www.nasa.gov

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

May 2006

Page 3 - Ames tests heat shield samples

Page 5 - Ames spacecraft to look

 for valuable ice at Moon’s

south pole

Page 7 - ‘Federal employees at the Park’

Page 9 - Ames celebrates Earth Day

Page 12 - Ames’ emergency crews help

 pilot land safely.

On the Inside . . .

Worden gives rousing address; predicts strong future for Ames

continued on page 2

Pete Worden declared Ames “the coolest

place at NASA” during his first all-hands

address as center director.

Ames appoints new deputy director

Newly appointed Ames Deputy Center

Director Marvin “Chris” Christensen is

looking forward to his new role.

continued on page 2

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

“Ames is the template for the new NASA,” declared Simon P. (Pete)

Worden, Ames' newly appointed 10th

center director, during a well-received

all-hands meeting on May 5. “In my

opinion, Ames is the coolest place at

NASA.”

Addressing a capacity audience gathered in the main auditorium for his

first meeting with Ames employees,

Worden predicted a strong role for the

center as NASA implements the Vision

for Space Exploration.

“Mike Griffin has sent me here to

expand the center, so there won't be any

job cuts,” Worden asserted to enthusiastic applause. Worden, who arrived at

the center the day before, explained that

his remarks contained his “preliminary

thoughts” on the state of the center and

that he would deliver a much more comprehensive briefing to employees in a

few weeks after he has settled into his

new job.

A retired U.S. Air Force brigadier

general who worked as a research professor of astronomy at the University of

Arizona prior to coming to Ames,

Worden was introduced by Hans Mark,

a former Ames director and deputy administrator of NASA, who hailed

Worden as a “world-class scientist” and

military leader.

Mark, who said he first met Worden

28 years ago when he was the secretary

of the Air Force and Worden was an Air

Force captain, described Worden as “a

bit of a philosopher.” “Actually, he's a zen master,”

quipped Mark. He then presented

Worden with the Ames badge that he

wore 30 years ago when he served as the

center's third director.

As Ames moves ahead to expand its role in space exploration, Worden said

the focus of the center should remain on

its scientific and technical expertise,

while working with other partners in

government, in the private sector and in

other nations. He said there are a lot of

opportunities for Ames to play a vital

role in space exploration.

“There are lots of Silicon Valley ven- ture philanthropists who want to partner with us,” Worden ventured. He said

in order to succeed, Ames will have to

move quickly to implement new programs and take on new ventures.

“I'm interested in seeing how we can do things quickly,” Worden said. “If

we do that, I think we can succeed in

space exploration.” In addition to space exploration,

Worden also said there are “real opportunities in aeronautics” and that he wants

to expand the center's partnership with

the Department of Defense.

One such opportunity Worden said he was interested in pursuing involved

NASA Ames Research Center Director Simon “Pete” Worden announced

on May 11 that he had named Marvin

“Chris” Christensen to serve as his

deputy director.

Worden was appointed NASA

Ames Research Center director by

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin on

April 21, 2006. Christensen assumed his

new duties on May 14.

He has served as the acting center

director for the past two and a half

months pending Worden's arrival from

the University of Arizona, Tucson, where

he was a research professor of astronomy.

"Chris has provided experienced

leadership as acting program manager

of the Robotic Lunar Exploration Program (RLEP) since coming to Ames in

September 2005," said Worden. "In that

role, he has been instrumental in regaining a true mission management role for
Astrogram May 2006 2

'air launches' whereby rockets would be

dropped from the back of an airplane.

He suggested the procedure might be a

“viable approach” for supplying the International Space Station and also might

tie in to exploration. Turning to the status of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), Worden voiced cautious optimism.

“I know there's a lot of concern about

SOFIA here and I think there's a recognition of how important it is at Headquarters,” Worden said. “I hope to get some

good news soon.” Worden also said the center's expertise in astrobiology, nanotechnology and

robotics would serve it well in helping

define Ames's role in space exploration.

“I have a vision that in a few decades when astronauts travel to another

planet and walk into a space habitat,

there will be a robot there with a martini

-- made with lunar material,” Worden

joked.

He also touched on the Kepler

project, calling the mission's search for

other Earth-like planets “incredibly

neat,” and said it represented an area of

possible expansion for Ames, as would

the center's research in near-Earth objects and asteroids, which he jokingly

described as “the pet rocks of the universe.”

Worden also predicted strong roles

in information technology for Ames. “Information technology is the most powerful factor in our lives,” Worden said.

“Space is about getting information and

generating information.”

He said he wants to see Ames retain

NASA Research Park and the airfield,

calling them “incredibly valuable assets” and he pledged to strongly advocate retaining them.

the center and in kicking off our efforts

in the area of small satellites, which I

think will be key to our future."

Prior to coming to Ames,

Christensen served as a senior manager

at Lockheed Martin, and he also brings

40 years of experience at NASA Headquarters, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,

NASA field centers and the aerospace

industry.

“I am delighted that Pete Worden

has demonstrated his confidence in me

by naming me as his deputy director,”

Christensen said. “I look forward to

working with him to strengthen Ames

continued from front page

Worden gives rousing address; predicts strong future for Ames

BY MIKE MEWHINNEY

continued from front page

BY MIKE MEWHINNEY

Ames appoints new deputy director

The Executive Safety Committee

approved goals for improvement of

safety and health at Ames during 2006.

These goals include two new centerwide goals, continued commitment to

the five Ames Safety Accountability

Program (ASAP) metrics to ensure

superior safety performance, and, for

the first time, a specific safety improvement goal within each directorate.

The first new goal is to “improve

awareness of injury and occupational

illness trends.” Examples of occupational injuries include slips, trips and

falls; back injuries and chemical

splashes.

Occupational illnesses include

hearing loss and repetitive trauma

disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome. You can expect to hear from

your supervisor about the center's

monthly ‘Safety Snapshot’ of injuries

and illnesses in your bi-monthly safety

meetings. By being aware of significant trends, you can avoid common BY PAUL DAVIS, SHELLEEN LOMAS,

AND STAN PHILLIPS

causes of injury by adopting protective measures in your daily activity.

The second centerwide goal is to

‘update the interim control measures

for our x-files.’ No, this does not mean

we are restricting a certain television

show, or that we've become the branch

of government that monitors paranormal phenomena. The center's xfiles are a list of safety hazards, which

require specific financial arrangements for resolution, such as installing stair railings. Since the need does

not necessarily produce the necessary

funds to correct the safety hazard, interim control measures are instituted.

Such an interim control measure can

vary, depending on need, from posting a warning sign to closing a facility.

Supervisors have been asked to review all the x-file issues in their organization and make sure the interim

control measure has been updated

within the past 12 months.

New goals outlined for safety

and health Improvement

by building on our traditional areas of

excellence, expanding our business base

and pursuing creative use of our facilities.”

Christensen succeeds Steven

Zornetzer, who served as acting deputy

center director in addition to his duties

as deputy director for research since

August 2005.

“With Chris and Steve at the helm,

the center was able to navigate its way

through turbulent times and we find

ourselves closer to our goals as a result

of their skill and dedication,” Worden

said.

 Hans Mark, left, a former Ames director and

deputy administrator of NASA, presented

Worden with the Ames badge that he wore 30

years ago when he served as the center's third

director.

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

He called the agreement between

Ames and Google Inc., a “neat idea” and

said that he would like to work with the

Silicon Valley icon in space exploration.

At the conclusion of his remarks,

Worden received a standing ovation and

prolonged applause from the crowd.

Asked if he would be able to “restore

prosperity” to Ames, Worden said he

will do everything he can.

“I'm sure as heck going to try,” Worden said. “I'm going to fight as hard

as I can.”
3 Astrogram May 2006

Ames shows media how CEV heat shield materials were tested

Arc jet test at the NASA Ames Interaction Heating Facility (IHF) (top view) with

thermal protection system (TPS) material coupon glowing after test completion.

The tests are a critical part of developing new TPS materials.

BY JOHN BLUCK

NASA photo by Cesar Acosta

During a recent visit to the center,

local news media representatives

learned that Ames is playing a vital role

in the creation and testing of the 16.5-

foot (5-meter) diameter, Frisbee-shaped

heat shield for NASA's new spaceship,

the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV).

The big disk will be attached to the base

of the cone-shaped CEV crew capsule.

Initial tests of materials that could

be used in the

heat shield for

the new spaceship were recently completed in Ames'

arc jet facility.

Reporters

and television

cameras from all

but one Bay

Area TV station

watched as engineers and

technicians fired

up their arc jet

apparatus and

conducted a

simulated test

run of hockeypuck-size

samples in what

resembles a 'room-size blowtorch.'

Ames’s James Reuther, project manager for the CEV Thermal Protection

System Advanced Development Project

and Ames's Ernie Fretter made presentations. Reporters interviewed Ames engineers, scientists and technicians as well

as Reuther, Fretter and George Sarver,

who leads Ames’s CEV support office.

The CEV heat shield must protect

the capsule and its astronaut crew from

the searing heat that develops during

flight through the atmosphere when returning from either low-Earth orbit, or

from the moon. As it streaks into Earth's

atmosphere after a trip to the moon, the

heat shield of NASA's spaceship of the

future must endure searing temperatures capable of melting any metal.

The Ames arc jet tests are among the

first steps NASA Ames is taking to design and test a new space exploration

system that will return human beings to

the moon and support later missions to

Mars. Several other NASA facilities

across the nation also are taking part in

the development effort.

Additional information about

NASA's effort to develop a new spaceship is on the World Wide Web at: http:/

/www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/exploration/main/index.html

NASA award winners of the 2006 Synopsys Silicon

Valley Science and Engineering Technology

Championship join NASA researchers Karen GundyBurlet, left, of code TI, and Anthony Colaprete, right, of

code SST, for a visit to Ames on May 4. A NASA

judging team chose the winners from nearly 1,000

students who displayed their projects in March at the

San Jose Convention Center.

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

Science fair winners visit Exploration Center
Astrogram May 2006 4

Software that astronauts could use

during spaceflight and in future moon

habitats was tested by a NASA Ames

team in a Utah desert April 23 to May 7,

2006.

The research took place in Utah's southeast desert, at the Mars Society's

Mars Desert Research Station near

Hanksville, where scientists field-tested

a computer network to monitor space

power systems. The network uses the

same kind of intelligent software that

also may assist astronauts to conduct

planetary exploration with robotic systems.

"We will experiment with sensors

and software that will help us manage a

generator and batteries that provide

power to a habitat, while we are living

and working inside (of it)," said Bill

Clancey of Ames, the project's principal

investigator, just before the tests began.

Nine scientists and engineers from

NASA Ames took part in the experiments with the software and hardware

systems. The Mars Desert Research Station simulated a spaceship in flight or a

habitat on the moon.

During the field exercise, the researchers' objective was to test software

'agents' that will assist astronauts by

monitoring an electrical power system

and sounding alarms that indicate problems. The agents also will provide procedural advice when problems occur.

The system could keep track of astronaut locations, timelines and important

tasks. Researchers triggered some simulated problems to learn how the computer systems help or hinder the crew's

response.

NASA Ames tests prototype software for future spaceflight

"By using the systems we are developing in the habitat, we are both testing

our ideas and validating our assumptions about what kinds of tools people

really need," Clancey said. "A total systems perspective - developing our software in a setting analogous to where it

will be used - provides direct experience and new insights about how

people and automated systems can

be designed to fit

together," Clancey

added.

Team members used prototype tools, including a wireless computer network,

and voice-commanded mission

control communication services that

partly automate

the role of capsule

communicator

(CAPCOM) personnel, who monitor and advise astronauts like they did

during the Apollo missions to the moon

in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Scientists made audio and video BY JOHN BLUCK

recordings of the activities using the

crew-activity analyzer system developed under a Small Business Innovation Research Program grant to FosterMiller, Inc., Waltham, Mass. It synchronized audio and video recordings with

records of the crewmembers' locations

in the habitat.

From analysis of the recordings and

other data, investigators can evaluate

the prototype power system monitoring software and develop requirements

for computer systems to interact with

people.

"Human-systems interaction is one

of the focus areas for exploration research," said David Korsmeyer, chief of

the Intelligent Systems Division at Ames.

"Ames participates in several space autonomy, health management and advanced software projects that can increase future exploration spacecraft capabilities," Korsmeyer explained. The Spacecraft Autonomy Project is

a component of the Exploration Technology Development Program within

NASA's Exploration Systems Mission

Directorate, and funds mobile agents

research. The project is developing a

computer language, simulation environment and operational network for modeling and simulating how software

'agents,' people, tools and facilities interact in practical settings.

A crew member at the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station near

Hanksville, Utah, wearing a wireless headset, inspects the power system

inverter to monitor or modify the power settings. He is interacting with

his ‘personal agent’ using voice commanding to inquire about the current

and historical status of the power system.

photo by Bill Clancey

We all know that distracted driving is hazardous. We now know precisely how hazardous it is. Ken Thomas of the Associated

Press reports that "Researchers reviewed thousands of hours of video

and data from sensor monitors linked

to more than 200 drivers and pinpointed examples of what keeps drivers from paying close attention to the

road."

For more than a year, researchers studied the behavior of the drivers of

100 vehicles in metropolitan Washington, D.C. They tracked 241 drivers,

who were involved in 82 crashes of

various degrees of seriousness (15 were

reported to police) and 761 nearcrashes. Air bags deployed in three

instances.

We are all frequently made aware these days of the dangers of cell phone

use and eating while driving, but even

worse, "A driver's reaching for a moving object increased the risk of a crash

Be safe - avoid being a distracted driver

or potential collision by nine times,"

according to the researchers at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

This caught my eye because years

and years ago, I caused just such an

accident right here at Ames.

I had an object on the passenger

seat of my car. I was approaching an

intersection and a truck in front of me

came to a stop. As I began to apply my

brakes, the object shifted and I instinctively reached for it, releasing the pressure on my own brakes. I was not

injured, and the hefty truck survived

intact, but my car was totaled.

So when you are reminded to

avoid distracted driving, remember

two things -- we now have scientific

proof of its danger, and the distraction

you are not thinking of, is worse than

the distraction you know about!

BY PAUL K DAVIS
5 Astrogram May 2006

Ames’ spacecraft to look for valuable ice at moon's south pole

Artist’s conception: LCROSS enroute to moon.

continued on page 8

Most people might think that finding water on the moon would be as

impractical as locating green cheese

there. But as unlikely as it might seem,

water may well exist on our nearest

neighbor in space. Both the Clementine

(in 1994) and the Lunar Prospector (in

1998) spacecraft found indirect -- but

not rock-solid -- evidence that water ice

may be in the dark shadows of craters in

the lunar south pole area - gloomy places

that never see the light of day.

These permanently shadowed craters are ideal spots for ice to exist in the

extreme cold. As part of the Vision for

Space Exploration, the United States has

plans to send astronauts back to the

moon by 2018 to establish bases there.

One good place to build a base might be

in an area where water ice could be

mined. Scientists think there might be

enough of this precious water to provide astronauts with drinking water.

During the Lunar Prospector mission in 1998, scientists estimated that as

much as 6 billion metric tons of water ice

could be under about 18 inches of lunar

soil in the craters. Astronauts could even

break down the water into hydrogen

and oxygen to make rocket fuel.

So it is no surprise that NASA has

begun work to launch a spacecraft to the

moon to look for solid evidence of water

ice - potentially a very valuable commodity there. Scientists currently reckon

it would cost more than $10,000 per

pound (0.45 kilogram) to launch material, such as water, to the moon. To lift an

ounce (28.35 grams) of water from the

Earth to the moon would cost at least

$625. If you have lugged a bucket of

water, you know how heavy even a

small amount of water can be.

To kick off the quest for lunar water

ice, NASA announced April 10 that a

small, 'secondary payload' spacecraft,

to be developed by a team at NASA

Ames would begin a trip to the moon in

October 2008 to look for precious water.

The water-seeking spacecraft is

called the Lunar CRater Observation

and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS). It is

known as a 'secondary payload spacecraft' because it will begin its trip to the

moon on the same rocket as the Lunar

Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which is

on a different mission to the moon. The

rocket, the Evolved Expendable Launch

Vehicle (EELV), will launch from

Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

"We think we have assembled a very

creative, highly innovative mission,

turning the upper stage of the rocket

that brought us to the moon into a substantial impactor on the moon," said

Daniel Andrews of Ames,

whose team proposed the

LCROSS mission.

The LCROSS spacecraft will arrive in the lunar vicinity independent

of the LRO satellite. Prior

to impacting the moon,

LCROSS will orbit Earth

twice for about 80 days,

and then will strike the

lunar south pole in January 2009.

On the way to the

moon, the LCROSS

spacecraft's two main

parts, the Shepherding

Spacecraft and the Earth

Departure Upper Stage,

will remain coupled.

As the spacecraft approaches the moon's south

pole, the upper stage will

separate, and then will impact a crater in the south pole area. A

plume from the upper stage crash will

develop as the Shepherding Spacecraft

heads in toward the moon.

"The strategy is not to go there and

dig it up, but, we're lifting it by means of

an impact and bringing it to the spacecraft in a huge cloud," said Tony

Colaprete, LCROSS principal investigator, and a planetary scientist at Ames.

The Shepherding Spacecraft will fly

through the plume, and instruments on

the spacecraft will analyze the cloud to

look for signs of water and other compounds. Additional space and Earthbased instruments also will study the

2.2-million-pound (1000-metric-ton)

plume.

The Shepherding Spacecraft will

have six cameras and two spectrometers. "The instruments are capable of

telling us whether there is water in the

plume, either in the form of vapor or

ice," Colaprete explained. "We'll be able

to measure water down to a tenth of a

percent of the total mass of the cloud."

"We will have two cameras that can

see both visible and ultraviolet (UV)

light," Colaprete said. "The cameras will

document the growth of the shape of the

cloud, and they will also measure UV

light emitted by excited water molecules.

So these cameras are capable of detecting water, too."

"Then there are four other cameras

that will look at infrared light, which is

not visible to human beings," he added.

"These cameras will tell us how the temperature of the cloud changes over time.

This is important because the water

would affect the temperature of the

cloud. Therefore, these infrared cameras indirectly will be able to detect

water."

The four infrared cameras also will

give scientists measurements of what

minerals are in the cloud, which researchers can compare to samples collected on the surface of the moon in the

equatorial regions during the Apollo

missions of 1969 through the early 1970s.

"We'll be able to distinguish between

water vapor, water ice, and hydrated

minerals like salts or clays that contain

molecularly bound water," Colaprete

said. "We'll be able to compare the moon

dirt from the permanently shadowed

regions of craters at the lunar south pole

with moon soil samples collected during the Apollo missions at much lower

latitudes, near the equator. The stuff

inside the dark craters of the south pole

may well be different from what we

found during Apollo," Colaprete observed.

Then the Shepherding Spacecraft

itself will become an impactor, creating

a second plume visible to lunar-orbiting

spacecraft and Earth-based observatories. If water ice exists in clumps only in

certain areas within the targeted crater,

the upper stage impactor could miss an
Astrogram May 2006 6

NASA recently updated its World

Wind computer program that enables

Internet users to explore not only the

Earth and the moon, but now permits

Web surfers virtually to fly through huge

Mars canyons and visit Venus and Jupiter in 3-D color.

The new version also allows users

to see some of Jupiter's moons, and to

cruise into the depths of Earth's oceans.

The newly revised, free program is available on the Web at: http://

worldwind.arc.nasa.gov

"The users -- from the comfort of

their own homes -- can visit anyplace on

Earth, Mars and other places in the solar

system," said Chris Maxwell, lead World

Wind developer at Ames. "All you need

is (a) standard personal computer (PC)

with a decent video card, and a decent

Internet connection."

More than 10 million users have

used World Wind since NASA first released it about a year ago. "Well over

100,000 new users download the program each week from all over the planet,"

said Patrick Hogan, program manager

for World Wind at Ames.

The program itself is only five megabytes, but data containing place names

and imagery make up the rest of the 50-

megabyte World Wind download, according to Hogan. A version written in

the Java computer language that will

run on Macintosh and Linux computers

NASA internet software shows planets in 3-D color

is scheduled for release in September

2006, Hogan noted.

"NASA is providing the free World

Wind program to improve public and researcher access to highquality imagery and

other data," said Hogan.

In the future, the

planetary imagery will

give users the chance to

explore not only the

moon, Mars, Venus and

Jupiter, but also other

planets when additional

data sets become available.

The computer program can 'transport' Web

users to just about anywhere on the moon,

when they zoom in from

a global view to closer

pictures of our natural

satellite taken by the

Clementine spacecraft in

the 1990s.

"We can . . . (now)

deliver the moon at 66

feet (20 meters) of resolution," Hogan

said.

Launched in early 1994, Clementine

took 1.8 million pictures of the lunar

surface during a two-month orbit of the

moon. The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and NASA jointly sponsored

the Deep Space Program Science Experiment that included the Clementine

spacecraft. Its principal objective was to

'space-qualify' lightweight imaging sensors and component technologies for

the next generation of Department of

Defense spacecraft.

The program enables users to better

understand Earth processes such as

changing ozone conditions, ocean temperature, weather and earthquake activity.

"We're working with the United

States Geological Survey and the Department of Defense to deliver their data

to the public," Hogan said. According to

Hogan, the Department of Defense itself

is using World Wind software, and the

National Guard plans to make use of the

software to help respond to natural disasters.

NASA processes almost 10 million

requests for World Wind imagery daily.

The program is delivering terabytes of

global NASA satellite data that are a

result of years of daily observations of

precipitation, temperature, barometric

pressure and much more. Hurricane

Katrina data are part of World Wind's

collection of images.

NASA programmers recently have

increased the resolution of images of

Earth from 3,281-foot (one-kilometer)

resolution to 1,640-foot (500-meter) resolution in an upgrade called 'Blue Marble,

Next Generation Earth.' Also, some

World Wind data sets include images of

the entire Earth at 49-foot (15-meter)

resolution. World Wind accesses public

domain United States Geological Survey aerial photography and topographic

maps as well as Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and Landsat satellite data.

Computer users from more than 100

nations have acquired the free World

Wind program, though most users are

from the United States.

Screen snap shot from the World Wind Web site of the Earth

and the view of the eastern hemisphere.

The ‘System for Administration,

Training, and Educational Resources

for NASA’ (SATERN) has been implemented as the agency's new learning

management system.

SATERN is now available for use

by both civil servants and contractors.

This new system will provide you with

one-stop access to a robust learning

and development environment where

you can view course catalogs, selfregister for courses, view your indiSATERN'S ‘go-live’ date arrives

vidual learning history and launch

online courses from your desktop.

The URL to log in to SATERN is

https://satern.nasa.gov.

Support and assistance on

SATERN will be offered through WBT

at https:saterninfo.nasa.gov as well as

at drop-in clinics.

For more information, visit

http://ameshr.arc.nasa.gov/

SATERN/index.html or contact

satern@mail.arc.nasa.gov.

BY JOHN BLUCK
7 Astrogram May 2006

Attention Bay Area baseball fans!

The San Francisco Bay Area Federal

Executive Board is pleased to announce another Federal Employee

Night at the Park on Friday, Aug. 18,

at 7:15 p.m., when the Giants play the

Los Angeles Dodgers.

Plan to join other federal employees, family and friends at beautiful

AT&T Park to cheer the Giants to

victory.

The Federal Executive Board has

reserved a block of 1,500 tickets for a

game that is expected to sell out. Last

year, 1,500 tickets were sold in about

four weeks and it is expected to be

another sellout this year. To eliminate the possibility of getting shut out,

send your order in as soon as possible.

Ask your friends, family and

neighbors to join you for this night of

fun. This is going to be an exciting

game, so come out and see the San

Francisco Giants.

Frequently asked questions and

answers:

• Once I place my order, can I

 change it?Yes, you can increase the

 ticket total as long as tickets

 are available.

• Can I buy individual tickets

 to the game? Yes, you may buy

 as many as you need or you may

 buy a single seat

Upcoming events . . .

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is cohosting a technical conference on June

22 to commemorate the Viking 30th anniversary.

Thirty years ago this July, the Viking 1 lander made its historic landing

on Mars. Over the following years, the

Viking spacecraft conducted experiments studying atmospheric and soil

• When will I get my tickets? This will

depend on ticket sales. We hope to

have all the tickets in your hand two

weeks before the game

• Can friends and family purchase

tickets? Yes, everyone is welcome to

come out and enjoy the game.

Mail in your orders early. For

questions and further information

contact Gail Castaneda at (510) 637-

6104.

Order forms are available on

the Internet Web site at

www.sanfrancisco.feb.gov/ NASA photo by Tom Trower

Employees prevent major hazard from occuring at Ames

Come to the ‘Federal Employees Night at the Park’

JPL to co-host Viking 30th Anniversary conference

composition, meteorology and seismology.

Along with Viking 2, which joined

its partner on Mars two months later,

these craft provided a catalog of more

than 50,000 images from the martian

surface as well as from orbit.

Managed from Langley Research

Center, Viking was truly a collaborative

effort. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory

built the orbiters and would later manage the science mission.

Glenn Research Center, known then

as NASA Lewis, designed the Atlas/

Centaur rockets.

For more information, contact Lindsay Crouch at Langley at e-mail

l.m.crouch@larc.nasa.gov

The Sierra Lobo contractor safety

award was presented recently to three

of its employees at Ames. They

received the award for detecting a leak

in the building N250 compressor. If

this leak had gone undetected, a

catastrophic failure could have resulted

in equipment damage costing millions

of dollars, or at worst, injury or death

to the arc jet team or any nearby

bystanders. Shown (left to right) are:

presenter, Michael Dudley director,

Code Q; award recipients: Eduardo

Tamez, Alejandro Saura and Kenneth

Huber.
Astrogram May 2006 8

Congressman David Wu of Oregon's

First Congressional District visited

NASA Explorer School Faulconer/

Chapman Middle School in Sheridan,

Ore., in April. The school is part of the

NASA Explorer School Ames service

region. Wu was accompanied by staffer

Ramona Perrault and was greeted by

principal Marty Hofenbredl, Catherine

Lanier of Oregon Space Grant and Tony

Leavitt of NASA's Aerospace Education

Services Project. Hofenbredl briefed Wu

on the newly expanded school - now

kindergarten through eighth grade.

Wu visited the school library and met with 25 students, ranging from 6th

grade to high school seniors who talked

with the congressman about their school

and the NASA Explorer School program. Also in attendance were NASA

Explorer School team members Marie

Scott and Carol Clark; school district

superintendent Roy Williams; high

school principal A.J. Grauer and a reporter from the Sheridan Sun newspaper.

The congressman spoke about his job working with schools and said he

had come to Faulconer/Chapman

Middle School to get feedback from

people in his district. The students

shared their experiences as part of the

NASA Explorer School program. In particular, the students spoke about NASA

Explorer School student symposiums

they attended at Kennedy Space Center

in 2004 and Johnson Space Center in

2005; trips to the Evergreen Aviation

Museum and the Oregon Museum of

Science and Industry; as well as activities with their own classes, including

rocket launches, egg drop contests, emissions and Marsbound mission design.

Wu compared the challenges of deCongressman Wu visits Oregon's first NASA Explorer school

signing a space mission to the Lewis and

Clark expeditions, and stressed the fact

that the initial goals one sets

out to achieve often lead to

unexpected discoveries, and

that this is the wonder of exploration. He mentioned

scholarships being offered to

students for space camp experiences at both the Oregon

Museum of Science and Industry in Portland and in

Huntsville, Ala., and encouraged students to apply.

Students shared many NASA and other educational

experiences and asked a number of questions. Many focused on the congressman's

job, such as "What part of your

job is the most difficult?", and BY TOM CLAUSEN

 photo by Anthony Leavitt

Congressman David Wu addresses students during his

visit to NASA Explorer School Faulconer/Chapmn Middle

School in Sheridan, Ore., in April.

"What part of your job is the most important?", and "What are the most difficult challenges ahead?" Wu stressed

that one of the biggest challenges is going to be refocusing our national goals

from consumption and immediate gratification, to looking for long-term solutions. These answers, he said, would

require careful research and study. He

also spoke of the need to invest in science and education for a prosperous

future.

He spoke with the students for

nearly a full hour, and fully engaged

their attention. He said that the enthusiasm and programs generated by the

NASA Explorer School program at

Sheridan needed to be continued and he

vowed to help get the support to make

that happen.

icy area, scientists note. The second

plume will give scientists a second

chance to look for water ice, according

to researchers.

"We've talked about water as a resource, but also these water measurements are scientifically significant. We

want to understand how the water got

there and what its state is -- water ice or

hydrated minerals -- such as clays or salt

where water is chemically bound to a

mineral," Colaprete noted.

The information gathered by

LCROSS will give scientists insight into

the processes that took place during the

formation of the early solar system. "For

example, if this water was emplaced by

comets, it was probably done billions of

years ago," Colaprete said. "Or, if it's

implanted by hydrogen in the solar wind

that comes from the sun, then that could

be a process that continues today."

Solar wind is a fast outflow of hot

gas in all directions from the upper atmosphere of the sun. The composition

of solar wind matches that of the sun's

atmosphere (mostly hydrogen) and its

typical velocity is 400 km/sec, covering

the distance from sun to Earth in four to

five days.

According to Colaprete, Mercury,

which is at least 801 degrees Fahrenheit

(427 degrees Celsius) in the sunlit areas

and is the planet closest to the sun, may

well have ice in permanently shadowed

craters, similar to those of the moon.

continued from page 5

Ames spacecraft to look for ice on moon

BY JOHN BLUCK

"The point is that this water is indicative of processes that may be common across all bodies in the inner solar

system," Colaprete observed. "The moon

is a fossil record of the solar system.

Understanding about the water at its

poles is to understand the nature of the

early solar system. The earth is loaded

with water, and it might have come

from comets, according to some scientists."

In addition to the instruments on

the Shepherding Spacecraft that will

observe the impact up close and personal, the LRO satellite will be able to

observe the fresh LCROSS impact craters with multiple instruments. They

may be able to see remnant water ice in

the fresh material lying around the new

craters formed by the impact of spacecraft.

Water vapor from ice changing directly into water vapor will remain encircling the moon from hours to as long

as days. This water is said to be 'exosphered', according to Colaprete, and

will be observable by LRO satellite as

well as ground-based telescopes. LRO

will carry advanced sensors that can

detect water in at least four different

ways.

The LCROSS prime contractor for

the spacecraft and the spacecraft integration is Northrop Grumman.
9 Astrogram May 2006

In April, the AIB Express hosted

its semi-annual free customer appreciation lunch in building 255. This was

in celebration of Earth Day, which is

April 22 of each year.

The Environmental Services Division hosted its annual environmental

event in conjunction with the AIB

lunch.

‘Green,’ or environmentally friendly companies, were on hand to

share information describing ways in

which one can make more sustainable

choices every day at home and at work.

The Environmental Services Division

also sponsored the 2006 Ames Earth

Day photo contest.

Ames celebrates Earth Day with its employees

Third place Ames’ Earth Day

photo contest winner was

Linda Montgomery

photograph, ‘Our Mark on the

Earth Should be as Temporary

as Bird Tracks in the Sand.’

BY JUSTINE BURT

What does a company that sells laundry detergent have in common with

NASA? On April 18, Jeffrey Hollender,

the CEO of Seventh Generation, a nontoxic household products company, told

an audience assembled to celebrate Earth

Day that “both want to communicate

the value they generate for society.” According to Hollender, Seventh

Generation has distinguished itself as a

company that strives to be sustainable.

Moving toward sustainability means not

only minimizing your impact on the

environment, but finding ways to restore the natural world. Manufacturing

and selling post-consumer recycled content paper towels and non-toxic cleaning products helps reduce natural resource consumption and hazardous

waste. But that's only part of the solution.

To facilitate the generation of more

sustainability ideas, Hollender brought

in a professional storyteller to teach employees how to better communicate their

ideas. As a result of this effort, someone

wondered if laundry detergent could be

formulated in a way to strengthen clothing fibers, instead of weakening them.

Once the company tapped the creative

genius of its employees, the possibilities

to be more sustainable were endless.

During his talk, Hollender encouraged NASA employees to share their

stories. He asked the audience “Which

of the many research and exploration

projects you are doing benefit our environment? Think about it and tell those

stories.”

Both Seventh Generation and NASA

are helping to build a more sustainable

world: one does so at the household

level and one at the planetary level. The

challenge for both is to communicate

Second place Ames’ Earth Day photo contest winner was Faten

Mansour’s photograph, ‘Endless Serenity Where the Sky Meets

the Earth.” First place Ames’ Earth Day photo contest winner was Ray Gilstrap’s

photograph, ‘Rainbow at Victoria Falls.’

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

Planetary care starts with household care

Jeffrey Hollender, CEO of Seventh Generation,

spoke at the recent Earth Day celebration at

Ames.

their value to society and encourage

more support for the environmental

sustainability work they do.
Astrogram May 2006 10

Ames Ongoing Monthly Events Calendar

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 11:00 a.m. to12:00 p.m. in Building 245

auditorium. POC: Julie Nottage at

jnottage@mail.arc.nasa.gov or ext. 4-3711. By-laws of

Ames Bicycling Club can be found at: http://

zen.arc.nasa.gov, the link is under the picture.

Ames Bowling League, Palo Alto Bowl on Tuesday

nights. Seeking full-time bowlers and substitutes.

Questions to sign up: Mike Liu at ext. 4-1132.

Ames Child Care Center Board of Directors Mtg,

every other Thursday (check Web site for meeting dates:

http://accc.arc.nasa.gov), 12 noon to 1:30 p.m., N-210,

Rm. 205. POC: Cheryl Quinn, ext 4-5793.

Ames Contractor Council Mtg, first Wednesday

each month, 11 a.m., N-200, Comm. Rm. POC: Linda

McCahon, ext. 4-1891.

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

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

Support group discusses news affecting diabetics.

POC: Bob Mohlenhoff, ext. 4-2523/e-mail at:

bmohlenhoff@mail.arc.nasa.gov.

Ames Federal Employees Union (AFEU) Mtg,

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

Bldg. 221, Rm 104. Guests welcome. Info at: http://

www.afeu.org. POC: Marianne Mosher, ext. 4-4055.

Ames Mac Support Group Mtg, third Tuesday of

ea. month, 11:30 a.m.to 1 p.m., Bldg. N262, Rm 180.

POC: Tony ext. 4-0340.

Ames Model Aircraft Club, flying radiocontrolled aircraft at the north end of Parsons Ave. on

weekend mornings. POC: Mark Sumich, ext. 4-6193.

Ames Sailing Club Mtg, second Thursday of ea.

month (Feb through Nov), from 12:00 p.m. -1:00

p.m. in Bldg. N-262, Rm 100. URL: http://

sail.arc.nasa.gov/. POC: Becky Hooey, ext. 4-2399.

Environmental Forum, first Thursday of each

month, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Bldg. 221/Rm 155.

URL: http://q.arc.nasa.gov/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: Bob Hilton at ext. 4-2909,

bhilton@mail.arc.nasa.gov.

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.

Safety Data

 Civil Contractors

 Servants

First aid cases 4 9

Lost-time cases 0 2

Recordable cases 0 3

Lost workdays 0 2

Restricted duty days 0 0

Above data are as of 05/10/06. May

be subject to slight adjustment in the

event of a new case or new information regarding an existing case.

 NASA-Ames Occupational

 Illness-Injury Data for Calendar

 Year-to-Date 2006

 Jan. 1, 2006 – April 30, 2006

NASA has unveiled a new knowledge network designed to promote

learning and sharing knowledge among

agency engineers.

The NASA Engineering Network

(NEN) is an enhanced knowledge-management system that provides capabilities to search across distributed engineering data sources, build technical

communities of practice and create online presence for agency engineers. The

network's centerpiece is the 'lessons

learned' repository that documents critical success factors for flight projects.

This repository replaces the former Lessons Learned Information System.

Through three phased roll-outs dur- ing 2006, NEN will supply NASA engineers with tools and engineering resources, including NASA's lessons

learned, to help them solve problems

and design solutions more efficiently.

As a vehicle to facilitate learning within the engineering community, the

NEN has redesigned the lessons learned

system to make searching, browsing and

submitting lessons easier. Advanced

search capabilities also mine information from other NASA engineering repositories, so the engineer can search

few, several or all resources at once. This

NASA Engineering Network goes on-line

network also links to other agency-wide

resources, such as the NASA Technical

Standards, risk management principles

and guidelines and project/program

leadership training and development

programs (APPEL).

In the near future, NEN will pro- vide the engineer with collaboration

tools to help in creating, reviewing and

disseminating requirements and specifications. This fall, the expertise locator

will be operational and ready to assist in

finding the best collaboration partner

from across NASA to help other engineers complete their tasks.

Sponsored by the office of NASA chief engineer Chris Scolese, the NASA

Engineering Network is managed by

JPL's Knowledge Management Technologies Program.

More information and network

access are available on the Web at:

http://nen.nasa.gov.

Former astronaut Ronald

Sega, undersecretary of the Air

Force (far left), visited Ames on

May 16 to meet with Ames

Deputy Center Director Marv

Christensen (far right) and to

tour the National Full-Scale

Aerodynamics Complex 40-

foot-by-80-foot-by-120-foot

wind tunnel.

Undersecretary of the Air Force

tours Ames’ wind tunnel

NASA photo by Tom Trower
11 Astrogram May 2006

Ames Classifieds Exchange Information

Beyond Galileo N-235 (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

ext. 4-6873

Ask about NASA customized gifts for special

occasions.

Mega Bites Mega Bites N-235 (6 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

ext. 4-5969

Visitor Center Gift Shop N-943

(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) ext. 4-5412

NASA logo merchandise, souvenirs, toys, gifts and

educational items.

Open 7 days a week, 7:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. Rates

from $40 - $50.

Vacation Opportunities

Check web site for discounts to local attractions,

http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov and click on tickets.

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... Tickets, etc...(N-235, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

ext. 4-6873

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

Housing

Miscellaneous

Ames emergency

announcements

To hear the centerwide status

recording, call (650) 604-9999 for information announcements and emergency instructions for Ames employees. You can also listen to 1700 KHz

AM radio for the same information.

Ames Swim Center, 25 meter swimming pool open

and heated year round. (80-82 degrees) Lap swim: Mon,

Weds, Fri, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3-6 Tues to Thurs 10

a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Seasonal recreation

swim; swim lessons. Locker rooms w/sauna and shower

facility. Open to all civil servants and contractors.

Location: Bldg. 109 across the street from the tennis

courts. Fees vary depending on activity. POC: Tana

Windhorst, ext. 3-8025; e-mail: tw4lsb@aol.com

Ames Swim Center 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, con- tact Astrid Terlep at the aforementioned e-mail address or ext. 4-3347.

Automotive

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

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

Summer rates. (650) 968-4155, e-mail

DBMcKellar@aol.com

South Lake Tahoe cottage w/wood fireplace, hot

tub. Rates $50 to $130 per night. Call (650) 967-7659.

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.

Tahoe Donner vacation home, 2 bd/2ba. trees,

deck. Access to pools, spa, golf, horseback riding, $280

wkend, $650 week. Call (408) 739-9134.

Pine Mountain Lake vacation home. Access to golf,

tennis, lake, swimming, horseback riding, walk to

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

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

Incline Village, Forest Pines, Lake Tahoe condo, 3

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

CD player, microwv, W/D, jacuzzi, sauna, outdoor pool.

Walk to lake. Close to ski areas. Visit web site for

pictures: http://www.ACruiseStore.com $135/night

spring and fall, $173/night summer and winter

(holidays higher) plus $125 cleaning fee and 12 percent

Nevada room tax. Charlie (650) 743-8990.

New York, 5th Ave. One fully furnished bedroom in

24 hour security bldg. overlooking Washington Square

Park, $1,000/wk or $3,000/mo. negotiable. Call (650)

349-0238.

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

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

negotiable. Call (650) 349-0238.

Santa Cruz townhouse, 2 bedrooms plus study, 2

baths, decks, totally furnished, 3 blocks from beach,

available July, August, September; $1,600 per month.

Call (831) 423-5777 (H) or (831) 277-8476 (C).

Vacation rental. Ferndale - The Victorian Village.

Victorian home on Main Street a short stroll to the

Village which has been designated as a state historical

landmark. Enjoy the many holiday activities which

include a Christmas parade and lighting of America's

tallest living Christmas tree. Four bedrooms (sleeps

approx. six), two full baths, large kitchen, dining room,

parlor w/fireplace, enclosed desk w/hot tub. For info call

(707) 983-9514.

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. $600/wkend, $2,100/wk, including cleaning by

the maid service when you depart. Call (408) 252-

7260.

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.

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.

1/2 share in Skylane C182A, $24,000. New paint and

recent annual. New fuel bladders. Good condition. Basic

IFR panel. Can base at LVK, 4Q5, TCY, possibly elsewhere.

Key Dismukes. Call (408) 938-0455.

Craftsman gasoline lawn mower, 3.5 HP, 20". Runs

fine. $60 or B/O. E-mail acsullivan@comcast.net

Room available for rent in house in mid town Palo Alto,

with kitchen, laundry, and pool, $500 plus $50 toward

utils, for a quiet, neat, stable and conscientious person or

couple. E-mail jims@eos.arc.nasa.gov; ham call wb6yoy.

Unfurnished single family home for rent in Tracy.

1,400 sq.ft - 3bd/2 1/2 ba, 2 car garage; exc. cond.,

recently painted. hottub and external shed for storage.

Monthly rent $1,370, security dep. Pets allowed w/add’l

security. Call (209) 221-5002 or E-mail

awigna@sbcglobal.net

 2 bd/1ba house for rent. 5 mls from Moffett, near

downtown Sunnyvale. Available 13 May. $1,500 mo. Call

(408) 736-8260.

‘96 Ford Explorer XLT, 4WD, 4-dr, all pwr, 2 extra

wheels / tires, new radio/CD player, tow hitch ball,

excellent condition, 85K mls. $5,700 firm, must see. Call or

e-mail Vince Ambrosia (408) 666-7609.

Security/Law Enforcement Activity

Fire Protection Activity

A statistical summary of activi- ties of the Protective Services

Division's Security/Law Enforcement and Fire Protection Services

units for the month of April 2006 is

shown below.

Protective Services

monthly activity
Astrogram May 2006 12

National Aeronautics and Space

Administration

Ames Research Center

Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000

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 Terlep

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 airfield, emergency crews help private pilot land safely

Thanks to the prompt response of

NASA Ames Research Center airfield

personnel and emergency crews, a potential disaster was averted this month

when a small airplane whose landing

gear malfunctioned landed safely at

Moffett Federal Airfield.

The accident happened on Thursday, May 18, 2006, about 2:30 p.m. PDT

when a

Cessna 172

Cutlass RG

airplane was

forced to

make an

emergency

landing at

Moffett Federal Airfield

when the pilot was unable to lower

the airplane's

landing gear.

The single-engine, four-seat aircraft was

returning to the Bay Area from a crosscounty trip when the incident occurred.

The pilot attempted to lower the

landing gear; however, the left main

gear failed to lock in position for landing. The pilot then proceeded to circle

the airfield several times to burn off

excess fuel and reduce the potential for

a fire. After burning off sufficient fuel,

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

the pilot was directed to land on Runway 32L, the secondary runway, to avoid

creating a potential hazard on the main

runway, Runway 32R, used for instrument landings.

“She did a superb job of landing the

aircraft,” said Munro Dearing, aviation

safety officer for Moffett Field. Both the

pilot and her passenger were not injured in the accident and there was no

fire. “Everything worked beautifully,

just like clockwork,” Dearing said.

“I am very proud of the way our

emergency crews and airfield personnel

responded to help prevent what could

have been a major incident,” said Marvin

“Chris” Christensen, deputy director of

NASA Ames Research Center. “The fact

that Moffett Field was available and had

the necessary emergency resources for

this emergency landing demonstrates

how valuable the airfield is to the community.”

Although Ames had a small crane

available, it was not big enough to safely

lift the aircraft off the runway where it

landed. An East Bay company in Newark, however, did have a large crane that

was brought in

early that

evening to lift

the aircraft onto

a flatbed truck

that took it to

Hangar 2 for

temporary

storage. The

Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.

 “We'll be

looking into the maintenance of the aircraft and work with the mechanics to

determine the cause of the main landing

gear not retracting,” said Michael

Schaadt, aviation safety inspector, FAA

Flight Standards District Office, San Jose,

Calif. BY MIKE MEWHINNEY

Ames airfield and emergency crews responded to an emergency landing at Moffett in May by a private aircraft.