G.R.A.A.

Goddard Retirees and Alumni Association

P.O. Box 163, Seabrook, MD 20703-0163

JUNE 2006 http://graa.gsfc.nasa.gov 22nd Year of Publication

IMPORTANT DATES:

June 13	Mark your calendar for the GRAA Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Ms. Paula Becker, Volunteer Coordinator/Data Services for the Wildlife and Heritage Service of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), will speak on the DNR’s use of NASA satellite imagery. Reservations are required, so please call Alberta Moran at 301-937-7762 no later than noon on Friday, June 9^th.
July 11	Mark your calendar for the GRAA Luncheon at 11:30 a.m.
August 8	Mark your calendar for the GRAA Luncheon at 11:30 a.m.
September 2	The Alaskan Cruise/Land Tour will start on Holland America’s SS Zuiderdam in just about 90 days. There are four categories of staterooms available, ranging from $2,986 to $3,446 per person. This is an 11-day adventure of the Klondike Explorer and Sawyer Glaciers, and participants will enjoy 6 days exploring the Yukon Territory. Call Alberta Moran for additional information or to reserve your stateroom for this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
September 12	Mark your calendar for the GRAA Luncheon at 11:30 a.m.

COMMENTS FROM RON BROWNING, GRAA PRESIDENT: Dr. Michael Ryschkewitsch, Goddard’s Deputy Director, provided May luncheon attendees an insight into the current state of the Center and its programs. He started by announcing that Goddard has recently been awarded management responsibilities for the in-house design and development of a program known as the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. It will be a solar-terrestrial probe mission comprising four identically instrumented spacecraft that will use Earth’s magnetosphere as a laboratory to study the microphysics of three fundamental plasma processes: magnetic reconnection, energetic particle acceleration, and turbulence. Does that remind you of the 1970’s? Missions receiving major attention at this time are the James Webb Space Telescope, Hubble servicing mission number 4, and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Objectives of the LRO are to learn about hard surfaces of the moon and to help pick landing sites. Work has stopped on the Hubble propulsion re-entry module because recent solar flux predictions have pushed re-entry to 2020 or later.

In addition to the MMS mission, Global Precipitation is a new partial in-house program that will use purchased avionics. Science budgets are now flat, which will likely delay new Explorers by a year or two. Also, technology investment has stopped in favor of funding ongoing programs and the Lunar/Mars Exploration program.

A new science building is planned to be started in the late fall of this year that will be located south of Building 16W and north of the Visitor Center entrance. The new construction will necessitate the closure of the existing Soil Conservation Road (SCR) that dissects Goddard’s east and west campuses. The rerouting of SCR is on schedule and anticipated to be completed by October. The rerouting will maneuver traffic to the east of the Center, around the Barney and Bea Recreation Center and the Building 25 complex, and reconnect with the existing SCR north of Buildings 27 (Motor Pool) and 29 (Spacecraft Systems Development and Integration Facility).

The election of GRAA board members will be held at the June luncheon. The results will be announced in the July newsletter. I thank all members who sent in ballots printed in the May newsletter.

TREASURER’S REPORT: Bob Wigand reports that donations were received from the following members: John Bowerman, Bob Markley, Ralph Mollerick, Bill Peacock, Joe Pohl, Chris Scherer, Bob Warren, and Bob Wigand.

FROM THE GODDARD ARCHIVES - IT HAPPENED IN JUNE:

§ June 21, 1975: Delta launched Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO) I, also known as OSO 8. The objectives of OSO-I were to measure solar ultraviolet and X-ray radiation, study flares and other solar phenomena, continuously study the solar corona, and map solar radiation.

§ June 16, 1977 & 1978: Deltas launched GOES-B (also known as GOES 2) and C (also known as GOES 3), respectively. Both satellites were NASA-developed, NOAA-operated, geosynchronous, and operational spacecraft designed to study weather patterns and measure proton, electron, and X-ray fluxes and magnetic fields.

§ June 20, 1985: The Shuttle Discovery, which launched on June 17, 1985, deployed Spartan 1 to observe the Perseus cluster and our galactic center region. After conducting its experiments, Spartan 1 was retrieved by Shuttle Discovery on June 22^nd and returned to Edwards Air Force Base on June 24^th.

ENVELOPE STUFFERS FOR MAY: Sandy Buffalano, Marj Gallagher, Marge Gustafson, Barbara Hamilton, Rose McChesney, Elaine Montgomery, Dave Moulton, Hugh O’Donnell, Ewald Schmidt, Agnes Smith, Eloise Tarter, Bob Wigand, and Frank Wrigley.

E-MAIL ADDRESS UPDATES: Helmut P. Cline (hpnjcline@msn.com); Robert H. Markley (rhmarkley@frontiernet.net);

Dennis K. McCarthy (dmfrommd@baybroadband.net); Barbara H. Putney (bhputney@verizon.net); Mary Anne Robertson (maryanne18@verizon.net); and James E. Zerega (jameszerega@charter.net).

THE WHOLE TRUTH, NOTHING BUT: What do retirees call a long lunch?

Answer: Normal.

ROAD CLEANUP: GRAA’s quarterly cleanup of the portion of Good Luck Road on Goddard’s eastern boundary will be conducted following the luncheon on Tuesday, June 13^th. Volunteers helping with the cleanup will be rewarded with welcome doses of fresh air, exercise, and self-satisfaction.

REMEMBERING OUR FORMER COLLEAGUES:

§ Kelsey Adams, of Williamsburg, VA, passed away on January 20^th. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War, and retired from Goddard in 1987.

§ Charles Katz, of Silver Spring, MD, passed away on April 28^th.

§ Wesley R. McDonald, of Middle River, MD, passed away on April 17^th. A veteran of the Eighth Air Force in World War II, he worked for the Martin Co. and Philco Ford before coming to Goddard, where he worked in the Fabrication Division.

§ James R. Sterling, of Crisfield, MD, passed away on August 11, 2005. He was a firefighter at the Wallops Flight Facility. After retiring from Goddard in 1980, he ran his own photography and lawn-care business and also served on the Crisfield City Council from 1982-1984.

§ Charles H. Underwood, of Grasonville, MD, passed away on January 30, 2005. He began working at Goddard in 1962 and worked on Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle projects before retiring in 1985.

GET WELL WISHES: Retiree Joel Steel of Huntingdon, PA, deserves prayers and best wishes for a speedy recovery after recently being hit by an automobile, resulting in injuries that included a crushed hip. He will be 93 on June 15^th, so his friends and former colleagues are encouraged to send him a get well and/or birthday card to: Mr. Joel Steel, Westminster Woods, 120 Aspen Lane, Room 101, Huntingdon, PA 16652-2739.

LETTERS, WE GET LETTERS:

§ Robert Markley wrote, “Just a small donation and many thanks to all the folks whose hard work make the GRAA Newsletter possible.”

§ Ralph Mollerick wrote, “The enclosed donation is made in memory of Larry E. Brown. I had the privilege of knowing and working for Larry. He was an outstanding supervisor and friend. He will be missed.”

§ Bill Peacock wrote, “Thanks for your exceptional work. It was indeed good news that the 4^th HST servicing mission has been approved. It may allow me to go even further into space with my magnificent NASA WORLD WIND in search of God. Please accept my small contribution as an expression of my appreciation for the GRAA.”

§ Joseph Pohl wrote, “My thanks to the officers, staff and all who contribute their time toward maintaining this association.”

§ Chris Scherer wrote, “Thank you for your refreshing information. Here is a small contribution for your work. Your Alaska cruise this September: I’m ready to sail!”

§ Charles Vanek wrote, “Thank you for all of the work that you do. I really enjoy the monthly newsletter and Goddard View.”

CELEBRATE GODDARD DAY: You may want to consider joining in on the fun and excitement of Celebrate Goddard Day from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., June 28^th (Wednesday), on the mall in front of Building 8. This is an excellent opportunity to share in celebrating all the accomplishments of Goddard’s diverse workforce. Participating organizations will include Goddard’s directorates, the Diversity Council, Equal Opportunity advisory committees, Goddard Employee Welfare Association (GEWA) clubs, contractors, as well as craft and food vendors. If attending, don’t forget to bring your retiree ID card and sign in as a visitor at the Main Gate.

GRAA NEWSLETTER MAILINGS: If you no longer wish to receive GRAA mailings, please forward a note to our Seabrook address or an e-mail to Dave Moulton at davidlmoulton@comcast.net. If you have moved or want to correct the mailing address we have on file, write to our Seabrook address or send an e-mail to Strat Laios at stratlaios@comcast.net.

GEWA EXCHANGE STORE: Are you up for one of the exciting trips sponsored by GEWA in the next couple of weeks? Because the trips listed below are almost ready to leave, don’t delay in calling the Exchange Store at 301-286-8498 to inquire if tickets are still available.

§ Atlantic City Show Package – June 8^th and 9^th for $119.00 per person (double occupancy) at the Tropicana Casino. The price includes: round-trip bus transportation, one night’s accommodations at the Tropicana, buffet dinner, show ticket, casino bonus, refreshments en route, bus tip and tourism fee.

§ One-Day New York Vacation – June 12^th for $55.00 per person. The price includes round-trip bus transportation, refreshments en route, tips, and tourism fee.

Have you started to plan your summer fun? If so, don’t forget to add NASA Day at King’s Dominion to your schedule. That’s right, July 15^th is NASA Day there and tickets are available at the Exchange Store now!!! The cost for adults (age 13 and up) is $33.00, $28.00 for children 3 through 12, and children under 3 are free. The cost includes admission to the park and lunch. If you want a ticket for parking, it is $6.00 ($7.00 at the park). Ticket prices will remain as stated until June 29^th, after which they will increase to $36.00 for adults and $31.00 for children. If you want a day away from your usual routine, plan on putting a group together, family members or otherwise, and carpool down to King’s Dominion.

Ever feel the need for a “little something extra” to drink other than plain water? GEWA has just received in Emergen-C fizzy drink mix that you can add to your bottle of water for some extra flavor and Vitamin C. In fact, each flavor gives you 1000 milligrams of Vitamin C, along with 25% of the recommended daily intake of Vitamins B1, B2, and B3, and 500% of Vitamin B6. The mixes come in a variety of flavors like Tangerine, Raspberry, Lemon-Lime, and Tropical. There’s even a Heart Health Black Cherry. All you have to do is add water.