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

Communication for the Information Technology Age

October 2003

amesnews.arc.nasa.gov

UARC signals creative approach to NASA research, business

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

NASA and one of the nation’s larg-est and most prestigious university sys-tems have launched a bold new researchcollaboration, signaling a new way ofdoing business at the space agency –and throughout the coun-try.

During a news confer-ence held Sept. 22 in theNASA Ames ConferenceCenter (formerly theMTCC), NASA and Uni-versity of California offi-cials announced they havesigned a 10-year contractvalued at more than $330million, a first-of-its-kindfor NASA, to establish aUniversity Affiliated Re-search Center (UARC).

The University of Cali-fornia at Santa Cruz(UCSC) will manage theUARC as the lead campuson the project. Officials saythe UARC will provide aunique combination of re-search and educational ca-pabilities to meet NASA’smission requirements andto develop future humanresources in technology and science.

“The UARC moves NASA and uni-versity collaborations in a whole newdirection,” said G. Scott Hubbard, Amescenter director. “Typically, universitiesfocus on fundamental research. Withthe new UARC, we are breaking downtraditional institutional barriers to col-laborate on mission-driven research thatis on NASA's critical path,” he added.

“This collaboration brings togetherideal partners for innovation,” com-mented M.R.C. Greenwood, UC SantaCruz chancellor. “This is a singular op-portunity to advance important and po-tentially world-changing research,” sheadded.

“Our campus’ keen interest in thisproject is supported by recognized re-search achievements and previous suc-cess in multidisciplinary and collabora-tive projects, such as the national Centerfor Adaptive Optics,” Greenwood con-tinued. “The distinguished team of UC

participants and our partners at SanJosé State and the Foothill DeAnza Com-munity College District are eager to com-mence work with our NASA col-leagues,” she said.

The creation of the UARC will surelyprove to be a very significant event inNASA history. The NASA-UCSCUARC is the first significant new part-nership of a federal research laboratorywith a major university system in morethan 45 years. Nothing like this has oc-curred since the birth of the Los AlamosNational Lab. and NASA’s adoption ofthe Jet Propulsion Lab.

California Congresswoman ZoeLofgren and staff members from theoffices of congressional representativesAnna Eshoo, Mike Honda and Sam Farrattended the mid-morning news con-ference that was followed by a festiverecognition luncheon in the conferencecenter’s grand ballroom. State SenatorBruce McPherson and C. Judson King,provost and senior vice president, aca-demic affairs, University of California,also were in attendance, as were repre-sentatives from the cities of MountainView and Sunnyvale.

The announcement received consid-erable coverage in local news media,including KCBS news radio, the SanFrancisco Chronicle, San José MercuryNews, Oakland Tribune, Space Daily,

Mountain View Voice, Tri-Val-ley Herald, Silicon Valley Busi-ness Journal, Federal Com-puter Week, The Scientist, PaloAlto Daily News and Wash-ington Fax.

NASA officials said thenew UARC will provide Ameswith additional research ca-pabilities to fulfill NASA’smission requirements. TheUARC’s educational missionwill enable students and uni-versity researchers to workside by side with Ames re-searchers on mission-criticalproblems to benefit the agencyand the nation. Overall, theUARC will provide long-termcontinuity of top-tier researchtalent focused on NASA’sgrowing multidisciplinarymission needs.

The close collaborationwith an established universitysystem will enable the UARC

to offer career opportunities to attractand retain the best researchers. TheUARC contract will substantially expanduniversity participation from fundamen-tal research under grants and coopera-tive agreements, to mission-driven re-search under task order contracts.

The total estimated cost-plus-awardfee for the base period is $119 million;the total estimated cost-plus award feefor option period one is $82 million; thetotal estimated cost-plus-award fee foroption period two is $132 million.

The 10-year period of performanceconsists of a five-year base period fol-lowed by two-year and three-year op-tions. The university began phase-in op-erations in September 2003, with fullcontract responsibility starting Decem-ber 2003 and continuing through Au-gust 2013.

BY MICHAEL MEWHINNEY

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (far left) addresses the audience at the recentUARC rollout while Ames Center Director G. Scott Hubbard (second fromleft), UCSC Chancelor M.R.C. Greenwood (second from right) and U.C.Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs C. Judson King (farright) look on.

Astrogram October 20032

Air Expo draws in the crowds at Moffett Field

Budget formulation ‘go-live’ set for Oct. 27The IFMP Budget Formulation (BF)

module is scheduled to ‘go-live’ at allNASA centers this month. The BF mod-ule has two scheduled releases that sup-port both center and agency budgetaryprocesses. Release 0.5 is scheduled forrelease in October 2003 and will supportbottoms-up budget formulation capa-bility at each center. Release 1.0 is sched-uled for February 2004 and will supporttop-down changes and guidance capa-bility required by NASA Headquarters.Each of the releases will be rolled out toall NASA centers at one time—in otherwords, there will be no ‘pilot’ center orimplementation in center groupings asthere was with Core Financial. First useof the BF module will be the develop-ment of the FY06 Pre-POP.

To keep leaders informed of projectprogress and upcoming training, the BFteam has attended many directorate staffmeetings, presented at the programmanagers meeting, provided systemdemonstrations to user communities,and began ‘download’ training to pre-pare trainers and floaters for hands-onclassroom training. In addition, a BF‘resource room’ has been set up to pro-vide end users with an opportunity toexperience the system in advance oftraining.

End users received their individualtraining schedules in mid-September.The schedules outlined a suite of coursesincluding Web-based and instructor-fa-cilitated, full-cost training and hands-

on system role based training. The full-cost Web-based course, or full-cost 101,can be found at https://fullcost.hq.nasa.gov. The full-cost in-structor facilitated sessions began inSeptember and were tailored to teach BFend users how to use the module in afull-cost environment. System hands-on, instructor-led training (ILT) will be-gin this month. The BF project team hasworked hard to balance the training re-quirements for the module with the mul-titude of other center activities associ-ated with year-end closeout and FY04start-up.

Currently, 338 individuals havemapped themselves to roles in the BFmodule at Ames, approximately 90 ofwhom will only access informationaloutput of the new system in the form ofreports. The Ames training strategycorresponds with functionality in Re-lease 0.5 for bottoms-up planning andincludes approximately 248 end usersin training now through December. Theother 90 users will be trained after Re-lease 1.0 to correspond with the report-ing functionality provided in that re-lease. For more details regarding bud-get formulation schedules, roles, andtraining visit the Web at: http://i f m p . a r c . n a s a . g o v / m o d u l e -budgetformulation.html.

Questions regarding budget formu-lation can be addressed to:budgetformulation@mail.arc.nasa.gov

This year's show celebrated the 100th anniversaryof human flight and was dedicated to theastronauts of space shuttle Columbia. Spectatorswere treated to non-stop action by some of thecountry's best aerial performers as they went head-to-head to perform their best. Many employeesfrom Ames helped staff the NASA Ames tent next tohistoric Hangar One, which housed the exhibitsfrom highlighting intelligent flight control, air trafficmanagement tools, rotorcraft, the StratosphericObservatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) andmany other new and emerging technologies.

NASA photos by Steve Arimura

The Hispanic Engineer NationalAchievement Awards Corporation(HENAAC) and Technica magazinerecently announced the HENAAC’s2003 award winners. Jolen Flores,Ph.D., chief, Advanced Aircraft andPowered Lift Branch, was selectedfor the Outstanding TechnicalAchievement Award in Government.

Winners in various categories areamong this nation’s best and bright-est engineers and scientists. Winnersare selected by the HENAAC selec-tion committee, which is an indepen-dent group of representatives fromindustry, government and academia.The selection committee was chairedby the dean of the College of Engi-neering at the University of Texas atAustin.

This year’s awards were pre-sented Oct. 17 in Austin during theHENAAC’s 15th Annual AwardsConference. A representative of AmesCenter Director G. Scott Hubbard wason hand to present the award to Flores,who is the first Ames employee toreceive such a prestigious award.

Flores receivesengineer award

3Astrogram October 2003

Ames students make West Nile Virus risk map for MontereyA map showing the potential risk of

West Nile virus being carried by mos-quitoes in Monterey County is the prod-uct of four students who worked thissummer at NASA Ames.

The students made ground surveysof mosquito habitats and matched theirdata with satellite pictures and data tomake a countywide map that officialsare using to help deploy mosquito abate-ment teams and equipment. The collegeand high school students used a com-puter program that creates maps withspecial color-coding to identify objectsand areas on the ground as varied asspecific crops, animal habitats and ur-ban areas. This type of computer pro-gram helps scientists analyze and man-age large numbers of digital images andother information.

“The students for the first time haveproduced a risk map for the humanpopulation in Monterey County, whichincludes the general area of Carmel,Calif.,” said Jay Skiles, an Ames researchscientist and mentor for the student team.“The map shows the location of at-riskhumans who are 55 and older and theirproximity to West Nile virus-carryingmosquito habitat.”

The virus causes a version of thesometimes-fatal disease encephalitis thatresults in inflammation of the brain andspinal cord. The student study and mapenable Monterey County officials tomore effectively direct their mosquitoabatement program to areas where theWest Nile virus would most likely affecthuman beings, according to Skiles. Thestudents made a presentation about theirstudy to the county board of supervi-sors in September. In addition, the stu-dents made presentations to the West-ern Governors’ Association in Septem-ber in Montana and will later present tothe National Mosquito and Vector Con-trol Conference in Georgia.

Students sampled standing waterto gather evidence of mosquitoes thatcan carry the West Nile virus. The teamcorrelated ground observations with sat-ellite imagery to identify countywidemosquito habitat.

“We did field work to identify veg-etation that is associated with mosquitohabitat,” said Emily Clary, a team mem-ber who is a student pursuing a masterof science degree in geography at theUniversity of New Mexico, Albuquer-que, N.M.

Specific combinations of variouslycolored light frequencies and other en-ergy reflected by the surface of the Earthserve as spectral ‘fingerprints’ that thestudents used to zero in on where mos-quitoes breed. The satellite pictures anddata enable scientists to observe andanalyze wide areas that otherwise could

not be accurately surveyed without thehelp of thousands of volunteers on theground.

The virus was first documented inNorth America in 1999, according tostudent ElizabethBallif of Utah StateUniversity. “Lastyear alone over4,000 human caseswere reported, re-sulting in nearly300 deaths,” Ballifsaid.

“What’s re-ally important isthat students rec-ommended addi-tional mosquitosurveillance inplaces where thecounty isn’t doingsurveillance,” saidCynthia Schmidt,‘Develop’ pro-gram coordinatorat Ames. ‘De-velop,’ a studentapplications andworkforce devel-opment program,focuses on thecommunity ben-efits of Earth sci-ence.

“The countywill be forewarned of the presence of thevirus before it hits populated areas,”Schmidt added.

The Western Governors’ Associa-tion in Denver announced in May theselection of students from western uni-versities who received training and in-ternships in applied Earth science, in-cluding remote sensing. Remote sens-ing is the use of satellite and aerial im-ages to monitor and investigate envi-ronmental, health, agricultural and otherissues.

“This summer, the students learnedskills such as remote sensing, image in-terpretation and geographic informa-tion system techniques,” Skiles said.

“It seemed like what we were doingis actually putting out a useful prod-uct,“ said 16-year-old Kevin Hsu, a stu-dent at Gunn High School in Palo Alto.“A lot of the NASA scientists were veryhelpful and willing to share. It was quiteexciting to work with people at levelsfrom high school up to graduate level,”Hsu added. He is the only high schoolstudent on the West Nile virus team.

The other team members, theirschools and the degrees they are pursu-ing are: Ballif, of Utah State University,bachelor of science, geography; and AlexHogel, of the University of Utah, bach-

elor of science, geography. The univer-sity students took part in the ‘Develop’program. Student teams research state,tribal and local problems and create 3-Dcomputerized visualizations to help gov-

ernment and industry better understandhow NASA technology can help withissues of community concern.

Other students working in the ‘De-velop’ program at NASA Ames are con-ducting studies of the Pyramid LakePaiute tribe reservation in Nevada. Theprimary objectives of this project are touse remote sensing and ground-basedmethods to map and monitor invasiveand noxious plant species that are rap-idly encroaching upon the northernNevada territory. The project also in-cludes organizing new and existing datato create a database of information aboutwildfire fuel on the reservation.

The Applications Division ofNASA’s Earth Science Enterprise fundsthe program. The Western Governors’Association is an independent, nonprofitorganization representing the governorsof 18 states, American Samoa, Guamand the Northern Mariana Islands.

Images of the Monterey CountyWest Nile virus risk map and otherpublication-size images are availableon the Internet at: http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/releases/2 0 0 3 / 0 3 i m a g e s / w e s t n i l e /westnile.htm.

BY JOHN BLUCK

A West Nile virus risk map showing the potential risk of West Nile virusbeing carried by mosquitoes in Monterey County is the product of fourstudents who worked this summer at NASA Ames as part of the ‘Develop’program. The students made ground surveys of mosquito habitats andmatched their data with satellite pictures and data to make a countywidemap that officials are using to help deploy mosquito-abatement teamsand equipment.

Astrogram October 20034

Safety is a 'OneNASA' ongoing endeavorThe investigation of the Columbia

tragedy revealed the need for NASA toimprove its ability to verify engineeringand safety standards; share technicalinformation, practices and talent; andindependently assess the ability toachieve mission success.

To this end, NASA Administrator

Sean O'Keefe announced in July the es-tablishment of the NASA Engineeringand Safety Center (NESC). As char-tered, the NESC will provide indepen-dent technical expertise to evaluate prob-lems and supplement safety and engi-neering activities for agency programsand projects.

That's a big order. It's also a stimu-lating ‘OneNASA’ opportunity.

"The NESC will draw on the engi-neering talents of the best minds acrossthe agency's 10 field centers," said Lan-gley Director Roy D. Bridges, Jr.

O'Keefe has tasked Bridges with thedevelopment and start-up of the NESC.

"Roy's experience as an aviator andshuttle pilot and his intimate knowl-edge of the intricate shuttle system andother advanced aerospace systems makehim the right person to lead this criticalinitiative," said O'Keefe.

The NESC will take policy directionfrom Bryan O'Connor, associate admin-istrator for the Office of Safety and Mis-sion Assurance.

"In addition to NASA expertise, theNESC will also tap the nation's top ex-perts in industry, department of defense,national laboratories and universities,"said O'Connor. "We have a responsibil-ity to make our programs as safe andreliable as we know how. The NESCenables us to more completely fulfill ourcommitments for assessing risk and

making better risk acceptance decisions."What the NESC is and is not

The NESC will provide centralizedmanagement of independent engineer-ing assessment. NESC experts will usestate-of-the-art tools and methods andwill have the benefit of adequate fund-ing to perform truly independent as-

sessments andtrend analysis.Because NASAwill fund theNESC at the cor-porate level, anunprecedentedlevel of indepen-dence will exist.

The NESCdoes not relieveprogram manag-ers from their re-sponsibility forsafety. Instead,NESC initiativeswill complementthe engineeringand safety effortsof programs andcenters. TheNESC's credibil-ity and its inde-pendent chain ofcommand will as-sure consider-

ation of all points of view on complextechnical issues.How can you help?

The NESC will be based at the Lan-gley Research Center, Hampton, Va.,and will have a management office con-sisting of approximately 30-40 full-time BY MARNY SKORALANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER

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Langley Director Roy D. Bridges Jr. (right) selected Ralph Roe (left) as hisspecial assistant to manage the implementation of the NASAEngineering and Safety Center.

employees.Another 30-50 senior engineering

and safety experts will be located at thecenters but assigned full-time to theNESC. This workforce will be supple-mented through partnerships with ex-ternal organizations.

Finally, ‘ready-experts’ at each fieldcenter will be a vital part of the team.From across the agency, 150-200 expertsin a variety of technical specialties willbe called upon for peer review and cri-tique of flight rationale, mission require-ments, testing, trending, lessons learnedand the like.

Bridges has chosen Ralph Roe as hisspecial assistant to develop the NESC'simplementation plan.

"It's a tremendous responsibility buta stimulating opportunity, said Roe."While the NESC is one of several initia-tives in returning the shuttle to safe flight,its broader objectives include strength-ening and expanding the agency's safety,mission assurance and engineering dis-ciplines for major NASA programs. TheNESC is a 'OneNASA' effort that willinvolve all NASA facilities and the toptechnical experts in NASA and our part-ner institutions."What do you have to offer the NESC?

The NESC is currently seeking theagency's best talent to be a part of thisimportant NASA endeavor. If you areintrigued by this career opportunity, visitthe Web at: http://nesc.nasa.gov

The NESC point of contact at Amesis Tina Panontin at ext. 4-6757 or e-mailtina.l.panontin@nasa.gov

The Ames Safety Suggestion Committee, shown here at a recent meeting, meets quarterly toevaluate employee suggestions to improve health and safety conditions at the center. Thecommittee is comprised of representatives from each directorate. So far, the committee haspresented one financial award per quarter since April. Suggestions may be sent to S. Lomasat Mail Stop: 221-10 or e-mail at: slomas@mail.arc.nasa.gov.

Ames’ Safety Suggestion evaluation

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5Astrogram October 2003

Environmental Management Systems(EMS) required at NASA centers

Executive Order 13148 Greeningthe Government through Leadershipin Environmental Management andNPG 8553.1 require NASA to have aformal Environmental ManagementSystem (EMS). An EMS is a systemthat (1) incorporates people, proce-dures and work practices in a formalstructure to ensure that the impor-tant environmental impacts of the or-ganization are identified and ad-dressed; (2) promotes continual im-provement by periodically evaluat-ing environmental performance; 3)involves all members of the organi-zation as appropriate; and (4) activelyinvolves senior management in sup-port of the environmental manage-ment program. The purpose of theagency EMS is to have a single overallagency approach to managing envi-ronmental activities that allow for ef-

ficient, prioritized program execu-tion.

NASA and Ames’ EMS proce-dures and guidelines (NPG 8553.1and APG 8800.3) require that theAmes community is made aware ofthe EMS and the environmental im-pacts of Ames’ activities.

The chart below describes thegeneral distribution of environmen-tal aspects by directorate, and thusimpacts, at NASA Ames as of De-cember 2002.

If you have specific inquiriesconcerning the above information,contact Christel VanArsdale, envi-ronmental protection specialist, atext. 4-1175 or John Scarboro, EMScoordinator at ext. 4-6965. Furtherinformation is on the Web at: http://q/qe/ems/.

RIACS students graduate, tour computer museumRecently, this year’s RIACS sum-

mer students toured the Computer His-tory Museum in Mountain View. The

purpose of the Research Institute forAdvanced Science (RIACS) summer stu-dent program is to provide talenteduniversity students in the informationsciences the opportunity to spend a 10-week session learning with researchersat NASA Ames to address informationtechnology challenges of future NASAmissions. The student may also be in-vited by the mentor to return the follow-ing summer as an intern.

RIACS research focuses on four cor-nerstones of information technology re-search: autonomous systems, human-centered computing, high-performancecomputing and networking, applica-tions of information technology, all nec-

essary to meet the future challenges ofNASA missions.

The students were presented with

certificates of completion and given aspecial tour of the museum by volunteerdocents, ending with a reception. TheComputer History Museum hosts bothreal and virtual exhibits. It is home toone of the largest collections of comput-ing artifacts in the world, a collectioncomprising over 4,000 artifacts, 10,000images, 4,000 linear feet of cataloged

documentation and gigabytes of soft-ware. The Computer History Museumis located at 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd. inMountain View and opened its alphaphase to the public in June 2003. Moreinformation can be found at: http://computerhistory.org/

RIACS 2003 summer student graduates.

The Burroughs ILLIAC IV hard disk drive,US, 1975. This was a gift from NASA Amesto the Computer History Museum.

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BY ANIL JINDIA

Astrogram October 20036

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Complain and gripe

Greenleaf receives international award for researchJohn Greenleaf of Ames and the

Ames Center for Gravitational BiologyResearch (CGBR) has received recogni-tion as he was awarded ‘the Interna-tional Cannes and Nestle Water Insti-tute Prize on Water and Medicine’ dur-ing the International Conference onWater in France. The citation on theaward reads: “attributed to Doctor John

Edward Greenleaf for his outstandingcontribution in various research scien-tific fields in relation with human physi-ology. Greenleaf reached significantprogress on hydration, fluid intake,thirst, thermoregulation, and physicalexercise, acclimation and muscle physi-ology.”

The International Conference onWater, among other topics, discussedwater supply in the Mediterranean seaand drew people from many interna-tional locations including the UnitedStates, northern Africa, the Middle Eastand many European countries. The vicepresident of the Swiss company Nestlein Cannes selected Greenleaf to receivethis year’s award for outstanding re-search and contributions in medical wa-ter use.

“Most of all I would like to thankNASA Ames Research Center and theGravitational Biology Research Branchmanagement for giving me an opportu-nity to conduct physiological researchin Ames laboratories over 39 years,which have contibuted to this award,”said Greenleaf.

Greenleaf’s primary work was inthe areas of life sciences, environmentaland human physiology, astronaut

health, water intake and water qualityduring space flight, gravitational physi-ology, thermoregulation, decondition-ing, cardiovascular and fluid regulationresearch and exercise physiology.

Greenleaf studied body fluid andblood parameters and temperature regu-lation in response to induced fluid shifts.He conducted tilt-table, water-immer-sion and bed-rest studies on both maleand female subjects in order to study themechanism involved in deconditioning/adaptation to microgravity. He has alsoformulated AstroAde, a hyperhydrationfluid that has been used by astronauts.

Greenleaf received an undergradu-ate degree in physical education fromthe University of Illinois; an M.A. inphysical education from the New MexicoHighlands University; and an M.S. andPh.D. in physiology from the Universityof Illinois. He has held adjunct professo-rial appointments at San Francisco StateUniversity, the University of California,Davis and San José State University.

He has been a principle investigatorand the science director for the human-powered centrifuge and has presentedand published more than 380 papers inthe general areas of thermal regulationand fluid balance in journals such asRegulatory, Integrative and Compara-

tive Physiology, Journal of AppliedPhysiology, publications of the Institutefor Adaptive and Space Flight Physiol-ogy and many European journals. Hehas also edited and peer-reviewed morethan 100 papers.

Greenleaf is a fellow of the Aero-space Medical Association and theAmerican College of Sports Medicine;an associate fellow of the American In-stitute of Aeronautics and Astronautics;and an honorary fellow of the PolishSociety of Sports Medicine. He is therecipient of the George Huff Award forScholarship; a NASA Special Achieve-ment award; the Aerospace Medical As-sociation Harold Ellingson Award forbest scientific paper in aviation, space,and environmental medicine; the EricLiljencrantz award; the University ofIllinois Department of Molecular andIntegrative Physiology DistinguishedAlumni award; and the New MexicoHighlands University DistinguishedAlumni award. His other professionalaffiliations include membership in theAmerican Physiological Society, the In-ternational Society for GravitationalPhysiology and the Society of Sigma Xi.

John Greenleaf

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This information session for thespring and fall 2004 semesters will pro-vide an overview of Carnegie MellonUniversity’s (CMU's) innovative, learn-ing-by-doing master of science degreeprograms.

Date: Thursday, Oct. 30Time: 7:00 p.m. -- 9:00 p.m.Location: Carnegie Mellon University (CMU),

West Coast Campus Building 23, First Floor Moffett Field, CA 94035

These programs are designed toaccommodate the needs of both work-ing professionals and full-time studentsand offer several specialties, includingsoftware engineering, software devel-opment technologies, management ofsoftware systems development, e-busi-ness technology and learning sciences.

Roger Schank, chief education of-ficer at Carnegie Mellon West, will givea presentation about the program. Fac-ulty from software engineering, e-busi-ness technology and learning scienceswill talk about the specifics of eachprogram. A brief question-and-answer

session will be held after the talks.Rather than working in a traditional

classroom setting, students work inteams on authentic projects and ‘learnby doing.’ They are coached by CMUfaculty and experienced industrial prac-titioners to learn knowledge and skillsjust in time, and they are evaluated onwhat they produce according to profes-sional standards. Each program con-cludes with an intensive practicum inwhich students apply their newly ac-quired skills to a complex, real-worldproblem. Although the program is in itsearly stages, initial results are quitepromising; industrial partners arehappy, and as one student put it, "thingsyou learn on Monday, you can apply atwork on Wednesday."

CMU programs are available on-line for remote employees.

RSVP to Deniz Lanyi at (650) 603-7020 or e-mail to:deniz@west.cmu.edu

Carnegie Mellon information session set

BY VERONIKA SOUKHOVITSKAYA

7Astrogram October 2003

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While time rolls by

Combined Federal Campaign kicks off at NASA Ames‘United we stand, united we give.’

This is the pledge that hundreds of Amesemployees will make when they donateto the 2003 Combined Federal Campaign(CFC) that launches this month.

“The last few years have been chal-lenging for our nation,” said VictoriaSteiner, CFC chairwoman. “This seemslike the perfect time for all of us to come

together and contribute to make thisworld a better place to live in.”

The CFC is the best way for federalemployees to support the causes thatmake a difference, according to Steiner.It is a collaborative way that providesemployees an opportunity to improvethe quality of life in their home town, intheir state, across the country and inter-nationally.

The CFC campaign started on Oct. 6and will continue for six weeks untilNov. 14. During this time, a group ofdevoted volunteers will be distributingthe brochures and collecting the contri-butions from Ames employees in theirorganizations.

“To succeed, we need to have thesupport from the entire Ames commu-nity,” said Joe DeMaio, CFC’s deputychairman.

Ames’ senior management encour-ages all civil servants to share with thosein need and those who will be there tohelp us.

“Combined Federal Campaign isour chance to support the organizationsthat help each of us survive during timesof need, whether it be a natural disasteror personal hardships,” said Ames’

Deputy Center Director G. Allen Flynt.“By contributing to the CFC, we canmake sure that these organizations willhave the means to be there for us andour neighbors in the future.”

Whatever is important to you, thereis an organization that shares your pas-sion. From working with children andcleaning the air, to providing shelter foranimals and assisting the elderly. Butfeeling for someone is not enough. Tomake a real difference in the lives of thedisadvantaged, sick and abused, youhave to take action. Even a small contri-bution will make a difference.

CFC enables people to contribute tospecific organizations that they want to BY VICTORIA STEINER

support with very little financial im-pact. The campaign is designed to pro-vide an easy and convenient way todonate money by check, cash or payrolldeduction.

“We have a group of great peopleworking on the campaign and if anyonehas any questions or doubts where tocontribute, the CFC coordinators willguide you through the process to makesure that your contributions will go to-ward supporting the cause you careabout,” said Steiner. “We are very fortu-nate to have stable jobs and good pay.Now is the time to give something back.”

Sue Sermone, of EMQ Children Services,speaking at the recent Oct. 6 CFC kickoff event.

NASA photo by Tom Trower

Safety week celebrated at AmesOn Sept. 16, Ames Center Direc-

tor G. Scott Hubbard started off theweek-long safety celebrations with akick-off meeting, followed by keynotespeaker Brian O’Connor. On Sept. 17,Hubbard and Deputy Center Director

Allen Flynt presented the 2003 ASAP IIawards. Sept. 18 was stand-down day,where all center employees were en-

couraged to take time offfrom their regular du-ties to attend the day’sactivities; namely, thesafety street fair, whichhad various safety re-lated booths, vendors,free chair massages, mu-sic by the Ames JazzBand and more. The FallFun Run and Walk wasalso held on Sept. 18 andspecial safety and healthclasses were offered eachday of that same week.

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It was the closest race ever at the Fall Fun Run and Walk event withBruce Storms winning with a time of 9:58 minutes, one secondahead of Steve Stowers. The fastest woman was AdrianeSteinwalker.

Upper left and right: safetydisplays at the recent safety fair.

Astrogram October 20038

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Or help fix things

‘One NASA’ team members meet to discuss the ‘OneNASA’ rollout atAmes. Team members include representatives from NASA Headquarters,JPL, Marshall and Ames. Greg Schmidt, (fourth from left), associatedirector for Strategic Planning for the Astrobiology and Space Directorate,is leading the ‘OneNASA’ rollout at Ames.

Ames will roll out NASA's ‘OneNASA’ initiative with a leader-led work-shop on Nov. 4 featuring an all hands/

town hall meeting. Afterwards, selectedAmes staff from all codes and divisionswill be invited to attend six focusedbreakout sessions on ‘OneNASA’ initia-tives such as collaborative science andfull-cost accounting.

Ames to implement ‘OneNASA’ rollout with town hall meetingTaking part in each of these events

will be Ames Center Director G. ScottHubbard, Dr. Mary Kicza, NASA asso-

ciate administratorfor the Office ofBiological andPhysical Research,and Dr. CharlesElachi, director ofNASA's Jet Propul-sion Laboratory(JPL) in Pasadena.

"The purposeof ‘OneNASA’across the agencyis to apply eachcenter's uniquestrengths and ca-pabilities to thepursuit of oneshared NASA vi-sion," said GregSchmidt, associatedirector for strate-gic planning in theAstrobiology andSpace Research Di-

rectorate and Ames' representative onthe ‘OneNASA’ team. "With the leader-led workshop, we will focus on our rela-tionship to the NASA mission and iden-tify and leverage our strengths," he said.

All NASA centers will implement

BY CONNIE WONG

Out-of-this-world memorial for former employee Del Weathers

Del Weathers

Del Weathers, deputy chief of theAviation Systems Technology Office atAmes, passed away suddenly last Janu-ary at the age of 51, due to a cerebralaneurism. In honor of Weathers, and forhis love of space and science, his closefriend Brian Day, of Code DP, a techni-cal lead for the Ames educational tech-nology team, decided on a unique me-morial--naming a planet in his honor.

“Del had done so much in terms ofmaking contributions that were centralto NASA’s missions. He was devoted. Ithought that a memorial would be ap-propriate,” said Day.

Day contacted the InternationalAstronomical Union (IAU) who agreed.The IAU is the only body that assignsofficial names to celestial objects that arerecognized by the astronomical com-munity around the world. They do notsell names, but have a committee thatsuggests names. Lucky for Day, he knewtwo members on the committee, PamKilmarten and Brian Marsden. On May8, 2003, the planet known as 29198 wasofficially named ‘Weathers.’

Planet Weathers was discovered on

Mount Palomar in 1991. In a bizarretwist, the preliminary designation,1991DW, contains Weather’s initials.Planet Weathers is a small planet, esti-mated at 20.9 kilometers (12.95 miles) in

diameter. It falls into our sun’s orbitevery 4.19 years and moves betweenMars and Jupiter. The planet, which canbe seen by anyone with an amateur tele-scope, serves as a reminder of Weathersfor all his friends and family.

Weathers began working here in1987, and since then worked on severalimportant projects at Ames. He workedon complex systems for Space StationFreedom. Weathers knew a greatamount about the FAA and the NationalAirspace System. He had great experi-ence in the evolution of systems, tech-nologies and politics. He also had asignificant role in the development ofrevolutionizing air traffic management.

Weathers was born in FortLeavenworth, Kan. In his free time, heenjoyed adding on to or repairing hishouse.

“Del was quiet spoken and verydirect and forceful,” said Day. “He wasinterested in all kinds of things.”

Weathers leaves behind his wifeRaphine Ippoliti, son Erik and daughterKatie.

leader-led workshops. A successfulleader-led workshop was recently com-

pleted at Kennedy Space Center in Au-gust and JPL will hold theirs on Oct. 17.

Further details of Ames' rolloutevents will be provided in a centerwidee-mail. For more information about‘OneNASA,’ visit the Web at:www.onenasa.nasa.gov

9Astrogram October 2003

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You should try! af2m

Pollution prevention/sustainabilityaward nominations for 2003 sought

Ames develops comprehensive systemsanalysis and optimization process

When considering design trade-offsand competing concepts in system de-velopment, each design alternative hasadvantages and disadvantages. For ex-ample, when new technology is intro-duced to identify early failures, it alsointroduces substantial costs such as de-velopment, training, upgrades andmaintenance considerations. It is left tothe systems engineering discipline toidentify which alternative is better interms of reliability, mission achievement,life-cycle cost and many other factors.The complexity of these issues is thereason a systems analysis and optimiza-tion (SA&O) process is needed.

Ames, as the lead center for Inte-grated Vehicle Health Management(IVHM), is supporting both the NextGeneration Launch Technology (NGLT)program and the Orbital Space Plane(OSP) program. As part of that support,programmers and engineers in Codes Iand F are developing tools for applyingIVHM systems.

The systems engineering team inCode FES developed an SA&O model-ing process to provide a means forquickly assessing the benefits of IVHMtechnologies and to optimize the level ofapplication of health management tosystems and subsystems. This processhas initially been applied to a genericreusable launch vehicle.

IVHM is a system to continuouslymonitor and manage the functionalhealth of a vehicle. Its goal is to keep asystem operating safely and reliablywhile reducing maintenance time andcosts.

The SA&O process quantifies theeffects of design alternatives in terms of25 system-critical metrics. Koushik Dattaof Code QS developed the outline of thisprocess along with the Code FES IVHMteam. This process consists of a numberof models that feed data from one modelto another so as to quantify the changesin the desired metrics. This would in-clude probabilities of loss of mission,turn-around time, false alarm rate, life-cycle cost and much more. The processincorporates, in a modular fashion, sev-eral models such as cost, operations,safety, reliability, false alarm rate andmaintainability. The modular set-up al-lows the use of any available model to be

inserted in the process without forcingthe user to a specific modeling softwareor vendor.

The SA&O process also includes anoptimization strategy. This is based ontargeting dominant contributors that willimprove the metrics of interest. Thisportion of the process allows subsystemdesigners to focus their efforts on areasthat will provide significant improve-ments to the baseline design.

BY MARK LACY

BY NICK JIZE

Nominations are now being ac-cepted for the 2003 Ames P2/Sustainability Award. Do you knowsomeone who has promoted the pur-chase of recycled products, reducedwaste, promoted recycling, or who hasconserved water, energy or resources?If so, send in a nomination form so thatthat person can be recognized.

Who is eligible?Any Ames civil servant or con-

tract employee can be nominated.Groups, teams or individuals can re-ceive an award.

What is the award?Code QE presents an award to a

person or group that has helped Amessave waste, conserve resources, and/or prevent pollution. More than oneaward may be issued for a given year.Winners will receive a cash award andan official Ames P2 award certificate(contractors can only receive the cer-tificate).When?

Code QE will make at least onenomination call each year. You cansubmit nominations any time dur-ing the year, but nominations mustbe received by Dec. 31. All entrieswill be reviewed and the winningnomination(s) selected by March 1for the previous year.

How?Nomination forms are available

on the QE pollution prevention Website at: http://q.arc.nasa.gov/qe/p2/Awards/p2award/. Fill out theform completely and submit to MailStop 218-1, Attention: P2 award co-ordinator. Any questions, call MarkLacy, ext. 4-1406.

What does it take to win?No one wants more pollution,

but many do little about it. If you domore than a little and have an ex-ample to give us, then we want toknow. Saving the government re-sources is good for everyone.

Former NASA Ames employee Dorothy Jowett (1959-1965), far left, shown with her grandson's5th-grade class at Twin Lakes Elementary school in Federal Way, Wash., following her Septemberpresentation to the students using, in part, materials provided by Ames' Public Affairs Office.

The development team is continu-ing to add functionality and automationto this process. Dougal Maclise, CodeFES team leader, is looking to get feed-back from interested parties who wantto see a demonstration of the processand provide insight for future growth.Contact him at ext. 4-4084 or by e-mailat: Douglas.C.Maclise@nasa.gov.

Former employee still supports Ames

Astrogram October 200310

Under the Ames Safety Awards Pro-gram (ASAP) II, Ames recognized 93employees for their outstanding accom-plishments in improving health andsafety. ASAP II was established to rec-ognize employee actions, behavior and/or job performance that result in im-proved health and safety conditions atthe center.

There are four levels of awards, tierfour being the highest level of achieve-ment. The ASAP II board evaluateseach nomination and selects the tier levelthat most represents the actions and ac-complishments of that nomination.

A team of nine individuals receivedthe highest team award. The team wasrecognized for its proactive effort to planand prepare for a credible disaster. Thenames of the awardees are listed below.

Wind Tunnel DisasterPreparation TeamMike Liu, Frank Kmak, Steve Ord, DanBufton, Phil Stich, Scott Nikodym JoeCruz, Jim Prunty and Morrow Whitcomb

Tier Level 2 - Individual awardsNicholas Scott, Dana Lynch, ThomasSpalding, Mark Fonda and Linda Jahnke

Tier Level 2 - Team awardsLockheed Martin Training Data Base:Marvin Christensen and John Livacich

Tier Level 1 - Individual awardsStephen Gila, Thomas Spalding, MarilynVasques, Jan Aikins, Christina Ojeda,Victor Lagman, George Sloup, SylviaAsano, Jay Nuez, Julie Nottage, JacobCohen, Marcy Chaussee, Karin Perkinsand Doug Fraser

Tier Level 1 - Team awardsCode JFF and JFS Building 19 Clean-upTeam:Keith Venter, Eric Kristich, Greg Bennett,David Yee and Kline (Wes) Gidcumb

SOFIA Lower Flexible Door TechnicalSupport Team:David Ackard and Greg Williams

Chemical Management Task ForceBob Dorn, Julie Nottage, Doug Hudgins,Tony Trias, Jim Busby, Herman Santos,Dana Bolles, John Steen, MarilynVasques, Benita Kent, CharlesChamberlin, Dee Morrison, Christy Ray-Hagenau, Patrick Hogan, Liz Hills andJay Nuez, Valerie Stone-Reeve, Suzanne

Meyer, Dan Winningham and MikeBasta

Unknown Substance Exercise - Collec-tive TeamsJill Moudy, Lynn Bala, Lee Bradford,Paul Brown, Rob Clark, Randy Layne,Dave Ofwono, Michael Promes, RamseyRazik, Christy Ray-Hagenau, ErikRockwell, Phil Ting, Simcoe Walmsley,Ted Ward, Tim Cetera, Chad Sanchez,Simon Price, Rafael Bustamante, CarlJohnson, Cameron Gazaway, Tony Fada,Scott Dutro, Mark Bingham, DaveDejesus, Dan Nguyen, Scott Bingham,Randall Vincent, Paul Esposito, JuanCortez and Liesel Short

Ames third quarter safety awards presentedCode S Laboratories of ExcellenceWarren Belisle, Arthur Weber, EstherWeber and Nicholas Scott

Enterprise Advisory Services (EASI)Contractor - Proactive Safety EmployeeOrientationJohn Watkins and Stephen Voels

Erogonomic Evaluation TeamMiriam Glazer and Deborah Hunter

Each of these employees and teamswas nominated by their colleagues fortheir outstanding actions and accom-plishments in improving health andsafety conditions at Ames.

It’s a helicopter, it’s a plane, no, it'sthe XV-15. The little aircraft that helpedArmy and NASA Ames researchersprove that the tilt rotor concept has greatpotential for military and civilian usetook its place in what could be called'aviation's hall of fame,' the National Airand Space Museum's (NASM) newSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center nearWashington Dulles International Air-port in Virginia.

On Sept. 16, the XV-15 dazzled theaudience with its final flight demonstra-tion before finally retiring with over 25years of exceptional service.

"The event was spectacular! Thefinal flight demo was as exciting as thefirst demo I observed over 20 years ago,"said John Zuk "The XV-15 is now whereit rightly deserves to be - honoring it forthe seminal contributions to aviationhistory."

After the flight demonstration,NASA and the U.S. Army officially trans-ferred the XV-15 to the National Air andSpace Museum as Dr. Victor Lebacqz,acting associate administrator forNASA's Office of Aerospace Technol-ogy, handed the XV-15's flight logbookto Gen. J.R."Jack" Dailey, director of theNASM.

"The XV-15 was one of NASA's mostsuccessful research aircraft and is a primeexample of the cutting-edge aerospaceresearch NASA is known for," saidLebacqz. "The transfer of the XV-15 tothe National Air and Space Museumcontinues a NASA tradition of return-ing aerospace achievements to the

American public," he said.Tilt rotors are a unique type of air-

craft that possess the take-off, hover andlanding capabilities of a conventional

helicopter with the range and speed of aturboprop aircraft. Tilt rotor flight re-search began in the 1950s with the BellXV-3 convertiplane.

Using lessons learned from the XV-3, NASA Ames, in partnership with theU.S. Army, developed design specifica-tions for a new aircraft to demonstratethe viability of the tilt rotor concept.After extensive ground, wind tunnel andsimulator tests at Ames, the first of twoXV-15s, built by Bell Helicopter Textron,

Four former NASA Ames XV-15 pilots whoattended the recent XV-15 ceremony, fromleft to right: Dan Dugan, Ricky Simmons(now a BA 609 certification pilot with theFAA), Warren Hall and George Tucker.

continued on back page

Tilt rotor aircraft joins National Airand Space Museum collection

11Astrogram October 2003

VIVA Technology Day program kicks off at AmesIn June, 100 San José 6th-grade

students at Clyde L. Fischer MiddleSchool participated in NASA Ames’launching of the first VIVA Technology

Day, the first phase of VIVA technology,an exciting K-12 technology awarenessprogram developed by the Hispanic En-gineer National Achievement AwardsCorporation (HENAAC) and imple-mented through a grant from the NASAAmes Equal Opportunity Programs Of-fice through the Minority University Re-search and Education Program(MUREP).

This is to be the start of a series ofprograms targeting middle and highschool students that are seriouslyunderrepresented in science, technol-ogy, engineering and math (STEM)fields. The VIVA technology three-dayprogram involves a teacher orientation,parent orientation and a VIVA Technol-ogy Day for students. Local collegestudents majoring in engineering andscience are also included in the programto act as captains for the young studentteams. The goal is to expose these youngpeople to NASA and higher educationin the hopes that they in turn will pursuea technical degree.

Created to bring the excitement ofmath, engineering and science careersto students in inner city and rural class-rooms across the nation, the VIVA Tech-nology Day challenges students through

competitive team activities based on keyaeronautic concepts such as: how wingslift the plane; laws of motion; control-ling the flight of the plane; the sound

barrier; and re-gimes of flight.

Teams of stu-dents studied andinteracted withtheir college engi-neering and sci-ence captains fromSan José State andSanta Clara Uni-versity to preparefor a 25- questionmultiple- choicequiz on the keyaeronautic con-cepts. Secondly,the teams workedon the engineeringdesign process todevelop the planeof the future for theyear 2103. Stu-dents had tosketch a 2-D plane,prepare a 3-D clayreplication of thesketch and design

a poster board concept paper.The students also interacted with

dynamic professional speakers from thetechnical arena such as Seth Carter,NASA Ames Robotics Education Cen-ter; Lt. Col. Edward Cabrera of the U.S.Air Force; and Patricia Romero-Cronin,V.P., Global and e-Business Services andIntegrations for IBM.

The parent orientation, presentedin both English and Spanish, gave par-ents an opportunity to learn about whattheir children had experienced earlier inthe day. They also learned about themany career opportunities in scienceand engineering. Other discussions cov-ered topics such as how best to helpstudents prepare to pursue technical de-grees, which high school courses andtests are critical to this pursuit, and ef-fective summer programs and campsthat enhance student math and scienceperformance. The teacher orientationfocused on how math and science teach-ers can enhance classroom learning byusing the video series, Math and Sciencein the Real World, along with The Fu-tures Channel teacher lesson plans andthe VIVA technology student planner.

The second part of the VIVA tech-nology launch was aimed at high school

students. Overfelt High School in EastSan José launched the first high schoolprogram. Surrounded by NASA postersof our magnificent galaxy, studentscouldn’t help but feel like NASA scien-tists. Led by their college captains fromSan José State University, Santa ClaraUniversity and U.C. Berkeley, the stu-dent teams assessed and analyzed setsof images from Mars. Their objectivewas to answer 60 thought-provokingquestions to the best of their ability andpresent their answers as a group, usingposter-boards for their presentations.

Students listened to guest speakerMax Amaya, an aerospace engineer fromNASA Ames, who talked to them abouthis exciting job and about his journey tobecoming an engineer. Following thispresentation, students worked withaeronautic and aerospace concepts tocomplete four assignments within onehour. Teams had to sketch the plane ofthe future, develop a model 3-D replicaand assemble and paint a wood modelplane that had a vital part missing.

Under the direction of Overfelt HighSchool program coordinator Vito Chiala,10 summer school teachers and over 30parents experienced the VIVA technol-ogy teacher and parent orientations.Lupita Armendariz, NASA Ames’deputy director for the Equal Opportu-nity Programs Office, spoke to the par-ents about the wonderful opportunitiesavailable to their sons and daughters atNASA. It was also a great opportunityfor the school to invite the parents to usethe computers on campus and to informthem about the future development ofdigital lockers. Overfelt High Schoolwill soon be going completely wirelessand students will be submitting andreceiving homework via their own digi-tal locker. The VIVA technology pro-gram was a perfect fit for this fast-mov-ing technology high school.

Emma Bettini Cushman, 91, ofCampbell, died July 19, 2003.Cushman was a secretary for theLife Sciences Division and retiredin 1977 from Ames.

Cushman passes on

Romeo Armendariz, long-time NASA and HENAAC volunteer, assistsOverfelt High School students with their Viva Technology Challenge.

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Astrogram October 200312

The annual issue of NASA Spinoffis hot off the presses and available forAmes employees. The Spinoff publica-tion documents successful partnershipsfrom the NASA technology transfer andcommercialization program. Many sto-ries describe new products on the mar-ket in the area of health, environment,information technology and safety.

As stated by NASA AdministratorSean O’Keefe in the forward section ofthe issue:

“…this publication highlightsNASA’s extensive efforts to promotethe transfer of aerospace technology tothe private sector. Everyday, in an as-tounding variety of ways, American livesare affected positively by our nation’sinvestment in NASA.”

This year, six technologies and part-nership success stories are based onAmes developed technology. Below arethe titles of each Ames-related story anda brief excerpt.

To request a free copy of this edi-tion, send an e-mail to Lisa Williams atliwilliams@mail.arc.nasa.gov or callher at ext. 4-2954.

Building Safer Systems with SpecTRMSafeware Engineering Corporation, ofSeattle, Wash.

This provides the information, tools,and techniques to accomplish the task ofmaintaining system and software de-sign with its Specification Tools and Re-quirements Methodology (SpecTRM).NASA assisted in developing this engi-neering toolset by awarding the com-pany several Small Business InnovationResearch contracts from Ames and Lan-gley.

Faster Aerodynamic Simulation withCart3D

This offers a revolutionary approachto computational fluid dynamics (CFD),the computer simulation of how fluidsand gases flow around an object of aparticular design. By fusing technologi-cal advancements in diverse fields suchas mineralogy, computer graphics, com-putational geometry, and fluid dynam-ics, the software provides a new indus-trial geometry processing and fluidanalysis capability with unsurpassedautomation and efficiency. Cart3D wasselected as 2002 NASA’s Software of theYear. Ames contributors are MichaelAftosmis of Code INA, John Melton ofCode APS and Marsha Berger of theCourant Institute.

Home Insulation with the Stroke of aBrush

As a manufacturer and marketer ofthermal solutions for residential, com-mercial, and industrial applications, Hy-

Tech Thermal Solutions attributes itssuccess to the high-performance insu-lating ceramic microsphere originallydeveloped from thermal research atNASA Ames.

Mapping a Better VintageWinegrowers have known for cen-

turies that environmental factors cansignificantly influence the overall qual-ity of wine. Over the last decade, anincreasing number of vineyard manag-ers has utilized digital remote sensingand geographic information systems(GIS) to visualize the variability withintheir blocks.

New Discoveries in Nanotechnology With NanoMatrix’s liquid jet ma-chining, there are significant opportuni-ties in prototyping and creating smallerMEMS/NEMS devices. EmanuelBarros, a former project engineer atNASA Ames, set out to form the Santa

Cruz, California-based NanoMatrix firmand materialize the micro/nano cuttingprocess.

Processing at the Speed of LightBoulder Nonlinear Systems grew

out of a Small Business Innovation Re-search contract. Over the past 15 yearsthey have developed into one of theworld’s foremost spatial light modula-tor manufacturers through SBIR fund-ing from multiple NASA centers includ-ing NASA Ames.

The following special sections fea-ture NASA Ames Research Center:

One Hundred Years of Powered FlightNASA is proud of its achievements,

as well as those of its predecessor, theNational Advisory Committee for Aero-nautics, during the first century of pow-ered flight. This year’s ‘Centennial ofFlight’ celebration offers a unique op-portunity for NASA’s 10 field centers toshowcase the agency’s historical andongoing contributions to aeronautics.

The NASA Education Enterprise: In-spiring the Next Generation of Explor-ers

NASA’s challenging and excitingmissions provide unique opportunitiesfor engaging and educating the public.It does so by stimulating people’s imagi-nations and creativity and by meaning-fully communicating the significance ofour discoveries to them.

Partnership SuccessesNASA cultivates partnerships with pri-vate industry, academia and other gov-ernment agencies to address the chal-lenges that face our nation. By contrib-uting time, facilities and technical ex-pertise, NASA brings the benefits ofspace down to Earth where it enrichesthe lives of the American public.

NASA commercial success stories featured in Spinoff 2003

Are you planning on workingovertime?

Do you need to request someholiday leave?

The new WebTADS overtimerequest and leave

planner is coming in November!Stay tuned for more information

Tickets on saleTickets can be purchased at theBeyond Galileo Gift Shop Bldg. 235 (adjacent to Mega Bites) for:• Disney on Ice, San José, Nov. 1• On the 20th Century, San José, Nov. 8, 8 p.m.• Oakland Raiders vs. New York Jets, Oakland, Nov.9, 1:15 p.m.• Sharks vs. Nashville, San Jose, Nov. 22, 7:30 p.m.• Nutcracker, San Francisco, Dec. 13, 7 p.m.• Oakland Raiders vs. Baltimore Ravens, Oakland, Dec. 14, 1:05 p.m.

13Astrogram October 2003

NASA Ames is preparing for‘ePayroll,’ an initiative that will con-solidate and upgrade the federalgovernment’s many civilian person-nel and payroll systems. Under‘ePayroll,’ Ames and the other NASAcenters will switch to a new personneland payroll system next summer.

“Most Ames employees will seefew changes as a result of ‘ePayroll,’but the new system will be more effi-cient and allow managers to use datamore effectively,” said Janet Jarmann,the IT specialist for Ames’ HumanResources Division and the center’sproject lead.

The ‘ePayroll’ project is nearingthe end of its analysis and planningstage, which began in April. Imple-mentation will start in October 2003,and the new payroll system will golive in August 2004. Training will beprovided to Ames employees mostaffected by ‘ePayroll.’

The ‘ePayroll’ project is one of theeGov initiatives under the President’sManagement Agenda. Currently, 22executive branch agencies use 14 sepa-rate personnel and payroll systems.Under ePayroll, each agency willswitch to the consolidated federal per-

sonnel and payroll system operatedby the Department of Interior.

At NASA, the Integrated Finan-cial Management Program (IFMP)oversees the implementation of‘ePayroll’ on behalf of NASA’s chiefinformation officer. The Ames‘ePayroll’ team includes expertsfrom the center’s Human Resources,Financial Management and AppliedInformation Technology divisions.

‘ePayroll’ will have its greatestimpact on employees who work withpersonnel and payroll data. Whensupervisors want to make hires orpromotions, they now must fill out apaper form and give it to HumanResources, which enters the data onthe form into the computer system.However, under ‘ePayroll,’ theworkflow will be computerized,speeding up the process and reduc-ing the chances of error. Under thecurrent plan, WebTADS will remainthe center’s time and attendancecollection system.

The Ames ‘ePayroll’ team is cur-rently working with the Departmentof Interior to make sure that theswitch goes as smoothly as possible.In the coming months, Ames em-ployees will learn more details abouthow the project will affect themthrough the Astrogram, e-mails, bro-chures and presentations. Informa-tion also is available at the Ames‘ePayroll’ Web site at: http://ameshr.arc.nasa.gov/ePayroll/index.html.

‘epayroll’ will improve payroll systems

The Ames 2003 Honor Awards cer-emony was held in September. Thisevent was held for Ames emloyees tohonor their fellow employees.

Ames 2003 Honor Awards presented

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Ames 2003 Honor Award recipients during the recent awards ceremony.

Technology DevelopmentSteven D. BeardXavier Bouyssounouse

StudentBrian Chang

Supervisor/ManagerCarolina M. BlakeSandra M. OlligesBanavar Sridhar

Safety and EnvironmentDaniel M. BuftonChristel I. Van Arsdale

MentorRobert K. DismukesRoger W. RemingtonKrisstina L. Wilmoth

Headquarters EmployeeCarl B. Pilcher

Group/TeamAviation Data Integration System (ADIS) TeamARC IFMP Core Financial Project TeamARC STS-107 Fundamental Space Biology Project TeamCode I MER Technology Infusion TeamIntegrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) Systems Engineering Team

EngineerRodger A. MuellerParimal H. Kopardekar

Contractor EmployeeVictoria R. Callor, Lockheed Martin Engineering & Sciences Co.Girish H. Chachad, Northrop Grumman Information Technology Inc.Edward P. Chan, Raytheon ITSSHilda Q. Lee, Raytheon ITSSMelissa D. Medina, QSS Group, Inc.Thomas Prevot, San Jose State UniversityCarl K. Stocking, Quantum Services, Inc.Michael A. Wilson, University of California San FranciscoSandra L. Young, INFONETIC

Commercialization/Tech Transfer AwardDochan Kwak and Cetin C. Kiris

Administrative ProfessionalRho ChristensenCaroline To

Best First Paper at AmesRobert A. McMillan

Technical SupportKevin F. Kouba

Astrogram October 200314

Event 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 onTuesdays. Begin classes at 6:15 p.m. Higher-levelclass meets at 5:15 p.m. Held in Bldg. 944, the Rec.Center. POC: Helen Hwang,hwang@dm1.arc.nasa.gov.

Ames Bowling League, Palo Alto Bowl onTuesday nights. Seeking full-time bowlers andsubstitutes. Questions to sign up: Mike Liu at ext. 4-1132.

Ames Child Care Center Board of DirectorsMtg, every other Thursday (check Web site formeeting dates: http://accc.arc.nasa.gov), 12 noonto 1:30 p.m., N-215, Rm. 212. POC: Tom Maier,ext 4-3643.

Ames Contractor Council Mtg, first Wednesday eachmonth, 11 a.m., N-200, Comm. Rm. POC: AnitaFogtman, ext. 4-4432.

Ames Diabetics (AAD), 1st & 3rd Weds, 12 noon to1 p.m., at Ames Mega Bites, Sun room. Support groupdiscusses news affecting diabetics. POC: Bob Mohlenhoff,ext. 4-2523/e-mail at: bmohlenhoff@mail.arc.nasa.gov.

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

Ames Mac Support Group Mtg, third Tuesday of ea.month, 11:30 a.m.to 1 p.m., Bldg. N262, Rm 180. POC:Julie ext. 4-4694 or Tony ext. 4-0340.

Ames Model Aircraft Club, flying radio-controlledaircraft at the north end of Parsons Ave. on weekendmornings. POC: Mark Sumich, ext. 4-6193.

Ames Sailing Club Mtg, second Thursday of ea.month (Feb through Nov), from 11.30 a.m. -1 p.m. in thespecial events room in the Ames Visitor Center in N-223.All are welcome. POC: Jeff Smith, ext. 4-2586.

Environmental, Health and Safety InformationForum, first Thursday of each month, 8:30 a.m. to9:30 a.m., Bldg. 221/Rm 155. URL: http://q.arc.nasa.gov/qe/events/EHSseries/ POC: JulieMorsellino at ext. 4-6810.

The Hispanic Advisory Committee for ExcellenceHACE Mtg, first Thurs of month in N255 room 101Cfrom 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. POC: Eric Kristich atext. 4-5137 and Mark Leon at ext. 4-6498.

Jetstream Toastmasters, Mondays, 12 p.m. to 1p.m., N-269/Rm. 179. POC: Cathy Payne at ext. 4-0003.

Nat'l Association of Retired Federal Employees,(NARFE). Former and current federal employees. Youronly contact with Congress. Join to protect yourfederal retirement. Chptr #50 meets the first Fri. ofeach month. Nov meeting at HomeTown Buffet, 2670El Camino (at Kiely), S. Clara, 11 a.m. lunch. Decembermeeting Christmas party at Hofbrau, San José, 11a.m.lunch. Christmas music. 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.

Craftsman payshomage tospace program

Raffaele Cuccarollo of Italy has an ardentinterest in the space program and is quiteadept at sculpting miniature models of thespace shuttle out of silver and wood. Hislatest venture, as seen here, is of the spaceshuttle carved out of wood. He sent thisphoto to Ames recently of the woodenmodel to show his support to NASA,expressing his “wish that the space shuttlewill soon fly again."

As part of Ames’ Centennial of Flightcelebration, William Chana, an AIAAFellow and distinguished lecturer, willpresent a lecture entitled ‘Understand-ing and Appreciating the Wright Broth-ers.’ The lecture, which is jointly spon-

sored by Ames and the AIAA-San Fran-cisco Section, will take place in the audi-torium of N-201 at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday,Oct. 21. All staff are cordially invited toattend.

Chana was chosen by the NationalAeronautic Association (NAA) to re-ceive this year's Cliff Henderson Awardfor Achievement. The award is givenannually to "a living individual or groupwhose vision, leadership, or skill hasmade a significant and lasting contribu-tion to the promotion and advancementof aviation or space activity."

Chana trained as an aeronauticalengineer at Purdue University beforebeginning his aerospace career in 1941with Consolidated Aircraft in San Di-ego. He played an active role in flight-testing the XB-24, XB-32, XC-99, TBY,XFY- 1 POGO, XF2Y-1 Seadart andConvair Liners. In the early 1960s, hewas Convair's base manager for the in-stallation and checkout of ATLAS op-erational missiles at Fairchild Air ForceBase in Washington. In the 1950s, hebuilt and flight-tested three small air-planes. Chana is past president of theSan Diego Aerospace Museum. In 1988,he held the A. Veruille Fellowship at theNational Air and Space Museum(Smithsonian). He is the national presi-dent of the Silver Wings Fraternity, aninternational organization of pilots.

The presentation on Oct. 21 coversOrville and Wilber Wright's experimentsfrom 1900 to 1910. Their glider tests atKitty Hawk in 1900 and 1901 point outtheir early glider tests with low aspectratio wings and their 1902 and 1903 testsat Kitty Hawk with their successful high-aspect ratio wing glider and finally, theirhigh-aspect ratio powered machine. Lis-ten to the words of Orville and Wilber asthey correspond with Octave Chanute,George Spratt and other early experi-menters. Understand the value of theirwind tunnel tests conducted between1901 and 1902. Their great advancementsin controlled flight in 1904 and 1905from Huffman's Prairie near Dayton,Ohio are discussed. The talk is illus-trated with slides and a short video.

Chana to present colloquium

William Chana

BY STEPHANIE LANGHOFF

15Astrogram October 2003

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!

Housing

Transportation

MiscellaneousExchange Information

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

Ask about NASA customized gifts for specialoccasions. Make your reservations for Chase Park

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

Visitor Center Gift Shop N-223(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 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

Lake Tahoe-Squaw Valley Twnhse, 3bd/2ba-equipped, balcony view, horseback riding, hiking,biking, golf, river rafting, tennis, ice skating and more.Call (650) 968-4155, DBMcKellar@aol.com

South Lake Tahoe cottage w/wood fireplace, hottub. Rates $50 to $130 per night. Call (650) 967-7659or (650) 704-7732.

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.

Incline Village: Forest pines, Lake Tahoe condo, 3bd/2 ba, sleeps 8. Fireplc, TV/VCR, MW, W/D, jacuzzi,sauna, pool. $120/night low season; $155/night highseason. $90 cleaning fee and 12% Nevada room tax.Charlie (650) 366-1873.

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

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.

Spacious 2 bdrm Maui suite available (canaccommodate up to 6 people) for 1 week. Cookingfacilities, color TV, swimming pools, access to beach andmuch more. Located nearby shopping centers, golfcourses, and all water activities. $1,200 a week or B/O.Call (408) 446-4416 for more information.

NASA Lodge (N-19) 603-7100

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

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

Car Pool

To hear the centerwide statusrecording, call (650) 604-9999 forinformation announcements andemergency instructions for Amesemployees. You can also listen to1700 KHz AM radio for the sameinformation.

Ames emergencyannouncements

For rent: Large 2 bd/1-1/2 ba apt. in 4-plex w/wirelessInternet access included. Sunnyvale, close to Ames.$1,150/mo. N/S. Call (408) 739-3303. See http://www.peacham.homeip.net/rental.htm.

Two bedroom apartment for rent. Bathroom andkitchen remodeled, new rugs and new blinds. Maria (650)345-2069 best time to call is 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Room for rent, Santa Clara, maid service/gardeningservice provided, kitchen privileges, laundry rm, phone,cable access, furnished/unfurnished, utils included, $600per mo. + $200 dep. Call (408) 752-9954 day, (650) 968-4613 eves, (408) 482-1028 cell. E-mail: pkutler9@ma.com

'91 BMW 325i convertible, 96K mls, leather interior,6 CD changer, auto windows, heated seats, brand newconvertible top, A/C, excellent condition. $8,600. Tim(408) 406-8242.

‘91 Toyota Previa LE minivan with all wheel drive,anti-lock brakes, cruise control, captain's chairs, stereo/cassette/CD, roof rack. 132K miles. $4,800 or B/O.Call (408) 257-3175.

‘93 Chev. Cheyenne, Vortex 4.3 engine, auto.trans., overdrive, cruise, AM/FM/cass., Leer shell, camperbed liner, tow hitch, Michelin tires, new batt., brakes, A/C recharged, extra clean. $5,495. Lou (650) 583-3046.

‘94 VW Jetta GL, 125K mls, extremely dependablecity/commute car, white w/ black interior, 5-speed, AM/FM stereo, dual front air bags. Well maintained, have allrecords. New clutch, tires, brakes, battery $2,900. Call(650) 827-0731; e-mail: swangelich@yahoo.com

‘94 Ford F150 XLT extended cab, low mileage,Drake rack, new brakes, toolbox, dual tanks, trlr pkg; oneowner. $6,000 or B/O. Sal Rositano (408) 238-5310.

‘99 red Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder convertible,$12,000, 47K mls, grey interior, 5 spd man’l, ext’dwarranty--5 years/85K mls, alloy wheels, autom. convert.top, 10 CD changer, cruise control, rear spoiler, driver &passenger air bags, A/C. Call (650) 996-1975.

Safety Data Civil Contractors

ServantsNot recordablefirst aid cases 6 8

Recordable nolost time cases 1 5

Lost time cases* 2 1

Restricted duty days 0 0

Lost work days 10 45+

Data above is for August and Sept. 2003.*(Under new OSHA rules, lost timeis defined as lost work days, restrictedduty of work transfer.)

Carpool from Berkeley/Oakland/Alameda to Ames,leaves around 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. We share driving somust have 4 seat car. Call David Hollenbach at ext. 4-4164or e-mail hollenbach@ism.arc.nasa.gov

Rockwell-Delta 9" table saw and 4" Jointer combo,excellent cond., $350; Old Sears scroll saw, $30. David(408) 296-3326.

Boy's light weight Schwinn mountain bike, aluminumframe and wheels (24" dia.), shocks, V brakes, 21 speed,excellent cond., $175; Yakima roof-mount bike rack $50.David (408) 296-3326.

Credenza/hutch, 20in x 30in x 46in, beautiful honey-laquer finish, exc. condition, $350. Call (650) 473-0604.

Leather top cherry wood desk, good condition, $200.Bench, white hard wood, bl. vinyl seat, $50. Pro Dawnhanglider, best offer. Elizabeth (650) 948-4678.

Graco baby stroller. Great condition. $25. Alice (650)322-1380.

Saw table for use w/circular saw. Good cond. $10.Steve (510) 790-3363 eves.

DUAL-CPU computer, P2/333MHz, integ. U/W SCSI,sound, AGP slot, SVGA monitor. $100. Mike (510) 278-2601.

Macintosh laser printer with two new cartridges: $55.Works very well. Call (408) 230-4212.

Right Start double jogging stroller. All-terrain, w/retractable canopy. Folds for easy storage. Exc. cond.,$75. Call (925) 485-4940.

Kid's ergonomic double computer desk, two chairs,winner: ‘Juvenile Products Manufacturer Assoc. 2000 Bestin Show New Product.’ $125. To view, visit:www.kidstation.com, select ‘furniture.’ Azi (650) 740-3671.

Twin chest/captain's bed. Solid wood finished, 4drawers and large compartment. Like new, $150. CallDave (408) 378-7388, or e-mail: DCFoyle@aol.com forpicture.

Newport 27S sailboat, newly re-rigged stays andshrouds, furling jib, 4 winches, GPS map. Sleeps 5 widecabin. $8,000 or B/O. Call (408) 448-1024.

Oak entertainment center with built-in desk. $125.Call (408) 735-7333 after 6 p.m.

TI-83 calculator for sale. 1 month new! Taken out ofthe package but never used! $75. Call (408) 259-7990.

F. L. Neumann upright piano from Hamburg,Germany, plays fine, over 100 yrs old. Needs someonewho can afford the tune ups since it’s an antique andneeds to be painted. $200. E-mail at:falcon7777@earthlink.net

BMI exercise/wght machine, cable/pulley system forpecs, leg ext curls, lat bar. $35 or B/O. Call (408) 257-3175.

Astrogram deadlines

All Ames employees are invited to submitarticles relating to Ames projects and activities forpublication in the Astrogram. When submittingstories or ads for publication, submit your mate-rial, along with any questions, in MS word by e-mail to: astrogram@mail.arc.nasa.gov on or be-fore the deadline.

Deadline: Publication:Oct. 27 Nov. 2003Nov. 24 Dec. 2003

Astrogram October 200316

National Aeronautics and Space Ad-ministration

Ames Research CenterMoffett Field, CA 94035-1000

Official BusinessPenalty for Private Use

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

FIRST CLASS MAILPOSTAGE & FEES PAID

NASAPermit No. G-27

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

Editor-in-Chief..............................David Morse

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.

took its maiden flight on May 3, 1977.In the decades following the XV-

15's maiden flight, a small but very dedi-cated group of engineers, designers andpilots from NASA, the U.S. Army andBell Helicopter Textron accumulatedmany world records, industry accoladesand NASA firsts.

The XV-15 holds speed and altituderecords for its class and awards from theAmerican Helicopter Society and theAmerican Institute of Aeronautics andAstronautics. In 1981, at the Paris Inter-national Air Show, the XV-15 becamethe first NASA experimental aircraft toperform demonstrations before an in-ternational audience.

The success of the XV-15 has led tothe development of the V-22 Ospreyand the world's first civil tilt rotor, thenine-passenger Bell Agusta 609, nowunder development and scheduled fordelivery in 2007.

The aviation hangar at the NationalAir and Space Museum's Steven F.Udvar-Hazy Center will be home to themuseum's extensive vertical flight col-lection, which includes the first helicop-ter to carry a president of the UnitedStates (Dwight D. Eisenhower), the first

helicopter powered by a turbine engineand the oldest surviving helicopter.

The center at Washington DullesInternational Airport in northern Vir-ginia eventually will display 80 percentof the national air-and-space collectionnot currently housed at the building onthe Washington Mall or on loan to othermuseums and institutions. The centeropens to the public Dec. 15.

The National Air and Space Mu-seum, comprised of the Udvar-HazyCenter and the museum's building onthe National Mall, will be the largest air-and-space-museum complex in theworld. The flagship building is theworld's most popular museum, attract-ing more than nine million visitors eachyear.

For information and images of theXV-15, visit the Internet at: http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/releases/2003/03images/xv15/xv15.html

For more information regarding theSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, visit: theWeb at: http://www.nasm.si.edu/nasm/ext/hazycenter.htm

continued from page 10

BY JONAS DINO

Tilt rotor aircraft joins National Airand Space Museum collection

NASA Ames’ commitment to pre-paring more students to fill critical posi-tions in our nation’s future technicalwork force has led to increased supportfor VIVA Technology Days in the Bayarea and in key locations throughoutCalifornia. At least 10 additional schoolswill participate in the program this com-ing school year.

All schools have a high percentageof Hispanic students and most schoolshave below-average test scores. NASAexpects that the implementation of thisprogram will help to increase the num-ber of students that go on to college andwill inspire them to become the nextgeneration of explorers.

BY GABRIELLA GANNON AVILA

VIVA kicks offat Amescontinued from page 11

The 2003 health fair will be heldon Wednesday, Oct. 29, in the ball-room of Bldg. 3, from 10:00 a.m. to1:00 p.m.

All federal civilian employeesand retirees are invited to attend.POC: Lita Que, ext. 4-1019.

Annual health fair set