 Federico Pistono speaking at Singularity University, NASA Ames Research Park | |
| Established | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Location | San Jose, California, United States |
Operating agency | NASA |
NASA Research Park is a research facility under the auspices of NASA located in San Jose, California. It is focused on fostering collaboration among government entities and academic institutions.
Congress established the Ames Research Center (Ames) in 1939 as the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory under the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). Ames has grown to occupy approximately 500 acres (2.0 km2) at Moffett Field, adjacent to the Naval Air Station Moffett Field in Santa Clara County, California, in the center of the region that would, in the 1990s, become known as Silicon Valley. In 1958, Congress created NASA with the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, 42 U.S.C. § 2451 et seq. At that time, the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory was renamed to the Ames Research Center and became a NASA field center.
From the 1940s through the 1990s, Ames scientists and engineers conducted flight research in many areas, including variable stability aircraft, guidance and control displays, boundary-layer control, vertical (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing aircraft (STOL), and rotorcraft.
Ames's research had also developed:
Ames developed and operated facilities, including flight simulators and wind tunnels, using computers and the arc jets facility to test materials at very high temperatures, critical to high-speed aircraft development and space vehicle re-entry. One of Ames's contributions to the early space program for human missions was solving the problem of getting astronauts safely back to Earth through the development of the blunt body design for re-entry vehicles. [3]
Ames assisted in the development of Apollo, developed and operated the Pioneer Missions (the first spacecraft to travel through the asteroid belts to observe Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus), and created the tiltrotor aircraft. The diversity of accomplishments led to the focus in the 1990s on Ames becoming the high-tech center of NASA. Ames became known as the Center of Excellence for Information Technologies, researching human-centered computing, a significant interdisciplinary effort to develop means of optimizing the performance of mixed human and computer systems. These new technologies were relevant for aeronautics and space operations, with ground-based operators, astronauts (or pilots/controllers in the air traffic management system), and robots functioning collaboratively to maximize mission science return, productivity, and safety. This human-centered computing focus developed the expertise for Ames to become the lead for all supercomputing in NASA, and in 2005 Ames operated the world's second fastest supercomputer, partnered with Silicon Graphics and Intel. [4]
In the 1990s, following its historical experience in life and space sciences, Ames developed a new focused program called "Astrobiology" to search for the origins of life in the universe. Ames led NASA's Kepler Mission, a spacecraft designed to find Earth-sized planets in other galaxies that may be in or near habitable zones. [5] Ames also developed SOFIA, the new Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, using a Boeing 747 aircraft that studied the universe from 2010 to 2022 in the infrared spectrum. [6]
Concurrent with innovations in science and technology, Ames has created partnerships with universities and industry, both onsite and in distance collaborations. The opportunity for this new partnering became available in the early 1990s, with the potential for R&D partners to move into the property obtained from the transfer of Navy Moffett Field land to NASA.[ citation needed ]
From its establishment in 1939, Ames shared the land, generally known as Moffett Field, with the United States Navy, jointly using the major airfield on the property. In the 1930s, the Navy developed Moffett Field originally for the home of the famous "Lighter than Air Era of American Military History," housing and operating large-scale airships. Through the years, several military organizations, including the United States Air Force, used the Moffett Field facilities, and in the late 1980s, the Navy operated the base.
With the enactment of the Base Realignment and Closure Act in 1991, Congress directed the Navy to close and vacate the Naval Air Station at Moffett Field. Under the Federal Property Administrative Services Act of 1949, 40 U.S.C. §471, NASA negotiated custody of most of the Navy property, with the support of the local governments surrounding Moffett Field and the U.S. Congressmen from the area, especially Representative Norman Mineta. The property was transferred to NASA and disestablished the Naval Air Station Moffett Field. The United States Department of Defense retained control of 57 hectares (140 acres) of military housing at Moffett Field. In 1994, the Department of the Navy transferred approximately 600 hectares (1,500 acres) to NASA. This transfer created a unique opportunity for NASA to provide stewardship for the entire 800-hectare (2,000-acre) site, except the military housing.
Before obtaining control of Moffett Field, NASA prepared the Moffett Field Comprehensive Use Plan (C.U.P.) to implement its management program for the newly expanded Ames. An Environmental Assessment (E.A.) and Finding of No Significant Impact accompanied the plan. The E.A. established under the C.U.P. allows for the development of up to approximately 102,000 square meters (1.1 million square feet) of new construction.
In November 1996, the neighboring cities of Mountain View and Sunnyvale formed the Community Advisory Committee to study and provide input to Ames about the best reuses of Moffett Field. Ames developed a six-point initiative, which outlined program goals and reuse concepts for the development of the former Navy base that focused on university and industry building on NASA property as R&D collaborative partners. In 1997, after extensive public outreach and public meetings, the final report advisory committee endorsed NASA's six-point initiative, which established the plans to develop what became the NASA Research Park.
Ames leaders reviewed studies of research parks worldwide and continued to work with the neighboring communities in preparing its preferred development plan. In 1998, Ames and the cities of Sunnyvale and Mountain View signed a memorandum of understanding to work jointly on development. Also, several major universities were involved in planning their potential roles in development. In mid-1998, Ames leaders presented their plan to NASA headquarters and secured approval to proceed.
On December 8, 1998, NASA unveiled its visionary concept for a shared-use R&D and education campus for collaborations among government, industry, academia, and non-profit organizations at a national press conference with NASA Administrator Dan Goldin. Over the next year, Memorandums of Understanding for planning development were signed with the University of California, Santa Cruz, Carnegie Mellon University, San Jose State University, and Foothill-DeAnza Community College.
In addition to federal, state, and community leaders inputs, Ames worked closely with several economic development and industry organizations in focused groups by industry: information technology, bio-technology, and others to understand the needs of the Silicon Valley high-tech industry. In 1999, this vision was outlined in an Economic Development Concept Workbook, which won the 2000 American Planning Association Award.
NASA's goal is to develop a world-class, shared-use research and development campus in association with government entities, academia, industry, and nonprofits. The NADP/EIS provides a framework to guide the use, renovation, management, and development of facilities at Ames over the next 20 years to achieve that goal. The NRP supports NASA's overall mission in three areas: advancing NASA's research leadership; facilitating science and technology education; and creating a unique community of researchers, students, and educators.
NASA's recent vision and mission statements recognize that from NASA, industry, and universities will come integration of these segments, making the most of their attributes—NASA's focus on high-risk, long-term research; industry's ability to react quickly with applied technologies; and university expertise in educating and providing a workforce for the future.
The Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) announced in 2004, requires NASA to partner with all kinds of relevant organizations to sustain the long-term vision. The NRP has and is continuing to bring together diverse partners, assisting the pursuit of the VSE and other NASA programs. Through the interaction of academia, industry, and nonprofit organizations at a federal laboratory, a unique community of researchers, students, and educators with a shared mission to advance human knowledge will be created. This is the goal of the NRP.
In October 2011, the U.S. President issued a Presidential Memorandum "Accelerating Technology Transfer and Commercialization of Federal Research in Support of High-Growth Businesses" that directs federal agencies to "Facilitate Commercialization through Local and Regional Partnerships". It was also mentioned that "Agencies must take steps to enhance successful technology innovation networks by fostering increased Federal laboratory engagement with external partners, including universities, industry consortia, economic development entities, and State and local governments." and "to use existing authorities, such as Enhanced Use Leasing or Facility Use Agreements, to locate applied research and business support programs, such as incubators and research parks, on or near Federal laboratories and other research facilities to further technology transfer and commercialization. I encourage agencies with Federal laboratories and other research facilities to engage in public-private partnerships in those technical areas of importance to the agency's mission with external partners to strengthen the commercialization activities in their local region." NRP has implemented this directive through its program of onsite and offsite industry and academic partnerships.[ citation needed ]
2003: General Services Administration Award. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) awarded its Seventh Annual GSA Achievement Award for Real Property Innovation to NASA for its NASA Ames Development Plan that established NRP. In making the agency's award, GSA Administrator Stephan A. Perry stated that "as our country changes, our mandate for excellence is creating an every more responsive government to serve our citizens better...(the) NASA Ames Development Plan will provide an integrated, dynamic research and development community."
2015: Best Civic Project. The San Jose/Silicon Valley Business Journal gave its top "Best Civic Project of the Year" award to NASA and Google for their landmark ground lease of the 1,000-acre Moffett Federal Airfield.
2015: Bright Idea. Under the Federal Jurisdiction, the "2015 Bright Idea" award was awarded to NASA Research Park.
On September 30, 2005, NASA and Google announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at a national press conference to pursue research and development (R&D) collaborations with Ames in the areas of large-scale data management, massively distributed computing, Bio-Info-Nano Convergence, and R&D activities to encourage the entrepreneurial space industry and plan construction of 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m2) of new facilities. In 2006, NASA and Google signed a major Space Act Agreement for Research and Development Collaboration with planned new R&D annexes being added. In 2007, Google announced its Lunar X PRIZE, a $30 million international competition to safely land a robot on the surface of the Moon, travel 500 meters over the lunar surface and send images and data back to the Earth. In 2008, Google Incorporated and NASA signed a long-term ground lease for 42 acres in NRP. The San Jose Business Journal awarded the NASA/Google ground lease its "Deal of the Year" award in 2008. In late 2012, Google broke ground to construct up to 1.2 million square feet in new office/R&D facilities near its Googleplex in Mountain View, California. Google released details of the planned construction of its new campus to [7] Vanity Fair in February 2013 and simultaneously issued a press statement confirming construction plans to the media. The announcement has been reported internationally, including the [8] Wall Street Journal in the United States.
In 2002, Carnegie Mellon University established a branch campus in Silicon Valley to connect its distinctive technology education programs to the innovative business community at one of the centers of modern technological progress. The university's Silicon Valley Campus offers master's programs in Software Engineering, Software Management, Engineering & Technology Innovation Management, and Information Technology, as well as a bicoastal Ph.D. program in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a focus on Mobility offered in conjunction with the new CyLab Mobility Research Center. Over 600 graduate-level students have received degrees at the Silicon Valley campus located in two historic buildings at NRP.
The Ames Research Center (ARC), also known as NASA Ames, is a major NASA research center at Moffett Federal Airfield in California's Silicon Valley. It was founded in 1939 as the second National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) laboratory. That agency was dissolved and its assets and personnel transferred to the newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on October 1, 1958. NASA Ames is named in honor of Joseph Sweetman Ames, a physicist and one of the founding members of NACA. At last estimate NASA Ames had over US$3 billion in capital equipment, 2,300 research personnel and a US$860 million annual budget.
Moffett Federal Airfield, also known as Moffett Field, is a joint civil-military airport located in an unincorporated part of Santa Clara County, California, United States, between northern Mountain View and northern Sunnyvale. On November 10, 2014, NASA announced that it would be leasing 1,000 acres (400 ha) of the airfield property to Google for 60 years.
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a United States federal agency that was founded on March 3, 1915, to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. On October 1, 1958, the agency was dissolved and its assets and personnel were transferred to the newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NACA is an initialism, i.e., pronounced as individual letters, rather than as a whole word.
The Langley Research Center, located in Hampton, Virginia near the Chesapeake Bay front of Langley Air Force Base, is the oldest of NASA's field centers. LaRC has focused primarily on aeronautical research but has also tested space hardware such as the Apollo Lunar Module. In addition, many of the earliest high-profile space missions were planned and designed on-site. Langley was also considered a potential site for NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center prior to the eventual selection of Houston, Texas.
NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field is a NASA center within the cities of Brook Park and Cleveland between Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the Rocky River Reservation of Cleveland Metroparks, with a subsidiary facility in Sandusky, Ohio. Its director is James A. Kenyon. Glenn Research Center is one of ten major NASA facilities, whose primary mission is to develop science and technology for use in aeronautics and space. As of May 2012, it employed about 1,650 civil servants and 1,850 support contractors on or near its site.
Draper Laboratory is an American non-profit research and development organization, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts; its official name is The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. The laboratory specializes in the design, development, and deployment of advanced technology solutions to problems in national security, space exploration, health care and energy.
Thomas Keith Glennan was the first Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, serving from August 19, 1958 to January 20, 1961.
The Googleplex is the corporate headquarters complex of Google and its parent company, Alphabet Inc. It is located at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway in Mountain View, California.
Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley is a degree-granting branch campus of Carnegie Mellon University located in Mountain View, California. It was established in 2002 at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field.
The Cooper-Harper Handling Qualities Rating Scale (HQRS), sometimes Cooper-Harper Rating Scale (CHRS), is a pilot rating scale, a set of criteria used by test pilots and flight test engineers to evaluate the handling qualities of aircraft while performing a task during a flight test. The scale ranges from 1 to 10, with 1 indicating the best handling characteristics and 10 the worst. The criteria are evaluative and thus the scale is subjective.
The Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology, or ERAST program was a NASA program to develop cost-effective, slow-flying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can perform long-duration science missions at altitudes above 60,000 ft (18,000 m). The project included a number of technology development programs conducted by the joint NASA-industry ERAST Alliance. The project was formally terminated in 2003.
Miriam Rodón Naveira is an environmental scientist from San Juan, Puerto Rico, working at the federal government of the United States for which she was awarded a Silver Medal for Superior Service and a Suzanne Olive EEO and Diversity Award both by the EPA. She was also the first Hispanic woman to serve as branch chief of the EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) and later the first Hispanic woman to become deputy director of NERL's Environmental Sciences Division. Working at NASA since 2000, she now oversees research to enhance collaboration within DFRC, as well as with external entities, in support of the integrated use of remote sensing instruments in aerial platforms.
Clarence A. "Sy" Syvertson (1926-2010) was the Center Director of the Ames Research Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, located at Moffett Field, California.
Dr. Henry "Harry" McDonald DSc FREng was a Scottish-American aeronautical engineer specializing in Computational Fluid Dynamics and Director of the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California from 1996 to 2002.
There are NASA facilities across the United States and around the world. NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC provides overall guidance and political leadership to the agency. There are 10 NASA field centers, which provide leadership for and execution of NASA's work. All other facilities fall under the leadership of at least one of these field centers. Some facilities serve more than one application for historic or administrative reasons. NASA has used or supported various observatories and telescopes, and an example of this is the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility. In 2013 a NASA Office of the Inspector General's (OIG) Report recommended a Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) style organization to consolidate NASA's little used facilities. The OIG determined at least 33 of NASA's 155 facilities were underutilized.
Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG) is a division of the Ames Research Center at Moffett Federal Airfield in California's Silicon Valley.
G. Scott Hubbard is a physicist who has been engaged in space-related research as well as program, project and executive management for more than 45 years including 20 years with NASA, culminating as director of NASA's Ames Research Center. As of 2012, Hubbard chairs SpaceX Safety Advisory Panel, he previously served as the NASA representative on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, was NASA's first Mars program director and restructured the Mars program in the wake of mission failures.
In the nation's quest to provide security along its lengthy coastlines, air reconnaissance was put forth by the futuristic Rear Admiral William A. Moffett. Through his efforts, two Naval Air Stations were commissioned in the early 1930s to port the Naval Airships (dirigibles) which he believed capable of meeting this challenge.
As the coalition of Bay Areas counties predicted when it lobbied for the creation of Moffett Federal Airfield in the late 1920s, the base's research program and facilities catalyzed the development of numerous private technology and aerospace corporations, among them Lockheed Martin and the Hiller Aircraft Corporation.
The Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) is one of five mission directorates within NASA, the other four being the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, the Space Operations Mission Directorate, the Science Mission Directorate, and the Space Technology Mission Directorate. The ARMD is responsible for NASA's aeronautical research, which benefits the commercial, military, and general aviation sectors. The current NASA associate administrator heading ARMD is Robert A. Pearce who has held the position since 2019.
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