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

IMPORTANT DATES

COMMENTS FROM TONY COMBERIATE, GRAA PRESIDENT: Our May speaker was Dr. Steven Pawson, Chief of Goddard’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO). His presentation, entitled “From Fire to Rain: Using NASA’s Observations in Complex Computer Models,” described some of the GMAO’s unique capabilities in the areas of high-resolution global modeling, reanalysis, and air pollution forecasting and focused on the use of NASA’s satellite observations to help bound physical processes in the Earth System Modeling Framework. The Goddard Earth Observing System Model, Version-5 (GEOS-5) combines an Atmospheric General Circulation Model with an Ocean Circulation Model and satellite Earth observations to increase our understanding of Earth processes and enhance predictive capabilities, thus providing useful information for a broad range of users. GMAO uses sea surface temperature, wave height differences, and wind speed measurement data from all the current Earth observation satellites to build a 3-dimensional picture of the state of the atmosphere and oceans. Dr. Pawson’s high-resolution modeling effort focuses on fitting satellite observations into models that make predictions as much as nine months into the future. Predicting things like El Nino events, the availability of shipping routes, droughts, floods, and agricultural impacts can provide economic returns in the billions of dollars. Global circulation modeling, which has been typically done on a scale of 10 to 100’s kilometers, is now able to use billions of data points and have a resolution as fine as about 1 kilometer regionally, yielding improved weather forecasts. Reanalysis is an emerging field that assimilates historic satellite data into modern day models to set the baseline for climate change analysis. In addition to weather forecasts, the model traces emissions released by fires, dust from deserts, and sea salt from oceans that are spread by winds around the world. Air pollution is also traced by the GEOS Model by including nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide from fossil fuel burning and volcanoes (which gets converted into sulfate aerosols). Data on the vertical structure of ozone in the stratosphere from SBUV/2 and MLS are used to calculate how much ozone reaches the Earth’s surface through transport from the stratosphere. Dr. Pawson closed by providing us a glimpse of future models that will be able to generate a global health quality index. For more information and some exciting videos go to: http://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov and/or http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov.

TREASURER’S REPORT: Treasurer Jackie Gasch received tax-deductible donations from the following: James Heaney (in memory of Al Toft), Ellen Herring, Mary Mowatt, Jan Owings, Ray Saxton, and Thomas Underwood.

RECENT RETIREES: David L. Amason, Rosemarie Christensen, Herbert V. Frey, Paul G. Haney, Armando Morell, Janet M. Osterman, and Bruce E. Thoman.

FROM THE GODDARD ARCHIVES – IT HAPPENED IN JUNE: On June 18, 2009, an Atlas V rocket launched the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) from Cape Canaveral, FL. It is a robotic spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon in an eccentric polar mapping orbit. Data collected by LRO has been described as essential for planning NASA’s future human and robotic missions to the Moon. Its detailed mapping program is identifying safe landing sites, locating potential resources on the Moon, characterizing the radiation environment, and demonstrating new technologies. It was launched in conjunction with the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) as the vanguard of NASA’s Lunar Precursor Robotic Program. LRO’s mission duration was planned to be one year, but has since been extended numerous times. LRO has provided some of the first images and precise locations and equipment from previous American and Russian lunar missions, including the Apollo sites. It carries a complement of six instruments and a technology demonstration.

DRONE RUNWAY OPENED AT WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY (WFF): On May 18^th, Terry McAuliffe, Governor of Virginia, took an 11-minute flight on a Diamond DA-42 plane and opened a new $5.8 million runway built specifically for drones. NASA and the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority collaborated on the project and hope it will bring more business to WFF. The runway is 3,000 feet long and 75 feet wide on Wallops Island. Governor McAuliffe served as the pilot, pressing buttons on a laptop to relay commands to a robot, which actually carried out the functions of a pilot inside the plane (a fully-licensed pilot was seated next to him, but her services proved unnecessary).

THOUGHT FOR JUNE: As senior citizens, the term “getting lucky” means walking into a room and recalling why we went in there.

REMEMBERING OUR FORMER COLLEAGUES:

• James W. Bailey, of Williamsburg, VA, passed away on April 5^th. He came to Goddard in the early ’60s where he worked for many years in the Test & Evaluation Division of the Systems Reliability Directorate developing automated systems used to test and flight-certify onboard scientific instruments.
• Nino L. Bonavito, of Rehoboth Beach, DE, passed away on March 23^rd. He came to Goddard shortly after it was formed as a Physicist and first worked in the Data Systems Division of the Office of Tracking & Data Systems. He later moved to the Mission & Trajectory Analysis Division of the same directorate in the ’70s. In the ’80s he was assigned to the Information Extraction Division of the Applications Directorate and in the late ’80s to the Space Data & Computing Division of the Earth Sciences Directorate. In the ’90s he was assigned to the Information Systems Center of the Applied Engineering & Technology Directorate in coordination with the Earth Sciences Directorate.
• Ai Chun Fang, of Potomac, MD, passed away on April 9^th. She came to Goddard in the early ’60s as a Mathematician in the Advanced Projects Branch of the Data Systems Division in the Office of Tracking & Data Systems and shortly afterwards moved to the Information Processing Division of the Mission & Data Operations Directorate and later still moved to the Systems Division of the Technology Directorate. She later moved to NASA Headquarters until she retired in 1991.
• Herbert L. Kyle, of Hamilton, NJ (formerly of Greenbelt, MD), passed away on February 5^th. He came to Goddard in the early ’60s as a Scientist in the Theoretical Division of the Office of Space Science & Satellite Applications and later moved to the Laboratory for Meteorology & Earth Sciences in the Space & Earth Sciences Directorate. Even later he moved to the Information Extraction Division of the Applications Directorate and later to the Global Change Data Center in the Earth Sciences Directorate for several years prior to retiring in 1999.
• Ronald L. Lassiter, of Takoma Park, MD, passed away on April 14^th. He was an Accountant throughout his career at Goddard and, due to reorganizations, worked in the Financial Management Division, Office of the Comptroller; the Financial Management Division of the Management Operations Directorate; and the General Accounting Department of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer. He retired two to three years ago.
• Harry V. Meyer, Jr., of Alexandria, VA, passed away on April 21^st. He came to Goddard in the early ’60s and worked in the Spacecraft Integration & Sounding Rocket Division of the Office of Space Science & Satellite Applications (which later moved to the Technology Directorate). In the ’70s he moved to the Electronics Division of the Space Applications & Technology Directorate and in the ’80s he moved to the Instruments Division of the Engineering Directorate.
• John E. Moye, of Cocoa Beach, FL, passed away on February 21^st. He came to Goddard as an Engineer/Physicist in the Advanced Development Division of the Office of Tracking & Data Systems. He later moved to the Planning & Requirements Office of the Mission & Data Operations Directorate. He was instrumental in the development of both the Spacelab and the Space Shuttle, which led him to the “space coast” and his retirement years in Cocoa Beach, FL.
• John D. Oosterhout, of Santa Fe, NM, passed away on May 9^th. He was an Engineer who worked for NASA at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC, before actually moving to Goddard at its conception, where he worked in the Network Engineering & Operations Division of the Office of Tracking Systems (which later changed its name to the Tracking & Data Systems Directorate). In the ’70s he worked for the Network Procedures & Evaluation Division in the Networks Directorate.
• Robert W. O’Steen, of Silver Spring, MD, passed away on May 10^th. He came to Goddard in the late ’60s/early ’70s as a Procurement Analyst and worked in the Operations Analysis Office of the Procurement Division in the Administrative & Management Directorate, moving later to the Policy & Review Office in the same directorate.
• David C. Pfenning, of Sierra Vista, AZ, passed away on April 27^th. He was a Satellite Engineer at Goddard in the ’80s and worked in the Mechanical Systems Division in the Engineering Directorate for several years until the assignment was moved to the Mechanical Systems Division in the Applied Engineering & Technology Directorate.
• William E. Woodyear IV, of Dunkirk, MD, passed away on September 16, 2016. After first coming to Goddard in 1963 and working as a contractor supporting the Spacecraft Integration &am; Sounding Rocket Division in the Office of Space Sciences & Satellite Applications, he was hired by NASA in 1966 and supported both the Orbiting Geophysical Observatory and the Orbiting Astronomical Project in the Projects Directorate. In the later ’70s and ’80s, he was assigned to the Space Technology Division in the Engineering Directorate. He was also a founding member of Goddard’s Music and Drama Club.