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Ames Research Center

Aerial view of Moffett Field and Ames Research Center in 1982
Agency overview
FormedDecember 20, 1939
JurisdictionU.S. federal government
HeadquartersMoffett Field, California, U.S.
Agency executive
  • Eugene Tu, director
Parent agencyNASA
Websitenasa.gov/ames/
Map
{{{map_alt}}}
Map of NASA Ames Research Center

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[1] 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$750 million annual budget.[2]

Ames was founded to conduct wind-tunnel research on the aerodynamics of propeller-driven aircraft; however, its role has expanded to encompass spaceflight and information technology. Ames plays a role in many NASA missions. It provides leadership in astrobiology; small satellites; robotic lunar exploration; the search for habitable planets; supercomputing; intelligent/adaptive systems; advanced thermal protection; planetary science; and airborne astronomy. Ames also develops tools for a safer, more efficient national airspace. The center's current director is Eugene Tu.[3]

The site was mission center for several key missions (Kepler, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph) and a major contributor to the "new exploration focus"[4] as a participant in the Orion crew exploration vehicle.

Missions

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Although Ames is a NASA Research Center, and not a flight center, it has nevertheless been closely involved in a number of astronomy and space missions.

The Pioneer program's eight successful space missions from 1965 to 1978 were managed by Charles Hall at Ames, initially aimed at the inner Solar System.[5] By 1972, it supported the bold flyby missions to Jupiter and Saturn with Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11.[6] Those two missions were trail blazers (radiation environment, new moons, gravity-assist flybys) for the planners of the more complex Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 missions, launched five years later. In 1978, the end of the program brought about a return to the inner solar system, with the Pioneer Venus Orbiter and Multiprobe, this time using orbital insertion rather than flyby missions.[7][8]

Lunar Prospector was the third mission selected by NASA for full development and construction as part of the Discovery Program.[9] At a cost of $62.8 million, the 19-month mission was put into a low polar orbit of the Moon, accomplishing mapping of surface composition and possible polar ice deposits, measurements of magnetic and gravity fields, and study of lunar outgassing events. Based on Lunar Prospector Neutron Spectrometer (NS) data, mission scientists have determined that there is indeed water ice in the polar craters of the Moon.[10] The mission ended July 31, 1999, when the orbiter was guided to an impact into a crater near the lunar south pole in an (unsuccessful) attempt to analyze lunar polar water by vaporizing it to allow spectroscopic characterization from Earth telescopes.[11]

The 11-pound (5 kg) GeneSat-1, carrying bacteria inside a miniature laboratory, was launched on December 16, 2006. The very small NASA satellite has proven that scientists can quickly design and launch a new class of inexpensive spacecraft—and conduct significant science.[12]

The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission to look for water on the Moon was a 'secondary payload spacecraft.' LCROSS began its trip to the Moon on the same rocket as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which continues to conduct a different lunar task. It launched in April 2009 on an Atlas V rocket from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.[13]

Hangar One, originally a US Navy airship hangar, in Moffett Field, California

The Kepler mission was NASA's first mission capable of finding Earth-size and smaller planets. The Kepler mission monitored the brightness of stars to find planets that pass in front of them during the planets' orbits. During such passes or 'transits,' the planets will slightly decrease the star's brightness.[14]

Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) was a joint venture of the U.S. and German aerospace agencies, NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to make an infrared telescope platform that can fly at altitudes high enough to be in the infrared-transparent regime above the water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere. The aircraft was supplied by the U.S., and the infrared telescope by Germany. Modifications of the Boeing 747SP airframe to accommodate the telescope, mission-unique equipment and large external door were made by L-3 Communications Integrated Systems of Waco, Texas.[15][16]

The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph mission is a partnership with the Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory to understand the processes at the boundary between the Sun's chromosphere and corona. This mission is sponsored by the NASA Small Explorer program.[17]

The Lunar Atmosphere Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission has been developed by NASA Ames. This successfully launched to the Moon on September 6, 2013.[18]

In addition, Ames has played a support role in a number of missions, most notably the Mars Pathfinder and Mars Exploration Rover missions, where the Ames Intelligent Robotics Laboratory[19] played a key role. NASA Ames was a partner on the Mars Phoenix, a Mars Scout Program mission to send a high-latitude lander to Mars, deployed a robotic arm to dig trenches up to 1.6 feet (one half meter) into the layers of water ice and analyzing the soil composition. Ames is also a partner on the Mars Science Laboratory and its Curiosity rover, a next generation Mars rover to explore for signs of organics and complex molecules.[20]

Air traffic control automation research

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The Aviation Systems Division conducts research and development in two primary areas: air traffic management, and high-fidelity flight simulation. For air traffic management, researchers are creating and testing concepts to allow for up to three times today's level of aircraft in the national airspace. Automation and its attendant safety consequences are key foundations of the concept development. Historically, the division has developed products that have been implemented for the flying public, such as the Traffic Management Adviser, which is being deployed nationwide. For high-fidelity flight simulation, the division operates the world's largest flight simulator (the Vertical Motion Simulator), a Level-D 747-400 simulator, and a panoramic air traffic control tower simulator. These simulators have been used for a variety of purposes including continued training for Space Shuttle pilots, development of future spacecraft handling qualities, helicopter control system testing, Joint Strike Fighter evaluations, and accident investigations. Personnel in the division have a variety of technical backgrounds, including guidance and control, flight mechanics, flight simulation, and computer science. Customers outside NASA have included the FAA, DOD, DHS, DOT, NTSB, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing.

The center's flight simulation and guidance laboratory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

Information technology

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IBM 7090 mainframe computer at Ames in 1961. Smith DeFrance, Ames' founding director, is second from the left.
See also: Human-centered computing (NASA)

Ames is the home of NASA's large research and development divisions in advanced supercomputing,[21] human factors,[22] and artificial intelligence (Intelligent Systems[23]). These Research & Development organizations support NASA's Exploration efforts, as well as the continued operations of the International Space Station, and the space science and Aeronautics work across NASA. The center also runs and maintains the E Root nameserver of the DNS.

The Intelligent Systems Division (Code TI) is NASA's leading R&D Division developing advanced intelligent software and systems for all of NASA Mission Directorates. It provides software expertise for earth science applications, aeronautics, space science missions, International Space Station, and the Crewed Exploration Vehicle (CEV).

The first AI in space (Deep Space 1) was developed from Code TI, as is the MAPGEN software that daily plans the activities for the Mars Exploration Rovers, the same core reasoner is used for Ensemble to operate Phoenix Lander, and the planning system for the International Space Station's solar arrays. Integrated System Health Management for the International Space Station's control moment gyroscopes, collaborative systems with semantic search tools, and robust software engineering round out the scope of Code TI's work.

The Human Systems Integration Division "advances human-centered design and operations of complex aerospace systems through analysis, experimentation, and modeling of human performance and human-automation interaction to make dramatic improvements in safety, efficiency and mission success".[24] For decades, the Human Systems Integration Division has been on the leading edge of human-centered aerospace research. The Division is home to over 100 researchers, contractors and administrative staff.

The NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division at Ames operates several of the agency's most powerful supercomputers, including the petaflop-scale Pleiades, Aitken, and Electra systems. Originally called the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation Division, the facility has housed more than 40 production and test supercomputers since its construction in 1987, and has served as a leader in high-performance computing, developing technology used across the industry, including the NAS Parallel Benchmarks and the Portable Batch System (PBS) job scheduling software.

In September 2009, Ames launched NEBULA as a fast and powerful Cloud Computing Platform to handle NASA's massive data sets that complied with security requirements.[25] This innovative pilot uses open-source components, complies with FISMA and can scale to Government-sized demands while being extremely energy efficient. In July 2010, NASA CTO Chris C. Kemp open sourced Nova, the technology behind the NEBULA Project in collaboration with Rackspace, launching OpenStack. OpenStack has subsequently become one of the largest and fastest growing open source projects in the history of computing, and as of 2014 has been included in most major distributions of Linux including Red Hat, Oracle, HP, SUSE, and Canonical.

Image processing

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NASA Ames was one of the first locations to conduct research on image processing of satellite-platform aerial photography. Some of the pioneering techniques of contrast enhancement using Fourier analysis were developed at Ames in conjunction with researchers at ESL Inc.

Wind tunnels

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One of the air intakes of the 80 by 120 foot wind tunnel (world's largest),[26] located at NASA Ames Research Center
Inside 80 by 120-foot wind tunnel facing towards the intake. Aircraft or scaled models of them can be mounted on the three struts in the foreground which in this picture hold individual airplane wing portions.

The NASA Ames Research Center wind tunnels are known not only for their immense size, but also for their diverse characteristics that enable various kinds of scientific and engineering research.

ARC Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel

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Main article: Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel

The Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT) was completed in 1956 at a cost of $27 million under the Unitary Plan Act of 1949. Since its completion, the UPWT facility has been the most heavily used NASA wind tunnel within the NASA Wind Tunnel Fleet. Every major commercial transport and almost every military jet built in the United States over the last 40 years has been tested in this facility. Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecraft, as well as Space Shuttle, were also tested in this tunnel complex.

National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC)

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Ames Research Center also houses the world's largest wind tunnel, part of the National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex (NFAC): it is large enough to test full-sized planes, rather than scale models. The complex of wind tunnels was listed on the National Register in 2017.

The Mars Science Laboratory landing parachute under test in the 80 by 120-foot wind tunnel. Note the people in the lower-right corner of the image.

The 40 by 80 foot wind tunnel circuit was originally constructed in the 1940s and is now capable of providing test velocities up to 300 knots (560 km/h; 350 mph).[27] It is used to support an active research program in aerodynamics, dynamics, model noise, and full-scale aircraft and their components. The aerodynamic characteristics of new configurations are investigated with an emphasis on estimating the accuracy of computational methods. The tunnel is also used to investigate the aeromechanical stability boundaries of advanced rotorcraft and rotor-fuselage interactions. Stability and control derivatives are also determined, including the static and dynamic characteristics of new aircraft configurations. The acoustic characteristics of most of the full-scale vehicles are also determined, as well as acoustic research aimed at discovering and reducing aerodynamic sources of noise. In addition to the normal data gathering methods (e.g., balance system, pressure measuring transducers, and temperature sensing thermocouples), state-of-the-art, non-intrusive instrumentation (e.g., laser velocimeters and shadowgraphs) are available to help determine flow direction and velocity in and around the lifting surfaces of aircraft. The 40 by 80 Foot Wind Tunnel is primarily used for determining the low- and medium-speed aerodynamic characteristics of high-performance aircraft, rotorcraft, and fixed wing, powered-lift V/STOL aircraft.

The 80 by 120 Foot Wind Tunnel is the world's largest wind tunnel test section. This open circuit leg was added and a new fan drive system was installed in the 1980s. It is currently capable of air speeds up to 100 knots (190 km/h; 120 mph).[27] This section is used in similar ways to the 40 by 80 foot section, but it is capable of testing larger aircraft, albeit at slower speeds. Some of the test programs that have come through the 80 by 120 Foot include: F-18 High Angle of Attack Vehicle, DARPA/Lockheed Common Affordable Lightweight Fighter, XV-15 Tilt Rotor, and Advance Recovery System Parafoil. The 80 by 120 foot test section is capable of testing a full size Boeing 737.

Although decommissioned by NASA in 2003, the NFAC is now being operated by the United States Air Force as a satellite facility of the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC).

Arc Jet Complex

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The Ames Arc Jet Complex is an advanced thermophysics facility where sustained hypersonic- and hyperthermal testing of vehicular thermoprotective systems takes place under a variety of simulated flight- and re-entry conditions.[28] Of its seven available test bays, four currently contain Arc Jet units of differing configurations. These are the Aerodynamic Heating Facility (AHF), the Turbulent Flow Duct (TFD), the Panel Test Facility (PTF), and the Interaction Heating Facility (IHF). The support equipment includes two D.C. power supplies, a steam ejector-driven vacuum system, a water-cooling system, high-pressure gas systems, data acquisition system, and other auxiliary systems.[28]

The largest power supply is capable of delivering 75 megawatts (MW) over 30 minutes or 150 MW over 15 seconds, which, coupled with a high-volume 5-stage steam ejector vacuum-pumping system, allows Ames to match high-altitude atmospheric conditions with large samples.[28] The Thermo-Physics Facilities Branch operates four arc jet facilities. The Interaction Heating Facility (IHF), with an available power of over 60-MW, is one of the highest-power arc jets available. It is a very flexible facility, capable of long run times of up to one hour, and able to test large samples in both a stagnation and flat plate configuration. The Panel Test Facility (PTF) uses a unique semielliptic nozzle for testing panel sections. Powered by a 20-MW arc heater, the PTF can perform tests on samples for up to 20 minutes. The Turbulent Flow Duct provides supersonic, turbulent high temperature air flows over flat surfaces. The TFD is powered by a 20-MW Hüls arc heater and can test samples 203 by 508 millimeters (8.0 by 20.0 in) in size. The Aerodynamic Heating Facility (AHF) has similar characteristics to the IHF arc heater, offering a wide range of operating conditions, sample sizes and extended test times. A cold-air-mixing plenum allows for simulations of ascent or high-speed flight conditions. Catalycity studies using air or nitrogen can be performed in this flexible rig. A 5-arm model support system allows the user to maximize testing efficiency. The AHF can be configured with either a Hüls or segmented arc heater, up to 20-MW. 1 MW is enough power to supply 750 homes.

The Arc Jet Complex was listed on the National Register in 2017.

Range complex

[edit]

Ames Vertical Gun Range

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Vertical Gun Range in horizontal loading position

The Ames Vertical Gun Range (AVGR) was designed to conduct scientific studies of lunar impact processes in support of the Apollo missions. In 1979, it was established as a National Facility, funded through the Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program. In 1995, increased scientific needs across various disciplines resulted in joint core funding by three different science programs at NASA Headquarters (Planetary Geology and Geophysics, Exobiology, and Solar System Origins). In addition, the AVGR provides programmatic support for various proposed and ongoing planetary missions (e.g. Stardust, Deep Impact).

Using its 0.30 cal light-gas gun and powder gun, the AVGR can launch projectiles to velocities ranging from 500 to 7,000 m/s (1,600 to 23,000 ft/s; 1,100 to 15,700 mph). By varying the gun's angle of elevation with respect to the target vacuum chamber, impact angles from 0° to 90° relative to the gravitational vector are possible. This unique feature is extremely important in the study of crater formation processes.

The target chamber is approximately 2.5 meters (8 ft 2 in) in diameter and height and can accommodate a wide variety of targets and mounting fixtures. It can maintain vacuum levels below 0.03 torrs (4.0 Pa), or can be back filled with various gases to simulate different planetary atmospheres. Impact events are typically recorded with high-speed video/film, or Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV).

Hypervelocity Free-Flight Range

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The Hypervelocity Free-Flight (HFF) Range currently comprises two active facilities: the Aerodynamic Facility (HFFAF) and the Gun Development Facility (HFFGDF). The HFFAF is a combined Ballistic Range and Shock-tube Driven Wind Tunnel. Its primary purpose is to examine the aerodynamic characteristics and flow-field structural details of free-flying aeroballistic models.

The HFFAF has a test section equipped with 16 shadowgraph-imaging stations. Each station can be used to capture an orthogonal pair of images of a hypervelocity model in flight. These images, combined with the recorded flight time history, can be used to obtain critical aerodynamic parameters such as lift, drag, static and dynamic stability, flow characteristics, and pitching moment coefficients. For very high Mach number (M > 25) simulations, models can be launched into a counter-flowing gas stream generated by the shock tube. The facility can also be configured for hypervelocity impact testing and has an aerothermodynamic capability as well. The HFFAF is currently configured to operate the 1.5 inches (38 mm) light-gas gun in support of continuing thermal imaging and transition research for NASA's hypersonics program.

The HFFGDF is used for gun performance enhancement studies, and occasional impact testing. The Facility uses the same arsenal of light-gas and powder guns as the HFFAF to accelerate particles that range in size from 3.2 to 25.4 millimeters (0.13 to 1.00 in) diameter to velocities ranging from 0.5 to 8.5 km/s (1,100 to 19,000 mph). Most of the research effort to date has centered on Earth atmosphere entry configurations (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Shuttle), planetary entry designs (Viking, Pioneer Venus, Galileo and MSL), and aerobraking (AFE) configurations. The facility has also been used for scramjet propulsion studies (National Aerospace Plane (NASP)) and meteoroid/orbital debris impact studies (Space Station and RLV). In 2004, the facility was utilized for foam-debris dynamics testing in support of the Return To Flight effort. As of March 2007, the GDF has been reconfigured to operate a cold gas gun for subsonic CEV capsule aerodynamics.

Electric Arc Shock Tube

[edit]

The Electric Arc Shock Tube (EAST) Facility is used to investigate the effects of radiation and ionization that occur during very high velocity atmospheric entries. In addition, the EAST can also provide air-blast simulations requiring the strongest possible shock generation in air at an initial pressure loading of 1 standard atmosphere (100 kPa) or greater. The facility has three separate driver configurations, to meet a range of test requirements: the driver can be connected to a diaphragm station of either a 102 millimeters (4.0 in) or a 610 millimeters (24 in) shock tube, and the high-pressure 102 millimeters (4.0 in) shock tube can also drive a 762 millimeters (30.0 in) shock tunnel. Energy for the drivers is supplied by a 1.25-MJ-capacitor storage system.

List of center directors

[edit]

The following persons had served as the Ames Research Center director:[29][30]

No. Image Director Start End Notes
1 Smith J. DeFrance July 25, 1940 June 24, 1947 Engineer-in-Charge, NACA Ames Aeronautical Laboratory
June 24, 1947 October 1, 1958 Director, NACA Ames Aeronautical Laboratory
October 1, 1958 October 15, 1965 Director, NASA Ames RC[31]
2 H. Julian Allen October 15, 1965 November 15, 1968 [32]
3 Hans Mark February 20 1969 August 15, 1977 [33]
Acting Clarence A. Syvertson August 15, 1977 April 30 1978
4 April 30, 1978 January 13, 1984 [34]
5 William F. Ballhaus Jr. January 16, 1984 February 1, 1988 [35]
February 1, 1989 July 15, 1989
Acting Dale L. Compton February 1, 1988 February 1, 1989
Acting July 15, 1989 December 20, 1989
6 December 20, 1989 January 28, 1994 [36]
7 Ken Munechika January 28, 1994 March 4, 1996 [37]
8 Henry McDonald March 4, 1996 September 19, 2002 [38]
9 G. Scott Hubbard September 19, 2002 February 15, 2006 [39]
Acting Marvin Christensen February 15, 2005 May 4, 2006
10 Simon P. Worden May 4, 2006 March 31, 2015 [40]
11 Eugene L. Tu May 4, 2015 present [41]

United States Geological Survey (USGS)

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In September 2016, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) announced plans to relocate its West Coast science center from nearby Menlo Park to the Ames Research Center at Moffett Field. The relocation is expected to take five years and will begin in 2017 with 175 of the USGS employees moving to Moffett. The relocation is designed to save money on the $7.5 million annual rent the USGS pays for its Menlo Park campus. The land in Menlo Park is owned by the General Services Administration, which is required by federal law to charge market-rate rent.[42]

Education

[edit]

NASA Ames Visitor Center

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The NASA Experience exhibit at the Chabot Space and Science Center serves as the visitor center for NASA's Ames Research Center. The NASA Experience provides a dynamic and interactive space for the public to learn about local contributions to space exploration across the years. From models of spacecraft and genuine spacesuits from as early as the Mercury and Gemini missions to artifacts related to NASA's upcoming Artemis missions, the NASA Ames Visitor Center gives visitors access to over 80 years of Ames history and a look into current and future projects. Ames' expertise in wind tunnel testing, rover design and testing, space robotics, supercomputing, and more is on display. The exhibit was opened on November 12, 2021.[43]

NASA Ames Exploration Center

[edit]
NASA Ames Exploration Center
Main article: NASA Ames Exploration Center

The NASA Ames Exploration Center is a science museum and education center for NASA. There are displays and interactive exhibits about NASA technology, missions and space exploration. A Moon rock, meteorite, and other geologic samples are on display. The theater shows movies with footage from NASA's explorations of Mars and the planets, and about the contributions of the scientists at Ames. This facility is currently closed.[44]

Robotics Alliance Project

[edit]

In 1999, Mark León developed NASA's Robotics Education Project — now called the Robotics Alliance Project — under his mentor Dave Lavery, which has reached over 100,000 students nationwide using FIRST robotics and BOTBALL robotics competitions. The Project's FIRST branch originally comprised FRC Team 254: "The Cheesy Poofs", an all-male team from Bellarmine High School in San Jose, California. In 2006, Team 1868: "The Space Cookies", an all-female team, was founded in collaboration with the Girl Scouts. In 2012, Team 971: "Spartan Robotics" of Mountain View High School joined the Project, though the team continues to operate at their school. All three teams are highly decorated. All three have won Regional competitions, two have won the FIRST Championship, two have won the Regional Chairman's Award, and one is a Hall of Fame team. The three teams are collectively referred to as "House teams".

The mission of the project is "To create a human, technical, and programmatic resource of robotics capabilities to enable the implementation of future robotic space exploration missions."[45]

Public-private partnerships

[edit]

The federal government has re-tasked portions of the facility and human resources to support private sector industry, research, and education.

HP became the first corporate affiliate of a new Bio-Info-Nano Research and Development Institute (BIN-RDI); a collaborative venture established by the University of California Santa Cruz and NASA, based at Ames. The Bio|Info|Nano R&D Institute is dedicated to creating scientific breakthroughs by the convergence of biotechnology, information technology, and nanotechnology.[46]

Singularity University hosts its leadership and educational program at the facility. The Organ Preservation Alliance [1] is also headquartered there; the Alliance is a nonprofit organization that works in partnership with the Methuselah Foundation's New Organ Prize "to catalyze breakthroughs on the remaining obstacles towards the long-term storage of organs" to overcome the drastic unmet medical need for viable organs for transplantation. Kleenspeed Technologies is headquartered there.

Google

[edit]

On September 28, 2005, Google and Ames Research Center disclosed details to a long-term research partnership. In addition to pooling engineering talent, Google planned to build a 1,000,000-square-foot (9.3 ha) facility on the ARC campus.[47] One of the projects between Ames, Google, and Carnegie Mellon University is the Gigapan Project – a robotic platform for creating, sharing, and annotating terrestrial gigapixel images. The Planetary Content Project seeks to integrate and improve the data that Google uses for its Google Moon and Google Mars projects.[48] On 4 June 2008, Google announced it had leased 42 acres (170,000 m2) from NASA, at Moffett Field, for use as office space and employee housing.[49]

Construction of the new Google project which is near Google's Googleplex headquarters began in 2013 and has a target opening date in 2015. It is called "Bay View" as it overlooks San Francisco Bay.

In May 2013, Google announced that it was launching the Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab, to be hosted by ARC. The lab will house a 512 qubit quantum computer from D-Wave Systems, and the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) will invite researchers from around the world to share time on it. The goal being to study how quantum computing might advance machine learning.[50][51][52]

Announced on November 10, 2014, Planetary Ventures LLC (a Google subsidiary) will lease the Moffett Federal Airfield from NASA Ames, a site of about 1,000 acres formerly costing the agency $6.3 million annually in maintenance and operation costs.[53] The lease includes the restoration of the site's historic landmark Hangar One, as well as hangars Two and Three. The lease went into effect in March 2015, and spans 60 years.

Living and working at Ames

[edit]

An official NASA ID is required to enter Ames.

In support of families working at NASA Ames Research Center, the Ames Child Care Center(ACCC) was opened in 1986. The center's goal is to serve the children of NASA employees, civil servants, contractors, and military employees working at Ames Research Center and Moffett Federal Air Field. The ACCC moved to an new on-site location in 2002 as a result of additional funding from NASA and private donors. In 2005, the ACCC opened to the general public, though at increased tuition rates compared to ACCC affiliates.[54]

There are myriad activities both inside the research center and around the base for full-time workers and interns alike. Portions of a fitness trail remain inside the base (also called a Parcourse trail), Sections of it are now inaccessible due to changes in base layout since it was installed.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Ames Research Center

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
The Ames Research Center (ARC), a major facility of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is located at Moffett Federal Airfield in California's Silicon Valley and was established in December 1939 as the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). Originally focused on aeronautical research, it has evolved into a hub for multidisciplinary innovation, conducting world-class research and development in aeronautics, exploration technology, and science. Key capabilities include advanced aerodynamics, thermodynamics, space and life sciences, intelligent systems, and supercomputing, supported by state-of-the-art facilities such as the world's largest wind tunnel, NASA's only arc jet for re-entry testing, and its fastest supercomputers. Since its founding, Ames has played pivotal roles in landmark achievements, including the development of the blunt body concept for atmospheric reentry in 1953, management of the Pioneer 6-9 spacecraft in the to establish the first space-based solar weather network, and the 2009 launch of the Kepler mission, which discovered over 2,600 exoplanets. The center's location in has fostered collaborations with industry and academia, advancing fields like autonomous systems, biology in space, and through innovations such as the acquisition of the supercomputer in 1972 and the launch of the GeneSat nanosatellite in 2006. Today, under Director Eugene Tu, Ames continues to support 's missions, including lunar and Mars exploration, while leading in areas like and climate modeling.

Introduction

Location and Administration

NASA's Ames Research Center is situated in , within the heart of , approximately 40 miles south of and 12 miles north of San Jose. The facility occupies roughly 430 acres adjacent to , a site originally developed as a U.S. airfield in the 1930s. This strategic location in the places Ames at the nexus of , benefiting from proximity to leading universities, high-tech industries, and research institutions. The center's infrastructure encompasses more than 60 buildings, including research laboratories, administrative offices, and support facilities, along with runways and historic hangars such as the iconic Hangar One. These assets support a range of operational needs, from wind tunnel testing to computational simulations, all integrated into the former airfield's layout. As one of NASA's ten field centers, Ames reports directly to NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., ensuring alignment with agency-wide priorities. Administratively, Ames is led by the Office of the Director, which oversees key directorates including the , Science Directorate, Engineering and Safety Center Directorate, and Center Operations Directorate. These divisions manage specialized functions, such as aeronautical research, scientific exploration, technical development, and operational support, respectively. The center's workforce consists of approximately 2,500 civil servants and contractors, fostering a collaborative environment dedicated to advancing NASA's missions. Ames receives annual funding of approximately $811 million, as reflected in 2024 fiscal allocations (the most recent detailed center-specific figure available). This budget supports the center's role in pioneering technologies while maintaining its facilities and personnel.

Role in NASA

NASA's Ames Research Center plays a pivotal role in advancing the agency's core missions by conducting pioneering research and development in aeronautics, exploration technology, and science, with a focus on enabling safe and sustainable aviation, searching for life beyond Earth, and leveraging high-performance computing for mission-critical simulations. As one of NASA's 10 field centers, Ames emphasizes research and development over operational activities, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations with centers like the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Johnson Space Center (JSC) to integrate bio-inspired technologies, artificial intelligence for autonomous systems, and supercomputing capabilities into broader NASA objectives. Its strategic location in Silicon Valley facilitates partnerships with industry and academia, enhancing innovation in human spaceflight and planetary exploration. Ames' primary objectives include developing technologies for safer , advancing to detect , and providing computational resources for climate modeling, mission planning, and design. The center contributes to 's pillars by leading efforts in bio-inspired engineering for , AI-driven for and , and supercomputing through the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division, which supports simulations for and space missions. In , Ames' Space Science and Division drives interdisciplinary research to understand the origins of life and habitability, hosting initiatives like the Program. Ames supports major NASA initiatives such as the through simulation modeling, life sciences experiments like the BioSentinel mission for deep-space biology, and engineering risk assessments for abort scenarios during launch. In the , it has provided critical human factors research and testing for spacecraft like SpaceX's Crew Dragon, including evaluations of launch, abort, and re-entry conditions to ensure crew safety. These efforts underscore Ames' unique position in bridging fundamental research with practical applications, delivering high-impact technologies that advance sustainable aviation and human exploration from the to Mars.

History

Establishment and Early Research

The Ames Research Center was established on December 20, 1939, by the (NACA) as its second major laboratory on the West Coast, expanding beyond the existing Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in to address growing demands in aeronautical research during the late 1930s. Named the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory in honor of Joseph Sweetman Ames, a , founding member of NACA, and its chairman from 1927 to 1939 who played a pivotal role in advancing aeronautical science, the facility was sited at the former U.S. Navy airfield at Moffett Field in California's to leverage proximity to the burgeoning West Coast aircraft manufacturing industry and resources. The laboratory's initial mandate centered on high-speed and stability, areas critical to improving performance as technology pushed toward faster and more efficient designs amid pre- tensions. Construction began promptly, with the first major facility—the 12-foot pressure —becoming operational in 1940, enabling pressurized testing of scale models to simulate high-altitude conditions. During , Ames shifted focus to urgent military needs, conducting extensive research on propellers, engine cooling, and drag reduction to enhance Allied effectiveness, which included testing components for fighters and bombers. Key early projects at Ames advanced fundamental aeronautical concepts, such as the development of airfoils designed to minimize drag by promoting smooth airflow over wing surfaces, a breakthrough that influenced subsequent aircraft designs like the . The center also contributed theoretical insights and data to supersonic flight research, supporting NACA's collaborative efforts on the program, which culminated in the first manned supersonic flight in 1947. The workforce expanded rapidly to meet these demands, growing from fewer than 60 employees in 1940 to approximately 1,000 by 1945, including a significant number of women serving as human computers who performed complex calculations essential to aerodynamic modeling and . In 1958, the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory transitioned into 's Ames Research Center as part of the agency's formation from NACA, marking the beginning of its expanded role in space .

Post-NASA Era and Key Developments

Upon its integration into the newly formed National and Space Administration () on October 1, 1958, the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory was renamed NASA Ames Research Center, marking a pivotal shift from its NACA roots in to broader responsibilities in space and . This transition expanded Ames' mandate to include support, planetary missions, and advanced computing, while retaining core aerodynamic research capabilities. In the and , Ames played a key role in early space endeavors, managing the Pioneer Venus mission launched in 1978, which deployed an orbiter and multiple probes to study ' atmosphere and surface, providing the first detailed maps of the planet. Concurrently, Ames advanced supercomputing with the installation of the in 1972, an early parallel computer that enabled complex simulations for aerospace design and , establishing the center as a leader in (CFD). The 1980s and 1990s saw Ames diversify into astrobiology and high-performance computing, including the founding of the SETI Institute in 1984 as a non-profit partner hosted at the center to pursue the search for extraterrestrial intelligence using radio astronomy. Ames also launched the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation (NAS) facility in 1987, a supercomputing hub that revolutionized computational fluid dynamics for aircraft and spacecraft design. From the 2000s to the 2020s, Ames led groundbreaking exoplanet research through the Kepler Space Telescope mission (2009-2018), which identified over 2,600 exoplanets and confirmed thousands more, fundamentally advancing our understanding of planetary systems. The center also contributed astrobiology instruments to Mars rovers, including leading the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument on Curiosity (2012-present), enabling in-situ analysis of Martian habitability. Ames provided sensors for the entry, descent, and landing system on the Perseverance rover (2021-present). Post-2020, Ames has emphasized AI integration across NASA missions, contributing to the agency's 2021 AI Ethics Framework to ensure responsible use in space operations and data analysis. The center conducts human factors simulations for the , modeling crew performance in lunar habitats to mitigate risks for deep-space missions. As of 2024, Ames continues to utilize its supercomputing infrastructure, including the system, for high-resolution climate modeling and mission planning.

Research Programs

Aeronautics Research

Ames Research Center plays a pivotal role in advancing through research in () automation, (), and sustainable aviation fuels, focusing on enhancing safety, efficiency, and environmental sustainability in systems. In automation, Ames develops technologies to optimize usage and reduce delays, including tools that integrate human operators with automated systems for real-time decision-making. For , the center explores on-demand air transportation in urban environments using electric vertical takeoff and landing () vehicles, addressing challenges like integration and . Sustainable aviation fuels research at Ames investigates blends to lower carbon emissions, evaluating their performance in combustion and emissions through computational modeling and testing. Key projects at Ames include contributions to NextGen systems, which aim to modernize the national with advanced automation for trajectory-based operations, and the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) initiative, launched in and ongoing, to enable safe low-altitude drone operations beyond visual line of sight. UTM employs a distributed network of services for , deconfliction, and weather assessment, demonstrated through field tests with industry partners to support scalable drone integration into the . These efforts leverage Ames' Airspace Operations Laboratory for simulations that validate concepts under realistic scenarios. Human factors research at Ames emphasizes reducing pilot workload through AI-assisted tools, such as predictive alerts and adaptive interfaces, tested in flight simulators to improve during high-density operations. Simulation-based training programs extend to commercial and space vehicles, incorporating to enhance crew performance and safety in complex missions. Recent advancements include 2024 testing of the Hypersonic Configurable Unit Ballistic Experiment platform, which evaluates materials and configurations for commercial hypersonic vehicles under extreme re-entry conditions. In electric propulsion for eVTOL aircraft, Ames conducted evaluations on the Vertical Motion Simulator to assess handling qualities of distributed electric systems, achieving up to 7.5% energy savings in optimized flight profiles. These developments draw on wind tunnel testing for aerodynamic validation. Ames' contributions extend to FAA-NASA partnerships, providing research data and prototypes that inform regulatory standards for and UAM integration. This work aligns with the U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan goal of net-zero aviation by 2050, targeting reductions through efficient fuels and operations that could cut U.S. domestic flight emissions significantly.

Astrobiology and Planetary Science

The Exobiology Branch at NASA's Ames Research Center leads interdisciplinary research in and , focusing on pre-biotic chemistry, the origins, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the . This work emphasizes assessments of solar system bodies and exoplanets, as well as the development of instruments for detecting signs of life on future missions. Researchers employ laboratory simulations, field analogs, and computational models to evaluate environmental conditions that could support microbial life, prioritizing robust biosignatures such as organic molecules and isotopic ratios that distinguish biological from abiotic processes. Ames played a foundational role in NASA's (NAI), established in 1998 as a multidisciplinary to advance the search for ; the center hosted one of the initial teams, fostering collaborations on topics like biology and until the program's restructuring in 2017. Today, the Exobiology Branch continues this legacy, with scientists like Mary Voytek as branch chief, conducting studies on and preservation under space-like conditions. Key efforts include developing detection technologies, such as instruments and Raman spectrometers, to identify and other biomarkers in extraterrestrial samples. In the , Ames researchers have contributed to mission concepts, proposing autonomous drilling and sampling strategies to probe the icy moon's subsurface for evidence of subsurface ocean . Ames supports major missions advancing planetary science and astrobiology, including leadership in science team contributions to the Dragonfly rotorcraft-lander mission to Titan, scheduled for launch in 2028, where researchers assess organic chemistry and pre-biotic processes in the moon's hydrocarbon-rich environment. In September 2025, the Dragonfly mission cleared key design, development, and testing milestones, advancing toward its July 2028 launch. For the Perseverance rover, Ames contributed to sample analysis protocols and the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE), which successfully demonstrated oxygen production from Martian CO2 in 2021, informing in-situ resource utilization for future human exploration and habitability studies. The center also aids James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations of exoplanet atmospheres, providing modeling expertise to interpret potential biosignatures like water vapor and methane in habitable zones. Facilities at Ames enable hands-on testing of astrobiology technologies, notably the Ames Mars Yard, a simulated Martian terrain used for rover-based drilling and life-detection experiments, such as the Atacama Rover Astrobiology Drilling Studies (ARADS) that integrate autonomous sampling with assays. Researchers develop algorithms for detection, leveraging to classify spectral data from instruments like the Signs of Life Detector, enhancing the sensitivity of future missions to faint signals of microbial activity. These tools have been validated in extreme analogs, improving protocols for distinguishing in low-biomass environments. Recent findings from Ames highlight ongoing debates in ; in 2023, analysis using the (SOFIA), operated from Ames, set strict upper limits on in Venus's atmosphere, challenging earlier claims of a potential and suggesting as an alternative explanation. For , Ames astrobiologist Alfonso Davila published a 2024 review on its astrobiological potential. Complementing this, a June 2025 study analyzed phosphates in ' plumes, indicating high pH ocean water potentially supportive of life, building on 2023 reanalyses of Cassini data showing complex organics with possible abiotic and biotic origins. These investigations, to which Ames contributes through related and sample return proposals, underscore the branch's emphasis on verifiable evidence, integrating lab experiments with mission data to refine life-detection strategies.

Computational and Information Sciences

The NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) Division at Ames Research Center operates the NAS facility, which provides resources to support NASA's scientific and engineering missions through , data analytics, and visualization services. The facility houses several supercomputers, including , a distributed-memory SGI/HPE ICE cluster originally deployed in 2008 and continually upgraded for demanding simulations. enables large-scale computations, such as those contributing to the by integrating supercomputing with testing for mission planning. Key applications of Ames' supercomputing resources include (CFD) simulations for , where tools like the Launch Ascent and Vehicle (LAVA) framework model complex flows for launch vehicles and entry systems. In , Pleiades supports climate modeling efforts, such as simulations of dynamics and growth under changing conditions, providing insights into environmental impacts. Additionally, the facility facilitates AI training on mission data, including experiments in collaboration with partners like to accelerate scientific discoveries from large datasets. Ames researchers have advanced image processing algorithms for astronomical data, particularly through the development of pipelines for observations; for instance, the Kepler mission's data processing pipeline, hosted at Ames, calibrates photometric data from stellar fields to detect exoplanets using pixel-level analysis and systematic error correction. This work extends to planetary via collaborations with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), where Ames contributes to geometric processing of digital planetary images for mapping extraterrestrial surfaces. Prominent open-source initiatives from Ames include contributions to CFD tools like the FUN3D solver, where Ames teams have integrated it with GPU acceleration for efficient simulations in research. analytics for catalogs are exemplified by the Kepler pipeline, which processes terabytes of time-series data to identify planetary transits and has enabled the confirmation of thousands of through scalable, modules. In recent years, Ames has piloted applications through the Quantum Laboratory (), focusing on optimization problems relevant to space missions, including planning for in multi-commodity networks. These efforts, building on 2024 explorations, aim to leverage quantum algorithms for intractable classical problems in aerospace operations.

Human Systems and AI

The Human Systems Integration Division (HSID) at Ames Research Center focuses on advancing for complex systems by integrating human performance analysis with automation and (AI). Core research areas include human-computer interaction (HCI), where engineers develop interfaces that enhance operator and reduce cognitive workload in high-stakes environments, and AI for decision support, which employs algorithms to assist human operators in real-time . Additionally, the division explores for , emphasizing autonomous systems that enable safe navigation and task execution in remote or hazardous settings, such as planetary surfaces. These efforts aim to optimize human-automation teaming, ensuring reliability and efficiency in missions where human oversight is critical. Key projects at Ames demonstrate these principles through practical applications. For instance, the Intelligent Systems Division, in collaboration with HSID, contributes to autonomous robotics for , including software enhancements for rover navigation on missions like Mars 2020's Perseverance, where AI-driven hazard avoidance systems allow the vehicle to traverse challenging terrain independently while prioritizing mission safety. In space crew performance studies, Ames researchers conduct experiments at the Space Exploration Analog and (HI-SEAS) facility to evaluate human factors in isolated environments, such as and stress responses during simulated long-duration Mars missions, informing crew selection and training protocols. For applications, Ames develops AI aids for air traffic controllers, including planning tools that use expert systems to predict arrival traffic flows and suggest optimized routes, thereby improving efficiency and reducing delays in dense airspace. Recent advancements highlight Ames' leadership in ethical and innovative AI integration. In 2025, the Artificial Intelligence for Life in Space (AI4LS) initiative at Ames applies generative AI models to mission planning, using deep learning to simulate biological responses and optimize resource allocation for crewed spaceflights, such as predicting microbial risks in closed-loop life support systems. Complementing this, Ames contributes to NASA's broader ethical AI frameworks, including the 2021 guidelines updated through ongoing white papers that emphasize principles like fairness, transparency, and accountability in AI deployment for space operations, with a 2023 emphasis on data ethics in multi-stakeholder missions. The division also leverages virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) simulations for training, creating immersive environments that replicate mission scenarios to build operator skills in human-machine collaboration, as tested in Ames' motion simulators for pilot and controller proficiency. These developments underscore Ames' commitment to trustworthy AI that augments human capabilities without compromising safety.

Facilities and Infrastructure

Aerodynamic Facilities

The Ames Research Center maintains a suite of advanced aerodynamic facilities, including some of the world's most sophisticated wind tunnels, dedicated to testing , , and related systems under subsonic to supersonic conditions. These infrastructure enable precise simulation of airflow dynamics, supporting NASA's research and industry partnerships by validating designs for efficiency, stability, and performance prior to flight. Key facilities emphasize full-scale and large-scale model testing to bridge computational simulations with real-world . The centerpiece is the Ames Research Center Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT), a continuous-flow facility operational since May 1, 1956, following construction authorized by the 1949 Unitary Plan Act. Equipped with three interconnected test sections, the UPWT accommodates full-scale and large-scale models across a Mach number range of 0.2 to 3.5, allowing seamless transitions from low-speed to transonic and supersonic regimes without model reconfiguration. It has played a critical role in certifying major aircraft, including aerodynamic validation for the Boeing 777 airliner and scale models related to the F/A-18 series, where tests assessed lift, drag, and structural loads under varied flight envelopes. The facility's versatility extends to modern applications, such as supporting computational fluid dynamics validation for vehicles like the Orion spacecraft, with a staff of over 100 personnel managing operations that require at least seven months of advance planning for complex tests. Complementing the UPWT is the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC), which houses the planet's largest wind tunnels: the 40- by 80-Foot and 80- by 120-Foot sections. The 40-by-80-Foot tunnel features a test section measuring 39 feet high by 79 feet wide and 80 feet long (with acoustic liners), capable of speeds from 0 to 300 knots, while the larger 80-by-120-Foot tunnel offers a 79-foot-high by 118.3-foot-wide and 190-foot-long section at speeds up to 100 knots; both are driven by six 40-foot-diameter fans delivering a combined 72 megawatts of power. These tunnels excel in full-scale testing of , helicopters, powered-lift vertical/short takeoff and landing () aircraft, and fixed-wing configurations, evaluating phenomena like rotor-fuselage interactions, , and noise reduction through specialized instrumentation such as laser velocimeters and . The NFAC has also advanced research, including studies on wind turbines. Operated by Ames under a long-term with the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the complex fosters extensive NASA-Department of Defense collaborations, enabling joint programs for military and advancements. Among smaller-scale facilities, the 12-Foot Pressure supports foundational aerodynamic investigations with its variable-density design, operating at subsonic speeds up to six atmospheres total pressure in a low-turbulence environment. This facilitates detailed studies of flow characteristics, wall interference corrections, and model scaling effects, providing essential data for refining theoretical models and supporting broader Ames research initiatives. For de-icing technologies, Ames leverages its wind tunnels—drawing on a historical legacy of pioneering anti-icing systems since the NACA —to test protective measures against accretion, ensuring safer operations in adverse weather through simulated low-temperature airflow conditions. Collectively, these facilities sustain high-volume operations, averaging over 1,800 hours of testing per year across the UPWT alone and accommodating numerous annual experiments through NASA-Department of Defense partnerships that integrate aerodynamic data with advanced computational analyses.

Hypersonic and Entry Systems Facilities

The Hypersonic and Entry Systems Facilities at NASA's Ames Research Center primarily consist of the Arc Jet Complex, which houses four operational arc jet facilities designed to simulate the extreme thermal environments encountered during and . These facilities generate high-enthalpy plasma flows using constrictor arc heaters that heat gases to temperatures up to 10,000 K, replicating the aerothermal conditions of planetary re-entry where spacecraft heat shields must withstand intense and oxidation. Supported by a shared 20 MW DC power supply, systems, and cooling infrastructure, the complex enables controlled testing of thermal protection systems (TPS) in high- chambers to mimic space-like conditions while ensuring operator safety through robust containment and monitoring protocols. The core capabilities of the Arc Jet Complex focus on plasma arc heating for evaluating material , catalytic efficiency, and structural integrity under sustained hyperthermal loads, with facilities like the Interaction Heating Facility (IHF) delivering up to 60 MW for large-scale tests and the Aerodynamic Heating Facility (AHF) providing versatile configurations for smaller samples. These plasma environments, produced by ionizing air or other gases through electric arcs, allow precise measurement of , surface recession, and gas composition, critical for validating TPS performance without full-scale flight risks. The complex's instrumentation, including optical diagnostics and thermocouples, supports iterative testing to refine materials like ablative composites and ceramic tiles. Historically, the facilities have been instrumental in developing TPS for NASA's Space Shuttle program, where arc jet tests certified the reusable silica tiles by simulating re-entry heating profiles and identifying vulnerabilities to plasma erosion. In the 2020s, they supported qualification of the Orion crew capsule's Avcoat ablative heat shield, conducting over 1,000 runs to assess char loss and insulation under lunar return conditions, contributing to anomaly resolutions post-Artemis I. For planetary missions, the complex tested heat shields for Mars entry vehicles, including the phenolic-impregnated carbon ablator (PICA) used on the Perseverance rover in 2021, ensuring survival during hypersonic descent through the thin Martian atmosphere. Beyond crewed and robotic exploration, the facilities address defense applications, such as testing materials for hypersonic cruise missiles that endure prolonged exposure to Mach 5+ speeds and associated thermal stresses. In 2023, upgrades to the complex included enhancements to the Laser Enhanced Arc-Jet Facility (), integrating up to four 50-kW lasers to simulate combined convective and radiative heating relevant to missions, where thick CO2 atmospheres amplify on entry probes. This interactive capability allows real-time adjustment of loads for more accurate replication of extreme environments. The Arc Jet Complex also facilitates partnerships with commercial entities, providing access to its high-vacuum test chambers for proprietary TPS development; for instance, has utilized the facilities to validate PICA-X variants for Dragon capsules, accelerating certification through shared ground-testing data and expertise. These operations emphasize safety via interlocked vacuum systems and remote monitoring, minimizing risks from high-power arcs and plasma containment. Overall, the facilities remain pivotal for advancing hypersonic technologies, with ongoing modernizations aimed at increasing throughput and energy efficiency to meet growing demands from both government and industry.

Ballistic and Impact Facilities

The Ames Research Center maintains several specialized facilities within its Ballistic Range Complex dedicated to simulating high-velocity impacts and discrete shock events relevant to . These include the Ames Vertical Gun Range (AVGR), the Hypervelocity Free-Flight Facilities (HFFF), and the Electric Arc Shock Tube (EAST), which enable laboratory-scale investigations of phenomena such as strikes, orbital debris interactions, and planetary entry dynamics. The AVGR, established in 1964, functions as a variable-angle facility for impact testing, launching projectiles at speeds up to approximately 7 km/s into a large to replicate celestial body collisions on a small scale. This setup allows researchers to vary the impact angle from 0° to 90° in 15° increments, facilitating studies of formation, distribution, and momentum transfer in materials like porous asteroids or simulants. Key applications include evaluating shielding for , where impacts generate debris clouds analyzed for penetration and fragmentation patterns. Recent upgrades have enhanced precision for lower-speed shots below 1.9 km/s while maintaining high-fidelity vacuum conditions, supporting ongoing research. Complementing the AVGR, the HFFF complex comprises two active ranges: the Hypervelocity Free-Flight Aerodynamic Facility (HFFAF), operational since 1964, and the Gun Development Facility (HFFGDF), reactivated in 2004. The HFFAF accelerates models to velocities between 0.2 and 8.5 km/s in a environment down to 0.03 , using gases such as air, , or CO₂ to track free-flight trajectories via high-speed imaging and shadowgraphy. This capability has been instrumental in deflection studies, including simulations informing the 2022 DART mission by modeling impacts on kinetic impactors and target bodies. The HFFGDF, operating at , focuses on gun performance development for speeds up to 1.8 km/s, aiding iterative improvements in launch technologies. The EAST, constructed in 1965, is NASA's sole shock tube capable of generating extreme shock-heated gas environments through arc discharge heating of the driver gas, producing velocities from 1.3 to 46 km/s—equivalent to Mach numbers up to 30 in air for planetary entry simulations. It replicates radiative heating and flow conditions for entry probes, with test times up to 100 microseconds, enabling spectroscopic measurements of shock layers in atmospheres like those of , , or Titan. Applications extend to validating designs for missions such as the and , where high-enthalpy shocks inform heatshield ablation and sensor performance. These facilities collectively support critical applications in lunar regolith simulation and orbital debris impact studies. At the AVGR, experiments using JSC-1A lunar mare regolith simulants have characterized ejecta plumes and crater morphologies from normal and oblique impacts, providing data for lander stability and dust mitigation strategies. Similarly, hypervelocity tests simulate micrometeoroid and orbital debris threats to spacecraft, assessing shielding effectiveness against particles up to 6.35 mm in diameter and informing standards for the International Space Station and future habitats.

Computing Facilities

The NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) Facility at Ames Research Center serves as a cornerstone for , housing multiple petascale supercomputers within modular infrastructure designed for scalability and efficiency. Established in the , the facility includes the Modular Supercomputing Facility (MSF), a one-acre site capable of accommodating up to 16 modules for computing and , which supports NASA's computational needs across various missions. The MSF's design emphasizes energy efficiency, utilizing self-contained modules that reduce water usage by up to 90% compared to traditional data centers through adiabatic cooling and optimized airflow. This approach aligns with broader sustainability efforts at Ames, including the integration of sources like in supporting infrastructure to minimize environmental impact. Central to the NAS Facility is the , a distributed-memory SGI/HPE cluster that delivers a peak performance of 6.91 petaflops as of mid-2025, with ongoing expansions planned to replace and enhance its capabilities using HPE systems for greater computational power. In early 2025, announced a successor system to Pleiades with a peak performance of 20.13 petaflops, planned to significantly boost capacity for complex simulations while maintaining the facility's focus on reliable, high-throughput processing. Complementing these resources are advanced visualization tools, such as the Hyperwall system—a 128-screen 4K LCD array spanning 300 square feet and exceeding one billion pixels—which enables immersive analysis of large-scale datasets from supercomputer outputs. Upgraded in 2024, the Hyperwall provides four times the resolution of prior generations, facilitating collaborative data exploration for researchers. The facility's data storage infrastructure handles petabyte-scale archives, offering 116.5 petabytes of high-speed NFS and Lustre temporary storage alongside a 1,400-petabyte archival tape system for long-term preservation and rapid retrieval of mission-critical results. Access to these resources is allocated through NASA's High-End Computing Capability (HECC) program, which is open to personnel, other government agencies, and academic institutions via competitive proposals submitted through the Resource Management System (RMS); this supports over 1,500 users annually in conducting resource-intensive computations. Security protocols at the NAS Facility ensure robust protection of sensitive data, adhering to and federal standards for unclassified systems while prohibiting the processing of classified information; however, Ames as a whole supports secure simulations for national security partners through dedicated, compliant environments. These computing assets briefly underpin applications in Ames' research programs, such as modeling complex phenomena.

Education and Public Engagement

Outreach Programs

The NASA Ames Exploration Center, opened in 2002, offered interactive exhibits focused on , history, and NASA's missions, providing free admission to the public. These hands-on displays allowed visitors to engage with simulations of space travel and aeronautical innovations, fostering public interest in STEM fields. The center attracted approximately 50,000 visitors per year prior to 2020, serving as a key gateway for community engagement with Ames' research. The on-site Ames Visitor Center, which housed the Exploration Center, closed around 2020 due to impacts from the and federal budget constraints. Its legacy included an theater screening space documentaries and a planetarium offering stargazing programs, which educated thousands on astronomy and planetary science before the closure. The Ames Visitor Center was relocated to the Chabot Space & Science Center in , and reopened in a redesigned form on June 22, 2024, featuring hands-on exhibitions on Ames' research in space exploration and . Today, Ames continues public outreach through special events such as STEM days featuring hands-on activities in and , as well as community eclipse viewings that provide safe solar observation tools and expert talks. Ames enhances community impact through partnerships with local schools, organizing field trips that introduce students to ongoing research in and . To promote inclusivity, Ames supports outreach programs targeting underrepresented groups in STEM, including workshops and mentorship initiatives that encourage participation from diverse communities in .

Educational Initiatives

Ames participates in NASA's Pathways Internship Program, providing paid opportunities for current students and recent graduates to work on agency projects under the mentorship of scientists and engineers. These internships, available year-round at Ames facilities, emphasize hands-on contributions to missions in areas like AI, supercomputing, and planetary science, serving as a direct pathway to full-time NASA employment. The Robotics Alliance Project, initiated under the education branch at Ames Research Center, engages K-12 students in national robotics competitions such as and , utilizing tools like VEX kits and for hands-on learning in coding, engineering design, and problem-solving. By partnering with schools and teams, the project builds foundational STEM skills and has supported the formation of multiple high school teams affiliated with Ames. Ames fosters university collaborations through initiatives like the NASA-Berkeley Summer Scholars program, which places undergraduate students in research at the center, and the Space Life Sciences Training Program, a ten-week summer opportunity for students to conduct -related research in . These efforts include support for student theses via NASA's broader funding mechanisms, such as the Lewis and Clark Fund for in astrobiology. Recent educational developments at Ames include seminars on supercomputing through the Advanced Modeling and Simulation series at the Advanced Supercomputing facility. Outcomes from these programs demonstrate strong impact, with advancing to roles in missions, such as contributions to and Mars exploration, and many transitioning to permanent positions within the agency. Ames prioritizes diversity, with initiatives aimed at increasing participation from women and underrepresented groups in STEM cohorts to reflect 's workforce goals.

Partnerships

Industry Collaborations

Ames Research Center has fostered significant industry collaborations focused on and joint , particularly in , , and computational sciences. In 2008, NASA Ames entered a 60-year lease agreement with for 42.2 acres in the NASA Research Park to develop a high-technology campus, including data centers that process vast amounts of NASA data through platforms like Google Earth Engine for planetary-scale analysis. This partnership enables to leverage Ames' expertise in large-scale while providing NASA access to advanced resources for applications. In aeronautics, Ames collaborates closely with Boeing on advanced aircraft design and testing, including wind tunnel evaluations of truss-braced wing concepts for fuel-efficient flight demonstrated at Ames facilities between 2014 and 2016. More recently, in 2025, Boeing conducted digital taxiing simulations for autonomous ground operations at Ames' Moffett Federal Airfield, advancing safer and more efficient airport technologies. Similarly, Ames supports Lockheed Martin's Orion spacecraft program through simulations and testing contributions, including aerodynamic modeling for entry, descent, and landing systems as part of NASA's Artemis initiatives. Ames also partners with emerging space companies on technologies. With , Ames provided testing in 2024 for the Starship Super Heavy booster to assess aerodynamic stability at speeds, informing designs for lunar and Mars missions. In parallel, a 2022 unfunded with , extended into 2024, focuses on developing low-cost, reusable thermal protection systems for commercial crew vehicles. These efforts align with Ames' role in supporting commercial crew analogs and human factors research for long-duration missions. The center's technology transfer program drives innovation by licensing intellectual property to industry, executing 22 patent and copyright license agreements in 2024 that generated $655,231 in royalties. Additionally, through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, Ames awarded $31.8 million in seed funding to 58 startups in 2024, fostering commercial applications of NASA technologies in areas like autonomy and materials science. In quantum and AI domains, Ames' Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (QuAIL) advances mission optimization algorithms, collaborating with industry leaders such as Google and Rigetti on quantum-enhanced computing for aerospace challenges, including trajectory planning and resource allocation as highlighted in 2025 research milestones. In April 2025, Ames partnered with HEBI Robotics to advance modular robotic platforms for space and aeronautics research.

Government and Academic Ties

Ames Research Center maintains extensive collaborations with federal agencies to advance shared research objectives in , , and hypersonic technologies. With the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Ames participates in joint efforts on off-world resource development, leveraging expertise in planetary geoscience and to explore technologies for sustainable space utilization. In air traffic management, Ames works closely with the (FAA) to innovate automation concepts and tools, including simulations in the Airspace Operations Laboratory that integrate FAA-designated research to enhance national airspace efficiency. For defense-related research, Ames conducts hypersonic testing in collaboration with the Department of Defense (DOD) and U.S. , utilizing ballistic ranges and arc jet facilities to evaluate high-speed and materials under extreme conditions. Academic partnerships at Ames foster interdisciplinary research through hosted facilities and joint initiatives. With , Ames co-manages the Joint Institute for Aeronautics and Acoustics, supporting studies in , , and via shared resources and personnel exchanges. Similarly, Ames hosts collaborative efforts with the , including the 2023-announced Berkeley Space Center, a 36-acre innovation hub at NASA Research Park designed for joint research in aviation, space technologies, and computational sciences, encompassing laboratories and supercomputing resources. These ties extend to AI applications, as evidenced by Ames and UC Berkeley's 2023 symposium on AI's impact on workforce skills in space exploration. Internationally, Ames contributes to and exploration through NASA-led partnerships. With the (ESA), Ames supports broader missions via NASA's collaborative frameworks, including NASA's joint contributions to telescopes like Hubble and JWST that inform exobiology research. Ames also engages with the (JAXA) in U.S.-Japan space initiatives, focusing on exploration technologies and public-private synergies that align with goals. In support of the , which underpins the , Ames provides expertise in research, including simulation facilities and biological studies for lunar missions. These ties are underpinned by cooperative agreements that facilitate resource sharing and funding. In 2024, Ames' Partnerships Office managed various agreements, including $31.8 million in (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards to support innovative research aligned with agency priorities.

Leadership and Operations

Directors

The directors of NASA's Ames Research Center are senior executive leaders responsible for overseeing the center's research, operations, and strategic direction in , , and . They are appointed by the Administrator, often from within the agency's ranks or external experts in relevant fields, with typical terms ranging from 3 to 5 years, though early directors served longer periods aligned with the center's foundational growth. The following is a chronological list of Ames directors since its establishment in 1940, with brief profiles highlighting key contributions during their tenures:
  • Smith J. DeFrance (1940–1965): As the founding director, DeFrance guided the center's expansion from its origins as a National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) laboratory, overseeing the construction and operationalization of more than 19 major wind tunnels that advanced aerodynamic testing for aircraft and early space vehicles.
  • H. Julian Allen (1965–1968): A pioneering aerodynamicist known for developing the blunt-body reentry concept for spacecraft, Allen shifted Ames' focus toward spaceflight research during the Apollo era.
  • Hans M. Mark (1969–1977): Mark established the Computational Fluid Dynamics Branch at Ames, leveraging surplus government computers to pioneer high-performance computing applications in aerospace simulations, laying groundwork for modern numerical modeling in wind tunnel testing and spacecraft design.
  • Clarence A. Syvertson (1977–1984): Syvertson emphasized interdisciplinary research, integrating computational methods with experimental facilities to support shuttle-era hypersonic studies.
  • William F. Ballhaus Jr. (1984–1989): Ballhaus advanced rotorcraft and high-speed aerodynamics programs, enhancing Ames' role in helicopter and tiltrotor technology development.
  • Dale L. Compton (1989–1994): Compton's tenure coincided with Ames' diversification into life sciences and information technology, including support for NASA's SETI program, which conducted targeted searches for extraterrestrial intelligence using center resources until funding ended in 1993.
  • Ken K. Munechika (1994–1996): Munechika focused on reinvention efforts amid post-Cold War budget constraints, streamlining operations while maintaining core aeronautics expertise.
  • Henry McDonald (1996–2002): McDonald led Ames through a period of technological reinvention, emphasizing supercomputing and astrobiology, which positioned the center as a hub for exoplanet research and high-end IT innovations.
  • G. Scott Hubbard (2002–2006): Hubbard spearheaded the Astrobiology Institute and early Mars exploration missions, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations that advanced planetary science.
  • S. Pete Worden (2006–2015): Worden transformed Ames into a leader in innovative space technologies, including the Kepler mission for exoplanet detection and early commercial partnerships in Silicon Valley.
  • Eugene L. Tu (2015–present): Under Tu's leadership, Ames has intensified efforts in artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and sustainable technologies, while providing critical support to the Artemis program through thermal protection system testing and heat shield development for the Orion spacecraft. The center's sustainability initiatives, including native habitat restoration and green procurement practices, align with NASA's broader environmental goals.
Directors' leadership has been closely tied to evolving NASA missions, with tenures often aligning with pivotal programs such as the 1990s SETI initiatives under Compton and the current emphasis on AI-driven sustainability and lunar exploration under Tu.

Living and Working Conditions

The Ames Research Center employs a diverse workforce of more than 2,500 individuals, comprising a mix of civil servants, contractors, students, and interns who collaborate on NASA's aeronautics and space exploration missions. This composition fosters a collaborative environment where civil servants provide core expertise while contractors support specialized projects, with flexible hybrid work options implemented post-2020 to accommodate remote and on-site arrangements amid evolving agency policies. In 2025, NASA implemented agency-wide workforce reductions, including voluntary separations affecting approximately 3,870 employees overall, which may have influenced staffing levels at Ames. Campus amenities at Ames enhance employee well-being and convenience, including the Ames Child Care Center, a non-profit facility established in 1985 to support working parents with play-based programs for children. The center offers a safe, accredited environment on-site, easing family logistics for personnel. Additional facilities include the NASA Ames Fitness Center, providing access to cardio and strength equipment, group classes, and wellness resources as part of broader employee recreation programs. Dining options feature The Space Bar café and rotating food trucks, offering convenient meals amid the center's location, which facilitates commuting from nearby tech hubs like Mountain View and Sunnyvale. Work culture at Ames emphasizes and inclusivity, with diversity, equity, inclusion, and (DEIA) programs integrated since the early 2010s to promote representation across demographics. Employee resource groups, such as the Ames African American Advisory Group (AAAG) founded to broaden African American participation and foster , exemplify this commitment by organizing , mentoring, and cultural events. These initiatives cultivate a supportive atmosphere aligned with NASA's mission-driven , encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration in a high-stakes research setting. Employees face challenges from the Bay Area's elevated , particularly housing in , which impacts retention despite competitive benefits like the (FERS) pension and tuition assistance programs covering up to 75% of educational expenses. These federal perks, including comprehensive and paid leave, help offset regional expenses and support long-term career growth. In response to hybrid work trends, 2024 wellness initiatives through 's Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer introduced mentoring platforms and health resources tailored for remote employees, promoting work-life balance. Sustainability efforts include on-site (EV) charging stations, aligning with 's policy to encourage eco-friendly commuting and reduce environmental impact.

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