Citation
Astrogram

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Title:
Astrogram
Uniform Title:
Ames Astrogram (Online)
Added title page title:
The Ames Astrogram
Place of Publication:
Moffett Field, CA
Publisher:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Ames Research Center
Publication Date:
Frequency:
Quarterly[May 2012-]
Monthly[ FORMER Mar. 11, 2002-]
Biweekly[ FORMER Vol. 1, no. 1 (Oct. 24, 1958)-Feb. 25, 2002]
quarterly
regular
Language:
English

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Subjects / Keywords:
Astronautics ( lcsh )
Technology transfer -- United States ( lcsh )
Astronautics ( fast )
Technology transfer ( fast )
United States ( fast )
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periodical ( marc )
serial ( sobekcm )
federal government publication ( marcgt )
periodical ( marcgt )

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Dates or Sequential Designation:
Print began with vol. 1, no. 1 (Oct. 24, 1958).

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University of Florida
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University of Florida
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This item is a work of the U.S. federal government and not subject to copyright pursuant to 17 U.S.C. §105.
Resource Identifier:
67989914 ( OCLC )
2006230703 ( LCCN )
ocm67989914

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University of Florida
Digital Aerospace Collection

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October 2007 www.nasa.gov Page 2 NASA Mars Rover Software Leads to Virtual Globetrotting Page 3 Taking a Tour Inside the NASA Page 5 Ames 2007 CFC Kick Off Page 12 Ames Ongoing Monthly Events On the Inside . NASA-funded astrobiologists have found evidence of oxygen pres ent in Earth's atmosphere earlier than previously known, pushing back the timeline for the rise of oxygen in the atmosphere. Two teams of researchers report that traces of oxygen appeared in Earth's atmosphere from 50 to 100 million years before what is known as the Great Oxidation Event. This event happened between 2.3 and 2.4 billion years ago, when many scientists think atmospheric oxygen increased sig levels. Scientists analyzed a kilometerlong drill core from Western Australia, representing the time just before the major rise of atmospheric oxygen. They found evidence that a small was present in Earth's oceans and atmosphere 2.5 billion years ago. The papers in the Sept. 28 issue of the journal Science. "We seem to have captured a piece of time during which the amount of oxygen was actually changing -caught in the act, as it were," said Ariel Anbar, an associate professor at Arizona State University, Tempe, and leader of one of the research teams. The goal of both research teams was to learn more about the environ ment and life in the oceans leading up to the Great Oxidation Event. The dence of oxygen earlier than what was previously known. "The core provides a continous record of environmental conditions, analogous to a tape recording," ex plained Anbar. He and his research group analyzed the amounts of the trace metals molybdenum, rhenium and uranium. The quantity of these metals in oceans and sediments depend on the amount of oxygen in the environment. The other research group, led by Alan Kaufman of the University of Maryland, College Park, Md., analyzed sulfur isotopes. Its dis tribution also relies on the abundance of oxygen. "Studying the dynamics that gave rise to the presence of oxygen in NASA research indicates oxygen on Earth 2.5 billion years ago continued on page 6 Earth's atmosphere deepens our ap preciation of the complex interaction between biology and geochemistry," said Carl Pilcher, director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute at Ames, which co-funded the study. "Their results support the idea that our planet and the life on it evolved together." One possible explanation for the Great Oxidation Event is the ancient NASA wants to tell its story accu audience practicable was the message delivered to Ames employees by the agency's chief of communications strategy. Addressing an All Hands meeting Oct. 18, in the main auditorium, Rob ert Hopkins explained NASA's Media Communications Policy and stressed the importance of open communica tion throughout the agency. cal agency, is committed to a culture of openness with the media and the public that values the fee exchange of ideas, data and information as part Hopkins said. Consistent with NASA statutory responsibility, the agency will provide for the widest practicable and appro priate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results Hopkins said the policy was devel oped at the direction of NASA Admin all employees to understand the policy. Hopkins outlines NASAs Media Communications Polic y continued on page 4 Robert Hopkins, NASAs chief of communica tions strategy, is seen here during his recent visit to the center where he outlined the Media Communications Policy for NASA. NASA photo by Dominic Hart

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2 Astrogram October 2007 NASA Mars rover software leads to virtual globetrotting George Takei, of Star Trek fame, spoke at the center on Oct. 11, in National Coming Out Day. The NASA Opportunity, the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sex ual and Transgender (LGBT) Advisory Islander Advisory group hosted the event. Takei was the keynote speaker and is the charismatic actor who portrayed "Lieutenant Sulu" in the original "Star Trek" television series and a number of Takei has been an outspoken advo cate for the LGBT civil rights move ment since he came out as a gay man in 2005. There was also an introduction to National Coming Out Day by Ardel Thomas, chair of the Queer Studies Department at the City College of San Francisco. Thomas had the privilege on Washington, D.C., for LGBT civil rights, a milestone in the ongoing George Takei, who portrayed Star Treks Lieutenant Sulu, speaks at Ames LGBT civil rights movement that com prised the origin of National Coming Out Day, which occurred 20 years ago, on Oct, 11, 1987. Now, anyone can virtually search Earth close-up, zooming into pebblesize objects, the same way scientists have explored Mars, but in more detail. Scientists have examined Mars scenes after special NASA software joined many overlapping martian im ages and enabled researchers to study the resultant panoramas of the red planet and even zoom into extreme close-ups of martian soil. A spin-off of that NASA software Internet, containing lots of pictures made of billions of tiny dots of light (pixels). GigaPans are very high-resolu tion images stitched together from hundreds, potentially thousands of overlapping ordinary consumer digi tal camera photos. Each wide picture is also stepped into, with closer and closer images taken for each wide view. The resulting mammoth, on-line panoramas permit people to globetrot via the Web and to zoom deep into big, wide pictures of locations like Argentina, Rome's skyline and market places around the world. "It's like having a pair of binocu lars that you can use to explore the panoramas," said Randy Sargent, a se nior systems scientist at Carnegie Mel lon University West, located at NASA Research Park at Moffett. "When you pack a billion pixels into a panorama, you can explore it for hours and still ported," Sargent added. Carnegie Mellon created a Web site located at http://gigapan.org, where the public can explore many GigaPans and can upload huge, panoramic im ages. ment because it allows everyone to create, at a very low cost, panoramas that previously could only be made by specialists using systems costing tens of thousands of dollars," said Terry Fong, director of the Intelligent Robot ics Group at NASA Ames. When Sargent was a staff member at Ames, he helped to develop soft ware to sew together images that the NASA Mars Exploration Rovers took on Mars. That is when Sargent and partner Illah Nourbakhsh thought of the "GigaPan" concept. Nourbakhsh is associate professor for Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University in Pitts burgh, Pa. Amateur photographers from distant parts of the globe also can con tribute their views of our home planet by uploading big digital pictures taken by consumer cameras to the Web. "It is increasingly important to give people a broad view of the world, particu larly to help us understand different cultures and different environments," Sargent explained. Team members from the "Global Connection Project," which includes people from Carnegie Mellon, vari ous other universities, NASA Ames, Google and National Geographic magazine on-line collaborated to pro vide a GigaPan robotic camera mount for consumer digital cameras. It will help photographers take hundreds of overlapping images for panoramas that use the new software developed in two years by Carnegie Mellon and NASA Ames. continued on page 11 George Takei was the keynote speaker during Out Day on Oct. 11, 2007. NASA photo by Dominic Hart An example of a panoramic view from the Gigapan Web site. The view is a result of a compilation of consumer digital photos pieced together. Gigapan is a spin-off from NASA software technology.

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3 Astrogram October 2007 What do law enforcement, coun terterrorism, export compliance, locksmith services, international visits, protection and emergency response planning have in common? All these areas, and more, are part of the NASA Ames Protective Services Operations Directorate. "Since 1994, the Protective Services NASA Ames with pro fessional security and emergency services," said PSO Chief Bob Dolci. "Our job is to provide a safe, secure environment for the Ames staff so they can do their work and help NASA achieve its mission." Deputy Divi sion Chief Phil Snyder, and Assistant Division Chiefs Ken Silverman and Ann Sullivan, round out the man agement team. Security management is probably the most recognizable of Protective Services' functions. We see the guards and the vehicle inspectors at the gates, and some us of know about the of fast or rolling through a stop sign. But many people know little about what Protective Services actually does. Former Secret Service agent Ken Silverman leads a team of 12 civil servants and approximately 90 contrac tor employees whose job is to protect life and property and preserve peace and order at Ames, the NASA Research Park and Moffett Field. Silverman's team also is re sponsible for international programs, program security, personnel security, technical security and investigations. With commercial companies, retail shops, restaurants, a bank, housing, a NASA photos by Dominic Hart place to work. hotel, universities and military estab lishments on site, in addition to the NASA Ames research campus, Ames/ Moffett is much like a city of several thousand people. And, it faces many issues such as speeding, vehicle acci dents and failure to stop for stop signs, theft, vandalism and a variety of other criminal offenses. The law enforcement team in cludes four primary groups of em ployees: shirts) control access to Ames at each ing vehicles on a random basis for the presence of weapons, contraband or other potentially dangerous items. blue shirts) perform law enforcement services at Ames, including patrol, crime prevention and enforcement of authority. reports of emergency and non-emer continued on page 11

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4 Astrogram October 2007 Issued by NASA Headquarters in October 2006, the policy establishes clear areas of responsibility and coor dination methods intended to improve NASA's communications process. These procedures govern the release of as information in any form provided to news and information media, espe cially information that has the poten public interest or inquiry. The policy is available online at http://www. nasa.gov/commpolicy According to a Government issued in May 2007, the director of the icy cited NASA's media communica tions plan as a model for other federal agencies to consider when developing their own communications policies. The policy does not include scien interchange, or technical information presented at professional meetings or in professional journals. Hopkins also is the assistant munications Planning, which provides long-term strategic communications messaging and planning and coordi nates outreach activities throughout the agency. He served previously as the senior advisor to NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale. Describing his duties as the ulti the things he does at Headquarters is trying to improve communication by making sure everyone is talking to each other so that everyone is on the Hopkins stressed the importance of employees working with their pub interviews and dissemination of infor mation to the news media. NASA employees are allowed to speak to the media and the pub lic about their work, but that only designated NASA spokespersons are authorized to speak for the agency in policy, programmatic or budget is sues. He said contractors are allowed to speak to the media, but only about their area of expertise and identify themselves as contract employees. Employees are to notify their supervisor about upcoming media interviews and coordinate with their interview whenever possible. attest to the content of the interview, support the interviewee and provide post-interview follow-up with the me Hopkins outlines NASAs Media Communications Policy Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden, who introduced Hopkins, said that NASA wants to disseminate information to the public and will as sist researchers to ensure their papers are published. Worden said. I think the message here is that if there are problems let us know and we'll work to get them BY MICHAEL MEWHINNEY The Sally Ride Science Festival was held at NASA Ames recently. Hundreds of girls attended the event, which was aimed to inspire girls from 5th 8th grade to study math and science, in the hope that this will help the next generation of women be active participants in our technical society. The event was similar to a street fair, and consisted of hands-on ac tivities, booths, food and music. As tronaut Sally Ride gave the keynote address at the event. Sally Ride Festival inspires girls Angela Phillips Diaz, director, Strategic Communications and Development Directorate at Ames, one of the science stations at the recently held Sally Ride Science Festival at Ames. Astronaut Sally Ride gives her key note speech at the festival. Right photo: Girls learn Newtons Laws of Motion as they launch water rockets at the science festival. NASA photos by Dominic Hart continued from front page

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5 Astrogram October 2007 Anthony R. Gross, 2007 chairman of the Ames CFC, during the kick-off meeting. Nellie Lutcher, a famous musical legacy, remembered The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) kick-off meeting was held at the center in early October. NASA Ames has tradition ally been a leader among Bay Area federal agencies in our generosity and support of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). The Ames campaign theme for this year is '2 Minutes 2 Make a Differ ence.' The campaign this year runs from Oct. 10 through Nov. 16, 2007. Representa tives from two Bay Area charities within the CFC spoke dur ing the event. There was training follow ing the meeting for the CFC captains and key workers. Ames kicks off CFC campaign David Goronja, from Philippine Childrens Fund of Ameri ca, spoke at the recent CFC kick-off meeting at the center. NASA has been a part of my life for 27 years and until recently I did not know why I'm here and what mo tivated me to work and care for this agency with such passion. That was given to me by my ancestors. I have met presidents of the United States and dignitaries from all over the world as part of my duties for NASA Ames. I have represented NASA on many oc casions, produced events on behalf of NASA Ames for thousands of people and yet I was never more moved than the experience I had this past month. We all have a story to tell. How we got here, who our people were and what makes us who we are. Someone once said, "Only the strong survived the passage from Africa to the Ameri cas, and I am a descendent of the strongest. I didn't feel very strong, nor do I now; but I feel very proud of my ancestors, because I know it was not easy for them to survive and thrive." This is the story of one of my rela tives, my aunt Nellie Lutcher, born She was born in Lake Charles, La., one of 10 children, my father's oldest sister. She was born into a musical family and everyone played some thing. She played the piano from age 8 in the church and, by age 13, she was playing for the likes of Ma Rainey. My grandpa had a band, and they played weekends and holidays all around was her love and, by age 23, she was off to Los Angeles, the big city, to try her luck. earning $2 a night. Until then, she had been paid $2 a month, at home playing for the New Sunlight Baptist Church in Lousiana. Work was steady, but it took her 12 years to be discovered. Working at the Dunbar Hotel in 1935, she knew them all: Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Lena Horne, Langston Hughes and W.B.Du Bois. They all stayed at the Dunbar and listened to Nellie play night after night. Her best friends were Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah the evening to 2 a.m., in the morning, then moved onto the breakfast clubs to play until 5 a.m. or 6 a.m., in the morning. However, she was discov ered in 1947 after performing on the radio for the March of Dimes telethon. Nellie played for the Queen of England, the BBC in London, the Apollo Theather in Harlem, Caf Society in New York, on the Ile de France cruise ship and all over the United States. When I was growing up, she was a regular at Disneyland in the New Orleans section. Mr. Disney would ride her around in a horse-drawn carriage. She cut duos with Nat "King" Cole and had over a dozen hit singles. In her later years, when her music was less popular, she woman to be on the board to the Musi cians' Union. She was a part of the class action law suit with the record companies to change the way they put musicians under contract. In her day, the standard contract gave you $.01 per record, a half cent if you recorded a duo. She made millions for others, continued on page 7 to be on the board to the Musicians Union. She also performed with Nat King Cole and made numerous hit singles. NASA photos by Dominic Hart

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6 Astrogram October 2007 A seminar entitled 'Global Re search into Energy and the Environ ment at NASA (GREEN) Sympo sium' was held on Oct. 19, 2007, at the center. of seminars that will consider how the tools and expertise developed by NASA for the exploration of space can be applied to problems associ ated with sustainable energy and clean technologies on Earth. Can lessons learned from life Kathy Martinez, executive director of the World Institute on Disability (WID), recently shared some of her personal experi ences and stories that provided a glimpse into the mosaic and diversity that is the disability community. She spoke at Ames in honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month this month. Martinez is an internation ally recognized disability rights proponent who specializes in employment, asset building, independent living, international development, diversity and gen der issues. At the Oakland-based WID, leadership in the areas of advo cacy, training and public policy. GREEN Team holds environmental symposium at Ames support, astrobiology, planetary science, systems engineering and aerodynamics be applied to energy and environmental prob lems? Do we need a new 'Apollolike' program to focus attention on these problems? If so, what role should NASA play in such a pro gram? What role should NASA Ames play? To address these issues and inform the NASA Ames com munity about energy and envi to produce oxygen by photosynthesis. However, many geoscientists think organisms began to produce oxygen much earlier, but the oxygen was destroyed in reactions with volcanic gases and rocks. "What we have now is new evi dence for some oxygen in the environ ment 50 to 100 million years before the big rise of oxygen," Anbar said. tion that organisms learned to produce oxygen long before the Great Oxida tion Event, and that the rise of oxygen in the atmosphere ultimately was controlled by geological processes." The international project brought together researchers from Arizona State University, the University of Maryland, the University of Washing ton, the University of California, River side and the University of Alberta. The the NASA Astrobiology Institute and the National Science Foundation. The Geological Survey of Western Austra lia provided logistical support. Founded in 1998, the NASA As trobiology Institute is a partnership international consortia to promote, conduct and lead integrated multidis ciplinary astrobiology research and train a new generation of astrobiology researchers. The institute's Astrobiol ogy Drilling Program is an interna tional program aimed at coordinating BY MICHAEL MEWHINNEY continued from front page NASA research indicates oxygen on Earth 2.5 billion years ago continental drilling projects of astrobi concerning Earth's early atmosphere. NASA photo by Eric James Disability rights proponent speaks at Ames Kathy Martinez, executive director of the World Institute National Disability Employment Awareness month. ronmental (clean-tech) activities outside of NASA, the GREEN Team is planning a series of events. These events will include lectures by scientists, engineers and policy makers followed by in-depth discussions with the audience. The audience will include both NASA personnel and invited participants from academia, national labs, and the private sector.

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7 Astrogram October 2007 On Sept. 11, 2007, the Ames Acquisition Division hosted the annual Leslie A. Kaufhardt Acquisi tion Peer Awards ceremony pre senting awards of appreciation to three of their peers. This honorable award, created by members of the Acquisition Division 21 years ago, allows individuals in the Acquisi tion Division a chance to recognize and reward their non-management peers for special achievements and/ or contributions made to the Acqui sition Division, NASA Ames and the agency. Comstock, Pat Hudson and Mari anne Shelley. These individuals were selected for their dedication and concerted efforts in making achievement of Acquisition Division goals and their support of other staff members. The Acquisition Peer Award is named in memory of Leslie A. Kaufhardt, an exceptional contract specialist who worked at Ames in the 1970s, 80s and 90s and whose quality of work, positive attitude and spirit have set the standard of excellence for the Acquisition Divi sion. NOMAD (NASA Operational Mes saging and Directory) is a new collab orative messaging system being rolled out across the agency. NASA Ames has begun the migration and you will be migrated soon--if not already! Please participate in instructor-led training on Nov. 7 in the Main Audi torium (N-201) with Entourage (Mac) from 9 a.m. to noon and Outlook (PC) from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Weve also tentatively scheduled instructor-led calendar training on Nov. 28. Please visit the Web site below for details. Training is critical to a successful migration and will prepare you for this change in your work environ ment. You are strongly encouraged to participate in one or more of the training resources available. See the Training section of the NOMAD Web site for more information (http://no mad.arc.nasa.gov). On Sept. 20, the Ames Acquisition Division hosted an informal ceremony to present letters of appreciation to representatives (COTRs) who were this years COTR of the YEAR award winners. The recipients were Charles Training available for NOMAD Kaufhardt Award winners named Acquisition Division names COTR of the Year awardees Sobeck, COTR for the Kepler Project; William Thigpen, COTR for the NASA Information Technology Research, Development and Operations for Sci ing contract; and Irving Statler, COTR for the Integrated Safety Data for Strategic Response (ISD SR) contract. These indi viduals were selected by the Acquisition Division for their determination, attentiveness and professionalism while perform ing their COTR responsibili ties. This dem onstrates their commitment to customer satisfaction and proactive contract management. The COTR awards were initiated by working level contract specialists over BY GARY HEA G Y BY GARY HEA G Y awardees, left to right, Charlie Sobeck, Bill Thigpen and Irv Statler. NASA photo 20 years ago in recognition of that fact that, as the acquisition process grows ever more complicated, it becomes increasingly important for the people in the technical organizations and the Acquisition Division to work closely as a team. the Acquisition Division attempts to recognize three or four COTRs who have been committed to that teaming relationship which is so vital to suc cessful contract management. but saw very little for her efforts. Nellie was her own woman until the end of her 94 years. Her nine sisters and brothers were successful because of her help. She leaves one son, one granddaughter and a host of nieces and nephews, of whom I am came from the strongest. In October 2007, Nellie was hon ored with the re-naming of a street near where she lived as a girl. The mayor gave the family a proclama tion and we were given the keys to the city. A wonderful museum exhibit of her life's work was premiered, as was a one-act play telling her story. I was proud to attend with many of my cousins representing our fathers and mothers during this four-day event, put on by the city of Lake Charles, La. BY SHEILA LUTCHER JOHN S ON-HEACOCK continued from page 5 Nellie Lutcher

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8 Astrogram October 2007 On Sept. 27 and 28, 2007, the NASA Ames Technology Partner women at the 13th annual Women In Technology International (WITI) Women and Technology Summit in Santa Clara. WITI was founded by Carolyn Leighton in 1989 to help women advance by providing access to--and support from--other professional women working in all sectors of tech nology. WITI's mission is to empower women worldwide to achieve new possibilities through technology, leadership and economic prosperity. Current membership is over 103,000. This year's summit focused on the theme of Innovation, featuring inno vators and dynamic discussion about innovation. Speakers included Helen Greiner, co-founder and chairman of iRobot Corporation and Padmas ree Warrior, executive vice president and CTO of Motorola, Incorporated. Workshop topics included Capital Strategies for Entreprenuers, Power ful and Connected: Women Trans forming Technology Environments BY CANDICE NANCE and Bringing Innovation to Market. At NASA Ames, the Technology Partnerships nerships with industry and academia in order to de velop new technology that supports Mission Director ate programs. More infor mation can be found at the Technology Partnerships technology.arc. nasa.gov. The Technol ogy Partnerships mercializes and transfers NASA technology to U.S. indus try and enhances NASA technology and commer cial objectives through the Small Business Innova tion Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs. NASA's SBIR and STTR Programs provide a threephased approach for small businesses to develop tech nology in response to a spe driven needs, as presented in the NASA SBIR/STTR Annual Solicitation. Under the STTR pro gram, a research institution partners with a small busi ness to develop technology based on sbir.nasa.gov for more information on the NASA SBIR/STTR programs. The NASA Ames Technology the Women and Technology Summit, with the goal to publicize technology partnership possibilities at NASA. Women-owned, technology-based small businesses, as well as women in technology-based positions within large corporations, were present. Corporations present at the WITI Summit included IBM, Oracle, Ray theon, Intel and Motorola. The exhibit provides information to a WITI Summit participant about the NASA photo by Eric James Helen Greiner, co-founder and chair man of iRobot, at the 13th annual Women In Technology International mit recently held in Santa Clara. photo credit: WITI 2007 and Technology Summit in Santa Clara. Back row, left to right, Kim Hines, Sara Villarreal and Candice Nance. Front row, left to right, Dina Salazar and Paulette Dal Porto. NASA photo by Eric James booth promoted possible business opportunities between private in dustry and NASA. Small businesses the funding possibilities with the SBIR and STTR programs, while larger cor porations inquired about partnerships and licensing agreements with NASA. To learn more about the Women and Technology Summit, visit www. WITI.org.

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9 Astrogram October 2007 Learn how easy it is to reduce your aches and carbon footprint. With auto emissions a major contributor to greenhouse gases, now is the time to rethink your daily path to and from work. Attend the Ames Commute Alternatives Fair, Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., outside the Ames Mega Bites Cafeteria, King Road side, to learn about money-saving commute alterna tives that can make your commute life smoother and more satisfying. There are many ways you can make a positive impact on the envi ronment through your daily commute. Here is a partial list of participating or ganizations available to share informa tion with you: one-stop matching resource that also provides money-saving promotions. Ride Bikes and Scooters Learn about Green is "in" everywhere these days and NASA Ames has long been a proponent of programs to reduce pol lution, conserve resources and protect the natural environment. Supporting the NASA mission also means sup porting viability and quality of life actions on planet Earth through our work contributions, personal energy use, consumption and waste recycling habits. Each day, the average American throws away 3.5 to 5 pounds of gar bage, adding up to a legacy of 90,000 lbs of trash per person over a lifetime; the bulk of which ends up as ground, water or air pollution. To bring awareness to this growing environmental problem, the Envi ronmental Services Division hosted an environmental brown bag event recently on the topic of green consum erism, presented by Acterra, a local community organization dedicated to sustainable Earth awareness and education. For more information, visit http://www.acterra.org/ The lunch-hour program high lighted ways to "green your life" starting with a simple demonstration Ames Commute Alternatives Fair scheduled Oct. 24 options. Lung Association) Gain the health also spare the air. vale Toyota, Larry Hopkins Honda, Sunnyvale Ford Experience the ease of switching to a hybrid with onsite test drives during the fair and dis counts! Learn about the SamTrans bus line and CalTrans rail line options that can work for you. (ACE) Train Help ease car congestion over the Altamont pass and enjoy a relaxing trip to work. Division Find out more about en vironmental programs underscoring NASA's commitment to environmen tal excellence. Program (ACAP) Choose from one or more Ames alternative commute services including shuttle, carpool/ parking, transit discounts and bike locker program. award-winning club that promotes bicycling at Ames. Advisory Committee Learn about the safety programs affecting residents bicycling and walking in the city. alition (PBPC) Experience the joys of exploring the Peninsula on foot or bike with this advocacy group. and bus systems options make it easy to move around and also help ease congestion. For more information, contact April Neilson at aneilson@mail.arc. nasa.gov, ext. 4-6810. Note: NASA Ames does not endorse any commer cial products or services Ames supports reducing pollution to protect the environment of how much bottled water really costs when the fuel to transport it, produce container is factored in. Carrying your home not only spares the environment but also saves costs associated with buying bottled water. Using the new ENERGY STAR light bulbs (visit http://www.pge. com/res/rebates/lighting/ for more information) is another easy step to reduce energy consumption. can reduce production of up to 312 lbs/yr of CO2 about as much CO2 as the average passenger car produces in four months of driving. To calculate your CO2 footprint, use the 'Low Carbon Diet Personal CO2 Calculator.' For additional help ful tips for reducing your carbon footprint, check out the EPA's guide to what you can do about climate change at http://www.epa.gov/ climatechange/wycd/index.html; visit the Acterra Web site listed above; and consider taking actions like these excerpted from David Gershon's 'Low Carbon Diet: A 30-Day Program to Lose 5,000 Pounds.' Also visit http:// www.empowermentinstitute.net/lcd/ for further information. BY APRIL NEIL S ON BY APRIL NEIL S ON

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10 Astrogram October 2007 Some 50 hardworking contractors and friends on 13 teams participated in the 2007 Ames Contractor Council (ACC) golf outing at The Golf Club at Moffett Field in late September. The weather was great, the shots were long and straight (at least sometimes) and got better on the 19th hole with the post-golf BBQ. The straightest shots were hit by Kathleen Starmer and Frank Santos. They were the winners of the closestto-the-pin contests for women and men. The longest-drive winners were Elise Taube and Tim Walker. The team from Consolidated Safety Systems won the low-gross prize while the Planners Collaborative team was the low-net winner. Lewis Braxton, along with Mike Hill, the director of The Golf Club, shared some of the plans and the vision of the clubs transfor mation. There was unanimous agree ment that this year was great and next year will be even better. This annual event is a unique opportunity for Ames center manage ment and contractor company rep resentatives to gather in an informal setting to mix and mingle. Gatherings such as this golf event foster better working relationships that help both the government and its contractor community achieve success in pursuit of NASAs objectives. Any company with an active contract at Ames is invited to send its BY DALE STAN S BURY AND CHRI S JOHN S ON Ames Contractor Council holds 2007 Charity Golf Outing representative to the monthly ACC the month, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., in the N-200. The deputy center director, or the agenda with an update about cen ter and agency activities. This update is followed with presentations by vari ous guest speakers, including topics such as HSPD-12, security, safety and new business. The next events coming include the Excellence Awards and the 2008 Ames Calendar. Through our successful fundrais ing activities, we are able to contribute to education outreach and other wor thy endeavors. To learn more about the ACC and how it actively supports the Ames community, visit the Web site located at: www.amescontractor council.org Adam Savage, above, of the Mythbusters show prepares for his myth. The Ames Golf Club Team, left to right, Barry Sullivan, Lewis Braxton, Duc Tran and Demos Tsairides. photo by Carol Roland Mythbusters visits Ames to dispell another myth Jamie Hyneman of explains to Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden the myth they were try ing to dispell during their recent visit. NASA photos by Dominic Hart

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11 Astrogram October 2007 gency situations, lost or found items, and suspicious letters or packages, and monitor an array of alarm systems at Ames. background investigation, psychologi cal testing and a medical examina tion. In addition, every Ames security recognized police academy or have local police or sheriff's department. are less stringent, they nonetheless meet or exceed the requirements set for private guards by the state of Cali of SecTek Inc. After being hired, each law en 160-hour NASA 'federal arrest au thority' course at the Kennedy Space 80-hour course. The curriculum for both courses comes from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center at Glynco, Ga., the same center that more than 80 federal agencies. During training, security police search and seizure, constitutional law, self-defense, arrest control techniques, highand low-speed driving tech receive in-house training in CPR and at least 40 hours of refresher training to stay current with federal laws and NASA regulations. Located in Bldg. N-241, the Ames ter that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Dispatchers handle all Each dispatcher must meet the same requirements as city police dispatch training course as do city and county dispatchers. Ames' security management team also is responsible for developing and implementing security plans for spe cial events, such as last April's Yuri's Night celebration. Planning frequently involves collaborations with other law enforcement agencies. Silver man's team also works with the Secret Service and FBI whenever the presi dent or other U.S. or foreign dignitar These duties, as well as follow-up investigations of crimes committed at Ames, liaison to outside police agen are handled by two special agents in Protective Services. "Having a good working relation critical to effective prosecution of any serious crimes that transpire at Ames," Silverman noted. In an upcoming issue, we'll take a closer look at some other, lesser known, Ames security management functions. continued from page 3 BY ANN SULLIVAN In partnership with Charmed Labs, Austin, Texas, the team has begun a public beta test of 400 GigaPan robotic camera mounts. Team members say they also will provide a simpler design for the device so ambitious photogra phers could build their own GigaPan robotic camera mounts. NASA Ames provided expertise in panoramic image stitching, camera calibration and interactive graphics. Another key NASA Ames contribution sion Workbench application, explained at this NASA Web site: http://ti.arc. nasa.gov/visionworkbench The GigaPan system is part of the Global Connection Project. Its goal is to help people learn about other cultures and environments across the globe "An ordinary photo makes it possible to cross language barriers," Nourbakhsh noted. "But a GigaPan provides so much information that it leads to conversations between the person who took the panoramas and the people who are exploring it and discovering new details." Since 2004, an early GigaPan sys tem has been recording panoramic im ages every 30 minutes of a backyard. According to scientists, time-lapse digital photography combined with GigaPan images such as the backyard scene, permit users to look back in time and study, for example, a bird's nest being built. The GigaPan system is already Board of Tourism has created Giga Pans of Civil War sites. There are plans for children from schools in the United States, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago to use the GigaPan system to examine each other's environments. The NASA Ames Intelligent Robot ics Group in 2006 used GigaPan as a visual inspection tool during a robotic "High-resolution panoramas are important and useful, particularly for in context," said Fong, director of the Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA Ames. Scientists also think GigaPan will help researchers communicate among themselves and with the public world wide. Other uses may include helping managers examine natural disaster scenes remotely. "The possibilities with GigaPan are limitless," said Fong. "We have only begun exploring how it can be used for education, entertainment, science, engineering and a myriad of uses we never dreamed of." BY JOHN BLUCK continued from page 2 NASA Mars rover software leads to virtual globetrotting

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12 Astrogram October 2007 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 Divisions Security/Law Enforcement and Fire Protection Services units for the month of September 2007 is shown below. Protective Services monthly activity Ames Amateur Radio Club, third Thurs., of ea. month, 12 noon, N-T28 (across from N-255). POC: Michael Wright, KG6BFK, at ext. 4-6262. Ames Ballroom Dance Club Classes on Tuesdays. Beginning classes meet at 5:15 p.m. Higher-level class meets at 5:50 p.m. Held in Bldg. 944, the Rec. Center. POC: Helen Hwang at helen.hwang@nasa.gov, ext. 4-1368. Ames Bicycling Club every third Wednesday of each month, 12 noon 1 p.m., Bldg. N-245 mail.arc.nasa.gov, ext. 4-3711. Ames Bowling League Homestead Lanes on Thursday nights at 6:20 p.m. Seeking substitute bowlers. Questions to sign up: Mike Liu at ext. 4-1132. Ames Child Care Center Board of Directors Mtg. every other Monday, 1 2:30 p.m., Bldg. N-262/Rm 180. POC: Sally Miller, ext. 4-5411. Ames Contractor Council Mtg day of ea. month, 11 a.m., Bldg. N-200, Commit Environmental Forum other month, 9 a.m. 10 a.m., T20-G conference Rm. 129. URL: http://q/qe/events/EHS series/ POC: Stacy St. Louis, ext. 4-6810. Ames Federal Employees Union (AFEU) Mtg First Wednesday of November (7th), noon. First Wednesday of December (5th), noon. Bldg. N-247, Rm. 109. Beginning 2008, third Wednesday each month, same location. Guests welcome. Info at: http://www.afeu.org. POC: Paul K. Davis, ext. 4-5916. The Hispanic Advisory Committee for Excellence (HACE) Mtg. month, 11:45 a.m. 12:45 p.m., Bldg. N-255, Rm. 101C. POC: Eric Kristich, ext. 4-5137 and Mark Leon, ext. 4-6498. Jetstream Toastmasters Mondays, 12 p.m. 1 p.m., Bldg. N-269/Rm.179. POC: Miwa Hayashi, ext. 4-1397, mhayashi@mail.arc.nasa. gov. Web: http://jetstream.freetoasthost.com Ames Mac Support Group Mtg., third Tuesday of each month, 11:30 a.m.to 1 p.m., Bldg. N-262, Rm 180. POC: Tony ext. 4-0340. Ames Model Aircraft Club, trolled aircraft at the north end of Parsons Ave. on weekend mornings. POC: Mark Sumich, ext. 4-6193. Native American Advisory Committee Mtg. fourth Tuesday each month, 12 noon 1 p.m., Bldg. 19, Rm 1096. POC: Mike Liu, ext. 4-1132. Ames Nimble Knitters Club every Tuesday at 11:30 a.m., Bldg. N-241/Rm 237. POC: Alexander at ext. 4-3140. URL: http://knit.arc. nasa.gov Ames Safety Committee, third Thursday of each month, 10 a.m. 11 a.m., Bldg. N-237, arc.nasa.gov, ext. 4-3243 or Terry Reichert, treichert@mail.arc.nasa.gov, ext.-4-0375. Ames Sailing Club Mtg., second Thursday of each month (March through Nov), from 12 p.m. 1 p.m., Bldg. N-262, Rm. 100. URL: http://sail.arc.nasa.gov/. POC: Becky Hooey, ext. 4-2399. Safety Data NASA-Ames Occupational Illness-Injury Data for Calendar Year-to-Date 2007 Jan. 1, 2007 Sept. 30, 2007 Civil Contractors Servants First aid cases 10 12 Lost Workday cases 0 2 Recordable cases 1 3 Restricted duty days 0 1 Above data are as of Sept. 30, 2007. May be subject to slight adjustment in the event of a new case or new information regarding an existing case.

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13 Astrogram October 2007 Exchange Information Beyond Galileo Gift Shop N-235 in the cafeteria 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., ext. 4-6873 Dont forget to purchase your baby shower, birth day, 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 oppor tunities provided to the employee and contractor 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 cur rently available for lap swim, pool parties and special events. POC -Chana Langley, Pool Manager (650) 603-8025. Memberships: single member ships: $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 gram@mail.arc.nasa.gov no later than the 10th of each month. If this falls on a weekend or holiday, then the follow ing business day becomes the dead line. 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 exten sions 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 youre too tired to drive home? What about the lodge?! Two types of rooms: Bldg. 19 (43 rooms), rate: $55/night ($5 ea addl adult); Bldg. 583 (150 rooms), rate: $45/night ($5 ea. addl adult) Moffett Field Golf Club with Tee minus 1 Grill and Sports Bar. Call (650) 603-8026. of slopes, close to lifts. Per night: $250, plus $145 cleaning fee. Two night minimum. Includes linens, 4155, DBMcKellar@aol.com. Bass Lake vacation rental, 4 mls south of Yosemite. 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. stereo w/CD player, microwv, W/D, jacuzzi, sauna, outdoor pool. Walk to lake. Close to ski ACruiseStore.com $135/night spring and fall, $173/night summer and winter (holidays higher) plus $125 cleaning fee and 12 percent Nevada room tax. Charlie (650) 743-8990. New York, 5th Ave., one fully furnished bedroom apt. in 24 hour security fbldg. overlooking Washington Square Park, $1,000/week or 3,000/month, negotiable. Call (650) 430-6977. Paris/France: Fully furnished studio. 5th arr, Latin Quarter, Notre Dame and Lie-St. Louis, $1,400/ week, negotiable. Call (650) 430-6977. Santa Cruz townhouse, 2 bedrooms plus study, 2 baths, decks, totally furnished, 3 blocks from per month. Call (831) 423-5777 (H) or (831) 2778476 (C). Lake Tahoe cabin rental in Agate Bay, North Shore. 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 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 Matt (408) 482-5286 South Lake Tahoe cozy home backs up to large Sleeps 11, 3 bd/2.5 ba. Large deck with hot tub. Matt (408) 482-5286. Miscellaneous 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. Transportation Only 51,000 miles. Automatic, 4 cylinder, 2WD, 4 door, red and in excellent condition. $9,950. Call R. Smith (408) 926-4747. to be awarded at the PM Challenge Confer ence in Daytona Beach, Fl., on Feb. 26, 2008. The purpose of this award is to recognize leadership, excellence, innovation and agility The award is intended for both NASA projects that actively use their contractor ment and forecasting of their contracted guidelines are encouraged to apply. For details on the application process, visit the award Web site located at: http:// Wescott at Phoebe.L.Wescott@nasa.gov. EVM award to be pre sented at PM Challenge

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14 Astrogram October 2007 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 Ames Research Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Managing Editor......................Michael Mewhinney Editor, Layout and Design...................Astrid Olson mail.arc.nasa.gov or by phone at (650) 604-3347. Astrogram Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/ ames/astrogram. Another presentation in the Aero nautics Technical Seminar series was given recently by Richard Jehlen, director, Planning and System Operations Services, Federal left, and Chief National Airspace System Architect Diana Liang. This tied directly to key research issues currently being explored by NASAs Next Generation Air Transporta Airportal projects. In early October, 18 teams com peted in a culinary cook-off. Lots of people were out to sample the awe some chili which began at 11 a.m. This years theme was sports and all the booths were decorated to the hilt. Participants got to enjoy their skills in the batting cage, golf radar driving range, speed pitch cage, 3 pointer football and slap shot hockey. The free peanuts, cracker jacks, cot ton candy and ice cream cups were a smash hit. Chili cook off awards went to: Peoples choice 1st place team Asani (Code TI) 2nd place team Steroids We Sizzle! (Code D) 3rd place team Chili Colorado Buffalos (Code RCM Leo Magazu) Judges Choice 1st place team NFAC is Back (Code U) 2nd place team Hog Wild (Code RM machine shop 3rd place team Knockout Chili (Code YS) Best Presentation NFAC Is Back (Code U) 5 Alarm Knockout Chili (Code YS) Teams compete for votes at Ames annual chili cook-off Aeronautics Technical seminar held NASA photo by Eric James Ames employees participating in the recent chili cook-off held recently at the center. NASA photos by Jon-Pierre Wiens


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