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

IMPORTANT DATES

COMMENTS FROM RON BROWNING, GRAA PRESIDENT: Our April speaker was Dr. John Mather, Goddard’s Senior Astrophysicist and Chair of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Science Working Group. His presentation title was “The History of the Universe: Where Did We Come From and How Far Can We Go.” His history began with the invention of the first telescope in 1608 and contributions made by Archimedes, da Vinci, Galileo, and later George Ellery Hale, who put four telescopes on Mt. Wilson in Los Angeles County, CA. Evidence of the “Big Bang” was first seen in 1965 by a ground-based telescope. He showed images of large radio telescopes in operation in West Virginia and Puerto Rico. A 300-foot diameter radio telescope is currently being planned. He described how telescopes can observe galaxies of 100 billion stars and how Doppler shift is used to determine star distance. John then shifted his focus to satellite observations and plans. The Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite found hot and cold spots throughout the universe which has been called confirmation of the “Big Bang” theory. John prefers to call it “infinite universe expansion.” The next big satellite telescope, JWST, started in 1995, is the near future in space astronomy. He showed images of major elements in assembly and test mode at Goddard in preparation for and on schedule to launch in 2018. A few years ago when the JWST Program had a funding and schedule problem, a recovery plan was created and NASA is sticking to it. An animated video of on orbit deployment of the JWST demonstrates that it is a marvel of engineering from beryllium mirror elements to deployment of a tennis court-size, five-layer sun shield. Real-time tests and assembly maneuvers can be viewed at http://www.jwst.nasa.gov.

Former GRAA BOD member Robert (Bob) Morrissey, attended the April luncheon with his wife, Martha. They now reside in Kailua Kona, HI, so to show our appreciation, Martha just happened to win the 50/50 raffle. The proceeds were obviously not enough to cover their airfares, so she chose to donate her winnings to the GRAA treasury.

This will be my final report as President of GRAA’s Board of Directors (BOD). A very capable Tony Comberiate, who has served as Vice President and Program Chairman, is taking over the reins. I want to thank the GRAA BOD members who have given me invaluable support over the past fourteen years while serving as President. Also, my thanks go out to all members for your continued financial contributions and I have every intention to continue being an active GRAA member.

TREASURER’S REPORT: Treasurer Jackie Gasch received tax-deductible contributions from the following: Dorothy Burkholder, Delores Faison (in memory of J. Warren Keller), Paul Karpiscak, Jane Marquart, and Martha Morrissey.

54^th ROBERT H. GODDARD MEMORIAL SYMPOSIUM: Last month we announced that GRAA member Mike Calabrese would write a synopsis of the March symposium. These highlights are included as pages 6 & 7 of the March issue of the Goddard View (Volume 12, Issue 3). Simply go to http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/goddard-view.html#.VxbogNQrJKg to view this interesting read.

GRAA BOD ELECTION RESULTS: Members attending the April luncheon voted for eight candidates for the seven positions available on the GRAA BOD. After Dr. Mather’s presentation, the seven nominees garnering the most votes met to determine who would serve for the next two years as President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Directors-at-Large. They are: Tony Comberiate, President; Arlin Krueger, Vice President; Jackie Gasch, Treasurer; and Barbara Hamilton, Secretary. The three other BOD members: Jan Kalshoven, Strat Laios, and Ron Muller, will serve as Directors-at-Large.

REMEMBERING OUR FORMER COLLEAGUES:

• John M. Beckham, of Laurel, MD, passed away on March 18^th. He was an Electrical Engineer at Goddard in the area of guidance and control. He came to Goddard from the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in 1965 and was assigned to the Delta Project in the Projects Directorate (which later changed to the Flight Projects Directorate). Before retiring in 1993, he rose to Deputy Project Manager of the Delta/Orbital Launch Services Project in the same directorate.
• Winfred S. Cameron, of Lehigh Acres, FL, passed away on March 29^th. She was an Astronomer who came to Goddard at its inception in 1959 with her husband, Robert (also an Astronomer). They both worked in the Laboratory of Theoretical Studies and she was later involved with the National Space Science Data Center. Her principal focus being the moon, she ended up being the astronomer on duty at Cape Canaveral when Astronaut John Glenn became the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth and also on duty when Astronaut Scott Carpenter later made the second orbital flight. She retired from Goddard in 1984.
• Gerald J. Grebowsky, of Lanham, MD, passed away on April 11^th. He was an Electrical Engineer who came to Goddard in the late ’60s and worked in the Advanced Development Division of the Tracking & Data Systems Directorate. In the ’70s he was assigned to the Information Processing Division, later to the Electrical Systems Center, and later still to the Data Systems Technology Division, all of which were in the Mission Operations & Data Systems Directorate.
• Robert W. W. Hutchison, of Silver Spring, MD, passed away on March 28^th. He transferred from the Army Ordnance Personnel Office at the Pentagon to become one of Goddard’s founding officers at its inception in 1959 and served as Personnel Director for five years. He left Goddard in 1965 to become Personnel Director at the Library of Congress.
• Robert D. Lott, of Edgewater, MD, passed away on January 29^th. He was a Mechanical Engineer/Designer at Goddard and first worked in the late ’60s and into the ’70s in the Sounding Rocket Division of the Space Applications & Technology Directorate. He worked in various directorates during his later years, including the Laboratory for Planetary Atmospheres in the Applications Directorate and later still in the Laboratory for Atmospheres in the Earth Sciences Directorate prior to retiring about in the early ’90s.

FROM THE GODDARD ARCHIVES – IT HAPPENED IN MAY: Fifty years ago, on May 15, 1966, a Thor-Agena rocket launched the Nimbus 2 satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA. The second in a series of second-generation meteorological research and development satellites, Nimbus 2 was designed to serve as a stabilized, Earth-oriented platform for the testing of advanced meteorological sensor systems and the collection of meteorological data. The spacecraft and experiments performed normally after launch until July 26, 1966, when the spacecraft tape recorder failed. Its function was taken over by a second tape recorder, but that also failed on November 15, 1966. Some real-time data was collected until January 17, 1969, when the mission was terminated due to deterioration of the horizon scanner used for Earth reference purposes.

THOUGHT FOR MAY: Doesn’t it make common sense that the month taxes are due begins with April Fools’ Day and ends with cries of May Day?