Communication for the Information Technology Age ... - NASA · 2/11/2002 · NASA back in the days...

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

Communication for the Information Technology Age April 2002

amesnews.arc.nasa.gov

Virtual reality software, originally devel-oped by NASA engineers to help exploreMars, is being used now by a leading petro-chemical company to build and plan opera-tions for a complex industrial facility in 'vir-tual world' simulations.

The Mars Map virtual reality software,developed at Ames, guided scientists throughthe agency's very successful 1997 MarsPathfinder mission. The tool allows missionscientists and operations personnel to com-mand and control remote robotic space-craft within a virtual environment. Recently,Reality Capture Technologies (RCT), Inc.of San José, Calif., was granted a license forfurther development of the platform. RCTnow is deploying this productivity and life-cycle information-management tool at anew Shell Chemicals process plant currentlyunder construction in Geismar, La.

"Our product, based on NASA technol-ogy, will allow Shell to create and validatestart-up procedures, in addition to a con-struction-feasibility review, and commencetraining in a virtual environment monthsbefore the plant is fully built," said RealityCapture Technologies' Chief Executive Of-ficer Dr. Ted Blackmon.

RCT's software enables engineers to simu-

NASA technology helps industrial leaders build facilitieslate a plant environment in order to reviewits 'constructability,' a process of evaluatingthe design, scheduling, cost and resourceplanning to assess the possibility of imple-menting such a design. The software alsoallows engineers to create operating proce-dures, training and documentation. Similarto pilot training on flight simulators, thistechnology enables plant operators to getthe training they need in a virtual environ-ment.

"What makes this software even moreunique is how simple it is," said Blackmon. "Itis almost like a video game where you holda joystick and walk around making sure thateverything is working right. Only in this case,you walk around a not-yet-built Shell plant,"he added.

By fusing software systems used duringthe design stage with those used duringconstruction, the software provides virtualaccess to a construction site and permitsproject personnel to manage, assess, controland respond more effectively to changes inthe plant's complex construction. Like spaceexplorers who use Mars Map to learn how toget around the red planet, facility operatorscan use the new tool to learn how to better'pilot' the sophisticated and expensive in-dustrial-plant asset.

"Operators can now easily access andunderstand engineering information that iscritical to operations, which makes their jobmuch easier and safer," said Blackmon.

An Ames science team originally devel-oped Mars Map to create a photographic-quality rendering system. Mars Map allowedresearchers to better understand the surfaceof Mars and perform more effective scienceby providing an accurate visual representa-tion of the planetary terrain.

"The Mars Pathfinder mission was thefirst test of this new class of photo-realistic,virtual-reality systems," said Dr. Michael Simsof Ames, who managed the Mars Map devel-opment team. "Mars Map made a big differ-ence in our understanding of Mars duringPathfinder, and made us realize that thistechnology could be an extremely powerfultool for the rendering of the world."

BY VICTORIA KUSHNIR

"RCT uniquely addresses the link betweenvarious stages of a facility's life cycle, leverag-ing information generated during the designstage through construction and subsequentlyinto operations and maintenance," saidBlackmon. "By leveraging advanced software,originally developed at NASA for the spaceprogram, we are able to effectively 'bridgethe islands of automation' that exist in theengineering/construction/operations indus-try today, and interconnect traditionallystand-alone software systems into an end-to-end distributed computing platform."

"This company is a resident of the AmesTechnology Commercialization Center, atechnology incubator located in San José,"said Phil Herlth of the Ames CommercialTechnology Office. "Their commercial part-nership with a major chemical company isanother example of a successful transfer of aspace technology that is now benefitingpeople here on earth. "

Sam Venneri, Associate Administratorfor Aerospace Technology, NASAHeadquarters, stopped by NASA Amesrecently to tell an ‘all hands’ meetingof Administrator O’Keefe’s vision of‘one NASA,’ the importance of team workand the expectation that NASA Amesresearch will lead to the breakthroughs ofthe next century.

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Editor’s Note:In line with the center newsletter publication policy at all NASA field centersand as a result of constrained discretionary budgets, the Astrogram will bepublished on a monthly schedule henceforth, effective immediately.

Venneri visits Ames

AstrobiologyScienceConference set

Ames and the NASA Astrobiology Insti-tute will host the second biennial Astrobi-ology Science Conference on April 7-11.

Over 400 preeminent international re-searchers will converge on Ames to discussthe rapidly emerging, interdisciplinary fieldof astrobiology--the search for the origin,evolution, distribution and future of life inthe universe. The meeting will includeover 50 invited talks and oral presentationsand five days of poster sessions.

Teachers and members of the generalpublic will be able to attend several freelectures about astrobiology. They also willhave the chance to talk with astrobiologyeducators, gather teaching materials andparticipate in hands-on classroom activi-ties.

For more information, visit: http://web99.arc.nasa.gov/abscon2/.

The Ames Astrogram April 2002

B I O T E C H N O L O G Y I N F O R M A T I O N T E C H N O L O G Y N A N O T E C H N O L O G Y

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Center Briefs

Ames veteran Harold Herstedt, who joinedNASA back in the days when it was known asthe National Advisory Committee for Aero-nautics (NACA), recently was honored for his60 years of service with the federal govern-ment, including 44 years with NASA and 16

years with NACA.A general engineer who describes his

work as a ‘consultant’ in the acquisitiondivision, Code JA, Herstedt was honoredMarch 1 at the senior management staffmeeting. During a brief ceremony, AmesCenter Director Dr. Henry McDonald pre-sented Herstedt with letters of commenda-tion from President George W. Bush andNASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, a flightjacket and a 60-year service award.

“It’s quite a pleasure to be here, to beanywhere, I guess,” quipped Herstedt as hereceived his award from McDonald sur-rounded by numerous friends and associ-ates.

“It’s quite an accomplishment, and youare to be commended,” said McDonald ashe presented the awards to a beamingHerstedt.

In his letter to Herstedt, President Bushcommended him for his 60 years of dedi-cated service with the federal government.“Your devotion serves as an example of hardwork and leadership and is an inspiration toothers,” Bush wrote. “Committed individu-als who set high goals and strive for excel-

Herstedt honored for 60 yearsof federal service

lence in their endeavors reflect the spirit ofAmerica.”

O’Keefe noted that, during NASA’s for-mative years, Herstedt was the sole con-tracting officer in procurement responsiblefor the construction of many buildings at

Ames, including thelife sciences facility,the administrationsupport facility andthe central com-puter facility.

“This is indeeda noteworthy anni-versary and I amsure it is one inwhich you takegreat pride,”O’Keefe wrote.“Your dedicationand commitmentto the Agency forthese many yearsare truly com-mendable.”

Herstedt, whoturned 82 last Sep-tember, graduatedin 1941 from theUniversity of Cali-fornia at Berkeleywith a degree in

mechanical engineering. He spent his earlyyears at Ames helping build wind tunnels.

“There were only six buildings here whenI arrived on Jan. 2, 1942, and we went onfrom there,” Herstedt recalled. Herstedthelped build the 40-foot by 80-foot windtunnel, the original 12-foot wind tunneland also worked on the Unitary wind tunnelcomplex. He also remembers that Build-ing N-204, that now houses the offices ofPublic Affairs and the Inspector General,originally was constructed as a low-densitywind tunnel. “There’s been lots of changessince then, but that’s the way it goes,”Herstedt said.

“It’s been interesting watching the cen-ter grow over the years,” Herstedt said.“I’ve had a lot of great experiences here,but probably what I’ll remember the mostare the good friendships I’ve made withthe people I’ve worked with over the years.”

A native of Moline, Ill., Herstedt nevermarried. He said he enjoys gardening andreading in his spare time, and has no plansto retire.

BY MICHAEL MEWHINNEY

Purdue team to help develop life-supporting ecosystem in space

NASA's Office of Biological and PhysicalResearch recently selected Purdue Univer-sity, West Lafayette, Ind., for a five-yeargrant totaling $10 million to lead a NASASpecialized Center of Research and Training(NSCORT) for Advanced Life Support (ALS)that will develop technologies to enablelong-duration planetary missions and sus-tain human space colonies.

This ALS NSCORT will consist of a con-sortium of institutions that includes Purdueand two historically black universities, Ala-bama A&M University in Normal, Ala., andHoward University in Washington, D.C. Sci-entists and engineers from all three institu-tions will work together to conduct researchon a number of self-sustaining technologiesrequired for long-duration space missions,including solid-waste processing, water re-covery and air revitalization and food pro-cessing and food safety.

NASA selects advanced technologyconcept for test flight

NASA's New Millennium Program hasselected two organizations to lead the workon sensor and thrust-producing technolo-gies to control a space vehicle's flight pathso the payload responds only to gravita-tional forces.

The disturbance reduction system tech-nology is scheduled to fly in 2006 as theSpace Technology 7 project. Space Tech-nology 7 is designed to test and validateadvanced technologies that have never flownfor future use on NASA missions.

NASA funding for Space Technology 7 is$62.6 million. The technology providers areStanford University, Stanford, Calif., andBusek Company Inc., Natick, Mass.

NASA selects inventions of the yearA miniature pump, a ventricular-assist

device (VAD), designed to help the heartbeat and a device that ensures the safety ofthe International Space Station and its crewhave recently received NASA's commercialand government ‘invention of the year’awards.

Initially called the NASA/DeBakey heartpump, the VAD is based in part on technol-ogy used in space shuttle fuel pumps. It isintended as a long-term ‘bridge’ to a hearttransplant, or as a more permanent deviceto help patients toward recovery and a morenormal life.

The concept for the pump began withtalks between Dr. Michael DeBakey ofHouston's Baylor College of Medicine andone of his heart transplant patients, NASAengineer David Saucier. Saucier, who workedat NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston,knew first-hand the urgency heart-failurepatients feel waiting for a donor heart andwas familiar with space shuttle technologySaucier subsequently passed away in 1996.

by Dominic Hart

Ames Center Director Dr. Henry McDonald (right) recently presentedveteran Ames engineer Harold Herstedt (left) with letters of commendationfrom President George W. Bush and NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, aflight jacket and a 60-year service award.



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At the exposed and often lonely cross-roads where disciplines meet, lie insights intonew breakthroughs, and the promise of dis-covery, according to one veteran scientist.

Friedemann Freund fiddled with an over-head projector one sunny day in February.He was showing an attentive group of Foot-hill/De Anza interns a chart that comparedthe energy unleashed by earthquakes withthe destructive power of the Hiroshima andNagasaki atom bomb explosions. A scientistat several institutions including Ames, theSETI Institute and San José State University,Freund is at ease delivering complex ideasin a way that is intuitive and engaging. Hereveals with a grin that what he loves bestis the challenge to work along the bound-aries where many disciplines interface.

Yet, Freund also is quick to point out thedifficulties in receiving funding, and in com-municating, when curiosity and intellect takeyou across the borders that have traditionallydivided scientific disciplines.

“My white hair gives it away. I’m an oldhand,” says Freund, a native of Germany. Heattended college in Geneva, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and received abachelor’s degree in chemistry and a doctor-ate in mineralogy from the University of

Marburg, Germany. In his 30-year career, hehas had appointments at Stanford Univer-sity; Cornell University; the Universities ofCologne, Göttingen, Namur and Paris; span-ning the United States, Germany, Belgiumand France. He is a member of the AmericanPhysical Society, the American ChemicalSociety, the American Geophysical Unionand the International Society for the Study ofthe Origin of Life.

Freund developed an interest in solidstate physics and crystallography early in hiscareer. “At the university, I started out withchemistry, but was soon captured by thebeauty of the colors seen in the microscopewhen you look at thin sections of minerals inpolarized light,” he recalled. “This propelledme into crystallography and mineralogy, intoceramics, too. For this, I came to the UnitedStates for the first time as a post-doc at thePennsylvania State University.”

Freund returned to Germany in 1962 tooccupy a faculty position in chemistry at theUniversity of Göttingen. He began studyingproton conductivity, and found how a tinyfraction of protons can control a major solidstate reaction that has played a “pivotal rolein humanity’s technological progress sincethe Stone Age: dehydration of clays, the

raw materials for ceramics.”When asked what led him on this path,

he said, “Curiosity for what is unseen andstill unknown, is what compelled me to gointo science.”

Freund left Göttingen for a position ingeosciences at the University of Cologne,Germany, where he stayed 15 years. Heexpanded his proton conductivity studies,and started to probe defects in crystals andhow they affect a wide range of physicaland chemical properties of minerals. “Even-tually, I grew impatient with the constraintsplaced by tradition on interdisciplinary workin Germany,” reflects Freund, in explaininghis decision to return to the United Statesto join NASA’s multidisciplinary effort tostudy the origin of life. “Looking back, Irealize that I often followed my curiositymore voraciously than the rigors of a con-ventional career.”

Freund joined Ames in 1985 as a seniorfellow for the National Research Council.His work involved looking at the structurallydensest minerals as an environment in whichorganic reactions can take place. A spin-offof this work led him to the discovery ofdormant charges in minerals and rocks.Stress, such as it occurs when the Earth’soutermost layers collide and rub againsteach other, causes these charges to ap-pear and travel at great speed. Whencharges flow there is an electrical current,and associated with an electrical currentthere will be a magnetic field. From therehe entered the burgeoning, still highly con-tentious, field of electric and electromag-netic phenomena related to earthquakes.

He described these phenomena to col-leagues in the seismology section of theAmerican Geophysical Union Fall 2001 meet-ing in San Francisco. His presentation dealtwith how stress turns rocks into semiconduc-tors, producing electric and electromagneticsignals. Such signals from deep within theEarth may one day provide a warning beforelarge earthquakes. “The challenge is to learnhow to read and to decipher these signals,”

Friedemann Freund

Ames veteran conducts ‘research at the crossroads’

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Earth Day 2002 at AmesCome join the fun:

Wednesday, April 17Dr. Fritjof Capra, physicist, systems theorist and author of several international

best sellers, including The Tao of Physics and The Web of Life“Sustainability & Security’

12:00 p.m. -1:30 p.m., N-201 Auditorium

Tuesday, April 23Bird Hike at Ames, 9:00 a.m. -10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. (register online)

Street Fair on Durand Road (next to Ames Café) 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (music, exhibitors, fun)

Wednesday, April 24Darren Bouton, City of San José‘Green Building Demystified’

12:00 p.m. -1:30 p.m.; N-245 Auditorium

Thursday, April 25Shannah Trout; Kennedy Space Center

‘Green Purchasing at Ames’10:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m.; N-239 Room 039

ExhibitorsActerra, BAAQMD, City of San José Green Building Program, McSolar, ZAP Electric Bikes,

Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, San Francisco Bay Trail, City of Sunnyvale, Code JFS (Supply/Store Stock, Motor Pool, Recycling, Ames Commute Alternative Program), Code JFP (Energy

Conservation & Composting), Ames GLOBE, Code QE, Code SGE offices

For more information, visit the Environmental Services Office web site at: http://q.arc.nasa.gov/qe/events/ED/ED2002/ Point of contact for the events is Julie Quanz at ext. 4-6810 or email at:

[email protected]

On Feb. 27, Timothy Barth, a computerscientist in the NASA AdvancedSupercomputing (NAS) Division’s Physics andSimulation Modeling Office, was appointedto the editorial board of a book series pub-lished by prestigious international scientificpublisher Springer-Verlag. Barth received hiswelcome from Martin Peters, senior math-ematics editor for Springer. Established in1997, this series, “Lecture Notes in Compu-tational Science and Engineering,” is a part

of the publisher’s mathematics division.Barth has been a contributing author to

two editions of the lecture series. The mostrecent, released in January, is devoted to thetopic of multi-scale and multi-resolutionmethods. All editions are in some form re-lated to computational science and engi-neering (CSE), which is the application ofapplied mathematics and computations.

“Springer is really into CSE--they areembracing this as a new subject area, even

though it’s not a very focused subject. It’s allapplied mathematics with an emphasis oncomputations,” explained Barth.

Barth’s duties on the editorial board in-clude the approval of new books for theseries, and providing input to the senioreditor about possible new authors and newtopic areas. For additional information aboutthe computational science and engineeringseries, contact Tim Barth at e-mail:[email protected]

Welcome to the board

BY HOLLY A. AMUNDSON



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Celebrating contact with Pioneer 10are (left to right) Dave Lozier, LarryLasher, Robert Hogan and LarryKellogg all of Code SF, the SpaceProjects division. The late Charles F.Hall originated the Pioneer program in1962 and was the sole projectmanager during the spacecraft’sdevelopment and accomplishment ofall of the scheduled mission activities.

Pioneer 10...still going after 30 years

Disaster relief agencies at Ames

photos by Tom Trower

VPP STAR Tip:

....Margaret Richardson, in Preparingfor the Voluntary Protection ProgramsCopyright @ 1999 by John Wiley &

It is the federal OSHA purpose forthe VPP to emphasize the impor-tance of systematic management ofoccupational safety and health thathas shaped what the VPP are andhow they are used. That purposewas quietly revolutionary in 1982.

Boeing is currently using an array of NASA-developed software packages to analyze dif-ferent designs of their Sonic Cruiser airplane,the NASA Overset CFD Software (which in-cludes the Overflow flow solver), ChimeraGrid Tools, and Pegasus5. As reported in theFeb. 11, 2002 issue of Aviation Week andSpace Technology (page 47), Boeing hasbeen making extensive use of computationalfluid dynamics (CFD) to analyze the designof the airplane, reducing the amount of windtunnel testing necessary.

Boeing plans to use only four high-speedwind tunnel testing sessions during the de-sign of the Sonic Cruiser--two or three fewersessions than would be required without theuse of CFD. Fewer tests translates to signifi-cant savings of both time and money--around of wind tunnel testing can take up toone year to complete. "This represents sig-nificant cost savings to Boeing's multi-billiondollar Sonic Cruiser aircraft design effort--itwill also mean that the aircraft will be able toenter service much sooner," said StuartRogers, aerospace engineer and co-devel-oper of Pegasus5, and the Chimera GridTools software, from the NASA AdvancedSupercomputing (NAS) Division.

NASA Overset CFD software has beenused to run hundreds of CFD calculations inthe past year at Boeing. The high quality ofthe software, coupled with the automatedCFD processes, make it possible to turnaround design test results quickly and accu-rately. "We had a lot of confidence in the CFDand the first high-speed wind tunnel testresults were very close to what CFD pre-dicted," explained Walt Gillette, Boeing SonicCruiser program manager. If you have ques-tions, or would like additional informationabout NASA Overset CFD software, contactStuart Rogers at [email protected].

Boeing utilizesNASA software

BY HOLLY A. AMUNDSON

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Bay Area emergency response personnel at the City of San José/Ames March 11 remembrance of9/11 are (from left to right) Captain Chris Jones, Coast Guard, with the Department of Healthand Human Services; Centella Tucker, FEMA disaster assistance employee; Lynne Engelbert,section chief of training for the NASA Ames Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team with her searchdog Lucy; Shirley Hammond, canine search specialist with CA Task Force 3 (an urban search andrescue task force) with her search dog Sunny Boy; and Frannie Winslow, Director of EmergencyServices for the City of San José.



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Thanks to recent NASA research, digitalpictures taken from a remotely piloted, solar-powered airplane will help growers harvestbetter coffee and provide support duringfuture natural disasters.

To test their aerial imaging system, re-searchers used remote control to take digitalimages of coffee fields on the Island of Kauaifrom a piloted, light plane. They providedthese images to the harvest manager on theground. By viewing the color patterns in theimages, the manager could tell which fieldswere ripest, and where to send harvest ma-chines. Choosing the fields with the highestpercentage of ripe coffee cherries is crucialbecause harvest machines shake off all thecoffee cherries in each field, whether they areripe or not.

"There is a significant difference in thevalue of ripe coffee cherries compared tounripe and overripe cherries," said StanleyHerwitz, professor of Earth sciences at ClarkUniversity, Worcester, Mass, who now isbased at Ames. Herwitz also is the principalinvestigator for the Uninhabited Aerial Ve-hicle (UAV) coffee project. "The main varietyof coffee grown on this particular plantation,the largest in the U.S.A., ripens to a yellowcolor," he said. The color of coffee cherries,which contain coffee beans, indicates thedegree of ripeness.

"Fields ripen very unpredictably and in-dependently of each other," Herwitz said."We can take very high-resolution picturesflying over the fields, locate the ripest fieldsand help the harvest manager decide whereto send his harvest machines to obtain themost profitable harvest."

"The current method of determining fieldripeness involves limited sampling of branchesand counting ripe cherries versus unripe andoverripe cherries," Herwitz said. "Our methodprovides a view of the entire plantation. Forsome pictures, we use filters to image onlythe wavelengths of interest. In that way, wecan obtain imagery that emphasizes theyellow color of the ripest coffee fields," Herwitzsaid.

"The imagery provided us with a newperspective in our effort to detect ripe coffeefields," the harvest manager at the KauaiCoffee Company, a research partner, said."We plan to continue to refer to this readilyaccessible imagery over the next severalmonths as we conclude our harvest opera-tion and focus our efforts on irrigation andweed control," he added during last year'spost-harvest season.

Digital aerial images also can aid growersby showing the location of vines that can jamcoffee-harvesting machines. In addition, oneof the cameras takes digital pictures of infra-red light, which is invisible to human beings.Scientists represent infrared light with vis-ible, bright colors in pictures. This aerialinfrared imagery helps researchers detect

fungal disease, water stress and insect infes-tation in many types of plants.

In the tropics, clouds and their shadowsoften pass over the fields, even on typicallysunny days, preventing completely clear viewsin single aerial pictures. To overcome thisproblem during the 2002 Hawaiian coffeeharvest, the research team will fly the Path-finder Plus, a remote-controlled, solar-pow-ered airplane, which can circle as long as 16hours.

The unique ‘loitering’ ability of the air-plane will enable it to acquire enough im-ages so they can be assembled into a mosaicof cloudless imagery of the entire plantation.Eventually, designers hope to fly solar-pow-ered UAV aircraft for weeks to months at atime without landing.

"Our immediate objective is to demon-strate the commercial potential of a solarUAV airplane to linger over fields for as longas it takes to acquire cloudless imagery, aswell as watch the fields ripen during the2002 Kauai harvest season," said Herwitz.Field ripeness can change dramatically in afew days, he said.

During the 2001 Hawaiian coffee harvestseason, the research team tested the imag-ing systems they will use on the solar airplanefor the 2002 harvest. Scientists on the groundused wireless technology to control theirdigital cameras on a piloted light aircraft andtransmitted large, 20-megabyte images totheir ground station in as little as 35 seconds."We were in Kauai for three weeks, and weacquired more than 2,000 images," Herwitzsaid.

"Our long-term goal is to develop theimaging technology aboard solar-poweredUAV airplanes to help people to cope withnatural and other disasters, as well as to assistfarmers who grow a wide variety of crops,"said Herwitz.

"Corn and wheat are candidates for thiskind of precision agriculture research be-cause the scale of production is so huge,"Herwitz said. "The goal is to help growersmanage their fields at a high level of effi-ciency.

Real-time imaging can help those farm-ers who may need quick updates of ripenessconditions of crops or any other treatmentssuch as fertilizers, irrigation and pest con-trol."

Using their imaging system aboard thesolar-powered airplane, the research teamwill obtain much higher resolution imagesthan are available from satellites. "The solar-powered UAV will fly much closer to theEarth than orbiting satellites, and the resultwill be much sharper imagery. In the nearfuture, the solar-powered UAV will be usedfor multitasking jobs such as precision agri-culture, communications, weather observa-tion, disaster monitoring and emergencyresponse," Herwitz said. Another advantageof the solar airplane is that it can land, andscientists can easily upgrade the plane's sen-sors, unlike a satellite that stays in orbit.

The NASA UAV Science DemonstrationProgram is funding the $3.76 million UAVCoffee Project, which includes a team ofabout 15 researchers. Scientists selected theproject after reviewing more than 40 UAVscience proposals.

The project is scheduled to run from June2001 to June 2004. More information aboutthe coffee project is on the internet at: http://www.clarku.edu/faculty/herwitz and at:http://www.clarku.edu/research/access/ge-ography/herwitz/herwitzD.shtml

Publication size images are available at:http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/releases/2002/02images/coffee/coffee.html

Digital photos from solar airplane toimprove coffee harvest

BY JOHN BLUCK

Stanford blood bank held avery successful blood driveat Ames in mid March.Shown here are some of theAmes employees at thedrive which was held inBldg. 3, the MoffettTraining and ConferenceCenter.

Stanford blood drive held at Ames

photo by Tom Trower



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Ames employees are invited to attendnon-mandatory annual export compliancetraining on either April 22 or April 30, in Bldg.3 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. each day.

The keynote speaker will be former am-bassador to the Dominican Republic, BobPastorino, who now resides in San Francisco.He also made a similar presentation last yearat Ames.

"At the embassy level, an ambassador isthe main person who promotes trade onbehalf of the United States, protects U.S.commercial interests and deals with securityconcerns," said Ames' center export admin-istrator, Raj Shea, commenting on whyPastorino will make the keynote speeches.

Shea also will speak during the sessions."Export rules affect NASA researchers whocollaborate with many foreign nationalsaround the world. There is a potential thatcontrolled technologies may inadvertentlybe transferred to foreign countries," he said."We do this training on an annual basis, and,although it's not mandatory, it is highlyrecommended that Ames resident staff mem-bers attend annually to keep them updatedon changes to the export compliance regu-lations," Shea said.

"We are holding this training to increaseawareness of the NASA Export ComplianceProgram to researchers and project manag-ers. You have to comply with export laws,"he said. "The export compliance programsare designed to protect items and informa-tion important to the United States, and

Annual export compliance training at Amesexport controls refer to government rulesand regulations that govern the transfer ofcommodities, technologies and softwarecodes to non-U.S. entities or individuals."

Ames' chief of protective services, ClintHerbert, will welcome speakers and attend-ees. Other people to speak include BenRobinson and Rob Terwilliger, special agentsfrom the San José Enforcement Office of theBureau of Export Administration, who willtalk about enforcement of export laws.

Additional presenters from Ames' Com-mercial Technology Office include RobinOrans, responsible for software release, andRob Padilla, patent counsel. Vivian Torresfrom Ames' Logistics Branch is the transpor-tation officer who is responsible for all the BY JOHN BLUCK

imports and exports from Ames and willspeak about her area of responsibility.Helmuth Pescador of the Ames Center Infor-mation Technology Security Office also willmake a presentation. Linda Franklin, legalcounsel, will speak about public domainissues.

Further information about export com-pliance can be found on the web at: http://pso.arc.nasa.gov/export/index.html

The Ames Export Compliance Office sup-port staff also can assist Ames personnel.Contact Karol Broussard at ext. 4-1722 andKimberley Wall at ext. 4-1786 for more infor-mation.

The Ames library staff will be at theAmes Mega Bytes café on Tuesday, April16, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to celebrateInternational Special Librarians' Day. Thestaff will provide information about up-dates to the collection, and the libraryweb page, located at: http://library.arc.nasa.gov.

Come by and enter to win a freesubscription to Aviation Week & SpaceTechnology. For more information, con-tact Jeanette Johnston at ext. 4-4051.

Ask a librarian

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Partners in safety

Center Deputy Director Bill Berry (right) congratulatesMarv ‘Chris’ Christensen, program manager (center) andJohn Livacich (left), environmental, health and safetymanager, about the recent Lockheed Martin engineeringand technical support contract safety award.

The Lockheed Martin engineer-ing and technical support contract(ETSC) employs an average of over300 people at any given time. Thefocus is on life science research thatencompasses ground-based re-search and flight payloads on theshuttle, international space stationand unmanned space vehicles. Re-cently, ETSC was honored not forwhat they have helped to build inspace, but for the outstanding safetyrecord they have constructed atAmes.

The National Safety Councilpresented Lockheed Martin ETSCwith the Green Cross for SafetyExcellence Achievement Awardand the perfect record award. TheGreen Cross is awarded to compa-nies with a ‘days away’ rate of atleast 50 percent below the indus-

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Ames occupational illness/injury data for February 2002

Civil Servants ContractorsNot recordablefirst aid cases 3 8

Recordable no losttime cases 0 0

Restricted workday cases 0 0

Lost workday cases 0 2

Data above are as of 3/14/02. May be subject to slight adjustment dueto late reporting or new information in reclassification.



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Ames engineers recently used wind tun-nel tests to evaluate large emergency serviceradio antennas that someday may serve as ana backup to communications that failed afterthe collapse of New York's World Trade Cen-ter last Sept. 11 following terrorist attacks.Many of the area’s communications servicesused the Trade Center’s high towers as alocation for mounting antennas.

After receiving requests from a New YorkState senator and an assembly member,Ames officials agreed to test a number ofantennas, ranging in length from 10 feet to18 feet, in 200-mile-per-hour, hurricane-force winds in the center’s 40-foot by 80-foot wind tunnel.

"The urgency for these tests at NASAAmes was that following the Twin Towerscollapse on Sept. 11, all emergency commu-nications in a large area of the state of NewYork were lost," said George Kidwell, director

BY JOHN BLUCK

Ames engineers test antennas in hurricane-force windsof research and development services atAmes, which operates the center’s wind tun-nels. "These antennas may serve as an en-hanced technology that might help avoidsuch large-scale, future shutdown of emer-gency radio communications."

To improve New York’s communicationssystems, a number of antennas, similar tothose that were tested, would be installed invarious locations in the state. The antennaswould provide a backup redundancy andwould be robust enough to survive naturaldisasters. The system, to include a number ofdispersed antennas, would be capable ofoperating even if a certain percentage of theantennas failed.

"In today's world, we can all appreciatethe importance of our communications in-frastructure and its effect on the safety of ourpeople. I can think of no better way for thegeneral public to utilize the technological

advances that your agency has achieved. Onbehalf of the people of New York, I thank youfor your support," wrote New York assemblymember Richard A. Smith in a letter request-ing Ames' assistance in testing antennas fromTX RX Systems, Inc., Angola, N.Y.

The two antennas, after being bolted tothe floor of the 40-foot by 80-foot windtunnel, were under evaluation by engineersto test structural integrity during hurricane-force winds. Tom Arledge of Code FOWserved as the test manager for the antennaevaluation and development program.

"The 40-foot by 80-foot wind tunnel isuniquely suited to support this importanttest because the tunnel is big enough tocontain an 18-foot antenna and also gener-ate 200-mile-per-hour winds," said Pete Zellof Code FO. "Our goal is to make sure theantennas can operate during extremely highwind conditions."

On March 13, nearly a thousand stu-dents gathered at the San José ConventionCenter to exhibit their science fair projectsand explain their work to the hundreds ofjudges and others interested in their work. Afull spectrum of research areas was investi-gated at this, the nation’s longest continu-ously running science fair.

Sixth graders explained the inner work-ings of homemade wind tunnels, middle

Local students shine at 41st annualSanta Clara Valley science fair

Ames employees seen here judging some of the many science fair projects at the March 13science fair held at the San José Convention Center. Left to right: Mariana Triviso (Code DXE);Paul Callahan (Code SLO); Del Philpot (foreground, retired), John Colombero (Code DXE) andAlan Federman (Code DX).

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school students inoculated petri dishes, andhigh school students covered just about ev-ery subject under the sun. While their teach-ers waited nervously in the convention cen-ter lobby, the NASA Ames judging team, ledby Paul Callahan of Code SLO, reviewedevery project and awarded 15 NASA Certifi-cates of Outstanding Achievement to thehardworking and deserving students.



9

Nonionizing Radation Safety Committee

Safety is always mission one!

One of the first things David Saleeba didafter taking the helm as Assistant Administra-tor of the Office of Security Managementand Safeguards (Code X) was to tour theheadquarters building looking for weaknessesin security. A former Secret Service agent,Saleeba’s investigative experience immedi-ately led him to have the paper recyclingboxes inspected. What he found was, in hismind, unbelievable. Personnel records, con-tracting information and other confidentialdocuments were found in almost every re-ceptacle.

This discovery reinforced to Saleeba theneed for a comprehensive agency-wide op-erations security (OPSEC) program. Theperson Saleeba tasked to develop and coor-dinate this program for NASA is IkeHendershot, director of special programs.

Hendershot, also a former Secret Serviceagent, said, “The ultimate goal of OPSEC is todeny an adversary critical organizational in-formation that is not intended for disclosure.This does not mean that the OPSEC programwould prevent the appropriate sharing ofdata, facts, knowledge, technology or scien-tific accomplishment. However, many agen-cies do not always realize how much criticalinformation they are actually giving away bypredictable behavior, casual conversation,routine messaging, internet exchange andrefuse disposal. Careful attention must beapplied to what is revealed. Failure to do socould provide adversaries with the informa-tion they need to compromise the agency forembarrassment, on the one hand, and toexecute terrorist acts, on the other.”

Hendershot said a viable and completeOPSEC program will increase operational

effectiveness and safeguard efficiency by pre-venting the inadvertent compromise of clas-sified and/or unclassified but sensitive infor-mation concerning the agency’s activities,capabilities, intentions and personnel.

According to Hendershot, OPSEC is atraining and awareness program, not a fault-finding process. It does not replace othersecurity disciplines, it supplements them. Foran agency to operate successfully, employ-ees must be aware of their daily activities,

Increasing security agency wideand those of others that may reveal sensitiveemployee and agency information or classi-fied activities. Ideally, a comprehensive NASAwide OPSEC program will help prevent ornegate these vulnerabilities. The OPSEC pro-gram also can benefit NASA employees andtheir families. Employees can take the knowl-edge learned from the program and use it toprotect themselves from identity theft andother forms of theft.

BY MICHAEL BRAUKUS, NASA HQS

Celebrating the Equinox

Nonionizing radiation is electromagneticradiation in the form of microwaves, electricfields and laser light. While ionizing radia-tion can cause biological damage by remov-ing electrons from atoms, nonionizing radia-tion causes damage mainly through heatgeneration. This canbe observed in a mi-crowave oven or a la-ser being used to cutmetal. The Nonioniz-ing Radiation SafetyCommittee has existedin one form or anothersince nonionizing ra-diation use began atAmes. Their mission isto ensure sources ofnonionizing radiation are used safely at Ames.

J.T. Heineck is the committee chairper-son and the other seven members of theteam are comprised of researchers and safetypersonnel representing the varied uses oflaser and microwave radiation at Ames. Theforemost duty of the committee is to ensurethat nonionizing radiation is used safely andproductively. Heineck reminds the commit-

tee members that they are there to helpresearchers to conduct their projects safely,not to simply regulate them.

Researchers submit the nonionizing ra-diation projects to the committee for review.The experiments then are reviewed and sug-

gestions offered on the best way to use theradiation safely. Experienced researchersshare their knowledge and expertise to en-hance safety and allow new researchers toeasily set up their laboratories without theneed to ‘reinvent the wheel.’ Some of therecent projects the committee has reviewedare for laser operations in the martian surfacewind tunnel (MARSWIT); the 7-foot by10-

foot wind tunnel; the Arc Jet facility; and thefluid mechanics laboratory, as well as variousmicrowave projects. A sampling of ongoingitems the committee currently is reviewing isthe center’s laser tag-out program, laserinventory program, and the methods for

donating used lasers tocolleges and otherlearning institutions.

If you would likemore informationabout the NonionizingRadiation Safety Com-mittee, visit its website at: http://q.arc.nasa.gov/qh/safetycom/nonionrad-s a f e t y c o m m . p h p .

There you will find contact information, thecommittee’s charter and minutes from itsrecent meetings. To learn more about non-ionizing radiation, visit the health physicstraining site at: http://q.arc.nasa.gov/qh/classes/physics/index.php. There you willfind information and training about lasers,microwaves and even laser pointers!

Students from Sandpiper Elementary School in Foster City, Branham High School in San José, and theOakland American Indian Charter School participated in a two-hour celebration on March 20 for Sun-Earth Day. The event was carried on NASA TV and webcast on NASA QUEST. Together withastronomers from the Stanford Solar Center, the students showed graphs they had made plotting thesun's apparent motion from different latitudes. Nathan Chasing Horse introduced students totraditional Lakota knowledge of the sky that has been handed down for generations through songs,dances, ceremonies and traditional story telling. Thousands of students and teachers across the nationparticipated in the live event. For more information, see: quest.arc.nasa.gov

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Mike Hernandez, the president and chiefoperating officer of Hernandez EngineeringInc., recently was appointed by PresidentGeorge W. Bush to serve on the Commissionon Educational Excellence for Hispanic Ameri-cans.

The commission is chartered to create amulti-year plan to close the educationalachievement gap between Hispanic-Ameri-can students and their peers. Hernandez isone of 17 appointees who will advise the U.S.secretary of education on the progress ofHispanic-Americans in closing this gap andmeeting the promise of the new No ChildLeft Behind Act of 2001. Members also willmonitor federal progress and recommendways that the government can assist His-panic parents to proactively prepare theirchildren to graduate from high school andpursue higher education opportunities.

The individuals chosen to serve on thepresident’s commission represent a varietyof backgrounds. It’s no surprise whyHernandez was nominated for this position.His years of service in the aerospace industry,dedication and support of educational foun-dations and participation in the communitydemonstrate his outstanding character andvalues. His unique success story from Cubanimmigrant to president and chief operatingofficer of a highly successful engineering firm

represents over 35 years of hard work, deter-mination and a vision for success.

The White House quoted Secretary of

Education Ron Paige, saying, "President Bushhas selected an outstanding group of menand women to guide our efforts to close the

inexcusable achievement gap between His-panic-American students and their peers. Ilook forward to working with them to helpHispanic students across the country reachhigh standards of achievement regardless ofthe language or other barriers to academicsuccess that they may bring to the class-room. Every child in the country can succeedand, with the assistance and advice of thiscommission, I look forward to improving theacademic performance and attainment of allour Hispanic students."

Hernandez attended the ratification cer-emony in Washington D.C., on Feb. 26, andbegan work by attending the commission’sfirst meeting on Feb. 27. Hernandez said,"It’s very exciting to start HernandezEngineering’s 20th anniversary year with thisappointment. The president’s nomination isa great honor. I am very pleased to have theopportunity to make a difference for youngHispanic Americans."

Hernandez Engineering has supportedAmes Research Center since 1995. Over 30engineers and technical specialists providesystem safety and mission assurance as wellas ISO quality management support to allAmes payloads, flight research projects, op-erations and facilities.

Mike Hernandez

Ames’ Hernandez receives presidential appointment

Partners with NASA in safetycontinued from page 7

10

continued from page 2Freund said. “The best way is to try to under-stand the underlying physics.”

Following his own intellectual curiosityonce again will take Freund across disci-plines. Coincidentally, the same solid statereaction that produces the dormant electriccharges of interest to seismologists, also pro-duces hydrogen gas within rocks. Freund’srecent work, to appear in the spring issue ofthe journal ‘Astrobiology,’ deals with whathe describes as a “nearly inexhaustible sup-ply” of hydrogen within rocks. “Primitivebacteria that are believed to exist in largenumbers within the Earth can live off thishydrogen,” said Freund. “Similar hydrogen-consuming microbes may some day be foundon Mars where the geological conditions

BY ELENA KOZAK

Ames veteran conducts‘research at the crossroads’

should also lead to hydrogen inside therocks.”

Moving across disciplines, Freund main-tains his focus and inexaustible optimismand energy. “Science can be wonderful,exhilarating and exhausting,” he says. “Youcan run with the crowd and be satisfied. Ifyou savor risk and are willing to commit,however, go for what lies between the estab-lished fields.” Judging from his unfetteredcommitment to his work, Freund is livingproof that deep conviction, when coupledwith imagination and perseverance, is a recipefor success.

try rate during the 12-month reporting pe-riod. The perfect record award is bestowedon organizations that achieve at least 12consecutive months without a lost-time in-jury case. Lockheed Martin ETSC has goneover two years (over 1 million hours worked)without a lost-time injury.

Lockheed Martin fosters an environmentwhere management and employees worktogether to solve problems. By doing so,they continuously seek to improve the waythey do business. Lockheed Martin strives tomake processes safer, more reliable and toincrease the quality of research and prod-ucts. Lockheed Martin is a strong supporterof OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program(VPP). To help Ames prepare to becomeVPP certified, the ETSC contract arrangedfor the Ames VPP committee to tour theSkunk Works in Southern California, one oftheir many VPP certified sites.

ETSC management works with employ-ees to evaluate tasks and to make processimprovements. A recent example of this isan employee and his manager, who to-gether developed a new approach to elimi-nate a potential repetitive stress injury. Adrop method was developed that elimi-nated an employee exposure problem.This technique was shared with andadopted by other organizations perform-ing the same process.

In an effort to better protect laboratoryresearchers at Ames from toxic gasses, aninnovative rodent induction chamber wasdesigned by Lockheed Martin that is ex-

pected to eliminate a potential chemicalexposure issue. Not only is this chambersafer, it also will decrease the cycle time,making the lab more productive.

All new employees receive in-houseLockheed Martin environmental, safety andhealth (ESH) training. Refresher training alsois provided and all training is tracked elec-tronically. Both employees and manage-ment participate in ESH self-inspections thatoccur monthly in each laboratory and shop,

while office inspections are conducted quar-terly on the recently developed Web-basedinspection system.

Lockheed Martin ETSC’s beliefs align withVPP values. To achieve a safe workplace, ittakes a commitment by everyone involved.Each employee understands the importanceof implementing ‘best work practices’ andcontinuously works to control all hazards.Safety works best when it is a team effort.



11

Event Calendar

Miscellaneous

Transportation

Ames ClassifiedsAds for the next issue should be sent to

[email protected] by the first Friday follow-ing publication of the present issue and must be resub-mitted for each issue. Ads must involve personal needsor items; (no commercial/third-party ads) and will runon a space-available basis only. First-time ads are givenpriority. Ads must include home phone numbers; Amesextensions and email addresses will be accepted forcarpool and lost and found ads only. Due to the volumeof material received, we are unable to verify the accuracyof the statements made in the ads.

Housing

Ames Public Radio1700 KHz AM radio -- information announcements

and emergency instructions, when appropriate, for Amesemployees. The emergency information phone number forAmes is (650) 604-9999.

Roommate wanted (N/S, prof) to share a great, sunny,2 mstr bd/2 ba end-unit condo (Sunnyvale) with gar, W/D,large rooms, storage, central air, low utilities, jac, greatpool, balcony, 3 mls from Ames, $900 plus 1/2 util's(potential to reduce rent with lease). Alan (408) 830-0755(H); cell: (408) 348-3564.

Bayshore Park, large bathroom, separate kitchen area,one parking stall, laundry on site. $850 mo plus deposit.$50 off 1st mo. rent. Call 650) 965-0775.

Visitors! Temporary rental available for 3 to 8 monthsbetween May and December 2002. 3 bd/1 ba home inCupertino, DW, W/D, hot tub & pool table. Furnishingsoptional. 12-20 min commute to Ames. $1,950/mo. Laura(408) 343-1272.

Santa Clara duplex, 10 mls from Ames. 3bd/2ba, w/dhook-ups, 2 car garage, central heat/ac, hardwood/carpetfloors, backyard, refrigerator and basic cable incl. Availablenow, approx. $2,100/month plus deposit (negotiablebased on lease). Call (408) 246-5295.

Room with large closet in 4 bd/2 ba home excellent,quiet Mtn. View area close to Ames. Washer, dryer,microwave, fireplace, PG&E block 50. Tidy person &nonsmoker. Easy access to Ames, 85, 237, & 101. $475 +share utilities. Avail. 4/1. Call (650) 964-1900.

Roommate needed to share 2 bd/2ba apartment inSunnyvale. $825 mo. plus $250 dep. Great Location,Non-smoker, no pets. Very clean and quiet. Call (408)736-9929 or (408) 515-1527 (Cell VM)

--

Ames Bowling League, Palo Alto Bowl on Tues nights.Seeking full-time bowlers and substitutes. Pre-league meeting atPalo Alto Bowl on Tues, August 28 at 6 p.m. Questions to signup: Mike Liu at ext. 4-1132.

Ames Diabetics (AAD), 1st & 3rd Weds, 12 noon to1 p.m., at Ames Mega Bites, Sun rm. Support groupdiscusses news affecting diabetics. POC: Bob Mohlenhoff,ext. 4-2523/email at: [email protected].

Ames Child Care Center Board of Directors Mtg, Everyother Thursday (check web site for meeting dates: http://accc.arc.nasa.gov), 12 noon to 2 p.m., N-269, Rm. 201. POC:Joan Walton, ext 4-2005.

Nat'l Association of Retired Federal Employees,(NARFE), first Friday of each month, S. J. Chptr #50 mtg, 9:30a.m., Hometown Buffet, Westgate Mall, 4735 Hamilton Avenue.,San José. Program at 10 a.m. ‘Guide Dogs for the Blind.’Lunch at 11 a.m. $6.27 pp. POC: Earl Keener (408) 241-4459or NARFE 1-800-627-3394.

Ames Federal Employees Union (AFEU) Mtg,Apr. 17, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Bldg. 19, Rm 1042. Info at:http://www.afeu.org. POC: Marianne Mosher at ext. 4-4055.

Ames Amateur Radio Club, Apr. 18, 12 noon, N-T28 (across from N-255). POC: Michael Wright, KG6BFK,at ext. 4-6262. URL: http://hamradio.arc.nasa.gov.

Native American Advisory Committee Mtg,Apr. 23, 12 noon to 1 p.m., Building 19, Rm 1096.POC: Mike Liu at ext. 4-1132.

Ames Contractor Council Mtg, May 1, 11 a.m., N-200, Comm. Rm. POC: Paul Chaplin at ext. 4-3262.

Environmental, Health and Safety InformationForum, May 2, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Bldg. 19/Rm1040. URL: http://q.arc.nasa.gov/qe/events/EHSseries/POC: Julie Quanz at ext. 4-6810.

Model HO/HOn3 Railroad Train Club at MoffettField in Bldg. 126, across from the south end of Hangar One.Work nights are usually Friday nights, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.Play time is Sundays, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Call John Donovan(408) 735-4954 (W) or (408) 281-2899 (H).

Jetstream Toastmasters, Mondays, 12 noon to 1p.m., N-269/Rm. 179. Guests welcome. POC: CathyPayne at ext. 4-0003.

Ames Ballroom Dance Club. Classes meetTuesdays. Mar. 19 and 26, waltz. Begin classes start at6:15 p.m. Higher-level class meets at 5:15 p.m. Held inBldg. 944, the Recreation Center. POC: Helen Hwang,[email protected].

Exchange Information

Beyond Galileo N-235 (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)ext. 4-6873Ask about NASA customized gifts for specialoccasions. Make your reservations for Chase Park.

Mega Bites N-235 (6 a.m. to 2 p.m.)ext. 4-5969See daily menu at: http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov

Visitor Center Gift Shop N-223(10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) ext. 4-5412NASA logo merchandise, souvenirs, toys, giftsand educational 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.Jun. 1, 8 p.m., Damn Yankees, San José Center forthe Performing Arts

Information about products, services and oppor-tunities provided to the employee and contractorcommunity by the Ames Exchange Council. Visitthe web site at: http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov

Lake Tahoe-Squaw Valley townhs, 3 bd/2ba,view of slopes, close to lifts. Wkend $500,midwk $190 nite. Included lines, cleaning,propane fireplace, fully furnished.Call (650) 968-4155. [email protected]

South Lake Tahoe Cottage w/wood fireplaceand hot tub. Rates from $50 to $130 pernight. Call (650) 967-7659 or (650) 704-7732.

Vacation rental, Bass Lake CA 14 mls south ofYosemite. 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/2bahouse in lovely canyon setting. Fully eqpdkitchen. Access to priv. beach. Tub in patiogdn. Halfway between Carmel & Big Sur.$175/night for 2; $225 for 4 and $250 for more,plus $150 cleaning dep. Call (650) 328-4427.

Incline Village: Forest Pines, Lake Tahoe condo,3 bd/2 ba, sleeps 8. Fireplc, TV/VCR, MW,W/D, jacuzzi, sauna, pool. $120/night low season;$155/night high season. $90 cleaning fee and12% Nevada room tax. Charlie (650) 366-1873.

NASA Lodge (N-19) 603-7100

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

Elena Jubilee electronic 500 sewing machine. Includesmaple cabinet and attachments. New condition. $300.Call (408) 745-1734.

Everlast 80lb vinyl canvas punching bag w/rafterhanging bracket, $35. Call (650) 938-6546.

Credenza/hutch, 20in x 30in x 46in, beautiful honey-laquer finish, mint condition, only a year old, $400. Call(650) 473-0604.

Multisport home gym equipment with dual weightstack. Stations include a press, pec deck, leg press, highpulley, low pulley and a removable bench. $450. Callevenings (650) 274-3133 or (650) 654-9237.

Wanted: Used stationary bike, Nicole (408) 229-2878.

Sailboat 1/4 partnership. 25' Pacific Seacraft in FortMason marina (San Francisco). 4K or B/O. [email protected] or call (415) 826-3041.

Ames RetirementsName Code DateMichael J. McIntyre JFP 3-03-02

'83 Toyota Cressida, excellent condition, white, goodtires, A/C, PS, power windows and door locks, cruise, AM/FM stereo, 78K mls, one owner. Asking blue book $2,500or B/O. Frank (408) 248-7164 anytime.

'87 Ford Escort Pony, hatchback, automatic, new tires,good condition. $1,100 or B/O. Call (650) 625-1325.

Mini motor-home, self-contained. 104K mls on '87Ford Econoline engine. $9,900 or B.O. [email protected] or call (415) 826-3041.

‘87 Toyota Corolla, $1,900 only. Very goodcondition. Head and valves job performed last year. Vee(408) 923-5138.

‘88 Blazer, 4-Cyl. 2.5 Ltr, 5 Speed. Black, 2 door,Could use some work. $800 or B/O. Call (650) 343-4047.

‘90 Subaru Legacy, white, 4 door, 4 WD, 5-speedtransmission. Good tires, new battery, 72,000 mls, $950.Call (408) 872-1887, ask for Kevin.

‘91 Ford Explorer XLT 4X4, 4.0L V6, AT, PW, PL, CD,front bench 6-passenger, roof rack, tow pkg, new brakes &tires, recent engine work, overall very good condition at111K mls. $4,550. Tom (408) 255-2325.

‘91 Chrysler, white, model fully automatic with 59,000mls in good condition. Asking price $6,000. Willing tonegotiate. Jenette (408) 745-1583.

'92 Nissan 240SX Fastback, 45K mls, Palomino, superclean, single owner. Manual 5-spd, power everything, A/C,flip-up roof, good rubber. $5,500. Call (650) 323-1670eves.

‘93 Toyota Camry. Runs great. Clean inside and out.Always dealer serviced. 4-cyl Auto, A/C, AM/FM radio,moonroof, 105K mls. $5,500. Call (415) 577-6659.

'95 Saturn SL-2, 5sp, 54K, PW, PL, AC, sun roof, AM/FM cass, dealer maint, very good, Ask $5,000. Elani (650)948-1527.

’98 Ford Ranger XLT, ext cab, automatic, V6 3.0, AC,Vista camper shell, carpet kit, AM/FM stereo, cassette, 25Kmiles, $10,500 or B/O. Deanna (408) 260-1180 between 5-9 p.m.

‘02 Yamaha TTR-125. Ridden for approx. 12 hours.Great dirt bike for kid just getting started. Call (408) 248-5753.

Igloo dog house for large dog. Free. Rick (510) 796-3217.

Leather couch & love seat. Light grey. Greatcondition. $500. Shirley (408) 777-0277.

Who has a Post or K&E slide rule for sale? Call (650)473-0604.

Stair stepper machine, $60. Everlast punching bag,$30. Email: [email protected] for photos andmore information.

11



12

National Aeronautics and Space Admnistration

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 publicationof Ames Research Center, NationalAeronautics and Space Administration.

Managing Editor.......................David MorseEditor.......................................Astrid Terlep

We can be reached via email at:[email protected] or by phone at(650) 604-3347

This summer, NASA is introducing a newautomated Position Description Manage-ment (PDM) system that streamlines the

classification process and enables supervi-sors, managers and human resources (HR)staff to create position descriptions easilyand quickly. Position Description Manage-ment (PDM), a pathfinder project managedby the Integrated Financial Management(IFM) Program Office, is directly linked topromoting the ‘One NASA’ concept as astandard way of doing business.

What this means for supervisors, manag-ers and HR staff is that the amount of time it

currently takes to create an employee posi-tion description (PD) will be dramaticallyreduced. This enabling technology also will

allow employee ac-cess to archivedagency PD files.

NASA contractedwith Avue Technolo-gies for the AvueDigital Services (ADS)Classification Mod-ule. To prepare forimplementation ofthis Web-based sys-tem, a group of sub-ject matter experts(SMEs) was invited totest and review thecontent and ease ofapplication. Subjectmatter experts(SMEs), includingDan Bencze (CodeAP) and Nelson Hsu(Code FEF) were twoof the SME’s chosento evaluate ADS. Thisreview by SMEs willensure that the sys-tem provides mean-

ingful, appropriate classification informationfor describing work conducted here at Amesand NASA-wide.

Content testing and review will continueuntil April 5. Camilla Perez and CatherinePoon are part of the project team working tobring ADS onsite. If you would like moreinformation, contact Camilla at:[email protected] or Catherine at:[email protected].

New PDM system at Ames

photo by Tom Trower

12

Subject matter expertsDan Bencze (right) andNelson Hsu (left) testthe new automatedposition classificationsystem from AvueTechnologies as PDMproject lead CamillaPerez (center) looks on.Ames employees havebeen assisting humanresources personnel inevaluating the newsystem.

Sustainability andsecurity lecture set

The Environmental Services Office CodeQE, will sponsor a sustainability and securityseminar on Wednesday, April 17, at 12:00to 1:30 p.m. in the N-201 Auditorium.

This talk is about the links between eco-logical sustainability and security. In orderto fight terrorism effectively, we need tounderstand its root causes, the conditionsthat breed hatred and violence. Only chang-ing these conditions will make us moresecure in the long run.

Fritjof Capra, Ph.D., physicist and sys-tems theorist, is a founding director of theCenter for Ecoliteracy, which is dedicated topromoting ecology and systems thinking inprimary and secondary education. Capra isthe author of several international bestsellers,including The Tao of Physics, The TurningPoint, and The Web of Life. This talk is basedon his forthcoming book, The Hidden Con-nections: A Science for Sustainable Living.

For more information, contact JulieQuanz at ext. 4-6810 or email her at:[email protected]

All Ames employees are invited to submitarticles relating to Ames projects and activitiesfor publication. When submitting stories or adsfor , submit your material, along with any ques-tions, in MS word by e-mail to:[email protected] on or before thedeadline.

Astrogram deadlines

Deadline: Publication:April 29, ‘02 May ‘02May 29, ‘02 June ‘02

Communication for the Information Technology Age ... - NASA · 2/11/2002 · NASA back in the days...

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