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

August 2008

www.nasa.gov

Ames employees were invited to bring their family members to 

help celebrate NASA's 50th anniversary at the Ames Family 

Day Picnic on Aug. 14, 2008, with a delicious hot dog (or vegie 

dog) lunch hosted by the Ames Exchange. Family friendly activities included face painting and jumpee 

houses for kids. Astronaut Yvonne Cagle also attended the celebration. In addition, the film, “When we 

left Earth” was shown in the Exploration Center and open houses were held at the Vertical Motion Simulator, Future Flight Central and the Ames 20G centrifuge. Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden, (right), 

along with other Ames management, staff employees and Ames Exchange members, assisted in serving hot 

dogs and snacks to the many who attended.

Department of Homeland Security 

Secretary Michael Chertoff recently 

visited Ames to see first-hand how 

NASA technology helps the nation 

deal with disasters ranging from the 

widespread wildfires raging throughout California, to the horrific hurricanes throughout the country that 

each year wreak havoc and leave 

thousands of people homeless in their 

wake.

During the visit, Chertoff saw a 

demonstration of the hyperwall-2, a 

high-resolution visualization system 

displaying images from the wildfires, 

and learned about the key role that 

Ames' Disaster Assistance and Rescue 

Team (DART) plays in preparing for 

disasters such as earthquakes, floods 

and fires.

Chertoff also learned how nanotechnology is being 

used in a variety of 

new technologies, 

such as a revolutionary biosensor 

that can detect trace 

amounts of specific 

bacteria, viruses and 

parasites and help 

prevent the spread 

of potentially deadly 

biohazards in water, 

food and other contaminated sources.

"NASA is proud 

of this new exciting 

technology that is 

helping our country 

deal with disasters 

ranging from the 

raging wildfires 

that have consumed 

thousands of acres here in California, 

to the horrific hurricanes that have 

devastated so many other states," said 

Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden.

Earlier this summer, a remotely 

piloted aircraft carrying a NASA 

sensor flew over much of California, 

gathering information to help firefighters battle more than 300 wildfires 

burning throughout the state. The 

flights by NASA's unmanned Ikhana 

aircraft used a sophisticated Autonomous Modular Scanner (AMS) developed at Ames.

The flights originated from NASA's 

Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Ikhana's 

onboard sensor can detect temperature differences from less than one-half 

degree to approximately 1,000 degrees 

Fahrenheit. The scanner operates like a 

digital camera with specialized filters 

to detect light energy at visible, infrared and thermal wavelengths.

The real-time, high-resolution 

Ikhana /AMS-acquired fire data 

were merged with fire detection data 

generated by NASA's Goddard Space 

Department of Homeland Security Secretary visits Ames by Michael Mewhinney

Ames celebrates NASA’s 50th Anniversary

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff (right) visited 

the center in August to learn how NASA technology helps the nation respond 

to natural disasters, such as widespread wildfires and destructive hurricanes. 

Here he is seen with Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden while seeing a 

demonstration of the hyperwall-2, high-resoluatoin visualization system.

NASA photo by Eric James

continued on page 5NASA photos by Dominic Hart

see additional photos on page 9

Page 2 - NASA Lunar Science Institute

 names first international partner

Page 3 - Lewis S. G. Braxton, III, named

 Ames’ new deputy center director

Page 5 - Worden forecasts fascinating 

 future for near Earth objects

Page 14 - Ames ongoing monthly events

calendar

Page 15 - Classifieds

On the Inside . . .
2 Astrogram August 2008

Ames Center Director S. Pete 

Worden recently announced the 

launch of the Ames Project EXcellence 

(APEX) System Engineering Development Program (SEDP), calling it “a 

critical contribution to our efforts to 

enhance Ames' in-house, end-to-end 

system engineering capabilities.”

 A core component of the APEX 

SEDP will be a Graduate Certificate 

Program in Space System Engineering provided onsite at Ames by the 

Stevens Institute of Technology, one of 

the few programs of its kind currently 

being offered by a technological university in the U.S. 

 APEX SEDP participants will 

be actively engaged in sharing their 

knowledge, insights, challenges and 

applying their lessons-being-learned 

to the real world problems of their 

respective projects. Each APEX SEDP 

Ames Project EXcellence Development program launches by Claire Smith participant will receive a budget o

expert mentoring hours to spend 

according to each participant’s individual development priorities and 

critical project activities.

The APEX System Engineering 

Development Program is designed for 

program/project system engineers, 

subsystem leads and high-potential 

discipline engineers. Resident contractors, performing system engineering 

tasks on Ames programs and projects, 

will be considered on a space available 

basis provided the employer is willing 

to pay tuition costs.

Ames employees can download 

an APEX SEDP Overview and SEDP 

Application Form at http://ameshr.

arc.nasa.gov/training/APEX/sedp.

html. Interested staff must send a hard 

copy of a completed and signed APEX 

SEDP application form, along with a 

current resume, to the APEX program 

manager Claire Smith at MailStop 

241-3. Applications must be received 

no later than Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008. 

 To learn more about APEX, go to 

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

APEX/APEX.html or contact Claire 

Smith at Claire.Smith-1@NASA.gov

NASA's Lunar Science Institute 

located at Ames, announced its first 

international affiliate partner for conducting lunar science activities. 

Canada's University of Western 

Ontario, London, Ontario, will represent the Canadian lunar science 

community as part of the newly established Canadian Network for Lunar 

Science and Exploration. 

"We are tremendously excited 

about this partnership," said Ames 

Center Director S. Pete Worden. "With 

the large number of U.S. and international missions focused on the moon, 

this is absolutely the right step forward." 

The institute, dedicated in April 

2008 at Ames, will promote a new 

generation of research on and about 

the moon. It will support collaborative 

science, providing technical perspectives to NASA's lunar missions and 

developing future scientific investigations. 

"We are extremely proud of our 

status as the first NASA Lunar Science 

Institute affiliate outside of the United 

States," said Ted Hewitt, vice president 

of research and international relations 

for the University of Western Ontario. 

"We look forward to working with our 

NASA Lunar Science Institute names first international partner

colleagues throughout the institute's 

organization and at the Canadian 

Space Agency conducting this worldclass research." 

The institute has a major focus 

on developing the next generation of 

lunar science researchers and supporting a vigorous education and public 

outreach program focused on the 

moon. 

"The moon has been Earth's cosmic 

partner for the last four billion years," 

said Gregory Schmidt, director of 

by Michael Mewhinney international partnerships and deputy 

director of the institute. "It is an honor 

to move forward in partnership with 

the Canadian science community in 

this next phase of scientific exploration 

of the moon." 

For information about the NASA 

Lunar Science Institute, visit: http://

lunarscience.arc.nasa.gov/ 

For information about the University of Western Ontario, visit: http://

www.uwo.ca 

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed 

Al-Saud, vice president for the Research 

Institutes of the King Abdulaziz City 

for Science and Technology (KACST) in 

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, recently visited the 

center to meet with Ames Director S. Pete 

Worden. The two scientists discussed potential areas of collaboration in civil space 

exploration and space science. Al-Saud 

is a prince of the Royal Saudi Family and 

earned a Ph.D from Stanford University 

in aeronautics and astronautics.

Saudi Arabian royalty visits Ames
3 Astrogram August 2008

Lewis S. G. Braxton, III, named Ames’ new deputy center director by Glenn Bu

Lewis S. G. Braxton, III, recently appointed 

deputy center director at Ames Research Center.

NASA photo by Tom Trower

continued on page 12

Lewis S. G. Braxton, III, (second from left) with his 1975 class of co-op students 

on the tarmac at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.

Why did Lew Braxton join NASA 

back in June of 1975? “I wanted to 

get married, so I needed a job, and I 

wanted to be around aircraft,” Braxton 

explained. 

His father was a radar navigator 

with the Air Force, and Lew grew up 

in aerospace-enthralled communities 

around America. After two years at 

Merced Junior College he took a job, 

as a co-op student throughFresno State 

University, in the travel, payroll and 

budget group at NASA Dryden Flight 

Research Center. 

The people at Dryden were very 

supportive of NASA’s efforts towards 

minority expansion. Braxton often 

took his lunch breaks in the Dryden 

boneyard, where he could climb into 

old lifting bodies, the Lunar Landing 

Research Vehicle, or a stripped down 

X-15. “My friends knew I had spent 

my lunch in the boneyard because I’d 

have a stripe of dust all the way down 

my back from sitting in the cockpits.” 

Braxton completed his bachelor’s 

degree in accounting from California 

State University, Fresno. Unfortunately, Dryden couldn’t employ him at the 

time, but they did put in a good word 

for him with Ames Research Center. 

He reported to work at Ames on June 

19, 1978 as an accountant in the Financial Management Division. 

It was a bit of a culture shock when 

he first arrived at Ames. “At Dryden, 

they lived like there will be no tomorrow. At Ames they lived like tomorrow should be well understood.” At 

Dryden every facet of his job revolved 

around aircraft. NASA Ames was 

different in that they were always 

thinking five to 20 years out, and that 

there were different silos for each mission area. “It was like there were five 

Drydens rolled into one Center.” 

Still, at Ames, there was plenty of 

tangible technology for him to get excited about. On 

the tarmac was 

the QSRA (the 

Quiet ShortHaul Research 

Aircraft), tilrotors, X wings, 

the DC-8 and 

the Kuiper 

airborne science aircraft. 

“Now, during my lunch 

breaks, I would 

walk into the 

test bays and 

see the extreme 

heats or windflows, or see 

pilots flying the 

flight simulators like the 

Flight Simulator for Advanced Aircraft and the Vertical Motion Simulator. The supercomputers looked like 

something out of Frankenstein’s lab, 

with cryogenic blood flowing through 

their veins. Everyone was proud that 

the Pioneer spacecraft had originated 

there.”

The only job he ever applied for in 

NASA was his first co-op job. For the 

rest of his career, he never asked for 

a job, they always came to him. “The 

agency made it easy for me to stay. 

I’ve been blessed with 33 years of appreciation and respect.” They helped 

him get his MBA from Golden Gate 

University, in 1982, and in 1993 sent 

him through the Program for Management Development at the Harvard 

Graduate School of Business. 

When he arrived, he quickly 

earned a reputation as a fix-it guy. 

At age 28, he was a branch chief, one 

of the youngest ever, then served as 

chief in several resources and finance 

branches. In 1993, he significantly 

contributed to a major re-organization 

of the center, the first in 20 years. In 

1994, he was asked to become chief 

of the Ames Financial Management 

Division. That same year he won the 

NASA CFO Award for developing 

the Agency’s Financial Management 

Crosscutting Report. In July 1998, he 

was selected into the Senior Executive Service as Ames Chief Financial 

Officer.

One of his biggest challenges was 

helping with the consolidation of 

Dryden into Ames in 1981, then finishing the separation in 1996. Another 

such challenge came recently in developing a plan to align all of the agency’s financial management operational 

activities to be transfered to the NASA 

Shared Services Center. 

One of his proudest moments was 

seeing the Columbia supercomputer 

go operational, less than three months 

after it was conceived. Walt Brooks 

managed the technology, and Braxton handled all administrative tasks 

which, given the timeline, required 

extraordinary leadership and insight. 

SGI Inc. wanted to demonstrate that 

they could quickly develop a supercomputer, NASA wanted a high-end 

computer for thermal protection 

modeling for Return-To-Flight efforts, 

Ames wanted to demonstrate its skills 
4 Astrogram August 2008

In August, an Open Ames, Open Forum was held to build 

on the creative ideas mentioned by Ames employees at the 

recent happy hour held at the center. Employees came 

together at this forum to help turn their ideas into action 

plans, sharing them with the Ames leadership team. Some 

of the major topics areas scheduled for discussion included: 

workforce integration (contractor and civil servant); improving communication tools; public relations and morale 

welfare; and other topics attendees wanted to discuss. To 

join the OpenAmes mailing list, send an email to arc-openames@lists.nasa.gov 

Open forum held to share ideas with Ames leadership team

Kemp unveils the new Code I, promises a “Cohesive one-stop-shop”

NASA photo by Eric James

Chris Kemp, director of the newly established Information Technology Directorate, Code I, recently spoke to Ames employees to introduce them to the mission 

of the directorate and its goals.

NASA photos by Dominic Hart

Ames employees received welcome news in August, when Chris 

Kemp introduced the newly established Information Technology Directorate, Code I, during a center-wide 

presentation 

and promised to 

make their work 

more efficient 

and enjoyable.

“We are here 

to maximize your 

productivity, 

make you more 

productive, make 

you more collaborative, make 

the things you do 

more accessible 

to your peers,” 

said Kemp, the 

newly named director of Code I.

The mission 

of Code I is to 

maximize the 

productivity of all employees by providing innovative, reliable and secure 

Information Technology (IT) services, 

according to Kemp. As a part of an 

NASA-wide initiative, all of the Ames’ 

IT support functions are being consolidated under this new directorate. 

Kemp outlined the “2008 Initiatives” the Code I team will complete 

before the end of the year, including:

• Ensure that all new employees get computers, a nasa.gov email 

account, and a computer account on 

their first day of work;

• Streamline the software and 

hardware procurement process;

• Provide Ames employees with 

new collaboration and communication 

tools.

“We share everything. There is 

nothing that goes on in my organiby Rachel Pruce

continued on page 6
5 Astrogram August 2008

Near Earth Objects, or NEOs, will 

play an increasingly important role 

as humanity expands into the solar 

system, according to Ames Center 

Director S. Pete Worden.

“Only a small fraction that come 

near the Earth are hazardous,” 

Worden told a capacity crowd recently 

gathered in the main auditorium for 

a director’s colloquium. “But like any 

threat, it’s also a huge opportunity. 

The key is to characterize the object by 

its orbit, and then determine its size, 

shape and rotation,” he added.

 “NASA comes into the picture 

when questions get asked. We’re in 

the business of answering questions,” 

he continued. According to Worden, 

questions to be asked are: Where 

are the potential hazardous objects? 

Which ones are threats? What are the 

characteristics of a potential threat? 

 “This is where NASA has been 

assigned new responsibility,” Worden 

said. “Surveying what is out there and 

determining any potential threats. Of 

the 100,000 NEOs to be discovered, 

20,000 may be hazardous.”

Worden forecasts fascinating future for Near Earth Objects by Ruth Dasso Marlaire The United States is joined 

many other countries in its interest 

in this effort. Worden said the U.S. 

Congress has enacted a directive that 

NASA should detect, track and characterize the NEOs by 2020. But, according to Worden, the directive lacks 

funding.

 “We would like to do really 

small missions for reconnaissance. Nano-satellites are an area 

where Ames is really specialized, 

and they can be launched into 

flyby efforts,” Worden explained. 

 “Nano-satellites are NASA’s 

next new and exciting development and are low cost. Some 

nano-sats cost only a few 

$100,000 and NASA can launch 5 

to 10 of them a year,” he added. 

In addition, he said that this is 

where the synergy begins with 

our human exploration mission. 

“We think the hardware we are 

building to go to the moon is 

ideal for flybys and rendezvous,” 

said Worden. “And we can start 

to do human missions to asteroids.”

 The new missions would be 

similar to the Apollo 8 mission 

flyby or rendezvous, he said. 

“Although, you don’t really land 

on an asteroid, you dock with it,” 

explained Worden.

 “In 2020, we hope to land 

on the moon with the hardware 

that is being built,” Worden said, 

which includes the Ares rocket, 

the Orion exploration vehicle and the 

lunar lander module. 

 In the meantime, Worden said 

there are a lot of precursor missions. 

“Ames is building the Lunar Atmospheric and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), which will orbit the 

moon and characterize the atmosphere 

and lunar dust environment. The mission is capped at $80 million and will 

launch in 2011,” he noted. 

 “It is a low-cost mission that will 

revolutionize what we do in space,” 

said Worden. “Designed to be a lunar 

skimmer, it will fly near the surface so 

we can study the dust and the atmosphere.”

 Worden said the concept that is 

important to understand is the geometry of the Earth, moon and sun 

system. In order to navigate our way 

around the inner solar system, we will 

need to consider our energy requireNASA photo by Eric James

NASA Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden, dressed as 

a wizard during the recent colloquium at which he spoke 

about Congress’ directive to NASA to detect, track and 

characterize Near Earth Objects by 2020.

ments, according to Worden. “There 

are gravitational equilibrium points, 

or Lagrange points, that can send you 

anywhere in the gravitational system 

with minimal energy,” Worden said. 

“We’ll swing by these points and gain 

enough energy to give us access to the 

entire inner solar system.” A concept 

similar to the acceleration gained by 

“gravity assists.”

 According to Worden, there are 

objects that look like they might hit the 

Earth and miss, but only to be captured by an orbit that will swing the 

object around towards Earth. These 

are called keyhole objects. There may 

be times when these keyhole asteroids 

need to be moved, Worden asserted.

 But how do you get to an asteroid? NASA is building a robotic 

spacecraft, called Measurement and 

Analysis of Apophysis Trajectory, or 

MAAT, named after the goddess of 

order. Apophysis is a possible keyhole 

asteroid, and named after an ancient 

Egyptian god of evil. MAAT’s mission goals are to track and categorize 

Apophysis. Ideally, it would match the 

orbit of Apophysis and tell us if we 

need to move it, according to Worden. 

MAAT is scheduled to launch in 2013.

Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., from the 

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite system. 

These collaborative efforts vastly 

improved the utility of the disaster 

data used by the fire management 

community.

NASA and the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture's Forest Service have partnered to obtain imagery of the wildfires in response to requests from the 

California Department of Forestry and 

Fire Protection, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services and 

the National Interagency Fire Center.

The Department of Homeland Security has oversight for the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. 

Customs and Border Protection, U.S. 

Secret Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 

whose missions benefit from technologies and capabilities being developed 

at Ames and within NASA.

DOHS visit to Ames

continued from front page
6 Astrogram August 2008

NASA Ames has received the 

Center for Interactive Learning and 

Collaboration’s initial Pinnacle Award 

for helping students of all ages learn 

more about Earth, our solar system, 

space exploration and connect with 

NASA scientists, engineers and astronauts using online programs. 

 The NASA Ames Digital Learning Network (DLN) uses emerging 

instructional technologies to deliver 

interactive face-to-face and distance 

learning activities to contribute to the 

educational development of students 

and teachers. 

Featuring demonstrations and 

real-time interactions with NASA 

experts, the DLN offers a wide variety 

of online video-conferencing programs 

and webcasts. The programs and 

activities emphasize Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics 

(STEM) and are aligned with national 

educational standards. 

 “It is a honor to be selected as a 

Pinnacle Award winner, particularly 

because the selection criteria is based 

on evaluations from the school participants,” said Greg Pitzer, Ames’ 

Digital Learning Network coordinator. “A quality audience evaluation is 

evidence that our customized interactive video programs are relevant to the 

needs of today’s classrooms.”

Ames-developed programs like 

“Can A Shoebox Fly” and “Introduction to Robotics,” explore educational 

by Rachel Pruce

Ames’ digital learning network goes the distance, wins award

concepts, dynamics and technical components to teach students how and 

why they relate to NASA’s mission to 

explore and understand space. Students can also see live tests, participate 

in demonstrations and team planning needed to carry a design concept 

through to successful construction and 

implementation. The “Introduction to 

Robotics” program is recommended 

by 100 percent of educators who 

evaluated it on the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration’s Web 

site.

 NASA's Digital Learning Network (DLN) began in 2004. NASA’s 

Langley Research Center, Hampton, 

NASA Ames has received the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration’s initial Pinnacle 

Award for helping students of all ages learn more about Earth, our solar system, space exploration and 

how to connect with NASA scientists, engineers and astronauts using online programs.

NASA photo

Va., manages and funds NASA's DLN 

and along with the two other “hub 

sites,” NASA’s Glenn Research Center, 

Cleveland, and NASA’s Johnson Space 

Flight Center, Houston, to provide 

leadership and guidance for the 

education offices at all other NASA 

centers that support the DLN. 

 NASA’s Digital Learning Network 

(DLN) broadcasts remote instruction 

and interaction from NASA experts 

on an Integrated Services Digital 

Network at 128Kbps to 2Mbps or over 

Internet Protocol. All DLN programs 

are available free and on request.

zation that you can’t see...my staff 

meeting, all the division meetings, all 

the discussions we have about everything we’re doing,” Kemp explained 

while demonstrating Microsoft’s webbased collaboration tool, SharePoint, 

that Code I uses to post information, 

documents and video. “By putting out 

there what we’re doing, we’re able to 

generate better ideas. We’re able to 

get people thinking and get people 

contributing,” he added.

Kemp invited all Ames employees 

to collaborate with the Code I team 

by sharing their ideas via the open 

online forum. “By opening this up to 

the [Ames] community, we’re going to 

do a better job of shaping NASA [IT] 

policy,” he explained.

Kemp is also Ames’ Chief Information Officer (CIO), chairman of the 

Kemp unveils the new Code I, promises a “Cohesive one-stop-shop”

NASA Web Council and served as the 

director of Business Development at 

Ames Research Center prior to his 

position as CIO. 

For more information about 

the new Code I Organization, visit 

https://arc.nasa.gov/i and log in 

using your NOMAD username and 

password.

continued from page 4
7 Astrogram August 2008

Summer is meant to be fun, so how 

would a 16-year-old usually spend the 

summer? For most teenagers, summer 

means hanging out with friends, relaxing at home, or going to the beach. 

But for some, summer means finding 

a job. Right before my senior year of 

high school, I experienced a once in a 

lifetime opportunity. 

My most memorable summer 

yet began right here, at NASA Ames. 

Through my school, Archbishop Mitty 

High, I was given an unforgettable 

experience that I will always cherish. 

From my first supervisors at Ames, I 

was offered an extraordinary summer 

internship here. At just 16 years old, 

I would have never imagined myself 

working at Ames, especially during 

the summer before my senior year. 

I started my internship here at 

Ames Code V Resources. From the 

two amazing women in that department, I was able to learn many valuable life lessons that I will carry with 

me for the rest of my life. Much time 

and dedication is required before 

working at any job, but for a 16-yearold new to the business, this was not 

something I knew. 

Patience was the best skill acquired 

from these two gifted women. Sitting 

behind a computer in a small cubicle 

all day can get a little boring, but they 

made sure I still enjoyed my summer 

while still being able to experience all 

I could here at Ames. It was truly a 

pleasure working for them. To everyone in that department, I would like 

to offer my appreciation and gratitude 

for welcoming me with open arms, 

and making my summer much more 

enjoyable. 

About halfway through my internship, it was decided that I should 

broaden my horizons a bit in order 

to experience everything NASA has 

to offer. They wanted to make sure 

I made the best out of my internship here at Ames. For the remainder 

of my internship I was assigned to 

work in Government Affairs with 

the exceptionally talented, staff. With 

them, I had a blast planning future 

by Alysa Nguyen events, meeting with people to t

about programs and giving VIP tours. 

Within the few weeks I was able to 

work with them, I was 

given much-needed 

advice and life lessons. 

They taught me that 

confidence is key in everything and anything 

that I do. I am grateful 

I had this astonishing 

opportunity to work in 

Government Affairs. 

This internship 

genuinely had a profound impact on my 

life. It was definitely 

a life-changing experience that I will always 

remember. But this experience wouldn’t have 

been the same without 

all the wonderful people I met. Many people here at Ames 

have honestly touched my life. Overall, my summer spent here at Ames 

was truly the best learning experience 

Alysa Nguyen, left, summer student intern who worked in the 

Ames Government Affairs Office the past couple of months, is seen 

here assisting with young students during the iD Tech Summer 

Camp at Stanford University, camps that provide technology 

instruction to meet the need for technology education, delivered in 

a camp like setting and held at universities. 

photo by Sheila Johnson

How my internship at Ames opened doors to my future

I have ever had. Ames has helped me 

enormously in my preparation for the 

future. NASA has opened many doors 

for me, and has challenged me to 

learn and try new things. Thank you, 

NASA, for the best summer thus far. 

In early August, Dr. Michael O. Ball 

presented an overview of his research 

in "Dynamic, Stochastic Models for 

Managing Air Traffic Flows." Ball is 

the Orkand Corporation Professor of 

Management Science in the Robert 

H. Smith School of Business at the 

University of Maryland. He also 

holds a joint appointment within the 

Institute for Systems Research in the 

Clark School of Engineering. He is

co-director of the National Center of 

Excellence for Aviation Operations 

and is currently president of the Institute for Operations Research and the 

Management Sciences (INFORMS) 

Transportation Science and Logistics 

Society. In 2004, he was named a 

Fellow of INFORMS. Ball received 

his Ph.D. in operations research in 

1977 from Cornell University. He is 

currently a visiting professor in the 

Institute of Transportation Studies at 

the University of California Berkeley.

NASA photo by Nick Tran

Managing air traffic flows explained
8 Astrogram August 2008

University professor explains effective management of innovation

NASA photo by Eric James

Andrew Hargadon, associate professor of Technology Management at the 

Graduate School of Management at University of California, Davis, recently 

visited Ames to give a presentation about the effective management of innovation and the strategic role of design in managing technology transitions 

and development and commercialization of sustainable technologies.

David Des Marais recently presented a director's

colloquium at the center entitled, "Exploring for

Evidence of Habitable Environments and Life on 

Early Earth and on Mars." Attendees learned about 

what evidence we have for life on early Earth and the 

Red Planet. Des Marais has investigated the biogeochemistry of microbial ecosystems and Earth’s early 

biosphere, has participated in Mars exploration and is 

a member of the science teams of NASA’s 2003 Mars 

Exploration Rover mission, the CRISM instrument 

of the 2005 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission 

and the CHEMIN instrument of 2009 Mars Science 

Laboratory mission. He is the principal investigator of 

the Ames team of the NASA Astrobiology Institute. 

NASA photo by Eric James

Mars scientist discusses evidence of early life on Earth, Mars

Professor Andrew Hargadon 

recently presented a colloquium about 

his book entitled, "How Breakthroughs 

Happen: The Surprising Truth about 

How Companies 

Innovate." 

Hargadon is an 

associate professor of Technology 

Management at the 

Graduate School 

of Management 

at University of 

California, Davis. 

He is the founding 

director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and the 

Energy Efficiency 

Center at UC 

Davis. Prior to his 

academic appointment he worked as 

a product designer 

at Apple Computer 

and taught in the 

Product Design 

program at Stanford University.

Hargadon gave his perspective on 

the effective management of innovation and the strategic role of design in 

managing technology transitions, and 

the development and commercialization of sustainable technologies. 

His research has been used to 

develop or guide new innovation programs in organizations as diverse as 

the Canadian Health Services, Silicon 

Valley start-ups, Hewlett-Packard and 

the US Navy. 

He has authored materials--many 

stemming from the theme of innovation including: clean energy fuel cells, 

business development and leadership. A list of his writings is found at 

http://www.andrewhargadon.com/

writing.html. He teaches corporate 

executive programs and serves on the 

advisory boards of several start-up 

companies. 
9 Astrogram August 2008

Ames hosts festive NASA 50th Anniversary celebration

continued from front page NASA photo by Nick Tran NASA photo by Dominic Hart

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

NASA photo by Dominic Hart NASA photo by Jon Pierre Wiens

NASA photo by Jon Pierre Wiens

NASA photo by Jon Pierre Wiens
10 Astrogram August 2008

Three Ames employees recently 

staffed the Orion booth in the Future 

Mission tent and represented the 

Space Technology Division of NASA 

Ames at the Smithsonian Institution’s 

42nd annual Folklife Festival held on 

the National Mall in Washington, D.C. 

 James Reuther of the Reacting 

Flow Environments Branch, Ernie 

Fretter from the Thermo-Physics 

Facilities Branch and Liu Yang of the 

Thermal Protection Materials and 

Systems Branch, presented posters 

explaining the critical development 

parts of the Orion Thermal Protection 

System Advanced Development 

Project. In addition, they also showed 

test hardware on display and talked to 

enthusiastic visitors from all over the 

country and the world. 

Reuther also represented NASA in 

the future missions panel discussions. 

An estimated 10,000 people (of the one 

million people attending the festival) 

visited the Orion booth during the 

event.

NASA, celebrating its 50th Anniversary, is only the second government agency the Folklife Festival has 

featured in its 42-year history. Edward 

Goldstein, a NASA speechwriter who 

helped organize the event, said the 

Folklife Festival presented the agency 

with a rare opportunity to engage 

members of the general public who 

might not otherwise seek the agency 

out. Yang agreed with Jeffrey Jones of 

NASA Ames featured at Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Langley Research Center, who said 

“People left in awe of the challenge we 

embrace and the way we address it, 

not just the technical aspects but also 

as a dedicated team of people.”

by Liu Y

photo by Liu Yang photo by Liu Yang photo by Liu Yang

photo by Ernie Fretter

Ernie Fretter (right) speaks to a visitor at the Smithsonian Institution’s 42nd annual Folklife Festival held 

recently on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

James Reuther (center) speaks 

to a visitor at the recent 

Smithsonian Institution’s 

42nd annual Folklife Festival 

held on the National Mall in 

Washington, D.C. 

Liu Yang of Ames (left) talks with 

a visitor at the Folklife Festival.

Seated left to right during the future 

mission panel discussions at the 

Folklife Festival are: Diana 

N’Diaye, Center for Folklife and 

Cultural Heritage curator; Ames’ 

James Reuther, project manager, 

CEV Thermal Protection System 

for Orion; Steve Cook, manager, 

ARES Project, Marshall Space 

Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, 

Ala.; and Rajiv Doreswamy, deputy 

program planning and control 

manager, ARES, MSFC.

Jing Li of the Nanotechnology 

Branch at Ames, was recently named a 

winner in the fourth annual Nanotech 

Briefs Nano 50 Awards, in the Innovator category. 

Li is principal investigator on a 

project to develop nanotechnologybased chemical sensors for traceamount chemical detection in space 

and planetary applications. The 

sensor, the first nanotechnology-based 

electronic device on a Navy satellite, 

has been flying and operating in space 

since March 2007. This nanosensor 

technology has terrestrial applications 

Ames’ Jing Li named Nano 50 Award winner

as well, such as environmental monitoring, industrial processing control, 

homeland security inspection and 

medical diagnosis and care. 

Presented by Nanotech Briefs—the 

monthly digital newsletter from Tech 

Briefs Media Group (publishers of 

NASA Tech Briefs), the Nano 50 recognizes the top 50 technologies, products 

and innovators that have significantly 

impacted, or are expected to impact, 

the state of the art in nanotechnology. 

The winners of the Nano 50 awards 

are the “best of the best”—the innovative people and designs that will move 

nanotechnology to key mainstream 

markets. Nano 50 nominations were 

entered via an online submission form 

and were judged by a panel of nanotechnology and MEMS experts. The 

technologies, products and innovators 

receiving the 50 highest scores were 

named Nano 50 award winners.

The Nano 50 will be presented at 

a special awards dinner to be held 

during the NASA Tech Briefs National 

Nano Engineering Conference in Boston, Nov. 12–13, 2008. 
11 Astrogram August 2008

Dr. Aubrey de Grey presented a director’s colloquium 

in August entitled, “Prospects for defeating aging altogether.” In his presentation, he explained why therapies 

that can add 30 healthy years to the remaining lifespan 

of healthy 60-year-olds may well arrive within the next 

few decades, and why those who benefit from those 

therapies will very probably continue to benefit from progressively improved therapies indefinitely and thus avoid 

debilitation or death from age-related causes at any age. 

De Grey is a British biomedical gerontologist educated 

at Cambridge University in the UK. He is the author of 

the “Mitochondrial Free Radical Theory of Aging.” He 

works on the development of engineered negligible senescence - a tissue-repair strategy that would rejuvenate the 

human body and thereby allow an indefinite lifespan. 

Phoenix Lander examines polar soil and ice on Mars by Ruth Dasso Marla

“As we speak, the Phoenix Lander 

is digging into the surface of Mars,” 

announced NASA Ames’ Chris 

McKay to a crowd gathered in the 

main auditorium in August for the 

director’s colloquium.

 The mood was upbeat as McKay 

told his audience that the Phoenix 

lander is right where we wanted it to 

land. “It landed in the martian arctic 

where there is ice-rich soil,” McKay 

said.

 “Phoenix is a mythological bird 

that dies in a fire and is re-born from 

the ashes,” explained McKay. “The 

1998 Mars Polar Lander was NASA’s 

first attempt to land in the polar 

regions. When it crashed on Mars, 

NASA canceled its twin 2001 Mars 

mission. The Phoenix Mars Lander 

mission is really the rebirth of these 

polar missions,” he said.

 Why are we going to the northern 

polar regions on Mars? “We wanted 

to find an environment that may have 

had water in the past,” explained 

McKay.

 According to McKay, to find liquid 

water on Mars, three conditions must 

be met. There must be ice, temperatures must be above freezing, and the 

atmospheric pressure must be high 

enough to stabilize the liquid. He said, 

“Without the correct pressure, ice will 

vaporize.”

 “Liquids change on Mars. Five 

million years ago, the Phoenix landing site was warmer than it is today, 

because the planet was tilted more 

toward the sun. During that time, in 

the summer the northern regions on 

Mars would have been about the same 

temperature as Earth’s 

north pole now, which 

has areas of liquid 

water,” said McKay. 

“Similarly, Mars may 

have had liquid water 

back then,” he added.

 “It was amazing 

that the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was 

able to photograph 

Phoenix landing, and 

later photograph it on 

the surface. There is 

no privacy on Mars 

anymore,” said McKay 

lightheartedly.

 He said that one 

of the first results was 

looking at the soil with 

a microscope. “We saw 

black and brown bits 

of dirt. We think the 

brown particles are 

clay, aggregates of water and clay. The 

darker particles may be fragments of 

rock,” said McKay.

 “One of the more puzzling findings was that the dirt seemed to be 

sticky. Soil samples were put on oven 

trays. When the trays were shaken, 

the soil was supposed to fall through. 

But nothing happened for days,” 

continued McKay. “When it finally fell 

through, we thought the soil had dried 

out. After it was heated in the oven 

and analyzed, no water was detected.” 

McKay suggested two hypotheses 

for what was happening. “The pieces 

of dirt may have been sticking together by electrostatic forces. Or, the other 

alterative is that the soil was wet and 

then dried out,” he said.

 Other findings were surprising 

as well, according to McKay. “The 

surface was essentially neutral; its 

pH was 8. In contrast, the Viking and 

Pathfinder sites were acidic and dominated by sulfates. The Phoenix Lander 

found no sulfates. Although, we did 

find sodium, magnesium and chloride 

as expected,” he noted. 

 “We think we’re seeing perchorates, which are seen also in the Atacoma Desert. This is of great interest to 

us because some microorganisms will 

substitute perchorates for oxygen. But 

findings are still preliminary,” he said. 

“We’ve known there was water on 

Mars back during the Mariner 9 days, 

but liquid water is a different find,” 

explained McKay. “We think there 

may be saltwater present, which could 

explain the stickiness of the soil. Mud, 

ice and salt would not go through the 

filter. Maybe some organisms can live 

with that as their sustenance,” he suggested.

 The Antarctic Dry Valleys are the 

most analogous to Mars. “It’s the only 

place on Earth where it doesn’t rain. 

Its only precipitation comes as snow. 

It’s my job to relate the polar regions 

of Mars to what we know about the 

polar regions on Earth,” said McKay.

Gerontologist discusses aging process

NASA photo by Eric James

Chris McKay, planetary scientist with Ames’ Space Science Division, 

recently discussed at a director’s colloquium at the center the latest 

findings from the spacecraft Phoenix on the planet Mars.

NASA photo by Dominic Hart
12 Astrogram August 2008

The Ames Office of Education 

recently hosted its 2008 Summer 

Internship Programs Poster Sympsium. 

With an attendance of approximately 300, this year’s program 

consisted of over 50 Ames mentors 

and 120 students from the following programs: Exploration Systems 

Mission Directorate (ESMD), Achieving Competence in Computing, 

Engineering, and Space Science (ACCESS), Motivating Undergraduates 

in Science and Technology (MUST), 

NASA Science and Technology Institute (NSTI), Undergraduate Student 

Research Program (USRP), DEVELOP, 

a NASA Mission Directorate Applied 

Sciences Program, University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) and 

various space grant consortiums. 

In addition, there were also 

students from two new pilot internship programs, the Science Teacher 

and Researcher Program (STAR) – a 

unique Ames-Cal Poly partnership 

program, and the Interdisciplinary 

National Science Program Incorporating Research and Science Education 

Experience (INSPIRE) – a national 

Summer interns present poster session at Ames by Jean Wesolow

headquarter high school student internship program. 

 The Ames internship programs 

help implement NASA’s education 

goals, one of which is to attract and 

retain students in STEM (science, 

technology, engineering and math) 

disciplines though a progression of 

educational opportunities for students, teachers and faculty. 

The internships provide opportunities for diverse groups of students 

from many academic levels to gain 

hands-on experience with spacerelated work in collaboration with 

experienced scientists, engineers and 

technologists. 

Also incorporated into this year’s 

symposium was a “mini” job fair. 

NASA’s Human Resources and many 

of the Ames contractors met with the 

students to see and hear about their 

work and the contributions that they 

have made to Ames over the summer.

Student interns, mentors and attendees at the recent 2008 Summer Internship Programs Poster 

Symposium recently held in Building 3 at Ames. 

NASA photo by Nick Tran

in project management, and Congress 

approved it contingent upon quick 

development and a fixed budget. 

When Columbia debuted in 2005 it 

was the world’s fastest supercomputer. 

He has moved the center through 

several re-alignments to match changes in the federal government’s budgeting and accounting processes. But his 

career hasn’t focused on the big upheavals in financial systems, but tending to daily operations. “Accounting 

really is management. It’s dealing 

with control, power, accountability 

and self-esteem. It’s my job to help 

nurture people through the process of 

accounting as management.” 

In March 2004, Braxton became 

Director of Center Operations. With 

the center’s budget in decline, someLewis S. G. Braxton, III, named Ames’ new deputy center director

continued from page 3 one with a broad view and a long 

memory helped make tough decisions, and did so with sensitivity to 

the people involved. “Since I’ve been 

on the Executive Staff, I really feel 

like someone who is a member of 

NASA family tree, and who is on the 

forefront of where history is being 

made.” In August 2008, NASA Ames 

Center Director S. Pete Worden named 

Braxton as his acting deputy director. 

“One thing I’ve learned throughout my career is the time and effort 

it takes to get to the cutting edge of 

science and technology. And that’s 

a fundamental issue in reaching 

younger people today. We compress a 

mission’s story into a five-minute clip 

for television, and people think things 

really happen that fast. What they do 

not comprehend is the years of effort 

that goes into creating a historically 

significant space project, which seems 

a lot less glamorous and stimulating 

to today’s youth.” Braxton is widely 

appreciated for his skills in identifying 

bright young people and mentoring 

NASA’s next generations of leadership—especially from among underrepresented groups.

“The people who work at NASA 

still think it’s cool; that NASA wants 

to improve our lives. There are at least 

three generations of Ames employees 

who have brought us to the point we 

are today. And everyone here respects 

the effort that it took, and it is that human element that makes the agency so 

great. Human presence makes the difference, whether it is in exploration or 

on the ground here at Ames,” Braxton 

concluded. 
13 Astrogram August 2008

In August, the Ames Center for Exoplanet Studies (ACES) hosted a 

colloquium at Ames by James Marr of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s, 

entitled, "The SIM-Lite Mission Concept: Detecting Earth-like Planets 

around Nearby Stars." Marr is the project manager of the NASA/

JPL SIM-Lite (Space Interferometry Mission) and the manager for the 

NASA Planet Hunter concept study. He has been with the SIM project 

team for over 12 years, serving in various capacities (project manager, 

deputy project manager, flight system manager and instrument manager). The talk discussed the evolution of SIM over the past 30 years, 

its variants (SIM-Lite and Planet Hunter), mission scientific capability 

(including SIM-Lite’s broad astrophysics program recommended by 

two prior Astrophysics Decadal surveys), the completed technology 

program accomplishments, continued engineering risk reduction accomplishments and future mission prognosis.

Evolution of Space Interferometry Mission explained

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

 John Bull, a naval aviator, astronaut and researcher, passed away on 

Aug. 11, 2008, at the age of 73. Born 

in Memphis, Tenn. on Sept. 25, 1934, 

Bull attended primary and secondary 

schools in Memphis, and then went 

on to earn a bachelor of science degree 

in mechanical engineering from Rice 

University in 1957. 

Bull entered active duty with the 

Navy in June 1957, and following 

flight training he was assigned to the 

Naval Air Station in Miramar, Calif., 

flying the F-3 Demon and F-4 Phantom II. He served three tours aboard 

the carriers USS Ranger, USS Hancock 

and USS Kitty Hawk and then went 

on to graduate from the U.S. Naval 

Test Pilot School in February 1964, 

being named “outstanding student” of 

his class. 

In 1966, Bull was selected as a 

member of the “Original 19” astronaut 

candidate group where he served as a 

member of the Apollo 8 support crew, 

as well as a crew leader during vacuum-chamber Lunar Module testing. 

In 1968, after being diagnosed 

with a rare pulmonary disease, Bull 

resigned from the astronaut corps and 

went on to attend Stanford University 

where he earned his Ph.D. in aeronautical engineering. In 1973, he returned 

to NASA at Ames.

 From 1973-1985, Bull conducted 

simulation and flight test research 

at Ames in advanced flight systems 

for both helicopters and fixed-wing 

aircraft. From 1986 until his retirement in 1989, he managed NASA wide 

research programs in autonomous 

systems technology for aeronautics 

and space applications. 

 Following his retirement in 1989, 

Bull stayed very close to the Ames 

family, providing technical support 

and consulting services for aerospace 

research and technology programs. 

He made several important contributions in advanced flight control law 

design for the Propulsion Controlled 

Aircraft Program, and often commented that this was one of the most 

rewarding projects in which he had 

been involved. 

Bulls’s contributions extended to a 

number of other projects and studies, 

including advanced flight control for 

John Bull - naval aviator, astronaut and researcher

In memory of... 

John Bull

NASA photo

lunar-lander and autonomous docking 

applications. He was always thrilled 

to share his insights, and we all shared 

in the excitement of his amazing contributions. 

Bull was a mentor, a role model 

and an inspiration to all who had the 

privilege of working with him. He is 

survived by his wife, Nancy, and their 

two grown children, Scott and Whitney.
14 Astrogram August 2008

Ames emergency 

announcements

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

instructions for Ames employees. You 

can also listen to 1700 KHz AM radio 

for the same information.

Ames Ongoing Monthly Events Calendar

Security/Law Enforcement Activity

Fire Protection Activity

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

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

of July 2008 is shown below.

Protective Services monthly activity

 Safety Data 

 NASA-Ames Occupational

 Illness-Injury Data for 

 Calendar Year-to-Date 2008

 Jan. 1, 2008 - July 31, 2008

 Civil Contractors

 Servants

 

 First aid cases 15 12

 Lost Workday cases 1 2

 Recordable cases 2 4

 Restricted duty days 0 2

 Above data are as of July 31, 2008. 

 May be subject to slight adjustment in

 the event of a new case or new informa- 

 tion regarding an existing case.

Ames Amateur Radio Club, third Thurs., of 

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

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

Ames Ballroom Dance Club, Classes on 

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

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

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

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

Ames Bicycling Club, every third Wednesday 

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

Auditorium. POC: Julie Nottage at jnottage@

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

Ames Bowling League, Homestead Lanes on 

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

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

4-1132. 

Ames Child Care Center Board of Directors 

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

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

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

Environmental Forum, first Thursday every 

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

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

Ames Federal Employees Union (AFEU) Mtg, 

First Wednesday of November (7th), noon. 

First Wednesday of December (5th), noon. 

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

Wednesday each month, same location. Guests 

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

Paul K. Davis, ext. 4-5916. 

The Hispanic Advisory Committee for 

Excellence (HACE) Mtg., first Thursday of each 

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

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

Leon, ext. 4-6498.

Jetstream Toastmasters, Mondays, 12 p.m. 

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

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

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

Ames Mac Support Group Mtg., third Tuesday 

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

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

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

on weekend mornings. POC: Mark Sumich, 

ext. 4-6193.

Native American Advisory Committee Mtg., 

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

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

Ames Nimble Knitters Club, every Tuesday 

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

Rosalyn Jung, knitfan2@yahoo.com or Diane 

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

nasa.gov

Ames Safety Committee, third Thursday of 

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

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

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

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

Ames Sailing Club Mtg., second Thursday of 

each month (March through November), from 

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

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

ext. 4-4571.
15 Astrogram August 2008

The Ames Cat Network needs help finding 

homes for cats trapped at Moffett. They 

range from feral to abandoned/lost pets. 

Tested, altered and inoculated. Call Iris at 

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

interested in fostering or adopting a cat.

Ames Cat Network

Ames Classifieds Exchange Information

Beyond Galileo Gift Shop N-235 in 

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

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

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

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

Visitor Center Gift Shop N-943 

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

NASA logo merchandise, souvenirs, toys, gifts and 

educational items. 

Ongoing Vacation Opportunities

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

community by the Ames Exchange Council. Visit 

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

NASA Lodge (N-19) 603-7100

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

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

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

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

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

special events. POC -Chana Langley, Pool Manager 

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

purchasing a membership, there is an entrance fee: 

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

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

fee). Special events: include military training, swim 

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

special events is $50/hr.

Ames Swim Center (N-109) 603-8025

Ads for the next issue should be sent to astrogram@

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

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

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

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

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

material received, we are unable to verify the accuracy 

of the statements made in the ads. Caveat emptor! 

RV Lots Available Call to reserve a 

space at (650) 603-7100/01.

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

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

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

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

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

adult) 

Moffett Field Golf Club with ‘Tee minus 

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

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

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

$145 cleaning fee. Two night minimum. Includes 

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

968-4155, DBMcKellar@aol.com.

Bass Lake vacation rental, 4 mls south of Yosemite. 

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

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

(650) 390-9668.

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

in canyon setting. Fully eqpd kitchen. Access to 

priv. beach. Tub in patio gdn. Halfway between 

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

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

(650) 328-4427.

Pine Mountain Lake vacation home. Access to golf, 

tennis, lake, swimming, horseback riding, walk 

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

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

Incline Village, Forest Pines, Lake Tahoe condo, 3 

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

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

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

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

ACruiseStore.com $135/night spring and fall, 

$173/night summer and winter (holidays higher) 

plus $125 cleaning fee and 12 percent Nevada 

room tax. Charlie (650) 743-8990.

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

apt. in 24 hour security fbldg. overlooking

Washington Square Park, $1,000/week or

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

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

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

week, negotiable.Call (650) 430-697

Santa Cruz townhouse, 2 bedrooms plus study, 

2 baths, decks, totally furnished, 3 blocks from 

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

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

8476 (C).

Lake Tahoe cabin rental in Agate Bay, North Shore. 

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

deck, sleeps 10. Closest skiing is Northstar, Alpine 

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

week. Call (408) 867-4656.

Florida west coast vacation in St. Petersburg, 

beautiful 2bd/2ba condo, fully equipped kitchen 

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

Beach, monthly or 2 week minimum rentals only. 

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

Monterey Bay vacation rental at Pajaro Dunes, 20 

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

with distinctive architecture. Beautiful ocean and 

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

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

cleaning by the maid service when you depart. 

Call (408) 252-7260.

South Lake Tahoe large cabin surrounded by 

protected forest, 8 miles from Stateline Sleeps 12 

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

Matt (408) 482-5286

South Lake Tahoe cozy home backs up to large 

open meadow, 1 mile from Heavenly Valley. Sleeps 

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

482-5286.

Astrogram deadlines

Please submit articles, calendar 

and classified advertisements to 

astrogram@mail.arc.nasa.gov no later 

than the 10th of each month. If this 

falls on a weekend or holiday, then the 

following business day becomes the 

deadline. For Astrogram questions, 

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

NASA’s Environmental Management 

Division is holding the bienniel NASA 

Environmental and Energy Conference at 

NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., Sept. 22-26, 2008. 

This conference will help strengthen 

communication and promote synergy 

across the agency's environmental management community, provide opportunities to share innovative risk mitigation 

measures and best management practices 

and increase awareness of across the 

NASA workforce of the agency's successes 

and ongoing challenges in environmental 

stewardship. 

The conference is open to all NASA, 

other federal agencies and contractor 

personnel. For additional information and 

conference registration visit http://www.

teerm.nasa.gov/Environmental_EnergyConference2008.html or contact Cassandra 

Carroll, at cassandra.l.carroll@nasa.gov

Environmental/Energy 

Conference set, Sept 22-26

(None this issue)
16 Astrogram August 2008

Professor Patricia Burchat recently 

spoke at the center about the topic 

of, “The Dark Side of the Universe.” Burchat is the chair of the 

Physics Department at Stanford 

University and studies differences 

in the time evolution of matter 

and antimatter created at the 

Stanford Linear Accelerator and 

the gravitational bending of light 

by massive clusters of galaxies in 

the universe. Attendees learned 

about the scientific revolution in 

our understanding of cosmology 

from one of the leading experts in 

the field.

What’s on InsideNASA . . .

NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale’s corner on Inside- NASA this month features an article 

entitled, “Clean Energy, Cleaner 

Environment.” Following is an ex- cerpt from the article.

NASA has used and improved 

fuel cells since the 1960s to provide 

power aboard spacecraft. Because of 

what we’ve learned, fuel cells now 

are powering cars, trucks, laptops 

and cell phones. NASA continues to 

simplify the design of fuel cells to 

make them lighter, more reliable and 

less costly to manufacture. Ultimately, fuel cells will be used to store 

energy at future lunar outposts to 

enable six-month stays on the Moon.

NASA also is developing advanced lithium batteries with higher 

energy density to power lunar rovers 

and spacesuits. These advanced 

batteries will have terrestrial appli- cations for improving the range of 

electric vehicles.

Solar energy is a big part of NASA’s power management for 

almost any space-bound mission. It 

is the leading source of power for 

the International Space Station, with 

over 250,000 solar cells generating 

over 100 kilowatts of average power. 

Solar power also keeps the rovers 

moving on Mars and allows the 

Hubble Space Telescope to keep 

sending back revolutionary images 

of space. To better develop these solar capabilities, NASA has worked 

with companies such as PowerFilm 

of Iowa. Since its partnership with 

NASA in 1989, this company has 

shared what they have learned by 

manufacturing solar tents and fold- able solar chargers for the Army 

and solar powered radio headsets 

for the general public. To provide abundant power for the lunar outpost and future hu- man exploration missions to Mars, 

NASA is working with the Depart- ment of Energy to develop con- cepts for small, affordable nuclear 

fission surface power systems. 

This technology could help reduce 

greenhouse gas emissions on Earth 

by making nuclear power more af- fordable.

To learn more about these ad- vanced technologies, visit http://

insidenasa.nasa.gov/nasa_stories/

Clean_Energy_Cleaner_Environment.html

Do you have a topic of interest 

to NASA program and project management stakeholders? Then submit 

your speaker abstracts for ‘Project 

Management (PM) Challenge 2009,’ 

the sixth annual NASA PM conference, to be held at Daytona Beach, 

Fl, Feb. 24-25, 2009. 

PM Challenge 2008 was a great 

success and provided a forum to 

reach higher, challenging attendees, 

the NASA program and the project 

management community to better 

help execute the agency’s strategic 

goals.

Abstract submissions for PM 

Challenge 2009 Call for Speakers are 

due Sept. 12, 2008. All presentations 

will be included on the conference 

CD to be distributed to all attendees 

and will be posted on the conference Web site after the conference. 

All speakers are required to submit 

their final power point presentations by Dec. 19, 2008. 

For more information, visit 

http://pmchallenge.gsfc.nasa.gov/

speaker2009.htm or contact Joann 

Carter at Joann.M.Carter@nasa.gov

PM Challenge 2009

set for Feb. 24-25

NASA photo by Eric James

‘Dark side of universe’ discussed at colloquium

The Ames Astrogram is an official publication of 

Ames Research Center, National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration.

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

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

You can reach the Astrogram Office at: astrogram@

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

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

ames/astrogram.