GRAA NEWSLETTER
P.O. Box 1184, Greenbelt, MD 20768-1184

IMPORTANT DATES

COMMENTS FROM RON BROWNING, GRAA PRESIDENT: Our March speaker was Dr. Neil Gehrels, Chief of Goddard’s Astroparticle Physics Laboratory. His presentation, titled “Swift Observations of Explosions in Space,” was based on gamma-ray bursts observed by the Swift mission since its launch in November 2004. Gamma-ray bursts were first observed in 1973 accidentally by a military satellite named Vela, the mission of which was to monitor for nuclear explosions following the test ban treaty. Such bursts occur outside our galaxy when a star explodes, suddenly causing a supernova leading to a black hole and thus resulting in gravitational waves. Bursts are 0.1 to 100 seconds in duration. Supernovae cause long bursts and short bursts that are the result of two neutron stars collapsing to form a black hole. Explosions have been seen dating to 13.1 billion years ago. Ground-based telescopes are used to conduct follow-up observations of gamma-ray bursts. The Swift spacecraft has one US and two European instruments measuring in optical, ultra-violet, and X-ray bands. The mission, designed for two years of operational life, is still providing useful information after 11+ years. Dr. Gehrels also discussed gravitational waves recently discovered by the National Science Foundation’s ground-based Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory telescope. These gravitational waves were caused by massive black holes (29 and 36 solar mass in size) merging 1.3 billion years ago. He noted that the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, a three-satellite constellation, will be the first mission designed to focus on gravitational waves, but is currently not scheduled to be launched until 2034.

TREASURER’S REPORT: Treasurer Jackie Gasch received tax-deductible contributions from the following members: Robert Adams, Arthur Jackson, Fred Kallmeyer, Patricia Mackey, Anthony Maione, Llewellyn Nicholson, Thomas Underwood, Richard Weiss, and Charles Woodyard.

RECENT NEW RETIREES: Michael R. Clark, G. James Collatz, Janice G. Gelder, Melvyn L. Goldstein, John A. Haberman, Thomas M. Hartmann, Richard K. Kiang, Betty J. Pyles-Harris, Jose M. Rodriguez, Nancy S, Schweiss, and Peter K. Shu.

54^th ROBERT H. GODDARD MEMORIAL SYMPOSIUM: This year’s symposium, hosted by the American Astronautical Society, was quite upbeat. NASA science and engineering results for the year were described, as well as commercial space activity for resupply of the International Space Station, crew launch and expandable laboratories. Technology is focused toward having humans on Mars in the mid 2030s. The symposium presentations were videotaped and are available for viewing online at http://www.astronautical.org (just click for the recorded webcast under the memorial symposium banner at the top of the homepage, then select from the videos marked as RHGMS54 listed on the right of the next screen that pops up). Mike Calabrese, GRAA member, will publish a synopsis of the symposium which we will make available to interested parties.

GRAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION: The election of the seven-member Board of Directors (BOD) is scheduled to occur at the GRAA luncheon on April 12^th in advance of distribution of the 2016 Membership Directory in May. Most members of the current BOD are opting to run again for another two-year term; however, other interested members living within commuting distance of the Greenbelt Campus may contact Newsletter Editor Dave Moulton to self-nominate themselves for a spot on the ballot. Pass your name along to Dave by calling him at 301-249-1783 or emailing him at davidlmoulton@comcast.net no later than April 8^th .

REMEMBERING OUR FORMER COLLEAGUES:

• Daniel B. Childs, of Brookeville, MD, passed away on March 3^rd. He was an Administrative Support Specialist at Goddard who initially provided administrative support in the early ’90s to the Space Geodesy Branch of the Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics in the Earth Sciences Directorate and later in the Space Geodesy Networks & Sensor Calibration Office of the same laboratory.
• Richard J. Gatto, of Silver Spring, MD, passed away on February 25^th. He was an Engineer at Goddard and helped in building tracking stations around the world. In the ’60s he was assigned to the Operations & Support Division of the Office of Tracking & Data Systems, later worked in the Network Engineering & Operations Division, and later still worked in the STADAN Engineering Division of the Tracking & Data System Directorate. In the early ’70s he moved to the Network Facilities & Services Division of the Networks Directorate, staying in that directorate until he retired.
• Ruth L. Gherard, of Hartford, CT, passed away on March 2^nd. She was an Accounting Technician during her 25+ year career at Goddard, both in the Accounting Branch of the Office of the Comptroller and later in the Financial Management Division of the Management Operations Directorate.
• J. Warren Keller, of Brentwood, TN, passed away on November 9, 2015. He started out working at NASA in 1960 as an Engineering Physicist at Marshall Space Flight Center and then moved to NASA Headquarters in 1962, where he worked in various leadership capacities for about the next 20 years where he gained approval for the Voyager and Space Telescope missions and served as initial Program Manager for the Hubble Space Telescope. In 1981 he was named Director of the Suborbital Projects & Operations Directorate at Wallops Flight Facility before retiring in about 1990.
• Jesse L. Maury, Jr., of Annapolis, MD, passed away on February 28^th He was a Mathematician at Goddard for 31 years. In the early ’60s he worked in the Data Systems Division and later the Mission & Trajectory Analysis Division of the Tracking & Data Systems Directorate. In the ’80s he worked in the Mission Support Computing & Analysis Division of the Mission & Data Operations Directorate. His last assignment before retiring was with the Earth Observing Systems Platforms Project in the Flight Projects Directorate.
• Manfred "Manny" Owe, of Annapolis, MD, passed away on January 16^th. He came to Goddard as a Research Hydrologist in 1980 and his career spanned 28 years. In the early ’80s he worked in the Earth Survey Applications Division of the Applications Directorate and later moved to the Laboratory for Hydrospheric Processes in the Earth Sciences Directorate and later still to the Hydrospheric & Biospheric Sciences Laboratory of the Sciences & Exploration Directorate before retiring.

FROM THE GODDARD ARCHIVES – IT HAPPENED IN APRIL: The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-8 and known as GOES-I before becoming operational and also GOES-East during the period 1995 – 2003) was launched from Cape Canaveral, FL, by an Atlas I rocket on April, 13, 1994. What was then termed the “new generation” of GOES satellites, of which GOES-8 was the first launched, have instruments that measure Earth-emitted and reflected radiation from which atmospheric temperature, winds, moisture and cloud cover can be derived. GOES-8 is now in a parking orbit and currently drifting about 4 degrees west daily. It was decommissioned on April 1, 2003, and deactivated on May 5, 2004, after failure of its propulsion system.

THOUGHT FOR APRIL: News anchors begin the evening news with ‘Good Evening,’ then proceed to tell us why it isn’t.

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