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

APRIL 2005 http://graa.gsfc.nasa.gov 21^st Year of Publication

IMPORTANT DATES:

April 12	GRAA Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. at the Barney and Bea Recreation Center. John Dalton, Deputy Director of the new Sciences and Exploration Directorate (a merger of Codes 600 and 900), will discuss changes involved with the establishment and objectives of the new organization. Reservations are required, so please call Alberta Moran at 301-937-7762 in advance.
May 10	Mark your calendar for the GRAA Luncheon at 11:30 a.m.
June 14	Mark your calendar for the GRAA Luncheon at 11:30 a.m.
July 12	Mark your calendar for the GRAA Luncheon at 11:30 a.m.
September 29-October 3	Trip to the Country Music Capital of Branson, M0. Contact Alberta Moran to sign up or for more information.
Early December	Christmas shopping trip and music theater event in Lancaster, PA (date TBD). Contact Alberta Moran for details.
August 2006	GRAA Travel is currently planning a cruise and land tour in Alaska. Details will be forthcoming.

COMMENTS FROM RON BROWNING, GRAA PRESIDENT: Chris Scolese, Goddard’s Deputy Director, discussed the State of the Center at the March luncheon. He noted the successful launch and operations of Aura (the last of the EOS missions) and Swift, which provides gamma ray burst data. The entire EOS space and ground data systems are working well in capturing and distributing Earth Science data worldwide. The future looks less rosy with potential budget impacts on new science missions – no new Explorer missions for 2 years – and the White House decision not to fund Hubble service, either by a Shuttle mission or robotically.

Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) is a new GSFC instrument to look for chemical and biological processes using techniques from earth science measurements. The Robotic Lunar Orbiter is in its early design phase. It will eventually map the lunar surface in infrared and visible bands from a 50-km orbit.

Following lunch, several attendees toured the Hubble robotic servicing facility on the Center. They were shown full-scale mock-ups of the Hubble, replacement instruments, special tools, and the Canadian robotic arm to be used on the International Space Station. They demonstrated disconnecting, removing, replacing, and reconnecting modules and instruments, as well as showing a new video of the entire mission from lift-off through robotic servicing of Hubble. Unfortunately, at this time there is no funding in the FY06 budget for this effort beyond a Preliminary Design Review this spring.

FROM THE GODDARD ARCHIVES-IT HAPPENED IN APRIL:

§ April 3, 1963: Thor-Delta launched S-6/Explorer 17, a pressurized sphere for atmospheric research.

§ April 26, 1978: Scout launched AEM-A/Explorer 58, the Heat Capacity Mapping Mission.

§ April 24, 1990: Shuttle Discovery deployed the Hubble Space Telescope.

RETIREMENT FAREWELL: Jody Fillmann’s retirement dinner was postponed due to a snowstorm on February 28 and has been re-scheduled for April 29 (Friday) from 4:30 to 10:30 p.m. The dinner menu includes Prime Rib/Baked Chicken/Spinach Lasagna, escalloped potatoes, roasted vegetables, rolls, drinks and dessert. Music will be provided by Bernie Tomardy’s Island Entertainment. For those who did not sign up earlier, tickets are $22.00 and may be obtained by contacting Pam Starling (301-286-6865) or Lois Otterson (301-286-6873).

ENVELOPE STUFFERS FOR MARCH: Marge Gallagher, Elaine Montgomery, Dave Moulton, Bill Shields, Agnes Smith, Eloise Tarter, Bob Wigand, and Frank Wrigley.

TREASURER’S REPORT: Bob Wigand reports that several members acted in March to reverse the declining trend of donations over recent years. Donations were received from Dick Baker, Erva Early, Bob Eaves, Aaron Fisher, Archie Fitzkee, Alton Jones, Andy Mazurick, Steve Meszaros, Don Righter, John Thomson, and Margaret Wells.

ROAD CLEANUP: A team of five retirees – Elaine Bobbitt, Hal Maurer, Elaine Montgomery, Bill Shields, and Bob Wigand – collected 12 bags of trash (plus some discarded auto parts) from the portion of Good Luck Road which bounds Goddard.

REMEMBERING OUR FORMER COLLEAGUES:

§ John M. Bogert III passed away on February 18. He retired in April 2004 as a Data Analyst.

§ Henry C. Brinton passed away on February 18. He was an atmospheric physicist who worked at Goddard for 20 years, followed by 20 years at NASA Headquarters.

§ Shirley E. Darby passed away on March 18. She worked as division secretary in the precursor organization to the current Logistics Management Division.

§ Hans Galle passed away in Germany on February 25. Hans worked for the German Space Agency and spent a year in the late 1960’s at Goddard working on the ATS Project and learning how Goddard manages flight projects. He later served as Deputy Project Manager for Business on the Helios Project. Jim Zerega, a friend for almost 40 years, reported his passing.

§ Harry L. Stallings passed away on March 19. He joined Goddard in 1967 and worked in the Guidance and Control Branch for 20+ years.

§ Although we have few details, we also note the passing of Ralph N. Banning, Leland R. Murphy, and William Ziegler.

LETTERS, WE GET LETTERS:

§ Ye Ed sends out an apology to Art Anderson for inadvertently misquoting him in the February issue. He did not send his “attitude” to everyone involved in publishing and sending out the newsletter and membership directory. A bout of cabin fever no doubt prompted Ye Ed to type “attitude” instead of “gratitude.”

§ Al Jones wrote, “I appreciate receiving the newsletter. I like to keep track of the old diminishing crowd. Keep up the good work!”

§ Erva (Jarboe) Early wrote, “I really enjoy the GRAA Newsletter.”

§ Stephen Meszaros wrote, “Thanks for the nice work on the GRAA Newsletter. I’m retiring after 34+ years of federal service [most recently with the Bureau of Land Management in Arizona]. The high point of my career was the decade in the 1970’s and 1980’s at Goddard in Technical Information Services with Dick Hultberg, Pat Kelly, Don Hutchison, and all the other interesting people at GSFC at that time. Thanks for the memories!”

§ James Wood wrote, “Thanks for all of the work that all of you do to keep all of the retirees up-to-date as to what is happening at GSFC.”

§ Robert Eaves wrote, “Let’s all try to keep the GRAA going! I sure enjoy receiving it and recognize many names of all those “old” people. I keep in contact with Wylie McMillan and George Karras. We’re all blessed to be ex-NASA GSFC people and still kickin’.”

§ Archie Fitzkee wrote, “I was inspired by Len Rabb’s note and donation in a recent newsletter. Please accept this donation in appreciation of the newsletter.”

§ Don Righter wrote, “Thanks for doing a great job on our newsletters. I really appreciate and enjoy the continuous stream of news about GSFC and the folks that have and continue to work there!”

§ Aaron Fisher wrote, “Can’t afford to miss a newsletter…, and appreciate the tireless work of those who put it out. Our mailmen could learn from them.”

E-MAIL ADDRESS CHANGES: Joseph E. Ryan (hstjoe@yahoo.com) and Stanley Iarosis (iarosis@comcast.net).

GRAA NEWSLETTER MAILINGS: If you no longer wish to receive GRAA mailings, please send a note to our Seabrook address or an e-mail to Dave Moulton at davidlmoulton@comcast.net. If you have moved or want to correct the mailing address we use, please write to our Seabrook address or send an e-mail to Strat Laios at stratlaios@comcast.net.

GEWA EXCHANGE STORE:

§ Due to popular demand, “Sunny Monday” has returned to the GEWA Exchange Store. Just like last year, all merchandise (with the exception of photo processing orders and event ticket purchases) will be discounted by 10 percent. The sale takes place from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. each Monday. Stop by the store during the week for ideas and then return on Monday morning to make your purchases.

§ Want some excitement during spring break or an early start on summer? Then why not check out Kings Dominion while you can get your tickets for a price even lower than GEWA’s already reduced price. For the weekend of April 9-10, you can purchase tickets for the special price of $21.00, instead of the regular park price of $45.99. The tickets are good for 1 day only, not the entire weekend. So stop by GEWA, pick up your tickets, and see what’s in store at Kings Dominion for the summer.

§ For you coffee lovers who like a cup of coffee at home and one for the road, GEWA has just received what is being billed as “Gourmet Duet.” It is a dual mug personal coffeemaker that comes with two 14-ounce double-wall stainless steel mugs with covers. You can make your coffee just the way you want it in the morning, have a cup at home, and then have a second cup on the road while running your errands.

§ New prices for photos!!! District Photo has reduced its developing price to just $4.99 for any size of 35mm film (12-, 24-, or 36-exposure role, but does not include APS, B&W, or slides). In addition, the second set of prints is FREE!!! Check at the GEWA Exchange Store for all the details about film developing costs.