NASA Daily News Summary For Release: March. 31, 2000 Media Advisory m00-64 SUMMARY NEWS RELEASES: NASA AWARDS UNIVERSITY CONCEPT STUDIES FOR EARTH SCIENCE PROJECTS SURVEY SHOWS NASA EMPLOYEES AMONG MOST SATISFIED FEDERAL WORKERS NASA Video File for March 31, 2000 SPECIAL NOTE TO ASSIGNMENT EDITORS & PRODUCERS: ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE? ***************************** NEWS RELEASES NASA AWARDS UNIVERSITY CONCEPT STUDIES FOR EARTH SCIENCE PROJECTS NASA's Office of Earth Sciences will fund four innovative Earth system science investigation concepts for future development as complete spaceflight missions or secondary payload instruments through the University Earth System Science (UnESS) Project. "The UnESS program was established to foster the development of the next generation of Earth system scientists, engineers, managers, educators, and entrepreneurs through significant and meaningful hands-on student involvement in Earth observation space missions at the university level," said Dr. Ghassem Asrar, Associate Administrator for Earth Sciences. NASA Headquarers Contact: David E. Steitz (Phone: 202/358-1730) ----------------------------- SURVEY SHOWS NASA EMPLOYEES AMONG MOST SATISFIED FEDERAL WORKERS According to a newly published government survey, NASA employees enjoy a greater level of job satisfaction than most other federal workers. The National Partnership for Reinventing Government (NPR) Employee Survey showed NASA employees gave the agency the highest favorable ratings in 14 out of 32 categories. "I am incredibly proud of these results," said NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin. "They represent a strong statement of the top-to-bottom excellence of the NASA team." NASA Headquarters contact: Gary Caruso (Phone: 202/358-1705) ----------------------------- If NASA issues any news releases later today, we will e- mail summaries and Internet URLs to this list. Index of 2000 NASA News Releases: http://www.nasa.gov/releases/2000/index.html Index of 1999 NASA News Releases: http://www.nasa.gov/releases/1999/index.html ***************************** Video File for Mar. 31, 2000 10:43 am ALL TIMES EASTERN Item 1 - FIRST Robotic Competition - AMES REPLAYS: Item 2 - Bioscan System May Aid Cancer Detection - JPL Item 3 - Solar Cycles - GSFC Item 4 - Planet Hunters - JPL Item 5 - X-38 Drop Test - DFRC LIVE TELEVISION EVENTS THIS WEEK: March 31, Friday 1:00 - 1:30 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ 1:30 - 2:00 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ 4:00 - 4:30 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ 4:30 - 5:00 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ 5:30 - 10:00 pm - "Planet Hunting Mission" Live News Interviews - JPL 10:00 - 10:30 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ 10:30 - 11:00 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ April 1, Saturday 11:00 am - 9:00 pm - Ames Research Center Western Regional First Robotics Competition - San Jose State University Event Center, San Jose, CA (direct uplink to NTV) April 2, Sunday 12:00 - 12:30 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ 12:30 - 1:00 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ 1:00 - 3:00 pm - Computer Security Hearing before the House Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology; Government Reform Committee (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ 3:00 - 3:30 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ 3:30 - 4:00 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ 4:00 - 6:00 pm - Computer Security Hearing before the House Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology; Government Reform Committee (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ 6:00 - 6:30 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ 6:30 - 7:00 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ 7:00 - 9:00 pm - Computer Security Hearing before the House Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology; Government Reform Committee (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ 9:00 - 9:30 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ 9:30 - 10:00 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ 10:00 - Midnight - Computer Security Hearing before the House Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology; Government Reform Committee (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ ----------------------------- SPECIAL NOTE TO ASSIGNMENT EDITORS & PRODUCERS FROM: Jack Dawson, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, (818) 354- 0040 Michelle Viotti, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, (818) 354-8774 ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE? Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered which stars might have planets around them? Is life out there in the Universe, abundant on some distant world? What is that planet like, and could we recognize life there if we found it? Creative sparks are flying as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory awards contracts to four industry-academic teams, which will take the first steps toward answering these far-reaching questions. Over the next eighteen months, the teams will set out to create the most innovative designs for Terrestrial Planet Finder, an ambitious mission in NASA's Origins Program that will look for life-sustaining Earth -like planets around other stars. Astronomers have already found far more planets outside of our solar system than within it, but so far we've only been able to detect really large, gaseous bodies that wouldn't likely support life. We're on the verge of having the technology that will enable us to look for much tinier, Earth-like planets that orbit closer to their parent stars. Terrestrial Planet Finder will have the potential to give us the first "family portraits" of planetary systems like our own--and it might even find another planet where life can thrive. Live satellite interview opportunities are available with JPL1s Dr. Firouz Naderi from 6 to 10 p.m. EST on Friday, March 31. Animation, B-roll and interviews will be carried on GE-2, Transponder 9C at 85 degrees West longitude, with vertical polarization. Frequency is on 3880.0 megahertz with audio on 6.8 megahertz. Emergency telephone numbers are 818-354-0246 and 818- 354-2113. Dr. Firouz Naderi is the Program Manager for Origins and the Project Manager for the Terrestrial Planet Finder. With JPL for the past 20 years, Dr. Naderi has also served as Program Manager for the Space Science Flight Experiments Program and Project Manager for the NASA Scatterometer and SeaWinds missions, among others. He received his B.S. from Iowa State in 1969 and a Masters and Ph.D. from USC in 1972 and 1976, all in electrical engineering. POSSIBLE QUESTIONS: - How likely is it that life exists elsewhere in the Universe? - How will Terrestrial Planet Finder look for Earth-like planets? - How hard is it to detect life-bearing planets around other stars? - Would a planet have to be like Earth to support life? - What is the lasting value of Terrestrial Planet Finder to our civilization? To book time for this interview call, Jack Dawson at 818-354- 0040 or e-mail Jack at jack.b.dawson@jpl.nasa.gov For more information on this subject, see: http://tpf.jpl.nasa.gov/ ----------------------------- Unless otherwise noted, ALL TIMES ARE EASTERN. ANY CHANGES TO THE VIDEO LINE-UP WILL APPEAR ON THE NASA VIDEO FILE ADVISORY ON THE WEB AT ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/tv-advisory/nasa-tv.txt WE UPDATE THE ADVISORY THROUGHOUT THE DAY. The NASA Video File normally airs at noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m., 9 p.m. and midnight Eastern Time. NASA Television is available on GE-2, transponder 9C at 85 degrees West longitude, with vertical polarization. Frequency is on 3880.0 megahertz, with audio on 6.8 megahertz. Refer general questions about the video file to NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Ray Castillo, 202/358-4555, or Fred Brown, 202/358-0713, fred.brown@hq.nasa.gov During Space Shuttle missions, the full NASA TV schedule will continue to be posted at: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/nasatv/schedule.html For general information about NASA TV see: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv/ ***************************** Contract Awards Contract awards are posted to the NASA Acquisition information Service Web site: http://procurement.nasa.gov/EPS/award.html ***************************** The NASA Daily News Summary is issued each business day at approximately 2 p.m. Eastern time. Members of the media who wish to subscribe or unsubscribe from this list, please send e-mail message to: Brian.Dunbar@hq.nasa.gov ***************************** end of daily news summary