Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/JPLPAPER/930604.UNI

Text File | 1993-08-11 | 39KB | 709 lines

Jet Propulsion Laboratory UNIVERSE
Pasadena, California - Vol. 23, No. 11 - June 4, 1993
_________________________________________________________________

Voyagers find first evidence of heliopause

     Nearly 15 years after they left home, the Voyager 1 and 2
spacecraft have discovered the first direct evidence of the
long-sought-after heliopause -- the boundary that separates our
solar system from interstellar space.
     "This discovery is an exciting indication that still more
discoveries and surprises lie ahead for the Voyagers as they
continue their journey to the outer reaches of our solar system,"
said JPL Director Dr. Edward Stone, who is also the Voyager
project scientist.
     Since August 1992, the radio antennas on the spacecraft --
called the plasma wave subsystem -- have been recording intense
low-frequency radio emissions coming from beyond the solar
system. For months the source of these radio emissions remained a
mystery.
     "Our interpretation now is that these radio signals are
created as a cloud of electrically charged gas, called plasma,
expands from the sun and interacts with the cold interstellar gas
beyond the heliopause," said Dr. Don Gurnett, principal
investigator of the Voyager plasma wave subsystem and a professor
at the University of Iowa.
     Gurnett presented his findings May 26 at a meeting of the
American Geophysical Union in Baltimore.
     The sun is the center of our solar system. The solar wind is
a stream of electrically charged particles that flows steadily
away from the sun. As the solar wind moves out into space, it
creates a magnetized bubble of hot plasma around the sun, called
the heliosphere. Eventually, the expanding solar wind encounters
the charged particles and magnetic field in the interstellar gas.
The boundary created between the solar wind and interstellar gas
is the heliopause.
     "These radio emissions are probably the most powerful radio
source in our solar system," Gurnett said. "We've estimated the
total power radiated by the signals to be more than 10 trillion
watts. However, these radio signals are at such low frequencies,
only 2 to 3 kilohertz, that they can't be detected from Earth."
     In May and June 1992, the sun experienced a period of
intense solar activity that emitted a cloud of rapidly moving
charged particles. When this cloud of plasma arrived at the
heliopause, the particles interacted violently with the
interstellar plasma and produced the radio emissions, according
to Gurnett.
     "We've seen the frequency of these radio emissions rise over
time. Our assumption that this is the heliopause is based on the
fact that there is no other known structure out there that could
be causing these signals," he said.
     Because of the Voyagers' unique positions in space, they
serendipitously detected and recorded the radio emissions.
"Earth-bound scientists would not know this phenomenon was
occurring if it weren't for the Voyager spacecraft," Gurnett
added.
     Exactly where the heliopause is remains one of the great
unanswered questions in space physics.
     "It's this Voyager radio data, combined with the plasma
measurements taken at the spacecraft, that give us a better guess
about where the heliopause is," said Dr. Ralph McNutt, a
co-investigator on the Voyager plasma science experiment and a
researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics
Laboratory in Laurel, Md. "Based on the solar wind speed, the
time that has elapsed since the mid-1992 solar event, and the
strength of the radio emissions, my best guess for the upper
limit of the heliopause is currently about 90 to 120 astronomical
units (AU) from the sun," he added. (One AU is equal to 150
million kilometers [93 million miles], or the distance from the
Earth to the sun.)
     Voyager 1 is currently at 52 AU (7.8 billion kilometers or
4.9 billion miles from the sun) and Voyager 2 is at 40 AU (6
billion kilometers or 3.7 billion miles from the sun).
     Voyager 1 was launched on Sept. 5, 1977, and completed
flybys of both Jupiter and Saturn. The spacecraft is now rising
above the ecliptic plane -- the plane in which most of the
planets orbit the sun -- at an angle of about 35 degrees and at a
rate of about 520 million kilometers (about 320 million miles) a
year.
     Voyager 2 was launched on Aug. 20, 1977, and also completed
visits to Jupiter and Saturn, then went on to encounter Uranus
and Neptune, completing the reconnaissance of the giant outer
planets. The spacecraft is now diving below the ecliptic plane at
an angle of about 48 degrees and a rate of about 470 million
kilometers (about 290 million miles) a year.
     The Voyager Interstellar Mission is managed by JPL and
sponsored by NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications. ###
_________________________________________________________________

Magellan aerobraking, gravity
studies under way at Venus

     Having successfully completed its original mission of
radar-mapping Venus, the Magellan spacecraft is embarking on a
new experiment that will give scientists glimpses into the
planet's interior and a better understanding of its atmosphere.
     On May 25, the spacecraft completed its fourth eight-month
cycle of orbiting Venus, during which it collected data on the
planet's gravity field.
     On that same day, Magellan executed the first in a series of
aerobraking maneuvers to be conducted over the next 70 days in
which Magellan dips into Venus' atmosphere, taking advantage of
drag on the spacecraft to move into a lower, circular orbit,
allowing it to get better gravity data at the planet's north and
south poles.
     "This experiment is a scientific bonus for what is already a
highly successful mission," said Magellan Project Scientist Dr.
R. Stephen Saunders.
     According to Saunders, the gravity data that Magellan is
collecting allow scientists to "see" into the interior of the
planet, because they can gauge the density of the material
underlying various parts of the planet.
     In recent weeks, for example, Magellan passed over a region
dominated by three volcanoes -- Hathor, Innini and Ushas. "They
occupy a broad swelling of the Venusian crust believed to result
from upwelling of hot material from the deep interior, a
phenomenon known on Earth as a `hot spot,' " Saunders said.
     In other ways, Venus seems to be distinctly different from
Earth. While Earth's surface geology is largely created by
tectonic motion -- enormous continental plates that move slowly
over an underlying magma -- the Magellan team found little
evidence of plate tectonics on Venus. One possible exception is
the Ovda region at the western end of the equatorial Aphrodite
Terra highlands.
     "In this region we see what appear to be the closest thing
on Venus to Earth's continents," Saunders said. "It has features
that seem to have been formed by compression of the Venusian
crust in a process that may resemble some plate tectonic regions
on Earth."
     Saunders added that Ovda and similar terrains -- called
tesserae, intensely fractured regions that are pushed upward
compared with most of the planet -- may represent ancient crustal
materials on Venus. "They could, in fact, be fragments of the
oldest rocks on the planet," he said.
     During Magellan's fourth eight-month orbital cycle which
ended May 25, flight controllers collected gravity data by
monitoring the frequency of the signal sent to Earth from the
spacecraft. Changes in the gravity field would make Magellan
speed up or slow down slightly, causing the frequency of its
signal to change by tiny fractions.
     During that cycle, however, Magellan was in a widely looping
elliptical orbit -- 170 kilometers (100 miles) by 8,500
kilometers (5,300 miles). Because of the varying distance,
Magellan could collect high-resolution gravity data at the
equator but not near the poles.
     If successful, the aerobraking maneuver will put Magellan
into an orbit 200 by 600 kilometers (125 by 375 miles) above
Venus. The change will be made gradually over the course of about
70 days.
     The change in orbit also will provide important new data
about Venus' atmosphere, which can be studied through its effect
on the spacecraft. The upper atmosphere varies with the 11-year
cycle of sun activity. "We currently are approaching a solar
minimum which means that the number of sunspots and solar storms
will be at a minimum," Saunders said.
     Magellan has fulfilled all of its prime mission objectives,
mapping 98 percent of the surface of Venus, with many areas
covered up to three times.
     "This provides us with stereo imaging," said Saunders, "as
well as a long-time base so that we can search for surface
changes in the high-resolution images." ###
_________________________________________________________________

Survey results to be presented June 11

     The results of a Lab-wide employee survey conducted earlier
this year will be presented June 11 from 2-3:30 p.m. in von
Karman Auditorium by the Wyatt Company, the human resources
consulting firm that designed and implemented the survey for JPL.
     Also, Lab Director Dr. Edward Stone will lead a panel
discussion of the survey results, followed by a
question-and-answer session.
     All employees are invited to attend. The presentation will
also be shown on the Lab's closed-circuit television system,
including monitors in all three cafeterias. ###
_________________________________________________________________

Teleoperations system debuts in cross-country test

By Karre Marino
     A laboratory technology demonstration of remote-control
robotic space servicing, with hookups between Goddard Space
Flight Center and JPL, showed NASA Select TV audiences May 21 how
simulated satellite repair work may one day be done.
     According to Dr. Antal K. Bejczy, teleoperator technical
manager of the Advanced Teleoperation Project, Robotics Systems
and Advanced Computer Technology, Section 347, new technologies
created by JPL in the last several years make possible remote
satellite servicing from ground-based NASA control centers.
     In the demonstration, JPL acted as the operator site, which
simulated the ground station, while Goddard lab-simulated an
on-orbit Hubble Space Telescope robotic servicing site.
     The operator, Dr. Won Soo Kim, Section 347, was able to
control the robot at Goddard in real time aided by a novel
computer graphics technique, carrying out an Orbital Replacement
Unit (ORU) exchange. The command sequences from JPL to Goddard
were transferred through the Internet computer communications
network. The actual robot motion images generated by three TV
cameras at Goddard were sent back to the JPL control station
through the NASA Select Satellite TV channel.
     Dr. Paul S. Schenker, supervisor of the group which
implements the project, emphasized the importance of operating in
real time: "One of the biggest challenges to robotic servicing in
space from earth is time delay -- the physical time required to
communicate information," he explained. "The operator sends
forward his physical commands. He generates the motion that the
robot is to replicate. He, in turn, must immediately see and feel
the results of that action.
     "Consider, for instance, control of a telerobot in the space
shuttle from the ground, where it may take about eight seconds to
send commands forward at the speed of light and through a space
satellite communications network, and then receive information
back to the ground control station through the same network. That
kind of time delay perceptually disconnects and slows the
operator, who at most can deal with a delay of a quarter to a
half second in real-time control situations."
     Imagine, Schenker offered, driving your car, turning the
wheel and braking -- all with a four-second time delay -- as
experienced in the May 21 JPL-Goddard experiment. "We've had to
develop techniques to help the operator with this delay."
     That's where the advanced computer technology has made the
difference. The team used virtual reality to give the operator a
high fidelity, real-time graphics model of his worksite, said
Schenker.
     "We developed a way to calibrate physically a graphics model
of the worksite to actual camera views. We've matched the virtual
reality in size, orientation, location and viewing perspective to
the real world. When the operator looks at the graphics model, he
is seeing an accurate rendition of the worksite, a physical truth
and one that he can verify. Further, he can visualize situations
often not directly viewable by the camera, due to viewing
perspective or obstructions."
     Using a 3-D graphics overlay on video, scientists can
literally place the model over the incoming video data -- in real
time. "We can use a shaded solid model, which is like a real
object, or we can use a wire frame that the operator sees
through," Schenker said.
     Viewers of the JPL/Goddard demo saw the robot reach out to
the spacecraft, grab the ORU, remove it, and replace it.
     "The entire mission, which takes about 45 minutes, was
operated remotely, and the experiment worked perfectly,"
commented Bejczy, who also noted that "novel proximity sensors
added to the robot arm at Goddard really helped the actual tool
and module insertion operations."
     The JPL-developed advanced 3-D predictive graphics display
can generate high-fidelity synthetic camera views in real time,
thus rendering critical motion events visible to the operator.
     This work is being done for NASA and is funded by the Office
of Advanced Concepts and Technology, explained Schenker. "Our
current project is research and development; the results have yet
to be applied in space. This demonstration illustrated what we
hope to achieve, showcasing technology for potential future
robotics-assisted space servicing and applications and hopefully
gaining confidence of mission users."
     Schenker noted that the team realistically simulated
long-distance remote robotics operation by a human operator, who
physically controlled the remote robot at a simulated worksite.
     "The actual experiment itself is a model of a planned real
space application, a second astronautic servicing of the Hubble
Space Telescope," expected to take place in late 1997.
     Plans call for astronauts in extravehicular activity (EVA)
to perform servicing and maintenance of the Hubble, retrieved to
the space shuttle bay as part of scheduled maintenance
operations. Schenker said the hope is that NASA, based on seeing
the May 21 demonstration, will view the technology as adding
important capability and flexibility to the Hubble mission.
     He noted that "there aren't many robots used in space, the
only other one currently being the space shuttle manipulator
system."
     Schenker added that the idea behind the advanced technology
is to have robotics aides assist astronauts. "Robots can
potentially perform key worksite preparation and closeout
functions under the control of a ground-based operator," he said.
"With appropriate safety measures, a robot may work cooperatively
alongside EVA astronauts."
     The advantages of such technology, he noted, are increased
operational safety and reductions in overall mission costs and
difficulty. Schenker said the important thing about this
technology is the combination of human and computer skills.
     "We're using computers to enhance and amplify traditional
human performance. Without the use of an advanced graphic-based
control technology, this telerobotic capability wouldn't be
possible.
     "While teleoperations has been used for almost 50 years in
simple master-slave pick-and-place tasks in the nuclear industry,
it is this computer-enhanced Advanced Teleoperation technology
that can be used to expand space capability across time and
distance barriers and allow operators to perform tasks otherwise
not possible through direct human means.
     "In summary," Schenker said,  "Advanced Teleoperations
provides an enrichment of operation remote-control dexterity, 3-D
viewing and remote information display."
     Finally, Bejczy and Schenker noted that based on industry
interest, commercialization of elements of the teleoperation
technology used in the demonstration have already been initiated:
The computer graphics-based remote-control capability, together
with planned product improvements to commercial 3-D graphics
packages, will be new features added to commercially available,
commercially maintained computer-graphics software packages.
     These enhanced commercial 3-D graphics and robotics products
will be applicable to a wide range of industry needs, including
nuclear and other toxic waste site robotic operations,
decommissioning of hazardous facilities under remote control,
special emergency-type medical operations performed remotely and
remotely operated highway maintenance. ###
_________________________________________________________________

News briefs

     A dedication ceremony to mark the opening of JPL's new
Observational Instruments Laboratory (OIL), Building 306, will
begin at 10 a.m. June 10, in front of the building on the
southeast side of the Lab.
     The OIL building will house the Laboratory's Observational
Systems Division 38 and staff currently located in flight
instrument development laboratories scattered across the Lab. The
laboratory features a new 4,600-square-foot high-bay clean room
to accommodate the design, assembly and testing of a new
generation of space science instruments.
     Speakers at the morning dedication will include Dr. Edward
Stone, director of JPL; master of ceremonies Robert J. Beale,
Division 38 manager; Dr. Charles Elachi, assistant Laboratory
director in the Office of Space Science and Instruments; William
Rains, Facilities Division manager; Thomas Sauret, acting manager
of the NASA Resident Office; and a representative from NASA
Headquarters.

     JPL is planning a two-day open house for employees and the
public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 26-27.
     Admission is free, and guests can park in Lab parking lots.
In addition to a number of displays in the Mall, the Space Flight
Operations Facility (Building 230), Spacecraft Assembly Facility
(179) and Observational Instruments Laboratory (306) will be open
for viewing. Also, the multi-media presentation "Welcome to Outer
Space" will be shown in von Karman Auditorium.
     For information, call the Public Services Office at ext.
4-0112.

     Kevin Hussey, supervisor of the Visualization for Earth
Sciences Applications Group, Section 384, was named the 1993
Distinguished Alumnus by San Diego State University's College of
Arts and Letters.
     The 1979 grad is an expert in the integration of a
scientific visualization and image processing technologies. He
pioneered the development of satellite image "flybys," which are
computer-generated movies that simulate a change in the
perspective of an observer looking down at a landscape from an
aircraft.
     Hussey, who produced the first movie of this kind, called
"L.A.: The Movie," has also produced flybys over California's San
Andreas Fault and the surface of Venus.
     In winning the honor, Hussey's contributions in geophysical
data imaging and promoting of earth science were cited. It was
also noted that flyby movies make complex global systems easier
to comprehend for researchers, as well as legislators and funding
agencies. These films also serve an educational role and are
frequently seen in science museums and IMAX movie theaters.

     JPL's 1993 Savings Bond Drive  will run from June 8-25 to
help employees save through payroll deduction.
     Campaign chairman Dr. R. Rhoads Stephenson, deputy assistant
Lab director for the Office of Technology and Applications
Programs, will assist appointed representatives within the Lab's
organizations in conducting the drive.
     Employees and contractors will be contacted soon by an
appointed section representative who will answer questions about
savings bonds and sign up those who are interested in
participating in the program.
     Savings bonds are based on a variable interest rate, which
is adjusted every May and November to reflect changes in the
market but carry a guaranteed minimum return of 4 percent when
held at least five years. On May 1, the interest rate was set at
4.78 percent for the next six-month period.

     The JPL Supercomputer has been upgraded as part of the first
stage of the evolution in the Center of Excellence in Parallel
Processing Program, where JPL and Caltech plan to enter into an
agreement with Cray Research Inc. to acquire one of the first
Cray Massively Parallel Processors (MPP).
     The first-stage upgrade was completed on May 10 and is now
available to all JPL supercomputer users. The upgrade includes
the addition of a second CPU, doubling memory, more than doubling
Cray disk space and increasing the I/O baudwidth.
     According to Deputy Project Manager Larry Eversole, the
upgrade allows for increased job throughput and the running of
larger memory jobs. He added that an MPP emulator will be
installed in early June, which will allow users to simulate a
massively parallel environment. One of the first Cray MPPs is
scheduled to be delivered to JPL in November 1993.
     For more information about the project, contact the
supercomputing consultants at ext. 3-CRAY.

     A recent survey of users of the JPL Library indicated that
customers both support and find the book and journal collections
very useful, according to survey facilitator Teresa Bailey. Staff
knowledge and service attitudes also received high marks, as did
reference/circulation desk assistance.
     Respondents did cite areas that need improvement, however,
including the library's ongoing space problem; the need for more
current books; and the possibility of accessing the library's
on-line catalog, as well as other on-line databases of office
PCs. Users also asked that book and journal collections be
updated and customer outreach and research skills education
programs be added.
     A list of recommendations was developed to address customer
concerns, which is now under review by library management.
     The library welcomes suggestions for the improvement
process. For more information, call the library reference desk at
ext. 4-4200.

     The JPL Gun Club will sponsor a basic course of instruction
on safe and legal shooting of pistols, rifles and shotguns,
starting June 7.
     The three-week class, which is recommended by the Gun Club
to those with no previous firearms experience, will meet for
lectures on Monday evenings at von Karman Auditorium, followed
later in the week by firing sessions at the JPL Firing Range.
     The $60 course fee covers instructional materials, books,
ammunition, targets and all other equipment. It is limited to JPL
or Caltech employees, contractors, retirees and their families,
and participants must be U.S. citizens 18 or older.
     Registration is limited and is on a first-come, first-served
basis. Course applications are available at the ERC or by
contacting Bob Steinbacher at ext. 4-5076 or Celeste Satter at
ext. 4-9246.

     Volunteers are needed for a "shadowing" experience for the
NASA Education Workshop for Elementary School teachers (NEWEST),
set for Aug. 2-13.
     The half-day session allows teachers, 125 of whom are chosen
from a field of 5,000 instructors nationwide, to observe up close
JPL professionals involved Labwide in a diverse array of projects
and sections.
     "This day is about showing these instructors what JPL is
about. So, if that means going to a meeting, then they'll attend
the meeting," said Peter McClosky of JPL's Public Education
Office, who oversees the program. He said an upcoming
organizational meeting will include matching teachers as closely
as possible with Lab professionals.
     To participate in the program, or for more information, call
McClosky at ext. 4-6916.

     JPL's NASA Resident Office is attempting to locate some
former employees whose Technology Reports were published in the
NASA Tech Briefs magazine, so that their addresses can be
forwarded to NASA Headquarters for presentation of cash awards.
     Anyone who may know the whereabouts of the following
personnel is requested to call Arif Husain at ext. 4-4862 or
Lydia Casarez at ext. 4-4909: Brian Burk, George Efthymiou,
Jean-Francois Lestrade, Stephan Marelid, John Rogers, Gordon
Oliver, Joseph Stacey.

     The Lab's Rideshare Office has been relocated to Building
72, Room 116.
     Call Gil Duke at ext. 4-1091 for rideshare information. ###
_________________________________________________________________

New approach utilized in Division 37 reorganization

By Karre Marino
     By reorganizing portions of Division 37, Hack O'Brien, Mike
Diethelm and Cyndy Chinn -- the trio charged with the task -- not
only streamlined operations, precluded the overlapping of duties
in Sections 372 and 373, and reduced costs, but they did so in an
open environment, with feedback from those who would be impacted.
In an essentially unprecedented action, section supervisors and
their staff were involved in the negotiation and bargaining
process.
     "Such reorganizations are generally done in confidence by a
limited number of people," explained Esker K. Davis, manager of
Institutional Computing and Mission Operations. "But I thought it
should be done in the open, whereby people could argue out issues
as they arose."
     The trio approached the problem in November by focusing on
customer needs. Organizational boundaries fell by the wayside, as
satisfying the customer, which includes the Multimission
Operations Systems Office (MOSO) and the Institutional Computing
and Information Services Office (ICIS), became the priority.
     "We tried to identify every function performed by the two
sections," said Chinn, assistant section manager, Computer
Services, Section 372. Taking a page from the Total Quality
Management handbook, "we used many, many Post-it notes to
indicate like functions, and after about two weeks, had come up
with an alignment."
     The next step, explained Diethelm, the deputy section
manager, was to decide how to group the functions. "We looked for
logical aggregation along product lines based on the strengths of
the relationships. The first go-around only discerned function.
Then we charted how the sections could be structured."
     The team then discussed the first round of proposed changes
with staff supervisors. "We wanted to know if they approved of
the changes, and if not, why not?" he added.
     Chinn noted that another way to involve the very people who
would feel impacted was to put together four to five teams that
would have a week to return with constructive input on the new
organizational chart. "We asked what they would change, what they
liked, what they didn't --all of which had to be from the
perspective of the customer," she said.
     After about five months, two,  more balanced sections were
created: Section 373, which now totals 150 workers, up from 75,
addresses Information Delivery Systems; Section 372, which had
355 members and is now at about 260, works on Institutional User
Services.
     The team believes that having separated these major areas,
they have created a more focused organizational environment.
     The reorganization, explained O'Brien, the Section 373
manager, "allows us to share resources and costs within the
division," including infrastructure support for procurement,
billing and accounting, and the resource administrator. We also
review our scheduled activities together. Finally, we feel that
it's very important to keep the lines of communication open, so
that while we're separate sections, we can work together very
closely on related matters."
     The newly organized sections debuted April 19, and while
bugs are still being worked out, Diethelm noted that much of the
feedback has been positive. "When staff feels that they've been
included in decision-making, they also think they have a vested
interest in its outcome." ###
_________________________________________________________________

JPL machinist shows Clinton what's new in technology

By Mark Whalen
     Bernie Murray, a machinist in the Prototype and Mechanical
Fabrication Services Section 357, is taking a class at Los
Angeles Valley College in Van Nuys to keep up with current
technological trends in his field.
     And because his instructor recognized him as one of the more
advanced students in the class, he recently spent more than 10
hours in preparation for a mere five-minute demonstration of the
new technology he's working with.
     But he wasn't upset. After all, how many opportunities do
you have to meet the President of the United States?
     Murray got his chance May 18, when President Clinton visited
the class as a part of his two-day trip to Southern California.
Clinton wanted to learn about training programs that offer
workers the chance to improve their skills in high technology,
which in this case, happened to be the numerical control
programming class Murray has been attending since January.
     The class teaches some of the same computer-assisted design
techniques utilized by numerical-control machines that Murray and
others in Section 357 use in the production of parts and fixtures
for spacecraft design.
     The state-of-the-art technology produces much more precise
parts than traditional methods that manually line up tools and
machines. Instead of using paper-drawn blueprints, designers
create drawings on a screen; the software then instructs machine
tools to cut and shape the metal.
     The new skill -- which Murray learned at JPL and continues
to perfect in the classroom -- comes in manipulating the
computer.
     As a result of its precision, the computer manufacturing
process is faster and cheaper than traditional methods, which is
what drew Clinton's attention.
     Murray didn't even learn of the President's impending visit
to the campus -- much less to his class -- until he arrived home
at 6 p.m. on May 17, to find messages on his answering machine
from his instructor, Rory Eikland, and LAVC President Mary Lee.
The messages didn't give him too many clues, except that he was
asked to turn around and head right back to campus.
     Still, Murray wasn't sure of what to expect until he met
with the Secret Service to rehearse the well-choreographed plan
for the next day. In the classroom, he saw a microphone hanging
over his machine. "Then I said to myself, `Wow, this is the real
thing.' "
     While camera crews set up for the event, Murray worked with
Eikland to plan what the President would be shown. The instructor
also tabbed Murray to assist the others in the class set up for
the short presidential visit.
     Nervous feelings "came and went," Murray said, but
dissipated before he was finished setting up at 5 a.m., just six
hours before the President's arrival. "At that point, I was too
tired to be nervous," he said.
     Murray returned home for a couple hours of sleep, then was
back again at 8:30 a.m. for a few last-minute touches. Until the
President's arrival at about 11 a.m., he was hustled off to a
security area to wait, as bomb-sniffing dogs did their work and
sharpshooters readied themselves on the roofs of nearby
buildings.
     Just to be safe, Murray, Eikland and other students
participating in the demonstration were required by the Secret
Service to again walk through a metal detector to enter the
classroom before Clinton got there.
     A bit of tension mounted as Murray and the others awaited
the President's arrival. A peek through a window alerted everyone
that the entourage was on its way, and "everybody scrambled back
to their pre-designated positions," Murray said. Still, he
remained "fairly relaxed," he said, because all the preparation
made him feel confident that everything would go well.
     After brief chats with the other students in the class,
Clinton walked up to Murray. "I introduced myself, and told him I
work at JPL," he said, "and mentioned that the machinery in the
classroom is almost exactly what I work with at the Lab.
     "I showed the President the old machines and compared them
to what we use today," Murray said, adding that he also explained
to Clinton how software programs are written for the new
machinery. Then, as the chief executive watched, Murray produced
a quick momento for him by writing a demonstration program and
downloading it to the machinery.
     In a few seconds, the words "Taking Pride in Education" were
inscribed into the metal, along with Clinton's name.
     "I told the President that I'm working with top-of-the-line
software that was developed in the last three months, and he said
he was impressed by that," Murray noted. A few minutes later, in
a speech to a large gathering outside the classroom, Clinton
spoke of the importance of the American work force's keeping pace
with new technologies, and cited his meeting with Murray as
evidence that the "process is happening now." Murray recalled
that the statement "caught him by surprise" and made him proud.
     When it was over, Murray finally had the chance to tell
relatives in his home state of Rhode Island about his
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; his sister and brother-in-law,
both of whom are teachers, were excited about possibly finding
his picture in an upcoming magazine. His co-workers in the
machine shop in Building 170 had a bit of fun for a couple of
days teasing Murray about his encounter, but now he's back to
being one of the guys.
     The 28-year-old Murray has worked with machinery for half
his life and in recent years, produced mechanical and robotic
parts for theme-park rides, and has also worked with fiber
optics. But the work was unsteady, as he was laid off and rehired
several times.
     He joined JPL in March 1992 and soon recognized that he
"needed to learn more to catch up" with technology. In addition
to JPL and school, Murray now practices the new technology on his
home computer.
     Murray is only one of many students in the class who already
works in industry and are trying to upgrade their skills, but the
combination of his work and classroom experience, he said,
prompted Eikland to choose him to demonstrate the technology to
Clinton ... for all of five minutes. But those are five minutes
that the machinist will never forget. ###
_________________________________________________________________

Heavens now accessible by modem

By Karre Marino
     Caltech has loaned the Mount Wilson Institute a 24-inch f/16
Cassegrain telescope, and the Snow solar telescope will soon be
back on line as part of the Telescopes in Education (TIE)
program, which will make available to the nation's schools and
amateur astronomers observation time, as well as a future library
of some 50,000 astral images.
     "We will provide a direct telephone link between the user
and the telescope," explained Gil Clark, an engineer in Section
300, and director of TIE, which is under the auspices of the
Mount Wilson Institute (MWI). "Using a personal computer and a
modem, they can call up an image already stored on file or
request that the telescope find what they're looking for. A
simple command has the telescope fix on the target, and a few
moments later, a picture appears on the computer screen." The
image is digitalized, sent back via phone line to the user and is
ready to be printed.
     "We have designed a science instrument for education and
amateur astronomy," he added, "and now we have visions of
children, excited by the fact that they can actually communicate
across the country to a telescope on Mt. Wilson." He hopes this
innovative approach will enhance science education in America's
schools.
     The project, which was initiated by Caltech and the MWI,
began in January and has been dependent upon volunteers, their
time and support, donated materials and equipment. People from
JPL, Caltech, and various corporations have participated, said
Clark, "because they believe in the project."
     The software, which has been available for about a year, was
designed for use with general CCD (charged coupled device)
telescope cameras. Greg Fisch, owner of FarPoint Research, the
development company, heard about Clark's project and asked if he
would be interested in trying the software with the 24-inch
Cassegrain. After some tweaking and refinement, which the team
did in a weekend, Clark said that it works beautifully.
     In addition to the software, the telescope now has a new
control system, which was designed by Tom Melsheimer of Merlin
Controls.
     Eventually, Clark said, the 24-inch telescope will have
three telescopes mounted together (the 24-inch Cassegrain, the
10-inch Schmidt Cassegrain and a 4-inch solar telescope).
     He described it as a work of art, an amazing system that is
currently in its testing phase. After all the bugs have been
worked out, he said, schools will be invited to sign up for
specified observation times.
     The long-term goal not only calls for other observatories
and schools to offer similar remote automatic telescope systems,
but also for a curriculum that teaches astronomy. "A teaching aid
database will be introduced soon after beta testing is completed.
There is also a plan for on-site training, whereby instructors
will learn how to teach astronomy and astrophysics to students."
     The curriculum targets 5th graders to graduate students.
"Instructors will identify what grade they teach, what subject
they're interested in, and then receive a laundry list of lessons
in that subject," explained Clark. "We'll back up data with
specific images, as well as provide lessons, questions and
answers."
     The remote telescope beta test program will begin with one
school, Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax, Va., and another
on the West Coast, possibly Apple Valley, which, said Clark, has
an excellent science/astronomy department.
     He also explained that the program is currently trying to
raise money so that schools will not be charged for their on-line
time.
     The 24-inch telescope, which was dedicated May 21 in an
informal ceremony attended by amateur and professional
astronomers, should be fully operational by late winter or early
spring, Clark added. The database should be available to eighth
and ninth graders beginning in September 1994. ###

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