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Moffett Field, CA FLC Far West Laboratory Profile
NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), established Ames Research Center over 60 years ago on December 20, 1939, as an aircraft research laboratory. Located on 2,000 acres, Ames sits in the heart of California's Silicon Valley in the San Francisco-San José Bay area. With world-renowned researchers, scientists, and an array of state-of-the-art facilities, Ames is responsible for the performance of a tightly coupled, multidisciplinary research base directed toward NASA's missions. Ames achieves scientific and technical excellence through its first-rate management team, critical mass of top-tier scientists, "excellence-driven" research environment, and collaboration with distinguished academic, corporate, and non-profit organizations. Ames is NASA's Center of Excellence for information technology and has additional core technology competencies in biotechnology and nanotechnology. Ames pursues NASA missions in aerospace operations systems and astrobiology. The Center has core scientific competencies in fundamental space biology and all disciplines of the Agency's multifaceted astrobiology thrust. The Center also performs key work in support of NASA missions in computational systems, aviation capacity, air traffic management, thermal protection systems, and a host of other areas. Fundamental research and technology development is performed in the areas of nano-scale assembly, computational nanotechnology, nano-scale computing and sensing elements, and nano-scale architecture, and systems integration. The Center is pursuing the development of protein-based nanotubes, a crossover technology potentially capable of self-organization and replication. Ames conducts research and develops technologies biologically inspired and employed within basic biological processes, including biomimetics, bioinformatics, and space genomic/ protonomic systems (analytical and sensing systems that enable in situ character studies of genetic materials and proteins in space and extraterrestrial environments). The Center specializes in the research and development of methods, technologies, and processes in autonomous reasoning, human-centered computing, and intelligent data under- standing for broad application to NASA's mission requirements. Ames is NASA's pathfinder in single-system image parallel computers, quantum computing, distributed heterogeneous computing, revolutionary computing, and high performance networks. As the NASA lead for astrobiology, the Center studies the origin, evolution, distribution, and destiny of life in the universe. Astrobiology represents the synthesis of disciplines from astronomy to zoology, from ecology to molecular biology, and from geology to genomics. Ames hosts the NASA Astrobiology Institute, which conducts and integrates groundbreaking astrobiology science with the assistance of its 11 founding member institutions and numerous affiliated consortiums. Life in the unique environments of space, including microgravity, high radiation and temperature extremes, and planetary protection, are key themes of Ames' space biology science base. The convergence of space biology with the technology triad provides fundamental enabling knowledge for human exploration. Ames exploits the potential knowledge transfer to Earth-based health issues through the establishment of partnerships with the medical community, including the National Cancer Institute. Ames is at the forefront of the development of automated aerospace operation for applications from decision tools for air traffic management deployed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to autonomous reasoning control of spacecraft in unpredictable environments. Ames works with the FAA and the aircraft operations industry to meet the nation's expanding air transportation demands by developing and demonstrating pioneering concepts and technologies to improve safety, increase efficiency, and enhance environmental protection. In particular, Ames is striving to provide the research and technology products needed to achieve the President's challenge to improve aviation safety. Ames is the lead center for Aviation Systems Technology Advanced Research (AvSTAR). AvSTAR will accelerate the development of selected NASA air traffic management technologies that have been identified by industry and the FAA to improve the capacity and reliability of the current system. It will also provide the foundational research and long-term exploratory investigations for the air transportation system
Last Updated 06/01/2009 |