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

February 2006

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

On the Inside . . .Page 2 - Ames-Google seminar heldPage 3 - Hubbard receives

honorary degree from SpainPage 9 -Thousands of students visit Ames for Jason eventPage 10 - ObituariesPage 12 - Ongoing event calendarPage 13 - Classifieds

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NASA Ames Research Center’s Acting Center Director Marvin ‘Chris’Christensen answers questions at the Feb. 16 all-hands NASAbudget briefing at Ames.

Although Ames is not out of thefinancial woods yet, the center has agood chance to overcome its budget cri-sis in the near future.

That was the message delivered byAmes Acting Center Director Marvin“Chris” Christensen duringan all-hands meeting heldFeb. 16 to discuss the impactsof severe budget cuts to Amesfor Fiscal Year 2007.

“If we are reasonably suc-cessful in our strategic andprogrammatic actions, we cansolve our unfunded problemsgoing into FY07,” Christensenventured. “The downwardtrend we have experienced inbudget and manpower sincethe end of FY04 will finally beabated. We see the light at theend of the tunnel.”

Noting that Ames has“managed our way throughan extremely difficult pe-riod,” Christensen said thecenter is fundamentallysound. However, he warnedthat much work still needs tobe done and that if the center isn't suc-cessful, there could be employee layoffsnext year.

“If we can't solve our problems, thenwe won't do well and could face a RIF inMarch 2007,” Christensen declared.Christensen, who worked for 11 years atLockheed Martin before joining Ameslast September, is serving as the interimcenter director until a new director isnamed to succeed G. Scott Hubbard.

“My job is to keep the ship stableand trim...until a new skipper comesonboard,” Christensen quipped. He saidhe expects an announcement to be madeby NASA Headquarters sometime inmid-March.

During his presentation in the mainauditorium, Christensen said the center'sbudget has seen a downward spiral overthe past few years.

Since FY 2004, Ames has seen itsbudget shrink by some $200 million. InFY04, Ames budget was $865 million; inFY 05, it dropped to $723 million, a lossof $133 million and in FY 06, the center's

Ames has good chance to overcome FY 07 budget problemsbudget was $657 million, a loss of $66million.

Ames has also seen its workforcegrow smaller over the past two years. InFY04, there was a total of 1,458 full-timecivil servants and 1,475 contractors em-

ployed at the center. In FY06, the num-ber of full-time civil servants haddropped to 1,237 and the number ofcontractors to 851. He said unless addi-tional funding is secured this year, some288 employees could face a RIF nextyear.

In addition to potential downsizingof its workforce, the center also facesmajor cuts in several key science pro-grams, particularly the StratosphericObservatory for Infrared Astronomy(SOFIA), and astrobiology.

“SOFIA is in jeopardy,” Christensendeclared, noting that the current budgetproposal provides reduced funding thisyear and no funding next year for theaerial observatory. “We certainlyhaven't given up on SOFIA, but it's go-ing to be a hard fight,” he observed.

Astrobiology faces major budgetreductions this year and next. Fundingfor astrobiology has been slashed by 40percent this year and potentially by 50percent in FY07. Aeronautics also facessignificant budget challenges, includ-

ing the center's flight simulation facili-ties and also in human factors research.

To avoid the RIF, Christensen saidcenter management has undertaken aseries of strategic actions designed toimprove the center's financial outlook.

First and foremost, saidChristensen, is 'the return ofthe Phoenix,” Ames historianJack Boyd, to the administra-tion building to work closelywith senior management onthe new strategic plan.Christensen said Ames needsto demonstrate its ability toprovide strong leadership inproject and program man-agement in order to succeed.

Christensen said a newbusiness council is beingformed to coordinate all mar-keting and sales activities. Hesaid the center also is form-ing a strategic managementand integration function forcenter management that mayinclude relocating thecenter's chief information of-ficer and chief engineer to

Building N-200 so they, too, can workclosely with senior management.

Christensen said Ames will aggres-sively pursue the launching of new ini-tiatives for the development of micro orsmall satellites for future space explora-tion. He said Bldg. N-240 may be con-verted into a small satellite center calledthe Center for Innovative Engineeringthat would utilize a “Skunk Works con-cept” to develop micro satellites.

continued on page 2

Astrogram February 20062

Amit Singhal, a Google distinguished engineer,presents the first Joint Ames-Google researchseminar at Ames on Feb. 8 about the topic of‘Challenges in running a commercial searchengine.’

High-end computing was the inau-gural topic in the recently established

NASA Ames - Google Joint ResearchSeminar Series. The first lecture was

Ames - Google seminar series discusses high-end computingpresented at the Google campus on Jan.25 by Ames' Rupak Biswas and Christo-pher Henze, who described ‘High-endcomputing with Columbia and scien-tific visualization in the NASA Ad-vanced Supercomputing Division.’

Approximately 75 people attended,including a broad representation ofAmes personnel, and a question-and-answer session followed the formal pre-sentations.

The second seminar, entitled ‘Chal-lenges in running a commercial searchengine,’ was given at Ames on Feb. 8 byAmit Singhal, a Google distinguishedengineer. More than 100 members of theAmes community attended, represent-ing nearly all directorates and the NASAResearch Park.

This seminar series was initiated bySteven Zornetzer, Ames’ deputy direc-tor for research and acting deputy cen-ter director, and Peter Norvig, Google'sdirector of research and former chief of

the Computational Sciences Division atAmes (1998 -2001).

The next seminar will focus on Earthscience and is tentatively scheduled forearly March at Ames.

This seminar series provides a focalpoint for potential research collabora-tions between Ames scientists and engi-neers and their counterparts at Google.Meaningful research collaborationsmust begin at the ‘grassroots’ level,among researchers themselves. Man-agement from both Google and Ames iseager to facilitate these research collabo-rations and supports them in whateverways make the most sense.

If you have ideas for additional top-ics that might be of interest to explorewith Google and for more information,check the ‘seminars’ section of the AmesNew Business Office Web site at http://newbusiness.arc.nasa.gov or contactLaura.T.Iraci@nasa.gov or at ext. 4-0129.

BY LAURA IRACI

Employees recognized for theirStardust mission support

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Ames astrophysicist Scott Sandford (above), a member of the Stardust mission science team, at areception given by former Ames Center Director G. Scott Hubbard to recognize Ames staff membersand management for their innovative “can-do” spirit, support and dedication to the Stardustmission, and congratulate them at a reception on Feb. 7 for a job well done. Sandford holds aphotograph of himself holding the samples of the comet particles collected during the mission.“Stardust Sample Return is a great example of Ames' ability to confront the most difficult technicalchallenges, develop innovative technologies and enable an important success for the sciencecommunity and for the agency,” said Hubbard.

“It's a tremendous niche and wewant to capitalize on it,” Christensensaid.

He also said Ames has a good shotat winning one or more contracts for asecondary payload for the Robotic Lu-nar Exploration Program's Lunar Re-connaissance Orbiter managed byNASA Goddard Space Flight Center.Finally, Christensen said Ames is striv-ing to become the agency's lead centerfor commercial technology.

Christensen said the fact that NASAAdministrator Michael Griffin has madea commitment to maintain 10 healthyfield centers also bodes well for Ames.Included in that commitment is a pledgeto direct work from the space flight cen-ters to Ames and the other research cen-ters. He said more than 100 jobs maycome to Ames as a result.

“We still have a good 13 monthsbefore the RIF to solve our problems,”Christensen said. “If that happens, wewill be successful.

Ames 06 budgetcontinued from front page

BY MICHAEL MEWHINNEY

3Astrogram February 2006

Hubbard awarded honorary doctorate by University of Madrid

Former Ames Center Director G. Scott Hubbardwearing the academic robe he wore when hereceived an honorary doctorate from thePolytechnic University of Madrid in January.

It's Doctor Hubbard now. FormerNASA Ames Center Director G. ScottHubbard has been awarded an honor-ary doctorate by the Polytechnic Uni-versity of Madrid, Spain's largest engi-neering university.

Hubbard received the 'Doctor Hon-oris Causa' during a ceremony held Jan.

27 at the prestigious, 46,000-studentuniversity. Presentation of the honor-ary degree capped an elaborate gradua-tion ceremony that lasted approximatelythree hours. Hubbard said he was deeplyhonored to receive the degree.

“It was presented as a lifetimeachievement award,” Hubbard said.“This huge school only gives one Hon-oris Causa a year, so for them to give itto me as a foreigner is exceptional.”

Hubbard received his honorary doc-torate from Javier Uceda Antolin, presi-dent of the university, before an audi-ence of several hundred students anduniversity faculty members.

“The doctorate is steeped in tradi-tion,” Hubbard said. “In addition to theacademic robes that have their roots inmedieval times, the department chairwho sponsored my nomination read a‘laudation,’ which was a long narrativeof all the accomplishments during mycareer.” In addition to receiving a di-ploma, Hubbard said he also received“a ring of office, gloves of purity and abook of wisdom” from the universitypresident.

After he received his honorary de-gree, Hubbard thanked the universityfor having conferred the honor on him.

He then addressed the large audience ofseveral hundred doctoral students andfaculty members, tracing the highlightsof his professional career that led to hisreceiving the honorary doctorate.

“I have loved the notion of spaceexploration all my life,” Hubbard in-formed his audience. “I first glimpsedMars through a two-inch refractor tele-scope and dreamed of sending space-ships there some day. I followed theApollo program with amazement. Andwhen I watched the first missions ofSputnik, Explorer and Echo 1, I knew Ihad found my life's work: space explo-ration.”

Hubbard, who began his career atLawrence Berkeley Laboratory in 1974working with germanium crystalgamma ray detectors for ground andspace applications and went on to founda small high-tech startup company in1980, joined Ames in 1987.

During his career, Hubbard servedas the NASA manager for the LunarProspector mission to the moon, a $63million mission that had a developmenttime of only 26 months.

“We looked for evidence of water,using radiation detection methods thathad begun my career and we foundstrong evidence of water ice at bothpoles,” Hubbard recalled. “If it wasbrought there over time throughcometary impacts, as we believe, it maywell provide a record of the history ofthe solar system.”

Hubbard also was instrumental increating the field of astrobiology, and

formed the NASA Astrobiology Insti-tute, where he served as its first director.The institute's first international partnerwas the Centro de Astrobiologia in Spain.

In 1999, Hubbard was called toNASA Headquarters to successfully re-structure the Mars Exploration Programand, and in 2003, he served as the soleNASA representative on the ColumbiaAccident Investigation Board. Hubbardserved as the director of NASA Amesfrom 2002 to February of this year, whenhe announced that he had accepted anew position as the Carl Sagan Chair forthe Study of Life in the Universe at theSETI Institute.

“Throughout my career, I have bal-anced two seemingly opposite goals - becreative and innovative and at the sametime, be organized and follow estab-lished principles and methods,”Hubbard ventured. “In fact, I have cometo believe that these two opposite ap-proaches provide the perfect combina-tion, the perfect balance needed toachieve great things. We need to be cre-ative, to innovate, to think 'out of thebox' in order to accomplish new things,explore new pathways, seek newworlds.”

In closing, Hubbard congratulatedhis audience for “having taken on thechallenge of careers in science and engi-neering. I hope it gives you as muchsatisfaction as it has me, and I would liketo thank you again for giving me the titleof 'Honoris Causa' from the UniversidadPolitecnica de Madrid. It is a great honorfor me.”

BY MICHAEL MEWHINNEY

President of Estonia visits Ames

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

President of EstoniaArnold Rüütel visitedthe NASA AmesExploration CenterJan. 18.

Astrogram February 20064

‘Rocketman’ author presents at Ames

On Jan. 31, Nancy Conrad spoke at Ames at a lecture hosted by the NASA Research Park. Conradis the wife of the late moonwalking astronaut Pete Conrad. During the lecture, she discussedConrad's vision of Moon-Mars exploration and how it dovetails with NASA's current plans to landhumans on the moon by 2018. Her lecture was filled with anecdotes about Pete Conrad's moonlanding and space exploration in the 1970s. Conrad's talk covered the highlights of the Gemini-Apollo era, the commercialization of space and NASA's 21st century return to the moon and Mars.

The Digital Learning Network(DLN) studio is Ames’ newest way toconnect NASA with students and teach-

ers and introduces them to NASA's ex-ploration mission. By using readily avail-able teleconferencing equipment, DLNcoordinator Greg Pitzer (Oklahoma StateUniversity) aims to involve teachers andclasses from across the country as di-rectly as possible in NASA research andmissions.

“The DLN will provide schoolsaround the country an avenue by whichto experience the work NASA performsat Ames Research Center. Students andteachers will be able to interact directlywith researchers in their workplace,whether it be in a conference room, labo-ratory, out in the field at national parks,or even international sites. Ames Re-search Center also will support theseschools via the DLN in the form of teacherworkshops, career nights and schoolchallenges,” Pitzer said.

The DLN was initiated to providesupport to NASA Explorer Schools(NES)that are encouraged to participateby having special opportunities for high-level involvement. In addition to teach-ers participating directly in professional

New Digital Learning Network connects teachers with NASAdevelopment activities, NES studentssubmit ideas to specially designedNASA challenges, and aerospace edu-

Ames researcher Jennifer Heldman (Oak Ridge Associated Universities) speaks to NASA ExplorerSchool teachers about Mars analog field research and how this effort supports NASA'sexploration mission. The teachers are participating in a week-long educators workshop atYellowstone National Park called 'The Story of Winter.'

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cation specialists regularly visit theschools to support them in their effortsto incorporate NASA in their day-to-day curricula.

The DLN will add a significant com-ponent in bringing these schools - manyof them located in rural and remoteareas - to have more direct contact withNASA. Of the new DLN, Ames educa-tion chief (detailed) Mark Leon said,“It's Ames intent to become the longarm on the DLN. Ames has demon-strated the capability to connect NASAresearch - wherever it takes place, eventhe Arctic or Antarctic - directly to theeducation community. If NASA is do-ing field research in some locale, how-ever distant, we want to connect theactivity to students in ways that makesense. We want students and teachersacross America to become deeply andthoroughly committed to excel in sci-ence and math and believe that a closerconnection between NASA and ournation’s education system is cruciallyimportant.”

BY TOM CLAUSEN

5Astrogram February 2006

At any given time, there can be asmany as 7,000 aircraft flying in the skiesabove the United States. In the next 20years, that number is predicted todouble, putting a strain on the NationalAirspace System.

Fortunately, a visionary scientist atNASA is working on the solution. 'Vi-sionary' is a strong adjective but it fitsNASA senior scientist Dr. HeinzErzberger.

Long before Congress passed legis-lation to create the Next Generation AirTransportation System by 2025,Erzberger was quietly building a re-search base and developinggroundbreaking technologies designedto transform air traffic control opera-tions and increase aircraft safety andefficiency.

After joining NASA Ames in 1965,he provided the fundamental vision foradvancing the science of air traffic con-trol. Using the increasing power andsophistication of computers, Erzbergerbegan to create the center terminal radarapproach control automation system, agrowing suite of decision-support tools.These tools are designed to help air traf-fic controllers manage traffic flow, byproviding them timely informationabout aircraft in the system, includingpredictions and advice on sequencingaircraft and avoiding conflicts.

The automation tools include theTraffic Management Advisor that aidsin managing aircraft approaching theirdestinations. Tools such as Direct-to andConflict Detection help with the routingof aircraft to their destinations. Thesetools are designed to automate certainfunctions that controllers had to previ-ously estimate manually. The automa-tion gives controllers increased optionsthat allow aircraft to fly the most effi-cient routes and to prevent traffic con-gestion around airports.

Various automation tools have beenadopted by the Federal Aviation Ad-ministration and installed at some of thenation's busiest airports. At Dallas/FortWorth International Airport, for ex-ample, operational data have shown upto a 25 percent reduction in reporteddelays. National deployment of the Traf-fic Management Advisor will soon becomplete. Another tool, Direct-To, intrial deployments has demonstrated po-tential flight-time saving of 1,000 min-utes per day in the Fort Worth airspace.

Saving a few minutes from a singleflight or reducing taxi times at the air-port may seem minor, but multiplied bythe thousands of flights per year, theeconomic benefits are substantial.

NASA engineer helps nation's air traffic flow smoothly

It is estimated that full implementa-tion of the decision-support tools devel-oped under Erzberger's leadership cansave several hundred million dollars infuel savings, aircraft wear and tear andreduced delays for airline passengersannually.

Not surprisingly, Erzberger is a rec-ognized leader in the field, garnering aninternational reputation for scientific andengineering excellence and outstandingtechnical leadership. He is a much BY JONAS DINO

sought-out speaker at technical and in-dustry events and has been recognizedby NASA and technical organizations,such as the American Institute for Aero-nautics and Astronautics and the Ameri-can Society of Mechanical Engineers withnumerous awards and honors.

Recently, Erzberger received the2005 Distinguished Presidential RankAward. Each year, the president of theUnited States honors a small group offederal employees for their exceptionallong-term accomplishments. Awardwinners are chosen through a rigorousselection process. They are nominatedby their government agency, evaluatedby boards of private citizens and ap-proved by the president. The evaluationcriteria focus on leadership and results.

Although Erzberger is retiring fromNASA after 41 years of service, he plansto continue his research to develop cut-ting-edge technologies to improve thesafety and efficiency of air travel forAmericans as an Ames Associate. Be-cause of Erzberger's work, NASA is rec-ognized as a world leader in air trafficmanagement technology.

Dr. Heinz Erzberger

Renowned Ames researcher Chris-topher P. McKay is among a group of 45scientists recently elected Fellows of theAmerican Geophysical Union (AGU).The AGU bestowed the honor on two

other NASA scientists, MelvynGoldstein and Michael King, both fromNASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Each year, no more than 0.1 percentof the AGU membership is named asFellows. Based in Washington, the AGUis an international scientific society dedi-cated to the advancement of geophysicsand a greater understanding of the Earthand space sciences.

"I appreciate most that several ofmy colleagues spent their time writing

McKay named Fellow of AGUletters of support without me even know-ing it. Their nomination is more mean-ingful to me than the award itself,”McKay said.

As a noted planetary scientist,McKay is recognized as a leading experton Titan, the largest of Saturn's moonsand the focus of the joint NASA/Euro-pean Space Agency mission, the Cassini-Huygens Probe, conducted in 2004 and2005. McKay served as a co-investigatoron one of the experiments that probedTitan's thick atmosphere, the only otheratmosphere in the solar system besidesEarth to be rich in nitrogen.

McKay's other scientific researchdelves into the relationship between thechemical and physical evolution of thesolar system and the origin of life. Toconduct research in Mars analog envi-ronments, McKay has traveled to theworld's extreme climate spots, such asSiberia, Chile's Atacama Desert and re-gions in the Arctic and Antarctic. McKayalso serves as the Robotic Lunar Explo-ration Program (RLEP) scientist.

According to Butler Hine, deputymanager of the RLEP, McKay's selectionas an AGU Fellow will be well receivedwithin the planetary science commu-nity and will be helpful in implement-ing NASA's visionary plans for futurespace exploration

BY TERRY PAGADUAN

Chris McKay

Astrogram February 20066

National Disability EmploymentAwareness Month puts the spotlight onemployment of people with disabilitiesevery October and has become an im-portant annual tradition. It gives us anopportunity to reflect on the progresswe have made in recruiting a talented,skilled and diverse pool of employees.People with disabilities bring a uniqueand underrepresented perspective ofdiversity to NASA. Secretary of LaborElaine L. Chao announced the officialtheme for National Disability Employ-ment Awareness Month 2005 :‘Workerswith disabilities: ready for tomorrow'sjobs today.’

In recognition of this past October2005, Disability Employment AwarenessMonth, the Ames Employees with Dis-abilities Advisory Group hosted a dis-ability awareness event on Jan. 17. Sa-rah Reinertsen, the first woman ampu-tee to conquer the Ironman Triathlonspoke at Ames about her unique athleticcompetition experiences. Reinertsen wasborn with her left leg deformed by acondition called proximal femoral focal

On Feb. 13, Dr. Bernard Foing, chiefscientist of the European Space Agency,gave a director's colloquium entitled

‘SMART-1 mission results and futurelunar exploration.’

The European Space Agency'sSMART missions- Small Missions forAdvanced Research and Technology -are designed to test new spacecraft tech-nology while visiting various places inthe solar system.

SMART-1 is now at the moon, map-ping the surface mineralogy. Foing dis-

First woman amputee to conquer Ironman visits Amesdeficiency. She wore a stiff, cumber-some leg brace until she was seven. Atthat point, the decision was made toamputate.

Life changed for Reinertsen when,at age 11, she competed in her first trackmeet for the disabled. She lined up nextto other girls missing limbs. When thegun went off for the 100 meter dash, sheran hard and finished first. For the firsttime, she experienced the thrill of com-petition and of winning and her lifewould never be the same.

Today, Reinertsen focuses ontriathlons, where she has broken newground and gone where no amputeewoman has attempted before. TheIronman Triathlon World Champion-ship in Hawaii is a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run.Reinertsen became the first woman tofinish this grueling test on an artificialleg, finishing in a remarkable 15 hours 5minutes.

Employees with Disabilities Advi-sory Group meets on a monthly basisand anyone who wishes to support the

group is welcome to attend. E-maildbolles@mail.arc.nasa.gov for more in-formation and/or to be placed on thegroup mailing list.

European Space Agency’s chief scientist presents at Amescussed the results of the mission and theimplications for future lunar explora-tion. Foing participates in the SMART-1 mission as project scientist and is alsoa co-investigator in the Mars Expressproject and acts as executive director of

the International Lunar ExplorationWorking Group. His research interestsinclude lunar exploration, solar-terres-trial relations, solar system history andspectroscopy.

NASA begins e-training project - SATERNThe e-training team is pleased to

introduce SATERN (System for Ad-ministration, Training and EducationalResources at NASA) and is currentlyon track for ‘go-live’ on May 8, 2006.

The new SATERN will replace andconsolidate SOLAR and AdminSTARand provides Ames a significant im-provement in automated training ser-vices:

• Web-based course catalogs for Ames and NASA training;• On-line course registration for Ames civil servants and contractors;• On-line review approval process for supervisors;• Employee training history reports for supervisors and managers;

• On-line, Web-based learning courses (replaces SOLAR); and• On-line course evaluations and tests

Under this e-government initiative,SATERN supports the President’s Man-agement Agenda for improving thegovernment’s responsiveness to citi-zens and efficiency of operations.

SATERN is provided by a COTSvendor - Plateau LMS.

For more information, visit http://plateau.com/

The Ames acting e-training teamlead is Janet Jarmann at ext. 4-5607 andthe deputy lead is Beverly Norris at ext.4-4224. The functional sponsor is GailJames, Ames training officer.

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Sarah Reinertsen, first woman amputee toconquer the Ironman Triathlon, speaksduring her recent talk at Ames.

Dr. Bernard Foing responds to a queryfrom the audience during his recentdirector’s colloquium at Ames.

BY DANA BOLLES

7Astrogram February 2006

On Jan. 24, Professor DanielKammen from the University of Califor-nia at Berkeley gave a talk at Amesentitled ‘After oil: the transition to aclean energy economy.’ Addressing apacked room of 125 attendees, energyscience professor Kammen spoke aboutthe theory of peaking world oil supplyand gave evidence for the technical andfinancial viability of a cleaner energyfuture.

Books and magazine cover articlespublished over the past few years haveaddressed the concern that the world oilsupply is currently cresting and willsoon start falling. Geologist KennethDeffeyes predicted that world oil sup-ply would peak on Thanksgiving Day2005. That means the world would haveconsumed half of all known oil reservesin the world on that day.

Many wonder if peaking oil supplyand high oil prices will usher in an era ofrenewable power. Kammen proposedthat high oil prices will beget more oilexploration but not necessarily cause awholesale change over to renewable en-ergy sources such as wind, solar, geo-thermal, alternative biomass and small-scale hydroelectric. According toKammen, if we want a future of cleaner,lower-carbon energy, we need to investin research and development of renew-able energy, incentivize commercializa-tion of low-cost renewable energy andencourage demand through rebates. Arecent California Public Utilities Com-mission initiative and an upcoming Cali-fornia ballot initiative could provide thelevel of funding to help renewable en-ergy reach a more cost-effective level.

Citing concerns about global climatechange, Kammen asserted that we arerunning out of places to put carbon fromcombusted fossil fuels (petroleum, natu-ral gas and coal) faster than we are run-ning out of fossil fuels. The amount ofcarbon dioxide in the atmospherejumped from 270 parts per million (ppm)in pre-industrial times to where it isnow at 380 ppm. The United Nations’Intergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange predicts that if we continue busi-ness as usual, our atmosphere will con-tain 750 ppm of carbon dioxide by theyear 2100. This could tragically affect

Clean energy discussed during recent colloquiumpeople living in low-lying coastal areasand species that will lose habitat. But achanging climate may have an ironicupside such as the increased availabilityof oil that is currently buried under arc-tic ice.

With only 5 percent of the world'spopulation, the U.S. consumes 25 per-cent of the world's energy. We spend $1billion/day on fuel and 60 percent ofthat fuel is imported. Kammen assertedthat “We live like energy hunter-gather-ers, not energy farmers,” implying thatwe have an opportunity to cultivate re-newable energy resources.

According to Kammen, the benefitsof investing in renewable energy includenot just energy independence and re-duced contribution to climate changebut job creation as well. Three to fivetimes more jobs would be created perdollar invested in the renewable energyindustry than in the petroleum indus-try. This is based on 13 job creationstudies that explain how small, growing

industries will build more infrastruc-ture than larger, more established in-dustries. One caveat Kammen men-tioned was that only the countries thatinvest early in these types of industrieswill reap the job creation benefits.

Kammen encouraged members ofthe audience who envision a future ofrenewable energy to consider the uniquecapabilities each renewable energy op-tion offers. Where and when is eachoption abundant? When is there a goodmatch between renewable energy sup-ply and energy demand?

As NASA Ames debates its role in aclean energy future, each procurementoffers an opportunity to choose an en-vironmentally friendly option. Renew-able energy is part of NASA's history, asevidenced by solar panels on the Inter-national Space Station. Building on thispioneering spirit, hopefully energy con-servation and renewable energy willplay even larger roles in our lower-car-bon future.

BY JUSTINE BURT

On Jan. 25, astronomer Michael Brown, professor of planetary astronomy at the California Instituteof Technology and the co-discoverer of the '10th planet,' spoke at a lecture at Foothill College entitled‘Beyond Pluto: The Discovery of the 10th Planet.’ The lecture was presented by the Silicon ValleyAstronomy Lecture Series and was co-sponsored by the American Astronomical Society, NASA Ames,the Foothill College Astronomy Program and the SETI Institute. Brown discussed how he and hiscoworkers recently found an object larger than the planet Pluto and with an orbit at least twice aslarge. He filled the audience in on the latest thoughts about whether this new object (and Pluto) areplanets or not. And he explained how astronomers are continuing to find larger (and smaller) bodiesin the outskirts of our solar system.

Co-discoverer of ‘tenth planet’speaks at Foothill College

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Astrogram February 20068

A new product using a NASA-basedtechnology might make winter just a

little easier to endure for those living inparts of the U.S. where snow and ice arecommon.

'Ice Free' is a spray for automobilewindshields that can provide protec-tion up to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit,according to its producers, WorldSourceInc. Applied prior to inclement weather,it prevents ice or snow from bonding onwindshield surfaces.

“As we continue to explore the uni-verse, we are proud that NASA's pio-neering efforts keep fueling Americancreativity, innovation and technologydevelopment,” said David Morse, act-ing chief, Technology Partnerships Di-vision at NASA Ames. “This new prod-uct is yet another example of the addi-tional dividends Americans reap fromtheir investment in space exploration.”

The technology that led to the cre-ation of Ice Free is based on an anti-icingfluid developed by a three-engineer teamat Ames. The team designed a non-toxicfluid to keep ice from building up onairplanes. At the time, the anti-icingfluid was hailed for making flying safer,without introducing dangerous chemi-cals into the environment.

In fact, the fluid was biodegradableand so environmentally safe that it wasreferred to as ‘food grade,’ because theingredients used in its creation wereapproved by the Food and Drug Ad-ministration for use in food.

When the invention was announced

NASA technology featured in new anti-icing windshield spray

BY MICHAEL MEWHINNEY

in 1997 by co-inventors Leonard Haslim,John Zuk and Robert Lockyer of Ames,the fluid was said to be able to preventice build-up on airplane wings and alsoon automobile windshields, a featureretained in the new product.

“A commuter is much more likelyto start his drive without having to spendthe time scraping ice and snow off thecar windows. We feel it is a great prod-uct and we thank NASA for the oppor-tunity to market Ice Free,” said BrianJue, chief executive officer, WorldSourceInc., which is currently marketing IceFree on the Internet and in televisionadvertisements.

“I often heard how advancements

due to NASA research and develop-ment help mankind enormously and, ifyou live in an icy part of the U.S., this isfurther proof of the accuracy of thatstatement,” said Bob Harrick, presidentof WorldSource. “NASA technologyplayed a key role in the development ofthis very useful product.”

WorldSource is a developer and dis-tributor of products for the consumermarketplace. It has established an expe-rienced management team with consid-erable expertise in the development,manufacturing, marketing and distri-bution of consumer products.

For information about Ice Free,please visit: http://www.ice-free.com

‘Ice Free’spray - thelatest intechnology,using NASA-basedtechnology,now used forautomobilewindwhieldsto preventice or snowfrombonding onwindshieldsurfaces.

e4Xchange Corp., partners with Amesin research and commercialization

Sam Addala, CEO of e4Xchange Corporation(left), in product review session with AshwinAgate, solution architect.

e4Xchange Corp.’s mission is to re-search, innovate and commercializetechnology and science applications thathelp improve the quality of life and hu-man advancement.

Founded by Sam Addala in 2000,e4Xchange Corp. provides custom soft-ware development, systems integrationand contract personal services.

"My passion is to build e4Xchangeas an innovative company that bringsthe convergence of informationtechnology, nanotechnology andbiotechnology,”said Addala. Havingover 25 of years of industry experience,Addala also is an adjunct mentor atCarnegie Mellon-West.

e4Xchange successfully researchedand developed Web-based FactorialSurvey and Statistical Analysis (FESA)software for the Centers for Disease Con-trol and Prevention, under the SBIR

Phase I/II programs. e4Xchange is cur-rently commercializing this product withgovernment, academia and corporateorganizations to support local and glo-bal survey design, data collection andstatistical analysis.

Potential benefactors include avia-tion safety, patient safety reporting,Earth sciences and others conductingdata collection and analysis survey ex-periments. e4xchange also is workingon the application of nano particles inthe inkjet printing technology.

Addala says that NASA Ames is thebest place for research and innovation.e4Xchange is a small business with un-limited Silicon Valley potential (sur-rounded by world-renowned NASA sci-entists). “The NRP address on my busi-ness card gives me extra courage to thinkBIG,” laughed Addala.

He applauded the NRP Division formaking NRP partners more visible -fostering collaborations. He's confidentthat being located in the NRP helps real-ize his passion of multi-disciplinary re-search. "Simply put, Ames is ideal!"

Addala hopes for a preferred ven-dor relationship with NASA and a closeworking relationship with Ames scien-tists and NRP industry partners. “Help-ing each other with the best research -bringing the fruits of the research to thegeneral public, is what I strive to do,"said Addala.

For collaboration opportunities withe4Xchange Corp., contact Addala at (650)868-0836 sam@e4xchange.com or visitthe Web at www.e4xchange.com.

COMPILED BY ANTOINETTE PRICE

9Astrogram February 2006

Students learned the basics of robotics byusing remote-control VEX robots sponsoredby the NASA Robotics Alliance Project

During the week of Jan. 31, 2006 toFeb. 4, 2006, NASA Ames Research Cen-ter hosted 7,200 students from 163schools at the 17th annual JASON Expe-dition, a program established by worldfamous oceanographer Dr. Robert

Ballard (the discoverer of the Titanic).Attendance at JASON broke previousrecords by more than 1,000 visitors.�

Using satellite broadcasts andInternet technology, JASON scientists

were linked to classrooms and educa-tional institutions across the country forstudents to interact with JASON re-

The next generation of explorers discovers JASON at Ames

BY KAREN HANNER

searchers in real time and see how theyworked in the field. "The expeditionengages stu-dents by hav-ing them learndirectly fromthe scientists,"said Caleb M.Schutz, presi-dent of the JA-SON Project."We're tryingto change theway science istaught by step-ping out of thetextbooks andmaking stu-dents a part ofthe research.We aim to cre-ate moments when the light bulb goesoff in a student's head, and he or she ismoved to jump in the game of science.It's important not only for future gen-erations, but forour entire coun-try as we moveinto a more scien-tific and techno-logically literatesociety."

The event atAmes took placemainly in the au-ditorium and inJASON City. JA-SON City wasfilled with hands-on activities forthe students.Special guests atthe event wereNASA astronaut Janice Voss; JASONstudent argonaut Lauren Dunec-CastilljaHigh School, Palo Alto; Amy Jo Fisher,outreach coordinator, Inland NorthwestSpace Alliance; John Bradley, director,SF Bay Wildlife Refuge and Dr. MacLiebman, superindendent of BerryessaUSD. Organizations that participatedin this year's JASON City at Ames wereNASA SOFIA, Astrobiology, the AmesRobotics Alliance Project team, the Pen-insula Astronomical Society, San JoseState University Department of Geol-

A student from Wagner Ranch at therecent JASON event held at Ames.

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Some 350 of the over 7,200 JASON visitors enjoying the live broadcastfrom the N201 Auditorium at Ames.

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JASON middle-school students studying a leopard gecko from the HappyHollow Zoo.

ogy, University of California Santa Cruz,Spaceward Foundation, Santa Clara

Valley Water District, Happy HollowZoo (San Jose), San Jose Beautiful, DonEdwards National Wildlife Refuse,Alviso and the Ames Exchange.

"The students that are learning aboutMars through this expedition are under-standing the tools and technology to askthe right questions and get the rightanswers," said Jim Garvin, Ph.D., chiefscientist for NASA Goddard SpaceflightCenter. "They're the ones who will betraveling to Mars and making the greatdiscoveries. They'll do the fun stuff."

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Astrogram February 200610

Ames research pilot Ronald M.Gerdes passed away Feb. 1, 2006. Bornin Oakland in 1928, Gerdes graduatedfrom Alameda High School in 1946.Entering the Navy V-5 program (as anaviation midshipman) at UC Berkeley,he completed his naval aviator trainingat NAS Pensacola and served in theKorean War, flying an F9F Panther withVF-111.

His Navy flying also included F2HBanshees and A-4 Skyhawks. He com-pleted his engineering degree at Cal in1957, including summer work at Ames.Initially working in the Ames Flight andSystems Simulation Branch, he trans-ferred into Flight Operations as a re-search pilot in 1961.

During his NASA flying career,Gerdes made significant contributions

to vertical flight aircraft, including theXV-5 Fan-In-Wing, X-14 Deflected Jet,UH-1 V/STOLAND, and XV-15 Tiltrotoraircraft.

He performed a key role with theNASA/DARPA/USMC AV-8 V/STOLSystems Research Aircraft Program.Gerdes also flew and participated inairborne astronomy missions aboard theLear 24 and Kuiper C-141.

Following his NASA retirement in1988, Gerdes continued to make signifi-cant contributions to aeronautical sci-ence as a contract employee in the Amessimulation laboratories.

Gerdes was a great pilot, an avia-tion enthusiast, loving husband and fa-ther, a true gentleman and friend. Avia-tion and the Ames community will misshim.Ronald Gerdes

BY BILL DECKER

In Memory of...Ronald Gerdes

A valued member and long-timeemployee of the Logistics Branch atNASA Ames, Wayne Wiley, 74, passedaway on Dec. 18, 2005, from brain can-cer. Wiley was born on June 11, 1931 inAlvord, Texas.

He served 26 years with the U.S. AirForce in Japan, Korea, Vietnam andThailand and retired as a master ser-geant. Wiley was then hired at Ames inDecember 1974, and was the center'stransportation officer and mail managerwhen he retired 24 years later. After hisretirement, he enjoyed returning toAmes to visit his friends and former co-workers.

Wiley is survived by his wife of 54years, Utako Wiley; his daughters, JanisCruce and Linda Hurst; his grandchil-dren, Micah Cruce, Melanie Hurst andKara Hurst; and his brothers and sisters.He was a kind, gentle man who lovedpeople and loved God. He will be greatlymissed and remembered by all of hisfamily, friends and co-workers at Ames.

On Dec. 28, 2005, he was buriedwith full military honors at the SanJoaquin National Cemetery in Gustine,Calif.

BY VIVIAN TORRES

Joseph Frank died peacefully inhis home on Dec. 14, 2005. He wasborn Nov. 1, 1919, in Spring Valley,Ill. He served during World War II inthe U.S. Army as a staff sargeant inthe western U.S. and the pacific. Hethen attended Stanford University,graduating with a mechanical engi-neering degree in 1948.�

Frank then worked at Ames for32 years, first working in the windtunnels, and then for the greater part

of his career, as an engineer on thePioneer series, sending spacecraft pastthe sun, to Jupiter and to Saturn. Healways felt fortunate to have beenpart of the space program with a teamof close friends at Ames.

In 1950, Frank married his wife,Carolyn, to whom he was married for55 years. They lived in Los Altos, in ahouse he designed and helped build,and had two daughters, Laura andDana. He loved the ocean, so in 1984

he and Carolyn moved to Los Osos,where he could look out to the seaand fish to his heart's content.�

He read widely, loved classicalmusic, and traveled with his wife toMexico, Central America, Europe andthroughout the Pacific northwest. Hehad a wonderful sense of humor.Those who wish may make dona-tions to the charity of their choice.

Joseph Frank

Wayne Wiley

Wayne Wiley

11Astrogram February 2006

The Plant Engineering Branch (PFP)is dedicated to the preservation of theenvironment. The latest example comesin the form of honeybee preservation.

PFP received a trouble call report-ing a bee problem at the building N239penthouse. Upon investigation, it wasdiscovered that a European honeybeecolony was present in the penthousewall.

“Our policy is to preserve beneficialspecies like honeybees. We designedour pest control contract to fulfill thisobjective,” said Al Lyon of Code PFP.Lyon is responsible for overseeing thepest control services under contract withIAP World Services and A-Pro Pest Con-trol, sub-contractor to IAP.

“Since honeybees are so valuablefor their pollination of crops and ournative honeybee populations have beendwindling so dramatically in recentyears, PFP is dedicated to initiating res-cue activities whenever a honeybeecolony is found on the center.”

The colony in building N239 wasconstructed inside a wall, in the spacebetween the 2-foot-by-4-foot wall studs.This location provided a protected, clean,

NASA Ames received twoawards in the recently completed 2005Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).Don Durston, Ames' representativefor the CFC Bay Area board, acceptedthe Civilian Sector Chair Award fromthe Greater San Francisco Bay AreaCFC for Ames' outstanding 2005 cam-paign. Larry Lasher, Ames' CFC chair-person, was selected coordinator ofthe year.

Left to right: Deputy Director (acting) Steve Zornetzer; Ames' representative for the CFC BayArea board Don Durston; Ames' campaign chairperson Larry Lasher; and loaned executive tothe CFC office Dennis Romano.

Honeybee colony removed in building N239warm and dry environment for thecolony. The hive was 5-feet high by 14-inches wide and about an inch thick. Itís estimated that the hive was con-structed in less than 6 months, possiblywithin three or four months and con-tained one healthy queen bee and anestimated 40 to 60 thousand worker bees.

A-Pro Pest Control called upon theservices of Dave Williams, aka Dave theBee Man, a professional bee handler tosafely remove the hive.

A-Pro technicians Jason Fritz andJuan Limon were on hand and Williamsand his associate, Ray Hicks, arrived onFriday, Jan. 13 to remove the bees. Be-fore the bees could be removed, IAPtechnicians Carman Morey and LeeBradford, dressed in protective tyveksuits, removed the drywall between thewall studs.

Bee professionals then carefullydisassembled the hive from the bottomup, removing an estimated 60 to 70pounds of hive with approximately 30to 40 pounds of raw honey. Williamsdescribed the colony as active, strongand healthy.

So what became of the bees? The

colony was relocated to a new home inthe Los Altos hills, where they have abeekeeper to look after them.

BY STEVE FRANKEL

NASA Ames receives CFC awards

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Approximately 40 - 60 thousand honeybees thatwere removed from the colony that they hadcleverly built inside one of the walls of N239.

Astrogram February 200612

Security/Law Enforcement Activity Fire Protection Activity

A statistical summary of activi-ties of the Protective ServicesDivision's Security/Law Enforce-

Protective Services monthly activity

Events CalendarAmes 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 classmeets at 5:50 p.m. Held in Bldg. 944, the Rec. Center.POC: Helen Hwang at helen.hwang@nasa.gov, ext. 4-1368.

Ames Bicycling Club Inaugural meeting on Jan. 18,2006 in Bldg. 245, Room 215, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.Thereafter every 3rd Wednesday of the month 11:00 a.m.to12:00 p.m. in Building 245 auditorium. POC: JulieNottage at jnottage@mail.arc.nasa.gov or ext. 4-3711.By-laws of Ames Bicycling Club can be found at: http://zen.arc.nasa.gov, the link is under the picture.

Ames Bowling League, Palo Alto Bowl on Tuesdaynights. Seeking full-time bowlers and substitutes.Questions to sign up: Mike Liu at ext. 4-1132.

Ames Child Care Center Board of Directors Mtg,every other Thursday (check Web site for meeting dates:http://accc.arc.nasa.gov), 12 noon to 1:30 p.m., N-210,Rm. 205. POC: Cheryl Quinn, ext 4-5793.

Ames Contractor Council Mtg, first Wednesdayeach month, 11 a.m., N-200, Comm. Rm. POC: LindaMcCahon, ext. 4-1891.

Ames Diabetics (AAD), 1st & 3rd Weds, 12noon to 1 p.m., at Ames Mega Bites, Sun room.Support group discusses news affecting diabetics.POC: Bob Mohlenhoff, ext. 4-2523/e-mail at:bmohlenhoff@mail.arc.nasa.gov.

Ames Federal Employees Union (AFEU) Mtg,third Wednesday of ea. month, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.,Bldg. 221, Rm 104. Guests welcome. Info at: http://www.afeu.org. POC: Marianne Mosher, ext. 4-4055.

Ames Mac Support Group Mtg, third Tuesday ofea. 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. onweekend mornings. POC: Mark Sumich, ext. 4-6193.

Ames Sailing Club Mtg, second Thursday of ea.month (Feb through Nov), from 12:00 p.m. -1:00p.m. in Bldg. N-262, Rm 100. URL: http://sail.arc.nasa.gov/. POC: Becky Hooey, ext. 4-2399.

Environmental Forum, first Thursday of eachmonth, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Bldg. 221/Rm 155.URL: http://q.arc.nasa.gov/qe/events/EHSseries/POC: Stacy St. Louis at ext. 4-6810.

The Hispanic Advisory Committee forExcellence (HACE) Mtg, first Thurs of month inN255 room 101C from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.POC: Eric Kristich at ext. 4-5137 and Mark Leon atext. 4-6498.

Jetstream Toastmasters, Mondays, 12 p.m. to 1p.m., N-269/Rm.179. POC: Bob Hilton at ext. 4-2909, bhilton@mail.arc.nasa.gov.

National Association of Retired FederalEmployees, (NARFE). Former and current federalemployees. Your only contact with Congress. Join toprotect your federal retirement. Chptr #50 will thenmeet on the first Fri. of each month at HomeTownBuffet, 2670 El Camino (at Kiely), S. Clara, 11 a.m.lunch. POC Earl Keener (408) 241-4459 or NARFE 1-800-627-3394.

Native American Advisory Committee Mtg,fourth Tues each month, 12 noon to 1 p.m., Bldg. 19,Rm 1096. POC: Mike Liu at ext. 4-1132.

Safety Data

Civil Contractors Servants

First aid cases 0 1

Lost-time cases 0 0

Recordable cases 0 1

Lost workdays 0 0

Restricted duty days 0 0

Above data is as of 1/31/06. Maybe subject to slight adjustment in theevent of a new case or new inform-ation regarding an existing case.

NASA-Ames Occupational Illness-Injury Data for Calendar Year-to-Date 2006 Jan. 1, 2006 – Jan. 31, 2006

Education Associates postersession scheduled for March 15

ment and Fire Protection Services unitsfor the month of January 2006 is shownbelow.

The Education Associates pro-gram will hold a poster presentationin Ames Café on March 15 between11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This poster presentation in-cludes work from education associ-ates at varied academic levels fromundergraduates thorough post-docsin organization codes A through Y.

Come see the work these educa-tion associates are doing. They lookforward to discussing their projectswith you.

Date: March 15Time: 11:30 a.m - 1 p.m.Location: Ames Café (sun room)Information Web site: http://edassoc.arc.nasa.gov

13Astrogram February 2006

Ames ClassifiedsAds for the next issue should be sent to

astrogram@mail.arc.nasa.gov and must be resubmitted foreach issue. Ads must involve personal needs or items; (nocommercial/third-party ads) and will run on a space-available basis only. First-time ads are given priority. Adsmust include home phone numbers; Ames extensions andemail addresses will be accepted for carpool and lost andfound ads only. Due to the volume of material received,we are unable to verify the accuracy of the statementsmade in the ads. Caveat emptor!

Exchange InformationExchange InformationExchange InformationExchange InformationExchange Information

Beyond GalileoBeyond GalileoBeyond GalileoBeyond GalileoBeyond Galileo N-235 (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)N-235 (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)N-235 (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)N-235 (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)N-235 (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)ext. 4-6873ext. 4-6873ext. 4-6873ext. 4-6873ext. 4-6873

Ask about NASA customized gifts for specialoccasions.

Mega Bites Mega Bites Mega Bites Mega Bites Mega Bites N-235 (6 a.m. to 2 p.m.)N-235 (6 a.m. to 2 p.m.)N-235 (6 a.m. to 2 p.m.)N-235 (6 a.m. to 2 p.m.)N-235 (6 a.m. to 2 p.m.)ext. 4-5969ext. 4-5969ext. 4-5969ext. 4-5969ext. 4-5969

Visitor Center Gift ShopVisitor Center Gift ShopVisitor Center Gift ShopVisitor Center Gift ShopVisitor Center Gift Shop N-943 N-943 N-943 N-943 N-943(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) ext. 4-5412(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) ext. 4-5412(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) ext. 4-5412(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) ext. 4-5412(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) ext. 4-5412

NASA logo merchandise, souvenirs, toys, gifts andeducational items.

Open 7 days a week, 7:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. Ratesfrom $40 - $50.

Vacation OpportunitiesVacation OpportunitiesVacation OpportunitiesVacation OpportunitiesVacation Opportunities

Check web site for discounts to local attractions,http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov and click on tickets.

Information about products, services andopportunities provided to the employee and contractorcommunity by the Ames Exchange Council. Visit theweb site at: http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov

NASA LodgeNASA LodgeNASA LodgeNASA LodgeNASA Lodge (N-19) 603-7100 (N-19) 603-7100 (N-19) 603-7100 (N-19) 603-7100 (N-19) 603-7100

Tickets, etc...Tickets, etc...Tickets, etc...Tickets, etc...Tickets, etc...(N-235, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)(N-235, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)(N-235, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)(N-235, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)(N-235, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)ext. 4-6873ext. 4-6873ext. 4-6873ext. 4-6873ext. 4-6873

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

Housing

MiscellaneousThe Ames Cat Network needs help finding homes for

cats trapped at Moffett. They range from feral toabandoned/lost pets. Tested, altered and inoculated. CallIris at ext. 4-5824 if you or someone you know areinterested in fostering or adopting a cat.

Moving sale. Various items: wood entertainmentcenter, rocking chair, big oak desk, small desk, small XL-100 TV, chest of drawers, Dell computer (runs Windows 98)- nothing more than $20 - some $10. Make offer. BarryCunningham (510) 793-4457, EZrdrdad@comcast.net

Waterbed - King size, Universal, canopy, pedestal withdrawers - beautiful, large, wood frame waterbed, withnewish wave free mattress. Moving sale. $800 or B/O.Barry Cunningham (510) 793-4457,EZrdrdad@comcast.net

Piano for sale. Upright white maple Wurlitzer inexcellent condition. You arrange pick up from San Jose.$800 or B/O. Marilyn (408) 629-7889.

Ames emergencyannouncements

To hear the centerwide statusrecording, call (650) 604-9999 for in-formation announcements and emer-gency instructions for Ames employ-ees. You can also listen to 1700 KHzAM radio for the same information.

Ames Swim Center, 25 meter swimming pool openand heated year round. (80-82 degrees) Lap swim: Mon,Weds, Fri, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3-6 Tues to Thurs 10a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Seasonal recreationswim; swim lessons. Locker rooms w/sauna and showerfacility. Open to all civil servants and contractors.Location: Bldg. 109 across the street from the tenniscourts. Fees vary depending on activity. POC: TanaWindhorst, ext. 3-8025; e-mail: tw4lsb@aol.com

Ames Swim CenterAmes Swim CenterAmes Swim CenterAmes Swim CenterAmes Swim Center (N-109) 603-8025 (N-109) 603-8025 (N-109) 603-8025 (N-109) 603-8025 (N-109) 603-8025

Astrogram deadlinesPlease submit articles, calendar

and classified advertisements toastrogram@mail.arc.nasa.gov nolater than the 10th of each month. Ifthis falls on the weekend or holiday,then the following business day be-comes the deadline.

For Astrogram questions, con-tact Astrid Terlep at the aforemen-tioned e-mail address or ext. 4-3347.

Lake Tahoe-Squaw Valley Townhouse, 3bd/2ba.View of slopes, close to lifts. Per night: $250, plus $145cleaning fee. Two night minimum. Includes linens,propane fireplace, fully equipped. Call (650) 968-4155,DBMcKellar@aol.com

South Lake Tahoe cottage w/wood fireplace, hottub. Rates $50 to $130 per night. Call (650) 967-7659.

Vacation rental, Bass Lake, 4 mls south of Yosemite.3bd/1.5 ba, TV, VCR, MW, frplc, BBQ, priv. boat dock.Sleeps 8. $1,050/wk. Call (559) 642-3600 or (650)390-9668.

Big Sur vacation rental, secluded 4bd/2ba house incanyon setting. Fully eqpd kitchen. Access to priv.beach. Tub in patio gdn. Halfway between Carmel andBig Sur. $175/night for 2; $225 for 4 and $250 formore, plus $150 cleaning dep. Call (650) 328-4427.

Tahoe Donner vacation home, 2 bd/2ba. trees,deck. Access to pools, spa, golf, horseback riding, $280wkend, $650 week. Call (408) 739-9134.

Pine Mountain Lake vacation home. Access to golf,tennis, lake, swimming, horseback riding, walk tobeach. Three bedrooms/sleeps 10. $100/night. Call(408) 799-4052 or (831) 623-4054.

Incline Village, Forest Pines, Lake Tahoe condo, 3bdrms/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 forpictures: http://www.ACruiseStore.com $135/nightspring and fall, $173/night summer and winter(holidays higher) plus $125 cleaning fee and 12 percentNevada room tax. Charlie (650) 743-8990.

Disneyland area vacation rental home, 2 bd/1ba.Nearing completion completely remodeled w/newfurniture. Sleeps 6 (queen bed, bunk beds, sleepersofa). Air hockey and football tables. Introductory rate$600/wk, once completed rate will be $1000/wk.Security deposit and $100 cleaning fee required. Call(925) 846-2781.

New York, 5th Ave. One fully furnished bedroom in24 hour security bldg. overlooking Washington SquarePark, $1,000/wk or $3,000/mo. negotiable. Call (650)349-0238.

Paris/France: Fully furnished studio, 5th Arr, LatinQuarter, Notre Dame and Lie-St. Louis., $1,400/wk.negotiable. Call (650) 349-0238.

Santa Cruz townhouse, 2 bedrooms plus study, 2baths, decks, totally furnished, 3 blocks from beach,available July, August, September; $1,600 per month.Call (831) 423-5777 (H) or (831) 277-8476 (C).

West Maui vacation at Kahana Falls, across streetfrom beach. Thanksgiving week 19-26 Nov 05, $630/wk. 1bd/2 ba, w/d, fk. For 2 adults, 0 to 2 kids. Call(650) 962-1314 after Aug 7.

San Francisco, Donatello Hotel, small, deluxe hotel,one block from Union Square, 5 nights available to bescheduled either together or individually, $125 pernight. Call Barry Cunningham (510) 793-4457 or e-mail EZrdrdad@comcast.net

Vacation rental. Ferndale - The Victorian Village.Victorian home on Main Street a short stroll to theVillage which has been designated as a state historicallandmark. Enjoy the many holiday activities whichinclude a Christmas parade and lighting of America'stallest living Christmas tree. Four bedrooms (sleepsapprox. six), two full baths, large kitchen, dining room,parlor w/fireplace, enclosed desk w/hot tub. For info call(707) 983-9514.

Monterey Bay vacation rental at Pajaro Dunes, 20miles south of Santa Cruz, 3bd/2ba beach house withdistinctive architecture. Beautiful ocean and valleyviews, only 150 ft from the beach, first-class tenniscourts. $500/wkend, $200/addl night, includingcleaning by the maid service when you depart. Call(408) 252-7260.

Lake Tahoe cabin rental in Agate Bay, North Shore.4bd/3ba tri-level, AEK, cable TVs, fireplace, BBQ, deck,sleeps 10. Closest skiing is Northstar, Alpine and Squaw.Rates are $375 a weekend, $1,000 a week. Call (408)867-4656.

Automotive

Room available for rent in house in mid town PaloAlto, with kitchen, laundry and pool. $500 plus $50toward utils, for a quiet, neat, stable and conscientiousperson or couple. E-mail jims@eos.arc.nasa.gov; ham callwb6yoy.

2bd/1.5 ba, 2 story spacious townhome. In Fremont'sArdenwood District, 1,056 sq. ft. of living area w/gateenclosed spacious front patio, laundry room w/full size W/D. New bathrms, new carpeting, flooring, fresh interiorpaint. Large master bdrm w/mirrored closets. Large diningarea w/view of enclosed front lawn. Kitchen w/granitecountertops, new appliances, carport. Attached exteriorstorage unit that stores trash cans. Easy access to H880,84-Dumbarton Bridge, nearby shopping, dining,entertainment. Close to parks, creek side walking/bikingtrail that spans across Fremont. $1,400/mo./deposit-only$800. John (510) 209-1311.

‘92 Harley Davidson Softail Custom - $8,500 or B/O.Barry Cunningham (510) 793-4457 EZrdrdad@comcast.net

‘04 Ford Expedition, Eddie Bauer, clean, loaded, exc.cond., extended warranty, leather, 6 CD, DVD, 30,000mls. Joe (650) 369-0578.

Bicycling clubpresents . . .

Join us as Al Painter shows us the besttraining for our bodies to perform themovements essential to daily living and regularactivities.

Date: March 15

Time: 11 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Place: Bldg 245 auditorium

POC: Julie Nottage atjnottage@mail.arc.nasa.gov or ext. 4-3711.

Astrogram February 200614

National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration

Ames Research CenterMoffett Field, CA 94035-1000

PLEASE RECYCLEPrinted on recycled and recyclable paper with vegetable-based ink.

FIRST-CLASSU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 85

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA

The Ames Astrogram is an official publication ofAmes Research Center, National Aeronautics andSpace Administration.

Editor-in-Chief.............................. Laura Lewis

Managing Editor..........................Ann Sullivan

Editor, Layout and Design...........Astrid Terlep

You can reach the Astrogram Office at:astrogram@mail.arc.nasa.gov or by phone at(650) 604-3347.

The NASA Shared Services Center(NSSC)is set to open March 1 on thegrounds of Stennis Space Center in Mis-sissippi. NSSC provides customer-fo-cused service by working collaborativelywith each NASA center through a cus-tomer contact center (CCC) and throughNSSC center liaisons (located at eachcenter).

NSSC is accessible through the CCCand each center's NSSC liaison. TheCCC is the primary point of contact forall issues that the NSSC will resolve.Support hours are from 8 a.m. (EST) to 8p.m (EST), Monday through Friday andeach center liaison is available duringnormal working hours. NSSC may alsobe contacted through its Web site lo-cated at www.nssc.nasa.gov and alsothrough the customer contact center at1-877-NSSC123 (1-877-677-2123).

Starting in March, a variety of ac-tivities previously performed by yourcenter will be done at the NSSC and eachof these transitions may affect NASAemployees differently. Many of the tran-sitions will be transparent to the generalNASA employee, such as drug testingadministration and the 1102 Procure-ment Training Program; however, oth-ers may take slight NASA employeeadaptations, such as the voucher autho-rization process for foreign travel andpermanent change of station (PCS).

Previously, the Centralized TravelOffice (CTO) at Johnson Space Centerprocessed foreign travel vouchers andchange of station (COS) transactions.On March 1, the NSSCwill assume re-

NASA Shared Services Center to open in Marchsponsibility for both processes. For COStravel, the CTO processed transactionsreceived on or before Feb. 16. For for-eign travel, the CTO processed vouch-ers received on or before Feb. 24. Trans-actions received after these dates havebeen forwarded to the NSSC for pro-cessing starting March 1.

Drug testing administration waspreviously performed independently ateach NASA center through a drug pro-gram coordinator; however, on March1, drug testing administration will beperformed by the NSSC. NSSC willprovide the administrative support nec-essary to generate random selections.NSSC also has reporting capabilities withrespect to the drug test program. NASAemployees being tested should notice

little, if any difference in the process.Previously, the HQ 1102 training

program manager and center trainingcoordinators were responsible for logis-tical and operational matters concern-ing the 1102 training program. Begin-ning March 1, the NSSC will assumecenter operational and logistical activi-ties and coordinates with NASA Head-quarters on the 1102 Procurement Train-ing Program. NASA procurement em-ployees should notice little, if any pro-cess transition since each center willretain its center training POC.

Check out on the Web site at:www.nssc.nasa.gov or contact the NSSCby dialing 1-877-NSSC123 (1-877-667-2123).

BY THE NSSC TEAM

Live pain free - stand up straight!Let CitySports magazine's 2005 Best

Bay Area personal trainer Al Paintershow you the best way to achieve betterliving through standing up straight. Hewill talk about the benefits of functionaltraining to improve your posture andeliminate joint pain, how to fight lossesof flexibility brought about by sitting forprolonged periods of time and how to fitexercise into a busy schedule.

Painter is a member of the NationalAcademy of Sports Medicine, USA Cy-cling and a graduate of Santa Clara Uni-versity with over 10 years experience asa personal trainer. His clients rangefrom elite level road bicycle racers andcollegiate athletes to 'every day athletes'

in need of more strength to pick up theirkids and those wanting to spend a painfree day working in their yards.

He specializes in the elimination ofjoint pain, correcting muscle imbalancesand improving the way the body per-forms on a daily basis.

Join the Ames bicycle club as Paintershows us the best training to function-ally strengthen our bodies to better per-form the types of movements essentialto both daily living and regular activi-ties.

Date: March 15Time: 11 a.m.Place: N245 second floor auditorium (Room 276)