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AN EDUCATIONAL PUBLICATION O F THE
qATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

ORGANIZATION 0-2/ 12-67

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1 2 ; : AmesResearcnCenter
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W MOFFETT FIELD, CALIFORNIA
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Founded in 1940, the Ames Research Center of
the National Aeronautics and Space Administra-
tion performs basic and applied research i n sup-
port of the Nation's space and aeronautical pro-
grams. The Center is named for Joseph S. Ames,
former president of Johns Hopkins University and
chairman of the National Advisory Committee for
Aeronautics from 1927 to 1939.
Located 35 miles south of San Francisco near
Mountain View, California, the Center is staffed by
more than 2,200 Civil Service employees, of whom
more than one third are scientists and engineers.
The physical plant at Arnes comprises many
specialized and unique facilities for aerospace re-

Aerial photo of Arnes Research Center located near Mountain View, California.
search i n the traditional physical sciences as well
as the space sciences and life sciences. These
include a number of wind tunnels, entry-heating
simulators, and flight ballistic test facilities capa-
ble of conducting tests at speeds through and
above earth escape speed, as well as laboratories
equipped t o study solar and geophysical phe-
nomena, origin of life, life detection and life en-
vironmental factors.
Work at the Ames Research Center includes:
theoretical, experimental, and analytical studies,
and management of space flight projects.
Ames studies on basic atmosphere entry heat-
i n g and aerodynamic characteristics contributed to
the design of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space-
craft. Ames wind tunnel studies have supported
various launch vehicle developments; and stress
studies on the astronauts have proven of value t o
manned space flight. Studies are also under way
on optical instrumentation for manned lunar rnis-
sions; space vehicle attitude control; influence of
crew station design on performance of Apollo guid-
ance, control and navigation tasks: and pilot-
operated attitude stabilization and control sys-
tems.
k Degrees-of-Freedom Motion Sirnula-
RESEARCH IN REENTRY
Research i n atmosphere entry forms an impor-
tant share of the Center’s activity. The Ames staff
conceived t h e theory which led t o the solutions of
the reentry problem required for manned satellites,
manned lunar craft, and ballistic missiles. The re-
search has led t o fuller understanding of the ener-
gy exchange between a vehicle and its atmospheric
environment-heating problems, various techni-
ques for protection against destructive frictional
heat, and t h e problems of stability and control
during reentry flight.
More recently, studies have been initiated on
entry into planetary atmospheres (Mars and Ven-
us), and into the earth’s atmosphere a t the velo-
cities associated with return trips from interplane-
tary flight.
Related t o reentry work is lifting body research.
These manned wingless research vehicles obtain
aerodynamic lift from their half-cone shapes. They
are of interest as a potential spacecraft that could
survive the heat of reentry and be maneuvered
t o one of several prepared sites for a normal
ground landing. Two versions of the Ames-de-
signed M - 2 lifting body have undergone experi-
mental flight tests at NASA’s Flight Research Cen-
ter.
- -TT
mT.nni - mPXE
An actual tektite (right) is corn-
pared with a synthetic tektite shaped
by earth atmospheric entry conditions
simulated in a high speed wind
tunnel at NASA’s Ames Research
Center, near San Francisco, Cali-
fornia. The background Is the Aus-
tralasian area of the world where
a major shower of tektites oc-
curred about 700,000 years ago.
Spacecraft simulation at Arnes
Research Center includes corn-
parison of launch and entry stresses
with actual experience. Astronauts
Walter Schirra (left) and Gordon
Cooper discuss the Arnes Five-
ior with Hubert C. Vykukal. engineer,
during a recent visit t o the Center.
The Arnes device is unique and can
si m u late corn bi nations of stresses.
FLIGHT PROJECTS
Space flight projects managed by Ames include
the Pioneer interplanetary spacecraft, and the
earth orbiting Biosatellite biological laboratory.
Pioneer deep space probes have traveled more
than 100 million miles from the earth. Data re-
turned by their transmitters have provided new un-
derstanding of the interactions of the charged
particles and magnetic fields that originate at the
Sun and extend beyond the earth. Pioneers also
have helped define the extent of the earth’s pro-
tective magnetic envelope, and have measured a
possible trace atmosphere of the moon.
The Biosatellites are launched into 200-mile
high orbits, for flights of three, 30, and 2 1 days.
Experiment capsules are recovered in the Paci-
fic. Experiments seek basic effects of weightless-
ness, radiation combined with weightlessness, and
effects of removal from the earth’s rotation on
living cells, tissue, and organisms. Specimens in
clude primates, plants, and lower animals.
SPACE SCIENCES RESEARCH
Scientists at Ames are conducting extensive re-
search in the space sciences, particularly i n geo-
physics, solar physics, interplanetary and plane-
i., A
tary physics, atomic physics, astronomy and astro-
physics. The work includes studies pertaining t o
magnetic fields and plasmas in space, and studies
t o determine the composition and structure of
planets and of planetary and stellar atmospheres.
An experiment, t o collect and return upper atmos-
phere particles encountered during meteor show-
ers, may permit detailed analysis of cometary de-
bris and shed some knowledge on the nature of
comets.
With Ames being NASA’s prime center for life
sciences research, work is conducted in three ma-
jor areas: basic research in the physiological and
behavioral sciences concerned with understand-
ing the effects of earth and space environments
and of space flight stresses upon man and other
living organisms; studies in exobiology oriented to-
wards the prediction, detection, and study of ex-
traterrestrial life forms: and research in the human
factors aspects of the relationships between man
and machines.
AERONAUTICS
Aeronautical research at Ames is focused on
operational characteristics of vertical and short
take-off aircraft (V/STOL), research in support of
the national effort to develop a supersonic trans-
port, and advanced research on air-breathing hy-
personic aircraft. The Center’s engineers have con-
verted the Bell X-14A twin-jet V/STOL into a varia-
ble stability aircraft for inflight simulation and
for use as a lunar landing simulator.
Another important area of aeronautical research
is simulation techniques and devices under devel-
opment at Ames. Moving-base simulation for ex-
ample permits a test pilot t o “fly” and evaluate
a proposed theoretical aircraft without the hazards
of actual flights. Other simulators are employed
in the VTOL program, and for use in developing
supersonic transport landing techniques. Ames de-
signed simulators also can reproduce the stresses
of space flight thus permitting exhaustive studies
of pilot control of space vehicles a t launch and
during atmosphere entry. Simulation studies also
parallel and complement spacecraft and aircraft
design studies and research carried on throughout
the Center.
Heavy emphasis in the study of air and space
flight mechanics, guidance and control, and space
navigation is made a t Ames. Studies include analy-
ses of guidance systems, space navigation techni-
ques and equipment, and optical navigation in-
struments for manned spacecraft. These fields of
 1

The X-14 is a low-winged jet-pro- research also include guidance and control studies
pelled aircraft which derives its
vertical lift ability by diverting the of the mid-course phase of the Apollo moon mis-
jet exhaust of two turbojet en- sion. Other space flight research includes the de-
gines. A cascade diverter mounted
at the tailpipe exit enables the pilot sign and engineering studies of space suits and 0
to direct the thrust either vertically life support systems.
for hovering flight, horizontally
for conventional flight, or at an
intermediate angle for transition. DIRECTOR: H. JULIAN ALLEN
During hovering and low speed,
control of the airplane is main- Ames Research Center
tained by jet reaction nozzles, while National Aeronautics and Space Administration
aerodynamic surfaces serve this
function during conventional Moffett Field, California 94035
flight.

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