July 1996
X-36 fighter arrives at Dryden
By Gray Creech, Projects Science Writer
By Gray Creech, Projects Science Writer
As this went to press, the X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft was scheduled to arrive at Dryden.
The X-36 is a small, remotely-piloted jet built by McDonnell Douglas' Phantom Works division in St. Louis, Mo., and is designed to fly without the traditional tail surfaces common on most aircraft.
"The arrival of the X-36, along with the program staff from McDonnell Douglas and NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., is an important milestone for the program," said Berwin Kock, Dryden's X-36 Project Manager. "We now move into the final checkout and flight operation activities; hopefully these will go as smoothly as the earlier parts of the program.
"The entire team is looking forward to getting this marvelous machine into the air and thereby continuing the X-airplane legacy of discovery and understanding," Kock said.
The X-36 is 18 feet long with a 10 foot wingspan, is 3 feet high, and weighs 1,270 pounds. The aircraft is powered by a Williams Research F112 turbofan engine that provides 700 pounds of thrust.
The aircraft will be remotely controlled by a pilot in a ground station cockpit, complete with a head-up display (HUD). The pilot-in-the-loop approach eliminates the need for expensive and complex autonomous flight control systems.
Two 28-percent scale aircraft will be put through fighter aircraft maneuvers during the scheduled 25-flight program, in an effort to gather data on the performance characteristics, especially agility, of tailless, fighter-type aircraft. Dryden's role in the program is flight preparation, testing, data acquisition, and analysis. The project goal is to offer enhanced technologies to improve the maneuverability and survivability of future fighter aircraft.
The lack of both the vertical and horizontal tails on the X-36 greatly enhances the stealthy characteristics of the airplane, and holds promise of greater agility than is currently available in existing fighter aircraft. The configuration reduces the weight and drag of the aircraft, and will explore new flight control technologies. Initially, the X-36 will use a single-channel digital fly-by-wire control system originally developed by NASA. The ailerons will split to provide yaw control, and will raise and lower in a normal fashion to provide roll control.
McDonnell Douglas first proposed a tailless research aircraft to NASA in 1989. Following wind-tunnel tests to develop the technical breakthroughs required to achieve agile tailless flight, a cooperative agreement was signed for the X-36.
McDonnell Douglas began fabrication of the two aircraft in 1994 following joint funding of the project under a roughly 50/50 cost-sharing arrangement. NASA Ames led the development of the program, and is responsible for continued development of critical technologies. The combined program cost for the development, fabrication, and flight testing of the two aircraft will be approximately $17 million.
By Kirsten Williams, Office Manager, External Affairs
Fifteen Dryden employees received awards for their inventions and scientific and technical contributions April 30, during a presentation in Conference Room 1. Almost a month later, three more employees received kudos and two were recognized again at a research engineering staff meeting.
Deputy Director Kevin Petersen presented the awards at the April 30 event. Instead of hosting a guest speaker, Petersen asked each recipient to talk about his project and why it was so unique.
Drew Yuhas of AS&M Incorporated, Ron Ray of NASA, and Richard Burley, William Steenken, and Don Thornton of General Electric received NASA Space Act Awards for designing and developing an inlet rake for the F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle.
The inlet rake measures the characteristics of the air flowing into one of the aircraft's engines. Engineers use the data they collect from the inlet rake to improve computer codes and wind tunnel test techniques. Such data also allow engineers to improve the performance and reliability of future inlets.
Dale Mackall, Larry Schilling, and Charles Wagner of NASA and Carl Reinwald, Dave Robinson, Steve Hobbs, Robert Lecari and Ed Millard of Computer Sciences Corporation also received Space Act Awards.
The group developed a unique, real-time high speed computer network that allows researchers to accurately simulate flight using computers and actual aircraft instead of mockups or simulators. These simulations are essential for validating the flight critical software codes for NASA's experimental research aircraft.
Petersen also presented Incentive Awards to Glenn Bever of NASA and Dave Carrott, formerly of PRC.
Bever netted his award for designing a printed circuit board that allows researchers to extract aircraft data from an airborne computer and retrieve it in the control room while the airplane is still in flight.
Carrott adapted a commerical product to create a low-cost remotely controlled tank with a black and white camera and a portable drill attached to the top. Researchers use the tank to drill holes in test tires on the CV-990 aircraft to vent pressure and eliminate potentially dangerous situations.
On May 28, John Burken and Trindel Maine received their Space Act Awards.
The two garnered the award for their work with the Engines-Only Flight Control follow on. As part of a team effort, Burken and Maine helped to create an emergency back-up system that allows pilots to use only an airplane's engines to land safely if its hydraulics system should fail completely.
That same day Kajal Gupta received a COSMIC (Computer Software and Management Information Center) award for software development for his work on the STARS program.
The program is an integrated, multidisciplinary program that has modeling and simulation capabilities.
Researchers have used the program to analyze projects like the X-29-A, the F-18 (HARV), the B-52/Pegasus, and the High Speed Civil Transport among others.
During the same ceremony, Yuhas and Ray received another prize for their work on the F-18 HARV inlet rake, a NASA Tech Brief monetary award.
NASA maintains the Space Act Monetary Awards program and the Incentive Awards to recognize and reward employees for their efforts. The provisions for the Space Act Awards were created in 1958, while provisions for the Incentive Awards were created in 1954.
Space Act Awards can be made to anyone regardless of employer, but Incentive Awards can be made to U.S. government employees only.
By Kirsten Williams, Office Manager, External Affairs
Editor's Note: Although we now associate the word "computer" with electronic devices, in the 1940s and 1950s the term denoted a job classification for human beings.
Claiming that Dryden's history is a history of the people who have worked here, Center Director Kenneth Szalai recognized a panel of three women who worked during the 1950s as so-called computers at a program held June 13 in the ISF auditorium.
ÒWe stand here doing what we do because of every individual who came before us here,Ó Szalai said at the event entitled ÒComputers of Yesteryear,Ó which was part of the Women's History Program.
Women's Advisory Group member Mary Davidson also lauded the women, saying Òthey were here when the living wasn't easy folks, and they set the standard for those who followed.Ó
The first women arrived at what would become NASA Dryden in December 1946. Most of the women who worked at the facility in the early days functioned as computers. They used pencils, rulers, and calculators to do many of the research calibrations and calculations that today are carried out by electronic computers.
Beverly Swanson Cothren, a member of the panel, arrived at Dryden, then called the NACA Muroc Flight Test Unit, in 1949 after completing her degree in math from Georgia State Women's College. Previously she had worked for two years at the Òloads facilityÓ at the Langely Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Va.
ÒOne of the reasons I left Langley was because I wasn't getting my raise,Ó Cothren said. Many computers at Muroc, which became the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station, received almost $200 per month.
Another panel member, Betty Scott Love, who had relocated from Pasadena, began work at the Research Station in 1952.
Harriet DeVries Stephenson Smith, the third panel member, also arrived in 1952, and worked as a summer hire after her sophomore year at Bakersfield College.
All three of the women lived in a women's dormitory at one time or another. They paid about $12 a month for a single room and shared kitchen and bathroom facilities.
Although they were not required to live in the dormitory, it was so cheap Òyou really couldn't afford to live anywhere else,Ó Smith said.
The living conditions were somewhat austere, but the women tried to make the dormitory home. Cothren remembered one woman from Virginia who continuously, but unsuccessfully, tried to raise flowers in the desert climate.
The women's dormitory was right across the street from the Air Force Officer's Club, where the women could go to play bridge, Cothren said.
The computers and other NACA employees also socialized during picnics.
Still, the women really did not have much time to socialize, they said.
Cothren said when she arrived in 1949, computers often had to work seven days a week.
In the computer room, they would sit Òfor
hours and hoursÓ using light boxes to read deflections, making calculations, and recording data on data sheets, Smith said. There was always plenty of work, because the engineers Òalways wanted [their data] yesterday," Love said.
ÒThe only time we got a break was when we went for coffee,Ó she said. The coffee urn was across the hangar from the computer room, and trips to the urn allowed for some socializing.
Although she did not normally drink coffee, Smith said she learned to drink it just so she could stretch her legs.
As technology developed, many computers went to work in the so-called Òmole hole,Ó Love said. In that dark room they read films on machines that created punch cards.
She said working in the Òmole holeÓ was much harder on the women.
Many of the computers used their jobs as stepping stones to other positions.
Smith received her masters in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California and went on to work as a research engineer, a project manager, and a congressional aide.
Love became an engineering technician, and now works for Preservation of Aerospace Technology, a nonprofit group.
Cothren shared her experiences at Muroc with others as a teacher in Fullerton for 23 years.
Contractor selected for X-34 negotiations
NASA has selected Orbital Sciences Corp., Dulles, Va., for final negotiations leading to the award of a contract to build a small, reusable technology demonstrator vehicle, known as the X-34 demonstrator, and begin flight testing it in late summer of 1998.
The contract includes the first two X-34 flight tests and covers a program valued at approximately $60 million.
The fast-track X-34 program calls for demonstrating a vehicle that will be capable of flying up to 25 times a year at a cost of $500,000 or less per flight, attaining altitudes of at least 250,000 feet, and flying at speeds of up to eight times the speed of sound. Other specifications for the vehicle include use of advanced thermal protection systems and demonstration of the ability to fly subsonically through rain and fog.
Flights of the X-34 will involve testing of new technologies such as composite material structures, composite tanks and new, integrated avionics, as well as demonstrations of safe abort and autonomous landing techniques, in high cross winds, using advanced landing systems. The selection of Orbital Sciences for negotiations follows issuance of a NASA Research Announcement in March 1996, which restructured the X-34 program.
The current program puts primary emphasis on demonstrating key technologies for a small, reusable vehicle, not tied to potential commercial applications. The X-34 effort is part of NASA's Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) technology program, aimed at reducing the cost of access to space, and promoting the creation and delivery of new space services and other activities that will improve U.S. economic competitiveness.
NASA robot may enhance brain surgery
A simple robot that can ÒlearnÓ the physical characteristics of the brain soon may give surgeons finer control of surgical instruments during delicate brain operations.
In a new procedure being developed at NASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain View, Calif, a robotic probe will ÒlearnÓ the brain's characteristics by using neural net software, which is the same type of software technology that helps focus camcorders. The probe, equipped with a tiny pressure sensor, will enter the brain, gently locating the edges of tumors while preventing damage to critical arteries.
"Potentially, the robot will be able to 'feel' brain structures better than any human surgeon, making slow, very precise movements during an operation," said principal investigator Dr. Robert W. Mah of the NeuroEngineering Group at Ames. Brain tumors typically have a different density than normal brain tissue. This difference allows neurosurgeons to find the tumor's edge through experience.
"NASA's Neurosurgical Computational Medicine Testbed is a unique and essential element in our goal to improve the safety, accuracy and efficiency of neurosurgery," said Dr. Russell J. Andrews of the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System and clinical associate professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University. "This collaboration is a good start toward meeting that goal." Mah has worked with Andrews since 1994 to develop the smart robot.
The probes used on the robot are much smaller than standard probes, and should further reduce potential brain damage. During standard brain surgery, the surgeon uses a magnetic resonance image to guide placement of the probe in the brain. The physician samples the tumor by inserting a biopsy probe through an opening in the skull.
"A probe can be as large as 0.2 inches in diameter," Mah said. "As it enters the brain, there may be injury to brain tissue. If an artery is damaged as the doctor inserts the probe, the patient could bleed to death," Mah said.
In contrast, during the robotic neural net procedure, the speed and maximum pressure are controlled by a "smart" computer program that continues to learn as it gains more experience. If it hits an artery, the probe will stop before it penetrates. If the computer stops the probe, the surgeon can decide what to do next.
"Besides having robotic computer control, we have miniaturized everything. Instead of a probe that is almost 0.2 inches in diameter, all we need is a probe about one-third that size," Mah said. "That minimizes brain damage, too." A biopsy needle extracts a tissue sample through the probe.
Ames is developing robotic telepresence surgery to deal with medical emergencies that may occur during long-duration human space flights. "On a long-duration mission, there likely won't be a medical specialist on board to deal with a specific surgical problem," Mah said. "A surgeon on Earth could control the surgery by issuing high-level commands, such as 'start surgery' or 'take sample' to the robot. The computerized robot would go as far as it could within safe limits. Then it would wait for the next command from Earth."
During early tests, scientists used tofu, a food made from soybeans that has a consistency very similar to brain tissue, to model tissue types. "These tests were used to teach the neural net software what are normal brain tissues and arteries and what are not," Mah said.
The software learns to distinguish tumors from normal brain tissue by remembering the pressure signatures or profiles for each kind of tissue, and then making a model. Using traditional computer programming to do the brain modeling job is not practical. "It is very difficult to model the human brain. A human computer programmer would have to mathematically model each patient and each kind of tissue," Mah added.
A modified form of the brain surgery robot would be used for other kinds of surgery. "It could be used in the kinds of surgery than can use 'smart' sensors. Besides pressure sensors, there are sensors that can detect temperature, acidity and the amounts of various kinds of chemical," he said.
NASA begins study on reliability of space life support system
Life scientists at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., began the Agency's most realistic ground test to date on plants that will produce food and oxygen for long-duration space missions.
During the experiment, researchers from NASA and Dynamac Corp., Fla., will evaluate the ability of 128 potato plants and 6,500 wheat seeds to produce food and oxygen, purify water and recycle waste products. The landmark study, part of NASA's development of a Controlled Ecological Life Support System, is scheduled for a full year and could last up to three years. This experiment marks the first time two crop species have been grown simultaneously in Kennedy's Biomass Production Chamber (BPC).
"We recently completed a study with potatoes that lasted about 14 months," explained NASA agricultural engineer John Sager. "If we plan to live in space though, we must determine is this system will be as successful over longer periods of time."
Through photosynthesis, the wheat and potatoes will produce food, distilled water and oxygen, while removing carbon dioxide from the air. Gradually, researchers will introduce plant and human waste streams from a "bioreactor" to the BPC, and through transpiration the plants will remove and use nutrients from the waste effluent. "In effect, plants may be the air and water filters of the space age," said Ray Wheeler, NASA plant physiologist.
The BPC, a retrofitted test chamber, has an interior composed of two plant chambers. A hydroponics system is used to supply the plants with nutrients and water. Tanks outside the chamber store the water and nutrient solution and special lamps provide artificial sunlight. The controlled environment imitates the confined and resource deficient conditions of space.
Scientists have been using the chamber since 1987, observing a variety of crops including soybeans, lettuce, tomatoes, white potatoes and wheat. This study focuses on wheat and potato production because of their high productivity and performance in previous trials.
"This research brings us one step closer to supporting life in space for extended periods of time," said Dynamic plant physiologist Gary Stutte.
Help preserve our environment for future generations. The Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) is seeking a new Dryden community representative.
The 17-member board acts as a communications link between Edwards Air Force Base and local communities regarding restoration activities. Board members review and comment on environmental cleanup actions at the base. The guidelines and criteria for selecting community participants are as follows:
For more information about the RAB or to apply for the community representative slot, call Environmental Officer Dan Mullen at ext. 2306. The deadline is July 22.
1984: a Year of Accomplishments
The year 1984 was very productive for NASA's Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility.
The futuristic X-29, first X- (for experimental) series aircraft to be flown at Ames-Dryden since 1975, made a very successful first flight. NASA, in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration, deliberately crashed a large jetliner to observe crash effects and test a special fuel additive. A hybrid airplane-helicopter conducted flight tests in a fixed-wing configuration and a low altitude spin program was completed using an F-14 aircraft. New research aircraft arrived and preparations for flight were begun; new and continuing programs were flown on aircraft already in residence. The facility played host to two space shuttle landings during 1984 and the oldest aircraft in the NASA fleet was retired. A member of Ames-Dryden was honored for a major computer graphics breakthrough. Several management changes were made to enhance the facility's capabilities. The X-29, with its distinctive forward swept wings, arrived at Ames-Dryden on October 11 from its manufacturer, the Grumman Corporation. The first of four contractor acceptance flights was flown on December 14. No further flights were made in 1984 due to heavy snows that blanketed the Antelope Valley.
The X-29 has close-coupled canards for horizontal stability mounted in front of the wings and uses a triple redundant digital fly-by-wire control system.
Flight tests for the joint NASA/FAA Controlled Impact Demonstration began in March. Ames-Dryden personnel instrumented a 720 commercial jet to be flown remotely by veteran NASA test pilot Fitzhugh Fulton to test various aircraft crashworthiness devices and antimisting fuel. The only passengers aboard for the final flight were approximately 75 human-like dummies, some of which were instrumented for crash observations. The program reached its culmination on December 1 at 9:23 a.m. when the aircraft impacted a prepared site on the dry lakebed at Ames-Dryden. Investigators received a wealth of invaluable data from high-speed cameras and other instrumentation onboard the aircraft.
Flight tests on the Rotor Systems Research Aircraft to demonstrate its fixed-wing configuration capabilities, begun in May, were completed in October. The RSRA, a helicopter/airplane testbed, can be flown as a helicopter, as a compound helicopter/airplane, or as a fixed-wing aircraft without rotor. It returned to Ames' Moffett Field location for further testing.
A successful series of 23 flights were flown using an F-14 during a low altitude, high angle-of-attack asymmetric thrust test program in cooperation with the U.S. Navy and Grumman. Another F-14 is currently undergoing preparations for the Variable Sweep Flight Transition Experiment.
Research programs continued to be flown on the Ames-Dryden F-8 digital fly-by-wire aircraft, among them the REBUS, for Resident Backup Software Technology, a new software concept that could reduce cost and hardware complexity in aircraft using digital fly-by-wire systems.
A series of flights flown to investigate the failure detection capability of the Digital Electronic Engine Control system on the F-15 aircraft demonstrated the system's ability to detect failures and continue operation using alternate control modes.
The Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI) F-16 aircraft returned to Ames-Dryden after undergoing modifications at General Dynamics - Ft. Worth for the Phase II portion of the AFTI/F-16 program. Phase II will demonstrate the Automated Maneuvering Attack System, a fully automated weapons delivery system which uses a combined laser and video tracker enabling the pilot to deliver a weapon offset from the line of flight. The Decoupler Pylon, designed to uncouple the motion associated with stores carried under the wing of an F-16, was tested on another F-16.
NASA's JetStar made its 1,000th flight as part of a series of acceptance flight tests in the laminar flow Leading Edge Flight Test Program. Laminar flow control systems offer the possibility of major fuel savings for commercial aircraft. Demonstration flights utilizing commercial airports are planned.
An F-18 was delivered to Ames-Dryden to begin preparations for a high angle-of-attack flight program. System integration ground tests and ground vibration tests were completed on the AFTI/F-111 Mission Adaptive Wing aircraft, now scheduled for first flight in spring 1985. Data on gravity's effect on solidifying molten cast iron was gathered for the John Deere Company using an Ames-Dryden F-104. Aircraft modification and instrumentation continued on an F-4 to be used for spanwise blowing flight evaluation.
Ames-Dryden hosted two space shuttle landings in 1984: Mission 41-C on April 30 and Mission 41-D on September 5. The orbiters used were Challenger and Discovery, respectively. The B-52 aircraft continued to support Solid Rocket Booster parachute tests, while the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft remains based at Ames-Dryden ready to support shuttle operations.
NASA's last C-47, a military version of the venerable DC-3 aircraft, was retired in October. The C-47 had been utilized primarily as a support aircraft by Ames-Dryden and was the oldest aircraft in the NASA fleet.
Ames-Dryden mathematician David R. Hedgley was honored for a major computer graphics breakthough with the NASA Space Act Award and the H. Julian Allen Award. Hedgley developed a computer code that allows a wide variety of computers to portray three dimensional opaque solid shapes with relative ease, applicable to a wide variety of uses.
Major management changes included the appointment of new Ames Center Director William F. Ballhaus and the naming of a new Site Manager, Martin A. Knutson, to head the Ames-Dryden organization. All flight operations at the two Ames sites, Ames-Dryden and Ames-Moffett in northern Calif., were consolidated under Knutson.
The Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology Symposium was held in May and served to disseminate information gained from the very successful HiMAT program to industry and government representatives.
In November, a Request for Proposal for the Oblique Wing Research Aircraft to be flown at Ames-Dryden was issued.
By Al Bowers, Aerospace Engineer
As we continue with the observance of Dryden's 50th anniversary year, we feature this month the painting of the Digital Fly-By-Wire F-8 by Dennis Calaba, who works in Dryden's Graphics Office.
Dennis Calaba, who painted the Digital Fly-By-Wire F-8, made the following comments:
"When I work at home, I like to work with watercolor, oil and acrylic; while here at work we do mostly airbrush and acrylic work. I wanted a more painterly effect with the Digital Fly-By-Wire (DFBW) F-8 so I did it on canvas. The aircraft was done with airbrush and that gives it a more sleek, mechanical feel. The background is done in acrylic."
Dennis is very proud of pointing out all the little background details that make the painting fun; like the grass in front of building 4800 at the time, or the buses parked out front, or the cars driving along Lilly Avenue.
"When I did this piece," Calaba continued. "I didn't know it would be displayed in the Visitor's Center; I thought it would end up in someone's conference room, but Don Nolan was instrumental in getting it displayed. [Editor's Note: Don Nolan is a former Dryden public affairs officer who now works as a public affairs officer for the Associate Administrator for Aeronautics at NASA Headquarters.] I considered it an honor to depict something done here at Dryden."
At the Dryden Visitor's Center, Calaba's piece hangs side by side with works by such illustrious aviation artists as Mike Machat, Ren Wicks, and Stan Stokes.
Calaba continued: "I like the subject as it contrasts the traditional method of controlling aircraft with the method that will be used in the 21st Century. It was very important for the future of aircraft and was an exceptional program.
"I built models as a kid, I had all the Aurora and Revell models. Our house was under the flight path of Burbank airport, so I saw aircraft taking off over our house all the time--P-38s and Connies [Lockheed Constellations]. My dad was a manager for Lockheed; he worked for them from 1939 to 1975. I can remember reading all the biographies of the great aces, Rickenbacker and Richtofen. I can still remember watching over and over the Lindbergh movie with Jimmy Stewart. I have a brother who was a Naval Aviator, and he flew for Continental; he's now at Lockheed Skunk Works in Palmdale, and I've been here at Dryden for 10 and a half years now.
"I think that commercial and military aviation relates to people more than some of our space program does. That's why I do aviation art. And I always did like the F-8 aircraft."
The Digital Fly-By-Wire F-8 aircraft, first flown at Dryden on May 25, 1972, was a watershed in aviation technology. The fundamental change in the way pilots fly the system is as different from traditionally controlled aircraft as a kite is from the Wright brothers first airplane.
In the first few decades of flight, pilots controlled aircraft through direct force--moving control sticks and rudder pedals linked to cables and pushrods that pivoted control surfaces on the wings and tails. As engine power and speeds increased, more force was needed to control the aircraft.
Created in response to such needs, the digital fly-by-wire system was the first fully digital electronic control system, which was more responsive, more effiecient, and safer. An aircraft with such a system can deliver its maximum performance all the time.
Dryden pilots flew the Fly-By-Wire F-8 until April 2, 1985, when the 13-year program ended. Many current Dryden employees, like Edward T. Schneider and Gary Krier, have flown the research aircraft.
In fact, Krier was the pilot who first flew the F-8 once it was completely dependent upon electronic flight control systems.
"When we first started flying the aircraft it did not fly as well as the basic F-8," Krier said. "It was rather granular, as there were discrete steps in the stick position. Near the end of the program, more of the steps were placed near the neutral stick position and fewer were near the ends of the stick throws, and the airplane flew very nice."
Fly-by-wire systems make possible experiments like flying inherently unstable aircraft, for example the X-29; integrated controls; and thrust vectoring, where aerodynamics and engine effectors can be optimally controlled.
High performance aircraft in the military, commercial aviation, and even the space shuttle use this technology now, and future aircraft will greatly expand their own capabilities by using digital fly-by-wire.
By Teresa Hass, Project Management Analyst
Work continues to structurally reinforce Bldg. 4800 to withstand an 8.3 (Richter scale) earthquake. Phase 4 of the seismic project ended June 30, 1996, while Phase 7 soon will begin. Phase 4 occupants began to return to their permanent offices on July 1. All Phase 4 occupants should be back in their pemanent offices by July 10. Reproduction Services has already returned to its permanent offices.
Phase 7 occupants were scheduled to begin relocation to temporary offices July 3, 1996. All Phase 7 occupants should be in their temporary offices by July 14. Construction is scheduled to begin immediately following relocation of all Phase 7 occupants.
The Phase 7 area will be blocked off completely and personnel must use stairwells #1 and #2 and the front elevator to access the Director's and other upstairs front offices. All 4800 occupants will be able to enter the building through the main entrance to access Work continues to structurally reinforce Bldg. 4800 to withstand an 8.3 (Richter scale) earthquake. Phase 4 of the seismic project ended June 30, 1996, while Phase 7 soon will begin. Phase 4 occupants began to return to their permanent offices on July 1. All Phase 4 occupants should be back in their pemanent offices by July 10. Reproduction Services has already returned to its permanent offices. Phase 7 occupants were scheduled to begin relocation to temporary offices July 3, 1996. All Phase 7 occupants should be in their temporary offices by July 14. Construction is scheduled to begin immediately following relocation of all Phase 7 occupants. The Phase 7 area will be blocked off completely and personnel must use stairwells #1 and #2 and the front elevator to access the Director's and other upstairs front offices.
July is a national celebration of independence, freedom, national pride, and patriotism captured in the 4th of July national holiday. Like many other days of national observance, the reason for celebration has dimmed.
It is certainly great to schedule family reunions, water skiing, barbecues, and camping trips over this holiday. A few moments of reflection are also appropriate on July 4 though.
Great sacrifices in terms of home, family, wealth, position, and blood produced the democracy and individual freedoms that we now enjoy in this country. Most Americans know that.
There are implications of this holiday for government employees and government contractors at the local level too. I offer a list of things that these people do in the spirit of our national pride.
Is this too idealistic? Can we expect people to act principally for the interests of others? Is ÒweÓ always subordinate to ÒIÓ?
The history of this great country is replete with examples of sacrifice and patriotismÑfrom presidents and generals in conflict and combat to citizens accepting rationing* and foot soldiers serving in the trenches.
There are serious threats today to our standard of living, to our family values, and to a future peaceful multicultural society. The answers are not all in state houses and legislative bodies. Individuals can bring us all closer to the kind of life and land we yearn for by actions and example.
We would all do better by remembering the ÒNÓ in NASA. We are part of a very special group of people, chartered to explore air and space for the benefit of people, most of whom we do not know and will never meet.
So, fly the flag proudly this 4th of July and then Òask not what your country can do for you....Ó
Kenneth J. Szalai
* Gasoline and food items were rationed in the U.S. during WWII for the benefit of the U.S. troops, really!
By Lynn Langtry, System Analyst
As a solution to the problems encountered within NASA exchanging attachments and enclosures to e-mail between existing e-mail systems, NASA will be implementing the Eudora mail system agency-wide in October 1996.
This means that all QuickMail users will become Eudora users. Although transition planning is still in progress, and details will be forthcoming over the next few months, we want to let you know about this now, for several reasons.
Some people may be buying software for personal systems at home. The fact that NASA is adopting Eudora may influence software selection. Some people may be getting ready to order business cards. If so, and the e-mail address is included, the format to be used is : first_last@dfrc.nasa.gov or first.last@drfc.nasa.gov
Although this is not actually the new Eudora address, this is an address which will work now as well as after the transition to Eudora.
As you subscribe to new mailing lists, specify your e-mail address as above.
Over these next few months, as e-mail is received from those mailing lists to which you subscribe, correct the e-mail address to the above format in order not to miss any correspondence when the change-over takes place.
The reason that this e-mail address format will work now as well as after the transition to Eudora is that e-mail received with the address in this format is directed through the Mail Reflector, which redirects the mail to the preferred e-mail account, as specified in the X.500 Directory.
When the transition takes place, the NASA Dryden Phone System (NDPS) and the X.500 Directory will be automatically updated to reflect the new Eudora mailing addresses. There will be no action required on the part of the employee to effect the change of address in either of these systems.
There are many Dryden employees who do not have e-mail address entries in the X.500 Directory. If there is no e-mail address listed, please call ext. 6100 and have your preferred e-mail address entered into the system.
If you do not know how to check your X.500 Directory entry, ask your focal point for assistance, get the directions from the Dryden Home Page on the Web, or call the Technical Support Center (TSC) at ext. 6100.
There will be more information forthcoming in both the Dryden X-Press and the Dryden Flyer. The transition team is working to make this transition as painless as possible.
HOME PAGE: Want to find out what's happening with the 50th Anniversary? Just access its new Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/50th/50TH.HTM. Created by the Anniversary's WWW team, John Childress, Rob Binkley, Dorothea Cohen, Marty Curry, Lance Dykhoff, Phil Gonia, Deborah Grina, Dill Hunley, and Sue Wheaton, we hope this page will serve two purposes. First, we want to allow the outside world to learn about Dryden and its historical significance. Second, the home page contains current information about Dryden Anniversary activities and plans. So, when you have a few minutes, browse over to the 50th Anniversary Home Page and see for yourself...
TIME CAPSULE: One of the Dryden 50th Anniversary events will be to place a time capsule (about 18Ó diameter by 36Ó long) in the cockpit of the Bell X-1EÑto be opened up in 25 years at our 75th anniversary. Each branch or section has the opportunity to contribute something significant for this time capsule. Perhaps some typical product, or photo of your group, or message to the futureÑsigned by all your branch or section members? Please will your group give this some thought and call me? We have to manage our limited capsule space, and I need to get this project back on track and finished up by the end of August. Thanks for your reply and contribution. Roy Tryon (ext. 3371).
Q. How did the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) obtain use of the site on which Dryden is now located?
A. The Army first came here in 1933, and the NACA presence at South Base dates from September 30, 1946. In August 1951, Congress approved $4 million for construction of new laboratory facilities for the NACA at Edwards, supplementing a previous grant of $919,281.00 covering the station's salaries and expenses for FY 1952. The Air Force issued a lease to the NACA for more than one-half square kilometer on the northwestern shore of the dry lake (our present location), and construction started on the NACA station in early February 1953. One large building (4800)would have hangar space to house the research airplanes, shop and instrumentation facilities, and offices. (Source pages xv-xviii and 43 of On the Frontier by Richard Hallion.)
Q. When was the Flight Research Center was renamed in honor of Hugh Dryden?
A. On March 26, 1976, the NASA Flight Research Center was renamed the Hugh L. Dryden Flight Research Center in honor of Dr. Hugh Latimer Dryden. Dryden was very active in the research of high-speed flight early in his distinguished career at NACA/NASA, which included service as the last Director of the NACA and the first Deputy Administrator of NASA. (See the March X-Press, page 3.)
Q. What was the original name of the Center?
A. We had no formal name until 1947, but in September 1946, the NACA sent a small group of engineers and technicians from the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory at Hampton, Va., to Muroc to assist in a supersonic flight research program involving the Bell XS-1 aircraft. This group became known as the NACA Muroc Flight Test Unit a year later. In 1949, NACA had established the group as the NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station (HSFRS). In 1954, the HSFRS was redesignated the NACA High-Speed Flight Station (HSFS), autonomous from Langley. In 1959, after the creation of NASA, the High-Speed Flight Station became the NASA Flight Research Center (FRC). Then in March 1976, it was renamed the NASA Hugh L. Dryden Flight Research Center.
Q. Are there good photographs of the original facilities?
A. There are pictures of the NACA Muroc Flight Test Unit and the NACA High-Speed Flight Station on pages 49 and 84 of On the Frontier by Hallion, which is available on Dryden's Home Page on the World Wide Web at URL: http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/History/Publications/SP-4303. In the meantime, NASA photos E49 00234, E49 00212, E49 00214, EC 145, and E51 503 are available in the Photo lab. The Air Force Flight Test Center History Office also has photos of the NACA facilities.
Q. Who were the first employees?
A. On September 30, 1946, Walt Williams and four other engineers, William S. Aiken, Cloyce E. Matheny, George P. Minalga, and Harold H. Youngblood, arrived at the desert site. The second group, Joel Baker, Charles M. Forsythe, Beverly P. Brown, John J. Gardner, Warren A. Walls, and Howard Hinman, flew from Langley, arriving on October 9, 1946. In December, two Òcomputers,Ó Roxanah B. Yancey and Isabell K. Martin, arrived. Thus, NACA had arrived at Muroc in force. (Source page 9 of On the Frontier by Hallion.)
Q. Who was the first Director at the NACA Muroc site?
A. The first director was Walter C. Williams, the Director of the NACA High-Speed Flight Station in 1954, and before that, of the Muroc Flight Test Unit and the High Speed Flight Research Station.
Q. What was the NACA's first research aircraft project here on the base?
A. In 1946 the Bell XS-1 (later redesignated X-1) built by Bell Aerosystems Co. in Buffalo, N.Y., began its research flights at the Muroc site.
Q. Are any of the original employees still working here after 50 years?
A. No but there are a few people who have worked here more than forty years, such as Roy Bryant and Billy Furr, and some who have retired from NASA and work for contractors or live in the Antelope Valley.
Q. Is there any truth to the rumor that trains once crossed the lakebed?
A. There was a train track across the lakebed in the early 1940s. Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe used it until the tracks were removed in 1953.
Q. Who was the first NACA pilot to fly here?
A. The first NACA pilot was Herbert Hoover, who flew the X-1 on October 21, 1947, a week after Captain Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier. On March 10, 1948, Hoover became the first NACA pilot to break the sound barrier. (Source pages 20 and 289 of On the Frontier by Hallion.)
Q. Who are Dryden's current pilots?
A. There are seven research pilots currently flying at Dryden. They are Charles G. Fullerton, Thomas C. McMurtry, Dana D. Purifoy, Edward T. Schneider, Rogers E. Smith, James W. Smolka, and Mark P. Stuckey.
Q. How many people have been employed here since 1946?
A. The best estimate is that about 3000 NACA/NASA employees have worked at Dryden since 1946. It is estimated that about 2500 contractors and military personnel have worked here since 1946, as well. Q. How will the 50th Anniversary be commemorated?
A. There is a series of events including the 50th Anniversary Open House on September 6 and 7, followed by a 50th Anniversary Gala on November 15 at Challenger Hall on the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds in Lancaster.
Q. What were the first buildings located at the present site?
A. The first buildings were started on January 27, 1953, and the NACA group moved from the south base to these new facilities on June 26, 1954.
Q. Have there been any presidential visits to Dryden?
A. President Lyndon B. Johnson visited Edwards Air Force Base on June 19, 1964, at which time there was an informal ceremony by X-15 pilots Milt Thompson, Joe Walker, Jack McKay, Major Bob Rushworth, and Capt. Joe Engle, who presented the President with an X-15 model and plaque. President Ronald Reagan visited Dryden on July 4, 1982, along with a crowd estimated at 500,000 spectators, to view the landing of STS-4, the Orbiter Challenger. Vice-President George Bush attended the landing of STS-26, the Orbiter Discovery, America's return to human spaceflight, on October 3, 1988.
Q. Who were the Dryden directors and what were their years of service?
A. The first was Walter C. Williams, September 30, 1946, through August 28, 1959. The second was Paul F. Bikle, September 15, 1959, through May 31, 1971. The third was Lee R. Scherer, October 11, 1971, through January 28, 1975. The fourth was David R. Scott, April 18, 1975, through October 30, 1977. The fifth was Isaac ÒIkeÓ Gillam, October 30, 1977, through October 1, 1981. John Manke was the Facility Manager under Ames Research Center from October 1981 through May 1984, followed by Martin A. Knutson from May 1984 through December 1990. Kenneth J. Szalai, the current Director, began on December 3, 1990.
Editor's Note: The following is a reprint from Johnson's May 24 issue of the Space News Roundup. The message is a timely one and beneficial to all NASA employees.
By Rindy Carmichael ,Johnson Space Center
After being involved in a head-on collision on NASA Road 1 in Webster, Tx., Safety, Reliability, and Quality Assurance Director Charlie Harlan describes seatbelts as an "elegant" element of the automobile.
"A seatbelt saved me from very serious injury or even worse, in an accident a few years ago," Harlan said. "Fortunately for me, I have always believed in seatbelts and make a habit of checking that my seatbelt is properly secured and cinched down tight. This incident proved to me the seatbelt's value."
Harlan remembers driving his full-sized van east on NASA Road 1 on a Saturday afternoon, traveling with the flow of traffic at about 35 mph. "I was struck head-on by a full-sized pickup truck. The truck had been hit by another car, forcing it into my lane. I had no time to stop or move out of the way. I estimated the truck to be going the same speed as I was -- it was like hitting a brick wall at 70 mph. I had a good firm grip, with both hands, on the steering wheel. The force from my body's impact bent the steering wheel and broke my watch band; my glasses flew off and I broke my nose -- but I was still fastened securely to the seat."
Harlan describes the driver of the pickup truck as being surprised. "He had a young boy with him. Both were buckled up tight and neither one suffered an injury. The man apologized for hitting me and told me if we hadn't been wearing our seatbelts, we would have gone through the windshield. I agreed."
"Both cars were totaled, but I suffered relatively minor injuries for that serious of a crash," continued Harlan. "That's the payoff for being diligent every time you get in the car. You can't determine when you'll be involved in an accident. Everything can change in a fraction of a second, with no control over the incident."
Harlan emphasizes that motorists should fasten their seatbelts securely in place, both chest and lap belts, and keep them in good shape. The payoff for such a simple procedure can be a life.
"An automobile's seatbelt is one of the most elegant safety controls ever devised by mankind," Harlan concluded. "There is no doubt of their effect in reducing or preventing injury in a serious vehicle crash. They are very inexpensive for what you get in return."
COMING THIS FALL!!! THE DRYDEN 50TH ANNIVERSARY TRIVIA GAME FOOD! FUN! PRIZES!
How much do you really know about Dryden???
Contestants wanted! (4) people on a team to compete in a Jeopardy-like trivia game with Buzzers! Bells! and Lights! Judges and volunteers wanted to help generate questions and answers!
Questions will be obtained from many sources such as ÒOn the FrontierÓ, "The Edge of SpaceÓ, ÒThe Dryden X-PressÓ, ÒAviation WeekÓ which are all available in the Trivia Section of the Dryden Library (Bldg. 4800).
Competition will take place at lunch time with free drinks and appetizers for contestants!
Be on the lookout for more information about the Dryden Trivia Game via Quickmail or on posted fliers.
FOR SIGN-UP INFORMATION CONTACT : Bill McGrory (ext. 2906), John Saltzman (ext. 3730), Yvonne Schmidt ( ext. 3357), or Carol Van Gelder ( ext. 3071.)
OR, if you have an interesting trivia question or anecdote about Dryden to be used in the game, submit it (via Quickmail or on paper) to JOHN SALTZMAN - D4840D or YVONNE SCHMIDT - D2071
By Carol Reukauf, 50th Anniversary Project Manager
One of our objectives for the 50th Anniversary is to "increase the awareness of the taxpayer of the value of aeronautics (and flight research) to their personal lives."
In order to accomplish this, one of the things we are going to do is provide local business and community groups with speakers for their meetings. We would like to send Dryden people who will tell the Dryden story.
To do this we need volunteers!
Our concept is a 20 minute talk with a short video. There is a draft talk available that can be used as a starting point for adaptation to the speakers own interests and experiences.
Dick Klein is leading this effort and has received enthusiastic responses from many groups. It could be a lot of fun to tell the Dryden story to a very interested audience. Please give this some serious thought and contact Dick Klein at ext. 3206 or Carol Reukauf at ext. 3144 as soon as possible to sign up so that we can get started. As volunteers are identified, speaking events will be arranged.
In addition, the year-round Speaker's Bureau is seeking volunteers to share both Dryden and NASA themes.
By Jennifer Terrelonge ,Civilian Pay Technician
All NASA civil servant employees now have the capability to update certain payroll and personnel data by simply using a touch-tone telephone. The system, called Employee Express, was developed by an Inter-Agency Task Force chartered by the Officer of Personnel Management.
Now in phase 1 of implementation, NASA employees are able to change federal tax withholding, state tax withholding, direct deposits, voluntary allotments and home address changes. All NASA installations implemented Employee Express at the same time, beginning in June 1996. More information relating to Employee Express will be provided to you in the weeks to come.
Dryden's Troy Rickel passed away on June 4 in California City at the age of 37. Rickel had worked in Dryden's Fluids Lab since 1990 and also did maintenance on the F-15B testbed. He is survived by his wife Cynthia of California City; daughters Holly and Jessica Larter of California City; parents Ronald and Carol Rickel of California City; brother and sister Quin and Beth Rickel; grandmothers Ella Rickel and Sadie Beechler; aunts Sible Rickel and Judy Beechler. Funeral and burial services took place on June 8.
HELPING DRYDEN EMPLOYESS TO BE PHYSICALLY FIT - Beginning in June, Carola McLure (left) became the Fitness Instructor for Dryden, following Kit Cameron's (right) move to Virginia. McLure has an extensive background in Organizational Health, aerobics, aquatics and Gerontology. The aerobics schedule remains the same with classes at 11:00 am, 11:30 am and noon. McLure can be reached at ext. 2261 or at the Quickmail address of Fitness Center @ X_DIRECT_STFF. NASA photo EC96 43600-1 by Jim Ross.
July 13 - HOLLYWOOD BOWL: Strike up the Gershwin Band and Hollywood Bowl Orchestra with Conductor John Mauceri. All Gershwin, all night! Cost per person is $15.00. Bus leaves Lancaster City Park and Ride at 5:30 p.m.
July 27 - MEDIEVAL TIMES: The year is 1093 AD and you are the guests of the royal family. As you wine, dine, and make merry at a sumptuous medieval feast, you'll see spectacular pageantry, dramatic horsemanship, dangerous swordplay, falconry, sorcery, romance and--to crown it all--an authentic jousting tournament. Come cheer your own brave knight and take your part in history. It's the show that's become a legend. Cost per person is $28.00 (adults), $18.00 (children). Bus leaves Lancater City Park and Ride at 5:30 p.m.
August 3 - BASEBALL (Dodgers vs. Braves): Cost per person is $11.00. Bus leaves Lancaster City Park and Ride at 10:45 a.m.
August 24 - CATALINA ISLAND: Cost per person is $23.00 (adults), $19.00 (children). Bus leaves Lancaster City Park and Ride at 6:15 a.m.
Note: The Employee Services Trailer hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.