G.R.A.A.

Goddard Retirees and Alumni Association

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

SEPTEMBER 2006 http://graa.gsfc.nasa.gov 22nd Year of Publication

IMPORTANT DATES:

September 12	The regular monthly luncheon is cancelled; however, mark your calendar for the GRAA Crab Feast at the Barney and Bea Recreation Center starting at 4:30 p.m. We’ll have steamed crabs, salads, hamburgers, hot dogs, corn-on-the-cob, desserts, and assorted beverages. The cost is $25 for all you can eat and drink. Plan on bringing your spouse and make it a special summertime treat. For those who have not already made reservations, please call Alberta Moran’s personal representative at 301-937-7762 no later than Tuesday, September 5^th.
October 10	Mark your calendar for the GRAA luncheon at 11:30 a.m.
November 14	Mark your calendar for the GRAA luncheon at 11:30 a.m.
November 30	Holiday shopping trip and music theater event in Lancaster, PA, at the cost of $90. The trip includes bus transportation, shopping at Rockvale Square (with over 100 outlets), second or third row seats for the 2006 Christmas Show at the American Music Theatre, and a prime rib buffet dinner at Arthur’s. This will essentially be a 12-hour excursion, leaving the GSFC Visitor Center at 9:30 a.m. and returning about 9:30 p.m. Call Alberta Moran for details and/or reservations (and don’t delay as only 40 seats will be available).
June 24, 2007	Are you hankering to take a cruise? GRAA Travel has one planned from Baltimore to Bermuda from June 24^th (Sunday) through June 29^th (Friday) early next summer. Due to the popularity of cruises departing from Baltimore, all cabins must be reserved by October 15, 2006. Cabin prices are $970 (inside); $1290 (outside ocean view staterooms); and $1,600 for veranda suites). All quoted rates are per person, double-occupancy, and include port taxes of $145 and regular taxes of $52.08). Call Alberta Moran for information and reservations.

COMMENTS FROM RON BROWNING, GRAA PRESIDENT: Our speaker at the August luncheon was Rob Gutro, a Goddard meteorologist who also does weather forecasting on local radio. Rob described how hurricanes are formed and tracked using NASA satellite data and imagery. He showed photos of storms forming over Africa and migrating to North America, fueled by water temperature. He noted that TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) measurements have shown that dust prevents the growth of storms and that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is doing further research into this phenomenon.

The NASA hurricane resource web page (http://www.nasa.gov/hurricanes) is an available and continually updated source for the public to view visuals and animation from various satellite and airborne Light Detecting and Ranging (LIDAR) observations. Another source of information is Google Earth (http://www.earth.google.com), which displays images that can be zoomed in to street detail. This resource has, for example, been used for comparative data before and after Hurricane Katrina over most of the southern US.

We received a thank you note and class photo from the 2006 Class of NASA Academy interns expressing their pleasure in meeting, talking with, and gaining insight from our experiences. You may find it amazing, but our stories of challenges and achievements experienced in the past still seem to fascinate younger generations of probable scientists.

TREASURER’S REPORT: Bob Wigand reports that donations were received from the following members: Elva Bailey, Floyd Ford, H. K. Lee, and Len Lewis.

FROM THE GODDARD ARCHIVES - IT HAPPENED IN SEPTEMBER:

§ September 18, 1962: Thor-Delta launched Television and Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS) VI, the objective of which was to continue research and development of the meteorological satellite information system, to maintain an operational TIROS in orbit for an extended period of time, and to obtain improved data for operational use in weather forecasting during hurricane seasons.

§ September 23, 1972: Delta launched Explorer 47/Interplanetary Monitoring Probe (IMP) 9 (some sources indicate IMP 7 and some sources indicate it was launched on September 22^nd) that investigated cislunar radiation, the Earth’s magnetosphere, and interplanetary magnetic fields. This spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather and communications.

§ September 20, 1979: Atlas-Centaur launched High Energy Astrophysics Observatory (HEAO) 3, a survey mission operating in the hard X-ray and gamma ray band.

ENVELOPE STUFFERS FOR AUGUST: George Abid, Jackie Gasch, Marge Gustafson, Barbara Hamilton, Aleta Johnson, Rose McChesney, Elaine Montgomery, Dave Moulton, Ewald Schmidt, Bill Shields, Eloise Tarter, and Frank Wrigley.

ROAD CLEANUP: GRAA’s next cleanup of Good Luck Road will be held on September 30 (Saturday) in conjunction with Prince George’s County’s Livable Communities Initiative. Participants should meet at 10:00 a.m. at the Good Luck Road gate to the Recreation Center. Following the cleanup activities, refreshments will be available for participants at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park. Okay, so we’ll call it a free lunch for your efforts. Please call Bob Wigand at 301-937-1178 and let him know you’re anxious to volunteer.

E-MAIL ADDRESS UPDATES: Tom J. Canning (Gypsies_2@msn.com); Floyd E. Ford (alvena39@yahoo.com); Nancy Kupperian (nkupperian@comcast.net); H. Robert Lynn (BandSLynn@cox.net); and Mary A. Trimble (matrimble@comcast.net).

IT’S TIME TO PUT ON YOUR THINKING CAPS: You may have recently read or heard in the media that NASA is attempting to locate several thousand telemetry tapes sent from tracking sites around the world (particularly from sites located in Goldstone, CA, and Honeysuckle Creek, Australia) that include Apollo 11’s touchdown in the Sea of Tranquility in July 1969. The tapes include images of Neil Armstrong’s landing on the lunar surface televised around the world on that momentous occasion. The 14-track, 14-inch tapes are missing and a search is underway to locate them. Given technological advances achieved during the past 37 years, the thought is that a digital makeover would yield far sharper images than we viewed on our television sets on that summer night in 1969. If you have any knowledge of what may have happened to these magnetic tapes, please contact Dick Nafzger via e-mail (Richard.L.Nafzger@nasa.gov) or telephone (301-286-3006). In addition, if you have a copy, or know where there is a copy, of the Apollo 11 Network Operations Directive (NOD), please let Dick know. The NOD (aka: NCG-725) was a multi-volume GSFC document spelling out what tracking stations were expected to do to support the Apollo missions (e.g., where the recorded tapes were to be sent, who was to receive the tapes, and how they were to be stored). More information can be found at http://honeysucklecreek.net/Apollo_11/tapes/index.html.

GRAA NEWSLETTER MAILINGS: If you no longer wish to receive GRAA mailings, please forward 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 address on your mailing label, write to our Seabrook address or send an e-mail to Strat Laios at stratlaios@comcast.net.

THE WHOLE TRUTH, NOTHING BUT: Why don’t retirees mind being called seniors?

Answer: The term frequently comes with a 10 percent discount.

REMEMBERING OUR FORMER COLLEAGUES:

§ William H. “Boots” Cullember, of Columbia, MD, passed away on May 22^nd from Parkinson’s Disease. Mr. Cullember transferred to Goddard in 1961 from the David Taylor Engineering Center in Annapolis and retired in 1980. He was an Engineering Technician who worked on many early satellite programs (performing thermal testing on materials and parts for the Mercury and Apollo missions) and was involved in developing new materials such as Mylar and equipment used for the tracking and monitoring of international satellites.

§ Judith A. Hasenei, of Berlin, MD, passed away on August 11^th after a battle with cancer. Although Judy retired as Comptroller for the Navy contingent at Wallops Island in 2003, she started her career at Goddard in 1966 as a secretary and then became a Security Specialist in the GSFC Security Office. Friends are invited to attend a memorial service for Judy at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 9^th, at the Community Church at Ocean Pines, 11227 Racetrack Road (Route 589), Berlin, MD 21811.

§ James S. O’Brien, of Silver Spring, MD, passed away from a heart attack on July 21^st. A World War II and Korean War veteran, he began his civilian career with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (the predecessor to NASA) in Newport News, VA. He came to Goddard in 1962 and worked as a Senior Payload Specialist designing scientific equipment for weather satellites. He retired from Goddard in 1980.

§ William A. Ostaff, of Bridgeport, WV, passed away on April 24^th at age 91. During World War II he was a Senior Engineer at Naval Headquarters in Washington, DC, and worked on communication towers for submarines. At Goddard, he was an Electrical Engineer for Apollo projects.

§ Robert A. Perry, of Fort Collins, CO (formerly of Myrtle Beach, SC) passed away on August 20^th at age 82. He was a Contract Specialist at Goddard, retiring in 1981.

LETTERS, WE GET LETTERS:

§ Elva Bailey wrote, “Please find enclosed a check as one small contribution to the work of you few diligent volunteers. Keep the newsletters coming.”

§ Floyd E. Ford wrote, “I really look forward to receiving the newsletter each month. Thanks to the retirees who contribute their time and effort to the organization. I have enclosed a small contribution to help with the cost of the newsletter and other administrative costs.”

§ Hay K. Lee wrote, “I really enjoy the GRAA newsletters and updates. I worked for POMD for over 20 years, and it was very rewarding! I used to brag to all who would listen that my daughter, May-Lily, was a most outstanding entertainer. She performed magic shows for McDonald’s, Christmas shows, and weekly shows for Channel 13. Oprah Winfrey was a local news reporter there at Channel 13 at the time. For the last 15 years May-Lily has hosted a show called Virginia Currents on Channel 56 every Sunday at 8:00 a.m. I hope all my former colleagues will see the show and call me (301-552-2221) with comments. I have heard from Henry Obler and weekly from Andy Mazurick, as well as a few calls from Nora Ney (former cashier in the Building 21 Cafeteria). Many thanks for the GRAA Newsletter. [Note from Ye Ed: May-Lily is an accomplished, Emmy-award winning television personality who graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Maryland at the age of 19.]

§ H. Robert Lynn wrote, “It is always a pleasure to receive the newsletter.”

GEWA FISHING TRIP TO BREILLE, NEW JERSEY: GRAA members are invited to participate in a fishing trip near the shipwrecks off the coast of Brielle, NJ, on Friday, October 6^th. The bus will depart the Visitor Center at 1:00 a.m. and return at 9:00 p.m. Targets for the trip include sea bass, porgies, ling, bluefish, and fluke (summer flounder). The date is later than last year’s trip and should increase the probability of catching fish in the schools (yes, they are quite learned) on their way south for the winter. The cost of the trip is $88.00 per person, which includes the bus ride, charter boat fee (the Atlantis, a 110-foot boat expressly reserved for GEWA participants), bait, some beverages, and some ice. If you are interested in joining this unique adventure, contact Kenneth Dearth via e-mail (kdearth@pop500.nasa.gov) or telephone (301-286-3003) to reserve a seat or ask for additional details.

GEWA EXCHANGE STORE ITEM OF INTEREST: Are you up for a trip on November 9-10 to the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City? Call the GEWA Exchange Store at 301-286-6920 for details on this special trip during which you could win a bundle.