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

Communication for the Information Technology Age

August 2003

amesnews.arc.nasa.gov

F2M makes it easier to travelThe NASA Freedom to Manage

(F2M) task team has identified an exist-ing solution to make travel easier forAmes employees.

The F2M task team visited Ames inNovember of last year and held a townhall meeting. During the meeting, anAmes employee commented that travelto professional conferences was diffi-cult because of budget constraints.

In the past, if funding for a trip wasnot available, an employee could chooseto pay his or her own way and attend ina personal capacity. However, then theemployee would not be able to present apaper or serve on a panel because tech-nically they would not be ‘representingNASA’ at that conference.

After looking into this request, the

An enthusiastic, standing-room-only crowd gave NASA AdministratorSean O’Keefe a warm welcome at a re-

cent all-hands meeting at Ames.O’Keefe used the occasion to discussthe agency’s plans for ‘Return to Flight’and to tout the leadership skills of Ames’senior management, including those ofincoming Deputy Director G. AllenFlynt.

Ames Center Director G. ScottHubbard introduced the Administra-tor and observed, “It is extremely im-portant that we do everything we canas an agency, as one NASA, to return toflight and address all the issues . . . so wecan do that safely.”

“We have been asked to exploreand discover on behalf of the Americanpeople,” said O'Keefe in describingNASA’s mandate. “That's a pretty heftyresponsibility, but also a pretty wide-open challenge to do things very cre-atively. It’s a remarkable charter. It’sone that gives us a tremendous licenseto do some absolutely fascinatingthings.”

O’Keefe noted that over the courseof NASA’s 45-year history, the “agencyhas been defined by its unbelievable,stunning successes and its really hor-rific and deeply tragic losses.” This is thedefinition of what exploration and dis-covery are all about, he said.

On the morning of Feb. 1, O’Keefewas at Kennedy Space Center, awaitingthe return of Columbia from its 16-day

science mission, when he learned of theloss. “It was a moment in my life I willnever, ever forget . . . a defining momentfor all of us,” he remarked.

As NASA struggled to come to gripswith the tragedy, there were “someamazing, stunning, inspirational aspectsto this that no one could ever have an-ticipated,” said O’Keefe. “Peoplestepped in and did things that even theymay not have thought they were ca-pable of doing,” O’Keefe said. Hepraised those who responded for “theircontinued professionalism” in carryingout the agency's charter and doing whatwas necessary.

O’Keefe praised Hubbard, acknowl-edging “his performance and dedica-

tion to the effort as a member of theColumbia Accident Investigation Board(CAIB). You’ve done an amazing job,”he said. O'Keefe asked Hubbard to serveon the board just a few hours after thedisaster and the CAIB held its first dis-cussions within eight hours of the loss ofColumbia.

Hubbard was chosen “because ofhis past experiences with a range of otherchallenges this agency has confronted,”O’Keefe said. “He was an obvious, natu-ral choice.” O’Keefe acknowledged thatHubbard's absence just a few monthsafter being named Ames’ director cre-ated a leadership challenge at Ames.“His contributions have been enormous,

O’Keefe outlines NASA’s approach to return to flight

continued on page 3

NASA photo by Dominic Hart

NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe answers aquestion at the conclusion of his presentationon July 17.

continued on page 9

NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe (center) and other international space agency chiefsdiscussed space station operations and return to flight during a news conference July 29 atthe Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. Joining O'Keefe were (from left): SaviSachdev, director general for space systems of the Canadian Space Agency; ShuichiroYamanouchi, president of the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of Japan; Jean-Jacques Dordain, director general of the European Space Agency; and Yuri Koptev, generaldirector of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency (Rosaviakosmos).

Space directors meet the media

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Astrogram August 20032

Two Ames employees have beenselected by NASA Headquarters fromamong 258 applicants to receive fund-ing for new Earth science projects. KeithGolden of Code IC and Vince Ambrosiaof Code SGE submitted proposals to theResearch, Education and ApplicationsSolutions Network (REASoN) program.

The five-year REASoN programaims to advance the use of observationalmeasurements, models and systemsengineering capabilities in Earth scienceapplications. NASA Headquarters se-lected a total of 41 proposals to fund andhas committed $96 million to supportthe projects.

“These projects will take full advan-tage of public and private resources andpartnerships to derive maximum ben-efit for the public good,” said Dr.Ghassem Asrar, associate administratorof Earth Sciences at NASA Headquar-ters, of the selected proposals.

Golden’s project is entitled ‘AnAgent-Based Interface to Terrestrial Eco-logical Forecasting.’ His goal is to createmore autonomous software for data pro-cessing and analysis.

“Currently, Earth scientists spend

too much valuable time on low-leveldata processing,” said Golden.

“We want software with a little moreintelligence, a little more autonomy,”Golden said. “This system will auto-mate many of the menial tasks neces-sary to conduct an ecological study. Itwill give scientists more time to do sci-ence.”

The new software can be applied tomany areas of ecology, such as agricul-ture, climate studies and forest manage-ment and will utilize data retrieved fromvarious sources, including satellites andweather stations.

“There are so many ecologically andeconomically important applicationsthat this technology can be applied to,”said Golden.

Golden is collaborating with Earthscience researchers at the University ofMontana and computer scientists at theUniversity of Washington to developthe software.

On the other side of the center,Ambrosia is working to improve wild-fire response time along with Ecosys-tem Science and Technology (ECOSAT)Branch Chief Jim Brass. The project is

Ames Earth science researchers win national funding

NASA Ames Center Director G.Scott Hubbard and Executive Assis-tant to the Director Jack Boyd wererecently named fellows of the Ameri-can Institute of Aeronautics and As-tronautics (AIAA).

Both Hubbard and Boyd werenominated by Code A Director SkipFletcher. The awards were presentedat a banquet on July 15 in Dayton,Ohio.

Hubbard was recognized for“Outstanding leadership of the MarsExploration program, significant con-tributions to astrobiology, the under-standing of radiation detection mate-rials and devices and successful man-agement of the Lunar Prospector mis-sion.”

Boyd was recognized for “50years of outstanding contributions tothe aerodynamics of supersonic fight-ers and bombers and extraordinarymanagerial and leadership contribu-tions to the goals of NASA, the worldof aeronautics and astronautics andengineering education.”

“A lot of friends became fellowsthat night,” commented Boyd. “It wasnice meeting people I’ve worked within the past and getting reacquainted.”

The AIAA is the principle society

Hubbard and Boyd honored as AIAA Fellows

BY ALLISON MARTIN

entitled: ‘NASA Wildfire Response Re-search and Development Applicationsand Technology Implementation.’

The project’s goal is to provide theUnited States Forest Service (USFS) withaccurate wildfire data in a shorteramount of time. The project uses un-manned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ther-mal infrared imaging technology. Itcould reduce the response time fromeight hours to just 10 minutes, accordingto Ambrosia.

“We’re developing technology toassist the USFS in understanding, man-aging and mitigating fire occurrences,”Ambrosia said.

“The USFS has established a com-mittee to advise NASA researchers aboutpriority issues for development. Thecommittee’s goal is to ensure that NASAdevelops usable, valuable technologythat meets USFS needs,” Ambrosia said.

Golden thinks the program is a greatway to move Earth science technologyforward.

“REASoN creates a bridge betweenresearch and practical application,” hesaid.

Ames Center Director G. Scott Hubbard, second from left, poses with his wife, Susan, far left;Jack Boyd, executive assistant to the center director, second from right, and Boyd’s wife,Winnie, far right, at the recent AIAA honors night banquet.

BY ALLISON MARTIN

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for those in the aerospace field. Itspurpose is ‘the advance of the arts,sciences and technology of aeronau-tics and astronautics and to promote

the professionalism of those engagedin these pursuits.’

3Astrogram August 2003

and . . . will make the agency stronger,”he said.

The Administrator also praised theDeputy Director for Research StevenZornetzer, who served as acting deputycenter director during Hubbard’s ab-sence from Ames. Zornetzer stepped inimmediately and “has been a source oftremendous confidence to all of us . . .and did a remarkable job for the agency.”The agency owes Zornetzer “a tremen-dous debt of gratitude” for his leader-ship, O’Keefe said.

O’Keefe observed that by the end ofthe day on Feb. 1, no one had any ideahow widespread the debris field was orhow to tackle a problem of such magni-tude. Although the federal governmenthas expertise in dealing with human-made disasters, this was unlike any-thing anyone has ever faced before. The250-mile wide debris field covered anarea the size of Rhode Island, stretchingfrom Dallas to New Orleans. There weretwo priorities immediately following theaccident: to protect the public from thetoxic hazards present in much of thedebris and to piece together evidence soNASA can understand what could havecaused the problem and how to fix it.Throughout his remarks, O’Keefe notedthat people stepped up to deal with thecrisis, despite the fact “there was nomodel” to guide the agency's response

to the disaster.Over the first 100 days following the

tragedy, people collected debris, as-sembled it and began to understand the“initial, precipitating events” that led tothe breakup of Columbia. Some 25,000people were involved in the effort, fromfederal, state and local agencies, as wellas many local citizens. About 40 percentof the orbiter by weight eventually wasrecovered.

The aftermath of the Columbia di-saster was “a huge logistics challenge”and “a disaster waiting to happen,”O’Keefe said. Managing the recoveryefforts that involved 35 to 40 agenciesand a large number of private citizenswas a challenge, O’Keefe said, but nowit is widely viewed as a “model for inter-agency cooperation.” O’Keefe addedthat there was a great potential for theoutpouring of public support to turnnegative if things weren’t handled cor-rectly. Learning to deal with an unprec-edented situation like this is not some-thing that is learned. “That's part ofleadership instinct,” he said.

O'Keefe praised David King, thenthe deputy director of Marshall SpaceFlight Center, for his leadership in es-tablishing an emergency managementteam in east Texas in the days immedi-ately following the tragedy. He pulledtogether all the agencies involved and

coordinated their activities “to greatpurpose, to great effect and to greatresult.” Leadership of the emergencymanagement team then transitioned toAmes’ Flynt, and then to MichaelRudolphi, deputy director at StennisSpace Center.

“Allen Flynt brings an enormous. . . ability to bring together people withlots of different backgrounds, lots ofdifferent interests, lots of different tal-ents, to figure out how to take thosecapabilities and bring them to bear on aproblem.” The Administrator urged allNASA Ames employees to follow Flynt’sexample and to look expansively at allthe different things NASA does and howthey can bring Ames’ capabilities to bear.

O’Keefe noted that we are definedby “the great successes and the horrifictragedies” that befall us. The agency’sresponse to the Columbia disaster andto the recommendations of the CAIB “isa defining moment,” he said. “Reallydedicating ourselves to doing this rightis something we all want to take as aresponsibility.”

Returning to flight, O’Keefe said,“isn't about a program or a center or anindividual enterprise. It's about theagency.” Every person must focus everyday on what he or she can do to prepareNASA to return to flight. He urged eachemployee to ask each day, “What can Ido today to help return to flight?”

The Administrator challenged em-ployees to “find new and different waysto collaborate between and among us.The capabilities within this agency areremarkable, they’re stunning. Butthey’re always defeated wheneverthey're pitted against each other,” hesaid. “This notion that someone's gain issomeone else’s loss has to end.”

The investigation board’s report willbe “hard hitting,” but we should not bedefensive, O’Keefe said. Defensivenesswill detract from our goal of safely andresponsibly returning to flight. NASAwill follow the recommendations “tothe letter and more,” he said.

O’Keefe concluded by stating em-phatically that NASA will take each ofthe CAIB’s suggestions seriously. Howwe respond will define all of us, he said.NASA has a “reputation for havingpulled together in times of great tri-umph and great tragedy for great gain.”There are a lot of people out there whowant to do what we do, sit where we sit,he reminded the audience. He also tookthe time to thank Ames for inspiring thenext generation of explorers throughprograms such as the AstrobiologyAcademy and the Carnegie Mellon Uni-versity summer robotics camp, whichhe visited while on site.

O’Keefe outlines NASA’s approach to return to flight

BY ANN SULLIVAN

continued from front page

NASA Ames played host to the firstAgency Leadership Development Pro-gram (LDP) Orientation in July. Twenty-two civil servants from representativecenters throughout the agency as-sembled to begin their program yeartogether. The NASA LDP seeks to de-

velop powerful leaders who understandand align with NASA’s mission and vi-sion for the future, to create a sharedculture of cooperation and communica-tion within the agency and to provide anopportunity to participate while learn-ing. It is a competitive program and wasdesigned as a succession planning toolto support NASA and the centers indeveloping future agency senior leader-ship. Nomination for the program ismade by the individual centers’ seniormanagement through its career devel-opment panel and the center director.The program at Ames is administeredthrough Code JH and its training group.

Although the NASA LDP has simi-larities to the agency’s former Profes-sional Development Program (PDP),which was abolished in 2002, the LDPhas unique characteristics which differ-entiate it from past programs. The LDPis framed around an integrated set ofelements that serve as common threadsacross the year-long experience. Theseinclude:

• A powerful results-based leader-ship model which frames leadership sim-ply and powerfully as a set of choicesmade to align participants as leaders, to

Ames hosts first NASA LDP orientation

contined on page 7

Chris Williams presents the program briefing atAmes for the Agency Leadership DevelopmentProgram orientation held in July.

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Astrogram August 20034

The NASA Tech Briefs magazinefor August 2003 is a special issue high-lighting nanotechnology. NASA Amesfigures prominently in the past andfuture of nanotechnology. The Augustissue contains articles affiliated withAmes, including an interview withAmes Center Director G. Scott Hubbard.This engineering journal is publishedmonthly by Associated Business Publi-cations.

If you would like to contribute asubmission for future publication or ifyou would like a copy of NASA TechBriefs August 2003, contact Lisa Will-iams at ext. 4-2954 or e-mail at:liwilliams@mail.arc.nasa.gov.

The figure shows the cover ofNASA Tech Briefs August 2003 maga-

zine, Image provided by Chris Henze(Code INR) and Creon Levit (CodeIN).

NASA Ames development plan wins national award

BY MICHAEL MEWHINNEY

Tech Briefs highlights nanotechnology

From left to right: NASA Ames Development team members: Lisa Lockyer,Greg Gibbs, Mejghan Haider, Michael Marlaire, Trish Morrissey and GeoffLee. On the team but not pictured: Laura Lewis.

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A comprehensive plan to transformpart of Moffett Field into the NASAResearch Park has been named winner

of the 2003 General Services Adminis-tration Achievement award for RealProperty Innovation.

An independent panel of four judgesselected NASA Ames' development planfrom 49 entries submitted by 21 federalagencies and departments. Awards willbe presented Oct. 9, during a ceremonyat the American Institute of Architectsin Washington. A $10,000 cash awardand a plaque will be presented to mem-bers of the Ames development team.

"NASA is very pleased to receivethis major government-wide award. TheNASA Research Park will benefit bothNASA and the nation," said Ames Cen-ter Director G. Scott Hubbard. "We havedeveloped this outstanding plan to trans-form part of a former Navy base into aworld-class, shared-use R&D and edu-cation campus with universities, indus-try and non-profits. The benefits will behuge, in research, development and edu-cational programs and in cost recoveryfor the operations of our facility. To berecognized as a federal governmentleader in innovation is a great way to getstarted toward our goal," he said.

"We're excited to be receiving thisprestigious national award," said PatriciaMorrissey, director of planning for

NASA ResearchPark, a 213-acred e v e l o p m e n tproject that is thecornerstone ofthe NASA Amesd e v e l o p m e n tplan. "This awardreflects the dedi-cation and hardwork of eachmember of theNASA Develop-ment Team."

The NASAResearch Parkwill be located inthe heart ofMoffett Field andwill enable re-search collabora-tion in astrobiol-ogy, informationtechnology andnanotechnology,as well as educa-tional program-ming in science,technology, engi-neering andmath. A lease wassigned with

Carnegie Mellon University in January2003 for the university's west coast cam-pus.

Ames' planning partners include theUniversity of California at Santa Cruz;San José State University; the Foothill

and De Anza Community College Dis-trict; the National Center for Women inScience, Technology, Engineering andMath; the National Association for EqualOpportunity in Higher Education; theCalifornia Air and Space EducationalFoundation and the Girvan Institute.

The development plan includes pro-visions for the restoration of approxi-mately 600,000 square feet of historicbuildings, the addition of 2.1 millionsquare feet of new construction (educa-tion facilities, office and research anddevelopment space and housing) andthe demolition of approximately 560,000square feet of functionally obsolete struc-tures.

The plan is divided into four areas:the Ames campus (234 acres); NASAResearch Park (213 acres); Bay View (95acres) and Eastside/Airfield (952 acres).The NASA Research Park and Bay Viewcomponents of the plan would result ina total of 4.5 million square feet of reno-vated and new buildings.

Total development cost of the NADPis expected to be $1 billion, includinginfrastructure upgrades and replace-ments, as well as building renovationand construction. While NASA will di-rectly fund any facilities constructedwithin the Ames campus for agency useand occupancy, partners will be respon-sible for the rehabilitation of existingbuildings and construction of new fa-cilities for their own use and occu-pancy.

For information about the projecton the Internet, visit the Web at: http://researchpark.arc.nasa.gov

5Astrogram August 2003

Dochan Kwak and David DesMarais were selected by the NASA AmesBasic Research Council as the 2002 AmesAssociate Fellows for their outstandingscientific accomplishments. Each willreceive a personal honorarium of $2,000

and a research stipend of $20,000 fromthe Director's Discretionary Fund (DDF).

Kwak’s list of research accomplish-ments includes the development of theINS3D family of codes used to solve the3-D incompressible Navier-Stokes equa-tions. These codes have been used tosolve a variety of real-world problems,from improving space shuttle main en-gine (SSME) design, to his patented tech-nology for improving a life-saving heartpump called the NASA DeBakey ven-tricular assist device (VAD).

Kwak teamed with researchers atJohnson Space Center, researcher CetinKiris of Ames and MicroMed Technolo-gies to improve the performance of theVAD. They were able to suggest severaldesign improvements, which reducedred blood cell damage and eliminatedblood-clotting problems. To date, thedevice has been successfully implantedin over 190 patients. This life-savingdevice was recognized by NASA as theCommercial Invention of the Year for2002.

Kwak has also won the H. JulianAllen award, the NASA Software of theYear award, the Exceptional ScientificAchievement award and two Space Actawards. He has published 90 papers,given many invited lectures and hasserved on international conference com-mittees. He is currently chief of theapplications branch in the NASA Ad-vanced Supercomputing (NAS) Divi-sion, where he oversees development ofenabling computational technologieswhile conducting his own applicationsresearch in high-end computing. Hisfuture research will be focused on de-veloping high-end computing technolo-

gies for rocket propulsion systems andthe development of a computational he-modynamics capability under alteredgravity conditions.

Des Marais has been a research sci-entist in exobiology at NASA Ames since1976. His broad research efforts haveaddressed the biogeochemical carboncycle, namely, the processing and ex-change of carbon compounds betweenthe biosphere, oceans, atmosphere andinterior of Earth. Des Marais’ areas ofspecialization have included the stableisotope geochemistry of carbon in lunarsamples, meteorites and oceanic basalts,the biogeochemistry of microbial com-munities in hypersaline and hydrother-mal environments and the carbongeochemistry of ancient (precambrian)carbonates and organic matter. His workalso addresses the biogeochemical evi-dence for the early evolution of Earthand its biosphere.

Des Marais has conducted geologicfieldwork in the U.S., Australia, Canadaand South Africa; and biological fieldstudies in the U.S. and in Mexico. He hasauthored or co-authored more than 120peer-reviewed articles and book chap-ters. He is currently the principal inves-tigator for the NASA Ames team of theNASA Astrobiology Institute. He is anassociate editor of the journals Bio-geochemistry and Astrobiology. DesMarais’ Mars-related interests includedetermining the extent of aqueous alter-ation of the martian crust and searching

for fossil evidence of a martian biosphere.He is an interdisciplinary scientist onthe 2003 Mars Exploration Rover Teamand the 2005 Mars Orbiter CRISM Team.Des Marais has served on several NASAand NSF peer review panels, as well asNASA science definition teams and sci-ence-working groups. He contributedsubstantially to the first NASA astrobi-ology roadmap in 1998 and he chairedthe group that directed the revision ofthe roadmap in 2002. In 2002, Des Maraiswas selected as a fellow of the Geochemi-cal Society and the European Associa-tion of Geochemistry.

Ames Associate Fellows for 2002 named

BY STEPHANIE LANGHOFF

Two more training classes havebeen added to the Travel Managerprogram. They are:

Preparer training Date: Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 11 to 12 Time: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Hands on approver reviewer, traveler training Date: Tuesday, Aug. 19 Time: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

To register for training, contactDana Davidson at ext. 4-0584 or e-mailher at: ddavidson@mail.arc.nasa.gov.

Travel Manager is continuing tohold drop-in entry labs on Mondaysand Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. but

have moved to Bldg 19, Room 1040.

Bring your work and a TravelManager expert will assist you.

The Travel Manager team hasestablished a group of Travel Man-ager super users. The super userswill act as the first point of contact toassist individuals with Travel Man-ager functionality. More informa-tion on the super users may be foundon the Travel Manager Web site at:www.travelmanager.arc.nasa.gov.

Remember to submit a print outof your travel voucher with your re-ceipts to the Travel Office. Their mailstop is 203-14. Vouchers withoutreceipts will be held until receiptsare received.

What’s new with Travel Manager?

Dochan Kwak

David Des Marais

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Astrogram August 20036

Two student researcher teams atNASA Ames are working to prevent thespread of West Nile Virus and foreignweed growth this summer, thanks to anew educational program called DE-VELOP.’

Started in 1998 at Langley ResearchCenter, DEVELOP stands for Digital

Earth Virtual Environment and Learn-ing Outreach Project. Former Vice Presi-dent Al Gore began the program, whosegoal of which is to give students hands-on experience with immersive visual-ization technology.

Nine students are working on a WestNile Virus preventive study in MontereyCounty and a study of invasive plantspecies (weeds) on a Native Americanreservation in Pyramid Lake, Nev. Thestate-of-the-art, remote-sensing technol-ogy they are applying uses satellite andaircraft images to deduce surface condi-tions quickly and cost effectively. Moststudents never use it until graduateschool, a fact that attracted many of thestudents to the program. But the pres-tige associated with NASA didn’t hurteither.

“Of course, to work with NASA is abig thing,” said Elizabeth Ballif, an un-dergraduate student at the Universityof Utah. “It’s technology I haven’tworked with, but they said they’d trainme. So I said, ‘Get trained by NASA?Sure, sign me up!’”

Three high school, three under-graduate and three graduate studentsmake up the program. Jay Skiles, NASAAmes’ senior research scientist, is the

program director and Cindy Schmidt ofCalifornia State University is the pro-gram coordinator.

Using the Eastern Range Disper-sion Assessment System (ERDAS) Imag-ine software, the two student teams usesatellite imaging to geographically iden-tify target areas in their projects.

The first teamis working withthe MontereyCounty HealthD e p a r t m e n tmonitoring vec-tor-borne dis-eases, namely theWest Nile virus.The satellite tech-nology helps thestudents identifyareas in thecounty where aWest Nile carrier,the Culex mos-quito, is likely tolive.

“We can’tidentify indi-vidual bodies ofwater at this reso-lution,” EmilyClary, a graduatestudent at the

University of New Mexico, said of thesoftware. “So we look for high vegeta-tion levels, which will likely be an areawith a lot of water.”

The students also go into the field toidentify the mosquito species in selectareas. Once the data is collected, Baliffwill combine their findings with demo-graphic data.

“The elderly are high-risk (for fa-tally contracting the disease),” Baliff said.“I’m looking for assisted living, nursinghomes, even golf courses -- places wherethe elderly are likely to be.”

Once the study is completed, thestudents will hand over their findings tothe Monterey County Health Depart-ment so that it can prepare for and pre-vent the West Nile Virus from inhabit-ing the identified high-risk areas.

The second student team is workingon an invasive plant species manage-ment system with the Pyramid LakePaiute Tribe in Nevada. Skiles andSchmidt selected this project because ofthe potential to build a relationship be-tween the two organizations.

“Whenever a government agencycan work with a tribal council, that ringsbells,” Skiles said.

The team visited the reservation,

that, since a 1997 flood, has had an in-crease in weed growth. One of the mainspecies they will target is the tall whitetop, a plant native to the Mediterraneanregion.

Based on their plant identificationson the ground, the students will usesatellite images to identify the spectral‘fingerprint’ of the plant they found inthat area. Then, they will single out othernearby regions using the images wherethat same fingerprint appears. Thismeans the same plant is in those regionsas well.

“Different weeds have different re-flection properties,” explained JeremiahKnoche, an Oregon State Universitygraduate student. “By comparing dif-ferent reflective bands, we can identifythe different species.”

Once their research is complete, thestudents will create a database for thetribal council to use.

“The Paiute tribe is looking for away to document where the weeds havehistorically been and where they cango,” said Douglas Gibbons, a Utah StateUniversity graduate student. “Our ulti-mate goal is to provide them with thenecessary information they need to makemanagement decisions, like how muchcattle can graze in an area or pesticidecontrol. It’s helping them know what todo with their land.”

The projects are giving the studentsvaluable experience using up-to-datesoftware, as well as true leadership andindependence. The DEVELOP programmotto is ‘student run, student led,’ soSkiles and Schmidt help only when nec-essary.

“I’m totally excited about this,” saidAlex Hogle, an undergrad at the Uni-versity of Utah. “I’m hoping to go backto Utah and apply what I have learnedhere.”

Lakshmi Karra, a student from GunnHigh School in Palo Alto, said that she isalso excited because the team is doingservice for the community.

“I think the ecosystem gets over-looked sometimes, but it’s a very impor-tant area of study,” she said.

The students were chosen on appli-cation processes. The high school stu-dents filled out applications and Skilesand Schmidt did subsequent interviews.The college students applied throughtheir state governors. Skiles said the pro-gram is going well so far.

“The students are so exciting to workwith,” he said. “They think outside thebox, and it’s a real two-way street.”

Students tackle West Nile virus and invasive plant research

DEVELOP students Elizabeth Ballif and Emily Clary check standing waterfor mosquito larvae in Salinas, California.

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BY ALISON MARTIN

7Astrogram August 2003

As NASA embarks on new missionsto Mars in the search for evidence of life,students now have access to virtual toolsthat will help them understand the con-ditions that make human life possibleon Earth and how to design a habitablefictional planet.

In July, three new modules wereadded to NASA's award-winning Astro-Venture Web site developed at NASAAmes as part of NASA's educationalgoal to inspire students to pursue ca-reers in math, science and technology.The site is an educational, interactive,multimedia Web environment in whichfifth- through eighth-grade studentsemulate NASA occupations and use sci-entific inquiry, to search for and designplanets with the necessary characteris-tics for human habitation. The originalastronomy unit and the three new mod-ules -- geology, biology and Earth sci-ence -- complete the Earth system sci-ence unit for middle school students.

"Astro-Venture is an excellent toolto assist educators in delivering excitingNASA research to our future generationof explorers," said Donald James, NASAAmes education director. "The site ex-poses students to the compelling topicof astrobiology and the wide variety ofcareers that support this area of re-search." Astrobiology is the study of theorigin, evolution, distribution and des-tiny of life in the universe.

Guided by the animated character'Astro Ferret,' students explore the envi-ronmental features that help Earth sup-port human life. They then engage instandards-based classroom lessons thatemphasize why these features are nec-essary, before embarking on missionmodules that simulate how NASA sci-entists are searching for habitable plan-ets. The Web site uses multimedia fea-tures such as video, animation andgraphics to keep students engaged andstimulated to explore each learning mod-ule.

The new modules continue the mul-timedia-rich, inquiry-based standard setby the original astronomy unit, whichincludes two astronomy multimediamodules, an astronomy educator guideof inquiry-based classroom activities anda wealth of career fact sheets.

In the atmospheric science module,students can manipulate the amount ofdifferent gasses in our atmosphere anddraw conclusions as to which propor-tions are necessary for human survival.Students also engage in activities thatexplain the properties of gasses andchemical reactions. In geology, studentslearn about the structure of the Earth,volcanoes and the formation and recy-cling of rocks. The biology unit coversthe 'web of life,' which explains how allcreatures are dependent on each other.

"The completion of these three newmodules provides students with aunique opportunity to explore the Earthas a system," said Christina O’Guinn,NASA Ames' educational team lead."Students view the Earth from the per-spective of astrobiologists and see howall areas of science are interrelated. Theycome away with an appreciation of theirplanet and the complex systems on Earththat support human habitability."

To help teachers implement the les-sons in the classroom, astronomy andatmosphere educator guides are cur-rently available and geology and biol-ogy guides are being developed. Astro-Venture lessons are designed to meetnational education standards.

Since its launch in February, Astro-Venture has been recognized by the edu-cational community with an 'A+' reviewby Education World, Wallingford,

Astro-Venture helps students explore habitable planetsConn., and with the Star Award fromthe Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles,for excellence in promoting astronomy.Astro-Venture has been included in theGender and Science Digital LibraryProject conducted by the EducationalDevelopment Center, Newton, Mass.;the Digital Dozen Project, conducted bythe Eisenhower National Clearinghouse,Columbus, Ohio; and in an educationalexhibit at the Bloomfield Science Mu-seum, Jerusalem, Israel.

For information about the NASAEducation Enterprise and programs,visit: the Web at: http://education.nasa.gov For informationabout Astro-Venture, visit: the Internetat: http://astroventure.arc.nasa.govAnd, for information about NASA As-trobiology Institute, visit: http://nai.arc.nasa.gov

continued from page 3Ames hosts first NASA LDP orientationidentify results and to set a course ofaction to achieve them.

• Shared learning workshops andtraining: over the course of a year, theLDP class meets six times for leadershipdevelopment and professional skillstraining. Each session builds on theprevious sessions’ work, preparing par-ticipants to re-enter their NASA careersat a new level of leadership and techni-cal capacity. Class training is updatedannually and includes: congressionaloperations; critical thinking, problemsolving and leadership training by theArmy War College; and development ofskills needed to create a learning organi-zation including complex organizationalsystems strategy.

• Tailored developmental assign-ments: each participant chooses at leastone developmental assignment de-signed to challenge and increase theirtechnical experience and capacity. Theseassignments can be at another centerwithin NASA, other federal agencies,private industry, academia or with non-profit organizations. Under specific con-ditions, participants may participate ininternational assignments.

• Structured interactions with keyleaders: throughout the year, the LDPparticipants interact with many ofNASA’s top leaders as well as othersfrom outside. These interactions, in avariety of formats, are intended to pro-vide participants with access to the cur-rent leadership thinking that is guidingNASA into the future and understand-ing better how the agency serves societyand how one’s developmental experi-ence is in alignment with the President’sManagement Agenda, the StrategicHuman Capital Plan, OneNASA and

other agency initiatives.• Rigorous, ongoing leadership

coaching and feedback. At each LDPsession, as well as in three, half-hourindividual sessions throughout the year,participants have access to personalizedleadership coaching and feedback fromthe team of program leaders and con-sultants supporting the program. Thisresource allows each individual to as-sess their leadership strengths and areasneeding improvement.

• Work assigned by the NASA Ad-ministrator to teams of four to five par-ticipants to insure just-in-time, return-on-investment to the agency.

After a rigorous application and in-terview process, three individuals fromAmes were recommended to the agencypanel-making selection. All three ofAmes’ candidates were chosen to par-ticipate in the program, which beginsthis summer. They are Jill Bauman ofCode SFS, Beverly Girten of Code SLOand Orlando Santos of Code D.

During the orientation, LDP partici-pants were treated to a tour of theFutureFlight Central and the cockpitsimulator and enjoyed a demo of theinteractive Mars fly-through.

They also met with Deputy CenterDirector (Acting) Steven Zornetzer, whodiscussed leadership skills.

For more information regarding theNASA LDP as well as other leadershipand management training and develop-ment programs here at Ames as well asthe agency, contact Lee Hayward, se-nior program manager at Ames at e-mail lhayward@mail.arc.nasa.gov or bycalling ext. 4-4684.

BY JONAS DINO

Astrogram August 20038

Academy for Astrobiology inspires students, looks to future

continued on next page

In recent years, NASA has made it apriority to emphasize education and en-courage students to pursue careers inscience and technology. Internship andresearch programs across the Ames cam-pus are evidence of this initiative.

One of Ames’ best educational as-sets lies in the NASA Academy for As-trobiology. Started in 1997, it is a 10-

week-long summer program that pro-vides students with research opportuni-ties, leadership experience and broad-based views of the inner workings of thespace program.

“It’s an informal learning process,”said Zann Gill, co-director of the acad-emy. “The research associates are al-ready leaders from the states they repre-sent. Coming from diverse backgrounds,they learn a lot from their work andfrom each other.”

Astrobiology is broadly defined asthe study of life in the universe. It en-compasses many fields, including biol-ogy, geology, chemistry and other sci-ences. Astrobiology asks the questions,“How did life begin?” and “Is there lifeelsewhere in the universe?”

The academy is as diverse as thefield of astrobiology. The 13 undergradu-ate and graduate students, referred to asresearch associates, major in a variety ofsubjects, including aeronautics, aero-space engineering, Earth and planetaryscience, geological engineering, geology,biomedical engineering, biology andmechanical engineering.

The students applied to the acad-emy program through their state spacegrants process. It is very competitive

and is based on academics, leadershipand multiple essays.

“They are some of our best andbrightest,” said SETI Institute DirectorJill Tarter, who visits with academy stu-dents nearly every year. To read moreabout Tarter and her presentation at theAmes astrobiology colloquium, see ‘SETIScientist Visits the Academy for Astro-biology’ article on the following page.

Each student in the academy workswith an Ames astrobiology scientist, in-vestigating a specific research project.All of the students collaborate on a groupproject during the 10-week period.

The 2002 academy’s group project,‘Mars as a Mission Driven Project,’ ad-dressed the advantages of planning amanned mission to Mars in terms ofexploration, innovation and education.

The team noted a study by the Na-tional Science Foundation (NSF) in 2000,which predicted that in 10 years therewill be a 15-percent increase in demandfor physical scientists and a 20-percentincrease in demand for engineers. En-rollment in these areas has been down inrecent years.

The students also noticed that inyears after key NASA missions, likeApollo 11 and Apollo Soyuz, the num-ber of science and engineering studentsincreased. They concluded that amanned mission to Mars would helpstrengthen student interest in scienceand engineering, just as previous mis-sions did.

This year’s academy is focusing on adifferent type of project that came about“serendipitously,” in the words of cur-rent academy research associate JohnKeefner.

An academy alumna, LorettaHidalgo, is working on a deep-sea divewith Titanic director James Cameron.She told the academy that she wouldtake an experiment down for them.

The group quickly formulated aplan, built an apparatus and sent it toHidalgo.

“The hard part was deciding whatto send down, so we came up with ageneral plan and then incorporatedeveryone’s talents and strengths intothe plan,” Keefner said. “It was just agreat opportunity.”

The team’s project, ‘Microbiologi-cally Influenced Corrosion at Deep SeaVents,’ will send a variety of metals andheat shield tiles to the Menez Gwendeep-sea vent. The materials will be at adepth of 850 meters in acidic, 280 de-grees Celsius water for a few days.

The experiment aims to gain insightabout extremophiles (organisms that livein conditions that are physically andchemically harsh or extreme) by study-ing corrosion of the apparatus. This will

help scientists develop hypotheses aboutthe origins of life on Earth. The undersealocation could also serve as an analogueto possible extraterrestrial life.

The academy allows the students todo first-rate research and get a foot inthe door by meeting and collaboratingwith a variety of scientists at Ames andother NASA centers. But for some stu-dents, their experience is also a dreamturned into reality.

“Last summer was the best summerof my life,” said Julie Litzenberger, a2002 academy participant and one ofthis year’s resident assistants. “You can’tput the uniqueness of the academy intowords.”

Mike Hannon, also a former partici-pant and current resident assistant, saidhe was always interested in “anythingNASA,” but that his experience with theacademy has enhanced his understand-ing of the agency, making it an attain-able goal.

“The academy puts faces to thewhole organization. It takes it out or therealm of fantasy and makes it real,” hesaid.

Hannon has reshaped his careerplans as a direct result of his academyexperience.

“I always had notions of medicinein the back of my mind and now I’minterested in space physiology,” he said.“I found out my interests through myexposure in the academy. Now I hope tobecome a NASA flight surgeon some-day.”

Gill currently is writing a five-yearplan, outlining the future of the Acad-emy for Astrobiology. To brainstormthis topic, as well as to give the astrobi-ology community a chance to share theirwork with one another, the academyhosted the Ames astrobiology collo-quium in July.

At the colloquium, Academy Direc-tor Doug O’Handley gave an overviewon the academy and John Kaumeyer ofLockheed Martin said that industry isalways looking for graduates with re-search experience, like academy partici-pants. Students Bethany Ehlmann andDoug Grant from the 2002 academy pre-sented their group project and AndrewPohorille spoke on the ComputationalAstrobiology Internship Program.

Later, a number of scientists, in-cluding Tarter, spoke about severalprojects in the astrobiology field, and apanel discussion on the future possibili-ties of the academy rounded out theday.

Another highlight to the 2003 acad-emy year was NASA Administrator SeanO’Keefe’s visit to Ames on July 17.O’Keefe spoke to the research associates

Astrobiology Academy co-director ZannGill leads a panel discussion on the futureof the academy and its programs.

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SETI scientist visits the Academyfor Astrobiology

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about how important the academy is tothe agency’s goal of education.

“NASA is focusing on educationand outreach,” Hannon said. “If theyreally want to ‘inspire the next genera-tion of explorers,’ this is where it’s at.”

Litzenberger said her experience hasdefinitely inspired her to consider NASAin her future.

“After the academy, I can say I wantto work at a NASA center, whereas be-fore I don’t think I would have saidthat,” she said. “Ames’ location alsoplayed a role in my decision to attendStanford for grad school.”

Eight of the 12 members of the 2002

academy are pursuing PhDs. One alum-nus is returning to Ames to do her post-doc.

Hannon said that the success of theacademy will start to show as alumnifinish their education and come back towork at NASA centers. O’Handley saidhe hopes other centers will sponsor acad-emies in the near future.

“We are learning so much and hav-ing a very rich experience,” Keefner said.“At the end of it all, I’d like to be able tosay that I did a great job on my research-- that I got the job done. I’d like to beable to say that we started and ended agroup project successfully and that we

Astrobiology asks the question,“Does life exist elsewhere in the uni-verse?” Renowned scientist Jill Tartersays that although we don’t know theanswer yet, the chances seem goodenough to look into it.

“Good planets are hard to find,”Tarter said, speaking at Ames as partof the astrobiology colloquium held inJuly. “But life started so fast (on Earth)that it seems likely it started elsewhereas well.”

Tarter, director of the Center forSETI Research, presented ‘From Mi-crobes to Mathematicians,’ which dis-cussed SETI’s relation to astrobiologyand methods SETI uses in the searchfor a signal from intelligent life else-where in the universe.

“The astrobiology community’ssearch for signs of life in our solarsystem in places like Europa or Marsinterests SETI, because a second hometo life in our solar system would greatlystrengthen the argument for other lifein the universe, Tarter said.

Tarter also discussed the differentprojects that SETI is currently pursu-ing, such as Optical SETI, whichsearches for powerful light pulses;Project Phoenix, which searches for astrong radio signal among 1,000 nearbystars; and the Allen Telescope Array,which will speed up radio astronomyby a factor of at least 100 once com-pleted.

“If a signal is detected, it will havea profound influence over time,” Tartersaid. “I hope it will hold up a mirrorand trivialize the differences we see inhumans.”

Tarter was pleased to speak tothe NASA Academy for Astrobiol-ogy, a group of 13 college and gradu-ate students, at the colloquium be-cause they are the future of her work,she said.

“The project is generational andit will probably be your generationwho will find the signal, if there isone,” Tarter said to the students.

Tartar has met with the academyalmost every summer since its incep-tion in 1997.

“SETI is a subject the students areinterested in and I’m interested inthem! They have gone through a stiffcompetition and so are some of ourbest and brightest,” Tartar com-mented. “Their presence at the acad-emy attests to their willingness towork across historical disciplinaryboundaries and get their hands 'dirty'on all aspects of a real project. Some-where among the academy students,some day, I hope to meet my replace-ment.”

Tarter holds the Bernard M.Oliver Chair for SETI Research andworks at the SETI Institute in Moun-tain View. She has been a principleinvestigator on several educationalprojects and collaborations and hasreceived numerous awards for hercontributions to the scientific com-munity. Most recently, she was electeda fellow of the California Academy ofSciences in 2003.

For more information on Tarteror the SETI Institute, visit the Web at:www.seti.org.

Academy for Astrobiology inspires students, looks to futuresaw many opportunities as a result. And,I hope that we can provide those oppor-tunities to future academy students inthe future.”

To learn more about the NASAAcademy for Astrobiology, visit the newWeb site at: http://nasa-academy.arc.nasa.gov.

F2M team found a policy in the NASAFinancial Management Manual (FMM).The policy states that, “An employeeand authorizing official may agree to acost-sharing arrangement for travel un-der the Government Employees Train-ing Act (5 U.S.C. 4109). Under theseconditions, the travel order will includeappropriate statements indicating thatattendance is in keeping with 5 U.S.C.4109 and the travel is a cost-sharingagreement.”

To enable this cost-sharing agree-ment, the statement, “Cost-sharing travel(sometimes referred to as permissivetravel) authorized under the TrainingAct has been agreed to as mutually ad-vantageous to both parties,” should beadded to the travel order.

This policy ensures that a variety ofarrangements involving training qualifyas cost-sharing. An employee may paypart or all of the expenses themselvesand still act as a NASA representative.

"In my work with 3D audio, I havehad many opportunities to attend train-ing-related conferences, some that couldnot be supported by our travel budget,”said Durand Begault of Code IHH. “Thisrecent clarification makes things easierand, therefore, will facilitate interactionwith my colleagues at important meet-ings I might otherwise miss."

According to Ames Chief CounselSally Mauldin, this type of travel hasbeen available for some time, pursuantto the Training Act. She and her staffcontinue to advise employees that cost-sharing is available as an option if thetravel is truly training-related (includ-ing seminars and conferences), notmerely travel to perform one’s job.

NASA employees may view thispolicy in FMM Volume 9700 on theNASA Web site at: www.hq.nasa.gov/fmm/9700/9700.pdf.

All other FMM chapters may be ac-cessed at: www.hq.nasa.gov/fmm/fmmintro.htm.

F2M makes iteasier to travelcontinued from front page

BY ALLISON MARTIN

BY ALLISON MARTIN

Astrogram August 200310

What’s the deal with budget formulation?

BY BRETT VU

Most people are aware of the agency-wide Integrated Financial ManagementProgram (IFMP). Some have beengreatly impacted, while others have ex-perienced minimal impact. IFMP ismade up of several projects that arebeing rolled out across multiple years,and the next project to ‘go live’ in lateOctober is ‘budget formulation (BF).’This article addresses a variety of ques-tions and answers from local and agency-level staff about the project.

What is budget formulation andwhat does it mean to you? The growingdemand from Congress for more timelyinformation and accountability requiresNASA to improve on its current finan-cial management system and budgetaryprocesses.

“Much of what we do at NASAturns on our credibility to promise whatwe think we can do, and deliver on whatwe promise,” stated NASA Administra-tor Sean O’Keefe in the January 2003issue of NASA Watch. The BF module,using SAP’s strategic enterprise man-agement as part of the IFM suite of ap-plications, will help NASA attain thatgoal.

Currently, NASA’s budget processconsists of consolidating a variety ofcenter-unique procedures, data andpractices and entering that informationinto a collection of Excel spreadsheetsmanually. The process is slow, laborintensive and not integrated with othersystems. Barbara Nguyen, a resourcesanalyst and functional lead for the BFproject, states, “Just imagine inputtingand consolidating every budget line foreach project and division, which includesall the full-cost elements of workforce,salary, travel, service pool and G&A atthe center, into one huge Excelspreadsheet…manually.”

What does BF include? Alignedwith the cross-cutting processes definedin the NASA 2003 Strategic Plan, BF hasthe capabilities to facilitate: the servicepool and G&A planning, workforceplanning, project planning and phasingplans. In addition, BF functionality isdesigned to operate in coordination withthe stages and requirements of the fed-eral and NASA budget cycle. BF willinclude data gathering for the centerPOP submissions, NASA budget sub-mission and even the pass-back processwith the Office of Management andBudget and Congress.

What’s even better is that BF is de-signed to integrate with Core Finance(CF), which will enable users to com-pare their actual expenditures to theirbudget. BF functionality is designed, inconjunction with CF, to support execu-tion, advocacy, reporting, full-cost bud-geting and management and can pro-

vide all this with real-time information.How will BF be implemented? Ac-

cording to the BF Deputy Project Man-ager Tim Howell, “The BF implementa-tion team at Ames is ahead on its projectschedule milestones. As we approach‘go-live’ in October, users at Ames canbe expecting more communications,

more presentations and much more vis-ibility of the project around the center ingeneral.” He also recommends every-one start to understand full-cost bud-geting. “Not many folks have a full graspof full-cost, or even the pre-POP andPOP process. Planning in full-cost andhow it links to BF is high on our trainingstrategy.”

The training plan for BF incorpo-rates many lessons learned from otherIFMP project implementations. For ex-ample, the training will be tailored asmuch as possible to the Ames commu-nity and the BF team is excited to reportthat it will be using Ames data in thetraining examples. Everyone knows howhard it is to learn when the data andexamples being shown do not relate tothe data we recognize. In addition, eachclass will include training on relevantreports from the BF business warehouse.

One of the CM co-leads, DarleneGross, stated “we want users to startgetting familiar with the system now.To do that, there are monthly user-com-munity meetings where we show screenshots of the BF system. We have set-upa ‘resources’ room to provide opportu-nities for team members and trainers tostart familiarizing themselves with thesystem prior to training and we are plan-ning more live demonstrations.”

The latest hands-on demo was de-livered to Ames’ Chief Financial OfficerLewis Braxton, and he was excited aboutwhat the system provides. Gross saysCM is working tirelessly on the commu-nication strategy for BF. “We are facili-tating ongoing discussions with our usercommunity, giving presentations andgenerally informing users of progress,issues and status on BF implementationand training.”

How are people reacting to BF? Somepeople, such as Michael Schuh, an engi-neer in Code APM, are impressed withthe progress of IFMP and BF. “I think

bringing a financial computer systeminto a common way of doing business issmart,” said Schuh. But, he cautionsthat the BF training team needs to en-sure that the correct people are trained,since researchers and scientists like him-self “need to stay focused on the center’smission.”

There are others with reservationsabout the new BF system and, in gen-eral, IFMP. Fred Van Wert, resourcesexecutive for Code S, appeared worriedwhen talked to about the new system,since his projects and programs will begreatly impacted by the new businessprocess. “Lack of flexibility is the num-ber one problem. We can’t afford to getlocked in and if the system is rigid likeSAP R/3, it may cause problems. A pro-gram that pays in full cost today maynot be here when the outyear bills comedue,” stated Van Wert.

Mary Allamandola, resource execu-tive for Code F, also knows what it takesto prepare a POP submission. “My ex-pectation of BF is it will be an excellenttool to compile and integrate a variedand vast quantity of data in a standard-ized format. An added bonus is that thisinformation will be available to all inter-ested parties at the center at the sametime.” Yet, she is concerned that “thereal work of formulating a budget--thedecision-making, planning, negotiating,etc--will still have to be outside of BF.”

Fortunately, senior management hastaken an active role in making sure thatwe are all taking the necessary steps toensure understanding and ultimately,effective use of the new system. “Weneed to understand how much it costs todo business. Universities understand it.Private companies understand it. Indus-try understands it. If they don’t under-stand it, then they go broke,” said Ex-ecutive Assistant to the Director JackBoyd.

With full-cost management, NASA’sbudget concept and processes require arobust and flexible system that has suf-ficient reporting capabilities. “The Amesimplementation team is excited to sharethe benefits of BF with the end users. Wewill be able to help the Ames resourcescommunity and project planners betterunderstand the agency budget cycle,full-cost budgeting and the implicationsthat full cost will have on them,” saidTeri Nogales-Liang, Ames’ BF projectmanager.

BF is here…are you ready to catchthe wave? To get more informationabout BF, 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.

11Astrogram August 2003

The teacher gives out final instruc-tions, the school bus finds a parkingspace and students squirm at the edge oftheir seats. The excited students are ea-gerly awaiting their hands-on introduc-tion to NASA at the Ames AerospaceEncounter (AAE)

Created for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students, the encounter is a unique,

interactive program designed to stiryoung people's imaginations and fueltheir enthusiasm for science, mathemat-ics, engineering and technology.

The AAE resides in the 6-foot-by-6-foot supersonic wind tunnel, in Build-ing N-226, which was renovated into alearning center. The encounter teachesconcepts in aerospace, Earth and spacescience, mission control and space sta-tion with numerous hand-on activitiesand interactive lessons.

"I learned a lot of stuff about spacethat I didn't know before I came here,"said a student named Wendy. "I learnedthat it is important that everybody hasto get along and do their job in the spaceship. I learned that you need to planahead before you do it, just like on theorbiting chair."

Another student named Amber said,"I really enjoyed the way I can learn to bean engineer. I loved the orbital chair andthe mission control. I had a good time atthe Aerospace Encounter. Also, I wantto be an astronaut someday. Thanks fora good time."

All of the student excitement wouldnot be possible if it were not for a dedi-cated group of docents who volunteer

AAE provides interactive, educational experiencetheir time, enthusiasm and experiencefor the sole reward of smiles on thestudents’ faces. Without the volunteerdocents, the AAE program would notexist. Docents teach classes, help main-tain the facility and have helped de-velop new exhibits.

"I am a retired vice president ofworldwide sales for a major semicon-

ductor companyand have lots ofhobbies and in-terests to occupymy time, but Igladly donate mytime to the AAE,"said docent Rob-ert Skinner."When I see thesparkle and ex-citement in theeyes of theseyoung people Iknow I am mak-ing a difference intheir lives. NASAdeserves greatcredit for initiat-ing and support-ing the AAE," headded.

The AAE's core group of approxi-mately 45 docents volunteer betweensix to 12 hours per month leading theencounter's three-hour classes. The do-cents come from all walks of life andbackgrounds but are united in their de-sire to give back to their community.

"Some docents are engineers, othersare teachers and there is a stockbrokerand a landscape architect. They bringtheir own experience, and we providethe training they need to work with thestudents at the AAE." said Edith Barr,AAE operations manager. "Before be-coming docents, volunteers receive ex-tensive training including workshops, awritten training guide and team teach-ing. Docents keep current with NASAtechnology by visiting facilities aroundthe center and receive presentations fromNASA scientists and researchers," saidBarr.

The AAE serves thousands of BayArea students throughout the year andis working to reach more students fromunderserved schools. These classes of-ten need some extra help. Frequently,some students have difficulty with read-ing or understanding English. Some-times the teacher can not find enough

adult chaperones to attend. Volunteersare needed to assist AAE docents eitherwith translation services for the studentsor to work with one or two students at atime in the space station or mission con-trol sections when there is a shortage ofparent participation.

"We are fortunate to have a high-caliber team of dedicated docents toteach and inspire our youth during theirvisit to the AAE, " said Donald James,Ames’ education director. "The docentsare the heart of the AAE. Their contribu-tions are the cornerstone of the program’ssuccess. Their solid commitment allowsus to reach thousands of students, theirparents and teachers each year in a waythat only NASA can."

If you or someone you know is in-terested in becoming a docent, transla-tor or docent assistant (no training nec-essary), contact Barbara Patterson at ext.4-0494 or e-mail her at:bpatterson@mail.arc.nasa.gov.

For more information about theAmes Aerospace Encounter visit theWeb at: http://encounter.arc.nasa.gov/

Visitors to the AAE marvel at the interactive exhibits and historic artifacts.

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An Ames employee demonstrates theconcepts of gyroscopics to visitors duringthe recent AAE open house.

Astrogram August 200312

Ames Rocket Club finishes twelfth year

BY JONAS DINO AND LISET RIVERA

“I got into this robotics programbecause it brings together a lot of con-cepts of engineering,” said Albert Wu, asenior at Harker Academy High Schoolin Saratoga. “I find great pleasure inseeing this creation that I helped buildand design come to life and I love the

never-ending challenge of this pro-gram.” Wu is one of 36 high schoolseniors participating in RoboCampWest.

The camp is hosted at NASA Amesin Building 943 and is co-sponsored byCarnegie Mellon University. As part ofthe camp, students study Java program-ming at San José State University (SJSU)through its Mathematics Engineeringand Science Achievement (MESA) En-gineering program.

“The purpose of the RoboCampWest program is to expose high schoolseniors to robotics,” said CarnegieMellon’s Lisa Jacinto. “They learn aboutvision-based autonomous mobile robots(robots with cameras).” Each of the se-niors builds an autonomous robot,known as the ‘TrikeBot,’ a three-wheelrover that features an articulated cam-era and infrared range finder. Usingwireless technology, TrikeBots can beremotely controlled using a laptop com-puter running Java scripts developedby the students, or preprogrammed toperform a variety of tasks. At the end ofthe class, students take the robots homefor further experimentation.

NASA is sponsoring 20underrepresented minority studentswith full scholarships provided through

Ames’ Equal Opportunity ProgramsOffice. NASA’s RoboCamp West schol-arships pay each student’s tuition forboth the camp and the SJSU Java course,and provides them with a laptop com-puter and personal digital assistant. Afull scholarship to RoboCamp West isvalued at $4,864 for the seven-weekcourse and is credited as a full semesterof college credit. “In addition to the spon-sored students, we have 16 other seniorsparticipating in the program, split into12 teams of three,” said Jacinto. By work-ing in teams, they gain the real-worldskills necessary to communicate effec-tively, listen to each other and solveproblems together.” Each team is as-signed a student mentor, who completedRoboCamp West the previous year, toprovide one-on-one attention.

“One of the ideas behind a summerwith Carnegie Mellon is to engage stu-dents in understanding both the scienceand engineering challenges of space ex-ploration,” said Daniel Clancy, actingdirector of NASA Ames' InformationSciences and Technology Directorate.“The premise is that space is cool, robotsare cool and the combination of both isreally cool. We believe that robotics andspace exploration is a way to motivate,challenge and encourage students.”

NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefeaddressed the RoboCamp West studentson July 17, saying, “RoboCamp is a realexpression of what inspiring the nextgeneration is all about.” O’Keefe en-gaged the students in a discussion ofhow their schooling and interests fit intothe NASA missions. The administratorcompared how difficulties encounteredin building and remotely operating their

RoboCamp West gets underway at Amesrobots directly relates to the issues NASAfaces with its autonomous Mars rovers.Drawing on the student’s excitement athearing O’Keefe’s talk, instructor KhalidAl-Ali related that the RoboCamp Weststudents were inspired by O’Keefe’s visitand many were looking toward careerswith the space agency.

This is the second year thatRoboCamp West has been offered. In2002, CMU-West Director Raj Reddyand Maylene Duenas, associate directorfor strategic development in the Infor-mation Sciences and Technology direc-torate, Code I, conceived of the idea ofbringing engineering classes to highschool seniors with Code I putting upthe seed money for the program. WithRoboCamp West’s success, CarnegieMellon is now fully funding the pro-gram. “NASA is investing in its futureby working with prestigious universi-ties like Carnegie Mellon University toinspire and teach the next generation ofresearchers and scientists,” said Duenas.“NASA is hoping that these studentswill become future NASA researchersand engineers working on explorationprojects using computational science androbotics.”

Currently, Carnegie Mellon andSJSU are designing a longitudinal studyto see how this course impacts student’scareer goals and how it affects their lives.For information on next year’sRoboCamp West, contact Lisa Jacinto atthe Carnegie Mellon University-WestCoast Campus at (650) 603-7019, or e-mail at: jacinto@west.cmu.edu or visitthe Web at : http://west.cmu.edu.

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NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe visitsRoboCamp West during his recent visit to Ames.Ames Center Director G. Scott Hubbard (right)accompanied O’Keefe to a RoboCamp Westdemonstration.

The Ames Rocket Club completed its twelfth year this year. Mark Leon, deputy chief, EducationOffice, Code DP, far left, and Donald James, chief, center middle, direct the program. Far right isMarcella Grant of the Educational Associates program. The children are 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th gradestudents from the Edison McNair middle school in East Palo Alto.

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13Astrogram August 2003

Responding to a report of a pow-dery substance in the mailroom, emer-gency vehicles raced across the Amescampus, sirens blaring and red lightsflashing. Stopping just yards away fromBuilding N-255, firefighters piled out oftrucks and met Disaster Assistance andRescue Team (DART) members to dis-cuss the situation.

Within minutes, the members of theDART Hazardous Materials (HazMat)decontamination unit blazed through

the gates into the mailroom parking lotand began to set up cleaning equipmentto use on Ames employees who mightbe victims of the latest terrorism attack.

But the powdery substance wasn’tAnthrax, it was Squencher drink mix.Consequently, no Ames employees werein danger of anything except missing afew hours of work.

It was all part of a scheduled drill forthe Ames DART HazMat team practic-ing its emergency responses. With co-operation from the Moffett Security andMoffett Fire departments, the HazMatteam honed their skills to be prepared incase a real terrorist attack occurs.

“Drills like this are a great opportu-nity to respond and work together to seewhat everyone’s capabilities are,” saidLynn Bala, staff assistant for the Ad-vanced Air Transport Technologies de-partment.

This drill was unique because theexercise was being filmed by a Floridavideo crew. The National Terrorism Pre-paredness Institute plans to use the Amesfootage as part of a training video onhazardous material removal.

The institute, a division of St. Pe-tersburg College in Florida, trains civil-ians and military crews to handle weap-ons of mass destruction. The institutedoes both onsite and online interactive

training featuring simulations as keyinstructional materials.

The HazMat team began by assess-ing the situation with Moffett emergencypersonnel. As the decontamination unitand the operations truck set up, someteam members suited up in protectiveplastic suits, complete with oxygentanks, to protect themselves from thehazardous material.

Once the whole HazMat team wasready to go, two team members gath-

ered informationon the possiblevictims and es-corted them to thedecontaminationunit. There, theywere showereddown anddressed in a pro-tective plasticsuit. HazMatmembers es-corted them to thee m e r g e n c yhealth center,where a healthteam memberasked each indi-vidual aboutsymptoms andchecked theirblood pressure.

Meanwhile,two other team

members began vacuuming up the pow-dery substance. Then, the team tapedthe vacuum nozzle shut and placed thewhole machine in a protective bag.

Once all the potential victims andthe hazardous materials were taken outof the mailroom, the decontaminationunit members scrubbed other teammembers clean, placing all suits andoxygen tanks in protective bags. Theentire emergency drill took roughly threehours.

“It’s always good to practice these

DART HazMat team practices to save lives

BY ALLISON MARTIN

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A member of the DART HazMat team duringthe recent emergency response drillperformed at Ames.

scenarios, because you just don’t know,”said Saisukont Huxtable, an Ames ma-terial control specialist who portrayed avictim in the drill. “You have to be pre-pared.”

Bala said the simulation was a goodway to learn what they need to work onin the future.

“From my perspective, the drill wentreally well,” Bala said. “I had fun and itwas great to have an opportunity to putour response procedures to the ‘test,’ soto speak. It was definitely effective forhelping us (DART HazMat) see ourstrengths and weaknesses.”

To learn more about DART, visit theWeb at: http://dart.arc.nasa.gov. Toparticipate in DART, contact LynnEngelbert at e-mail:lengelbert@mail.arc.nasa.gov

The Sally Ride science club andHewlett Packard will present theStanford Science Festival at StanfordUniversity on Sunday, Oct. 5. Thefestival is for middle school girls, withparents and teachers also welcome toattend. The keynote speaker at theevent will be astronaut Sally Ride.

Discovery workshops will be heldby women professionals ranging fromveterinarians to rocket scientists. Astreet fair with booths, exhibits, food,music and a raffle will also be held.There is also an adult track of work-shops for parents and teachers on top-

ics such as hands-on science and gen-der equity.

The festival begins at 11:30 a.m.with the street fair and registration,and concludes at 4:30 p.m. The cost is$18 in advance ($25 at the door) andincludes all festival events, lunch, snackand festival materials.

Parents, teachers and students canpre-register and find out more aboutthe festival schedule and workshopseither online on the Web at:www.SallyRideFestivals.com or bycalling (800) 561-5161. Pre-registrationis recommended.

Sally Ride to speak at science festival

DART HazMat team members ask mailroom employees about symptomsthey may be experiencing as well as their blood pressure during the recentemergency preparedness drill at Ames.

Astrogram August 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 on Tuesdays.Begin classes at 6:15 p.m. Higher-level class meets at5:15 p.m. Held in Bldg. 944, the Rec. Center. POC:Helen Hwang, hwang@dm1.arc.nasa.gov.

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

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

Ames Contractor Council Mtg, first Wednesdayeach month, 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. 19, Rm1042. Info: http://www.afeu.org. POC: Marianne, 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: Julieext. 4-4694 or Tony ext. 4-0340.

Ames Model Aircraft Club, flying radio-controlled aircraftat the north end of Parsons Ave. on weekend mornings. POC:Mark Sumich, ext. 4-6193.

Ames Sailing Club Mtg,2nd Thurs of ea. month (Febthrough Nov), 11.30 a.m. -1 p.m. Bldg. 223, Ames VisitorCenter & Gift Shop, special events room. All are welcome.POC: Jeff Smith, ext. 4-2586.

Environmental, Health and Safety InformationForum, first Thursday of each month, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30a.m., Bldg. 221/Rm 155. URL: http://q.arc.nasa.gov/qe/events/EHSseries/ POC: Julie Morsellino at ext. 4-6810.

The Hispanic Advisory Committee for ExcellenceHACE Mtg, first Thurs of month in N255 room 101C from11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. POC: Eric Kristich at ext. 4-5137and 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. Your onlycontact with Congress. Join to protect your federalretirement. Chptr #50 meets the first Fri. of each month atHomeTown Buffet, 2670 El Camino (at Kiely), S. Clara, 11a.m., lunch $6.70. POC Earl Keener (408) 241-4459 orNARFE 1-800-627-3394.

Native American Advisory Committee Mtg,fourth Tues each month, 12 noon to 1 p.m., Bldg. 19, Rm1096. POC: Mike Liu at ext. 4-1132.

Just before the lunchtime cafeteriarush on July 15, Ames staffers eagerly

lined up so that Ames police lieutenantFranz Kinkhorst could sign copies of hisfirst book--a science fiction fantasy called‘The Clone.’

Kinkhorst works at Ames as a fed-eral police lieutenant. His inspirationfor his book came from his work at Ames,because of being in close contact withthe FBI and the secret services.

Several months ago after waking upfrom a dream, Kinkhorst had a greatidea for a book. Inspired by events in hisown life, he began writing ‘The Clone,’which took one year to write and waspublished in May. The book also in-cludes a short story, ‘Young Again,’which, incredibly, only took Kinkhorstone day to write.

‘The Clone’ takes place in the fu-ture, where cloning has become a real-ity. In the book, the United States Armysoldiers wounded in battle can have anywounded part of their bodies cloned,almost like a manufacturing plant. Themachine the army uses is a scanningmachine that scans their memories andDNA to reconstruct their body parts.

Kinkhorst believes readers will find

his book, “entertaining and fast-paced.I think it will bring a lot of thoughtsabout the future of cloning. It will openpeople’s minds.” With today's cutting-edge technology, Kinkhorst believes thatone day, human cloning will be pos-sible.

For fans, Kinkhorst advises patiencebecause there will be a sequel to ‘The

On July 23, all Ames summer stu-dents were invited to attend a summerstudent orientation program. This was awonderful opportunity for students tohear a little about the kinds of workdone at Ames. Estelle Condon, associ-ate center director, began the orienta-

tion with a broad overview of the center,touching on each of the fields in whichresearch is conducted at Ames.

Ames police lieutenant authors science fiction novel

BY CONNIE WONG

Clone’ coming up. There are also poemsKinkhorst has written, posted onwww.poetry.com. Readers can accessthe poems by typing in ‘FranzKinkhorst.’ To buy Kinkhorst's book,visit Amazon.com or any Barnes andNoble store.

She was followed by Jan Aikins,acting deputy director of InformationTechnology; Michael Dudley, the asso-ciate director of Aerospace; and GunterRiegler, the director of Astrobiology andSpace Research. Each speaker gave abrief overview of their organization’s

research and goals.Students also hadthe opportunity tosign up for tours.

The orienta-tion was attendedby students fromseveral differentgroups at Ames.These include theUndergraduateStudent ResearchProgram (USRP);the Student CareerExperiences Pro-gram (SCEP); theStudent Tempo-rary EmploymentProgram (STEP);the Foothill-DeAnza Commu-nity College Dis-trict Internship andTraining Program;and the MinorityUniversity Re-

search and Education Program(MUREP).

BY DEBORAH HUTCHINGS

Summer students attend orientation

Ames summer students listen attentively at the recent orientationprogram.

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Franz Kinkhorst during his book signingevent in July.

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15Astrogram August 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

Miscellaneous

Exchange 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.

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

350MHz Windows 2000 PC: 27GB HD, 261MB RAM,16MB graphics, 10/100 network, modem, CD-RW,keyboard, mouse and speakers. $110. Call (408) 295-2160.

Carters rocking bassinet with retractable wheels, whitew/blue pattern, has overhead canopy and ample storageunderneath. Great condition. $25. Call (408) 295-2160.

‘82 Chevy Luv, 4 wheel drive pick-up, trade or barter.Documented and registered in Washington State, 2002.Runs great, has rust, dings. Great as woods or work truck.Wanted: watercraft, small sailboat or $600. Bob (707) 747-6174.

‘91 Toyota Previa LE AllTrac; 4-Cyl. 2.4L, auto., AC,PS, PW , CC, AM/FM/cass./CD, ABS (4-wheel) roofrack,130K mls, $5,500 or B/O. Call (408) 863-0835.

‘91, 25' Alpenlite fifth wheel, slide, air, CD player, newbatteries/tires, queen bed, awning, non smoking. Excellentcondition. Call (650) 369-0578 or e-mailgertnjoe@sbcglobal.net.

‘97 Travel Supreme fifth wheel, with three slide-outs.Great second home for $40,000. Orig. $82,000. Whitew/blue designs. Lots of storage space. Never been on theroad, just lived in. Husband lost job. Must sell. Exc. cond.Call (650) 596-9578 (H) or (650) 643-1245 (cell).

Space available in van pool from Marin and SanFrancisco to Moffett Field. POC Michael Flynn, at ext. 4-1163 or email at: mflynn@mail.arc.nasa.gov

Van Pool

Room for rent in Sunnyvale. Share w/one adult andpets. 3bd/1ba, only 3 miles from Ames. House fullyfurnished, bedroom is not. Room includes phone line andcable TV line. Shared common areas include kitchen, livingrm, bathrm, W/D and bkyard. Garage may use forstorage. $600/mo plus 1/2 utils and dep. Call (408) 530-8591 or e-mail moopy73@yahoo.com.

Studio apartment, 1 bdrm apartment, or room inhome needed for visiting Italian graduate studentSeptember though November 2003. Ted (408) 420-3438or e-mail ted.roush@attbi.com.

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:Aug 25 Sep 2003Sep 26 Oct 2003

Safety Data Civil Contractors

ServantsNot recordablefirst aid cases 0 2

Recordable nolost time cases 1 1

Lost time cases* 0 1

Restricted duty days 0 3

Lost work days 0 0

Data above is for July 2003.*(Under new OSHA rules, lost timeis defined as restricted duty and ordays away from work (lost work days)

Got a bunch of old books clut-tering up your office, living room orgarage? Have CDs you don't listento or movies you'll never watchagain? Then donate them to theAmes Child Care Center (ACCC)fundraiser and receive a tax dona-tion receipt at the same time!

The ACCC accepts all books,CDs, VHS tapes, DVDs and soft-ware for adults and for kids. Itemscan either be dropped off at theACCC across from Gate 17 or pick-up can be arranged by emailing MayaPopovic maja@sbcglobal.net or call-ing her at (650) 988-6993.

Looking forused books...

Whirlpool electric dryer, 3 cycle, 3 temp. $75. Call(408) 736-7584, lv. msg.

Beenie Baby collection, some very old ones inexcellent condition. Call (510) 703-1063 anytime (pricenegotiable).

4 Budnik Signature Series/Spider Technique wheels.Hand polished forged aluminum. Brand new (nevermounted). Size: 17 x 9. 5. for GM car with 5-Lug boltpattern (e.g. Camero, Firebird) $1,200 or B/O. Jan (650)224-1925.

Craftsman 10" tablesaw and stand, good cond.,$110.Gas stove GE (XL44), self cleaning oven, white, $125. Call(408) 985-7251.

Regalo tandem stroller (for 2 kids). Completelycollapsible, hardly used, and comes with owner's manual.$40. Call (408) 295-2160.

HP Pavilion 8655C computer (purchased 6/2000),CD-Rom, CD-RW, 30 GB HD, 192 MB memory, WindowsXP, Office 2000 Professional, 17" monitor. $299 or B/O.Call (650) 604-6769.

Dining room table with 6 chairs and china hutch,$400; armoire, $200; and computer chair, $50. Digitalphotos available. Call (408) 253-6643.

Looking for that extra tv? Here’s one: 27" screenMagnavox TV. Great condition. $125.00. Esther (650)961-2732.

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

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

Astrogram August 200316

National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration

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...............................Ann Sullivan

Managing Editor...................Mike Mewhinney

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.

Executive Assistant to the DirectorJack Boyd is beginning to develop a newNASA Ames history office that will or-ganize and archive information on thework Ames has done over the past 64years.

The history office will provide acentral location for materials such asartifacts, documents, monographs oralhistories and existing history books. AsAmes’ senior advisor for history, Boydwill oversee coordination of the Ameshistory program and the developmentof the history office. He plans to hire anarchivist and an oral historian to assistin the development and maintenance ofthe new office.

“The main task will be to archive itall,” Boyd explained. “Things are spreadout all over the center.”

The Department of Labor has acomprehensive, federal Web site withone-stop access to governmen-tal disability information.Disabilityinfo.gov or http://www.disabilityinfo.gov) is theAmericans with disabilities' gatewayto information and resources neededto become full participants in the 21stcentury workforce.

Launched in October 2002 as partof the New Freedom Initiative,Disabilityinfo.gov boasts an averageof 5,000 visitors from over 135 coun-tries per day. This new and excitingWeb site hosts topics such as civilrights, job accommodations, income,employment, emergency prepared-ness, health, medicare, medicaid,housing, education, transportationand technology. It is the result of thecollaborative efforts of multiple fed-eral agencies and is designed to be aone-stop point of entry to access gov-ernmental services and informationaffecting individuals with disabili-ties, their families, their employersand service providers.

Boyd to develop new NASAhistory office at Ames

The office will be located on theground floor of Building N-207. In hisnew role, Boyd plans to work closelywith the Ames Technical Library, as wellas the education and outreach offices.

The history office will also collabo-rate with other NASA centers, especiallythe NASA Headquarters History Officeand other governmental agencies andcontractors. Professional, scientific, en-gineering and historical organizationswill also be involved, according to Boyd.

Boyd welcomes Ames employees totalk to him about items or stories theyfeel should be included in the historicalarchives. He may be contacted by e-mailat John.W.Boyd@nasa.gov or calling ext.4-5222.

BY ALLISON MARTIN

Message fromthe EOP office

All Ames bowling leaguebegins new season

Attention bowlers--the All AmesBowling League begins playing on Tues-day, Sept. 2, after Labor Day. Our seasonmatches will run weekly through April2004 on Tuesday nights, at the Palo AltoBowl on El Camino Real.

All skill levels are welcome, as arespouses and significant others. Sinceteam rosters determine the number ofbowling lanes we are assigned, it's im-

portant now to start forming your teamor sign up for existing teams needingmembers.

The All Ames League is a ‘handi-cap’ league, so the emphasis is on fun,and enjoying a night out of the house.For answers to questions about the bowl-ing league, or if you wish to sign-up,contact Toby Garcia at ext. 4-1382, oremail at tgarcia@mail.arc.nasa.gov.