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

January 2006

www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/astrogram/2005/05astrograms.html

-- Stardust brings back valuable data, see centerspread, pages 6 - 9, for details --

G. Scott Hubbard

The following is a statement by

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin on the second anniversary of President Bush's announcement of the Vision

for Space Exploration, a

plan to return to the moon,

travel to Mars and destinations beyond.

"Two years ago this

week, President Bush committed our nation to the Vision for

Space Exploration. This Vision comNASA marks Vision for Space Exploration anniversary

mits America to a journey of discovery

and exploration with new and exciting plans to return astronauts to the

moon. From there, to voyage to Mars

and beyond, while continuing to engage in groundbreaking space science

and pioneering advances in

innovation, creativity and

technology.

Together with the partnerships we have in the International Space Station

program, our nation has the

tremendous opportunity

and solemn responsibility

to lead the way toward the dawn of a

new space age."

NASA photo by Tom Trower

To my friends and colleagues at Ames,

It has been both a pleasure and an honor to work with you and to serve as the Ames

center director. You represent the best of the Agency, we've accomplished many things

together that I'm extremely proud of, and I know you will continue to play creative and

critically important roles as NASA turns the Vision for Space Exploration into reality.

It seems only fitting that my new position at the SETI Institute will allow me to promote

and advance a research discipline that we began here at Ames - astrobiology. Holding

the Carl Sagan Chair for the Study of Life in the Universe will provide opportunities to

bring this exciting and ultimately profound line of research to the attention of academia

and the public and to increase the participation of private organizations in this work. I

want to thank you all for your support and dedication.

- G. Scott Hubbard

continued on page 12

Scott Hubbard to hold Carl Sagan Chair at SETI Institute

Ames Center Director G. Scott

Hubbard recently announced his decision to accept a new assignment as holder

of the Carl Sagan Chair for the Study of

Life in the Universe at the SETI Institute

in Mountain View, Calif.

In this prestigious position,

Hubbard will work to strengthen the

SETI Institute's capability, visibility and

support for its research into the origin of

life, and how it might be found on other

worlds, in the planets and moons of our

solar system or beyond.

“My new position at the SETI Institute allows me to return to the research

arena and pursue a lifelong interest in

the search for life in the Universe and its

origins on Earth,” Hubbard explained.

“I believe this field, that we know as

astrobiology, is both the scientific heart

of the exploration vision and the most

exciting area of research today. We have

a chance to learn things that, only a

generation ago, would have seemed

beyond our capabilities.”

“Scott is the perfect candidate for

the Carl Sagan Chair,” remarked Thomas Pierson, chief executive officer of

the SETI Institute. “He has a solid background in the relevant sciences and has

proven himself to be an effective and

widely admired leader. As the holder of

the Carl Sagan Chair, Scott will be engaged with many audiences, furthering

their understanding about science and

its potential for new discoveries. Scott

will bring both expertise and enthusiasm to this task and will be a terrific

representative for the Institute both domestically and internationally,” Pierson

added.

Hubbard began his career at NASA

Ames in 1987, and has served as the

center director since 2002. As director,

Hubbard substantially reorganized the

center, streamlined operations and continued a 10-year center transformation

to astrobiology and advanced technology in which he played a significant

role.

Hubbard is known for his innovative approach to collaborations between

government, academia and the private

sector, exemplified by the award-winning NASA Research Park development
Astrogram January 2006 2

At its annual business meeting on

Jan. 11, the Ames Contractor Council

(ACC) recognized and thanked outgoing President Linda McCahon

(Infonetics) for her year of service in

2005. She was presented with a certificate of appreciation.

Highlights of the year included

achievement of non-profit status, creation of the historic calendar as a major

fundraiser and education programs support. NASA liaison to the ACC, Acting

Deputy Center Director Steve Zornetzer,

as well as Meredith Moore, special assistant to the deputy center director, joined

the council in expressing appreciation.

The council develops and maintains

an open dialog with senior center management, provides a mechanism for center management to communicate vital

information directly to contractors in a

timely manner, provides a forum to raise

issues that affect the contractor community, creates a mechanism to address

issues affecting the contractor commu- BY DOREEN COHEN

Ames Contractor Council honors 2005 president Linda McCahon

Members of the 2005 ACC board and newly elected officers for 2006. Left to right are: Chris

Johnson of MEI Technologies (2006 vice president); Faten Mansour of PAIC (2006 secretary);

Doreen Cohen of Planners Collaborative (2006 president); Linda McCahon of Infonetics (2005

president); Paul Chaplin of SAIC (2006 director); Kathleen Starmer of SAIC (2006 treasurer); and

Marla Arcadi of ELORET (2006 director). Not present were 2006 directors Anita Fogtman (SAIC)

and Paul Kutler (retired).

nity and provides centerwide recognition for excellent contractor employee

performance.

For more information about the

Ames Contractor Council, visit: http://

contractorcouncil.arc.nasa.gov/

about.html

Families and individuals at

NASA Ames have been reaching out

to those in need at Stennis Space Center, to provide support in the wake of

Hurricane Katrina. To date, 47 connections have been made between

Ames and Stennis, in an ‘adopt a

family’ concept.

This is not an official NASA program and involves no NASA funding; it is based on personal connections and support that is typically

being provided through networks of

Ames' employees, friends and families. Many of the participants from

Ames are forming long-distance

friendships with their Stennis families that may be lasting, as it is expected that the recovery efforts will

span months or even years.

A variety of gifts and monetary

donations have been provided to the

Stennis families. In December, a substantial shipment was sent from Ames

to Stennis, through personal donaAmes ‘Families-Helping-Families’ participants with a shipment of items for Katrina families at

Stennis. Left to right in photo, back row: Maria Elena Lopez, Vivian Torres, John Garcia, Lynette

Forsman, Barbara Chenier, Gail James, Monica Mendoza, John Wallace, B J Navarro, Jeff Scargle,

Sylvia Longchamps, Claudio Martinez, Julia Rivera, Mike Otto, Yvonne Pendleton, Wendy Dolci,

Marion Legg. In front: Patricia Montes Gregory and Venoncia Braxton.

tions.

To find out more and to sign up for

the ‘Families-Helping-Families’ effort,

Ames reaches out to its ‘family’ at Stennis

visit the Internet: http://

spacescience.arc.nasa.gov/katrina/

BY WENDY DOLCI
3 Astrogram January 2006

NASA commercial success stories featured in Spinoff 2005

BY LISA WILLIAMS

The annual issue of NASA Spinoff

is hot off the presses and available for

Ames employees. The Spinoff publication documents successful partnerships

from the NASA technology transfer and

commercialization program. Many stories describe new products on the market in the area of health, environment,

information technology and safety.

As stated by Michael Griffin, NASA

administrator, in the forward section of

this issue,"These innovations demonstrate that a vigorous space exploration

program has and

will continue to

provide the

American public

with an impressive technological return on investment."

This year,

five technologies

and partnership

success stories

are based on

Ames-developed technology.

For your

own free copy,

contact Lisa Williams at e-mail

Lisa.M.Williams1@nasa.gov or call ext. 4-2954. The five

Ames-related technologies and partnerships featured in the publication are:

Forty-year Old Foam Springs Back With

New Benefits

Temperature-sensitive foam applications ranging from football helmets to

medical applications are highlighted.

Inertial Motion-Tracking Technology

for Virtual 3-D

InterSense Inc. ongoing partnerships with NASA to develop next generation virtual reality applications are

presented.

Water and Air Measures Make

'PureSense'

PureSense Inc. is highlighted in its

work to secure a safe environment for

all

A Search Engine That's Aware of Your

Needs

Stottler Henke Inc. works with SBIR

to create software for manageable searching of NASA databases

Software of Seismic Proportions Promotes Enjoyable Learning 

Seismic Entertainment, "Inside

NASA" film creators discuss the journey from idea to film release.

Front cover of the 2005 Annual Spinoff.

and to predict the future of life on

Earth and in the rest of the universe.

To this end, it relies on the diversity of disciplines and has inspired new

meta-disciplines. Abstracts are solicited on all topics that span the enormous range of astrobiological themes.

 The meeting format will include a

limited number of plenary talks that

will complement a larger number of

oral presentations in parallel thematic

sessions.

As has always been the case at

previous AbSciCons, the poster sessions, including the NAI-sponsored

student poster competition, will continue to be a particularly important

and successful venue for the exchange

of scientific ideas.

Visit the Internet at http://

abscicon2006.arc.nasa.gov to obtain the

latest AbSciCon 2006 information.

Fourth Astrobiology Science Conference set for March

The Fourth Astrobiology Science

Conference (AbSciCon) 2006 will be held

March 26-30 in Washington, D.C., at the

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (located on the Web

at www.itcdc.com).

All are invited to join the astrobiology community at this exceptional facility that lies in the heart of Washington,

just off the mall, blocks from the White

House and with easy access to all areas

of the city via the Metro.

The meeting will be held when the

cherry blossoms are nearing their peak

at the Tidal Basin. A private evening

tour and reception are scheduled at the

Smithsonian's Natural History Museum,

site of the United States meteorite collection.

The History of AbSciCon

NASA Ames and the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) hosted the first

three Astrobiology Science Conferences.

The sessions were based on themes, such

as ‘Water the Sine Qua Non of Life.’

Each session was led by invited plenary speakers and followed by contributed talks selected for their topical

excitement from over 370 submitted

abstracts.

The many excellent posters attracted viewers during special poster

times, lunches and evenings.

In the second meeting, the format

was enhanced by overview talks in

disciplines for those who wanted a refreshing way to get ‘up to speed’ outside their area of expertise. From cosmology to human intelligence, the

AbSciCon covers the intellectual

breadth of astrobiology.

AbSciCon 2006 builds on the successes of these previous meetings. Astrobiology is a novel approach to the

scientific study of the living universe.

It seeks to understand the origin and

evolution of life on Earth, to determine

if life exists elsewhere in the universe BY SHIRLEY BERTHOLD
Astrogram January 2006 4

The Photozig team, left to right: Luis Dib, chief software architect; Jim

Whitney, multimedia engineer; Francisco Imai, color imaging scientist; Bruno

Kajiyama, CEO; and David LeDrew, multimedia designer.

Photozig: a picture is worth a thousand words

BY DIANE FARRAR

Photozig Inc., an industry partner

in NASA Research Park (NRP) since

2002, develops innovative software solutions and applications for digital photography, with federal funding and in

cooperation with academic centers of

excellence such as Stanford University,

UC Davis, UCLA, UCSF and the University of Illinois.

"Photozig is dedicated to creating

easy, simple and powerful solutions for

organizing and sharing digital photos

and video data," said Bruno Kajiyama,

CEO of Photozig. "We are introducing

our first product to the market -- Photozig

Albums, a complete solution for managing digital photos

and short videos on

the desktop computer with Web

connectivity," he

said.

"Our software has a rich set of features, allowing

efficient control of your digital assets.

You can easily transfer photos/short

videos from your camera, index albums

and photos with categories and tags,

drag/drop images from web browser to

desktop, create slideshows or

screensavers with photos/video/music,

enhance images, e-mail, send to the Web,

create photo blogs, exchange full resolution images, burn a CD, backup and

much more, " Kajiyama said.

Photozig chose NRP because of the

research environment, proximity to

NASA and potential access to NASA

technology. Kajiyama believes that

NASA represents for humanity the

dream of exploring and discovering

more about our universe. He admires

NASA's dedicated personnel, their talent, and technological achievements.

Photozig is interested in collaborative projects related to digital image

management/enhancement, digital

photo broadcast and spectral imaging.

Photozig software, for example, could

enable astronauts to post photo album

blogs in near real time during missions,

sharing experiences with their families,

the educational community and the

world.

Kajiyama loves spending time with

his family and playing with his 17-month

son. He also enjoys skiing, traveling,

filming and taking pictures.

More information is available at

www.photozig.com or by e-mailing

info@photozig.com.

Screen snapshot of the Photozig Web site.

NASA photo by Tom Trower

Thermo-Physics

Facilities Branch

Chief Joe

Hartman (left)

explains the

dynamics of the

ArcJet Facility to

visiting Senate

Budget

Committee staffer

Kevin Bargo

(center) and

NASA legislative

liaison Joan

Salute.

Senate staffer Kevin Bargo tours Ames
5 Astrogram January 2006

The Astrogram staff encourages

employees to write stories about events

and activities in their respective work

areas, which provides Astrogram readers with a fresh perspective. To allow us

to include as many stories as possible,

we ask that writers follow these guidelines for stories:

Astrogram story guidelines

BY THE ASTROGRAM EDITORIAL BOARD

Word limits:

Feature articles/news releases:

 500 words

Around the Center (Ames-related):

 250 words

Obituaries: 200 words

Upcoming events/calendar

 items: 50 words

Timeliness:

For upcoming events, please submit items at least 1 month in advance.

For completed events, please submit

articles no more than 2 weeks after

completion of the event, activity, conference, etc. Items are due to the editor

by the 10th of each month. If that date

falls on a weekend or holiday, then the

next business day becomes the due

date.

Writing tips:

Please review the following writing

tips to familiarize yourself with our

writing style and guidelines. Be sure to

include who you want listed as the author/byline. If you have questions,

please contact the Astrogram editor at

astrogram@mail.arc.nasa.gov

Types of stories:

The most common kinds of stories

published in the Astrogram are news

stories and feature stories.

News stories:

•Tell the basics - who, what, where,

when, how and why.

•News stories are meant to inform

rather than entertain.

•Don't use creative writing - provide just the facts. News stories, like

feature stories, can highlight, explain

and share, but they are meant to be short

and to the point.

• Use the active rather than passive

voice.

•Write for a general audience and

avoid jargon and technical terms as much

as possible.

Feature stories:

•Serve as great opportunities to:

Highlight a person, organization or

project; offer a behind-the-scenes look

and tell a 'story' rather than present a

straight-news article.

•They are less time-critical than are

news stories.

•They allow readers to relate to the

experiences, feelings, lessons learned or

achievements of others.

•Feature stories allow you to write

creatively without using ‘puff’ words or

putting yourself into the story.

For feature articles about Ames projects,

keep the following in mind:

•Remember, this is a feature story

and not a term paper - make your story

interesting and not overly technical.

•Refrain from using jargon - tell the

reader what it is you are doing in everyday language.

•Spell out all acronyms on first reference and then put the acronym after it

only if it is used again in the article.

•Discuss the genesis and purpose

of the project and the primary benefits

derived from it and to Ames and NASA.

•Discuss how the project fits into

other key programs and how it supports

the NASA mission, if appropriate.

•Explain what happened to make

the project a success.

•Include timelines as to when the

project began, key milestones reached,

when the project concluded, etc.

•Discuss the role of key figures on

the project.

•Discuss potential spin-offs, future

uses, and the next steps to be taken, if

appropriate.

•Add any other interesting news

about the project.

•Add quotes from key individuals.

For the human interest, 'personality

profile' story:

•Make your story interesting and

not overly technical. Refrain from using

jargon.

•Spell out all acronyms on first reference and then put the acronym after it

ONLY if it is used again in the article.

•Include some background about

the person's title, years of service, responsibilities at Ames, awards, commendations, etc.

•Discuss outside interests (for example: community involvement, hobbies, sports).

•Include particular items of note

(inventions, patents, publications, conference presentations).

•Include other interesting background about the individual.

•Add quotes from the person and

other sources who work with or supervise the person.

• Be sure to indicate who is to be

listed as the author or the story.

Spam is not just a nuisance; it's a

drain on IT resources and worker productivity. One report puts the cost at

$87 billion to the U.S. economy annually. Another shows the average employee loses eight days per year dealing

with spam. It is occasionally offensive

and some messages are designed to fool

the recipient into giving out IDs and

passwords to bank accounts or similar

systems (called phishing).

The Applied Information Technology Division (Code JT) has implemented

a new anti-spam service that offers improved defense against spam, adult content and phishing attacks. Since its implementation in September 2005, users have

reported a significant reduction in spam

reducing the need and time spent to

maintain and filter unsolicited commercial e-mail.

The new service uses advanced

machine learning techniques to analyze

more than 100,000 attributes in every email, providing extreme confidence in

identifying spam messages. With this

new service, JT provides improved virus and spam protection including betAmes' improves anti-spam services

ter spam identification and user management options.

While most users will simply rejoice

over the reduction in spam, we have

provided options for advanced users.

Advanced users may opt into the selfmanaged group that allow them to manage their own quarantine areas, change

between mild, medium and aggressive

spam filtering rules and manage their

own personal safe lists and blocked

sender lists. (These user management

options are only available for those using the mail.arc.nasa.gov system.) However, 95 percent of Ames users will find

that the current default configuration is

more than adequate to meet their needs.

An anti-spam town hall meeting

sponsored by the Applied Information

Technology Division was held in October of 2005. If you missed the meeting,

you may visit the outreach Web site at

http://apptech.arc.nasa.gov/

outreach.cfm to download a copy of the

slides.

For more information regarding this

service, see FAQ on http://

amesemail.arc.nasa.gov/faq.cfm.

BY ELIZABETH TU
Astrogram January 2006 6

Demonstration of the Ames-developed heatshield used on the Stardust

capsule.

NASA photo by Eric James

Principal investigator Peter Jenniskens (SETI Institute) (seated) and Mike

Koop of the San Jose Astronomical Association acquiring data from a

high-resolution spectrometer on board the DC-8 that departed Ames to

observe the re-entry of the Stardust capsule on Jan. 15.

NASA used a McDonnell Douglas DC-8 aircraft to observe the re-entry of the Stardust capsule on Jan.

15. The aircraft, based at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, collects data for many

experiments in support of scientific projects serving the world scientific community. Included in this

community are NASA, federal, state, academic and foreign scientists. Data gathered by the DC-8 at

flight altitude and by remote sensing have been used for scientific studies in archaeology, ecology,

geography, hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, volcanology, atmospheric chemistry, soil science

and biology.

Trajectory of the Stardust mission

The Stardust capsule as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere on Jan. 15. Photo

taken from the DC-8 that departed from Ames to observer the re-entry of

the spacecraft.

NASA photo based on video by Mike Taylor, Utah State University

To monitor the fireball-like return

of the Stardust sample capsule to Earth,

a team of researchers left Ames on

NASA's DC-8 aircraft.

While the airplane circled over Nevada in the early morning darkness, the

team tracked and observed the capsule

as it plunged into Earth's atmosphere 10

times faster than a speeding bullet. Finally, the capsule parachuted down and

was safely collected in a desert in Utah.

The capsule's precious cargo included

thousands of particles from the comet

Wild 2 and interstellar particles that the

Stardust spacecraft had captured with

its specialized 'arm.'

The researchers on the DC-8 assessed the performance of Stardust's carStardust returns with a ‘stellar’ show and valuable information NASA photo NASA photo

BY JOHN BLUCK

shock emission brightness, light of which

contributes to heating the surface.

bon-based, ablative

heat shield, developed at NASA

Ames.

The scientists

aboard the DC-8

took measurements of the shield’s surface temperature and rate of ablation during the

capsule's high-speed flight. The team

also measured the capsule's re-entry
7 Astrogram January 2006

Comet Wild 2, taken by

the Stardust navigation

camera during the

spacecraft's closest

approach to the comet

on Jan. 2, 2004. The

image was taken within

a distance of 500

kilometers (about 311

miles) of the comet's

nucleus with a 10-

millisecond exposure.

NASA photo by NASA/JPL.

continued on page 8

Scientists study the Stardust sample return particles (center) that were captured

by Stardust's specialized 'arm' and remained enveloped within the Aerogel

substance inside the spacecraft’s interior.

NASA photo

Sandford e-mails family, friends and colleagues about Stardust

NASA Ames astrophysicists Scott

Sandford is a member of the Stardust

mission's science team that will be analyzing the comet dust and interstellar

particles that were captured when the Stardust

spacecraft flew through

some of Comet Wild-2's

dust in 2004. Sandford was

the only member of the science team to also be on the

recovery team when the

capsule landed in Utah on

Jan. 15, 2006. He has accompanied the capsule

from Utah to Johnson

Space Center, Houston,

where it was opened in a

clean room and the particles assessed. Sandford

has been sending e-mails

about his historic Stardust

experiences to family,

friends and colleagues.

Here are some excerpts

from these messages.

Jan. 13, 7:02 a.m. MST:

The recovery team has pretty much finished up all its preparations, and we

are now mostly taking it easy and saving our energy for 3 a.m. MST on

Sunday (Jan. 15). All our gear has been

checked out and is ready for use.

We got some snow and ice last

night, but it was largely gone by the

end of the day, and it is unlikely to have

caused any problems with water in the

landing ellipse. There is apparently

another storm due on Sunday, but the

hopes are that it won't really arrive

until we are already finished recovering the sample return capsule (SRC).

The usual herds of deer and antelope are

wandering the area, including between the

buildings in English Village where we spend

our nights. I am particularly enjoying hearing the coyotes sing every night, something

I heard frequently growing up in New

Mexico, but that you don't get much of in

the San Francisco Bay area!

Jan. 13, 5:11 p.m. MST:

The building was'locked down' so that

we know everything will be ready and waiting for us when we re-gather tomorrow

evening to start the actual recovery operations.

We don't reassemble at the Avery complex for the recovery until around midnight.

We'll then receive a briefing, get into our

warm weather gear, load things into trucks

and helicopters, etc., in preparation for the 3

a.m. MST re-entry of the sample return

capsule.

The helicopters did some practice flights

today and made a point of checking out the

ground conditions in a number of locations

within the landing ellipse, including the

target point. They reported that the ground

is muddy, but mostly free of standing water.

We don't want the SRC to land in deep

water, as water and our sampling aerogel

don't play well together.

The weather folks are telling us that a

new storm is expected to blow in at just

about the time we would begin the recovery

process. This will play a factor in the decision as to whether we recover the SRC using

helicopters or ground vehicles. Helicopters

are preferred since they allow us to do the

recovery more quickly and minimize our

exposure to any UXO (unexploded ordnance) on the range.

Jan. 15, 6:30 a.m. MST:

I'm back at Avery and the SRC is currently being taken apart to get at the sample

canister. The field conditions were VERY

muddy, but no water got in the SRC and the

SRC itself didn't get too

muddy (our boots on the other

hand...)

The recovery went almost perfectly. Finding the

SRC took a little longer than

we had anticipated. It also

took us longer to complete

recovery because the SRC did

a few minor bounces, followed

by a short roll, before coming

to a stop on its side when it

landed. That required we do

more environmental sampling than we practiced.

Jan. 16, 9:46 a.m. MST:

Sorry for the long delay,

but I was up 39 hours straight

dealing with the recovery and

then washing and organizing gear, followed by watching the disassembly of the

canister from the back shield

and the heat shield. After that

I caught some much-needed sleep.

The recovery went perfectly, but a little

slower than in practice, in part because it

took a little longer to locate the

sample return capsule than expected,

and in part because we took more

environmental samples than expected. The SRC hit the ground with

some transverse velocity due to the

wind, so it made a few small bounces

and ended up on its rim. Once on its

rim, it rolled in a wobbly fashion for

a short distance and then did a little

spiral and stopped on its side (kind

of like a top at the end of its spin).

The impact marks were all quite

shallow, so it looked like it had a

pretty gentle landing.

We sampled all along the track. The

sticky mud sucked some fine grain material

off the heat and back shields. As a result, the

mud had a hard time adhering to the SRC

and the SRC itself had relatively little mud

on it (less than ended up on me!)

Jan. 18, 2:36 p.m. CST, e-mail sent from

Johnson Space Center, Houston:

Yesterday was a very long day. I was up

at 4:30 a.m. MST to go down to the Avery

complex in preparation for flying down to

JSC. We loaded up all the sample return

capsule gear and related hardware onto a

flatbed truck and transported it to a waiting

C-130 Hercules provided courtesy of the
Astrogram January 2006 8

Sandford to discuss Stardust, Hayabusa sample return missions

The Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series presents a lecture co-sponsored by NASA Ames, Foothill College Astronomy Program, SETI Institute and Astronomical Society of the

Pacific. Astronomer Scott Sandford of

NASA Ames will give a non-technical, illustrated talk on: ‘The Stardust

and Hayabusa Missions.’ Details below.

Date: Wednesday, March 1

Time: 7 p.m.

Place: Smithwick Theater

 Foothill College

 El Monte Road and

 Freeway 280,

 in Los Altos Hills

The event is free and open to the

public.Parking on campus costs $2. Call the series hot-line at (650) 949-

7888 for more information and driving

directions.

There are currently two active spacecraft missions designed to return

samples to Earth from small bodies in

our solar system. Stardust recently returned samples from the comet Wild-2

and Hayabusa will attempt to return

samples from the asteroid Itokawa.

Sandford will discuss the scientific

goals of the Stardust and Hayabusa missions and provide an overview of their

designs and flights to date. He will also

show some of the exciting data returned

by these spacecraft during their encounters with their target objects.

 In addition, in the case of Stardust,

he will talk about some of the preliminary findings from the comet samples

returned to Earth recently.

No background in science will be

required for this talk.

Sandford, an expert on meteorites

and the material between the planets,

is a senior member of Ames'

Astrochemistry Laboratory and is coinvestigator on the Stardust and

Hayabusa missions. He received his

Ph.D. in physics from Washington University, St. Louis.

Sandford e-mails family, friends and colleagues about Stardust

continued from page 7

continued on page 9

Wyoming National Guard.

Loading the plane was cold work (colder

than the recovery, so of course my nice,

warm recovery parka was stowed in the

gear). The Herc flight was similar to my

experiences with Herc in Antarctica, noisy

with alternating hot and cold locations. Seating was the typical hammock webbing.

We got a police escort all the way to JSC;

police cars took turns dashing ahead of us so

they could block all the intersections, so we

never had to stop at lights. If we'd added a

brass band it would have made a lovely

parade!

We arrived at the curatorial building at

JSC, and there was a nice little crowd of

people there to greet us and give enthusiastic

applause (one of the only times in all of this

that I got a little choked up). The SRC

components were all loaded into the Space

Exposed Hardware (SEH) clean room, and

then I escorted the canister up to the Stardust

clean room. There the Lockheed team opened

the canister and exposed the aerogel tray for

the first time. Every aerogel tile is still in

place!!! By and large the tiles are in amazingly good shape.

The science team entered the clean room

at this point, and we safely transferred the

sample tray to its holding fixture in the clean

room. This was a nerve-wracking step but

was completed with only a few tiny pieces of

loose aerogel falling from the tray (into waiting clean trays.)

It immediately became obvious that we

have lots of wonderful samples. There are

many impacts that are EASILY visible to the

naked eye! In some cases you can even see the

particles. Presumably, we have even more,

smaller 10-20 micron grains in the aerogel.

It looks like we have succeeded well beyond

our wildest hopes! I am not sure if it is good

clean room protocol to hug each other, but

there was a lot of it going on for the first 10

minutes or so. We then got organized and

began systematically photographing the

cometary tiles. I helped with this until about

6:30 p.m. CST when my many days of irregular sleep and meals started to tell, when

I turned my job over to Andrew Westphal.

Jan. 20, 9:15 a.m. CST

The day after the canister got to Johnson

Space Center, Houston, Mike Zolensky and

I picked up a number of small fragments of

aerogel that were lying on the avionics deck

and sampling arm of the sample return capsule. These are all probably small pieces of

the front of some of the cometary aerogel cells

that broke off after the sample trays were

stowed subsequent to the comet flyby. It

isn't clear when they came off, but given the

rough and tumble life of the SRC (re-entry,

hitting the ground at ~10 mph, etc.), I am

surprised we didn't see more loose aerogel.

The entire Stardust system worked amazingly well. Members of the team have been

examining these small chips (the largest is

only about 1 cm on a side and a few mm

thick) and have already found multiple tracks

and particles. This bodes very well for the

contents of the full cells in the sampling tray.

At this morning's science team meeting we

decided to begin to extract these particles

and use them to begin distributions to some

of our preliminary examination team (PET)

members.

Much of yesterday was spent experimenting with the lighting conditions on the

cometary tray in the automated scan platform. We want to optically scan a significant

number of cells to get a good sense of what

the collected dust population looks like in

terms of track types, sizes, etc. So far, we are

having some minor difficulties getting really good images due to our inability to light

the samples from the side (the tray frame gets

in the way) and because we get a lot of

reflections off the frame and the aluminum

foils that hold the cells.

Nonetheless, we are getting good enough

images to take us to the next step, which is to

select the first, few cells for extraction. If all

goes well, I think we will be extract our first

cell this afternoon, but we may not get to it

until tomorrow morning. We want our first

cell to be "run of the mill." Cells with more

exceptional particles will wait until we have

proven all our extraction techniques work

well.

Last night the extended Stardust team,

at least those members who are in Houston,

had a celebratory dinner in the Gilruth Center. We've all made good friends during the

many years of the mission, and it was nice to

take a moment to relax in each other's company.

During the celebration we made a point

of remembering the many, many, many

people who have played key roles in the

success of the mission but were unable to be

present.

Kudos to all of you out there who have

helped make this mission a reality. It is my

sincere hope that I will get to work with these

folks more in the future. Say, here's an idea

- how about we do another sample mission!

Cheers!

Scott
9 Astrogram January 2006

Aerogel helps scientists unravel mysteries of comets NASA photo by Tom Trower

Aerogel, sample shown above, is a new concept for spacecraft tiles that can

be used on Earth to make efficient, vacuum-like insulation for refrigerators,

furnaces and automobile catalytic converters. The new material is similar to

that used for the tiles on the Space Shuttle to protect the vehicle from the

heat generated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere. However, the new

tiles have a layer of aerogel, or `solid smoke,' mixed into the tile's air spaces.

This works like a vacuum layer because it's a great insulator, insulating

spacecraft from 10 to 100 times better than today's tiles.

Strange stuff called 'aerogel' that

looks like a semi-transparent, blue cloud,

but that is solid, carried captured comet

dust to Earth on Jan. 15, landing in a

Utah desert.

In January 2004, the

Stardust spacecraft flew

within 147 miles (236 kilometers) of the comet Wild 2

(VILT-TWO) and survived

the high-speed impact of

millions of dust particles

and small rocks up to nearly

two-tenths of an inch (onehalf centimeter) across. With

its tennis-racket-shaped collector extended, Stardust

captured thousands of

comet particles in the seethrough aerogel, which includes silica and oxygen.

"It’s a little bit like collecting BBs by shooting

them into styrofoam. Some

of the grains are likely to

have exotic isotopic ratios

that will give us an indication that we're looking at

materials that aren't as old

as the solar system, but that

are, in fact, older than the

solar system," said Scott

Sandford, an astrophysicist

and Stardust mission co-investigator at

Ames.

Another mission objective was to

expose the spacecraft to the interstellar

dust stream for 150 days to grab particles. After collecting them, the aerogel

collector retracted into the spacecraft's

capsule. Stardust will be the first mission to capture and return a substantial

sample from outside Earth's moon system.

Making sure that precious comet

and interstellar particles imbedded in

the aerogel are not affected by earthly

contaminants was an important task to

complete before the Stardust spacecraft

was launched on Feb. 7, 1999, from Cape

Canaveral Air Station, Florida. aboard a

Delta II rocket.

"Under Dr. Sandford's guidance, I

performed the lab analysis of the aerogel using infrared (IR) light to determine the level of organic contamination," said Max Bernstein, a scientist at

NASA Ames. "These and other preliminary lab tests ultimately led the Stardust

aerogel development team to devise a

bake-vacuum-bake cycle to reduce the

carbon content in aerogel," Bernstein

said.

"Aerogel is made mostly of sand

(silica), and what we're interested in is

the organic material in the cometary

samples," Bernstein said. "We measured

organic contamination in aerogel early

on. We raised a concern, and Peter Tsou

and the aerogel team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., devised a method to reduce carbon content in aerogel by a factor of 10."

Infrared light that astronomers use

to detect organic molecules in space also

can be used to measure organic molecules in the laboratory. In their laboratory, Ames scientists shined IR light

though a piece of an early batch of test

aerogel, and they saw organic contamination. Because infrared is light that is

not visible to the human eye, scientists

use special detectors to 'see' IR. If scientists detect a specific IR color scheme,

they can tell that a specific molecular

fragment is moving and is present in the

sample of material they are examining.

"If you understand that color

scheme, then when you make the measurement, you can say, 'ah hah, I spotted

colors corresponding to a carbon-hydrogen motion, so there must be carbons and hydrogen in the aerogel, not

just silicon and oxygen,'" Bernstein explained. "Thanks in part to our measurements, we now have cleaner aerogel,

which is flying on the Stardust spacecraft."

In cooperation with Bernstein,

graduate student Maegan K. Spencer of

Stanford University, Stanford, Calif., is

conducting more sophisticated aerogel

organic contamination tests in the laboBY JOHN BLUCK

ratories of Stanford Professor Richard

Zare.

The returning Stardust capsule

struck Earth's atmosphere at eight miles

(12.8 kilometers) per second -

more than 10 times faster than

a speeding bullet. That is fast

enough to go from San Francisco to Los Angeles in only

one minute. The 101-pound

(45.7 kilogram) conical object

hurtled through the atmosphere and slowed before the

spacecraft finally parachuted

down to Earth in a Utah dry

lake. The landing occured on

Sunday, Jan. 15, at about 3

a.m. MST, in a restricted area

- the Utah Test and Training

Range, located southwest of

Salt Lake City.

"There will be a team of

scientists at Johnson Space

Center who will assess what

we actually got back from the

comet so we can verify we did

get a useful sample," Sandford

said. "A small portion of the

samples will then be used to

make a preliminary study of

the returned material. After

the preliminary examination

is complete, all the samples

will be made available to the general

scientific community for more detailed

study. My guess is people will be asking

for and working on these samples for

decades to come."

continued from page 8

Sandford e-mails

COMPILED BY JOHN BLUCK AND

SCOTT SANDFORD

The Stardust mission was the first to

return a sample from outside Earth's

moon system. Scientists believe the captured cometary material likely contains

ancient pre-solar, interstellar grains and

remnant material form the formation of

the solar system. According to scientists, analysis of these celestial specks

may well yield important insights into

the evolution of the sun, its planets and

possibly even the origin of life.

The Stardust spacecraft was

launched on Feb. 7, 1999, from Cape

Canaveral Air Station, Fla., aboard a

Delta II rocket. For more information

about Stardust, visit: http://

stardust.jpl.nasa.gov, http://

www.astro.washington.edu/brownlee

and http://www.nasa.gov/centers/

ames/multimedia/audio/sdust/

sdust.html
Astrogram January 2006 10

Question:

Could you please describe the

procedural requirements and program guidelines for foreign national

visits at Ames?

Answer:

Over the last few years, NASA

Headquarters has issued revised

NASA procedural requirements and

guidelines implementing significant

changes to the foreign national visits

program.

As an Ames employee, it is imperative that you understand these

requirements and guidelines in order

to make this a successful and effective process.

Ask the ‘Protective Services Wizard’

Ames Research Center has been

assigned the responsibility of coordinating and approving/disapproving

requests for foreign national access to

Ames facilities, information, material

and technology, provided they conform to U.S. national security, nonproliferation and foreign policies, U.S.

export control regulations and the visit

is "of concrete benefit to NASA and

the United States".

Only a branch chief or higher can

sponsor requests for foreign national

visitors (i.e., a foreign national is anyone who is not a U.S. citizen and this

includes permanent residents).

Requests for foreign national visitors may be disapproved unless submitted at least 20 business days in

advance of the visit start date.

Visitors from designated countries require advanced submission of

two calendar months.

For on-site users, visit the Ames

Web site on the Internet at https://

arcapps.arc.nasa.gov/ to submit a request.

For further details, visit the Ames

International Visits Office Web site at

http://jp.arc.nasa.gov/SM/

IVC_office.html or for immediate assistance with the request process and

location, call the International Visits

Office at ext. 4-5434, or at ext. 4-1677.

Guidelines for foreign national visits to Ames

Virgil P. Force passed away on Dec.

17, 2005, with his loving daughter and

care taker, Jackie Schuarzenbach, at his

side. He was 87.

Born in Cass County, Ill., Force

joined the Navy and graduated from the

Navel School in San Diego in November

1944. He ended up being stationed at

Moffett Field.

A pioneer in technical services,

Virgil Force, passes away

BY MANUEL FONTES

After leaving the Navy, he went to work at Ames (NACA) as a research and

development model maker. Most of the

projects in those days were wind tunnel

models and Force, a gifted craftsman,

contributed to the success of many early

flight programs such as the SST Project.

With the dawning of the space age,

and the birth of NASA in 1958, there

were new technology challenges. Force

was instrumental in finding new materials and developing new processes to

meet these challenges.

Force worked on many early space

flight programs. Most notably, he

worked with the astronauts to develop a

body and face restraint system, making

plaster casts of their faces. He worked

on the first prototype models of the AX5 hard space suit with researcher H.C.

(Vic) Vykukal. Force's talent and creativity inspired his fellow craftsmen and

earned the respect of the researchers he

worked with.

 Force was married to his loving

wife Sarah until her death in January

1994. He leaves his five children behind,

four daughters and one son, along with

10 grand children and eight great grand

children.

Paying tribute

Virgil Force

Ames employees pay their respects as the

funeral procession for slain East Palo Alto

Officer Richard May passes under the Moffett

Field Blvd. overpass on Jan. 12.

NASA photo by Jonas Dino
11 Astrogram January 2006

The Lamica saga - a multi-generational family working at Ames

The 1959 Flight Research Branch:. Violet Shaw is the second woman from

the left in the first row. Gus Brunner is the last man in the first row.

There are several good books that

have been written about the history of

Ames, but for eyewitness accounts sit

down with Joe and Ron Lamica, two

members of a three-generation legacy

that has racked up over 200 years of

service at Ames and Moffett Field.

The Lamica saga begins with Clement Gilbert Lamica, Sr., (Gilbert, Sr.). In

January 1942, he was raising horses on

property along El Camino Real in Mountain View and repairing pinball machines and similar devices for businesses

from Redwood City to San Jose. He was

36, married with five children and had

served in the US 11th Mounted ‘Black

Horse’ cavalry stationed at Fort Ord.

NACA's Ames Aeronautical Laboratory

had just completed building the 7-footby-10-foot and the 16-foot wind tunnels

along with the electrical substation to

provide power for the tunnels. It was

gearing up to direct all of its efforts to

provide better aircraft designs for the

American military. Gilbert, Sr. was hired

in 1942 to support the maintenance of

the critical substation. He spent 38 years

at Ames supporting the electrical substation and other center facilities, retiring in 1979.

In 1944, Clement Gilbert Lamica, Jr.

(Gilbert, Jr. aka Pancho) at the age of just

17 joined his dad at Ames, working in

the machine shops building models for

the wind tunnels and arcjets and then

helping to install them. He worked at

Ames for 37 years, less a couple of years

he spent with the Army in Korea.

In 1951, Gilbert, Jr. was joined in the

machine shops at Ames by his brother

Joe. Joe did a good deal of work on wind

tunnels, including the 6-foot wind tunnel with Jack Boyd and the 2-foot wind

tunnel, as well as working on the uniGilbert, Jr.'s retirement party,from left to right:

Gilbert, Jr., Joe, Marge (Gilbert, Jr.'s wife) and

Gilbert, Sr.

tary. He retired as chief of the Mechanical Operations Branch in 1989, after a

career of 38 years, including four with

the Naval Air Corp in Korea and Vietnam. Some of the highlights of Joe's

career were getting the 2-foot wind tunnel working in the 1970s and working

on the F-14 wing root shape problem --

the air-flow was separating and producing high drag and turbulence. Joe came

up with the fillet design that solved the

problem. Joe became an Ames

Associate the

year he retired

and continues to

serve in that capacity. He is

working on completing a computerized inventory of all models, unique tools,

etc., developed

by the Mechanical Operations

Branch in its various forms and

seeing that they are provided their

proper place in the history of Ames.

Violet Shaw was hired in 1956 as a

computational technician for NACA by

Gus Brunner, becoming part of his team

in Hanger N211. Not long after she was

hired, she was asked to serve as the

receptionist for the visiting chest X-ray

trailer. One client was Joe Lamica. A

mutual attraction developed and they

married in 1957. Vi left in 1960 to raise

the family. In 1978, she came back to

work at NASA until her retirement in

1996.

In 1975, Gilbert, Jr.'s son, Ronald,

was in the De Anza College trade program, studying to be a machine tool tech

and planning a cross-country trip on his

motorcycle. His dad strongly suggested

that he get a job instead, so he interviewed at Ames, was hired under the

student program and started learning

all aspects of the machine shop, eventually becoming a journeyman. On Jan. 20

of 1978, just a weekend before he was to

become a permanent NASA employee,

Ron was hit by a car while riding his

motorcycle. He lost his leg in the accident. "One of those things, it's life," he

says philosophically and grins. "I still

ride." In June 1978, he became a permanent NASA employee. Over the years,

Ron became proficient in CAD/CAM

for the numerical controlled machines

in the machine shop, supporting the

manufacture of various aerodynamic

and sculptured surfaces. Later he managed the planning office and worked on

Project Reliance. Some of the highlights

of Ron's continuing career at Ames include his presentation to the NASA

Administrator (Dan Goldin) and 400

contractor representatives in Washington, D.C. on Project Reliance, which is a

study to retain manufacturing skills at

all NASA centers instead of consolidating it to a single center. He also remembers his work on the STAR Model (a

Boeing 777 semi-span) with project lead

Tom Gilbertson and his entire crew, as

well as his work with Tom Dixon from

NASA Headquarters on the centennial

museum display of NASA wind tunnel

models. Ron still carries his dad's brass

wind tunnel tag. This tag was used by

the wind tunnel workers to identify who

was in the wind tunnel so it wouldn't be

run while they were inside. Joe still

carries his tag also.

Two of Joe's sons have also worked

at Ames. Michael spent 10 years working in the mail room and William spent

three years in the fabrication shop apprentice program. Finally, we have Joe

and Gilbert, Jr.'s brother Richard. He

went to work for the United States Post

Office in Mountain View, retiring as the

postmaster of the Moffett Field Post Office after 40 years of service.

BY LARRY MANNING AND VALERIE ADAMSKI
Astrogram January 2006 12

Security/Law Enforcement Activity Fire Protection Activity

A statistical summary of activi- ties of the Protective Services

Division's Security/Law EnforceProtective Services monthly activity

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 Inaugural meeting on Jan. 18,

2006 in Bldg. 245, Room 215, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Thereafter 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.

National Association of Retired Federal

Employees, (NARFE). Former and current federal

employees. Your only contact with Congress. Join to

protect your federal retirement. Chptr #50 will then

meet on the first Fri. of each month at HomeTown

Buffet, 2670 El Camino (at Kiely), S. Clara, 11 a.m.

lunch. POC Earl Keener (408) 241-4459 or NARFE 1-

800-627-3394.

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.

NASA Ames Research Center has

been designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on its nation-wide list of ‘Best Workplaces for

Commuters.”

Best Workplaces for Commuters

is a voluntary program that nationally recognizes excellence in employer-provided commuter benefits.

NASA Ames was recognized for this

award because of its commitment to

offer a wide range of innovative benefits to employees, including subsidized transit passes, membership in

carpool matching programs, offering

telework options and providing free

rides to/from mass transit on the

Ames shuttle bus.

To learn more about Ames Commute Alternatives Program, visit

http://jf.arc.nasa.gov/

NASA_Only/acap/index.html.

Ames named in

‘Best Workplaces

for Commuters’

ment and Fire Protection Services

units for the month of Dec 2005 is

shown below.

and the only NASA University Affiliated Research Center. He was directly

responsible for the Ames Project Columbia, one of the world's fastest

supercomputers. The system was conceived, designed and brought on line in

a record 120 days. In the fall of 2005, he

announced a collaboration with Ames'

famous neighbor Google Inc., that allows the Internet search company to

build up to 1 million square feet of new

research collaboration laboratory and

office space and ensures an extensive

research partnership between the two

entities.

From February to September 2003,

he served full time as the sole NASA

representative on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board at the request

of NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe.

He directed impact testing analysis that

established the definitive physical cause

of the loss of the space shuttle Columbia.

Another significant accomplishment that occurred during Hubbard's

tenure was the November 2005 announcement by NASA Headquarters

that NASA Ames had been assigned

management of the Robotic Lunar Exploration Program.

“The Robotic Lunar Exploration

Program is a critical element of NASA's

Vision for Space Exploration,” said Exploration Systems Mission Directorate

Associate Administrator Dr. Scott

Horowitz at the time of the announcement.

Hubbard also secured significant

roles for Ames in the development of

the space shuttle's replacement, the Crew

Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and the new

Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV). These roles

include leading a multi-center team to

develop a thermal protection system for

the CEV and designing, developing and

implementing the launch mission systems and the command-and-control capability for the CEV and the CLV, and

designing, developing and managing

continued on page 14

continued from front page

Hubbard to hold position at SETI
13 Astrogram January 2006

Ames Classifieds

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!

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, contact Astrid Terlep at the aforementioned e-mail address or ext. 4-3347.

Lake Tahoe-Squaw Valley Townhouse, 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

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

bd/2ba, sleeps 8. Fireplace, TV/VCR/DVD, MW, W/D,

jacuzzi, sauna, pool. Walk to Lake, close to ski areas.

Visit Web page for pictures: http://

www.ACruiseStore.com. $120/night low season, $155/

night high season (holidays higher) plus $156 cleaning

fee and 12% Nevada room tax. Charlie (650) 366-

1873.

Disneyland area vacation rental home, 2 bd/1ba.

Nearing completion completely remodeled w/new

furniture. Sleeps 6 (queen bed, bunk beds, sleeper

sofa). Air hockey and football tables. Introductory rate

$600/wk, once completed rate will be $1000/wk.

Security deposit and $100 cleaning fee required. Call

(925) 846-2781.

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 Ile-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).

West Maui vacation at Kahana Falls, across street

from beach. Thanksgiving week 19-26 Nov 05, $630/

wk. 1bd/2 ba, w/d, fk. For 2 adults, 0 to 2 kids. Call

(650) 962-1314 after Aug 7.

San Francisco, Donatello Hotel, small, deluxe hotel,

one block from Union Square, 5 nights available to be

scheduled either together or individually, $125 per

night. Call Barry Cunningham (510) 793-4457 or email EZrdrdad@comcast.net

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. $500/wkend, $200/addl night, 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.

Montana, new lodge and B&B offers hunting,

fishing, family reunions, retreats. 6 bedrooms with

spectacular views of the Clark Fork River. Call or email for a brochure, prices and hunting deadlines (406)

360-6464 or sambernhardt@msn.com

Automotive

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.

Oak high chair. Fits up to table like a chair; does not

have its own tray. Your child can sit at the table like a big

kid. Will e-mail photo if interested. $40. Call (650) 255-

3377.

Pioneer 6-disc CD player with (8) extra changer

cartridges! Black finish, works perfectly, $35. Call (408)

295-2160.

Novara 16 inch red bike. Used for about one year; in

great condition. Will e-mail photo if interested. $60. Call

(650) 255-3377.

Child's rocking chair. Light wood with a teddy bear

printed padded seat and back. Looks new. Will e-mail

photo if interested. $40. Call (650) 255-3377.

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 (408) 938-0455.

Waterbed - King size, Universal, canopy, pedestal with

drawers - beautiful, large, wood frame waterbed, with

newish wave free mattress. Moving sale. $800 or B/O.

Barry Cunningham (510) 793-4457 or e-mail

EZrdrdad@comcast.net

Jet Performance chip state 1 part #294055 for 1994

Chev truck/SUV. RAY (408) 269-4736.

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.

Furnished housing needed for visiting German

researcher (and his wife and small house-trained dog).

Visiting Ames April 1 through July 31, 2006. Chris Blanken

at (408) 733-7234.

Large room for rent in Newark, private entrance, own

bathroom and kitchen. All utilities paid except telephone.

Close to all stores, malls, and freeways. $500. Call Jim (510)

828-0315.

Good sized room in 4 bd/2 ba home, excellent, quiet

Mtn View area close to Ames. W/D, microwave, wire/

wireless cable modem. Tidy person and nonsmoker. Easy

access to Ames, H85, 237, & 101. $475 plus dep. and

share utils. Avail. March 1, possibly sooner. Call (650) 964-

1900.

’91 Acura Legend LS 4dr sedan. Very clean. Well

maintained. 160K mls. White w/tan leather interior. Alpine

in-dash cd player w/premium aftermarket speakers.

Recently installed: Yokohama AVS db S2 tires, Brembo front

rotors, front and rear brake pads. Koyo radiator, 150K

service, all performed by certified Acura technician. Needs

about a quart of oil between changes. Otherwise, runs

great. $2,800. David (510) 387-2453.

‘98 Isuzu Rodeo. Good condition, A/C, power steering,

windows and door locks. Tilt wheel, cruise control, dual

front air bags, roof rack, alloy wheels, silver paint, body has

no dent. $4,950. Ricky (510) 396-9149.
Astrogram January 2006 14

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

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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.

The NASA family remembers

On Jan. 26, the NASA family observed a Day of Remembrance to celebrate and honor our NASA colleagues

and friends who gave their lives in

service to NASA and the nation in the

cause of exploration and discovery.

In observance of the NASA Day of

Remembrance, the U. S. flag was flown

at half-staff at all NASA centers. On

this day we remember the Apollo 1

astronauts - Gus Grissom, Roger

Chaffee and Ed White -- who perished

in a fire on the launch pad during a

training exercise on Jan. 27, 1967.

We also remember the crew of the

space shuttle Challenger - Dick Scobee,

Michael Smith, Judy Resnick, Ellison

Onizuka, Ronald McNair, Gregory

Jarvis and the first-to-be teacher in space,

Christa McAuliffe, who perished just

more than a minute after lift-off on Jan.

28, 1986.

And we honor the crew of STS-107 -

Rick Husband, Willie McCool,

Michael Anderson, Ilan Ramon,

Kalpana Chawla, David Brown and

Laurel Clark - who died just minutes

before completing its mission aboard

the space shuttle Columbia on Feb. 1,

2003.

Unfortunately, there are many

others, less well known perhaps than

these astronauts but no less valued,

who have lost their lives while pursuing America's dream of exploring

space. Let us always be vigilant and

determined as we continue to pursue

their, and our, journey to explore the

cosmos.

continued from front page

BY LAURA LEWIS

the integrated systems health management capability for the CEV's ground

processing and automation, among others.

To further increase new business at

Ames, Hubbard established a new business office and named Wendy Dolci to

lead it. The new office is tasked with

identifying new business opportunities

and boosting revenue to the center by

attracting new business partners.

Hubbard also is credited with opening communication channels to keep

Ames employees better informed. He

held a number of “Inside the Director's

Studio” forums and created a new radio

program, KARC, that allowed him to

share commentary and news items with

his audience.

The recipient of numerous awards

and honors, Hubbard has been given

seven NASA medals: three for 'Outstanding Leadership;' three for 'Exceptional Achievement;' and for his contributions to the Columbia accident investigation, NASA's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Medal. He has been

awarded 'Laurels' by Aviation Week

magazine three times. Hubbard is an

elected member of the International

Academy of Astronautics; a Fellow of

the American Institute of Aeronautics

and Astronautics and recipient of the

Von Kármán medal in astronautics, the

IAA engineering science award and an

honorary doctorate from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. He also is the

author of more than 50 scientific papers

on research and technology.

Hubbard will assume his new job

effective Feb. 15, 2006. Marvin “Chris”

Christensen will serve as the acting director until a replacement is identified.

Scott Hubbard to hold Carl Sagan Chair at SETI Institute