www.nasa.gov www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 1

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

A publication of NASA Research Park Winter 2009-2010

NRP Post

From the Surf to Above the Earth - Students Conduct 

Missions at NRP’s Center for Robotic Exploration 

and Space Technologies

by Dr. Christopher Kitts, Director, CREST

The Center for Robotic Exploration and Space Technologies 

(CREST) students have been active this past year, conducting a wide 

range of science missions and technology demonstrations using a 

variety of novel robotic platforms and advanced control systems. 

A consortium of academic institutions, CREST uses studentcentered projects to develop advanced technologies and conduct 

exciting science missions using spacecraft and robotic systems.

CREST works with collaborators and sponsors to explore novel 

concepts, prototype emerging capabilities, and validate state-ofthe-art systems through experimental field demonstrations. This 

provides partners with low-cost innovations in an environment 

that can tolerate risk, and provides students with cutting-edge, 

hands-on, interdisciplinary engineering education experiences. 

Santa Clara University (SCU) is the lead institution for the 

consortium, and partners include U.C. Santa Cruz (UCSC), 

Ohlone College, San Mateo Community College, the University 

of Nevada Reno (UNR), the University of Alaska Fairbanks, 

the University of Hawaii (UH), St. Louis University (SLU), and 

others. Past partners have included Stanford University, Cal Poly 

SLO, and San Jose State University. Sponsors of CREST missions and research have included NASA, NSF, NOAA, the U.S. 

Air Force and Navy, and several companies.

CREST Santa Clara University students (L-R): Mike Rasay, Paul Mahacek, 

Jose Acain, Ignacio Mas

Green continued on page 4

CREST continued on page 2

SV STAR, Inc. brings Green Aviation Research to Ames

by Diane Farrar

A sleek Pipistrel Sinus motorglider sits in Ames’ Hangar N211A 

being prepped for modification. Its gas powered engine will be 

removed, and an electric motor and battery pack installed for the 

aircraft to fly solely on electric power. This electric conversion is 

the first step in a new collaborative green aviation research effort 

between NASA Ames, Stanford University and Silicon Valley 

Space Technology & Applied Research, Inc. (SV STAR). 

SV STAR was co-founded by San Gunawardana, currently 

completing his PhD in Aerospace Engineering at Stanford, and 

NASA Research Park partner Andrew Gold. SV STAR purchased the Pipistrel in August 2009 to support the joint venture’s 

first green aviation research project. SV STAR chose the Pipistrel aircraft for its efficiency and flexibility as a test platform. 

Pipistrels have won several green aviation competitions in the 

past, including the NASA sponsored CAFE (Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency Foundation) competitions for efficiency 

and noise pollution.

“We are creating a rich environment for applied research and the development 

of very interesting technology,” said Gold. “Ames leadership wanted green 

aviation research, so SV STAR moved quickly to provide this platform, 

and we will continue to engage NRP partners and additional students. The 

sky’s the limit,” Gold said.

The team plans to perform the electric conversion, and install the battery packs 

and motor in February 2010. “The main obstacle for electric aviation is the low 

energy density of current batteries compared to gasoline,” said Gunawardana. 

(L-R) Andrew Gold, CEO, International Network Solutions and Co-Founder SVSTAR, with Ames’ Paul Espinosa, Programs and Projects Directorate, Project 

Management Division, NASA Liaison to the SV STAR green aviation project. 

Photo Courtesy Charles Barry, Santa Clara University

Photo by Diane Farrar

Happy New Year
NRP Post

2 www.nasa.gov

Mission Operations for NASA Ames Spacecraft

 

One of the most compelling activities involves the operation of 

several NASA Ames Research Center spacecraft. These include 

GeneSat-1, launched in December 2006, PharmaSat, launched 

in May 2009, and O/OREOS, being readied for launch in early 

2010. CREST students at SCU developed all ground communication and control software for these spacecraft, perform 

experimental operations for NASA science teams during the 

primary part of the missions, and conduct educational activities with the spacecraft until the satellites’ end of life. Ohlone 

College students contributed by developing a public database 

for amateur radio operators who receive satellite beacon data 

and share this data with others. For the upcoming O/OREOS 

mission, students at SLU and UH will help to install and operate 

remote communication stations.

Mapping Geologic Features in Lake Tahoe

 

CREST students have been conducting geologic and marine 

habitat surveys of Lake Tahoe for several years. In October 

SCU students conducted a bathymetric mapping mission with a 

new student-developed SWATH (Small Waterplane Area Twin 

Hull) boat. This deployment was the first science mission for the 

autonomous boat, which uses an innovative twin-hull mechanical design that improves the boat’s stability in waves. In addition, 

a suite of high-precision sensors measures the boat’s position 

and dynamic properties to properly interpret and resolve the 

sonar data, thereby improving map quality. Students, with a science team from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and UNR, 

operated the boat to create a high-resolution map of a series of 

boulder ridges on the Tahoe Shelf along the northwestern shore 

of the lake. These ridges are proof that a tsunami wave occurred 

in the lake during the McKinney Bay landslide thousands of 

years ago. Using SCU’s Triton underwater robot during a series 

of dives in 2005 and 2006, the CREST-USGS team discovered 

these ridges, which represent a highly significant scientific finding as the first-ever proof of a tsunami in the lake. 

Engineering Innovation

CREST students work with sponsors and collaborators to 

develop and perform cutting-edge engineering research, all 

developed and demonstrated at the CREST facility, Building 

583C in NASA Research Park. Students at UCSC and SCU have 

teamed to demonstrate the use of computational linguistics and 

spoken dialogue interfaces for controlling robots. SCU students 

have developed a new multi-robot control framework, and the 

NSF has just awarded corporate partner ACRi and SCU an 

SBIR Phase I grant to demonstrate multi-robot smart antenna 

beamforming. SCU students also teamed with a visiting student 

from Germany as part of a BMW program to apply advanced 

diagnostic techniques originally developed for small spacecraft 

to BMW automobiles.

The ability of students from diverse local and national academic 

institutions to participate in hands-on, student-developed science 

missions and technology development programs pays remarkable dividends. In addition to motivating students and providing 

them with compelling hands-on educational experiences, highly 

valuable science missions and technology programs are successfully conducted. 

SWATH Boat During a Bathymetric Mapping Mission in Lake Tahoe

CREST Aerospace Innovation Competition

On Nov. 18 CREST hosted a mentoring reception at its NRP 

facility for Santa Clara University engineering students, showcasing a recent three-week challenge and awarding the prize for its 

Aerospace Innovation Competition.

Thirty six students organized into six teams competed for a Grand 

Prize of $2,000. Teams participated in a series of tasks requiring 

them to work together and exhibit a range of skills such as engineering design and prototyping, marketing and communication.

B.E.A.R. Team Student Winners

CREST continued from front page

Photo courtesy Ignacio Mas, Santa Clara University
NRP Post

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 3

The majority of the teams had representation from the private 

sector, with many having student participants. Approximately 

11 teams were affiliated with universities, all the ingredients for 

a real hands-on educational experience. Team E-REX from 

Little Rock, AR earned honorable mention for transferring the 

most regolith, 165 pounds, in a single deposit into the collector 

bin. NASA officials also noted the creative excavator designs 

that could one day provide practical solutions to digging on the 

moon. UBC Thunderbird Robotics TEAM TREAD robot from 

Vancouver, BC, for example, produced very little airborne dust 

during regolith excavation and exhibited advanced autonomous 

operations when navigating their robot to the collection bin. 

“This was an incredibly tough competition and teams came up with fantastic 

ideas, some of which might find use in future missions to the Moon,” said 

Greg Schmidt, Deputy Director of the NASA Lunar Science Institute 

(NLSI). The biggest win is getting so many talented young people involved 

in NASA’s mission 

of exploration.”

The robotic 

contest was part 

of NASA’s six existing Centennial 

Challenges Prize 

Competitions for 

“Citizen Inventor”, drawing heritage from the early 

years of the first 

century of flight 

where in 1927, an 

unknown 25 -yearold airmail pilot named Charles Lindbergh, in his single-engine 

“Spirit of St. Louis”, won the $25,000 “Orteig Prize” for the 

first non stop flight from New York to Paris. This achievement 

sparked rapid progress in aeronautics, ultimately paving the way 

for development of U.S. commercial aviation. The Centennial Challenge competitions are a 

stunning example of how today’s 

NASA can inspire and attract 

public participation in space exploration, helping America create 

innovative solutions that enable 

new markets while educating and 

developing future talent through 

hands-on science and engineering 

activities. 

In a speech to the National 

Association of Investment 

Companies on partnering with 

private sector to inspire the next 

Next Generation Inventors Win $750,000 

in Robotic Digging Competition

By Mark Newfield, Space Portal

Twenty-three teams representing 12 states and Canada pushed 

their robotic digging 

machines to the 

limit to compete for 

$750,000 in NASA 

prize money at this 

year’s Regolith Excavation Challenge, 

held Oct 17-18 at 

NASA Research 

Park, Bldg. 503, 

Moffett Field, CA. 

The event was cohosted by the California Education & 

Workforce Institute 

and the California 

Space Authority(CSA) in collaboration with NASA, and held in 

a test area containing simulated lunar dirt, known as regolith. The 

two-day competition, open to industry, academia and individuals, required teams to design and build robotic machines that can 

navigate, excavate, and transfer a minimum of 330 pounds of 

regolith into a collector bin within 30 minutes. 

This is the first time in the competitions’ three-year history 

that teams actually qualified for a cash prize. After two days of 

intense competition, Paul’s Robotics of Worcester, MA claimed 

the top prize of $500,000, successfully moving 965 pounds of 

regolith in the allotted time. The $150,000 second prize went 

to Terra Engineering of Gardena, CA for moving 595 pounds, 

while Team Braundo of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, took home 

$100,000 for third place, moving 580 pounds. 

The winning teams achieved a real technical accomplishments, building 

innovative robotic systems that were 

robust, lightweight, and powerful 

enough to excavate and move 

through the sticky grains of regolith.

“After three years, it’s great to have three cash 

prize winners,” said Andrea Seastrand, 

CSA’s Executive Director. “Various 

members of the winning teams are returning 

competitors and have learned through this challenge that there is no such thing as failure. It’s 

great to see them rewarded for their determination, innovation and creativity. Their success is 

a testament to what a tinkerer will do.”

1st Place Winner, Paul’s Robotics from Worcester, 

MA, with their robot “Moonraker”

Regotlith continued on page 15

2nd Place Winner,Terra Engineering

Teams display their robotic excavating machines while waiting for the opportunity to compete.
NRP Post

4 www.nasa.gov

However, in the next five to ten years, it is expected that battery energy density 

will increase several fold. We want to make sure that aviation is ready by laying the groundwork for those future electric aircraft now. In addition to obvious 

environmental benefits, an electric motor has only one moving part and thus the 

potential for lower maintenance costs. Understanding these requirements and 

beginning the process for FAA acceptance 

and certification of electric motors is one goal 

of our project,” he said.

SV STAR believes there are also 

many opportunities for development 

of components surrounding the battery pack, such as motor controllers 

and battery pack energy management systems. These advances could 

benefit any device that uses batteries, 

including cars and laptops. For flight, 

these components must be evaluated 

and modified to meet stringent weight 

and reliability constraints. “If a component 

fails while driving an electric car you can just pull 

over; but reliability and safety are needed for airworthiness,” said Gunawardana.

The aircraft will not sit idle while waiting for the modification. “Prior to this 

project, Stanford did not have access to a research aircraft to fly experiments. SV 

STAR is making the airframe available to Stanford for innovative applied research in aeronautics, including green aviation advances. Our project gives students 

a chance to get their hands dirty with applied research,” said Gunawardana, who 

will use data from the flight tests to complete his dissertation. 

The initial project involves installing an Attitude and Heading Reference System and GPS to measure the behavior of 

the aircraft. In conjunction, the control stick, rudder pedals 

and throttle position will be instrumented to record the pilot 

inputs. By correlating the input against the output, control law 

specialists will be able to perform system identification of the 

vehicle to support eventually transforming the Pipistrel into an 

autonomous UAV. Additionally, the data obtained will be used in 

several controls classes taught at Stanford.

Another avenue of collaborative research between Ames and Stanford is the 

design of a new generation of efficient, quiet propellers, combining advances in 

the fields of computer simulation, acoustics and aerodynamics. “As strange as 

it may seem, there haven’t been significant changes in small aircraft propeller 

design since World War I. This has been partly due to the absence of a strong 

need, but this is changing because of the current need for fuel efficiency and noise 

abatement, particularly in UAVs,” said Gunawardana.

The near term goal of the research collaboration is insight about how to optimally design and operate small scale (2-6 passenger) electric aircraft. However, 

the ultimate objective is to identify avenues of research to support scaling green 

aircraft up to larger vehicles. “With current technology we can do a small, 

NASA Ames: Water Found on the Moon

Mountain View Voice, Nov. 13, 2009

Scientists at Mountain View’s NASA Ames Research Center dramatically announced Nov. 13 the discovery of water on the moon.

“We found water,” principal investigator Anthony Colaprete told reporters 

at Moffett Field’s NASA Ames Research Center. “We didn’t find just a 

little bit, we found a significant amount.”

The announcement comes a month after NASA’s LCROSS 

spacecraft -- developed at Ames -- was intentionally crashed into 

the moon Oct. 9. After over a month of analyzing the data collected from the resulting dust cloud, researchers believe it’s safe 

to say they’ve found evidence of water in the moon’s Cabeus 

crater, which is permanently hidden from the sun on the moon’s 

South Pole. The discovery has major implications for future human activities on the moon.

Using instruments called spectrometers, LCROSS scientists discovered 

“dips” in data graphs that suggested the presence of water, Colaprete said.

The scientists - including researchers from NASA Ames, UC 

Santa Cruz, and other institutions across the country - collaborated and were able to confirm the results.

“It wasn’t an ‘aha’ moment, it’s been a ‘holy cow’ moment every day since 

impact,” Colaprete said.

Scientists say finding evidence of large stores of water ice is like 

striking gold -- if a space station were to be built on the moon, it 

could cost $50,000 per pound of water to transport it from Earth. 

Hydrogen from water can also be used to make rocket fuel, which 

could someday launch rockets from the moon - a place with much 

less gravity than earth.

Scientists had already known the moon’s polar regions contained 

large amounts of hydrogen, but did not know until LCROSS that 

“a lot of that hydrogen is in the form of water,” said Greg Delory, 

a senior fellow at UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory and 

Center for Investigative Planetary Sciences.

LCROSS continued on page 7

Green continued from front page

two-seat green aircraft fairly easily. The same isn’t true for something the size of 

a regional turboprop or 120-seat Boeing 737,” said Gunawardana .

“We foresee a time in the future when people can travel from San Francisco to LA or 

New York City to DC in mid-size ultra efficient electric planes with zero carbon emissions. The goal of our research is to help make this a reality,” Gold concludes.

“This is a great opportunity for NASA Ames to support a local entrepreneur 

in demonstrating technologies that support the future of green aviation. We are 

really excited about being able to support university research and education, and 

provide the infrastructure that would be difficult to find anywhere else in the Bay 

Area,” said Paul Espinosa, Ames Project Management Division Liaison.

San Gunawardana, Stanford 

University; CEO, SV STAR, Inc.
NRP Post

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 5

reQall, Evernote Work Together to Retrieve your Notes

Posted on Sept. 17, 2009 2:00 pm by Philip Michaels, Macworld.com

A pair of productivity powerhouses are sharing their superpowers in a partnership that would make the Wonder Twins 

envious. reQall and Evernote announced the other day that 

users of their respective products will be able to easily share, 

link, and find information across their services.

Evernote, as you know, lets you capture notes and manage 

information, whether it is via the desktop app, Web site, or 

mobile offering. reQall offers an iPhone app that’s billed as 

a voice-enabled memory aid: just record a voice memo, and 

reQall converts what you say into text.

Under the partnership between the two services, users will 

be able to save items to Evernote that reQall can retrieve. As 

detailed at the reQall Web site, all users have to do is connect 

their Evernote account to reQall via the latter’s Web Settings 

page. The reQall iPhone app can then search all notes at Evernote for anything related to reQall items by way of title, tag, 

or words in an image. Whatever is found is listed under the 

Related Items buttons on the reQall app’s Here and Now and 

Item Details screens.

Evernote offers a free iPhone app that works with free and paid 

Evernote.com accounts. (A paid account costs $5 per month 

or $45 per year.) reQall for the iPhone is a free download as 

well; it works with either the free reQall Standard account or a 

$25-per-year reQall Pro membership.

ReQall is an internationally based company, with 30 staff in Hyderabad, India, five staff in Hong Kong and one person in Cape Town, 

South Africa, in addition to its headquarters at NASA Research Park.

NASA Partner to Revolutionize Personal Transportation

by Ruth Marlaire, September 2, 2009

The morning commute may never be the same.

NASA officials have signed an agreement with Unimodal Systems, 

LLC to collaborate on the use of NASA-developed control software and human factors techniques to evaluate acceleration, jerk 

and vibration of an advanced transportation vehicle system. The 

control software was originally designed to control robots and other 

applications. The collaboration will help NASA better understand 

the software’s usefulness, human performance and safety.

“This collaborative effort is anticipated to help NASA with its aeronautics 

and space activities, while Unimodal gets to develop the next generation 

high-speed transportation system,” said Jeffery Smith, former deputy chief 

of the Entrepreneurial Initiatives Division at NASA Ames Research 

Center, Moffett Field, Calif. “NASA will receive valuable feedback from 

our systems software usage.”

Per the agreement, Unimodal will contribute its SkyTran vehicle, 

currently located at NASA Research Park, and its advanced 

transportation technology; NASA will provide its Plan Execution Interchange Language (PLEXIL) and Universal Executive 

(UE) software to control the vehicle.

In the future, SkyTran will use small vehicles running on elevated, 

magnetically levitated (maglev) guideways, which distinguishes it 

from other railed systems. The vehicles are lightweight, personal 

compartments that can transport up to three passengers. Travelers board the pod-like vehicles and type their destinations into 

a small computer. Using intelligent control system software, 

SkyTran will run non-stop point-to-point service without interrupting the flow of traffic.

These vehicles will eventually travel up to 150 mph and move 14,000 

people per hour, both locally and regionally. SkyTran will serve as a feeder 

system to other transit systems, such as BART and high-speed rail.

“SkyTran’s personal rapid transit has generated serious interest with local, 

regional and state transportation leaders who are considering funding the 

building of the Unimodal maglev PRT system in the NASA Research 

Park,” said Michael Marlaire, director of NASA Research Park at 

Ames. “This construction and new R&D partnership may usher a new 

‘green’ technology maglev PRT system into Silicon Valley.”

“We’re working with NASA and aerospace engineers to ensure aerospacelevel standards that exceed the safety records of current transportation 

systems,” explained Christopher Perkins, former chief executive officer of 

Unimodal Systems, LLC, based in NASA Research Park.

Both organizations will mutually benefit. NASA will receive 

feedback on its software’s usefulness in ground-based propulsion 

systems, while Unimodal will develop a transportation system 

designed to eliminate traffic congestion, mitigate greenhouse 

gases and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

“For cities across the nation, SkyTran will create greentech jobs and launch 

a new era of public-private partnerships that will make public transit affordable to install, and profitable to operate,” said Perkins.

Dec. 20, 2009 marked 70 years since a 

small group of aeronautical researchers, with national defense in mind, 

took over part of Moffett Field. In 

1939 the U.S. government watched 

closely as Germany built an unprecedented air arsenal. NASA Ames 

was built by the National Advisory 

Committee for Aeronautics (NASA's 

forerunner until 1958) and has been 

on the cutting edge of aeronautics 

research ever since. - MV Voice
NRP Post

6 www.nasa.gov

Kentucky Space Part of Venture Involving Space Station

Kentucky Space (KS) announced in September 2009 that it is 

a partner with NanoRacks, LLC a Houston-based aerospace 

company that has just signed a Non-Reimbursable Space Act 

Agreement with NASA that provides a unique opportunity for 

NanoRacks to design, coordinate and conduct research on the 

International Space Station (ISS) for itself as well as on behalf 

of national educational and commercial clients. 

The NanoRacks Research System interfaces standard CubeSattype modules into the International Space Station (ISS) Express 

Racks. The CubeLab TM Platforms are small modules designed 

for use within a pressurized space station environment in orbit, 

with a nominal length, width, and height and a mass of 1 kg 

(extended CubeLabsTM are possible.). 

 

Up to 16 of NanoRacks CubeLab TM modules can be inserted 

into a NanoRacks liner inside an Express Rack. Each plugs into 

a standard USB connector thus providing structural, electrical 

and data connectivity in one simple operation. 

“Our business model seeks to encourage entry level space station research at 

affordable prices,” explained NanoRacks Managing Director Jeffrey Manber. 

“By adopting a known and widely used platform for industrial and educational 

space research, we expect to stimulate a new generation of space station users, just 

as Cubesats have done for microsatellites.” Adds Manber, “given advances in 

nanotechnology and minimization of electronics, the size and hence cost of ISS 

space research is no longer the impediment it was in the past.” 

Kris Kimel, Innovator, Educator, Visionary

by Diane Farrar

A NASA Research Park 

partner since 2004, KSTC 

has managed dozens 

of projects supported 

by corporations, private 

foundations, and state 

and federal governments. 

KSTC funds R&D and 

technology commercialization projects at numerous Kentucky universities, 

and designed and manages 

the Kentucky Enterprise 

Fund (KEF), an earlystage venture fund which 

holds over 60 equity positions in innovation-driven 

Kentucky companies. 

Kimel’s vision led the implementation of Kentucky 

Space - a unique enterprise 

involving a consortium of 

universities, companies 

and other organizations 

centered on the design, 

launch and operation of 

small satellites and other spacecraft. Two student-built satellites 

designed by Kentucky Space are now ready for a NASA launch. 

Ky Sat-1, built by students from all Kentucky Space consortium universities, is in 

the queue for a 2010 

launch to test communications power 

systems and other 

space hardware. The 

Kentucky Space clean 

room and engineering 

lab are at the University of Kentucky, 

Lexington; primary 

ground operations 

are at Morehead State 

University, which has a 

21-meter dish about an 

hour away. Kentucky 

Space and Morehead State University have a relationship with 

Stanford University and famed former Professor Bob Twiggs, 

inventor of CubeSat, and regularly bring students to interact 

with Ames and Stanford on spacecraft design.

In 2000, Kimel founded the international IdeaFestival®, a 

world-class event that brings diverse thinkers from across the 

globe to celebrate innovation, imagination and cutting-edge 

ideas. Idea Fest 2009, held in September at the Kentucky 

Center for the Performing Arts, Louisville, featured Chef and 

Food Network star Anthony Bourdain, pianist Richard Kogan, 

an urban farmer, artists and writers like A.J. Jacobs, of Esquire 

magazine and author of The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as 

an Experiment. Dr. Moira Gunn, NPR radio host of Tech 

Nation, with a new book subtitled “My Unexpected Odyssey 

into the Land of Small Molecules, Lean Genes, and Big Ideas!” 

was also featured.

In December KSTC produced a Regional Climate Change 

forum panel on global climate models and their forecast for 

that region, with featured speaker Dr. Radley Horton, The 

Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University. 

Dr. Horton collaborates with NASA’s Goddard Institute for 

Space Studies, NY, NY.

KS continued on page 7

Kris Kimel is President and a founder of Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation 

(KSTC), an internationally known non-profit 

designing and implementing a range of innovative initiatives for more than twenty years. 

An author and contributor to numerous articles and reports, Kimel is widely recognized 

as a leader in science and technology policy, 

lecturing on entrepreneurship and innovation 

at national and international conferences.

According to Kimel, “There are two kinds 

of companies and organizations in today’s 

world....innovative and dead!” 

Kentucky Space students
NRP Post

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 7

The NanoRacks venture includes Kentucky Space, a nonprofit 

enterprise which is recognized as a leader in entrepreneurial and 

educational space platforms. Kentucky Space brings the combined resources and capacity of the University of Kentucky, 

Morehead State University, University of Louisville, Western 

Kentucky University, Murray State University, the Kentucky 

Community and Technical College System, The Kentucky Space 

Grant Consortium, and the managing partner Kentucky Science 

and Technology Corporation. Also a pioneering member of the 

team is the national engineering services firm Belcan. 

The NanoRacks team also enjoys the expertise of CubeSat inventor Bob 

Twiggs and former head of the Stanford University Space and Systems 

Development Laboratory “Now experimenters and students can get thirty 

days of microgravity using proven hardware that is already known to 

the space and educational communities, explained Twiggs, who is now a 

visiting professor at Morehead State University. 

“All of us associated with NanoRacks take seriously this unique opportunity to bring a new kind of fast-paced innovation and low-cost to 

space station research” said Kris Kimel of Kentucky Space. “Through 

our university and other facilities we can offer seamless support for payload 

design, development and testing.” 

NanoRacks expects to fly its platform to the ISS in mid 2010. 

 

NanoRacks is a fast-paced enterprise focused on small entrepreneurial and educational space opportunities and markets. 

The company brings together entrepreneurs, scientists and 

engineers who have real-life experience and share a passion for 

entrepreneurial space including humanity’s utilization of lowearth orbit. Please visit: www.nanoracksllc.com 

 

For more information: Kris Kimel, Kentucky Space: 

859-229-6161 or Jeffrey Manber, NanoRacks: (815) 425-8553. 

The LCROSS results are “painting a really surprising new picture of the 

moon. This is not your father’s moon,” Delory said.

LCROSS scientists are still delving into the data to identify other 

compounds in the moon’s surface, Colaprete said, noting the satellite 

crashed into a perpetually dark region of the moon where ground 

temperatures average about 220 degrees Celsius below zero.

Further investigation will try to determine where the water came from 

and how it got there, Delory said. The inquiry could shed light on lunar 

history, and even on the history and development of Earth, he said.

The results announced this morning demonstrate the continuing importance of space exploration, NASA administrator Doug Cooke said.

“Many have said that we learned everything we could about the moon from the 

Apollo missions” that ran from 1963 to 1972, said Cooke, who addressed 

the press conference via video feed from Washington, D.C. “LCROSS is 

demonstrating there’s much more to learn, and there always is.”

More information: lcross.arc.nasa.gov

— Bay City News Service

KS continued from page 6 LCROSS continued from page 4

Responsive Access to Space Technology Exchange 

Coming to the NASA Research Park in 2010

by Bruce Pittman, Space Portal

NASA announced in October a partnership with the U.S. Air 

Force Research Laboratory to develop a technology roadmap 

for the commercial reusable launch vehicle (RLV) industry.

“NASA is committed to stimulating the emerging commercial reusable 

launch vehicle industry,” said Lori Garver, Deputy Administrator at 

NASA Headquarters in Washington. “There is a natural evolutionary 

path from today’s emerging commercial suborbital RLV industry to developing the capability to provide low-cost, frequent and reliable access to low 

Earth orbit. One part of our plan is to partner with other federal agencies to 

develop a consensus roadmap of the commercial RLV industry’s long-range 

technology needs.”

The study will identify 

technologies and assess their 

potential use to accelerate the 

development of commercial 

reusable launch vehicles that 

have improved reliability, 

availability, launch turn-time, 

robustness and significantly 

lower costs than current launch 

systems. The study will provide 

roadmaps with recommended 

government technology tasks 

and milestones for different 

vehicle categories.

CRASTE continued on page 15

Kentucky Space students
NRP Post

8 www.nasa.gov

University Associates-Silicon Valley, LLC 

Selects Team Led by TMG Partners and The 

Related Companies

Nov. 16, 2009 -- University Associates-Silicon Valley LLC (UASV) has selected TMG Partners (http://www.tmgpartners.com/ ) 

and The Related Companies (https://www.related.com/ ) as the 

master developer team for a 77-acre sustainable community for 

education and research at the NASA Research Park (NRP) in 

Moffett Field, CA.

UA-SV, established by the University of California, Santa Cruz 

(UCSC) and Foothill-De Anza Community College District (FHDACCD) to further their educational, scientific and public purposes in Silicon Valley, signed a 95-year ground lease for the NRP 

university development area with NASA Ames Research Center 

in December, 2008. The goal of this public-private partnership 

is to create an integrated educational and research community 

featuring classrooms and laboratories, sustainable housing, and 

room for entrepreneurial partnerships. The new community will 

be comprised of approximately 3 million square feet of residential and non-residential development. It will, in conjunction with 

adjacent NASA research facilities, serve as a test-bed for advances 

in green technologies and provide an environment that nurtures 

innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability.

UA-SV is very pleased with the selection of TMG Partners and 

The Related Companies, two highly successful companies with 

particular expertise in mixed use development, as partners in 

this exciting new development. TMG/Related and UA-SV will 

enter into an exclusive negotiating agreement that specifies the 

business terms of their relationship through pre-development 

activities, which include master planning and completing site 

entitlements in conformance with the California Environmental 

Quality Act (CEQA).

UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, chair of the UA-SV board, said 

the board “is enthusiastic about working with TMG/Related as we bring 

this exciting, green project to fruition. They bring outstanding credentials, 

expertise and financial strength with a commitment to the future vitality of 

this region. I am confident TMG/Related will position this project to meet 

the educational and research needs we value so highly.”

NASA Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden said: “The University 

Associates-Silicon Valley selection of TMG/Related is a critical step in 

advancing our partnership to develop part of the NASA Research Park 

with a consortium of universities led by UCSC. The UA-SV development 

will assist NASA with R&D and science, technology, engineering and 

math (STEM) education and help us bring forth new ideas in both education and technology to address the great challenges facing our nation.”

Mike Brandy, interim Chancellor of Foothill- De Anza Community College District, stated: “We are excited to see this development move forward 

with the selection of TMG/Related. The new community being planned at 

NASA Research Park promises to build on Silicon Valley’s reputation 

as a leader in creative thinking and environmental stewardship. It will 

advance and augment the most critical element of the Valley’s success—the 

investment in education.”

William Berry, President and CEO, UA-SV LLC, stated: “The selection of TMG/Related, two highly regarded, well-established development 

companies, demonstrates the considerable attractiveness of this project, even 

in a tough economy. We are looking forward to working with TMG/

Related to fulfill the vision of this development as a highly innovative 

regional education and resource center.”

On receiving the news of the selection of TMG, Michael Covarrubias, 

Chairman and CEO of TMG, said: “TMG and Related are honored 

to have been selected to partner with UA-SV on this development. The 

opportunity to lead the master development of this three million square 

foot, mixed-use campus on behalf of NASA Ames and University 

Associations-Silicon Valley is extraordinary. A new community integrating the commercial, science and residential components with technology 

companies of Silicon Valley can be found nowhere else.”

“The master plan to add a residential and retail community to this consortium 

presents the opportunity to create a true community, not just a series of buildings”, added William Witte, President of The Related Companies California. 

“This has the potential to become a model for sustainable development.”

Contact: UA-SV Community Relations, Cindy Rubin: 831-662-

4522 or 650-823-2639

UA-SV, William Berry: 650-604-0511

TMG, Michael Covarrubias: 415-772-5900

The Related Companies, William Witte: 949-660-7272

NASA Ames, Michael Marlaire: 650-604-4190

University Associates – Silicon Valley LLC 

Delivering the Future, a Sustainable Community 

for Research, Education and Innovation

Nov. 2, 2009 -- The University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) 

and Foothill-De Anza Community College District have formed 

a public-private partnership to establish a new sustainable community on 77 acres of land in the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration (NASA) Research Park (NRP). The academic institutions, working through University Associates – Silicon Valley 

(UA-SV) LLC, a non-profit organization, are developing plans for 

a community of the future dedicated to research, education and 

innovation while serving as a test-bed/prototype for advanced 

green energy technologies and regenerative water and waste management systems. The proposed 2000 household development 

will feature state-of-the-art housing, research and teaching laboratories, classrooms, and work environments built on new groundUA Future continued on page 14
NRP Post

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 9

Scientists Conduct Successful First Test Flight 

of X-SCAV UAV

by Sylvia Leong, Director of External Relations and Admissions 

Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley

On September 29, 2009, Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley, in 

collaboration 

with NASA 

Ames Research 

Center, successfully conducted 

its first series 

of flight tests 

of an 20-foot 

wingspan unmanned aerial 

vehicle (UAV) 

called the eXperimental Sensor Controlled 

Aerial Vehicle 

(X-SCAV) at 

Crows Landing, CA. The 

X-SCAV, which 

can support 

up to 50kg of 

payload, is the latest result of ongoing collaboration between 

the NASA Ames Research Center and the Carnegie Mellon Innovations Laboratory. Carnegie Mellon scientists Ritchie Lee, 

Yoo-Hsiu Yeh, and Khalid Al-Ali worked with NASA Ames 

Research Center scientists on the platform for this unique 

unmanned aerial system designed to carry large payloads for 

short range deployment. 

The X-SCAV is a small ultra-low-cost unmanned vehicle testbed 

used for experimental control systems research, development, 

and experimentation. The X-SCAV is unique in its class, providing ample carrying capacity that rivals large UAVs but at 

a fraction of the cost and complexity. The X-SCAV uses the 

NASA Reflection Architecture, a central component-based 

plug-and-play software infrastructure. This successful series of 

flights paves the way for continued X-SCAV flights at Moffett 

Airfield, demonstrates the operational status of the platform to 

support control system research experiments, and demonstrates 

agile concepts for robust low-cost UAV design. The X-SCAV is 

built on a commercial airframe manufactured by Bill Hempel.

“The X-SCAV platform is unique in its size and cost versus carrying 

capacity. Very few UAVs at this size and price point can support the 

amount of payload capacity that this airframe can support. In support of 

disaster response such as wildfire response, this aircraft has the advantage 

of being able to be deployed and retrieved on-site, which obviates the need 

for complex FAA approvals that hampers large UAV deployments,” 

explained Corey Ippolito, the Project Lead for the team, and a NASA 

Ames Scientist who also just started his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer 

Engineering at Carnegie Mellon. 

Lee, Yeh and Al-Ali from the Carnegie Mellon Innovations Laboratory 

(CMIL), worked together on the design and construction of the vehicle. 

Ritchie Lee, who served as the Systems Engineering Lead for the team, 

describes how his research involved converting a remote-controlled (RC) 

aircraft kit into a UAV. “Our work focuses on developing flexible 

software and hardware platforms that optimize the scientific return of 

a payload sensor by adjusting parameters such as flight path and flight 

controllers. The X-SCAV was developed as a testbed for this research 

and others. This successful flight test, in remote-control mode, marks the 

aircraft’s first flight, and is validation of the deiign and implementation of 

the airframe and avionics.”

CMIL, located at Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley, has established itself as one of the world’s leading ground and aerospace 

technology research centers since its founding in 2003. CMIL 

focuses on identifying, researching, testing, and maturing 

forward-looking ground and aerospace technologies with applications to mobile vehicles. Leveraging its location at NASA 

Research Park, CMIL brings together the best and brightest 

aerospace research professionals from both Carnegie Mellon 

and NASA to explore new possibilities for micro vehicle 

platforms, aircraft, spacecraft, and associated technologies. 

Dr. Khalid Al-Ali, Director of CMIL, serves as Principal 

Investigator for this on-going project. 

“This collaboration is a clear example of the long list of CMIL successes, 

where Carnegie Mellon innovation is coupled with NASA resources, 

producing work with significant impact,” says Al-Ali.

X-SCAV UAV’s First Flight test

CMIL’s X-SCAV UAV at Crow’s Landing
NRP Post

10 www.nasa.gov

How Time Flies– Happy First Anniversary Airship Ventures!

by Gus Holweger, Nov. 23, 2009

November 5, 2008 was ‘Eureka’s’ first passenger flight over Moffett Field and the Bay of San Francisco. Since then the Zeppelin NT 

“Eureka” has become a familiar sight and “flightseeing“ from the airship has become a most enjoyable pastime for Californians and 

tourists alike. First year’s operating statistics shown below through Nov. 17, 2009 substantiates this. As you view the statistics, keep 

in mind that the airship depends heavily on the weather (wind velocity, visibility and precipitation): 

We look forward to a successful year in 2010 as a partner in NASA Research Park. 

Education - Airship Ventures helps AEE expand its scope 

 # of days flown #of flights # of hrs. flown # of passengers: 

Moffett Field 93 229 293 2204 

Oakland 70 214 223 2169

Monterey 9 35 41 327

Long Beach 21 90 149 923

Totals 193 568 706 5623

The mission statement of NASA Ames Exploration 

Encounter(AEE), housed in a renovated supersonic wind tunnel 

at NASA Ames Research Center, is to “Inspire Kids about Space 

and Science.” Dedicated active and retired NASA staff work 

as volunteer docents to inspire and encourage students to pursue 

careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The 

program includes having students meet world class NASA scientists who tell them about science, aeronautics, and space.

Larry Manning, Technical Specialist Quality in AECOM Design 

wanted to expand the scope of the program by including information about Zeppelin NT airships. 

He contacted Alex Hall, CEO of 

Airship Ventures, wondering if AV 

would be willing to provide AEE 

docents with a technical briefing to 

use in courses with AEE students. 

Alex agreed and promised Larry in 

March 2009 that the docent group 

would be briefed and provided 

with information about the airship 

“Eureka”. 

Alex Hall asked me to work on this 

project and, thanks to her support 

and that of Jim Dexter, Director of 

Flight Operations, on October 13, 

Larry Manning and twenty AEE docents got what they asked for 

-- a briefing, a folder with technical and general information about 

the Airship, and a close-up view of the Zeppelin NT ‘Eureka’. 

Alex Travell, Special Missions Sales Manager at Airship Ventures, 

assisted Jim Dexter at the briefing. Judging from the feedback 

from the participants, the project fully met their expectations and 

will benefit the students. 

Science for the Earth 

AV’s Jim Dexter and Alex Travell participated in NASA’s Zeppelin 

Ocean Color Science Mission where the airship was successfully 

used as a Remote Sensing Platform. This goes to show that being 

part of NASA Research Park creates synergy and a neighborly, collaborative atmosphere that benefits all parties (story next page).

 

Fleet Week 2009 – Air Show with the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels 

and Zeppelin NT “Eureka” 

Another first for Airship Ventures was our partnership agreement 

with the Air Show Network to participate in this year’s Fleet Week 

Air Show. Not everything in the 

agreement came to fruition, due 

to the weather which was less than 

ideal for airship flight demonstrations on the key days, Oct. 10 

- 11. But on the preceding days, 

the “Eureka” was a formidable 

presence on its “fly-by” missions. 

“Fly-bys” were mandated as the 

airship had to be outside the flight 

space of the Blue Angels, the U.S. 

Navy’s Flight Demonstration 

Squadron. 

The airship’s pilots, Kate Board, 

the world’s only female airship 

pilot, and Paul Stroehle, Pilot Trainer on loan from the Zeppelin 

Reederei in Germany, circumnavigated San Francisco Bay on the 

Zeppelin NT “Eureka” at a respectful distance, offering a new 

and attractive backdrop for the Blue Angels, Golden Gate Bridge 

and the City of San Francisco.

Airship Ventures has, of course, regular flights out of Oakland, 

over San Francisco and the Bay – and they are not “fly-bys” (see 

The Blue Angels over San Francisco Bay makes Fleet Week a wonderful 

experience for thousands of spectators of all ages.

AV continued on page 11
NRP Post

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 11

www.airshipventures.com). 

Photos by: Love to Eat and Travel. ww.Lovetoeatandtravel.com

Pilot for a Day - your chance to fly a Zeppelin!

A “Unique Experience for Pilots: ground school, flight instruction 

and stick-time” -- states the Airship Ventures’ brochure describing 

its pilot experience program. 

Led by Airship Ventures’ experienced pilots and engineering 

team, this two-day adventure allows participants to see behind 

the scenes during operation, learn the basics of airship flight and 

get into the cockpit. Hailed as an “Uplifting Experience”, it is 

offered nowhere else in the world and is truly the opportunity of a 

lifetime. Originally designed as a one-day course, the program now 

includes a more in-depth review of the flight manual, a Q & A 

session, increased hangar access to the airship ‘Eureka’, and more 

involvement with system checks, pre-flight operations – with no 

increase in price!

Each session is limited to six qualifying pilots. To qualify for class 

enrollment, individuals must be pilot rated (private pilot or better) 

and have a current aviation medical certificate. Each pilot is given 

at least 30 minutes in the cockpit and nearly four hours of total 

flight time in the Zeppelin. This affords plenty of time to ask 

questions and to experience sights from the air while talking with 

fellow pilots and the Zeppelin crew.

Prior to flying the airship, students will participate in a comprehensive and interactive ground school, covering flight and ground 

operations and performance, systems checks, and ground handling 

and preflight procedures. Prices start at $2,950 per student. Custom 

and gift packages are available. For details go to: www.airshipventures.com or contact Elaine Jumes at (650) 969-8100 ext. 111.

Alex and Brian Hall and the entire Airship Ventures staff wish all 

of you the Very Best for the New Year 2010!

NASA Conducts Airborne Science Aboard 

Zepplin Airship by Michael Mewhinney

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. - NASA launched its first airborne science mission in early October featuring a 246-foot-long Zeppelin 

NT airship equipped with two imaging instruments to learn more 

about environmental conditions in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Scientists from NASA Ames Research Center’s Earth Science Division are collaborating with Airship Ventures Inc., Moffett Field, 

Calif., to conduct experiments using the airship’s unique flight 

characteristics, including its high maneuverability and airframe 

stability, as well as its capability to fly at low altitude over selected 

target areas. NASA is interested in using these capabilities to measure reflected solar and emitted thermal radiation and conduct 

atmospheric sampling of aerosols and gas constituents.

“We are very interested in the unique capabilities of the Zeppelin to enable 

remote sensing and atmospheric science measurements not previously practical,” 

said Stephen Dunagan, a research scientist at NASA Ames.

On Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009, scientists embarked on an eight-hour 

flight from Moffett Field to conduct three science experiments 

aboard the airship using a large format Bayer array color camera 

and a hyperspectral scanning imager. The camera provides highresolution imagery that is not affected by vibrations or movement 

of the airship during the exposure. The hyperspectral instrument 

measures 256 bands of color imagery in the visible and near 

infrared spectrum.

In collaboration with the SETI Institute, Mountain View, Calif., 

scientists studied the extremophile biota in the south bay salt 

ponds using a hyperspectral scanning imager to identify photosynthetic pigments. Working with the Monterey Bay Aquarium 

Research Institute (MBARI) scientists studied the distribution and 

density of harmful algae bloom organisms in Monterey Bay that 

are poisonous to wildlife, particularly sea birds and fish. They also 

collaborated with the Pipeline Research Corporation International 

(PRCI) to search for subsurface natural gas pipeline leaks causing 

plant root poisoning.

This week’s flight featured the first science experiments conducted 

under the terms of a Space Act Agreement NASA signed with 

Airship Ventures earlier this summer to use the Zeppelin NT as 

a platform for conducting airborne science experiments. Future 

experiments are anticipated to involve such subjects as remote 

sensing observations, atmospheric sampling collection and electromagnetic field observations.

“We often talk about the airship’s stability, maneuverability and panoramas 

as benefits to sightseeing passengers when, in fact, they are just as beneficial to 

scientific work. Working with NASA and other esteemed scientific organizations, we will demonstrate that the airship’s flight characteristics not only make 

it a great way to see the world, but also to understand it better,” commented 

Airship Ventures Co-founder and CEO Alexandra Hall.” 

UA Future continued from page 12
NRP Post

12 www.nasa.gov

Pascal Lee Delivers Mars Lecture, Part of NRP 

Public Lecture Series

By Kathleen Burton

An enthusiastic crowd attended the resumption of the NRP Exploration Lecture Series, with the first lecture of the season held on October 20th in Bldg. 943. The Lecture, which marked the fourteenth 

in the Series, featured NRP tenant Dr. Pascal Lee discussing “From 

Earth to Mars: Steps Toward the First Mars Mission”. 

Rich with images, video and anecdotes, Lee, who is CEO of the 

NRP’s Mars Institute and a planetary scientist at the SETI Institute, 

discussed his team’s historic Northwest Passage Traverse, a recordbreaking 494 KM crossing on sea ice which began on April 17, 2009.

Driving the “Moon-1” Humvee Rover and supported by two 

snowmobiles, Lee 

led an international 

research team to the 

high Arctic community of Cambridge 

Bay, Nunavut, 

Canada after an 8-day 

journey, the longest 

distance ever driven 

on treacherous seaice in a road vehicle.

The primary goal 

of the Northwest 

passage, said Lee, was 

to transport the new Moon-1 Humvee Rover from the village of 

Kugluktuk to Devon Island, the location of the Haughton Mars 

Project (HMP). The expedition was part of Lee’ work as director of 

the Haughton Mars Project (HMP), a terrestrial analog for Mars. 

At Haughton, the site of an ancient crater, the team conducts 

research in space science, geology, exploration transportation 

and human factors as a precursor to future trips to the Moon 

and Mars. Partners and sponsors of the Mars Institute’s Haughton Project and Northwest Passage Drive Expedition include 

NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, Air National Guard, SETI 

Institute, Simon Fraser University and others. 

“Polar exploration on Earth helps prepare for the future exploration of the 

Moon and Mars,” noted Lee. “The rover is a concept vehicle simulating 

future pressurized rovers that will be used by humans in future NASA 

missions on the Moon and Mars.”

On the journey, the field team ran into challenging weather and 

ice surface conditions including a 40 hour whiteout, unseasonably late thick snow cover, rough ice and treacherous snow covered cracks (called ‘leads’) in the ice, which exposed the vehicle 

to the liquid sea water below. At one point the Moon-1 sank 

into a hidden crack in the ice, but was saved by the team’s quick 

actions and the Humvee’s unique capabilities. “For a moment there, 

I thought this might be it,” Lee said.

Because of the late snow pack and the danger, the crew decided 

to end the trip at Cambridge Bay and airlifted the Humvvee the 

remaining distance to Resolute Bay, near Devon Island. 

During the trip, the team kept a task log for NASA, took snow 

samples to study the biological impact of human exploration in 

a pristine environment and measured snow and sea-ice thickness 

to add to climate change studies and the long-term monitoring 

of the Arctic environment.

For further information: www.marsonearth.org

Lee, with his cattle dog companion Ping Pong, at Haughton 

Crater during the summer 2009 field season

Lee’s Northwest Passage Traverse

Dr. Pascal Lee, Mars Institute Chairman, delivers 

NRP Exploration Lecture. Lee was interviewed on 

NPR’s All Things Considered on December 18, 

2009 in a segment entitled “Revisiting an Expedition Across the Arctic.”
NRP Post

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 13

Ecliptic CEO Ridenoure Draws Crowd for November 

LCROSS Lecture in NRP Public Lecture Series

By Kathleen Burton

A technically-savvy and inquisitive audience attended the second 

lecture in the NRP Exploration Lecture Series on November 

9th in Bldg. 3. The lecture, which marked the fifteenth in the 

series, featured NRP tenant and Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation’s CEO Rex Ridenoure discussing “Shooting the Moon; the 

Inside Story of RocketCamTM and the LCROSS Mission.”

After LCROSS, (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing 

Satellite) the long-held thesis that the moon is a dry desolate 

place no longer holds true. On Oct. 9, LCROSS impacted 

the permanently shadowed region of Cabeus crater near the 

moon’s south pole and spectrometer data, still being analyzed, 

has shown the signature of water.

Rich with images of the launch, moon flyby and LCROSS’ 

historic lunar impact, Ridenoure discussed his company’s key 

role in the mission. He outlined the reasons why the LCROSS 

team chose RocketCam for its onboard video imaging system: 

“because it was a proven, rugged, commercial off-the-shelf 

onboard video camera that was also affordable, in keeping with 

the mission cost cap.” And, Ridenoure noted, the LCROSS 

team also chose Ecliptic’s Digital Video Controller (which 

morphed into LCROSS’ Data Handling Unit or DHU), which 

controlled not only the RocketCam video camera but all 8 of 

the spacecraft’s critical science sensors, for similar reasons. “I 

think our readiness to step up to the tight schedule and even our California 

location helped too,” said Ridenoure.

Mission milestones were extremely tight. NASA’s “call for 

proposals” went out in January 2006, with LCROSS first 

contacting Ecliptic in March that year. LCROSS launched just 

under 3 and a half years later, in June 2009.

“The complexity of the sensor data flowing thru Ecliptic’s DHU 

and the 9 science sensors during the mission, including the lunar 

flyby, the two Earth observations and during the final lunar impact, was 

unprecedented,” said Dr. Kimberly Ennico, LCROSS’ Payload Scientist, 

who attended the lecture and “backed up” Ridenoure during technical questions from the audience. “But everything performed flawlessly,” she said. 

During the mission, Ecliptic’s DHU was on for 10 hours and 40 minutes, Ridenoure noted. Over 13,000 images were returned with no crashes or “hangs”, he 

said. “All in all, the mission was an excellent credibility enhancer for Ecliptic.”’

Ecliptic’s RocketCam visible light color camera, which monitored 

the launch, lunar flyby and lunar impact, was turned off shortly 

after the Centaur impact at Cabeus, at around ‘impact minus 4 

minutes’. From that point on, LCROSS’ infrared cameras, infrared 

spectrometers and flash detectors were on at different times to 

record and monitor the final impact event.

“Mission accomplished!”, said Ridenoure. “All 9 sensors operated successfully, and our 

technology provided an unprecedented low payload cost of less than a million dollars.”

The next lunar mission for RocketCam is NASA’s GRAIL 

mission in 2011. Between now and then, Ecliptic will have approximately 15 RocketCam launches, but none to the Moon.

For further information: www.eclipticenterprises.com

NRP’s Green Trail Energy Supports Desert Rats

(R-L) Dennis Wingo, CEO and 

Ken Kledzik, CTO of GTE. Wingo 

and Andrew Gold co-founded GTE 

in April 2009. Wingo is the team 

leader for the Lunar Orbiter Image 

Recovery project at McMoon.

Challenger Center for Space Science 

Education partnered with Green Trail 

Energy (GTE) to bring its portable solar/wind generator aka "Power Droid" 

to the 2009 NASA Desert RATS exercise in Arizona. Both NASA's Chariot 

and Tri-Athelete rovers were recharged 

by the Power Droid.

Kimberly Ennico, LCROSS Payload Scientist, provided technical information about mission challenges, including the background behind last minute 

corrections to instrument settings that were uploaded to the spacecraft a 

few seconds prior to the spacecraft’s impact.

Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation’s CEO Rex Ridenoure 
NRP Post

14 www.nasa.gov

up infrastructure to form an integrated, sustainable community. 

This exemplar community is being developed in partnership with 

NASA Ames Research Center and is sited on the lands of the 

former Naval Air Station at Moffett Field, California.

Advancing World Class Education and Workforce Development

The UA-SV collaboration will foster the creation of a new 

“Meta-University” model for education and research. This vision, 

founded on an articulated education program as set forth in the 

California Master Plan for Higher Education, will operate in an 

open architecture to facilitate the participation of regional, state, 

national and international academic institutions. Joint academic 

programs and research collaborations in science, engineering 

and innovation management will optimize and draw upon the 

talents and expertise of each institution. To foster opportunities 

for collaboration, the site plan itself will be designed to facilitate 

and maximize the exchange of ideas and energize discoveries. It 

is anticipated that, ultimately, over 5000 undergraduate and graduate students will be accommodated in the combined educational 

programs at the site.

Fostering Economic Development through Green 

Technology Innovation

The Silicon Valley workforce is one of the most productive and 

highly educated in the nation. This proposed research and education 

community is positioned to harness and maximize this productivity 

by attracting industrial partners to the research community with 

programs and facilities uniquely tailored to their requirements. It is 

expected the synergy of industry researchers working with university 

researchers will enable industrial partners to more quickly develop 

and bring to market technological innovations.

Silicon Valley is now the epicenter of the green revolution and the 

proposed development will boost this innovation engine. In 2008, 

Silicon Valley alone accounted for 53% of California and 31% of 

U.S. venture capital invested in clean technologies. In 2007, the 

Valley accounted for 20% of California patents in green technology and green jobs grew 88% since 1995 and a remarkable 23% 

since 2005. The proposed research and education community, 

with centers focused on research in new energy and sustainability technologies, will bring together research teams in an open 

environment to address major challenges in physical, biological, 

materials and environmental science relevant to energy and sustainability. This dynamic, cross-discipline habitat for innovation 

will serve as a catalyst for expedited development of emerging 

green technologies.

Modeling and Promoting Environmental Sustainability

The proposed development will deploy, evaluate and demonstrate 

environmental sustainability: It will be engineered for minimum 

UA Future continued from page 8

carbon footprint by incorporating leading-edge environmental 

sustainability practices/technologies in energy generation, conservation, potable water and waste management. In addition, the 

proposed development will take full advantage of existing Valley 

Transit Authority Light Rail at the site and its direct connection 

to CalTrain. Automated buses and other innovative people movers will provide an alternative transportation to complement a 

pedestrian-friendly environment. This new community also will 

serve as a model site to deploy and validate new renewable energy 

and resource conservation systems constantly evolving with the 

current state-of-the-art. A Visitors Center will provide information about the technologies employed at the site as well as providing information and programs on how green technologies can be 

implemented in homes, businesses, government agencies, etc.

Points of Contact

William Berry President UA-SV wberry@ucsc.edu 408-761-4593

Cindy Rubin Community Relations UA-SV cindy_rubin@comcast.net 831-662-4522

The NASA Research Park team of account managers 

received an Ames Group Honor Award Oct. 14, 2009 for 

excellence in the success of the NRP Development and 

Leasing Program, and for conducting this program with 

excellent customer care. The team also received an Ames 

Safety Award for leasing over 250,000 sf in aging facilities 

(70 years +) with public health and safety being a top priority. The team works daily to transition historic buildings into 

a safe and healthy work environment for all NRP partners. 

(L-R) Diane Farrar, Kathleen Burton, Cyndi Carbon-Norman, 

Dani Thompson, Bob Lopez
NRP Post

www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov 15

CRASTE continued from page 7

“Low-cost and reliable access to space will deliver significant benefits to 

NASA’s existing missions, from science to human exploration to aeronautics, and to our nation’s security and to national economic growth,” said 

Doug Comstock, director of NASA’s Innovative Partnerships Program at 

NASA Headquarters. “Part of our plan is to apply lessons learned from 

the recent past and also from the great successes of the National Advisory 

Committee for Aeronautics in stimulating the American commercial airplane industry nearly 100 years ago.” 

NASA and the Air Force study began this study at the Commercial 

and Government Responsive Access to Space Technology Exchange 

(CRASTE) 2009, held Oct. 26-29 in Dayton, Ohio. CRASTE is a 

technology exchange forum for the space launch community to discuss and collaborate on technologies to deliver improved, responsive 

and cost effective access to space capability. CRASTE provides an 

opportunity for space access customers (DoD and NASA) to present requirements and 

objectives, and brings 

large military system integrators and emerging 

entrepreneurial space 

companies together to 

identify and promote 

viable solutions to space 

access challenges. 

“CRASTE 2009 was 

an excellent start for the 

Commercial RLV technology roadmap study we are pursuing with our Air Force 

partners,” said Dr. Dan Rasky, NASA lead for the study, a senior scientist 

at NASA Ames and Director of the Space Portal in the NASA Research 

Park. NASA and the Air Force Research Lab, with participation from the 

Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation, 

met with representatives of 20 commercial RLV companies to understand their 

long-range growth plans and the technology they could use to implement those plans 

successfully. 

NASA Ames will host CRASTE in collaboration with the Air 

Force Wright Patterson Research Lab at the NASA Research 

Park Conference Center in late October 2010. CRASTE will 

remain focused on commercial RLV partnerships and is expanding its customer and vendor base to ensure a successful and 

worthwhile event for the space launch community.

NASA’s Innovative Partnerships Program is leading the Commercial 

RLV Technology Roadmap study. For info on the Innovative Partnerships Program: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ipp/home

For info about the Commercial RLV Technology Roadmap study: http://

commercialspaceinitiatives.arc.nasa.gov

For info on the Commercial and Government Responsive Access to Space 

Technology Exchange 2009: http://www.usasymposium.com/craste

Students Celebrate Diwali on Campus

Regolith continued from page 3

generation of entrepreneurs, NASA Administrator Charles 

Bolden remarked to the potential group of space investors on 

the weekend’s Regolith Excavation Challenge Event:

“NASA just held a competition in California with $750,000 in prizes for anyone in America who could move the most regolith, or moon dirt, with a robot. The 

winning team is “Paul’s Robotics”. Paul not only beat out 22 other competitor 

teams, he beat teams of professional aerospace engineers, and teams of world-class 

robotics experts. Paul is a college student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 

Massachusetts. He heard about the competition from a high school teacher.

Now that is inspiring.”

For more information: www.regolith.csewi.org

Team Green Cheese Solutions from Hudson, WI 

with their Robot “B.E.S.S.ie”

CMU Silicon Valley students, faculty and staff celebrated the Indian festival 

of lights Diwali on Oct. 21, with candle lights, sand art drawings, Indian food 

and dance. On this day, people in Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain cultures 

illuminate their homes and premises with cotton string wicks in small clay pots 

filled with oil and colorful lights. “I appreciate CMU’s efforts to incorporate our 

culture. I’ve grown up celebrating Diwali with my family and it was a pleasure 

to share this with my classmates,” said Shikha Agrawal, a MS Software 

Engineering student who organized the decorations.
16 www.nasa.gov www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov

NRP Post

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Diane Farrar

Layout and Design . . . . . . . . . .Christine Nolasco

NRP Post deadlines

Please submit articles to Diane.Farrar-1@nasa.gov on 

or before March 15, 2010 for the next issue.

Phone: (650) 604-2NRP

Email: researchpark@mail.nasa.gov

Website: www.researchpark.arc.nasa.gov

NRP Leaders Discuss STEM Education Initiatives

A brainstorming meeting on science, technology, engineering 

and mathematics (STEM) education was held at NRP with 

leaders from universities, non-profits and green tech CEOs on 

December 15th. The meeting was organized by NRP Director, 

Michael Marlaire, to discuss opportunities to work together on 

potential initiatives to assist our nation in facing challenges in 

STEM education. The ideas were well received by all attendees 

and another meeting will be scheduled for mid-January.

Attendees were:

• Dr. Martin Chemers, UC-Santa Cruz, Vice Provost and 

former Acting Chancellor UCSC

• Dr. Pam Stacks, San Jose State University, Associate Vice 

President for Grad Studies and Research

• Dr. Maureen Scharberg, Associate Dean College of Science SJSU

• Dr. Martin Griss, Carnegie Mellon University, Director 

CMU Silicon Valley

• Timothy Collins, President KleenSpeed Technologies, Inc.

• Geoff Brown, CEO m2mi (machine to machine intelligence)

• Dr. Kathy Schubel, CEO Airship Earth

• Tom Grimm, CIO Airship Earth

• Dr. Tom Pierson, CEO SETI Institute

• Edna Devore, Deputy CEO SETI Institute

• Dr. Chris Kitts, Santa Clara University, Director Center 

for Robotics, Exploration and Space Technology (CREST, 

located in NRP)

• Salim Ismail, Executive Director Singularity University

• Dr. Dan Walker, SJSU, emeritus, expert in STEM teacher training

• Susan Fonseca-Klein, VP Singularity University

• Tom Clausen, Education Branch, Strategic Communications

• Liza Coe, Education Branch, Strategic Communications

• Michael Marlaire, Director, NASA Research Park Office

(L-R) Dr. Martin Griss, Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley; Dr. Chris Kitts, 

Santa Clara University; Timothy Collins, KleenSpeed Technologies, Inc.; Susan 

Fonseca-Klein, Singularity University

Dante Zeviar, VP Electric Technology, wishes 

everyone a Happy and Prosperous

New Year from the KleenSpeed team!

Dante heads up KleenSpeed Technologies, Inc.’s R&D 

Division. He is enhancing their high performance EV systems by developing new solid state motor drives, lithium 

ion battery management components and cell pack arrays. 

One of KleenSpeed’s protoype race cars won the First 

Place trophy at Laguna Seca Raceway’s ReFuel event in 

July. Dante has a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from UC 

Berkeley, a Professional Degree in Automotive Technology 

from UTI, and a M.Sc. in Automotive Engineering from 

Technical University of Munich, Germany. While working 

for BMW he developed an aluminum connector for high 

current applications in electric and hybrid vehicles.

Dante's Thought for the New Year

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Photo by Diane Farrar

Photo by Mejghan Haider