The Ames Astrogram — 1May 29, 1998

AstrogramNATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION AMES RESEARCH CENTER, MOFFETT FIELD

THE AMESAstrogram

Communication for the information technology age

May 29, 1998 on-line@http://ccf.arc.nasa.gov/dx/

12 months to

Certification

Ames ISO Web-site address: http://nasarc1.arc.nasa.gov/iso9000/index1.html

Have you ever thought you werehaving a bad day because your carwouldn't start,your workclothes werestill at thelaundry, or yourcomputerwouldn'trespond quicklyenough? Behonest! If youdon't answer'yes,' you'reeither veryunusual or justkiddingyourself!

Well,imagine what itwould be likenot to be able to put on your own socks,get yourself a drink, operate simpleappliances, or do any one of a hundredother simple physical tasks that we alltake for granted!

That's precisely the situation thatthe physically challenged face on a dailybasis. And the higher order the disability,the greater the challenge -- to indepen-dence, self-esteem, and the pursuit of 'anormal life.'

On May 20, Ames Research Centersigned an historic agreement with theTetra Society of North America designedto utilize NASA technology and Amesvolunteers in an attempt to help addressthis situation. The goal is to take Ames'expertise and technologies and utilize,adapt, and develop them to createassistive devices to improve the qualityof life for disabled people.

Ames' participation in the projectis primarily the work of Dougal Maclise,an engineer in the Electronic SystemsBranch (Code FES). Through externalcontacts, Maclise became aware of Tetranearly two years ago, and he has beenlooking for ways to have Ames volun-teers help them ever since. This spring,with the dedicated assistance and hardwork of Rachel Zimmerman, an internfrom the International Space University

NASA technology and volunteers toassist the physically challenged

in Strasbourg, France, on a three-monthassignment at Ames, Maclise finally

achieved his dream.Working in a

close and dedicatedpartnership with theAmes' CommercialTechnology Office(Code DK), Maclise isthe technical principalon an agreement thatwill seek to matchAmes engineers andtechnicians withdisabled clients.Cooperative develop-ment of innovativesolutions to theeveryday barriers

encountered by the physically chal-lenged is the goal. It is anticipated thatthe majority of the 'solutions' developedwill be individual-specific and requirecustom design. But, ultimately, Ames'representatives hope that knowledgegained during long-duration spacemissions and other life science researchmay find application in the disabledcommunity.

Some devices and projects that areanticipated in the near term include: a

continued on page 9

Seestorypage 9

Center Director Henry McDonald looks on asHans Mark inscribes a personal copy of hisnew book.

continued on page 10

As if right on cue to celebratethe release of his new engineeringtextbook, former Center Director Dr.Hans Mark wrote another chapter inhis record of personal accomplishmenton May 4 with the announcement

from Washington, DC of his nomina-tion by President Clinton to serve asDirector of Defense Research andEngineering (DRE), the chief technicaladvisor to the U.S. Secretary ofDefense.

Mark hopes to take on his newassignment later this year, pendingconfirmation of his appointment bythe U.S. Senate. Bipartisan approval ofMark’s nomination seems probablegiven his impressive qualifications,previous record of Governmentservice, and the early and strongsupport expressed, particularly byinfluential Texans, on both sides of the

Hans Mark to gettop defense job

Rachel Zimmerman (left) and DougalMaclise (right) watch as Tetra’s SamSullivan signs the Space Act Agreementwith Ames.

Denice Helwig of Ames’ CommercialTechnology Office; Josh Cohen, consultant;Sam Sullivan of Tetra; and Dougal Macliseand Rachel Zimmerman of Ames (left to right).

2 — The Ames Astrogram May 29, 1998

At precisely 2:19 p.m. on April 17,Neurolab blasted off from KennedySpace Center aboard the Space ShuttleColumbia. To saythe launch wasspectaculardoesn’t do itjustice. From thefirst plume ofsmoke thatbillowed frombeneath the stillEarth-boundshuttle and leftyou holding yourbreath, wonder-ing if it really wasgoing to defygravity, to theawesome rumblethat envelopedyou, well afteryou began tothink howsurprisingly quietthe launchseemed to be, itwas a totallyinvolvingexperience. Andwhile it was anexhilaratingmoment, it wasonly the begin-ning. The reallyexciting stuff –conduct of thescientific payloadon the Neurolabmission – was justabout to start.

How doesthe brain adapt tothe new environ-ment of space?Will the nervoussystem and balance organs developnormally in space? How doesexposure to space affect one’sperception, behavior, or ability tocope with gravity? The Neurolabmission, dedicated to studying the brainand nervous system, was designed toaddress all these questions and more. Fornearly 17 days, Columbia’s crew of 7astronauts conducted 26 separateinvestigations for the Principal Investiga-tors (PIs) and their teams who hadprepared for nearly 6 years for thismission. Fifteen of those experiments –the ones using rats and mice, cricketsand snails, oyster toadfish and swordtailfish – were managed by the payloadteam from the Life Sciences division atAmes Research Center.

Combining rocket science withbrain surgery makes for an ambitious andchallenging mission, but the crew andsupporting teams demonstrated that theyears of preparation had paid off. Whilethe crew worked in the Spacelab, theAmes team – located at Kennedy SpaceCenter, Johnson Space Center, and back

at Ames– worked on the ground. Someinterfaced with PIs to begin groundcontrol studies and prepare for landing

activities; some sat atconsoles to answer ques-tions from the crew, trackhardware performance, andrecord inflight activities;some tracked the hundredsof logistical and operationaldetails, or thousands ofpieces of data; and othershelped to trouble-shootproblems or replan the nextdays activities.

“The Neurolabmission was extremelychallenging as we hadlimited resources to supporta large number of experi-ments. Due to the dedica-tion and perseverance of

those workingthe mission,much wasaccomplished.Supporting spaceflight experi-ments will alwaysbe a challenge,and we havesome great folksat Ames whohelp to make thatpossible,” saidChris Maese,Neurolab ProjectManager, inspeaking of histeam.

During themission, most ofthe hardware performed flawlessly, andmost of the experiments went extremely

well. However, working in space ischallenging, and it was during thechallenging times that the team’sdedication and persistence really paid off.The first half of the mission went offwithout a hitch, but at the mid-point twoproblems surfaced. First, the Shuttlesystem responsible for removing excessCO2 from the atmosphere appeared to befailing; and second, the youngest groupof neonate rats onboard began to behave problems. The first problem wastemporarily resolved when the crewactivated the LiOH canisters that areflown in case of such an event. Whileneither crew nor animals were at risk,there was the potential for shorteningmission duration. As the project and PIteams reprioritized science activities anddeveloped new timelines, Shuttleengineers were busy developing inflightmaintenance procedures to be sent to

the crew. The procedureworked and the crewrepaired the CO2 systemwith mission durationunaffected. The problemwith the nine-day-old rats,however, persisted.

These rats wereessential to study how thenervous system develops inspace, and to determine ifgravity is required fordevelopment to proceednormally. When the crewremoved one of the littersfrom the Research AnimalHolding Facility (RAHF),they observed that theywere not in the best ofhealth. This caused Dr.Linnehan, payloadcommander and inflightattending veterinarian, tobegin assessing the healthof all the neonates in the

RAHF. Over the course ofthe mission, a total of 57 ofthe 96 animals in this age

group died, orwereeuthanized byDr. Linnehan(the nearly200 animals inthe groundcontrol groupshad noproblems).Due to thecrew’swillingness toset up the firstinflightveterinaryhospital, themortalitynumbers werekept to aminimum, and

Neurolab is huge success — that’sa no-brainer!

continued on page 5

Neurolab

A flock of birds takes flight as Columbia touches down,marking the end of the Spacelab era, but just the beginningof the postflight phase of the Neurolab mission.

The Ames Neurolab team had a rare and much deserved opportunityto snap a photo from the flame trenches beneath the Shuttle.

Above:The launch ofColumbia on April17, began theinflight phase ofthe Neurolabmission, dedicatedto increasing ourunderstanding ofthe brain andnervous system.

The Ames Astrogram — 3May 29, 1998

SpaceDay at Ames

Space Day 1998 - Prospecting for KnowledgeTake a large hangar filled with lunar

rocks, space suits, a laser light show, a

rover in a sand box, and 25carefully-designed “hands-on”activities. Add 1,250 children ingrades 3 through 6, more than200 high-school mentors, 250chaperones, 40 teachers, andsome serious logistics/operationssupport. Combine all ingredientsfor over 3 hours, and let themixture “rise” to its full potential.And what have you got? Theperfect recipe for education andfun, that’s what! And you’dbetter be prepared for an explosion ofbrisk activity, excitement and learning.

On the morning of May 21, MoffettField’s historic Hangar 1 was the venuefor just such an activity. This first jointSpace Day celebration was hosted byNASA Ames and co-sponsored byLockheed Martin Missiles and Space, theAmerican Institute of Aeronautics andAstronautics (AIAA), and the AstronomicalSociety of the Pacific (ASP). Judging bythe look and sound of things, it won’t bethe last such event.

Under the theme of “Prospectingfor Knowledge,” the event focused on therecent Lunar Prospector mission, withmany other solar system and spacethemes sprinkled throughout. It was hardto tell who had the most fun as the high-school mentors and the adult activity

BY BETSY CARTER

captains guided the young studentsthrough activities that sparked theircreativity and imagination. The

activities were as diverse as theparticipants, all challenging theyoung and not-as-young mindsalike. Many activities resultedin take-home projects, such asdesigning a lunar habitat,building a Lunar Prospectormodel, making spacehelmets, or designing amission patch.

Other activities alsoproved extremely popular,especially those involvingfood. What fun to make(and eat) lunar ice cream,and to learn about rocksand meteorites throughsnickers bars and butterfin-gers! And imagine creatingyour own volcanoes andmagma flows — with jello.Eat your heart out BillCosby! The activities werenon-stop — just far toomany for all of the studentsto experience every one.

A grand finale utilized the specialfeature that only Hangar 1 can offer — itstremendously high ceiling. Early in theday, many students experienced the“make a crater” activity, simulatingmeteorites crashing into the surface ofthe moon by dropping rocks into smallsandboxes and learning how craters areformed. At the conclusion of themorning’s activities, a brave NASAvolunteer appeared at the high reaches ofthe hangar to do the same exercise on amuch larger scale. On command, thecrowd performed a count-down and hedropped a series of ice-rock comets andmeteorites from the ceiling onto a largemoon (sandbox) surface approx. 200-feetbelow. How easy this made it for thestudents to visualize the creation of lunar

craters! This is one group of kids that willnever believe the Swiss-cheese theory ofthe lunar features.

As the busy morning ended andthe students were ushered back to theirbuses, it was abundantly clear that SpaceDay 1998 was a success — even the tiredchaperones, mentors and teachers werestill smiling! Dragging a little, perhaps,but smiling nonetheless.

photos by Dominic Hart

4 — The Ames Astrogram May 29, 1998

Briefs

Ames News and Center Briefs

NASA and Yale push barriers ofcommunications and medicine onMt. Everest

As four climbers made their assault onMt. Everest's summit this week, NASA andYale University are testing new health caredevices based on space science technology.From the mountain's extreme environment,health data will travel from the base camp tothe NASA-Yale telemedicine project. Theproblems of high altitude adaptation,physiological stress and the climbers' locationrepresent great medical challenges similar toan astronaut's situation in space.

NASA and Yale have been working inpartnership since July 1997, to contribute tothe United States' competitive lead incommercial applications of telemedicine.The goal of the program is to develop andtest next-generation technologies. Tests onMt. Everest may lead to design improve-ments in future automated medicalmonitoring and care systems for astronautswho may be in space for months.

Most powerful explosion sincethe Big Bang

A recently detected cosmic gammaray burst released a hundred times moreenergy than previously theorized, making itthe most powerful explosion since thecreation of the universe in the Big Bang.

"For about one or two seconds, thisburst was as luminous as all the rest of theentire universe," said Caltech professorGeorge Djorgovski, one of the twoprincipal investigators on the team fromthe California Institute of Technology,Pasadena, CA.

The team measured the distance toa faint galaxy from which the burstoriginated at about 12 billion light yearsfrom the Earth. The observed brightness ofthe burst, despite this great distance,implies an enormous energy release.

The burst was detected on Dec. 14,1997, by the Italian/Dutch BeppoSAXsatellite and NASA's Compton Gamma RayObservatory satellite.

Hubble provides multiple views of howto feed a black hole

Astronomers have obtained anunprecedented look at the nearest exampleof galactic cannibalism -- a massive blackhole hidden at the center of a nearby giantgalaxy that is feeding on a smaller galaxy ina spectacular collision. Such fireworks werecommon in the early universe, as galaxiesformed and evolved, but are rare today.

Although the cause-and-effectrelationships are not yet clear, the viewsprovided by complementary images fromtwo instruments aboard NASA's HubbleSpace Telescope are giving astronomersnew insights into the powerful forces beingexerted in this complex maelstrom.Researchers believe these forces may evenhave shifted the axis of the massive blackhole from its expected orientation.

The ISO 9001 CertificationPlan for AmesRecipe for success; how we’re going to get there

ISO 9001 represents animproved international standard forquality management as evidenced by itsprovision for external certification. AmesResearch Center has always demandedworld class leadership in the effectivemanagement of its programs and in thequality of the work it performs, providingvalue to its customers. The NASAAdministrator and the Ames CenterDirector, recog-nizing thesignificance ofconformance tothe ISO 9001standard andwishing tomaintain NASA’sleadership role inquality manage-ment, have required Ames to obtain ISO9001 certification.

To gain more insight into thecenterwide implementation of ISO 9001at Ames, questions were posed to AmesCenter Director Dr. Henry McDonald,Deputy Director and ISO 9001 Manage-ment Representative William E. Berry, andISO 9001 Program Manager Rick Serrano.

Dr. McDonald, why is Ames imple-menting ISO?

Our end users will have moreconfidence in our products and services,and it will improve our processes,efficiency and safety. That is why Ameshas committed to success in this ISOcertification effort. It is really the outputfrom this program we are seeking, notjust obeying a Headquarters mandate.

How will this benefit Ames?In formalizing the system of quality,

we will become more efficient and betterable to compete in the very competitiveenvironment for scarce resources. Wemust maintain high quality and not letthe system of management get in theway of doing quality research. I believeISO 9001 can help in all of these areas.

Bill Berry, would you like to addsomething here?

Yes. Our partners in industry havechosen the ISO standard, making it anatural choice for Ames. Our customers

are increasingly expecting us to be ISOcertified, just as we will be expecting oursuppliers to meet this requirement.

Any other reasons why this will begood for Ames?

A lot of important knowledgeleaves Ames over time as our workforcetransitions. Relearning or replacing lostinformation is expensive and timeconsuming. Thoroughly documentinghow and why we do things will reducethis expense and eliminate the recoveryproblems.

Rick Serrano, what exactly is ISO?The International Organization for

Standardization (ISO) is a worldwide,non-governmental organization estab-lished to promote the development ofstandardization in processes and relatedactivities, with a goal of providingenhanced product quality and reliabilityat a reasonable price.

Would you explain the differencebetween ISO 9000 and ISO 9001?

There is a single technical standardcalled ISO 9000, but when most peoplespeak of ISO 9000 they are referring to afamily of ISO technical standards thatdeal with quality management. ISO9001 defines the elements for a basicQuality Management System, andapplies to any organization that hasprojects, processes and customers. ISO9001 defines the essential elements formanagement systems in the areas ofdesign, development, production,installation and servicing. ISO 9001 bestfits the Ames scope of activity.

How does ISO 9001 work?The philosophy is simple:• All processes affecting quality

are identified and their intended modeof operation is described in documentedprocedures.

• Customer requirements areanalyzed, planned and systematicallydeployed into operating processes.

• Processes are actively designed,managed and controlled to ensure thatcustomer requirements are consistentlymet.

continued on page 9

12 months to

Certification

The Ames Astrogram — 5May 29, 1998

nearly all PIs on the team were able to stillachieve the majority of their primaryresearch objectives.

“I’m extremely proud of the waythe Neurolab project team, the investiga-tors, and the crew pulled together tobring this complex and sophisticatedmission to fruition,” said Ken Souza, Chiefof the Life Sciences Division at Ames.

Other than these two problems,every thing else went extremely well.However, it wasn’t until after Columbia’slanding at KSC on May 3 that this wasconfirmed. It was then that the PIs wereable to count their cricket high experi-ment groups, see how many snails wereborn, perform postflight behavioraltesting and dissections, and beginanalyses of the tissues that were collectedby the crew at various times during themission. Within days, the good newsfrom the PIs began to arrive.

Dr. Eberhard Horn, the Germanneurobiology PI, soon reported that theBOTEX hardware used to house hiscrickets had performed flawlessly and thathe had had an even greater survival ratein some of his crickets than he had on theground. Dr. Michael Wiederhold reportedthat the snails successfully reproduced inspace, and that snails born during themission will provide significant data on

Effective June 1, NASA Ames tourswill take place in Moffett's historicHangar One in anticipation of itsconversion to the future California Airand Space Center (CASC). Visitors, inessence, will be getting a sneak previewof what is planned to be a top-notch,west coast air and space museum ofSmithsonian quality. Plans for CASC alsocall for Hangar One to encompass astate-of-the-art education resourcecenter, gift shop, and special events area,among other goals.

Hangar One, a pre-WWII dirigiblehangar, currently is home to a full-scalereplica of the 1903 Wright Flyer and anumber of Ames research aircraft (seeMay 15 issue). In the near future, moreNASA and Ames artifacts, as well astimely exhibits, will be housed in thehangar.

Opportunities to see these displayswill be through guided tours offered bythe Ames Tour Program. Overseen bythe Office of External Affairs, the tourprogram is a part of NASA's public andeducational outreach programs andfunctions as the primary interfacebetween NASA Ames Research Center(ARC) and visitors from the public and

private sectors. Complex technicalNASA Ames aerospace concepts arecommunicated in understandable termsduring educational and informative toursconducted for the general public anddiverse groups comprised of students,civic organizations and audiences fromall professional backgrounds, nationali-ties and disabilities.

Mondays through Fridays (exclud-ing federal holidays), the Ames tourprogram hosts individuals on publictours, and schools and communitygroups on group tours at 9:30 a.m. and1:30 p.m. Tours are free of charge on a"reservation-only" basis and last betweenone-and-a-half to two hours. Publictours are scheduled at least one monthin advance; groups should call three tosix months ahead. Call Visitor Centerreception at ext. 4-6497 for touravailability. Specify the number ofpeople and the full names of all non-U.S.citizens in the group.

The basic requirements of thetours remain the same. Minimumgrade/age level is fourth grade/ten yearsold. Tours range in size from a mini-mum of 15 to a maximum of 70 people,including chaperones, on a space-

available basis.Tours are wheelchair accessible. If

a tour group has special needs, it isadvised that they secure a bus fortransportation purposes.

Before conducting the group onsite to Hangar One, a pre-tour orienta-tion lecture is held at the Ames VisitorCenter, Bldg. N-223, to offer historicalperspective and insights into the manydiverse research projects at Ames.

While the tour venue will change,the main goal remains the same; namely,to communicate how U.S. tax dollars areeffectively spent by sharing NASA/Amesresearch highlights and how tour-goersbenefit. The program also attempts toinspire and excite students to pursuetechnical fields with a math and scienceemphasis.

Hangar One and its contents willbe provided by docents (volunteers)supporting the full-time staff. If you, oranyone you know, may be interested inassisting the tour program by conduct-ing friendly, understandable tours, callLori Burkart at ext. 4-0494 for moreinformation.

Tours of Hangar One begin June 1Ames Tour program shifts its "sites"

BY PAM DAVOREN

the development of the vestibular systemin microgravaity. Dr. Gay Holstein, oneof the neuronal plasticity PIs using adultrats to study how the brain adapts inspace, sent a quick note from her lab toDr. Louis Ostrach, the Project Scientist,to tell him that the brain tissue collectedby the crew during the first of twoinflight dissections “looks stunning.STUNNING. I’m dancing,” she said. AndDr. Danny Riley, one of the mammaliandevelopment team PIs, reported that hisexperiment, involving the first inflightsurgery, was completely successful. Thetissues the crew collected appeared to beas good as those obtained on theground, and will permit the identifica-tion of individual motor neurons.

All in all, the Neurolab mission, thelast Shuttle mission to fly the Spacelabmodule, must be considered a trium-phant end to the “Spacelab Era”.According to payload specialist JayBuckey, “This whole flight was anamazing accomplishment for Ames. OnSLS-2 , the General Purpose Work Stationwas used for two major setups and wethought that was complex. OnNeurolab, we had six completelydifferent setups and sessions. I can’t

believe they worked out as well as theyall did!”

Canadian astronaut, DafyddWilliams, M.D., also commented on howwell the operations went. It is Dr.Williams belief that the experiencegained caring for the sick rats, doing theinflight dissections, and performing thefirst inflight surgery, will find numerousapplications for human space medicineon the International Space Station (ISS).

And that’s a good thing, becauseISS is just around the corner. Fortunately,as Ken Souza, pointed out, “Neurolab isproviding major contributions to ourunderstanding of how the nervoussystem develops and functions, and theengineering, human factors, andoperations information we gain fromNeurolab will greatly facilitate ourpreparations for the conduct of lifesciences on the International SpaceStation.” Brad Berch, Neurolab IPT Leadfor Lockheed-Martin, added, “A solidworking relationship was establishedduring this mission between the Amesteam and our international partners —one that will position us well for futurecooperation on the International SpaceStation.”

continued from page 2

Neurolab is huge success — that’s a no-brainer!

BY LAURA LEWIS

Ames Activities

6 — The Ames Astrogram May 29, 1998

Exchange Day at the Ballpark

“Just wanted to drop a line and thank everyone involved with this event. My family really enjoyed the day out. Since it was our first live game, I'm glad Ames was able to make it such a memorable and pleasurable event.”-- Darrell Williams

Alex Haines, son ofthe Director’s Office’sLynda Haines,enjoying the day atthe ballpark.The 3COM scoreboard welcomes the NASA contingent--

largest at the game, 600 strong!

Exchange Council Chair, Jim Brass (far left), his Co-ChairLynda Haines (second from right), and her husband Jerry(center) share a moment with External Affairs’ BrendaCollins (second from left) and Laura Shawnee (far right).

AMES GOES YARD!

“Please pass along to the rest of the Exchange Council that they all did a GREAT JOB! I had a great time, can we do it again?” -- Laura Shawnee

“Just wanted to drop youa line and thank you andany others that may havebeen involved in theplanning and execution ofyesterdays Giant’s game.We all had a great time, the food wasgood, and look forward to the next time we can do thisagain. (So what say next month... <grin>). It's always greatto get together with people from work in a non-workenvironment. And hey, we won!”-- Owen Nishioka

photo by Margie Stathes

photo by David Morse

photo by Lynda Haines

photo by David Morse

Final ScoreGiants: 8Brewers: 7Ames: 600

T.R. Chandler of Ames’ ProtectiveServices Office picknicking in the3COM parking lot.

photo by Margie Stathes

Anthony Radford of Eurest preparingthe barbeque grills.

The Ames Astrogram — 7May 29, 1998

Exchange Day at the Ballpark

Eurest and the Ames Exchange served free hot dogs, sodas and chips in the3COM parking area. Naturally, Sharon Mathis (far left) was one of the first inline! Also featured: Marissa Moreno, Ceaser Trevino, and Sherilynn Chock (leftto right).

The players take the field and its time to “play ball.”

“I just wanted to thank you for setting upyesterday's baseball game outing at 3COM Park.My family and friends enjoyed the game and therefreshments. And at only $5 per ticket, it was avery inexpensive way to have a great time.

I think that often we don't take time to express ourthanks and I wanted to make sure to do so. Pleasepass on my thanks to others involved with theplanning and execution of this event.”

-- Shahab Hasan

“I would like to say Thank You for a fun day at the Giant’s game. I took 14 guests with me and each of them would also like to say thanks to you and ourteam for arranging this event. I hope youwill consider a few more Giants gamesthroughout the rest of the season.”-- Carmen F. Park

photo by Lynda Haines

photo by Lynda Haines

Margie Stathes of the Director’s Office uses thestadium “lip” and a large hat to stay cool.

photo by David Morse

photo by David Morse

The Giants had one of their biggest crowds of the season so far. Rumors of Ames’participation must have leaked out, it had nothing to do with the free baseball caps!

8 — The Ames Astrogram May 29, 1998

NASA Honor Awards

The 1998 NASA Honor Awards andSES Presidential Rank Awards Ceremonyfor Ames Research Center was held onMay 13 in the Main Auditorium.

Ames presented NASA HonorAwards to the 26 employees who havebeen selected for individual medals andto the managers of the 8 groups whichhave been selected for the NASA GroupAchievement Award. In addition, 2Senior Executive Service PresidentialRank Awards were also presented. Thenames of the honorees are listed on theenclosure of this memo. For moreinformation you can visit the AmesIncentive Awards Program web site at:http://huminfo.arc.nasa.gov/Awards/Honorary.html.

1998 NASA Honor Awards

Group Achievement Awards: Ames Community Day Open House Team Ames Mars Pathfinder Support Team Bion 11 Biosatellite Team DC-8 Aircraft PACRIM Team DC-8 Aircraft SONEX Team Intelligent Flight Control Group POLARIS Project Team X-36 Flight Test Team

Exceptional Service Medal:Warren F. AhtyeRodney O. BaileyLewis S. G. Braxton, IIIKevin CorkerMichelle M. EshowAbdelaziz (Abdul) HanifDiane M. KanallyMatilde P. ShallenbergerLeonard TobiasBarbara J. Young

Exceptional Engineering AchievementMedal:Robert W. MeneelyHuy K. Tran

Exceptional Scientific AchievementMedal:David F. BlakeTimothy J. LeeHanwant B. Singh

Outstanding Leadership Medal:William E. BerryG. Scott HubbardJames L. MartinKenneth A. Souza

Senior Executive Service PresidentialRank Awards:Roy PresleyRalph Robinson

Public Service Medal:John S. BullAlbert Globus, Jr.

Exceptional AchievementMedal:Ronald G. Lamica, Sr.John R. LekashmanCharles C. JorgensenS. Scott SantiagoKaren E. Tambua

Family and friends of Abdel Hanif joined the packed crowd at the main Ames auditoriumfor the presentation of the NASA Honor Awards by Center Director Henry McDonald andRichard Christiansen, Ames alumnus representing the NASA Headquarters Office ofAeronautics and Space Transportation Technology.

photo by Dominic Hart

Congratulations to all!

The Ames Astrogram — 9May 29, 1998

Ames News

• Process and product records areproduced in order to confirm thatproducts meet requirements and toprovide data for management review.

• The ability of the qualitymanagement systemto satisfy customerrequirements isregularly assessedand reported toexecutive manage-ment and correctiveand preventiveaction is based onprocess and product records andmetrics.

Do we have to memorize theQuality Policy, or can we just read it fromthe ISO badge or a posted sign?

Employees do not have tomemorize the policy, but they should beable to state it in their own words. Theuse of badges, signs, audit booklets andthe like has a purpose as a memoryjogger, but it should not be the instantdefault whenever an auditor asks aquestion.

Dr. McDonald, who will be asked tosupport the ISO effort at Ames?

We need across-the-board supportfor ISO at all levels. ISO certification willrequire tremendous effort. It requires acommitment at the management level,and support from the entire center toreally get behind the program andimplement it. The commitment mustbegin with strong support from Amescenter management; I assure you, that isin place.

Bill Berry, who is “in” or “out” ofthe scope of Ames certification?”

Ames management reviewed thework being performed in all director-ates and selected only those processesand procedures involving Ames corebusiness that effect the quality of ourproducts and services for ISO 9001certification. However, the obligationof all personnel is to be familiar with theAmes Quality Manual, the Ames QualityPolicy, and the documentation struc-ture.

What is the documentationstructure?

This includes the Ames QualityManual, System Level Procedures (SLPs)covering center-wide processes, andDivision and Branch level proceduresgoverning local processes. The Ames-wide documents are being posted onthe ISO home page.

Are contractors a part of Amescertification?

Contractors whose employees areaccomplishing the core businessobjectives under direct civil serviceleadership or are utilizing Ames-definedprocedures are within the scope ofAmes certification.

Rick Serrano, what will be differentunder ISO 9001?

Although most of our way ofdoing business will remain, there are afew areas where the ISO requirementsare likely to effect change. There willbe a single business management

continued from page 4

BY JIM BRICKEN

system for the center, and employeeswill be required to know how their workfits into this quality system. How workis accomplished will be documented,and safeguards will be put in place toensure that employees follow thecurrent documents. More emphasis willbe placed on assuring that only certifiedpersonnel perform critical work.Internal audits will be conducted toevaluate whether Ames’ systems complywith the ISO requirements, and moreemphasis will be placed on takingeffective corrective action whenproblems occur. In general, ISO 9001will require that Ames’ managementprocesses and work procedures be moredisciplined, more focused, and betterdocumented.

Under ISO 9001, who is thecustomer?

For the purposes of ISO 9001certification, the ‘customer’ is thepurchaser, user or recipient of a productor service provided by an Ames organi-zation. The customer may be either aninternal or external entity.

How can I find out more about theAmes ISO certification effort?

Check out the ISO homepage at:dqa.arc.nasa.gov/iso9000 where abroad variety of help is available,including training, answers to questions,news and ISO documentation. TheTraining Opportunities link to the NASASite for On-line Learning and Resources(SOLAR) includes a web-based trainingmodule for ISO training.

The ISO 9001 Certification Plan for Ames

12 months to

Certification

1987, and was the recipient of the 1994Peter F. Drucker award for outstandingnon-profit innovation. The worldwideheadquarters of the group is inVancouver, British Columbia (Canada).This is the organization's first venture

into the United States, withthe San Francisco officeserving as the U.S. nationalheadquarters. Tetra isoperated by a Board ofDirectors, all of whom areseverely disabled. Sullivan,a wheelchair-boundquadriplegic, is not only a

Tetra director, founding member andclient, he is also a Vancouver CityCouncillor.

Those wishing to learn moreabout Tetra or volunteer their services,may contact Maclise at x 4-4084 or viae-mail at: dmaclise@mail.arc.nasa.gov

BY DAVID MORSE

continued from front page

Ames' technology and volunteers toassist the physically challenged

A message to Amesretirees and others

Every Thursday morning at10 a.m., a group of retirees meet forcoffee, tea, etc., at Le Boulanger atthe Pruneyard in Campbell on BascomAvenue about three blocks south ofHamilton.

This started out a few years agowith just two and now we get out asmany as 14. The main group consistsof Frank NIchols, Fred Bear, DwightMoody, Don Moody, NormanZimmerman, Sal Riccitiello, AlRufiange, Angel Melendez, TedPasseau, Wendell Love and others.We invite all of those interested tocome and join with us and catch upon “what’s going on.” We haven’tseen some of you for quite a while,and it’s fun meeting with former co-workers. BY DON MOODY

page turner for bed-ridden individualson their backs; a technique for auto-mated teller machine access from awheelchair; adaptation of joysticks toaddress a range of physicaltasks; use of informationtechnologies for voice-activated commands; and thelike. Neither Ames nor Tetrapersonnel anticipate anyshortage of projects or clients.And, in most cases, theassistive device that results willbe small and relatively inexpensive,particular in comparison to its value tothe disabled client.

The agreement was signed byDeputy Center Director William Berry onbehalf of Ames, and by Sam Sullivan,Executive Director and one of theoriginal four founding members ofTetra. The organization was started in

10 — The Ames Astrogram May 29, 1998

Ames Activities

Celestial Mechanicscontinued from front page

political landscape.Senator Phil Gramm, R-Texas, in

acknowledging hisdelight at the Marknomination said, “Iknow of no one inAmerica betterqualified.” Headded, “I stronglysupport him andcongratulate thepresident andsecretary of defenseon a superbnomination.” U.S.Rep. LloydDoggett, D-Austin,concurred,suggesting thatMark’s “excellentservice . . . will bequickly recognizedby the Senate andenable him to serve our country.”

As Director of the DRE, one ofMark's primary functions will be to deviseinnovative techniques and strategies fordealing with the U.S. stockpile of nuclearmaterials while, at the same time,developing technical methods formonitoring and preventing the furtherspread of nuclear weapons.

Mark's selection for this positionhardly comes as a surprise given hislengthy involvement with the nuclearindustry, and record in Government andmilitary service, with a strong DoDorientation. As Mark himself commentedin a recent interview, "I was in the nuclearbusiness from the very beginning, so Iknow the game from the design stageup."

Most recently, Mark has served as aProfessor of Aerospace Engineering andEngineering Mechanics at the Universityof Texas at Austin. He was Chancellor ofthe University of Texas system from 1984to 1992. Prior to that, Mark was theDeputy Administrator of NASA, havingbeen appointed to that position by thenPresident Reagan in 1981. Mark wasUnder Secretary of the Air Force from1977 to 1979, and Secretary from 1979to 1981. Prior to his Washington career,Mark was one of the most popular andeffective center directors that Ames has

ever had, serving in that role from1969 to 1977.

Mark is amajor supporter ofthe civil tilt-rotor,and has been adriving force behindthat aircraft'sdevelopment forwell over 20 years.In recent times, he

has devotedhimself toteaching andrevision of afavoriteengineeringtextbookoriginallyauthored byone of theprofessors,now de-ceased, thathe consid-ered amentor,colleagueand friend. Itwas a laborof love forMark to update and revise that text,Celestial Mechanics, with the supportand encouragement of his formersmentor's family. As co-author of thenewly released tome, he signed apersonal copy for Ames' current CenterDirector Dr. Henry McDonald during arecent get-together.

While Mark will be "residing" inWashington during the two-year tenureof his new political appointment, he willretain his UT faculty position whilerelinquishing his teaching and research

Dr. Hans Mark during histenure as NASA DeputyAdministrator.

BY DAVID MORSE

Ever true to his roots, Mark made the Ames-managed Pioneer 10 mission the cover story forhis new engineering text book.

duties and the UT salary that goes withthem. Nonetheless, Mark expects tospend a lot of time "at home," both inTexas and California, while visitingmilitary installations across the country.In fact, Mark and his wife Marion willretain their West Austin residence duringthis latest phase of his career and theresumption of his Washington "com-muter" status. He can also be found onoccasion at the Boyd "spa" in Saratoga,CA.

Ames Pioneer 10

The Ames Astrogram — 11May 29, 1998

Events & ClassifiedsAmesClassifiedsCalendar

Ads for the next issue should be sent toastrogram@mail.arc.nasa.gov by the Mondayfollowing publication of the present issue.

Ads must involve personal needs or items;no commercial/third-party ads. Ads will runon space-available basis only. First-time adsare given priority. Ads must include homephone numbers. Ames extensions will beaccepted for carpool and lost and found adsonly. Ads must be resubmitted for each issue.Housing

For rent: Master bedroom in Sunnyvale home, oneblock from El Camino, 5 blocks from H85. $550/mo +applied utils., and first and last month’s rent. Privatebath, full use of kitchen and pots and pans. Big garden.Touran (408) 773-1927.

Miscellaneous

Jetstream Toastmasters,Mondays, 12 noon to 1 p.m., N-269/Rm.179. Guests welcome. POC: Jenny Kahnat ext. 4-6987 or Pam Walatka at ext.4-4461.

Ames Child Care Center Boardof Directors Meeting, Tuesdays, 12 noonto 1 p.m., N-213/Rm. 220. POC: Lisa Reidat ext. 4-2260.

Ames Contractor CouncilMeeting June 3, 11 a.m., N-200/Comm.Rm. POC: Greg Marshall at ext. 4-4673.

Hispanic Advisory Committee forEmployees, June 4, 11:45 a.m. to 12:30p.m., N-239/Rm. 177. POC: Carlos Torrezat ext. 4-5797.

Environmental, Health & SafetyMonthly Information Forum, June 4,8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Bldg. 19/Rm.1078. POC: Linda Vrabel at ext. 4-0924.

Ames African American AdvisoryGroup Meeting, June 4, 11:30 a.m. to12:30 p.m., N-241/Rm. 237. POC:Antoinette Price, at ext. 4-4270 and MaryBuford Howard at ext. 4-5095.

Nat’l Association of Retired FederalEmployees, S.J. Chapter #50, Meeting.June 5, at the Elk’s Club, 44 W. AlmaAvenue, San Jose. Social hour: 10:30 a.m.Program & business mtg. follow lunch at11:30 a.m. POCs: Mrs. Leona Peery,President, (650) 967-9418 or Earl Keener,Public Relations, (408) 241-4459.

Professional AdministrativeCouncil (PAC) Meeting, June 11, 10:30a.m. to 11:30 a.m., N-244/Rm. 103.POC: Janette Rocha, ext. 4-3371.

Ames Sailing Club Meeting,June 11, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., N-262/Rm. 100. POC: Greg Sherwood at ext.4-0429.

Ames Multicultural LeadershipCouncil Meeting, June 17, 11:30 a.m. to1 p.m., Galileo Rm./Ames Café. POC:David Morse at ext. 4-4724 or SheilaJohnson at ext. 4-5054.

NFFE local 997 Union GeneralMeeting, June 17, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30p.m., Bldg. 19/Rm. 1040. POC: MarianneMosher at ext. 4-4055.

Ames Amateur Radio Club,June 18, 12 noon, N-260/conf. rm. POC:Walt Miller, AJ6T at ext. 4-4558.

Ames Asian American PacificIslander Advisory Group Meeting,June 18, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., N-213/Rm. 261. POC: Daryl Wong at ext. 4-6889 or Brett Vu at ext. 4-0911.

Native American AdvisoryCommittee Meeting, June 23, 12 noonto 1 p.m., Ames Café. POC: Mike Liu atext. 4-1132.

Vacation rentalLake Tahoe-Squaw Valley Townhse, 3bd/2ba, View of

slopes, close to lifts. Wkend $400; midwk $150/night.Includes linens, firewd, cleaning service. Call (650) 968-4155, or email at: DBMcKellar@aol.com.

Astrogram deadlines

DEADLINE PUBLICATION

MON., JUN 1 FRI., JUN 12MON., JUN 15 FRI., JUN 26MON., JUN 29 FRI., JUL 10MON, JUL 13 FRI, JUL 24MON, JUL 27 FRI, AUG 7MON, AUG 10 FRI, AUG 21MON, AUG 24 FRI, SEP 4MON, SEP 7 FRI, SEP 18

All Ames employees are invitedto submit articles relating to Amesprojects and activities for publicationin the Astrogram. When you submitstories or ads for publication, makesure to check the publicationdeadline and submit your materialby e-mail to astrogram@mail.arc.nasa.gov on or before thedeadline. Stories should be sent asenclosures in MS Word.

If you have questions aboutitems for publication, contact theeditor at the above email address.

NASA Inter-centerCompetition

The results from last year’s Spring2-mile walk/run & 10 K competitions arein and Ames was in front of the pack.Ames placed first in the 10 K runningcompetition by beating Goddard by thevery narrow margin of only 10 points.Goddard placed first in the 2 milecompetition, and Ames took second overthe rest of the centers. As you can tell,Goddard is Ames’ main competition.

The results are posted at theFitness Center N-221. Please come andcheck out how you placed in your ageand gender category.

Thank you to all those whoparticipated in last year’s runs and yourcontribution in helping Ames place sowell in this fun competition.

BY NANCY DUNAGAN

Wanted: Carpool summer ride-sharing from SanFrancisco to Ames (June 14 to Aug. 18, Mon-Fri).Hours still to be decided. Beto Peliks (415) 668-2961.

Car pool

Transportation‘85 Dodge Ram 250 van conversion. 66K orig.

miles. Great shape. AT, PW, PL. Heavy duty towingpackage. Ready for camping. Asking $4500 or B/O.Hank (408) 923-2231.

'87 Honda Accord LX-i, 4-dr, automatic, 136K,loaded, gd. cond. , $3,600 or B/O. Walt or Sue (408)984-3426 on weekends or after 6:30 p.m., on weekdays.

'90 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme SL, 96.5k mi., AT,PB, PW, PL, AM-FM cassette stereo, trip computer, alloywheels, maintenance records, runs well and looks great,$3,900 or B/O. Martin (408) 369-8199.

Hook-on Phonics, new, $175; cherry sofa table$150; rock solid maple bedroom full 6-pc set $400;solid oak sofa table $70; oak flr/table lamps, both $45.All O/B. Call (408) 378-5434.

Snapper Lawn Mower, HD 5hp self propelled withmulching deck/blade, includes grass catcher, used 2seasons, cost new $600+, asking $325. George (650)254-1742.

Good Violins used. Bharathi (408) 446 0959.

Visiting professor interested in renting a room for10 weeks beginning early June. Call (702) 895-3438.

Moving boxes, gd. cond. Dishpacks, $2 ea. Otherassorted sizes, $1 ea. Call (408) 735-8909.

Bedroom set, great cond., (Broyhill, white),9-drawer dresser/mirror, one night stand, king-sizehdboard ,asking $799; executive office desk 60" x 30"w/computer shelf/cabinet, (Saunders), wood grainlaminate, great cond., $79. Call (408) 369-9718 eves.

Kittens for adoption. 5 newborns ready for newhomes around June 23. Kitten's new family must becaring and responsible. For a sneak preview and toreserve your selection call (408) 779-0803.

Mac 6200cd, Processor: PPC 603, 75 MHz, System:7.5.1, 7.5.3 RAM: two 72 pin SIMM sockets,4 MB RAM,Drives: SuperDrive, 4X CD ROM, IDE hard disk Slots:PDS, comm slot, video, video:1 MB DRAM Audio: 16 bitstereo out, mono in, Network: LocalTalk, $625, monitornot included. Call (408) 263-0740.

Pair of Bose 901 speakers, $550; pair of KlipschHeresy speakers, $500; Samsung VGA 14 inch monitor,$75. Call (650) 964-8505.

Curio cabinet, Med French, plain, old 1880-90's,3ft wide, 5ft. tall, 2ft deep, pd $2,800, will sell for$2,100. Call (408) 356-1680.

Brand new, never used. 18.2 c.f. GE Refrigerator/freezer, white, $400. Couch and loveseat, light colors,each $100. Maytag Electric dryer, $150. Call (408)362-9114.

Houseboat for rent on Claire Engle Lake ("Trinity"Lake in No. CA). Sleeps 8, kitchen, bathroom w. shower.Serene, away from it all. $1200/week. (650) 941-3396.

So. Lake Tahoe home rental. Ten mins from casinosand skiing. Sleeps 14, 4bd/2ba. Fireplace, cableTV.Rates: $450/week. $200/weekend. $75/per day.Holidays $100/per day. Call (408)-248-4861.

Miscellaneous News

Official BusinessPenalty for Private Use, $300

National Aeronautics andSpace Administration

Ames Research CenterMoffett Field, California 94035-1000

The Ames ASTROGRAM is an officialpublication of the Ames Research Center,National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration.

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

AstrogramTHE AMES

AstrogramTHE AMES

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

FIRST CLASS MAILPOSTAGE & FEES PAID

NASAPermit No. G-27

This year’s winners of the NASACollege Scholarship Fund are Katie LynnDavis, daughter of Daniel J. and Susan W.Davis, who work at the Marshall SpaceFlight Center; Joseph M. Comberiate, sonof Goddard Space Flight Center employeeAnthony B. Comberiate; Joyce Won-KaiYue, daughter of Langley Research Centeremployee, Glenn K. Yue; Jennifer AutumnStuckey, daughter of NASA Headquartersemployee, Ronald K. Stuckey; andSaurabh Bansal, son of Lewis ResearchCenter employee (and brother of previousscholarship winner, Gaurav Bansal),Narottam P. Bansal. This brings the totalnumber of recipients to 78, of which 41have currently graduated.

The NASA College ScholarshipFund, Inc., Board of Directors hasdetermined that six scholarships will beawarded next year. Each scholarship willbe renewable annually for a maximum of

BY JANINE CIFFONE

New EmployeeOrientation Schedule

The Ames Career Center and theHuman Resources Development groupwill be offering a New EmployeeOrientation Session on June 9 from 8:30a.m. to 11:30 a.m..

The Orientation will consist of anintroduction and overview of the center,and information on Equal EmploymentOpportunities, Training, and CareerDevelopment. There will be a walkingtour of the center in the afternoon forthose who wish to participate.

All new employees who havearrived at the center in the last 17months are encouraged to attend.Supervisors of new employees are alsoinvited. Sign up via ARC form 301. Formore information call Ken Rossi at ext.4-1819.

$8,000 over 6 calendar years.The fund was established to award

scholarships agencywide to qualifieddependents of NASA and former NASAemployees. The fund was endowed as adirect result of a substantial unsolicitedgift by the noted Pulitzer Prize winningauthor, James A. Michener. Many NASAemployees have contributed to the funddirectly or through the Combined FederalCampaign. Other major contributorsinclude the Freedom Forum (to honor theHubble crew members in 1994, andagain in 1997 to honor Shannon Lucid)and the JSC Chapter of the NASA AlumniLeague.

Fifteen applications were receivedfrom Ames Research Center. Thosestudents who weren’t chosen this year areeligible to apply again next year.

Flight Line SecurityThere is still considerable aircraft

flight activity on the NASA ramp adjacentto Hangar 211 and throughout theairfield even though NASA Flight Opera-tions (Code O) has been abolished. Atthis time, the airfield perimeter fencing isnot 100% complete although the goal isfor the active airfield to be completelyfenced.

For security purposes, the AirfieldManagement Office is requesting that allCOTR's and supervisors of airfield workparties coordinate with the Airfield

NASA college scholarships awarded

Management Office, ext. 4-0685 or ext.4-0931, or Base Operations in N-158(control tower building), ext. 3-9213/14,prior to performing any work or whenrequiring access to any aircraft movementarea.

Airfield groups that already utilizethe radio net for airfield access maycontinue as normal; but ensure that radiocontact with the control tower is main-tained and your intentions for movementon the airfield are made clear to thetower.