market 

value of the land. NASA will use the 

proceeds to cover the full cost of the 

lease and the balance may be used for 

capital revitalization and improvements of the real property assets at 

Ames.

The 40-year lease provides for periodic escalations and adjustments of 

NASA, Google announce lease at Ames Research Center by Michael Mewhinney

continued on page 8

Conditions on the moon will be 

harsher, but prototype NASA robotic 

vehicles braved sand storms and 

unprecedented temperature swings 

this month on sand dunes near Moses 

Lake, Wash., to prepare for future 

lunar expeditions. Teams from seven 

NASA centers and several universities 

conducted the tests from June 2-13.

“The goal was to gain hands-on 

experience with specific technical 

challenges anticipated when humans 

NASA tests lunar robots and 

spacesuits on Earthly moonscape by Kelly Humphries and Rachel Prucey return to the moon by 2020, be

to explore the lunar surface, and set 

up outposts,” said Test Director Bill 

Bluethmann of NASA’s Johnson Space 

Center in Houston. continued on page 11

NASA gathered some of its most promising new concepts for living and working on the surface of the 

moon for a series of field tests at Moses Lake sand dunes, Wash., in early June. Robots, rovers and 

lunar planners simulated luanr exploration, site serverys and outpost construction.

NASA photo by Sean Smith

NASA and Google recently signed a 40-year 

lease agreement for Google to use 42.2 acres of 

land at Ames’ NASA Research Park. Above is 

an overview of the area, top left corner, where 

Google will construct up to 1.2 million square 

feet of offices and R&D facilities. Photo courtesy Google
2 Astrogram June 2008

The power to visualize highly 

complex information in a way that’s 

easier for the human mind to grasp is 

taking a giant leap forward with the 

advent of NASA’s new hyperwall-2 

system unveiled June 25 at Ames.

 Developed by scientists and 

engineers in the NASA Advanced 

Supercomputing (NAS) Division at 

Ames, the 128-screen hyperwall-2, capable of rendering one quarter billion 

pixel graphics, is the world’s highest 

resolution scientific visualization and 

data exploration environment. The 

new tool enables scientists to quickly 

explore datasets that otherwise would 

take many years to analyze.

 The 23-foot-wide by 10-foot-tall 

liquid crystal display wall is being 

used to view, analyze and communicate results from NASA’s high-fidelity 

modeling and simulation projects 

supporting the safety of new space exploration vehicle designs, atmospheric 

re-entry analysis for the space shuttle, 

earthquakes, climate change, global 

weather and black hole collisions. 

 “The hyperwall-2 offers a supercomputer-scale environment that is 

truly up to the task of visualization 

and exploration of the very large 

datasets routinely produced by NASA 

supercomputers and instruments,” 

said Bryan Biegel, NAS deputy chief. 

“The system also will be used to get 

highly detailed information on how 

NAS supercomputers are operating, 

enabling staff to quickly and precisely 

diagnose problems or inefficiencies 

with the supercomputers or the software running on them.”

 Designed and developed by the 

NAS visualization team in partnership 

with Colfax International, Sunnyvale, 

the system is powered by 128 graphics 

processing units and 1,024 processor 

cores, with 74 teraflops (one teraflop 

equals one trillion floating point operations per second) of peak processing power and a data storage capacity 

of 475 terabytes (one terabyte equals 

one trillion bytes). The hyperwall-2 

allows researchers to quickly determine trends across an array of related 

simulation results, or to view a single 

NASA develops world’s highest resolution visualization system by Michael Mewhinney and Jill Dunba

large image or animation. It would 

take nearly 600 video game consoles 

to equal the hyperwall-2’s graphics 

processing capabilities.

 “We are proud to continue partnering with NAS as it offers advanced, 

innovative solutions for high-performance computing,” said Gautam 

Shah, chief executive officer, Colfax 

International. “As NASA Ames successfully responds to support the 

visualization and data analysis needs 

of researchers to maximize the understanding of scientific results, Colfax 

International is pleased to be part of 

the hyperwall-2 visualization cluster 

project,” Shah added. Colfax previously built a “mini” hyperwall for NAS 

used for demonstrations at national 

conferences.

 With a direct, high-speed connection from the supercomputers at NAS, 

including the Columbia supercomputer, hyperwall-2 will enable NASA to 

meet its increasing needs for advanced 

visualization and analysis of large, 

high-dimensional simulation results.

 With more than 100 times the processing power of the original 49-screen 

hyperwall developed in 2002 by the 

NAS visualization team, hyperwall-2 

will be integrated with the team’s 

software tools. This includes a state-ofthe-art concurrent visualization framework to provide NASA scientists and 

engineers with ultra-high resolution 

images and videos to explore results of 

their research and analysis. 

For more about the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division, 

visit:http://www.nas.nasa.gov NASA photos by Eric James

Timothy "Tim" Sandstrom, of Computer Sciences 

Corporation seen here operating the 128-screen 

hyperwall-2, which has the ability to render one 

quarter billion pixel graphics and is the world’s 

highest resolution scientific visualization and data 

exploration environment.
3 Astrogram June 2008

Engineering teams are 

conducting final checkouts of 

the Lunar CRater Observation 

and Sensing Satellite, known 

as LCROSS, that will take a 

significant step forward in the 

search for water on the moon.

The mission's main objective is to confirm the presence 

or absence of water ice in a 

permanently shadowed crater 

near a lunar polar region. 

A major milestone, thermal 

vacuum testing of the LCROSS 

spacecraft, was completed June 

5 at the Northrop Grumman facility in Redondo Beach, Calif.

To simulate the harsh 

conditions of space, technicians 

subjected the spacecraft to 13.5 

days of heating and cooling 

cycles during which temperatures reached as high as 230 

degrees Fahrenheit and as low 

as minus 40 degrees. Previous 

testing for the LCROSS spacecraft included acoustic vibration tests. Those tests simulated launch conditions and 

checked mating of connection 

points to the Atlas V rocket's 

Centaur upper stage and the 

adapter ring for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, known as LRO.

The satellite currently is undergoing final checkout tests. After all tests 

are complete, the LCROSS spacecraft will be prepared for delivery 

to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in 

Florida for launch processing and integration onto the Atlas V as a secondary payload to LRO. Both spacecraft 

are scheduled to launch from Kennedy 

in late 2008.

"The spacecraft steadily has taken 

shape since Ames delivered the science payload in January," said Daniel 

Andrews, LCROSS project manager 

at Ames. "It is a testament to the hard 

work, perseverance and expertise of 

the NASA and Northrop Grumman 

teams that the spacecraft has completed these critical tests ahead of 

schedule."

Moon-bound NASA spacecraft passes major preflight tests by Jonas Din

The Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite is gently maneuvered into the Thermal Vacuum Chamber at 

the Northrop Grumman Facility, Redondo Beach, Calif. During the tests, the spacecraft was subjected to heating and 

cooling cycles to simulate the harsh conditions in outer space. Thermal Vacuum is the final milestone before being 

certified for space flight.

NASA photos courtesy Northrop Grumman

After launch, the LCROSS spacecraft and the Atlas V's Centaur upper 

stage rocket will execute a fly-by of 

the moon and enter into an elongated 

Earth orbit to position the satellite for 

impact on a lunar pole. On final approach, the spacecraft and the Centaur 

will separate. The Centaur will strike 

the surface of the moon, creating a 

debris plume that will rise above the 

surface. Four minutes later, LCROSS 

will fly through the debris plume, collecting and relaying data back to Earth 

before impacting the lunar surface and 

creating a second debris plume. Scientists will observe both impacts from 

Earth to gather additional information.

LCROSS is a fast-paced, low-cost 

mission that is leveraging existing 

NASA systems, commercial-off-theshelf components and the spacecraft 

design and development expertise of 

integration partner Northrop Grumman Space Technologies. The LCROSS 

and LRO missions are components 

of the Lunar Precursor Robotic Program at NASA's Marshall Space Flight 

Center, Huntsville, Ala. The program 

manages pathfinding robotic missions to the moon for the Exploration 

Systems Mission Directorate at NASA 

Headquarters in Washington.

For more information about the 

Lunar Crater Observing and Sensing 

Satellite, visit: http://lcross.arc.nasa.

gov. 

For an overview of the Lunar CRater 

Observation and Sensing Satellite 

(LCROSS) colloquium presented by 

Jennifer Heldmann, see page 4.
4 Astrogram June 2008

NASA is part of a team that 

received one of the most prestigious 

awards in aviation on June 12.

Judges for the Robert J. Collier 

Trophy, awarded by the National 

Aeronautic Association, chose the 

Automatic Dependent SurveillanceBroadcast, or ADS-B, team of public 

and private groups to receive the 

2007 honor.

Instead of relying on radar, ADSB uses Global Positioning System 

satellite information to give pilots 

and controllers highly accurate 

traffic data, as well as displays that 

update in real time. The system also 

will give pilots access to weather 

services, terrain maps and flight information services. Government and 

industry leaders have worked for 

more than a decade to develop and 

implement this technology for the 

NASA Ames team wins celebrated Collier Trophy by Jonas Dino next generation of air traffic management

According to the selection committee, “ADS-B is a ground-breaking 

effort for next-generation airborne 

surveillance and cockpit avionics. Its 

implementation will have a broad 

impact on the safety, capacity and 

efficiency of the national airspace 

system.”

Researchers at NASA’s Ames and 

NASA’s Langley Research Center, 

Hampton, Va., were part of the extensive team that developed and tested 

ADS-B.

“NASA is proud to have been a 

part of ADS-B research and development,” said Karlin Roth Toner, 

Airspace Systems Program director 

for the Aeronautics Research Mission 

Directorate at NASA’s Headquarters 

in Washington. “This is the kind of 

research NASA specializes in and 

that will help transform the air traffic control system to satisfy future 

traffic demands.”

Established in 1911, the Collier 

Trophy is awarded for “the greatest 

achievements in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect 

to improving the performance, 

efficiency and safety of air or space 

vehicles, the value of which has 

been thoroughly demonstrated by 

actual use during the preceding 

year.”

The trophy has been given to 

many of America’s greatest aerospace pioneers, including Orville 

Wright and Neil Armstrong.

This is the 21st time research 

and development projects that 

included NASA or its predecessor agency, the National Advisory 

Committee for Aeronautics, have 

received a Collier Trophy.

Recently, Jennifer Heldmann 

presented a Director’s Colloquium 

Heldmann presents updates to the LCROSS mission

entitled, “Prospecting for Water Ice 

on the Moon: NASA’s Lunar CRater NASA photo by Eric James

Jennifer Heldmann spoke recently at the center about the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing 

Satellite (LCROSS) Mission, giving an overview of the mission goals as well as updates to the 

mission. 

Observation and Sensing Satellite 

(LCROSS) Mission. 

Heldmann is a scientist in the 

Space Science and Astrobiology Division at Ames. Her current research 

interests lie in studying the Earth, 

moon and Mars. For the LCROSS mission she serves on the science team, 

payload team and as the observation 

campaign coordinator. 

LCROSS is scheduled for launch 

in late 2008 and seeks to confirm the 

presence or absence of water ice in a 

permanently shadowed crater near 

one of the moon’s poles. The mission 

is managed by NASA’s Ames Research 

Center in cooperation with Ames’ 

spacecraft and integration partner, 

Northrup-Grumman. 

Heldmann gave an overview for 

the rationale and goals for the mission, mission design and opportunities 

for observations as well as provided 

updates on site selection activities and 

progress on the coordination of the 

ground-and space-based observation 

campaign. She also highlighted Ames 

activities supporting the mission.
5 Astrogram June 2008

NASA Ames employees were 

honored this month during the 2008 

Presidential Rank and NASA Honor 

Awards Ceremony held in the main 

auditorium (Bldg. N-201). 

Ames presented Presidential 

Rank and NASA Honor Awards to 

34 employees who were selected for 

individual awards, and to the managers of the 23 groups that were selected 

for the NASA Group Achievement 

Award. The names of the honorees are 

listed below. 

2008 Presidential Rank and 

NASA Honor Awards

Presidential Rank of Meritorious 

Senior Professional 

Daniel J. Rasky 

Presidential Rank of Meritorious 

Executive 

Lewis S.G. Braxton III 

Thomas A. Edwards 

Carol J. Russo 

Distinguished Service Medal 

Bernard Laub 

Equal Employment 

Opportunity Medal 

Laura W. Doty 

Michel Liu 

Exceptional Achievement Medal 

Thomas S. Alderete 

Soheila Dianati 

Douglas R. Fraser 

Susan A. Kalb 

Thomas R. Norman 

Mark Sumich 

Marilyn Vasques 

Jerry C. Yan 

Exceptional Administrative 

Achievement Medal 

Linda S. Hellman 

Exceptional Engineering 

Achievement Medal 

Robert E. McMurray 

Michael J. Wright 

Exceptional Public Service Medal 

Gregory W. Condon 

Shelleen Lomas 

Kristina Skokova 

Exceptional Service Medal 

Mark A. Beskind 

Dean P. Giovannetti 

Kalmanje S. Krishnakumar 

Teresa L. Kurtz 

Lawrence E. Olson 

Sherri A. Shore 

Thomas N. Trower 

Alexander M. Valdez 

Outstanding Leadership Medal 

Vincent Albert 

Thomas A. Edwards 

James J. Reuther 

Michael G. Skidmore 

Carol R. Stoker 

Group Achievement Award 

Ames STS-118 Aerothermal

 Analysis Team 

Ames Unitary RAM Block II

 Wind Tunnel Test Team 

CBTM-02 Animal Enclosure 

 Module Team

Constellation Enabled Mission: NEO 

Constellation PRACA Team 

Foton-M3 Payload Team 

2008 Presidential Rank and NASA Honor Awards presented

Human-Robot Site Survey Project

 Team 

Joint Flight Demonstration Test

 (JFDT) Team 

Lunar Lander Handling Qualities

 Simulation Team 

Mariana Development Team 

MSL Heatshield Team 

NAS Facilities Engineering Team 

NAS Security Team 

NASA Ames Disaster Assistance 

 & Rescue Team 

NASA Ames Reimbursable

 Realignment Team 

NASA Supercomputing Support

 Services SEB 

SPEGIS Project Team 

TOOWiLD Team 

Tropical Composition, Cloud and

 Climate Coupling 

Wildfire Research and Applications 

 Partnership

 

Public Service Group 

Achievement Award 

ELORET CEV and MSL Team 

Planners Collaborative, Inc. 

UARC Team 

One NASA Peer Award 

Ares 1 Aerodynamics Team 

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

Awardees at the 2008 Presidential Rank and NASA Honor Awards Ceremony held at Ames in mid June.
6 Astrogram June 2008

The FY 2008 Space Act Board 

Award ceremony was held at Ames 

on June 18. Space Act Board Awards 

are made by the NASA Inventions and 

Contributions Board based on their 

scientific or technical contributions 

sponsored, adopted, supported or 

used by NASA which are significant to 

aeronautics and space activities. For 

further information about the board, 

visit http://icb.nasa.gov/

The following Ames technologies 

and software programs were recognized at the ceremony:

ARC-12011, Process to Prepare 

Uniform Low Density Structural 

Ceramic Ablator Systems

Daniel Rasky, NASA ARC

Huy Tran, NASA ARC

William Henline, Retired

Ming-ta Hsu, Retired

Salvatore Riccittiello, Retired

ARC-14289, Real-Time Update of 

Fault-Test Dependencies of Dynamic 

Systems/A Comprehensive

Toolset for Model-Based Health 

Monitoring and Diagnostics

Somnath Deb, QSI

Sudipto Ghoshal, QSI

Venkat Malepati, QSI

Fang Tu, QSI

Charles Domagala, QSI

Roshan Shrestha, QSI

Krishna Pattipati, QSI

Ann Patterson-Hine, NASA ARC

Gordon Aaseng, NASA ARC

Dwight Sanderfer, NASA ARC

Eric Barszcz, NASA ARC

Michael Battaglia, NASA HQ

Carlos Garcia-Galen, NASA KSC

Jeremy Johnson, RIACS (ARC)

Peter Robinson, SAIC (ARC)

ARC-14652, 3D Laser Scanner

Joseph Lavelle, NASA ARC

Stefan Schuet, NASA ARC

ARC-15022, Data-Parallel Line 

Relaxation Code (DPLR)

Michael Wright, NASA ARC

David Hash, NASA ARC

James Brown, NASA ARC

Ryan McDaniel, NASA ARC

Matt MacLean, CUBRC

David Saunders, ELORET

Chun Tang, ELORET 

Kerry Trumble, ELORET 

ARC-15058, Inductive Monitoring 

System - System Health Monitoring 

Software that Learns System Behavior from Data (IMS)

David Iverson, NASA ARC

ARC-15568, Stochastic Electromagnetic Design And Optimization 

Method (ADSS: AI Software

That Automatically Designs And 

Optimizes Spacecraft Systems)

Jason Lohn, NASA ARC

Greg Hornby, UC Santa Cruz

Derek Linden, JEM Engineering, LLC 

Space Act Awards presented for scientific, technical contributions

ARC-15725, Software For Remote 

Monitoring And Training Of Human 

Physiological Responses

Patricia Cowings, NASA ARC

William Toscano, NASA ARC

Soumyadipta Acharya, John Hopkins

 University 

Nemath Syed Shah, Case Western

 Reserve 

Bruce Taylor, University of Akron

ARC-16025, Chimera Grid Tools 

(version 2.0)

William Chan, NASA ARC

Stuart Rogers, NASA ARC

Shishir Pandya, NASA ARC

Pieter Buning, NASA LaRC

Steven Nash, Sun Microsystems

Robert Meakin, US Army

David Boger, Penn State University NASA photos by Dominic Hart

Exceptional Space Act Board Award, 2007 NASA Software of the Year Co-Winners, for the software Data 

Parallel Line Relaxation Code (DPLR) version 3 were honored in June. Shown (left to right) front row 

are Kerry Trumble, David Hash and James Brown. Back row (left to right) are Michael Wright and David 

Saunders. Shown at right is Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden, who presented the awards. Team 

members not pictured are Matt MacLean, Ryan McDaniel and Chun Tang.

Huy Tran (center), recipient of 

the Exceptional Space Act Board 

Award, 2007 NASA Government 

Invention of the Year for "Light 

Weight Ceramic Ablators and 

Process of Making the Same," at 

the recent Space Act Board Award 

ceremony held at Ames. Next 

to Tran is Eugene Tu, director of 

Exploration (right) and Steven 

Zornetzer, associate director for 

Institutions and Research at Ames 

(left). Fellow awardees not pictured 

are Daniel Rasky, Ming-ta Hsu, 

William Henline and Salvatore 

Riccitiello.
7 Astrogram June 2008

Robert Wong of NASA Ames recently received the Federal Employees of the Year (FEYA), 

Trades and Crafts award. Wong coordinated and managed the maintenance of the facilities 

used for the evaluation of Shuttle Wing Leading Edge Repair concepts. He directs a staff of 

five engineering technicians at the center and his enthusiasm, dedication and attention to 

detail were crucial to the continued operation of the Arc Jet Facilities which were required 

for critical concept testing. From left to right, Federal Employees of the Year (FEYA) award 

judge Joanne Haggerty, Federal Executive Board chair Cathy Dunlap, Ames’ Robert Wong 

and FEYA judge David Coyle.

Des Marais named Fellow of American Geophysical Union

Wong honored with Federal Employees of the Year award

photo courtesy of Federal Executive Board

David Des Marais of the Exobiology Branch was recently elected Fellow 

of the American Geophysical Union. 

This honor is conferred upon not more 

than 0.1 percent of all AGU members 

in any given year. 

 Des Marais received his Ph.D. in 

geochemistry from Indiana University 

in 1974 and has been a staff scientist in 

exobiology at Ames since 1976. He has 

investigated the geochemistry of carbon in lunar samples, meteorites, oceanic basalts and ancient sediments. He 

currently studies the biogeochemistry 

of microbial communities in coastal 

marine environments and participates 

in missions searching for evidence 

of past habitable environments on 

Mars. Des Marais has authored or coauthored more than 160 peer-reviewed 

articles and book chapters. 

He has been the principal investigator of the Ames team of the NASA 

Astrobiology Institute since 1998. 

He is a lead for Long Term Planning 

with the Science Operations Working 

Group of NASA’s Mars Exploration 

Rover mission. He also is a member 

of the CRISM (infrared spectrometer) 

team of NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission and the CheMin 

team of NASA’s 2009 Mars Science 

Laboratory mission. He chaired and 

co-chaired the committees that revised 

the NASA Astrobiology Roadmap in 

2003 and 2008, respectively. 

 Des Marais was the first to realize 

that studies of carbon cycling over billions of years of Earth history would 

have to address exchanges of carbon 

between the crust and the mantle. 

Using novel techniques, he found that 

previously published analyses were 

inaccurate. His numerous followup papers are still widely cited and 

provide some of the best-available 

summaries of what can and cannot 

be said about the cycling of carbon in 

environments on early Earth.

 In addition to the American 

Geophysical Union, Des Marais also is 

a Fellow of the Geochemical Society, 

the European Association of Geochemistry, the International Society for the 

Study of the Origins of Life and the 

California Academy of Sciences.

David Des Marais of Ames recently was elected 

Fellow of the American Geophysical Union.

NASA photo

State Treasurer Bill Lockyer tours Ames

California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer recently toured Ames, visiting the Advanced Supercomputing Facility and Vertical Motion Simulator. Lockyer also discussed Earth Sciences with Ames 

Earth Science Division Chief Steve Hipskind. Seen here, at the Supercomputing facility during 

the tour are: Lockyer (second from left, back); Supercomputing Division Chief (Acting) Rupak 

Biswas (front middle); and Lockyer’s guests Peter Bynoe and Jim Reynolds.

photo by Nick Bonifas
8 Astrogram June 2008

rent. Google may extend the lease for 

three 10-year terms. After that, NASA 

and Google may agree to extend the 

lease two additional 10-year terms. If 

all extensions are exercised, the lease 

term will be a total of 90 years. NASA 

will retain control over the project during its construction phase, including 

approving the design, issuing building 

permits, conducting inspections and 

monitoring construction.

Construction will proceed in three 

phases. The first phase is planned to 

begin by the end of September 2013, 

the second phase by 2018 and the third 

by 2022. While the majority of the 

development will consist of office and 

R&D space, Google also plans to construct company housing and amenities 

such as dining, sports, fitness, child 

care, conference and parking facilities 

for its employees, as well as recreation 

and park facilities and infrastructure 

improvements for NASA's use.

This announcement is the latest 

in a series of collaborations dating 

back to September 2005, when NASA 

and Google announced plans to work 

together on a variety of technologyfocused R&D activities. NASA and 

Google signed a memorandum of understanding that year, launching negotiations for this development in NASA 

Research Park. Located at Ames, 

NASA Research Park is a world-class, 

shared-use educational and researchand-development campus.

Since signing the memorandum 

of understanding in 2005, NASA and 

Google have begun collaboration on 

several joint projects. The Planetary 

Content project develops software that 

makes it easier for the science community to publish planetary data via 

the Internet. This project has already 

provided high-resolution lunar imagery and maps to the Google MoonTM 

program and resulted in the "NASA" 

layer in Google Earth.

Similarly, the Global Connection project enhances the "National 

Geographic" layer in Google Earth 

by embedding geo-referenced stories 

and images from around the world. 

The Disaster Response project develops prototype software tools to help 

improve first response to large-scale 

natural disasters.

Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people 

around the world with information 

continued from front page every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford University Ph.D students Larry 

Page and Sergey Brin, Google today 

is a top web property in all major 

NASA, Google announce lease at Ames Research Center

markets. Google is headquartered in 

Silicon Valley with offices throughout 

the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Mathew Whalley, a researcher with the US Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate, presented an Aeronautics 

Technical Seminar June 19 at Ames entitled, “Design and Flight Test Results for a Hemispherical LADAR 

Developed to Support Unmanned Rotorcraft Urban Operations Research.” Whalley described his research 

about a newly developed hemispherical laser detection and ranging sensor. This research supports fieldtesting of algorithms for landing site selection and obstacle field navigation. Results for flight tests with a 

calibration target and obstacle field, and for mapping of a large structure were presented, as well as results 

for using the sensor in conjunction with previously developed autonomous landing site selection software. 

In addition to the LADAR results, he also gave a brief overview of the Autonomous Rotorcraft Project.

Whalley describes hemispherical laser 

detection and ranging sensor research

Jack Boyd, who currently serves as senior advisor to the Ames center director and senior advisor for history 

and also serves as the center Ombuds, recently presented a director’s colloquium entitled, “Reflections on 

NASA’s 50th Anniversary: The Giants on Whose Shoulders We Stood,” where he discussed the history of 

NASA and Ames.

Boyd discusses NASA’s past 50 yearsNASA photo by Dominic Hart NASA photo by Eric James
9 Astrogram June 2008

Members of the community got to see Mars 

up close and in 3-D when they visited the 

NASA tent at the Sunnyvale Art and Wine 

Festival June 7-8. Ames volunteers passed 

out 3-D glasses, discussed the Phoenix 

mission that recently landed on Mars, and 

shared information about the many contributions that NASA Ames has made to the 

agency over the past 50 years.

Thousands visit Ames’ interactive exhibit at local festival photo by Ernie Fretter photo by Todd Hartmann photos by Astrid Olson
10 Astrogram June 2008

If you haven’t played The Golf 

Club at Moffett Field lately, it’s definitely time to pay a return visit. You 

and your special guests are in for a 

real treat.

 The old course has undergone a 

major redesign that has thoroughly 

transformed the place. Gone are the 

pleasant but uniformly flat fairways 

that offered little more than a “walk 

in the park,” replaced by a course that 

offers variety, fun and a real golf challenge.

 After 18 months of renovation 

under the direction of the Ames 

Exchange Council, the old course has 

been modernized and upgraded. It 

now features meandering fairways, 

large sand features and elevated tees. 

Plus there is a terrific new practice 

area designed to improve your putting 

and chipping game, and refurbished 

and strategically located car paths that 

vastly improve access and transport. 

What hasn’t changed are the beautiful 

location and spectacular views that 

have always made the course a popular and attractive destination. Not to 

mention the red tail hawks, burrowing 

owls and vast array of other bird and 

animal species that make the place a 

veritable wildlife preserve.

 Playing the Golf Club at Moffett 

has never been easier. Federal employees and contractors, NASA partners 

Redesigned Moffett Field Golf Course challenges Ames golfers

By Betty Larson and David Morse and current and ex-military memb

can call ahead to the Golf Shop (650) 

603-8026 to reserve a tee time, learn 

access information and make arrangements for themselves and their special 

guests. Best of all, the course still offers old-world affordability with fees 

ranging from an incredibly low, super 

twilight rate of $10 to only $32 during 

peak weekend hours. Members of the 

military and federal employees and 

contractors are eligible for discounted 

rates during off-peak hours.

 In a twist of irony, the original, 

very-flat course was named the ‘Hill 

Course’ in honor of Captain Arthur 

S. Hill, the Commanding Officer at 

Moffett when the facility opened in 

1959. Designed by Bob E. Baldock, 

the course began life as a nine-hole 

venue before expanding to 18 holes 10 

years later. The recent renovations by 

renowned golf-course architect Algie 

Pulley have added an enhanced irrigation system, dramatically recontoured 

terrain, concrete car paths, bunker 

restoration and greens modification. 

The course remains at par 72, playing 

to a maximum of 6,517 yards from the 

challenging blue tees.

 The Golf Club at Moffett is the 

perfect venue for employee recreational activities, whether it’s a golf tournament or league, bucket of balls at the 

driving range, putting contest, barbeque, luncheon or after-work social. 

The golf course can host groups up to 

144 golfers for shotgun tournaments 

and fundraisers. All tournaments and 

special events can be booked up to one 

year in advance by calling sales and 

marketing director, Betty Larson, at 

(650) 254-1808. New Thursday afterwork, nine-hole scramble events for 

NASA employees, contractors, partners and invited guests, and a special 

Sunday afternoon program for retired 

Bay Area military golfers are being 

planned for the coming months.

 The club is a full-service venue 

that includes the 18-hole championship course, electric golf cars, restaurant, cocktail lounge, tax-free Golf 

Shop, outdoor deck, driving range and 

the new putting and chipping greens. 

Just opened in June, this practice area 

provides an ideal place to perfect challenging sand, chip and pitch shots. It 

can also be set up as a nine-hole chipand-putt course for special, fun events.

 The Golf Shop has an excellent 

selection of golf merchandise available at very reasonable prices. The 

selection includes men’s and women’s 

golf clubs, putters, apparel, shoes, golf 

balls and accessories, including handheld GPS systems, gloves and an array 

of NASA-logo items. Merchandise 

prices compete very favorably with 

golf retail stores or other local golf 

course shops. The Golf Shop has both 

demonstration and used clubs available for rent; it also offers golf club 

repair services.

 For those looking to relax and just 

take in the sights, the golf course dining room looks out on the new practice area and the tee for the tenth hole. 

It can be reserved to host after-work 

events for up to 100 people, as can the 

outdoor deck and gas barbeque, which 

are available for even larger parties. 

The recently renovated grill offers a 

varied menu and is open to the public 

for breakfast, lunch and snacks. Beer, 

wine, cocktails and appetizers can be 

purchased at the bar. All are offered at 

very reasonable prices.

 Come visit the Golf Club at Moffett Field real soon, before the “buzz’ 

gets out and tee times are at a premium. From general manager Mike 

Hill on down, you will find the entire 

staff very friendly and accommodating. And you don’t want to miss the 

exciting, new golf experience just 

waiting for you to come and take on 

the challenge.

NASA photo by Eric James

photo by Mike Hill

NASA photo by Eric James

Bottom left photo: this aerial view of The Golf 

Club at Moffett Field shows holes six and 

seven running parallel to the San Francisco 

Bay (on the right), with the dog leg of hole 

number eight running across the center, and 

holes two and three in the right and middle 

foreground. Top left photo: the bunkers and 

extended green of the new pitch-and-putt 

practice area are visible in the foreground 

set against the backdrop of the Clubhouse, 

Golf Shop and bar and grill. Top right photo: 

a small section of the extended selection of 

golf-related products and NASA merchandise 

available at very competitive prices at the 

Golf Shop is displayed.
11 Astrogram June 2008

NASA tests lunar robots and spacesuits on Earthly moonscape

NASA’s Human Robotic Systems 

Project, part of the agency’s Exploration Technology Development Program, focused on human and robotic 

mobility systems for the moon, but 

also looked at communication and 

command and control systems that 

will connect the explorers with Earth 

and each other. The Moses Lake dunes 

provided a wide variety of soil consistencies and terrain that allowed the 

team to put prototype scout robots, 

rovers, cargo carriers, cranes and 

spacesuits through tests in a harsh and 

changing environment.

The prototype tests will be used to 

inform developers of specific requirements needed in lunar surface support 

systems for the Constellation Program. 

The program is building the launch 

vehicles and spacecraft that will take 

a new generation of explorers to the 

moon, as well as lunar landers, habitats, life support systems, vehicles and 

robots to support them. A ground control team located thousands of miles 

away at Johnson operated the robots 

and coordinated the movements of the 

suited explorers.

NASA’s Ames tested two K10 

rovers that surveyed simulated lunar 

landing sites and built topographic 

and panoramic 3-D terrain models. 

One rover used a ground-penetrating 

radar to assess subsurface structures. 

The other used a 3-D scanning laser 

system known as LIDAR to create 

topographic maps. The scout robots 

are designed to perform highly repetitive and long-duration tasks, such as 

site mapping and science reconnaissance.

“It’s as close as we can get in a terrestrial environment to the lunar environment,” said Brian Wilcox, principle 

investigator for 

the All-Terrain 

Hex-Legged 

Extra-Terrestrial Explorer 

robot, known 

as ATHLETE, 

at NASA’s Jet 

Propulsion 

Laboratory 

(JPL) in Pasadena, Calif.

JPL tested 

two ATHLETE 

cargo-moving 

rovers. Each 

rover has six 

legs capable 

of rolling or 

walking over 

extremely 

rough or steep 

terrain. This 

will allow robotic or human 

missions on the 

surface of the moon to load, manipulate, deposit and transport payloads 

to desired sites. The team includes 

members from Johnson, Ames, Stanford University and the Boeing Co. of 

Chicago.

NASA’s Glenn Research Center 

in Cleveland, and Carnegie Mellon 

University of Pittsburgh tested an 

autonomous drilling rover that could 

be used to search for valuable resources under the lunar surface in the 

moon’s polar regions. The team also 

includes members from Ames, Johnson, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, 

the Canadian Space Agency and the 

Centre for Advanced Technology Inc. 

in Sudbury, Ontario.

Engineers from Johnson tested a 

crew mobility chassis prototype, or 

lunar truck, and advanced spacesuit 

designs that could be used to greatly 

expand the exploration range of human explorers. NASA’s new concept 

for a lunar truck was built in less than 

a year with unique features that allow 

each of its six wheels to move independently, giving the vehicle the ability to drive in any direction. Human 

drivers stood in turrets on the trucks 

that can pivot 360 degrees, contributing to easy steering.

To practice soil-moving techniques 

for the moon, Kennedy developed 

a bulldozing blade for the lunar 

truck, named the Lunar Attachment 

Node for Construction Excavation, 

or LANCE. A lightweight, composite 

technology such as LANCE will be 

used on the moon to clear landing 

pads and protect outposts from dust 

and debris generated by arriving 

spacecraft. The tests will help NASA 

evaluate the feasibility of excavating lunar soil, or regolith, for landing 

pads, blast protection berms, pathways, foundations and lunar operations areas.

NASA’s Langley Research Center of Hampton, Va., demonstrated a 

lunar surface crane that could be used 

to lift and reposition heavy cargo, 

including modules used for crew 

quarters. The Lunar Surface Manipulator System is a lightweight lifting 

and precision positioning device that 

could give astronauts a helping hand 

during early outpost construction and 

follow-on operations. The crane can 

be operated autonomously, remotely 

or manually in backup mode, and can 

be reconfigured to perform different 

tasks. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight 

Center of Greenbelt, Md., provided lunar payload mockups that were used 

with the lunar crane to demonstrate 

payload handling operations.

Participants in the June tests will 

evaluate their data and prepare for 

additional tests in October at another 

site, yet to be announced, with moonlike conditions.

For an image gallery and video 

from the tests, as well as more information about the work NASA is doing 

to return to the moon, visit: http://

www.nasa.gov/exploration

continued from front page

All-Terrain Hex-Legged Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (ATHLETE) robots, seen here 

during the recent Moses Lake demonstration in Washington state earlier this 

month, could be the RV of choice for future explorers. It’s mulii-wheeled dexterity 

could allow robots or humans to load, transport, manipulate and desposit payloads 

to essentially any desired site on the lunar surface. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory led a NASA-industry team to develop ATHLETE.

NASA photo by Sean Smith
12 Astrogram June 2008

Ames emergency 

announcements

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

instructions for Ames employees. You 

can also listen to 1700 KHz AM radio 

for the same information.

Ames Ongoing Monthly Events Calendar

Security/Law Enforcement Activity

Fire Protection Activity

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

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

of May 2008 is shown below.

Protective Services monthly activity

 Safety Data 

 NASA-Ames Occupational

 Illness-Injury Data for 

 Calendar Year-to-Date 2008

 Jan. 1, 2008 - May 31, 2008

 Civil Contractors

 Servants

 

 First aid cases 12 8

 Lost Workday cases 1 0

 Recordable cases 0 3

 Restricted duty days 0 2

 Above data are as of May 31, 2008. 

 May be subject to slight adjustment in

 the event of a new case or new informa- 

 tion regarding an existing case.

Ames Amateur Radio Club, third Thurs., of 

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

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

Ames Ballroom Dance Club, Classes on 

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

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

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

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

Ames Bicycling Club, every third Wednesday 

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

Auditorium. POC: Julie Nottage at jnottage@

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

Ames Bowling League, Homestead Lanes on 

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

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

4-1132. 

Ames Child Care Center Board of Directors 

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

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

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

Environmental Forum, first Thursday every 

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

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

Ames Federal Employees Union (AFEU) Mtg, 

First Wednesday of November (7th), noon. 

First Wednesday of December (5th), noon. 

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

Wednesday each month, same location. Guests 

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

Paul K. Davis, ext. 4-5916. 

The Hispanic Advisory Committee for 

Excellence (HACE) Mtg., first Thursday of each 

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

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

Leon, ext. 4-6498.

Jetstream Toastmasters, Mondays, 12 p.m. 

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

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

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

Ames Mac Support Group Mtg., third Tuesday 

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

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

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

on weekend mornings. POC: Mark Sumich, 

ext. 4-6193.

Native American Advisory Committee Mtg., 

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

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

Ames Nimble Knitters Club, every Tuesday 

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

Rosalyn Jung, knitfan2@yahoo.com or Diane 

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

nasa.gov

Ames Safety Committee, third Thursday of 

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

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

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

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

Ames Sailing Club Mtg., second Thursday of 

each month (March through November), from 

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

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

ext. 4-4571.
13 Astrogram June 2008

The Ames Cat Network needs help finding 

homes for cats trapped at Moffett. They 

range from feral to abandoned/lost pets. 

Tested, altered and inoculated. Call Iris at 

ext. 4-5824 if you or someone you know are 

interested in fostering or adopting a cat.

Ames Cat Network

Ames Classifieds Exchange Information

Beyond Galileo Gift Shop N-235 in 

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

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

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

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

Visitor Center Gift Shop N-943 

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

NASA logo merchandise, souvenirs, toys, gifts and 

educational items. 

Ongoing Vacation Opportunities

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

community by the Ames Exchange Council. Visit 

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

NASA Lodge (N-19) 603-7100

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

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

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

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

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

special events. POC -Chana Langley, Pool Manager 

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

purchasing a membership, there is an entrance fee: 

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

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

fee). Special events: include military training, swim 

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

special events is $50/hr.

Ames Swim Center (N-109) 603-8025

Ads for the next issue should be sent to astrogram@

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

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

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

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

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

material received, we are unable to verify the accuracy 

of the statements made in the ads. Caveat emptor! 

RV Lots Available Call to reserve a 

space at (650) 603-7100/01.

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

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

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

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

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

adult) 

Moffett Field Golf Club with ‘Tee minus 

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

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

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

$145 cleaning fee. Two night minimum. Includes 

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

968-4155, DBMcKellar@aol.com.

Bass Lake vacation rental, 4 mls south of Yosemite. 

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

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

(650) 390-9668.

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

in canyon setting. Fully eqpd kitchen. Access to 

priv. beach. Tub in patio gdn. Halfway between 

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

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

(650) 328-4427.

Pine Mountain Lake vacation home. Access to golf, 

tennis, lake, swimming, horseback riding, walk 

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

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

Incline Village, Forest Pines, Lake Tahoe condo, 3 

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

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

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

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

ACruiseStore.com $135/night spring and fall, 

$173/night summer and winter (holidays higher) 

plus $125 cleaning fee and 12 percent Nevada 

room tax. Charlie (650) 743-8990.

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

apt. in 24 hour security fbldg. overlooking

Washington Square Park, $1,000/week or

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

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

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

week, negotiable. Call (650) 430-6977.

Santa Cruz townhouse, 2 bedrooms plus study, 

2 baths, decks, totally furnished, 3 blocks from 

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

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

8476 (C).

Lake Tahoe cabin rental in Agate Bay, North Shore. 

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

deck, sleeps 10. Closest skiing is Northstar, Alpine 

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

week. Call (408) 867-4656.

Florida west coast vacation in St. Petersburg, 

beautiful 2bd/2ba condo, fully equipped kitchen 

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

Beach, monthly or 2 week minimum rentals only. 

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

Monterey Bay vacation rental at Pajaro Dunes, 20 

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

with distinctive architecture. Beautiful ocean and 

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

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

cleaning by the maid service when you depart. 

Call (408) 252-7260.

South Lake Tahoe large cabin surrounded by 

protected forest, 8 miles from Stateline Sleeps 12 

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

Matt (408) 482-5286

South Lake Tahoe cozy home backs up to large 

open meadow, 1 mile from Heavenly Valley. Sleeps 

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

482-5286.

Transportation

Housing

Miscellaneous

‘86 Porsche 944, maroon red exterior, 4 door, 

5-speed manual transmission. 155,000 mls, 

good condition, well-maintained, fun to drive, 

gives 22 mpg, has recent smog certificate and 

maintenance records since 1998 when we 

bought it from the original owner. $1,550. 

Anupa (650) 862-2869.

Roommate needed to share furnished 2bd/1ba 

apartment in Mtn. View. On-site laundry, dishwasher, patio and covered parking. Rent $675. 

Robin (510) 610-8604.

Room for rent, private bed and bath. 12-foot-by12-foot room w/window. Available July 1. $750 

per mo. Use of kitchen and laundry facilities in 

condo. Please provide copy of credit report. Call 

(650) 255-1977.

Orbit-Trak exercise machine. Arm poles may 

be fixed or stationary. Electronic display for 

distance traveled, calories burned and elapsed 

time. $50. Between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Call (650) 

962-9031.

Astrogram deadlines

Please submit articles, calendar 

and classified advertisements to 

astrogram@mail.arc.nasa.gov no later 

than the 10th of each month. If this 

falls on a weekend or holiday, then the 

following business day becomes the 

deadline. For Astrogram questions, 

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

The Ames Astrogram is an official publication of 

Ames Research Center, National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration.

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

Editor, Layout and Design...................Astrid Olson

You can reach the Astrogram Office at: astrogram@

mail.arc.nasa.gov or by phone at (650) 604-3347. 

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

ames/astrogram.

What’s on InsideNASA . . .

NASA Deputy Administrator 

Shana Dale’s corner on InsideNASA 

this month features an article entitled, “New Pathways to Prevention 

through Better Medical Imaging.” 

Following is an excerpt from the 

article.

Early detection can make a big 

difference when it comes to dealing 

with cancers and heart disease. But 

that’s not why Dr. James Tilton, a 

scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space 

Flight Center created Hierarchical 

Segmentation software. Rather, he 

was developing a technology for 

remote sensing - a software tool for 

getting more detailed and accurate 

information from satellite images.

As part of the Partnership for 

Student Success in Science project at 

San Jose State University, engineers 

and scientists are trained and placed 

in science classrooms in Silicon Valley. 

RESEED (Retirees and others Enhancing Science Education through Experiments and Demonstrations) was 

started at Northeastern University in 

1991 and expanded to the Silicon Valley area in 1998. 

This program has placed many 

volunteers with local classrooms 

That changed when employees 

from Bartron Medical Imaging LLC 

heard about it. The company had been 

trying to build a product that could 

pick fine details out of complex medical images, thereby improving patient 

diagnoses, and they realized that 

NASA’s new technology was the key. 

After securing the necessary licenses, 

Bartron successfully applied NASA’s 

technology to medical imaging, creating the Med-SegTM unit.

A clinician sitting at a Med-Seg 

unit can receive a variety of medical 

images - CT scans, ultrasounds, dental 

X-rays and other imagery - and then 

segment the images to see features not 

previously visible. The clinician also 

can isolate specific areas of interest 

and compare them to reference images, looking for what is normal . . . 

and what is not.

This technology may allow the 

small signs of developing diseases 

to be detected sooner, reducing the 

costs of exploratory surgery and the 

suffering of full-blown disease. Detection may be even better if Bartron 

and NASA succeed in their new efforts to develop a three-dimensional 

version of the imaging software.

To learn more about this technology, visit: http://insidenasa.nasa.

gov/nasa_stories/Medical_Imaging.

html

Volunteer teachers sought for science classes

ever since. All who are interested in 

energizing young people about science 

and engineering, and looking for a 

personally rewarding activity, please 

consider joining our next cohort of 

volunteers.

For more information, contact 

Dr. Peter K. Mueller, (650) 303-6893, 

pklausm@mac.com, or Professor Kurt 

McMullin, College of Engineering, 

(408) 924-3855, mcmullin@email.sjsu.

edu

The Ames Child Care Center 

(ACCC) will host its 12th Annual 

Charity Golf Tournament on Friday, 

Aug. 1, 2008, at The Golf Club at Moffett Field. Registration and lunch will 

begin at noon, followed by a shotgun start at 1 p.m. There will be hors 

d’oeuvres and a raffle prize drawing 

immediately following the tournament. 

Proceeds from this tournament 

will be used to purchase equipment 

for outdoor classroom activities and 

playground structures and landscaping. 

 The cost of registration (due July 

25) will be $75 per player (teams of 

four are $300). The registration fee 

includes the round of golf, bag lunch 

before the tournament and one raffle 

ticket per player. Additional raffle 

tickets will be available the day of the 

tournament. Electric carts are available 

Ames Child Care Center to host 12th annual charity golf tournament

on a first-come, first-served basis at 

an additional cost of $25 per cart. The 

format for the tournament will be a 

four-person scramble (best shot from 

your team used for each stroke). Prizes 

will be awarded to the teams with the 

lowest three net scores and the lowest gross score. There will be prizes at 

select holes for the “longest drive” and 

“closest to the pin.” 

 The ACCC is a non-profit child 

care center and preschool located at 

NASA Ames and accredited by the 

prestigious National Association for 

the Education of Young Children 

(NAEYC). The ACCC has been in 

operation since 1986, and currently 

serves over 100 families from Ames 

(civil servant and contractor) and 

Moffett Field and the surrounding 

community. The tuition paid by the 

parents covers salaries and operational 

costs only. All other costs, such as 

the playground improvements, staff 

appreciation, and other activities are 

covered by fundraising events, such as 

the ACCC Golf Tournament.

 Registration forms will be available for download from the ACCC 

web site: http://accc.arc.nasa.gov. 

Registration forms can also be requested by contacting Savvy Verma: 

savita.a.verma@nasa.gov or childcare@mail.arc.nasa.gov. 

by Savvy Ve