December 2016 issue of Ames' newsletter, the Astrogram
NASA Ames Hosts Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation Award Ceremony
On Dec. 4, 2016, NASA Ames hosted an event in conjunction with the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation. Ames established a Non-Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (BPLS), a non-profit corporation to host the awards ceremony at Ames. The BPLS is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to advancing breakthrough research, celebrating distinguished scientists and generating excitement about the pursuit of science as a career. The BPLS award ceremony, for by invitation-only guests, honors achievements in life science, physics and mathematics and is on par with other highly regarded scientific and technical awards such as the Draper and National Academy of Sciences Awards. NASA is a recognized world leader in life science and physics with key contributions being made to the field by our people at NASA Ames. This high-profile event brings well-deserved and needed attention to the importance of STEM education, which is one of the Agency’s primary missions.
President’s Message to the Federal Workforce
President Barack Obama issued a farewell video to the federal workforce this week. He thanked federal employees for their service and recognized the enormous difference they make in the lives of Americans. Please view the video at the following link: https://youtu.be/z-qkY5twwRM
Ames Celebrates its 77th Anniversary
360-Degree Airport Simulator Tests the Future of Air Traffic Control
by Abigail Tabor
Heading home for the holidays may fill you with joy, as well as a little dread at the thought of the complexities of air travel at one of the busiest times of the year. The good news is that NASA is working on new technologies and concepts in air traffic management that will not only provide some relief from holiday travel headaches, but increase the efficiency, safety and environmental friendliness of air transportation.
Today, researchers are testing these new tools at FutureFlight Central, a comprehensive, 360-degree simulation of an air traffic control tower at NASA Ames.
“FutureFlight Central is uniquely equipped to recreate the experience of being in any air traffic control tower, at any airport, with any amount of traffic,” said Fay Chinn, FutureFlight’s facility manager.
Virtually every air traffic control tower in the United States uses some form of NASA-developed technology, and any of them can be recreated here. Inside the simulator, you could believe you were in the control tower of your local airport … until another location appears outside the windows.
The view is recreated on 12 projection screens from high-resolution aerial photography, elevation data and close-up digital photography. In FutureFlight’s simulated world of aviation, planes taxi along the runway, take off, and land just as they would at a real airport. These simulations are created from a database that includes 3D modeling of more than a hundred aircraft and ground vehicles. For researchers in other fields, FutureFlight can even take them virtually to the surface of Mars.
For entire article, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/ames/feature/360-degree-airport-simulator-tests-the-future-of-air-traffic-control
SOFIA Detects Super-Heated Gas Streams Which Could Create New Stars
by Kassandra Bell
Scientists on board NASA’s flying telescope, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, caught sight of roiling material streaming from a newly formed star, which could spark the birth of a new generation of stars in the surrounding gas clouds.
Many stars in the early stages of formation expel large amounts of super-heated material in two streams, known as bipolar outflows or jets, which flow in opposite directions. A team of scientists led by Bertrand Lefloch from the University of Grenoble Alpes, France, observed these jets coming from Cepheus E, a massive protostar at the earliest stage of star formation, located 2,400 light years from Earth in the constellation Cepheus. Lefloch’s team is studying how such outflows originate and the effects those jets have on star formation in the surrounding clouds.
“The SOFIA observations have unveiled new clues to how these jets powered by protostars actually form, and clarified the physical conditions reigning in these objects,” Lefloch said. Lefloch’s team has determined that the jets are less than 1,000 years old, making this process astronomically very young. The powerful jets are shown to extend out to a distance of 118 billion miles and the jet material is moving at speeds between 200,000 and 300,000 mph.
The team’s observations were made using SOFIA’s Upgraded German Receiver at Terhertz Frequencies, upGREAT, to make a map of the hottest and densest portions of the matter ejected from Cepheus E. The researchers identified three main parts of the outflow: the jet itself, regions of the surrounding gas and dust cloud through which the jets have plowed through, and the shock waves at the farthest ends of the jets affecting the surrounding cloud.
The last area is of particular interest, in that it could be the future birthplace of additional stars. The formation of new stars is thought to be triggered by these shocks. The team was able to map the hottest material because of the unique wavelength range available to SOFIA and the upGREAT instrument. The maps also contained more detail than other observatories because of the size of SOFIA’s telescope.
For entire article, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/sofia-sees-super-heated-gas-streams-churning-up-possible-storm-of-new-stars
Splendid Entertainment and Delicious Treats Enjoyed at the Annual Ames Holiday Festival
The ninth annual Ames Holiday Festival was held Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016, in Building 3. This year’s theme was S.T.E.A.M. – Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math with a superhero focus. Attendees enjoyed the science and the arts activities and many joined in the festivities in superhero costumes. Students tested their coordination and intellectual engineering skills on the Remote Control (RC) Car Obstacle Course Challenge and raced RC cars through an obstacle course with a twist! Other science activities include an “Insights into Science and Robotics” demonstration and a hands-on STEM paper airplane launch project led by Girl Scouts.
Guests also were treated to entertaining cultural performances and live music by the Kaulana Na Pua O’ Hawaii and Folklorico Nacional Mexicano dancers. Craft and face painting stations were set up, and the Ames Jazz Band played holiday music while guests enjoyed miniature cheese cakes, holiday cookies, nachos and other assorted refreshments, along with hot apple cidar. Kids and adults alike got the chance to dress up and get their photos taken in the 143 Photo Booth. Astronaut Steven Smith shared his experiences on the STS-68, STS-82, STS-103 and STS-110 missions and took photographs with guests and signed autographs. And of course, kids had the opportunity to get their photo taken with Santa.
Ames’ Rodney Martin Wins Death Valley Trail Half-Marathon for Second Consecutive Year!
Rodney Martin, deputy lead for the Data Sciences Group and research lead/facility support manager for Sustainability Base at Ames, won the Death Valley trail half-marathon for the second year in a row on Dec. 3, 2016. Getting into competitive shape for the race this time around was complicated by the fact that he had broken his ankle earlier this year. That is quite a comeback and demonstrates a lot of perseverance.
Martin humbly states, “Had it not been for my specific circumstances in successfully defending my title after recovering from a broken ankle earlier this year, which occurred during a trail race in March where I finished on the broken ankle for three miles after the injury, I honestly think it probably is not that noteworthy of an accomplishment. In light of so many other seasoned, experienced and accomplished runners that I know of here at Ames who on any given weekend are running, winning similar races, setting course records, and participating in much more arduous long distance endurance races, I honestly feel I owe a lot of the credit to them for providing me inspiration, along with so many others who helped in my journey. I’d be happy to share the spotlight with them as well, in fact!”
To be precise, this is the “trail” version of this event. There is another event held by the same race organization in Death Valley in February. That is a road race. For the trail race, there are two different course offerings – the longer one is the marathon that starts across the state border in Nevada at around 3,460 feet, climbs up to about 5,250 feet and descends to the valley. The half marathon course that Martin ran and won both years starts and finishes in the valley, going up to about 2,500 feet and back.
There was ~3,000 foot cumulative elevation gain for the course this year (a bit more than last year’s course), and also it was somewhat longer than last year’s course. Even with the added climbing and distance, his time still improved marginally from last year’s race, yielding a faster pace by 24 seconds per mile; this adds up when running a race. However, a seasoned trail runner would find this course rather easy. Even road marathoners may find that this a nice course to challenge their uphill and downhill running skills. The biggest challenge for both years has been the very dry air and extremely low relative humidity in the valley; as a result, you really have to focus on staying hydrated, which is hard when you’re running to win a race! Not doing so can really play havoc with your respiratory system for many days to come. The sinuses can really get irritated, and will ultimately affect your lungs. Suffice it to say, that didn’t stop him from going to a higher desert altitude with similar dry conditions and “less air per breath” following the race to do some hiking/recovery running at Grand Canyon National Park.
As to why he ran the half marathon? The short answer is that winners from the past year’s event get free entry and a chance to “defend” their title. Winners get the dubious distinction of being awarded a rubber chicken at the end of the race and a bottle of Sharkfest wine from the highway 12 winery in Sonoma. The true recognition comes later in the shape of age group ribbons and personalized plaques. Part of the longer answer is that he loves trail running for a variety of reasons including the sense of community and shared appreciation of outdoor recreation, and has enjoyed every moment of his athletic evolution in becoming a recreational trail runner.
For additional information about the trail races this year, see http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=56fc352dae4c5625b0fe00d28&id=9245f8e90b. For details on Martin’s half marathon race this year, see https://www.strava.com/activities/792613454, and for last year’s half marathon, see: https://www.strava.com/activities/445014935. A description of the course is here: https://raceroster.com/events/2016/7391/2016-death-valley-trail-marathon-half-marathon
and following are the Death Valley trail race winners list for the past two years:
2016: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=87905
2015: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=58445
“Heads Up Ames” … There’s a Lot to be Learned From It!
Swing, batter batter, swing…that’s what you’ll hear when you purchase baseball tickets from the Ames Gift Shop. Sharks tickets are on sale now, all season. Go Sharks! Sugar-plum fairies will delight you as they perform on stage when you buy discounted tickets for the San Jose Dance Theater’s Nutcracker production from the Ames Gift Shop. Link to NASA Ames podcasts and post classifieds. Sign up for the morning NASA News Clips.
Want to know what’s going on on site? Which clubs to join? Social clubs range from a weekly Bible study group and the Ames Amateur Radio Club, to the Ames Dive club and Jazz Band club. Find out who is retiring and help them celebrate their farewell. Learn about charity drives on Center, and where to donate goods such as the annual used coat drive, which helps keep others warm from the chilly weather, brrr! Read about Toys for Tots and how it helps so many children cheer up during the holidays. An employee recently lost a beloved family heirloom and posted a notice in the “Heads Up Ames” bulletin. Another employee saw the post, having found the item on site, and was able to return it to its rightful owner. “Heads Up Ames” keeps employees informed and connected. For archived copies of “Heads Up Ames” announcements (at Ames only), see: http://centerwide.arc.nasa.gov/
It is published and emailed out every Tuesday and Thursday, and submissions are due by noon on Mondays and Wednesdays to Astrid Albaugh at astrid.albaugh@nasa.gov
Click here to view:
Ames Ongoing Clubs/Monthly Events
NASA Ames Exchange Information
Information about products, services and opportunities provided to the employee and contractor community by the Ames Exchange Council. Visit our web site at: http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov
Beyond Galileo Gift Shop N-235 in the cafeteria, 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., ext. 4-6873
Visitor Center Gift Shop (Exploration Center), Tues-Fri, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Sat. – Sun, noon – 4:00 p.m., ext. 4-5412 Remember to purchase your baby shower, birthday and holiday gifts at Ames’ two gift shops!
Mega Bites Cafeteria N-235, Manager Jason Hamed, ext. 4-5969, Mon – Fri, 6:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., ext. 4-5969/Catering contact Karen Mcintyre, 650 444-2241
The SpaceBar: Subs & Burgers, Bldg. 3, Hours are: Mon – Fri, from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. See: http://exchange.arc.nasa.gov/cafe/menu.html for menu items.
NASA Lodge (Bldg. 19) (650) 603-7100 Where to stay when you’re too tired to drive home? What about the lodge?! Current Rates: Bldg. 19 (43 rooms), rate: $65/night ($5 each additional adult); Bldg. 583 A&B (150 rooms), rate: $55/night ($5 each additional adult); B547 rate $60/night (for large groups)
Ames Swim Center (N-109) (650) 603-8025 The swimming pool is now open. Hours of operation are as follows (lap swim only): Mon – Fri, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and M-F 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. The pool is heated year round. POC: Ryan Storms, pool manager (650) 603-8025. Memberships: Yearly access $350, 3 Month $100, Single day use $5
Exchange Basketball Gym, Building 2, POC: Manager Bryan Henshaw, (650) 603-9717, Hours of operation: Mon – Fri, 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. and M-F 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. The basketball gym is a full NBA regulation size court and is free to use.
RV lots available. Call to reserve a space at (650) 604-0698. Civil Servants and Active Military $50/month. Contractors and Retired Personnel $100/month
Chase Park reservations, call ext. 4-4948NACA Park reservations, call ext. 4-4948
Ames Emergency Announcements
To hear the centerwide status recording, call (650) 604-9999 for information announcements and emergency instructions for Ames employees. You also may listen to 1700 KHz AM radio for the same information.
Ames Cat Network
The Ames Cat Network needs help finding homes for cats trapped at Moffett. They range from feral to abandoned/lost pets. They are tested, altered and inoculated. Call Iris at ext. 4-5824 if you or someone you know are interested in fostering or adopting a cat.
National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationAmes Research Center Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000
The Ames Astrogram is an official publication of Ames Research Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Managing Editor………………….Matthew Buffington Editor, Layout and Design……………Astrid Albaugh Employees can reach the Astrogram Office via email at: astrogram@mail.arc.nasa.gov or by phone at ext. 4-3347.