G.R.A.A.

                           Goddard Retirees and Alumni Association

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

 

November 2009                                        http://graa.gsfc.nasa.gov                                        25th Year of Publication

 

IMPORTANT DATES: 

November 10           December 11 (Friday)                                         December

Mark your calendar for the GRAA Luncheon at 11:30 a.m.  Reservations are required, so call Alberta Moran at 301-890-0544 no later than noon on Friday, November 6th.  Rosemary Killen, Research Scientist for the Dynamic Response of the Environment at the Moon (DREAM) Project in the Solar System Exploration Division will be our guest speaker.  She will explain the objectives of DREAM and introduce the results of observations from the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona of the recent lunar impact by the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission.   Sign up for the annual “Magic of a Musical Christmas” trip to Lancaster, PA.  This year’s excursion is only $99, payable at the time of reservation.  Starting at 9:00 a.m. from the Visitor Center, included will be opportunities for holiday shopping at the Rockvale Square outlet stores; the 2009 Holiday Jubilee show at the American Music Theater; a delicious Prime Rib Buffet at Arthur’s Restaurant; and refreshments on the bus.  Arrival back at the Visitor Center will be about 9:30 p.m.  For additional information or to make reservations, call Alberta Moran soon at her number above.  No refunds will be available unless reserved tickets can be resold. Due to the many holiday festivities during the month, no GRAA Luncheon is scheduled.

COMMENTS FROM RON BROWNING, GRAA PRESIDENT:  Sgt. Lisa Muhammad, Citizens Services Manager for District II of the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGCPD), provided a very informative and enjoyable talk on personal safety tips.  She covered such topics as not filling our gas tanks at night, trimming around our homes to eliminate places for perpetrators to hide, and ways to avoid identity theft.  She described common sensical, albeit often overlooked, techniques for remaining safe in our homes, cars, and when out and about.  Be alert to your surroundings when driving; always lock your car doors and park/walk in well lit areas when shopping; use ATMs only inside malls or stores; carry the minimal number of credit cards when traveling; keep all windows and doors locked; and when away from home have some lights on timers and use deadbolt locks.  The PGCPD offers numerous safety programs, so if there is interest we may have Sgt. Muhammad speak at future luncheons.

 

NASA and the National Air & Space Museum (NASM) recently hosted a reception and program entitled, “The Hubble Legacy: Celebrating the World’s Greatest Telescope.”  Crewmembers from STS-31, who deployed the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in 1990, and those from STS-125, who conducted the fifth and last servicing mission in May, were in attendance.  Charles Bolden, current NASA Administrator and pilot of STS-31, introduced the program.  Scott Altman, STS-125 Commander, introduced his crew and described their roles.  Every objective of the mission was successfully completed.  Dr. John Grunsfeld, senior space walker on three servicing missions, provided a detailed narrative of all five servicing missions, including showing scientific results after each servicing.  An IMAX 3D film of STS-125 from lift-off through HST refurbishment, repair and release back to orbital operations was shown.  [Note:  IMAX will release a final version for public viewing in March 2010].  Dr. Ed Weiler, NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate and former Goddard Center Director, concluded the celebration at the NASM by showing new multispectral images from the HST that are more spectacular than any previously released.  He showed an image of a segment of sky (one two-hundred-millionth of the universe) containing innumerable stars in all stages of life from early birth to end of life.  Some of the new images can be viewed on Goddard’s web site.  The HST is known for stellar performances, and we can now look forward to ten more productive years from this magnificent telescope!

 

Be sure to sign up to attend the November luncheon, the last get-together for 2009.  We will have an extra treat of steamed shrimp in addition to the typical outstanding meal and will recognize our many volunteers who do such a great job of maintaining GRAA as a vibrant organization.

 

 

THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH:  If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

 

FROM THE GODDARD ARCHIVES – IT HAPPENED IN NOVEMBER:  Delta rockets launched Improved TIROS Operational System (ITOS) satellites F and G on November 6, 1973, and November 15, 1974, respectively.  These spacecraft were weather satellites also known as NOAA 3 and 4, the primary objective of which was to provide global daytime and nighttime direct readout cloud cover data on a daily basis.    

 

REMEMBERING OUR FORMER COLLEAGUES:

§         Lois J. Cowan, of Port Tobacco, MD, passed away on November 13, 2008.  She transferred from the Naval Research Laboratory when Goddard was created and served as a Budget Analyst.

§          James G. Disharoon, of Lanham, MD, passed away on September 18^th.  He was an Engineering Technician who worked, among other assignments, in the Engineering Division of the old Manned Space Flight Directorate.

§         George S. Hayne, of Salisbury, MD, passed away on October 15^th.  He was a Mathematician who worked in the Hydrospheric and Biospheric Laboratory at the Wallops Flight Facility.

§         Henry Iuliano, of Vienna, VA, passed away on September 25^th.  He was a Systems Engineer who worked in the Tracking Network.

§         Crockett Lowe, of Virginia Beach, VA, passed away on September 30^th.  He was an Electronics Technician.

§         David R. Mengers, of Media, PA, passed away on October 2^nd.  He was a Mechanical Engineer, with his last position before retirement being manager of the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer, a space telescope mission.

§         Clarence R. Pase, of Harrington, DE, passed away on September 24^th.  He was a Supply Specialist who worked in the warehouse.

§         Joseph Purcell, of Annapolis, MD, passed away on October 6^th.  He was among the first group of engineers to join NASA when it was formed in 1958.  As Project Manager, Joe was responsible for the design, development, testing and orbital operations of NASA’s second, third and fourth Orbiting Astronomical Observatory satellites.  He also worked on other observatories, the Shuttle Program, and before retirement served as Director of Engineering and Associate Director of Flight Projects.

§         Larry A. Smith, of Jessup, MD, passed away on October 12^th.  Still employed, he had been a Procurement Specialist in the Procurement Operations Division, but was currently assigned to the Protective Services Division.

 

TREASURER’S REPORT:  Bob Wigand reports tax-deductible contributions were received from the following members:  Andy Anderson, Jeannette Baylor, John Donley, Dave Douds, Tony Grandi, Andy Mazurick, Bill McGunigal, and Bill Witt.

 

RECENT RETIREES:  Evelyn P. Boswell, Catherine A. Cavey, Dennis C. Evans, David S. Leckrone,          Theodore J. Michalek, Richard F. Mushotzky, Carrie R. Richardson, Earl T. Taylor, Jr., and Gordon M. Tong.

 

COBE PARTY:  A 20^th Anniversary party to celebrate the launch of COBE will be held on November 18^th at the Barney and Bea Recreation Center from 3 to 9 p.m.  While COBE team members will have priority for tickets, contact Eileen Barnes at 301-286-5770 or eileen.p.barnes@nasa.gov if you are interested in attending.