September 2007

www.nasa.gov

Page 2 - Aurigid Shower Dazzles 

 Airborne Observers

Page 3 - Ames 2007 CFC kicks off Oct. 10

Page 4 - NASA Collaborates with Russia

on FOTON-M3 Mission

Page 12 - Ames Ongoing Events

Page 13 - Classifieds

On the Inside . . .

The Astrogram transitions to Internet

Increasingly, we receive our news 

and information from electronic 

sources, namely, television, radio, Internet, e-mail and portable devices. 

The NASA Ames Public Affairs Office is transitioning from publishing 

both electronic and printed editions 

each month to publishing the Astrogram online only. This issue is the 

last copy of the newsletter in printed 

form. 

The Astrogram has been in 

existence since October 1958 and has 

actually been available for download 

online with issues dating from 1998. 

The Web site is: http://www.nasa.

gov/ames/astrogram.

While some may miss the printed 

edition, the good news is that 100 

percent of the Astrogram’s content 

will be reflected in the Astrogram 

online. Also, the online version 

delivers the same news and features 

about a week earlier than the print 

version. The newsletter also will be 

in color. 

In addition, publishing the Astrogram online will save approximately 

$30,000 and publishing online is 

environmentally friendly as it saves 

paper.

The staff of the Astrogram appreciates your continued support and 

hopes that you will enjoy the new 

look of the Astrogram.

by Michael Mewhinney

NASA maps the moon with Google

To our readers...

New higher-resolution lunar 

imagery and maps including NASA 

multimedia content now are available 

on the Google Moon Web site.

Updates include new content from the Apollo missions, 

including dozens of embedded panoramic images, links 

to audio clips and videos and 

descriptions of the astronauts’ 

activities during the missions. 

The new content is overlaid 

on updated, higher-resolution lunar maps. Also added 

are detailed charts of different 

regions of the moon suitable 

for use by anyone simulating a 

lunar mission.

“NASA’s objective is for 

Google Moon to become a 

more accurate and useful 

lunar mapping platform that will be 

a foundation for future Web-based 

moon applications, much like the 

many applications that have been built 

on top of Google Maps,” said Chris 

C. Kemp, director of strategic business development at NASA Ames. 

“This will make it easier for scientists 

everywhere to make lunar data more 

available and accessible.”

Google Moon’s visible imagery 

and topography are aligned with the 

recently updated lunar coordinate system and can be used for scientifically 

accurate mission planning and data 

analysis. The new site is designed to be 

user-friendly and encourage 

the exchange of data and ideas 

among scientists and amateur 

astronomers.

This announcement closely 

follows the release of new 

NASA content in Google 

Earth, including photographs 

taken by NASA astronauts and 

imagery from NASA’s Earth 

observing satellite sensors, 

such as the Sea-viewing Wide 

Field of View Sensor, Landsat 

and the Moderate Resolution 

Imaging Spectrometer.

Astronaut photography 

was developed in collaboration with the Crew Earth Observations 

team, part of the Image Science and 

Analysis Laboratory at NASA Johnson 

Space Center, Houston. Satellite imagery of Earth was developed in partnership with the Earth Observatory team 

at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 

Greenbelt, Md. 

The alliance was accomplished under a Space Act Agreement signed in 

December 2006 by Google and NASA 

Ames. 

For more information on Google 

Moon, visit: http://moon.google.com 

For more information on Google Earth, 

visit: http://earth.google.com

by Michael Mewhinney

This is an example of the Google Moon charts. To use them, first turn on 

the ‘Charts’ layer in Google Moon. Then, pick the chart type and region you 

want from the panel that appears in the lower right. The geologic charts 

were produced from the USGS Geologic Atlas of the Moon, and the Topograhic charts were produced from USAF/NASA LAC Lunar Chart series.
 Astrogram September 2007

On the night of Sept. 1, 2007, 

NASA Ames hosted the deployment 

of two privately owned Gulfstream V 

jets with an international group of 24 

researchers on board to observe the 

predicted return of the rare Aurigid 

meteor shower. 

The event was caused by the 

fortuitous collision of Earth with the 

ever-wandering dust trail of comet 

C/1911 N1 (Kiess), a potential Earth 

impactor and a source of debris that 

might harm satellites in orbit. In other 

years, that stream of dust particles 

passes by undetected, just outside or 

inside Earth orbit, but in 1935, 1986, 

and 1994 the stream wandered in 

Earth path and created a brief shower 

of bright meteors. 

The shower was seen by only two 

observers in 1994 and one observer in 

1986. Thanks to the power of foresight, 

this year thousands were able to enjoy 

the spectacle. 

“This was my daughter’s (age 9) 

first shower and she and her friend 

were absolutely delighted, asking: 

‘When’s the next one?’ Hopefully, we 

have a new astronomer in the making!,” wrote Doug Blasco of California, 

one of many people who witnessed 

the meteor outburst. 

This is the first time that the 

encounter with the dust trail of a 

long-period comet has been predicted 

through modeling. Each meteor was 

a small time capsule from the year 4 

A. D., give or take 40 years, when the 

comet rounded the sun. Comet and 

dust moved in a 2000-year orbit far 

beyond Neptune, all the way into the 

Oort cloud, before falling back again. 

The comet returned in 1911 and was 

discovered by then Lick Observatory 

post-doc Carl Kiess. The dust took 

longer to return, pushed into a wider 

orbit by solar radiation, and has been 

coming back ever since in a continuous, but very thin, stream of dust. 

As predicted, Earth was hosed by 

that dust in the early morning of Sept. 

1, 2007, when during a short period 

of time meteors radiated from the 

constellation of Auriga, the Charioteer. 

The shower was seen in most states 

west of the Mississippi, including 

Hawaii and Alaska, and from the 

western provinces of Canada. Some 

eye witnesses watched the shower 

in a jacuzzi, or from their bedroom 

window. Each observed between a 

handful and several tens of bright and 

colorful meteors, some with flares and 

brief trains. More than a 100 observers wrote us about their experiences 

and so far 53 contributed images of 

the Aurigids captured with digital 

cameras. Some of the images are quite 

spectacular, also because the fourdays-past-full-Moon evening nicely lit 

the landscape that framed the bright 

meteors in the sky. 

Daytime observers in Europe, 

the eastern USA and Brazil detected 

the presence of the shower from 

reflected radio signals while listening 

for distant radio stations. The shower 

was very obvious, because there were 

many long-lasting, overdense echoes 

during a 1.5-hour period. 

The airborne observers measured 

meteor rates and magnitudes and collected spectroscopic data with a wide 

variety of instruments. They were able 

Aurigid meteor shower show dazzles airborne observers 

NASA Ames hosted a deployment to observe the Aurigid meteor shower on Sept. 1. This is a composite 

image of the Aurigid shower with 15 Aurigids observed from one of the two aircraft. The meteors span 

the period 11:04:44 to 11:50:54UT Sept. 1, 2007 (a 46-minute period covering the peak). 

photo courtesy of NASA/ESA

continued on page 6

The Aurigid Multi-Instrument Aircraft Campaign (MAC) research team at NASA Ames.

photo courtesy of NASA/SETI Institute
 Astrogram September 2007

The Combined Federal Campaign 

(CFC) supports and promotes philanthropy through an employee-focused, 

cost-efficient and effective program by 

providing all federal employees the 

opportunity to improve the quality of 

life for all of those who, for one reason 

or another, are disadvantaged. The 

campaign was established in 1961 by 

President John F. Kennedy to consolidate numerous charitable campaigns, 

allowing for a single annual campaign 

in all federal, postal and military agencies. Donations to the CFC support 

more than 2,000 local, national and 

international charities.

The campaign theme this year is 

‘2 Minutes 2 Make a Difference.’ Two 

minutes sounds inconsequential, but 

two minutes every day is about all 

it takes to do phenomenal things. 

We can save lives, feed the hungry, 

cure diseases, comfort, heal, mentor, 

encourage, preserve, enlighten, enable 

and enrich the lives of people here at 

home and around the world--by giving two minutes a day of your time 

through payroll deduction or cash 

donation. 

The 2007 CFC campaign at NASA 

Ames will kick off Oct. 10 and wrap 

up on Nov. 16. The kick-off event for 

the 2007 campaign will be held Oct. 10 

from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., in the Main 

Auditorium (N-201). During this time, 

a group of volunteers will distribute 

the brochures and facilitate your contributions through WebTADS or via a 

cash donation. 

All of the information about the 

CFC organizations, as well as 

your pay period 

contributions, will 

be on the WebTADS site, making 

it extremely easy 

and convenient 

to click in your 

contribution. The 

goals for the 2007 

campaign are total 

contributions of 

$245,000 and 100 

percent participation by the Ames 

civil service employees.

Last year, 

through the participation of less 

than 37 percent of 

the federal employees and retirees at 

Ames contributed more than $245,368 

to CFC, exceeding the Ames campaign 

goal by more than $25,000. We can do 

even better this year, particularly since 

even the smallest contributions can 

make a big difference to the receiving organizations. More details about 

how you can help ‘Change Tomorrow 

Today’ through the CFC will be announced soon. Ames Center Director 

S. Pete Worden and all organization 

directors at Ames enthusiastically support a successful 2007 campaign.

The center has a terrific CFC team 

this year, including the Ames CFC 

Deputy Epifanio Munoz (Code REE); 

Femy McGrath (Code DL), special 

events chair; Caroline To (Code SS), 

financial chair; and Yuliana Virchenko 

(Code A), awards chair. Together the 

team will provide you with all of the 

relevant information to facilitate your 

contributions, keep you informed as to 

how the center is doing toward meeting our goals and bring in representatives from some of the many CFC 

organizations to help you see how 

effective CFC contributions really are. 

There will be special CFC events during the campaign period.

Note that the Combined Federal 

Campaign has been designed to allow employees to easily specify the 

agencies of their choice to donate to, 

Ames 2007 Combined Federal Campaign kicks off Oct. 10

Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden is seen here (third from right) with the 2007 CFC 

Ames Team. Left to right: Epifanio Munoz (Code REE), deputy campaign chair; Don 

Durston (Code AOX), senior CFC advisor; Caroline To (Code SS) financial chair; Tony 

Gross (Code T) campaign chair; Center Director S. Pete Worden; Femy McGrath (Code DL), 

special events chair; and Meredith Moore (Code D), CFC program coordinator.

NASA photos by Dominic Hart

Ames CFC Advisor Don Durston (left) received a Superior Achievement 

Award from Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden for his sustained contributions and outstanding continuous leadership of the Ames campaign since 

the early 1990s.

continued on page 4
 Astrogram September 2007

by Michael Mewhinney

NASA collaborated with Russia on 

a new robotic mission to conduct biological studies. The Russian Foton-M3 

mission launched on Sept. 14, 2007, 

from Kazakhstan, and NASA scientists 

participated in several of the mission’s 

experiments. The launch was on 

schedule and flawless. The launch 

took place on schedule at 3 p.m. 

Moscow time and insertion into orbit 

occurred 10 minutes after launch. 

NASA scientists hope the data 

obtained from the Foton-M3 mission 

will improve research techniques. The 

experiments will increase fundamental 

knowledge of the effects of space on 

genetics, cell proliferation and tissue 

regeneration, as well as the physiological effects of microgravity. Scientists will conduct pre-and-post-flight 

studies in Russia on bacteria, newts, 

geckos and snails, which will be flown 

on Foton-M3. As part of the collaboration, U.S. and Russian scientists will 

exchange all scientific data obtained 

from the experiments.

“A team of U.S. scientists has been 

invited to participate in the experiments, and our role as co-investigators 

will be to enhance and expand the science conducted during the mission,” 

explained Michael Skidmore of Ames, 

who serves as the project manager for 

the Foton-M3 mission. In addition to 

scientists from Ames, the team also 

includes scientists from Montana State 

University, Bozeman, Mont.

Foton-M3 launched aboard a 

Russian Soyuz-U rocket. It utilized 

a modified Vostok spacecraft, which 

contained a service module, solid-fuel 

retro-rocket unit and batteries. The 

robotic spacecraft flew in 

low-Earth orbit for 12 days 

before releasing its reentry 

module to land in either 

northern Kazakhstan or 

southern Russia on Sept. 26, 

2007.

“NASA’s long-term 

goal is to use simple, easily maintained species to 

determine the biological 

responses to the rigors of 

spaceflight, including the 

virtual absence of gravity,” 

said Kenneth Souza, (Code 

SC), who serves as the project scientist.

For the Foton-M3 mission experiments, NASA Ames scientists developed eight, one-inch-deep aluminum 

NASA collaborates with Russia on Foton-M3 mission

boxes called “attics” to house a small, 

battery-powered video camera for 

in-flight video recording, a solid-state 

video recorder, infrared light emitting 

diodes and a pump to provide water 

for the newts and geckos. A timer/

processor will control the operations 

of the attic’s components during the 

experiments.

NASA has a long history of cooperative research with the Institute for 

Biomedical Problems using unpiloted 

Russian spacecraft starting with the 

Bion 3 (Cosmos 782) mission in 1975. 

More recently, NASA participated in 

the Russian Foton-M2 mission in 2005.

“The Foton-M3 data will help 

validate the results of NASA’s FotonM2 investigations. Fundamental space 

biology studies, such as those related 

to Foton-M2 and Foton-M3, advance 

human knowledge of the effects gravity has had, and continues to have, on 

all terrestrial life,” Skidmore said.

Scientists are seen here preparing biology experiments 

for the Foton M3 mission in the new microgravity lab at 

ESTEC, in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. Foton M3 was 

launched in mid September. The unmanned capsule spent 12 

days orbiting the Earth exposing it’s payload of experiments 

to microgravity. 

photo courtesy of the European Space Agency

by Anthony R. Gross

2007 Ames CFC C

or you may wish to give to the CFC 

in general, which then distributes the 

money in proportion to the monies 

received by the charities designated 

by other donors. The CFC brochure 

lists hundreds of agencies to consider 

and can be viewed on the Inside-Ames 

Web site. 

 Here are just a few of the good 

reasons to give to the CFC:

• Assist our military who are returning from Iraq and their families;

• Assist the Gulf states hurricane 

and flood relief effort;

• Help the less fortunate in our 

community; and

• Benefit from IRS deductions for 

your charity donation.

Finally, the center pays special tribute to Don Durston this year for his inCombined Federal Campaign kicks off Oct. 10

continued from page 3

credibly long service to the CFC and to 

Ames. Since before 1990 until today, 

he has been the thread of continuity 

for a succession of chairpersons, keeping detailed notes of how to proceed, 

developing computer tools to help 

each year’s team keep on track, and 

most importantly, provide advice and 

council through the years. Congratulations, Don, for a job very well done.

For further information, or the answers to any questions about the 2007 

CFC, contact the author and campaign 

chairperson, Tony Gross, at ext. 4-2727 

or by e-mail at agross@mail.arc.nasa.

gov. You can also contact the deputy 

chairperson Epi Munoz at ext 4-2634 

or by e-mail at emunoz@mail.arc.nasa.

gov.
 Astrogram September 2007

The Ames University of California Santa Cruz, University Affiliated 

Research Center’s (UARC) Systems 

Teaching Institute (STI) provides 

student programs in support of task 

orders assigned by NASA Ames to the 

UARC. The STI facilitates interaction 

among university faculty, students 

and Ames researchers, and develops 

human resources in areas of importance to the NASA Ames mission. The 

STI takes a proactive role in mentoring 

students, a role that compliments the 

relationship between the student and 

the research supervisor.

This has been an exciting year for 

the STI. The Graduate Student Internship Program doubled in size and 

recruited students nationally. The STI 

also hosted a new program for 2007: 

the Small Spacecraft Summer Study 

Program (S4P). 

The UARC solicited proposals 

from scientists throughout the University of California system to conduct a 

student-oriented study for a low-cost, 

scientific mission in collaboration 

with the NASA Ames Small Spacecraft Center. Funding was awarded 

to University of California Berkeley 

Space Sciences Laboratory to carry 

out a design study for a Lunar Science 

Orbiter. Six students were selected to 

work on various aspects of the study 

ranging from orbit transfer scenarios 

to thermal, mechanical and electrical 

systems.

In addition to the practical experience students gain during their stay at 

Teaching Institute brings talented students to Ames

by Amy Gilb

Ames, they have many opportunities 

to network with their peers, including 

field trips, bi-monthly Journal Club 

barbecues, tours of Ames facilities and 

small workshops. The S4P students 

even hosted a wine-and-cheese reception for Ames Center Director S. Pete 

Worden. 

“It was a tight-knit group of students this year,” says Natalie Batalha, 

director of the STI. “We have a great 

environment here for student life: exciting research, a vibrant community 

which is the Silicon Valley, convenient 

living accommodations and many 

activities sponsored by the various 

student programs here at Ames. It is 

a great setting for growth and self-discovery,” she said.

The programs closed with the 

second annual STI end-of-summer 

symposium held in the conference 

center ballroom. The symposium gave 

students the opportunity to showcase 

their work and they were very motivated to do well. A panel of judges 

spent the morning evaluating the 

posters, and awards were given for the 

best presentations. 

“The posters were much better this 

year, due in large part to the efforts of 

the STI director and staff, who ensured 

the students were briefed on presenting their work in a successful manner,” says Maylene Duenas, UARC 

COTR and manager of the UARC’s 

educational tasks. Winners DJ Chapman and Casey Kute will receive full 

travel support to a national conference 

of their choice. 

Clearly, Ames research benefits 

greatly from the contributions of all of 

these talented summer students. 

Systems Teaching Institute interns are seen here outside the Exploratoriun in San Francisco during 

their first summer field trip. 

photos by Natalie Batalha

The UARC Systems Teaching Institute and the 2007 Small Spacecraft Summer Study Program 

students hosted a wine-and-cheese reception in the newly refurbished Advanced Studies Lab in 

Bldg. N-239 for Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden recently. Seen here at the event, from left 

to right, Max Comess, Tess McEnulty, Cassandra VanOutryve, Kartik Kumar, Greg Delory (SSL 

project director), Ames Center Director, S. Pete Worden and John Shepard.
 Astrogram September 2007

The 2007 Ames Honor Award 

honorees received their awards at a 

ceremony on Sept. 20, 2007, in the 

Main Auditorium (N-201) in recognition of their outstanding contributions 

to NASA. A reception was held immediately afterward.

2007 AMES HONOR AWARDEES:

Administrative Professional

Rosemarie Christensen

Lawrence D. Lee

David R. Morse

Nguyen (Wing) Trang

Community Service/Volunteer

Robert L. Bilikas

Contractor Employee

Diane M. Carpenter, Science 

 Application International Corp.

Lena L. Contreras, MEI Technologies

Edward A. Figueira, Scientific and

 Commercial Systems Corporation

Nicole A. Rayl, 

 Enterprise Advisory Services, Inc.

Scott D. Thomas, QSS Group, Inc.

Kathleen P. Starmer, Science 

 Application International Corp.

EEO

Laura W. Doty

Engineer

James H. Bell

Donald T. Ellerby

Stefan R. Schuet

Group/Team

Altair Unmanned Aerial System

 (UAS) Team

IVAAAN Simulation Team

KSC Ground Ops Structures Team

Lunar Lander Handling Quality

 Simulation Team

Nano ChemSensor Unit Project Team

Mentor

David B. Hash

Wendy L. Holforty

Michael J. Ospring

NASA Employee

Michael D. Watson, 

 Marshall Space Flight Center

Project Manager

John R. Allmen

Robert K. Fong

Joseph J. Totah

Safety and Environment

Peter T. Goldsmith

Scientist/Researcher

Kalmanje S. Krishnakumar

Michael J. Schuh

Secretary/Administrative 

Assistant Support

Shirley J. Burg

The center holds 2007 Ames Honor Awards Ceremony

Student

Mary Beth Wilhelm

Supervisor/Manager

Dolores M. Morrison

Diane P. Selby

Technical Support

Catherine H. Schulbach

Technician

Emmett A. Quigley

David C. Scimeca

by Peter Jenniskens,SETI Ins

principal investigator Aurigid MultiInstrumen

to monitor a large surface area near 

the horizon, where extinction is low at 

47,000 feet. Each observer saw about 

120 Aurigids during the outburst in a 

40-by-30 degree field of view. Results 

of our counts were called down and 

were immediately posted on our mission Web site, to the delight of those 

clouded out or living in parts of the 

world where the shower could not be 

seen. 

The shower peaked at 04:15 plus or 

minus 5 minutes PDT, earlier than our 

predicted 04:36 PDT plus or minus 20 

minutes, reported in the Aug. 7 issue 

of EOS, Transactions of the AGU. At 

the peak, meteors were detected at a 

zenith hourly rate of about 100/hr, 

better than the August Perseids, and 

within a factor of two from the anticipated rate. The details of the shower 

profile and particle size distribution 

will help improve our prediction 

model. 

Comet Kiess, on account of being 

in a long-period orbit, has returned 

from the Oort cloud relatively recently. 

Whether or not some of the meteors 

may have been caused by the remains 

of a propoposed primordial comet 

crust awaits a further analysis of the 

many meteor trajectories and spectra 

that were recorded by airborne and 

ground-based observers. 

The Aurigid Multi-Instrument Aircraft Campaign (Aurigid MAC) was 

the first deployment of the two Gulfstream V aircraft in a research mission. We received tremendous support 

and thank all that made this mission 

possible. Unfortunately for Blasco’s 

daughter, the Aurigid shower will not 

return in her lifetime, but there will be 

other opportunities to study unusual 

meteor showers. At which time, we all 

hope to do this again. 

The first impressions, images and 

predictions (and instructions on how 

to submit your Aurigid images) are 

posted at http://aurigid.seti.org.

continued from page 2

Aurigid show dazzles airborne observers
 Astrogram September 2007

The NASA Ames 

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and 

Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) 

Program hosted a SBIR/

STTR Phase I Proposal 

Preparation workshop 

held on Aug. 9 and 10 

in conjunction with the 

Small Business Association (SBA) and the Silicon 

Valley Small Business 

Development Center 

(SVSBDC). The Proposal 

Preparation Workshop 

was a two-day event, 

with the first day hosted 

at NASA Ames.

Roger Cohen, a consultant of 

Roger Cohen International, has been 

in business for over 14 years providing service to clients in government 

contract consulting and SBIR proposal 

consulting. Cohen led a series of 

workshops varying from tips to writing winning proposals to debriefings 

on proposals that lost and the lessons 

learned. 

The second day of the event was 

hosted at the SVSBDC’s office in 

downtown San Jose, where pre-evaluated attendees were able to discuss 

with Cohen and Chuck Eason of the 

Solano College Small Business Development Center, the feasibility of their 

tentative proposals.

For questions regarding future 

by Candice Nan

Small business technology commercialization discussed at workshop

Left to right (standing) Paulette Dal Porto, 

Candice Nance and Sara Villarreal. Seated: 

Gail Buettgenback and Mike Mooney. The 

group greeted small business participants 

for the SBIR/STTR Proposal Preparation 

Workshop.

Left to right: Mike Mooney, Carlos Torrez, Gary Jahns, Candice Nance and Sara Villarreal. 

They staffed the SBIR/STTR Proposal Preparation Workshop on Aug. 9, at NASA Ames.

SBIR/STTR Proposal Preparation 

Workshops, contact the author at Candice.R.Nance@nasa.gov.

NASA photos by Dominic Hart

During the SBIR/STTR event, participants were able to ask questions 

about technology commercialization during a panel moderated by Roger 

Cohen, standing, far right. Panelists included, from left to right, seated, 

Carlos Torrez, Dan Kojiro, Chuck Eason and Dhaval Brahmbhatt.
 Astrogram September 2007

With garbage becoming a major 

source of environmental pollution, 

now more than ever, recycling and 

conserving resources makes good 

sense. According to the California 

Integrated Waste Management Board, 

decomposing garbage in landfills is a 

primary source of man-made methane, 

a greenhouse gas 20 times stronger 

than carbon dioxide in trapping heat 

in the Earth’s atmosphere. 

NASA Ames recycles more than 

50 different materials ranging from 

office paper to hazardous waste. In 

2006, Ames spent $336,000 to dispose 

of garbage at a cost of $203 per ton--

in contrast to the $8 per ton spent to 

remove recyclables. 

Unlike refuse, recyclables have the 

potential to return significant savings, 

if managed correctly. In Phase 1 of the 

14-foot wind tunnel demolition project 

completed in July, Ames recovered 

virtually all of the demolition debris--

over 39 tons of copper, brass and aluminum; 3,000 tons of steel; and 2,500 

tons of concrete.

To help increase awareness of wise 

use and recycling options, the EPA 

provides an easy-to-download ‘Consumer’s Guide to Recycling’ located 

on the Internet at: www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/catbook/index.htm

Sample Tips for Reducing Solid Waste:

REDUCE 

1. Reduce packaging waste by choosing products with the least unnecessary packaging.

2. Reduce waste toxicity by using nonhazardous alternatives for cleaning 

and other needs.

REUSE 

3. Make reusable products a habit; 

bring your own coffee mug to work 

and pay only 75 cents for Mega Bites 

Café coffee.

4. Maintain and repair durable products and take advantage of ‘Energy 

Saver’ appliances to reduce your 

electrical, gas and water bills.

5. Reuse bags, containers and other 

items at home, at work and when you 

go to the store.

6. Borrow, rent or share items used infrequently. Before discarding old tools, 

camera equipment, or other goods, 

offer them to friends, relatives, neighbors, or community groups.

7. Sell or donate goods instead of 

throwing them out to organizations 

who can use them--senior citizen centers, thrift stores and nonprofits.

RECYCLE 

8. Select products made from recycled 

materials such as bottles, cans, paper 

wrapping, bags, cereal boxes, cartons 

and other items.

9. Support recycling at work and in 

curbside programs, drop-off collections and community recycling drives.

Prevent pollution: recycle, reduce, reuse and respond

10. Compost food scraps and yard 

trimmings. If you have a yard, allow 

grass clippings to remain on the lawn 

to decompose and return nutrients 

back to the soil.

RESPOND 

11. Help educate and spread the 

word about the benefits of reduction, 

recycling and composting with family, 

friends, neighbors, local businesses 

and decision-makers.

12. Be creative and try one new way 

to reduce waste quantity and toxicity 

every week such as minimizing junk 

mail by writing the Direct Marketing 

Association to remove your name/address from subscription lists.

Make a positive impact; download 

and post the latest NASA recycles 

flyer: http://q.arc.nasa.gov/qe/p2/

NASARecycles4copy.pdf

For information about recycling, 

contact Mark Lacy at ext. 4-1406.

by April Nei
 Astrogram September 2007

A group of NASA Ames aeronautics researchers were recently invited 

by the Aeronautics Research Mission 

Directorate’s Airspace Systems Program (ASP) to participate in the Joint 

Planning and Development Office’s 

(JPDO) Next Generation Air Traffic 

System ‘NEXTGEN Day on Capitol 

Hill,’ on two separate days.

Ames researchers Dr. Everett 

Palmer, Dr. Walter Johnson and 

Nancy Smith of the Human Systems 

Integration Division, along with San 

Jose State University researchers Dr. 

Thomas Prevot and Vernol Battiste, 

were asked to offer demonstrations of 

their Trajectory Oriented Operations 

with Limited Delegation (TOOWiLD) 

concept to members of the House of 

Representatives and the Senate on 

Capitol Hill. 

The first event, held in the House 

Science committee room on the third 

floor of the Rayburn Building, attracted a crowd of Washington’s air 

transportation elite. 

Among a long list of speakers were 

Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters; members of the House of Representatives Hon. Bart Gordon (D-TN), 

chairman, Committee on Science and 

Technology; Hon. Mark Udall (D-CO), 

chairman, Subcommittee on Space and 

Aeronautics; NASA Administrator 

Michael Griffin; and FAA Administrator Marion Blakey.

The occasion also provided an 

opportunity to give hands-on demonstrations of TOOWiLD to Secretary 

Peters; Administrator Blakey; Vernon 

Ehlers, Congressman (R-MI), Member 

of the House Committee on Science 

and Technology and the Committee 

on Transportation and Infrastructure; 

the Hon. James Oberstar (D - MN), 

Chairman of the House Committee 

on Transportation and Infrastructure; 

and Dr. Lisa Porter, NASA associate 

administrator for Aeronautics.

The JPDO was established to 

facilitate the process of transforming 

today’s national air transportation 

system into the system that will be 

required by the year 2025. Termed 

NEXTGEN, this concept for the future 

is envisioned to be more efficient, 

capable of meeting increased airspace 

demand, and able to handle a wide 

TOOWiLD call to Hill helps increase technology awareness

range of new aircraft and aviation 

business models. The ASP and its 

NGATS Airspace Project are heavily 

involved in making this vision a reality. 

The TOOWiLD concept, developed 

here at Ames, supports an air/ground 

integration theme, combining timebased metering, strategic trajectorybased operations and limited delegation clearances.

During the Hill Days, the TOOWiLD concept used the Ames-developed 

Multi-aircraft Control System (MACS) 

software and the 4-D Cockpit Situation Display (CSD) software to offer 

hands-on, interactive, air and ground 

demonstrations. The set-up used twolaptop computers placed on a tabletop 

as pilot and controller stations, and 

allowed participants to view the interaction on two 30” monitors mounted 

on stands against a backdrop. This 

MACS/CSD configuration offered 

Capitol Hill dignitaries a comprehensive understanding of the future air 

and ground elements proposed for 

NEXTGEN. 

At the second event, the group 

responded to a second call to the Hill. 

This time the event took place in the 

by Leslye Mogford and Gaye G

U.S. Senate’s Dirksen Building. It was 

co-hosted by Senators John D. Rockefeller IV, chairman and Trent Lott, 

ranking member, of the Committee 

on Commerce, Science and Transportation/Subcommittee on Aviation 

Operations, Safety and Security. This 

gathering was attended by many of 

the same high-ranking government 

leaders. The original Ames group returned, this time with Nancy Johnson, 

a San Jose State employee, in place of 

Nancy Smith.

The team presented TOOWiLD using the MACS/CSD software to offer 

event attendees an opportunity to try 

their hand at being pilot or controller in a simulated air traffic environment. The response was overwhelmingly positive from all who visited the 

booth. 

These appearances on Capitol 

Hill have increased awareness among 

technology decision-makers in the 

House and Senate, as well as leaders 

in industry and government aviation 

communities of the work being conducted at Ames Research Center. 

San Jose State employee Dr. Tom Prevot, (right) demonstrates TOOWiLD to the Hon. James Oberstar 

(D - MN), chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, (second from right) 

and Dr. Lisa Porter, NASA associate administrator, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (far left) 

at NEXTGEN day on the Hill. Dr. Jaiwon Shin, deputy associate administrator, NASA Aeronautics 

Research Mission Directorate, is shown second from left.

photo by J.D. Harrington
10 Astrogram September 2007

Robert ‘Bob’ Maurice Reynolds, 

who worked as an aeronautical engineer at NASA Ames from 1945 to 

1980, passed away Aug. 4, 2007, from 

complications resulting from cancer 

treatment. He was 85.

After serving as an officer in the 

U.S. Navy at Moffett Field during 

World War II, Reynolds worked at 

NASA Ames as an aeronautical engineer. He received a master’s degree 

from Stanford University in 1957 and 

worked for NASA until his retirement 

in 1980.

While at NASA, Reynolds was 

part of a team of researchers who conducted groundbreaking aeronautical 

research and development in Ames’ 

12-foot wind tunnel. 

In the book entitled ‘Adventures in 

Research: A History of Ames Research 

Center 1940 - 1965,’ published for 

NASA in 1970, Reynold’s research was 

noted for its contribution to the study 

of wing planforms (page 158); the 

study of advanced propellers designed 

to withstand much higher speeds 

(page 208 and ref. B-32); and the 

development of conical camber, which 

increased the range and flight endurance of supersonic airplanes, particularly those equipped with delta wings 

(RM A58L21, cited on page 247).

In addition, Reynolds--along with 

his colleague Robert E. Berggren -- coauthored the second chapter in the 

book entitled ‘Ballistic-Range Technology,’ published in August 1970 for the 

North Atlantic Treaty Organization 

Robert Reynolds, aeronautical engineer, passes away

In Memory of . . .

(NATO) Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development. 

This chapter, entitled ‘The Light-GasGun Model Launcher,’ focused on the 

light-gas gun’s versatility in launching 

models having complex shape and 

a wide variety of weights, sizes and 

materials.

Also, in June 1971, Reynolds was 

part of a team of NASA researchers 

who traveled to Wallops Island, Va., 

to conduct testing on the A4-4210 

Scout S-144C rocket. After Reynolds 

retired from NASA, he went back to 

school and learned all he could about 

computer programming and graphic 

design.

Reynolds believed he was lucky 

to have lived during one of the most 

innovative periods in history, and 

often marveled at the ‘mind boggling’ 

technological advances made in so 

many fields, especially space exploration and computers.

Reynolds first wife, Joyce, passed 

away in 1961. He is survived by his 

second wife of 44 years, Geraldine; 

daughter Tracie Reynolds of Los Altos; 

daughter and son-in-law Analee and 

Steve Wartinger of Santa Clara; son 

and daughter-in-law Stan and Anita 

Reynolds of Arcata; stepdaughter 

Susan Calender of San Francisco; and 

five grandchildren.

Reynolds was honored in a private 

memorial at the family’s Los Altos 

home. Contributions in his memory 

may be sent to: Sempervirens Fund, 

Drawer BE, Los Altos, CA, 94023 or 

The National Geographic Society, 1145 

17th Street, NW, Washington D.C., 

20036. Robert ‘Bob’ Reynolds

On Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007, from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m., the NASA Research Park Exploration Lecture Series will 

present a lecture and panel discussion featuring Dr. Baruch S. Blumberg, Nobel Laureate; Thomas B. 

Pickens III, CEO, SPACEHAB; and Dr. Cheryl Nickerson, associate professor Life Sciences at Arizona 

State University. This event will take place at NASA Ames Research Center, in Bldg. N-943, in the 

Eagle Room. For more information, call ext. 4-1731 or visit http://researchpark.arc.nasa.gov.

NASA Research Park ‘ISS Your 

Lab of Future’ scheduled
11 Astrogram September 2007

My name is Clyde F. Wilson, I 

worked at Ames for 35 years, as a 

draftsman and later as an aircraft mechanic, and still later as a supervising 

engineering technician in the hypersonic wind tunnels. 

 I’ve been wanting to write to the 

younger employees at Ames and tell 

them how it was in 1940, when NACA 

was just getting started at Moffett 

Field. Three wind tunnels, two 7-

foot-by-10-foot and the 16-foot wind 

tunnel, were under construction and 

the “little hangar” was ready for all 

the office help. About 50 strong. 

My family and I arrived at Moffett Field during the first week of 

June 1940. I had been hired from Los 

Angeles as a draftsman and was the 

29th ‘local’ civil service employee to be 

hired at the ‘new’ NACA aeronautical 

research center. 

I checked in with Ed Schnitker, the 

branch chief of the drafting section 

and I asked for the day off to get my 

family, wife and one child located in 

a motel for a week or until we could 

find a rental. The business people of 

Mountain View welcomed all the new 

employees with open arms and we 

rented a house in that city.

The urgency for this letter is, I’m 

95 years of age and the pastor of our 

church asked me “What do you want 

me to say at your memorial service?” 

What an assignment! This, and a 

couple of other letters, I want to complete before I’m not able to do so. My 

goal now is to reach 100 years of age. 

My health is good for my age, but who 

knows? I also want to express my 

gratitude to NASA for giving me the 

best 67 years that anyone could ask 

for, especially when one counts in job 

security, retirement, health insurance 

and the prestige of being connected 

with the space program.

After a few weeks at work at the 

center, new equipment arrived: a 

blueprint machine and an automatic 

photostat machine and my supervisor asked me to run them. One of 

the jobs was to make copies of all the 

personnel files of those people who 

were transfered from Langley Field. 

The copies were the product of a wet 

process and the photostat machine 

turned them out about four per minute. The copies were a negative, white 

Clyde Wilson, 95 years young, shares early NACA memories

by Clyde F. Wils

letters on a black background. I read 

some bits of information about them 

and I remember a few figures. The 

man who was the head engineer in 

charge of everything earned $6,500 a 

year, and the next ranking individual 

earned $5,600 a year,. I earned $1,800 

a year. 

 Just a few things that were developed during my 35 years at Ames: 

ball point pens, hand-held computers, 

jet engines, automatic tranmissions, 

copy machines, the semi conductor, 

and television was in it’s infancy. 

In 1939, my wife and I drove across 

Los Angeles up the mountain to the 

Griffith Park Observatory one evening 

to see a demonstration of a television. 

For those of you who follow the stock 

market, the Dow broke 900 in the early 

forties.

I’m sure the jet engine was in the 

making before the 1940s, but for most 

of us, the Lockheed P-80 (Shooting 

Star) was the first we had seen. It was 

secret and while it was in the hangar, 

it had to be in the ‘blue room.’ One 

corner was enclosed with large tarps 

and only those with the proper clearance could go in to install the instrumentation required for the flight tests. 

On the morning of its departure back 

to Edwards Air Force Base, the pilot 

taxied out to the end of the runway, 

with the fuel truck following so that 

the fuel tanks could be ‘topped off’ for 

the return flight; the wing tip tanks 

had been removed.

There were several famous people 

that visited the center: General Jimmy 

Doolittle, Charles A. Lindberg, a 

group of Russian cosmonauts and Vice 

President L. B. Johnson. An incident 

occurred during Johnson’s visit to the 

3.5-foot hypersonic windtunnel. He 

found out that the overhead lights 

were left on during the graveyard 

shift, when no one was in the building. He told us to turn off the lights, 

and later when we checked with the 

electrical branch engineers, we discovered that it was more costly to turn 

the lights on and off every night than 

to leave them on for the eight hours, 

when no one was in the building. 

After that, for several months he was 

referred to as ‘Light Bulb Johnson’ (no 

disrespect intended). Of course, there 

were other VIPs that visited Ames, but 

the aforementioned people visited the 

facility in which I worked at the time.

I just received my Astrogram and 

was sorry to read that Vic Stevens 

passed away. I worked on a few of 

his projects while in the ‘new’ 40-footby-80-foot wind tunnel.

If anyone is interested in some of 

the old goings on, I can be reach via 

my son’s e-mail address at: chwilson@

hoodriverbnb.com

Come join the Ames Tennis Club

The center is starting an Ames 

Tennis Club, and you are invited to 

join. The game of tennis is evolving 

at Ames. The current state of tennis 

at Ames can be compared to the state 

of the tennis courts on base--in need 

of attention and some tender loving 

care. The solution: an Ames Exchangesponsored Ames Tennis Club. 

By coming together to form the 

Ames Tennis Club, a group of tennis 

players hope to get the ball rolling towards a brighter future for the tennis 

players and tennis courts at Ames.

In order for the Ames Tennis Club 

to be successful, we need your help. 

Join the club and support the game of 

tennis at Ames. Together, we can help 

fix and maintain the tennis courts at 

Ames. Together, we can develop and 

share tennis information, equipment 

and resources and we can do a lot for 

the game of tennis at Ames. Best of all, 

we can all expand our network of tennis players and create more opportunities to play. Tennis is a great sport to 

immerse yourself in, to improve your 

health, to meet people and to relieve 

stress. It does not matter what level 

of tennis player you are. Whether you 

are a beginner or a professional tennis 

player, you are wanted and welcome 

to join the club. A tennis club is a 

great way to meet people with similar 

goals, skills, fitness and love of the 

game.

For more information, contact the 

author at e-mail: John.F.Nguyen@nasa.

gov or call ext. 4-2151.

by John Nguy
12 Astrogram September 200

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 August 2007 is shown below.

Protective Services monthly activity

Ames Amateur Radio Club, third Thursday 

of each month, 12 noon, N-T28 (across from 

N-255). POC: Michael Wright, KG6BFK, at ext. 

4-6262. 

Ames Ballroom Dance Club, Classes on 

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

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

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

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

Ames Nimble Knitters Club, every Tuesday 

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

Rosalyn Jung at knitfan2@yahoo.com or Diane 

Alexander at ext. 4-3140. Web info at http://

knit.arc.nasa.gov

Ames Bicycling Club, Every 3rd Weds., of the 

month, in Bldg. N-245 Auditorium, 12 noon - 1 

p.m. Contact 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 in N-262/Rm 

180 from 1- 2:30 p.m. POC: Sally Miller, ext. 

4-5411.

Ames Contractor Council Mtg, first Wednesday each month, 11 a.m., N-200, Committee 

Room. POC: Chris Johnson, ext. (650) 938-

8017.

Ames Federal Employees Union (AFEU) Mtg, 

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

p.m., Bldg. 221, Rm 104. Guests welcome. 

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

Mosher, ext. 4-4055.

Ames Mac Support Group Mtg, third Tuesday 

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

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

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

on weekend mornings. POC: Mark Sumich, 

ext. 4-6193.

Ames Sailing Club Mtg, second Thursday 

of ea. month (March through Nov), from 12 

p.m. - 1 p.m. in Bldg. N-262, Rm 100. URL: 

http://sail.arc.nasa.gov/. POC: Becky Hooey, 

ext. 4-2399.

Environmental Forum, first Thursday every 

other month, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., Bldg. 218/2nd 

floor training room. URL: http://q/qe/

events/EHSseries/ POC: Stacy St. Louis at 

ext. 4-6810.

The Hispanic Advisory Committee for Excellence (HACE) Mtg, first Thurs of month in 

N255 room 101C from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. 

POC: Eric Kristich at ext. 4-5137 and Mark 

Leon at ext. 4-6498.

Jetstream Toastmasters, Mondays, 12 p.m. to 

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

ext. 4-1397, mhayashi@mail.arc.nasa.gov, Web: 

http://jetstream.freetoasthost.com

Native American Advisory Committee Mtg, 

fourth Tues each month, 12 noon to 1 p.m., 

Bldg. 19, Rm 1096. POC: Mike Liu at ext. 

4-1132.

 Safety Data 

 NASA-Ames Occupational

 Illness-Injury Data for 

 Calendar Year-to-Date 2007

 Jan. 1, 2007 - Aug. 31 , 2007

 Civil Contractors

 Servants

 

 First aid cases 9 13

 Lost Workday cases 0 2

 Recordable cases 1 2

 Restricted duty days 0 0

 Above data are as of Aug. 31, 2007. 

 May be subject to slight adjustment in

 the event of a new case or new informa- 

 tion regarding an existing case.
13 Astrogram September 200

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

Astrogram deadlines

Please submit articles, calendar and 

classified advertisements to astro- gram@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. 

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/2baequipped, Balcony view, hiking, biking, golf, river 

rafting, tennis, ice skating, and more. Summer 

rates. 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 

in 24 hour security bldg. overlooking Washington 

Square Park, $2,000/wk or $3,000/mo. negotiable. 

Call (650) 349-0238.

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

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

wk. negotiable. Call (650) 349-0238.

Santa Cruz townhouse, 2 bedrooms plus study, 

2 baths, decks, totally furnished, 3 blocks from 

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

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

8476 (C).

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.

Miscellaneous

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.

Collection of high-quality bronze whale sculptures by Randy Puckett. Approx. 15 pieces available. E-mail acsullivan@comcast.net for

items, photos and prices.

Solid copper hanging pot rack with 12+ copper 

hooks. Oval shape and approximately 38” in 

length and 18” in width. In excellent shape. 

$250 (orig. $400). M. Moore (408) 887-1848.

Five Star vacation condo. You pick location 

(worldwide) and date (but before Dec. 10). I 

have week deposited in Interval International 

that I will not be able to use. Check out http://

www.intervalworld.com/web/cs?a=1500 for 

resort locations and descriptions. Use my week 

for $399. Nans (510) 790-3506.

Housing

Modern townhouse in downtown Menlo Park 

available for short term rental. 3 spacious bedrooms, 2.5 bath, fireplace, fantastic private gated 

yard. Will be available in December. Perfect for 

a family doing a remodel, visiting researcher, 

etc. $3,500/month. Call (650) 473-1447.

House for sale by owner. Charming starter 

home in the most desirable section of San Leandro. 3bd/1 ba, one-car garage. Move-in condition: hardwood floors, seismically reinforced 

foundation, fireplace, termite-free. Fruit trees, 

deck and open view in backyard. Family neighborhood. Asking $530K. Call (510) 471-9384.

Transportation

‘95 Jeep Cherokee, green, only 41,000 miles. 

Automatic transmission, 2 or 4-wheel drive. 

Driver’s side air bag, power seats, windows, 

locks and steering. $3500. Call (650) 473-1447.
14 Astrogram September 200

National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration

PLEASE RECYCLE

Printed on recycled and recyclable paper with vegetable-based ink.

FIRST-CLASS

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

PERMIT NO. 85

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA

Ames Research Center

Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000

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.

The Ames Plant Engineering 

Branch and Environmental Services 

Division have jointly converted a 

turf-grass area at the Ames Mega Bites 

Cafeteria, Bldg. N-235, into a California native plant garden.

According to Steve Frankel, chief 

of the Plant Engineering Branch, “Our 

organization has long been working 

to reduce water usage and its associated high cost through various means, 

such as the introduction of efficient, 

low-flow irrigation heads, installation 

of automated controller systems, using 

mulch to retain moisture (and reduce 

weeds), introduction of drought-tolerant plants and the implementation 

of wetting cycles to improve water 

absorption.”

Plant Engineering and Environmental Services analyzed the high 

water requirements for lawns, and 

became interested in converting areas 

of the Ames landscape to droughttolerant, California native plants. 

“We worked together to 

find a suitable location for 

a conversion, a spot that 

received adequate sun and 

limited wind,” said Frankel. A decision was made 

to convert a problem turf 

area at Bldg. N-235 to an 

attractive, native pollinator garden.

“We also wanted to 

fulfill a center commitment as part of the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency Performance 

Track,” says Kran Kilpatrick of the Environmental 

Services Division. Under 

the program, Ames had 

set a goal to “design and install a 

demonstration garden project for native plant species including walkways 

and benches constructed from postconsumer, recycled materials. Native 

plants reduce on-site use of pesticide 

and herbicide and promote ecosystem 

health,” he said.

The walking path borders were 

made from recycled materials. After an initial establishment period, 

all of the plants at this location will 

survive on little or no supplemental 

Native plant garden thrives at Ames and helps conserve water

by Steve Frankel and Al 

Native plants bloom outside the Ames Cafeteria.

Steve Frankel (left) and Al Lyon of the Plant Engineering Branch install a sign at the native plant garden 

near the Ames cafeteria.

water. The water savings at this site 

alone, are estimated at more than 6,000 

gallons per week. Not only are the 

savings impressive, the garden also is 

very attractive.

 If you haven’t seen it yet, visit 

the north side of the cafeteria. Signs 

have been installed near the plants, 

so that people can identify them and 

maybe consider planting them in their 

gardens. “The plants and flowers 

are beautiful and fragrant; the hummingbirds, bees and butterflies are 

abundant, and best of all, everything 

you see is native,” said Al Lyon of the 

Plant Engineering Branch.