Week One....and Two

Let’s be real, it will take me to long and I’ll get to far behind if I try to write each of my first two weeks individually J  So we’ll lump them into one and get current!  The first night I was here I began my adventures into the amazing cuisine I have found myself enjoying.  Jon (lucky for me a very good food guide) and I went to a Thai restaurant very near my new home.  I got some sort of noodle dish that was awesome and had some hot and sour soup.  We also got super fresh spring rolls that came with a yummy peanut sauce. 

I started my week off with the number one order of business – obtain a NASA badge.  Moffett Field is an old naval (correction from the army barracks reference in previous post) facility that is now owned and operated by the NASA Ames Research Facility.  More history on Moffett Field is here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moffett_Federal_Airfield actually a pretty cool place.  There is a ton of stuff going on here behind the gates and I’m not completely sure I understand it all but the first gate you go through requires you produce a valid reason for stopping and a valid photo ID.  The NASA Exchange Lodge (my current home) is located behind gate one along with several other businesses that work with NASA and some military activity…California National Guard & Army Reserves.  Ames campus, where the civil servants and contractors work, is located behind gate 2 and requires a badge to enter. 

Hanger One - Where the USS Macon airship was housed

So, Tuesday morning I went to the badging office to gain authorization and went to meet with Steve Hipskind, Chief of the Earth Science Division, and a familiar face.  Mandy and I work with him on our current grant and he is in “charge” of the NASA portion of our student’s internship here at Ames.  After visiting with him I headed to the conference room for an FRR….the first of many, many acronyms I would need to learn J and to meet Dr. Laura Iraci, my mentor.  Turns out, an FRR is a flight readiness review and it is done to make sure that all the “what-ifs” have been covered before a mission can get underway. 

Laura is an atmospheric chemist in the Earth Sciences division.  Now, what the heck am I doing working with an atmospheric chemist you may ask?!  Well, I asked myself the very same question…and to be honest I’m not 100% certain I’ve figured that out even yet.  But never fear, I promise by week 8, I will know! J

Actually, I’m a part of a team working on a project in Railroad Valley, Nevada.  The valley has a large playa (dry lakebed with salty sediments) that is often used to calibrate and validate satellite data.  This year the team is taking measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) levels on the ground to help calibrate/validate the data collected by a Japanese satellite collecting the same information (GOSAT).  Along with taking measurements on the ground they will also be collecting data from the air.  A fighter jet (Alpha) has been reequipped to carry a CO2/CH4 sensor (made by a company named Piccaro) and fly spirals from 25,000ft to 5,000ft.  There will also be an unmanned aerial vehicle named SIERRA that will be doing spirals in the same spot from 250ft to 3000ft.  By collecting all this data they’ll be able to get a great measurement of the entire air column and not just what is on the ground.  This will help to validate GOSAT’s data because GOSAT collects an average of the entire air column.  My job in all of this will be to do the GIS work since most of the current team is made of atmospheric chemists that don’t know much about computer mapping/analysis. 

After the FRR Laura showed me around the building and introduced me to the other RRV team members.  The first week at work was pretty much just getting settled in, attending meetings and getting myself caught up on what the project was all about.  That weekend I caught up on sleep, surprising how that 2hr time change can get ya, and explored downtown Mountain View.  There is an amazing, though slightly pricey, sushi place and coffee shop that I find myself frequenting.  Let’s hope my pocketbook and waistline both make it through the summer safely ;)  I used the website, Yelp.com, to find a Mexican place but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations so haven’t used it much since.  My students showed up on Sunday…not on the same flight like they were supposed to (one tried to pull an all-nighter that didn’t work out for her), so I went to the airport a couple times that day to collect them.  Week 2 was spent getting them situated and attending orientation on campus.  Overall a very exhausting week highlighted by an amazing dinner at an Afghan restaurant in Sunnyvale and my students asking really good questions once they met their mentor.  Their questions gave me hope that it would be a successful summer for them and that the purpose of the grant, to expose our students to NASA culture and opportunities within the organization, would certainly be met. 

Afghan Cuisine

Mediterranean Veggie Kabob at Cafe Baklava 

Saturday I did a little exploring and went to a huge flea market in San Jose…bought a few things, but in true Rebekah form, arrived a little late so it was close to closing when I got there.  I will be back!  Sunday was spent in the Santa Cruz mountains, winery, and dinner in Japantown in San Jose.  We did a bit of hiking in the mountains and were able to see San Francisco!  It was cool to be above the bay area (2,500ft) and see the cities to the east and the fog rolling in from the Pacific to the West.  There were still a lot of wildflowers out since it was a pretty wet spring here so the hills were spattered with color.  It was crazy to be hiking on trails in the open space but still hear city sounds all around you.  Nice that the two coexist, well, to an extent anyway.  Knowing full well that many species have been removed.  A great little hike followed by wine tasting at a small winery on the road back home.  Fun to taste the different wines and hear people talk wine…something I’m not good at at all, but enjoy listening and learning J 

Hikers on trail in Santa Cruz Mountians with fog layer in the background

Go West Young (Wo)Man...

Everyone said things like, "Wow, you're going to drive all that way alone? You're crazy!", but I am so happy I did it!  I left Bismarck on Wednesday morning, (yes, for those that know me, I was running on my time and was a bit late) and arrived in time for a yummy barbeque with my friend and her family in Miles City.  Along the way I was amazed to see all the water in ALL the rivers I crossed.  Beginning with the Missouri as I crossed over it on my way out of town, then the Little Missouri in Medora which had already overcome it's banks, to the Yellowstone in Glendive, MT which was flooding the nearby fields.  This of course was even before the Garrison and Fort Peck dams were releasing water.  Lunch with Jennie was great and it was fun to see her two adorable kids!  Then on to Big Timber to see Abby graduate from preschool!  Spent the night at the Laverell ranch and got to see the boys' sheep, pigs, rabbits, horses, kitties, dog...am I missing anything?! Haha I said something to Dylan about him going out the farm and he said, “Antie, we don’t live on a farm”.  I said, well, Old McDonald had a farm and on his farm he had everything you guys have haha. 

 Water flowing over I-94 between Big Timber and Livingston

Thursday morning I saw the boys off to school and had coffee with Becky and Abby before heading out to Bozeman.  Jan and Dane met me for lunch at Old Chicago and just as we finished the princess arrived with her Dad.  Harper had just woken up from her nap and was her usual happy self so I got to give her a few kisses before I headed out.  I had a great drive through beautiful country with all the weather I could get!  Rain in southwest MT turned to snow through the mountains in ID and then to beautiful sunshine on the mountains of Nevada.  To be honest, I was expecting NV to be a lot flatter and was awed an amazed at the scenery it provided.  I made it to Elko, NV on day 2 and stayed in a nice motel that met grandma Sharon’s standards (I was given strict orders that I had to stay in a NICE place and I could NOT camp) even though it was on the cheaper end J The front desk lady was nice and gave me an Triple A discount even though I didn’t have a card.  I did neglect to tell Grandma that the doors opened to the outside though…not sure if it still would have made the cut J  All told I had a great night’s rest and am here to write this so… I say it passes!  

Friday – Day 3 – I stopped at an Elko gas station for fuel and when I was paying I was a approached by a guy who asked my name.  Now, having my grandmother and mother constantly putting fear into me to make me believe I will be raped, kidnapped and possibly murdered someday if I’m not caref ul, I was a little leary as to why he would be asking such a question and I may have hesitated briefly.  Luckily, the adventurer in me was not detered from Mom and Grandma's ravings, and I bravely answered the question.  And ya know what?  Not everyone wants to rape and murder me afterall!  After I told him my name he handed me a credit card and said, "I believe this belongs to you." Yes, all you midwest readers, nice people exist outside our little piece of heaven after all :)  I followed I-80 west to California where they stop you at the border to ask about any vegetables you are carrying.  I'm guessing to reduce spread of pests and invasive species but am not certain.  After my safe border crossing I took a detour and headed south to Lake Tahoe.  I followed the highway along the west border of the lake and stopped at a few spots to take pictures.  A nice drive but overall pretty windy and mostly all ya see are trees...though being I was the driver I can't say I was able to look around quite as much as I wanted to.  I found a few places I'd like to stay at on the way back and am looking forward to getting a good hike in that will get me above the trees to some bigger views.  I did see my first Stellar's Jay which is a very beautiful corvid that is increasing it's presence in the west with the urban expansion.  One of the few birds that is benefiting from people...like their relative the crow, they love our garbage!  Spent the night in Sacramento and began my final drive Saturday morning with a scenic drive through wine country. 

Day 4 - I had purchased a book on California wine country and found the Lodi appellation was only a little off the beaten path on the final leg of my journey. A little of what I learned from my trusty wine book in case any of you are interested...an "appellation" is a region with unique soils, microclimate and growing conditions.  Different appellations are renowned for different wines.  Napa Valley has 15 different appellations.  Wineries can include the appellation's name only if >85% of the wine's grapes come from that region...not if it was made in that region, the grapes had to have been grown there.  Interesting huh?  I'm also learning how to read a wine label...I'm going to be so smart when I get home!!  Unfortunately, I also know that you are not supposed to drink and drive, so my winery experience was limited to one taste and a lot of looking.  I was lucky to find Michael David which had more than just wine.  It was a little farm that had a market with produce from their farm, a little cafe (using local food), and a wine tasting bar.  So, I had a yummy lunch in the cafe, bought more veggies than I probably should have, and strolled through the garden (herb, flower and vegetables).  After another 2 hours, passing though a crazy amount of wind turbines in the Sierra's, I made it to Moffett Field and my humble accommadations for the next 10 weeks...old army barracks.

 Cozy 116 B - Really not as bad as I'd expected and I brought a scentsy so I've been able to mask the musty smell : )

Kitchen is located one floor up from my room...I have yet to use it, but perhaps sometime I'll get there.