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

July 2008

www.nasa.gov

Page 2 - NASA Ames, JPL win 2007 

 NASA Software of the Year Award

Page 3 - NASA coats main mirror for

 airborne observatory

Page 4 - CARB sniffs the air over California

 as wild fires rage

Page 6 - Ames personnel lauded for

 historic preservation efforts

Page 11 - Classifieds

On the Inside . . .

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger 

visited Ames July 14 to understand 

first-hand how the agency is helping firefighters battle the widespread 

wildfires raging throughout the state.

 During the visit, Schwarzenegger reviewed firefighting data at the 

simulation facility used to display 

visible light and fire imagery, and saw 

a demonstration of the hyperwall-2, a 

high resolution visualization system 

displaying images from the wildfires. 

An estimated 500 scientists from 

all over the country converged on 

Moon week celebration draws hundreds of scientists

by Kelly Humphries and Michael Mewhinney

California Governor learns how Ames helps fight wildfires

After the quick tour, the governor held 

a short news briefing.

The flights by NASA’s unmanned 

Ikhana aircraft used a sophisticated 

Autonomous Modular Scanner 

continued on page 5

NASA’s Ames July 21-23 as part of a 

“Moon Week Celebration” marking 

the 39th anniversary of the Apollo 11 

lunar landing and the future of lunar 

exploration.

The Lunar Science Conference was 

co-hosted by NASA’s Lunar Science 

Institute, NASA’s Ames and the NASA 

Lunar and Planetary Science Institute, 

Houston. The three-day conference 

examined on-going lunar research and 

findings and looking forward to a new 

generation of opportunities for studies 

of the moon, on the moon and from 

the moon.

Featured speakers included NASA 

Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden, 

Lunar Science Institute Interim Director David Morrison and noted planetary scientist Chris McKay. Presentations were also given by space 

entrepreneurs and a panel of young 

NASA scientists and engineers looking at innovative approaches to lunar 

exploration and public involvement.

Organizers kicked off the research 

conference on Sunday, July 20, 2008, 

Governor Arnold 

Schwarzenegger (left) 

with Ames Center 

Director S. Pete Worden 

(right) during a recent 

visit by the governor to 

the center to gain firsthand knowledge about 

the way NASA assists 

in the response against 

wildfires.

NASA photos by Eric James

David Morrison, interim director of the NASA Lunar Science Institute, (left), delivered a warm 

welcome at the opening of the Lunar Science Conference held in July at the center.

developed at Ames and satellite data 

from Goddard Space Flight Center. 

The flights originated from NASA’s 

Dryden Flight Research Center, 

Edwards, Calif.

NASA photo by Eric James

continued on page 9
2 Astrogram July 2008

Ames Center Director 

S. Pete Worden checked 

badges and greeted 

Ames employees at the 

Arnold Gate as they 

arrived at work on 

July 1. Worden’s ‘gate 

duty’ was conducted to 

heighten awareness of 

center management’s 

concern for security at 

the center.

Computer programs that are used 

to define safety margins for fiery 

spacecraft re-entries and help detect 

planets outside our solar system are 

co-winners of NASA's 2007 Software 

of the Year Award.

Software engineers at NASA's 

Ames developed the Data-Parallel 

Line Relaxation, (DPLR), which 

is used to analyze and predict the 

extreme environments human and 

robotic spacecraft experience during 

super high-speed entries into planetary atmospheres. 

 At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., software 

engineers developed the Adaptive 

Modified Gerchberg-Saxton Phase 

Retrieval program. The software uses 

a telescope's science camera with 

innovative and robust algorithms to 

characterize possible errors that limit 

its imaging performance. The software 

has been integrated into calibration 

control loops to correct those errors, 

and can achieve orders of magnitude 

improvement in sensitivity and resolution.

 The DPLR simulates the intense 

heating, shear stresses and pressures 

a spacecraft endures as it travels 

through atmospheres to land on Earth 

or other planets. It is capable of creating a highly accurate, simulated entry 

environment that exceeds the capability of any test facility on Earth, allowing engineers to design and apply 

thermal protection materials suited to 

withstand such intense heating environments.

 The DPLR team members include 

Michael J. Wright, James Brown, 

David Hash, Matt MacLean, Ryan McDaniel, David Saunders, Chun Tang 

and Kerry Trumble.

 JPL's software can be applied to 

other sciences and systems that use 

light, such as laser communications 

and extrasolar planet detection.

 JPL's Adaptive Modified Gerchberg-Saxton Phase Retrieval software 

already is in use at the California Institute of Technology's Palomar Observatory, in northern San Diego County. 

The software played a significant role 

in designing such next-generation 

telescopes as NASA's James Webb 

Space Telescope, scheduled to launch 

in 2013. 

NASA Ames, JPL win 2007 NASA Software of the Year Award by Rachel Prucey

 An eight-person team from JPL 

is responsible for the Adaptive Modified Gerchberg-Saxton Phase Retrieval 

software: Scott Basinger, Siddarayappa 

Bikkannavar, David Cohen, Joseph 

Green, Catherine Ohara, David Redding and Fang Shi. 

 Early work for the software was 

based on efforts to correct the vision of 

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. After 

initial images came back blurry, engineers worked for months to determine 

the problem. Eventually, astronauts 

traveled to the telescope to install a 

corrective lens based on telescopeimaging errors. 

 A NASA Software Advisory Panel 

reviews entries and recommends 

winners to NASA's Inventions and 

Contributions Board for confirmation. 

Entries are nominated for developing 

innovative technologies that significantly improve the agency's exploration of space and maximize scientific 

discovery. 

 Both Ames and JPL have won or 

been co-winner of the award seven 

times, including three out of the past 

four years, since the NASA Software 

of the Year Award was initiated in 

1994.

 For more information about 

NASA's Inventions and Contributions 

Board, visit: http://icb.nasa.gov

Modeling of a reaction control 

system with heat transfer contours 

on Mars Science Laboratory, using 

the Data-Parallel Line Relaxation 

computational fluid dynamics code.

NASA photo by Kerry Trumble

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

Worden greets employees at Ames front gate
3 Astrogram July 2008

The main mirror for NASA's new 

airborne eye on the universe is now 

ready for installation after being transformed from a carefully shaped and 

polished piece of glass into a highly 

reflective optical component at Ames.

After years of development and 

preparation, it took just 20 seconds to 

apply the shiny, aluminum coating to 

the glass mirror for the Stratospheric 

Observatory for Infrared Astronomy 

(SOFIA). The telescope is scheduled to 

begin observations in mid-2009.

"The change was quite sudden 

and stunning. One moment, we were 

looking through the transparent glass 

mirror into its honeycomb-shaped 

internal structure, and then seconds 

later, all we saw were reflections," said 

Patrick Waddell, a systems engineer 

with the Universities Space Research 

Association (USRA), which manages 

the SOFIA science mission for NASA.

"There were quite a few technical 

challenges that caused us to question 

whether the coating quality would 

be this good on the first try. We're 

ecstatic," said Ed Austin, NASA's SOFIA project manager at Ames.

Project engineers completed the 

first mirror coating of the Germanbuilt telescope, a major project milestone, in a 10-ton, 16-foot-tall stainless steel vacuum chamber at Ames. 

SOFIA optical engineers and scientists 

will annually re-coat the mirror, as is 

done for other large research telescope 

mirrors, and also routinely clean the 

mirror.

"The telescope's mirror surface 

must be highly reflective and clean to 

ensure the quality of our astronomical observations," said Tom Roellig, 

SOFIA project scientist. "Keeping the 

mirror in prime condition ensures that 

images from space are sharp and precise and that infrared observations are 

not degraded by heat radiation from 

dust on the mirror."

One of the challenges to a successful coating of the mirror was proper 

selection and testing of vacuumcompatible materials that support the 

large structure containing the mirror, 

known as the mirror cell. According to 

project scientists, modern telescopes 

include more of the mirror cell in the 

coating chamber during the process 

NASA coats main mirror for airborne observatory

to simplify telescope disassembly and 

reassembly.

SOFIA is unique because the 

mirror cell is largely composed of 

carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), 

a material commonly found in tennis 

racquets and modern sailboat hulls. 

These types of composite materials 

provide the light weight and stiffness 

required for precision airborne optical components, but also easily absorb 

moisture from the air.

The SOFIA Primary Mirror 

Assembly contains 1,950 pounds of 

glass and more than 2,400 pounds of 

CFRP. When the mirror and mirror 

cell were in the coating chamber and 

air was removed from the chamber, 

it took nearly a week for the CFRP to 

release its absorbed moisture, approximately one pint. After the moisture 

was removed, the pressure in the 

coating chamber was low enough for 

the mirror coating process to begin.

The coating chamber vaporizes 

aluminum by heating more than 60 

tungsten filaments around its edges. 

These filaments have shapes similar 

to ones found in ordinary light bulbs, 

but are much larger. 

Each filament is laced with small 

twists of 99.999 percent pure aluminum wire.

The aluminum coating applied to 

the mirror glass is only five one-millionths of an inch thick, approximately 

1/300 of the thickness of a human hair, 

and weighs slightly more than 1/14 

of an ounce, equivalent to 1/7 of the 

metal in a soda can.

SOFIA is comprised of a heavily 

modified Boeing 747SP aircraft that 

will carry a 2.5-meter (98-inch) diameter telescope into the stratosphere to 

conduct astronomical research, and a 

ground-based science center. SOFIA 

is a joint program of NASA and the 

German Aerospace Agency, Deutsches 

Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt 

(DLR). 

The SOFIA program is managed 

by NASA's Dryden Flight Research 

Center, Edwards, Calif., and the 

aircraft is based at the NASA Dryden 

Aircraft Operations Facility, Palmdale, Calif. Ames manages the science 

project.

For general information about 

SOFIA, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/

sofia. For science information about 

SOFIA, visit: http://www.sofia.usra.

edu

by Michael Mewhinney

Technicians at NASA’s Ames inspect the main mirror for NASA’s new airborne eye on the universe, 

which is now ready for installation after being transformed from a carefully shaped and polished piece of 

glass into a highly reflective optical component. After years of development and preparation, it took just 

20 seconds to apply the shiny, aluminum coating to the glass mirror for the Stratospheric Observatory 

for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) in a 10-ton, 16-foot tall stainless steel vacuum chamber. The telescope is 

scheduled to begin observations in mid-2009.

NASA photo by Eric James
4 Astrogram July 2008

In an effort to better understand 

the chemical nature of smog and 

greenhouse gases, scientists from 

the California Air Resources Board 

(CARB) collaborated with NASA 

scientists and recently flew specially 

configured aircraft -- the DC-8 and 

the P-3 -- up and down the California 

coast and over the Central valley at 

varying altitudes. These airborne platforms took hundreds of air samples and measur- ing the composition of chemicals in 

the atmosphere over California. The 

CARB initiative is part of the larger 

Arctic Research of the Troposphere 

from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) 

field campaign that is examining 

the role that migrating air pollution 

is playing in the Arctic's changing 

climate. 

NASA’s DC-8 airborne laboratory logged about 33 flight hours, taking 

four flights from the NASA Dryden 

Aircraft Operations Center, Palm- dale, over an area extending from San 

Diego to as far north as Trinidad Head 

along the coast north of Eureka, Calif. 

NASA also sent a specially outfitted 

P-3 aircraft on one eight-hour flight 

from Ames and an ER-2 from NASA’s 

Dryden Flight Research Center, Ed- wards, Calif., to fly over the state for 

additional sampling during the same 

time period. The collected samples will help CARB identify the sources of green- house gas emissions throughout 

California, transboundary pollution 

from Asia and Mexico, and emissions 

from the extensive wildfires currently 

devouring large swaths of acreage in 

the state. Another scientific objective 

is to understand the different types of 

pollution blowing into California from 

offshore vessels and to differentiate air 

mass chemistries between urban and 

rural areas.

"We will provide highly advanced 

capability to develop critically needed 

information on pollutant emissions 

and atmospheric concentrations both 

offshore and onshore over California, 

allowing us to better model air quality 

and future climate change," said Hanwant Singh, an Ames project scientist.

"This collaboration will give us 

information on how pollution is created, transported and even destroyed," 

said Bart Croes, chief of the Air 

Resources Board’s Research Division. 

"The use of highly sophisticated tech- nology, data gathered at levels far beCARB sniffs the air over California as wild fires rage by Deborah Robin Croft

yond our normal reach and collaboration with NASA’s very knowledgeable 

technicians and scientists, combine to 

create a rare opportunity." 

Flights will be coordinated with 

a series of NASA Earth-observing 

satellites as they pass over the state. 

Researchers can use these simultaneous measurements to validate satellite 

data and improve modeled predictions of the impact of atmospheric 

pollution on California.

The Air Resources Board, a department of the California Environmental 

Protection Agency, has been a leader 

in developing and implementing aggressive pollution control measures to 

combat smog and particulate matter for 40 years. The agency is also 

working to reduce 25 percent of the 

California Air Resources Board (CARB) mission photo shows smoke 

from the recent Big Sur fire.

NASA photo by Eric James

What is the Conflict Management Program?

CMP is a comprehensive agency- wide program designed to provide 

NASA managers, supervisors and 

employees with effective tools to 

more strategically address workplace 

conflicts through early engagement in 

conflict resolution discussions, with- out the need for third-party interven- tion.

 

CMP will encompass:

• Center-by-center needs assess- ment of issues around workplace 

conflict;

• Training for managers, 

supervisors and employees to develop 

trust-building, enhanced communication, collaborative problem-solving 

and conflict resolution skills and 

strategies;

• Center EEO staff training and ADR (alternative dispute resolution) 

team training; and

state’s greenhouse 

gas emissions by 

2020, as required by 

the Global Warming 

Solutions Act that 

Governor Arnold 

Schwarzenegger 

signed in 2006.

 

ARCTAS Summer 

Deployment

The ARCTAS 

campaign is a twopart scientific mission taking place this 

year, a designated 

Polar Year, using air borne measurements and satellite 

data in order to study man-made and 

forest fire pollution that has traveled 

into the Arctic atmosphere. Over 120 

scientists are supporting the ARCTAS 

summer mission that will take place in 

Cold Lake, Canada while about 25 will 

participate in Yellow Knife, Canada. 

Pollutants from forest fires are of 

particular interest to these researchers. 

Pollution from China and other nations on the Far East have also migrated to the Arctic and will be studied. 

The data gathered through the 

CARB flights will provide a chemical 

footprint that can be examined to see 

how much and what type of pollutants are traveling to the Arctic region 

and what the chemical consequences 

are for the global climate.

• Completion of review of current center and agency EEO ADR pro- grams to establish a consistent policy 

and procedural framework

 

What are the next steps? • Conduct CMP assessments at the 

NASA centers;

• Conduct on-going conflict management training for managers, 

supervisors and employees at the 

NASA centers;

• Conduct ADR team and EEO 

staff training sessions at the remaining 

centers;

• Pilot one-on-one conflict man- agement assistance at NASA Headquarters and in the future offer it at 

the other NASA centers; and

• Complete the evaluation of agency and center EEO ADR programs and 

develop an agency-wide policy and 

procedural framework. continued on page 12
5 Astrogram July 2008

Moon week celebration draws hundreds of scientists

continued from front page

with a free public event that included 

panel discussions about the moon, 

fun educational activities for children 

and families – such as compressed air 

rocket launches -- and NASA Apollo 

film documentaries. Families also had 

opportunities to create lunar craters 

and build miniature solar systems 

Students build rockets at the Lunar Science Conference family event on 

July 20, 2008.

Ames Center Director, S. Pete Worden, spoke at the NASA Lunar Science 

Conference event on July 20, 2008. Conference attendees discussed current 

lunar research and plans for future exploration of the moon.

out of edible materials. More than 600 

people attend the various events on 

Sunday.

Managed by NASA Ames, the Lunar Science Institute is modeled after 

the successful NASA Astrobiology 

Institute and features teams of scientists across the country collaborating in lunar science and future lunar 

exploration. The new institute expects 

to select four or five research teams for 

grants of $1 million to $2 million each 

for four-year terms. By the end of this 

year, NASA officials say as many as 50 

scientists may be working in collaboration with the new institute.

Visitors participating in the science activities at the recent free public 

lunar science event held on July 20, 2008.

NASA photos by Eric James

As part of a celebration of the 39th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon on July 

20, 1969, NASA’s Ames and the NASA Lunar Science Institute hosted a festive public lunar 

event on July 20, 2008.
6 Astrogram July 2008

 “In Astrobiology, we take a much 

longer view. We aren’t only interested 

in today, we are interested in a hundred years, a thousand years, a billion 

years,” said Lynn Rothschild, Ames 

astrobiologist, at a director’s colloqui- um held in July at the center. Rothschild discussed her areas of 

expertise: evolutionary biology and 

astrobiology. As an astrobiologist and 

evolutionary biologist and a professor 

Ames Astrobiologist discusses life’s extreme environments by Sana Bakshi at Stanford University, she has conducted considerable research about 

astrobiology and organisms living in 

extreme conditions.

Rothschild has been featured on 

television shows such as BBC, Nation- al Geographic and Discovery Channel. Her talk, entitled, “Life in Extreme 

Environments: Sunburn, Sex and Life 

in the Universe,” focused on the effect 

of radiation and how organisms and 

how genes tie into mutations. Roth- schild also discussed life in extreme 

environments and the organisms that 

can survive in those harsh conditions.

Her field of research concerns life 

in the most extreme areas and how 

life can survive there. Spending so 

much time in these places forces her to 

think of whether or not life can exist 

outside of the Earth’s atmosphere. 

Rothschild’s studies have also led her 

to study the area of extremophiles. Rothchild gives these organisms the identity of champions, calling 

them “the Olympians of the biologi- cal world. Rather than who can jump 

the highest or run the fastest, it’s more 

who can live at the lowest pH or the 

highest temperature.” Rothschild said 

that conditions such as pH, tempera- ture, radiation, pressure, and other 

conditions determine whether or not 

an organism is an extremophile. According to Rothschild, being an aerobic organism is dangerous to our 

health, yet humans have adapted to 

needing oxygen, making us extremo- philes. Adaptation has a lot to do with 

extremophiles. For example, a Lassen, 

or snow alga, turns red to protect itself 

from radiation.

 Now, according to Rothschild, 

space being the new extreme, if exploration can lead one to find a similar 

extreme on both a planet and Earth 

then there is a chance of life in space. 

She noted that it has become 

crucial for humans to find a new place 

to live other than Earth. According to 

Rothschild’s extensive study, in about 

1.3 billion years the Earth will change 

for the worse. The oceans will dry 

up and Pangaea will form again. But 

then again, the human race is a race 

that will probably do something about 

this, and as Rothschild said, “ I firmly 

believe we aren’t going to take this 

lying down.”

According to Rothschild, the future 

is an uncertain place.

“I feel in the history of the Earth 

we are at a tipping point between a 

Greek tragedy, where we are starting 

to see the future that the fates have 

decreed and moving into Dickens’ ‘A 

Christmas Carol’ where we can see 

the future and we can wake up and do 

something about it,” Rothschild said.

The non-profit California 

Preservation Foundation (CPF) 

recently announced the recipients of 

its 2008 Preservation Design Awards. 

NASA Ames was recognized in the 

"Cultural Resources Studies and 

Reports" category. 

Keith Venter, historic preservation officer, Code RCE, and Tom 

Anderson, senior environmental 

compliance specialist, Integrated 

Science Solutions, Inc., were commended for their outstanding leadership. Together with Rich Sucre, Page 

and Turnbull, San Francisco, they 

prepared the report on "Evaluation of 

Historic Resources Associated with 

the Space Shuttle Program at Ames 

Research Center."

Ames personnel lauded for historic preservation efforts 

The Ames Environmental and 

History offices also provided important support that lead to this prestigious recognition. In announcing 

the award, CPF executive director 

Cindy Heitzman praised the team for 

its "exemplary contribution to the 

preservation of California’s rich and 

diverse historic resources." 

With the space shuttle program 

scheduled to end in 2010, NASA initiated an historical survey and evaluation of all agency facilities that have 

supported that program to determine 

their eligibility for the National 

Register of Historic places. 

The assessment was completed 

in compliance with relevant sections 

of theNational Historic Preservation 

Act; the National Environmental 

Policy Act; Executive Order 11593, 

Protection and Enhancement of the 

Cultural Environment; Executive 

Order 13287, Preserve America; and 

other relevant legislation. 

 The award will be presented at 

a ceremony on Oct. 18, 2008, in Long 

Beach, Calif., aboard the Queen Mary. 

NASA Headquarters and Ames 

personnel will be in attendance to 

receive the award. 

NASA photo by Nick Tran

Lynn Rothschild, an astrobiologist at Ames, spoke 

recently at the center about extreme environments.
7 Astrogram July 2008

Air travel has come a long way in 

the past century. 

From the Wright brothers’ famous 

first flight to the latest Boeing 777, 

airplanes are improving to meet the 

needs of their customers, according 

to Andrew “Drew” Magill, director 

of marketing for Boeing Commercial 

Airplanes, who spoke at Ames about 

the future of air travel.

According to Magill, the market is 

expanding. In 20 years, the market in 

China will be bigger than it is today 

in North America. North America will 

grow 2.8 percent in the next 20 years 

and Asia-Pacific will grow 7.2 percent.

As the market gets bigger, more 

and more people will be flying for 

various reasons. For example, Magill 

noted, with the expansion of air travel 

more businesses will be able to expand 

their ventures into other countries.

With more people traveling, airlines will try to accommodate more for 

the passengers needs. 

“ Safe, reliable, convenient air 

travel, for lower fares with comfortable surroundings. That’s the motto 

for all airlines and Boeing. But it isn’t 

just one of these things, its all of these 

things combined” Magill said.

 The new 787 Boeing airplane will 

have many noticeable changes from 

what one is accustomed to on older 

airplanes. One big change in the airplanes that one will notice upon first 

entering the airplane is a different look 

at the entrance of the airplane. Also, 

the windows of the new aircraft are 

much bigger, so that passengers can 

see the horizon. Another big change 

is that there will be a lot more room 

for one to move around and everyone 

Boeing official discusses future of air travel by Sana Bakshi

will be able to have a fairly large carry 

on bag. After one places their carry on 

bag in the overhead storage space, the 

storage spaces swing over to the side 

allowing maximum space for the pas- senger comfort. Also the lights in the 

airplane will be set to stimulate a day 

and a night to help your body adjust 

to its destination timing. 

NASA is considering the develop- ment of a university-based, studentled satellite development initiative to 

begin passing the space exploration 

torch to a new generation.

 The American Student Moon 

Orbiter, or ASMO, concept invites 

students, faculty and industry leaders 

in the U.S. with experience in university-based, student-led spaceflight 

projects to respond to a Request for 

Information, which is planned for release this month and will remain open 

for at least 90 days. The orbiter will 

be a small satellite that could orbit the 

moon and carry scientific instruments 

designed and developed by students. 

It is aligned with NASA's lunar explo- ration agenda. “It is important to provide mean- ingful experiences to our next genera- tion of engineers, but we need to do 

it in a thoughtful way," said Dr. Joyce 

Winterton, assistant administrator for 

Education at NASA Headquarters in 

Washington. "By collecting input from 

universities with experience in this 

area, we can make the correct decision 

NASA considers development of student-led satellite initiative by Rachel Prucey

about whether to proceed, and if so, 

how.”

 Under the ASMO concept, teams 

would learn directly from NASA 

mentors as part of a diverse, nationwide, higher education initiative that 

enables students to design, build, 

launch, operate and own a small 

spacecraft and its payload. Students 

would acquire in-depth experience 

with satellite mission protocol and 

procedures, communications and 

project management. NASA's Ames 

and NASA's Glenn Research Center 

in Cleveland are leading the ASMO 

initiative. 

 "NASA is laying the foundation 

for a multi-generation exploration 

program that eventually will see 

humans settle our solar system," said 

Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden. 

"To sustain this vision, we need the 

next crop of scientists and engineers to 

engage their minds and get hands-on 

experience."

 NASA's Office of Education provides opportunities to prepare college 

and university students for successful 

aerospace careers through real-world 

applications of their science, technology, engineering and mathematics 

skills.

 To respond to the American 

Student Moon Orbiter Request for 

Information, visit: http://asmo.arc.

nasa.gov

 Andrew “Drew” Magill spoke 

recently at the center about the 

future of air travel.

NASA photo by Nick Tran
8 Astrogram July 2008

Recently, Jonathan Trent, currently the project scientist on an exploratory biofuels project 

at Ames, presented a director's colloquium entitled, "Global Research into Energy and 

the Environment at NASA (GREEN)" to provide information about our effort to develop 

a research program seeking innovative new ways to produce biofuels and reduce our 

dependence on oil.

SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial 

Intelligence) hosted a “Celebrating Science 

2008” family event July 19 at its site in 

Mountain View to celebrate science. The 

activities included an interactive science fair 

for the entire family. SETI scientists, including astronomer Peter Jenniskens, bottom left 

photo, left, were on hand to talk about the 

institute’s pioneering exploration of life, the 

solar system and beyond. For more information about SETI, visit: http://www.seti.org/

photos by Astrid Olson

SETI hosts family interactive science fair NASA photo by Dominic Hart

Trent talks about biofuel production
9 Astrogram July 2008

George Hopf-Lovette, a talented painter, fly fisherman 

and recently retired aerospace 

engineer at NASA’s Ames, died on 

June 18, 2008, after a brief illness 

at Kaiser Hospital in Redwood 

City. He will be remembered 

for his intellectual curiosity, his 

sensitivity and especially for his 

spectacular skills as a cook. He is survived by his wife, Christine and his son, Thomas, 

of Redwood City and his brother, 

Paul Lovette, of San Rafael. A 

private celebration of his life will 

be held at a future date.

In memory of . . .

Dr. David Kendall, Director 

General of the Space Science 

Program of the Canadian Space 

Agency (CSA), visited Ames in 

July and presented a colloquium 

on CSA’s Space Science and 

Exploration Program.

NASA photo by Nick Tran

Kendall talks about CSA’s space program

James Arnold presented a director's 

colloquium on July 22 entitled, 

"Synopsis of Ames Contributions to 

Entry Technology and Applications: 

A Historical Perspective 1953 - 

2036.” This presentation built upon 

the first in the 2008 summer lecture 

series by Jack Boyd: “Reflections 

of NASA’s 50th Anniversary: The 

Giants on Whose Shoulders we 

Stood.” The focus in this presentation was on Ames-specific contributions to the field of entry technology 

and their application to NASA 

programs and missions. 

NASA photo by Eric James

Arnold presents colloquium about 

historical perspective of Ames

 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.

 This visit represented an excel- lent opportunity to demonstrate 

both the effectiveness of interagency 

(and inter-center) partnerships in 

fighting these unprecedented fires, 

and the extraordinary utility of tools 

developed by NASA to help face 

challenges on Earth.

California Governor learns how Ames helps fight wildfires

continued from front page

NASA photos by Eric James

Governor Arnold 

Schwarzenegger 

reviewed firefighting 

data at the simulation 

facility used to display 

visible light and fire 

imagery, shown in 

photo at left. He also 

saw a demonstration of 

the hyperwall-2, a high 

resolution visualization system displaying 

images from the wildfires, standing, shown 

in photo at right.
10 Astrogram July 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 June 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 - June 30, 2008

 Civil Contractors

 Servants

 

 First aid cases 13 9

 Lost Workday cases 1 3

 Recordable cases 2 4

 Restricted duty days 0 2

 Above data are as of June 30, 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.
11 Astrogram July 2008

The Ames Cat Network needs help finding 

homes for cats trapped at Moffett. They 

range from feral to abandoned/lost pets. 

Tested, altered and inoculated. Call Iris at 

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

interested in fostering or adopting a cat.

Ames Cat Network

Ames Classifieds Exchange Information

Beyond Galileo Gift Shop N-235 in 

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

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

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

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

Visitor Center Gift Shop N-943 

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

NASA logo merchandise, souvenirs, toys, gifts and 

educational items. 

Ongoing Vacation Opportunities

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

community by the Ames Exchange Council. Visit 

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

NASA Lodge (N-19) 603-7100

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

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

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

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

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

special events. POC -Chana Langley, Pool Manager 

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

purchasing a membership, there is an entrance fee: 

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

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

fee). Special events: include military training, swim 

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

special events is $50/hr.

Ames Swim Center (N-109) 603-8025

Ads for the next issue should be sent to astrogram@

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

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

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

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

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

material received, we are unable to verify the accuracy 

of the statements made in the ads. Caveat emptor! 

RV Lots Available Call to reserve a 

space at (650) 603-7100/01.

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

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

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

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

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

adult) 

Moffett Field Golf Club with ‘Tee minus 

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

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

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

$145 cleaning fee. Two night minimum. Includes 

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

968-4155, DBMcKellar@aol.com.

Bass Lake vacation rental, 4 mls south of Yosemite. 

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

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

(650) 390-9668.

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

in canyon setting. Fully eqpd kitchen. Access to 

priv. beach. Tub in patio gdn. Halfway between 

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

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

(650) 328-4427.

Pine Mountain Lake vacation home. Access to golf, 

tennis, lake, swimming, horseback riding, walk 

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

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

Incline Village, Forest Pines, Lake Tahoe condo, 3 

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

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

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

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

ACruiseStore.com $135/night spring and fall, 

$173/night summer and winter (holidays higher) 

plus $125 cleaning fee and 12 percent Nevada 

room tax. Charlie (650) 743-8990.

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

apt. in 24 hour security fbldg. overlooking

Washington Square Park, $1,000/week or

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

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

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

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

Santa Cruz townhouse, 2 bedrooms plus study, 

2 baths, decks, totally furnished, 3 blocks from 

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

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

8476 (C).

Lake Tahoe cabin rental in Agate Bay, North Shore. 

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

deck, sleeps 10. Closest skiing is Northstar, Alpine 

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

week. Call (408) 867-4656.

Florida west coast vacation in St. Petersburg, 

beautiful 2bd/2ba condo, fully equipped kitchen 

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

Beach, monthly or 2 week minimum rentals only. 

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

Monterey Bay vacation rental at Pajaro Dunes, 20 

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

with distinctive architecture. Beautiful ocean and 

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

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

cleaning by the maid service when you depart. 

Call (408) 252-7260.

South Lake Tahoe large cabin surrounded by 

protected forest, 8 miles from Stateline Sleeps 12 

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

Matt (408) 482-5286

South Lake Tahoe cozy home backs up to large 

open meadow, 1 mile from Heavenly Valley. Sleeps 

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

482-5286.

Housing

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. 

House for rent, 2bd/1 ba. including detached 

studio, vaulted ceiling, bath. Minutes from 

Ames. Pride of ownership here. Quiet, safe treelined street close to Castro. R.V parking area. 

House comes with a gardener. Cats are OK-purr. 

Drive by 515 Pettis Avenue/Mercy. $2,750 or 

offer. Paul (650) 968-1580 or Rans (408) 554-1818 

ext. 246. Cell (408) 688-6907.

Fully furnished, 1,600 sq ft 2 bd/2 ba condo in 

Los Altos available for rent from Sept. 15, 2008 

to June 15, 2009. $2,200 per month plus security 

and cleaning deposits. No smoking and prefer 

no pets. Rich or Barbara (650) 856-7873.

Proposal submissions are due 

Sept. 12, 2008. Connect and Discover! Do you have a topic of interest to NASA program and project 

management stakeholders? Submit 

your speaker proposal for PM 

Challenge 2009.Find out more at: 

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

speaker2009.htm Also check out our pod- casts, now available on I-Tunes: 

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/

viewPodcast?id=285335132

PM Challenge 2009 

Call for Speakers 
12 Astrogram July 2008

The Ames Astrogram is an official publication of 

Ames Research Center, National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration.

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

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

You can reach the Astrogram Office at: astrogram@

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

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

ames/astrogram.

What’s on InsideNASA . . .

NASA Deputy Administrator 

Shana Dale’s corner on InsideNASA 

this month features an article entitled, “The Ad Astra Rocket Company.” Following is an excerpt from 

the article.

NASA drives innovation, creating real benefits for a modest investment of less than six-tenths of

one percent of the overall federal 

budget.

One example is the Ad Astra 

Rocket Company, which was founded by retired astronaut Dr. Franklin 

Chang Díaz. Chang Díaz enjoyed 

a very successful career at NASA, 

flying on seven shuttle missions and 

earning four Distinguished Service 

Medals. He also spent much of 

his time at NASA working on the 

VASIMRTM engine, a new space propulsion system based on plasma. 

Plasma is simply a super hot form 

of gas, similar to the sun and the 

interior of stars.

Plasma is the stuff from which 

stars are made. Chang Diaz left 

NASA in 2005 to form the “Ad 

Astra Rocket Company,” through 

a privatization agreement of the 

NASA technology. Ad Astra’s goal 

is to commercialize the VASIMRTM 

system in the emerging market of 

private space operations and services. Work is proceeding at a rapid 

pace.

To learn more about Ad Astra 

Rocket Company and Chang Diaz, 

visit http://insidenasa.nasa.gov/

nasa_stories/Ad_Astra_Rocket_

Company.html

On July 23, the Commonwealth 

Club and NASA’s Ames Research 

Center co-sponsored a lecture by 

Leonard Susskind Professor of Theoretical Physics at Stanford University 

and author of “The Black Hole War: 

My Battle with Stephen Hawking to 

Make the World Safe for Quantum 

Mechanics.” 

Recognizing the contradiction 

behind Stephen Hawking’s claim 

that things disappear in black holes, 

Susskind and Gerald 't Hooft offered 

a counterargument aimed to disprove 

one of the most controversial theories 

presented in recent years. 

Susskind discussed his personal 

Dr. Jonathan Dowling presented a director's 

colloquium on July 23 at Ames entitled, 

"Quantum Optical Sensing, Imaging and 

Computing." Dowling reviewed some of the 

recent theoretical and experimental advances 

in the exciting new field of quantum optical 

metrology, focusing on examples that exploit 

a particular two-mode entangled photon 

state the High-N00N state. Dowling is a 

Horace C. Hearne Jr. professor of theoretical 

physics and co-director of the Hearne Institute for Theoretical Physics, Louisiana State 

University, Baton Rouge, La. 

Visiting Stanford professor outlines quantum mechanics

story behind the black hole 

conflict and how it has led 

to a better understanding of 

our how our universe works. 

Susskind’s current research is 

involved with the following 

topics: models of internal 

structure of hadrons, gauge 

theories, quark confinement, 

symmetry breaking, instan- tons, quantum statistical 

mechanics, baryon produc- tion in the universe, model 

for fermion masses, gravity 

in lower dimensions and 

quantum cosmology. 

Dowling discusses quantum optical metrology NASA photo by Eric James

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

Stanford Professor of Theoretical Physics Leonard Susskind 

recently discussed the topic of quantum mechanics at the center.

 

What are the Expected 

Outcomes of CMP?

• A proactive approach to reduce 

institutional risks and costs, associated 

with formal complaint processes such 

as EEO;

• Expanded use of resolution skills 

to prevent and manage conflict, with 

benefits beyond EEO;

• Strengthened partnerships 

among EEO, HR, legal another stakeholders;

• An institutionalized framework 

for conflict management that provides 

for consistent EEO ADR agency and 

center policy directives and procedures; and

• Greater utilization of the EEO 

ADR program when third-party intervention is necessary.

continued from page 4

What is the Conflict

Management Program?