G.R.A.A.
Goddard Retirees and Alumni Association
P.O. Box 163, Lanham, MD 20703-0163

IMPORTANT DATES

COMMENTS FROM RON BROWNING, GRAA PRESIDENT: Our speakers at the March luncheon, Kathleen Fulton and Casey Johnson, represented the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF). They described their US grant-funded learning team concept as one that can rapidly prototype new learning designs for use in middle and secondary schools. NCTAF is matching learning challenges to Goddard people (including GRAA members), as well as to data and technological resources, in creating engaging projects for students during the school year. Currently, two schools in Howard County and two in Queen Annes County are using these learning teams. Four additional schools will be added next year in both counties. Design topics being worked are: Plate Tectonics, Hurricanes, Tsunamis, Global Climate Change, the Albedo Effect, and Astronomy. Ms. Fulton suggested GRAA members could work on learning teams with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers to create projects by contributing their expertise, team approach and passion for science. Collaboration with teachers can be on-site at Goddard, on-site at participating schools, and/or via e-mail, telephone and video-conferencing. To learn more about participating, contact Casey Johnson at 202-429-2570 or e-mail her at cjohnson@nctaf.org

The Goddard Memorial Symposium this year focused on the proposed NASA FY 2011 budget and its impacts. Three areas emphasized by NASA HQ speakers were: expanded technology development; human access to space after Shuttle through 2016 using the Russian Soyuz spacecraft and commercial endeavors; and the broadening of joint international programs. If Congress appropriates President Obama's budget request for NASA, the Constellation Program will be cancelled and science programs will be expanded. Fiscal year funding from FY10 to FY15 for all science programs would increase 29 percent and earth science programs would increase by 61 percent. Some program starts would be accelerated and others expanded. However, as history has demonstrated, budgets have a way of changing from proposal to appropriation. On another note, it was stated that external tanks would take two years to build if Shuttle flights go beyond the last four currently on the schedule. Stay tuned.... Presentations given at the symposium may be accessed at American Astronautical Society web site (http://www.astronautical.org).

BUS TRIP TO WALLOPS CANCELLED: The prospective bus trip to the Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) mentioned in the Holiday and February issues has been cancelled because members did not show enough interest to meet the minimum number of tickets required to make the trip feasible.

FROM THE GODDARD ARCHIVES - IT HAPPENDED IN April: On April 2, 1998, a Pegasus XL rocket launched Explorer 73, the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE). TRACE is a space telescope designed to investigate the connections between fine-scale magnetic fields and the associated plasma structures of the Sun.

TREASURER'S REPORT Bob Wigand reports that tax-deductible contributions were received from Mary Adkins, Helen Conroy, Dave Douds, Walters Gates, Jim Largent, Grace Miller, Lou Nicholson, and Ed and Phyllis Radovich. Another donation was received from a member wishing to remain anonymous.

RECENT RETIREES: Timothy V. Abbott, John F. Bolton, Donna M. Godsey, Howard K. Kilmon, James P. McGuire, Colleen A. Quinn-House, Thomas H. Stengle III, and Walter F.i Truszkowski.

THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH: If you think there is good in everybody, you haven't met everybody.

REMEMBERING OUR FORMER COLLEAGUES

•  Robert E. Bourdeau, of Fulton, MD, passed away on March 5^th. He was one of the scientists who transferred from the Naval Research Laboratory to Goddard at its inception and went on to serve in numerous managerial positions, including Director of Flight Projects and Director of Engineering.

•  Robert A. Burns, of Eden, MD, passed away on February 16^th. He was a Mechanical Engineer at WFF and retired as Head of the Mechanical Systems Branch.

•  Arthur C. Chandler, Jr., of Newbury, NH, passed away from lung cancer on January 29^th. He was a Mechanical Engineer who was involved deeply with quality issues related to Delta launch vehicles and tracking stations for the Space Shuttle, and served as Chief of Quality and Reliability.

•  Donald W. Deering, of Keedysville, MD, passed away from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) on February 15^th. Dr. Deering conceived and built with Goddard engineers the original PARABOLA field radiometer, an instrument for conducting research into the nature of bidirectional reflectance distribution functions, and mentored many aspiring scientists in the fields of remote sensing and the biospheric sciences.

•  Marie T. Grogan, of Beltsville, MD, passed away on December 5, 2009. She worked in the Employees Services Branch at Goddard.

•  William L. Jenkins, of Maryville, TN, passed on December 3, 2009 at age 90. At Goddard, he served as the Director of Security.

•  William (Bill) Kelly, Jr., of Landover, MD, passed away from complications of lung and brain cancer on February 17^th. He was a Mathematician and, among other assignments, served as a technical support specialist on teams that had major roles in the design, development and testing of ground and command support equipment for the Apollo, Apollo-Soyuz, Skylab, and Space Shuttle programs. He also served in managerial and engineering roles.

•  Virginia F. Kendall, of Adelphi, MD, passed away on December 2, 2009. She worked in the Publications, Writing and Editing group of the Graphic Arts Branch.

•  Dwight (Clint) C. Kennard, Jr., of Traverse City, MI, and DeLand, FL, passed away on December 10, 2009, at age 96. He was an Aeronautical Engineer who worked at Goddard on many unmanned spaceflight projects.

•  Kenneth J. Meese of Silver Spring, MD, passed away on March 6, 2009. He served in World War II and was severely wounded at the Battle of the Bulge. At Goddard, he was an Electrical Engineer who worked in the Laboratory for Astronomy and Solar Physics.

•  Joanne Malkus Simpson, of Washington, DC, passed away from multiple organ failure on March 4^th. She was the first female meteorologist to earn a doctorate, developed the first scientific model of clouds, discovered what keeps hurricanes whirling forward, and revealed what drives the atmospheric currents in the tropics. Among numerous other projects she worked on at Goddard, Dr. Simpson led the science study for the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite and later became Project Scientist for TRMM.

•  William P. Taub, of Bowie, MD, passed away from pneumonia and multiple organ failure on February 20^th. As a NASA Photographer, he took nearly every official picture of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo mission astronauts and his photographs played a key role in shaping the public perception of NASA's work. Among many other publications, his photographs appeared in Life, Look and National Geographic magazines.