NASA Daily News Summary
For Release:  March. 31, 2000
Media Advisory m00-63

SUMMARY

NEWS RELEASES:

NASA AWARDS UNIVERSITY CONCEPT STUDIES FOR EARTH SCIENCE PROJECTS

SURVEY SHOWS NASA EMPLOYEES AMONG MOST SATISFIED FEDERAL WORKERS

NASA Video File for March 31, 2000

SPECIAL NOTE TO ASSIGNMENT EDITORS & PRODUCERS:
     ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE?

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NEWS RELEASES

NASA AWARDS UNIVERSITY CONCEPT STUDIES FOR EARTH SCIENCE PROJECTS

     NASA's Office of Earth Sciences will fund four innovative Earth
system science investigation concepts for future development as
complete spaceflight missions or secondary payload instruments
through the University Earth System Science (UnESS) Project. "The
UnESS program was established to foster the development of the next
generation of Earth system scientists, engineers, managers,
educators, and entrepreneurs through significant and meaningful
hands-on student involvement in Earth observation space missions at
the university level," said Dr. Ghassem Asrar, Associate
Administrator for Earth Sciences.

NASA Headquarers Contact: David E. Steitz (Phone:  202/358-1730)

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SURVEY SHOWS NASA EMPLOYEES AMONG MOST SATISFIED FEDERAL WORKERS

     According to a newly published government survey, NASA
employees enjoy a greater level of job satisfaction than most
other federal workers. The National Partnership for Reinventing
Government (NPR) Employee Survey showed NASA employees gave the
agency the highest favorable ratings in 14 out of 32 categories. "I am
incredibly proud of these results," said NASA
Administrator Daniel S. Goldin. "They represent a strong
statement of the top-to-bottom excellence of the NASA team."

NASA Headquarters contact: Gary Caruso (Phone: 202/358-1705)

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If NASA issues any news releases later today, we will e-
mail summaries and Internet URLs to this list.

Index of 2000 NASA News Releases:
http://www.nasa.gov/releases/2000/index.html

Index of 1999 NASA News Releases:
http://www.nasa.gov/releases/1999/index.html

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Video File for Mar. 31, 2000
10:43 am

ALL TIMES EASTERN

Item 1 - FIRST Robotic Competition - AMES

REPLAYS:
Item 2 - Bioscan System May Aid Cancer Detection - JPL
Item 3 - Solar Cycles - GSFC
Item 4 - Planet Hunters - JPL
Item 5 - X-38 Drop Test - DFRC

LIVE TELEVISION EVENTS THIS WEEK:

March 31, Friday
1:00 - 1:30 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL
Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ
1:30 - 2:00 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL
Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ
4:00 - 4:30 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL
Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ
4:30 - 5:00 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL
Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ
5:30 - 10:00 pm - "Planet Hunting Mission" Live News
Interviews - JPL
10:00 - 10:30 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL
Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ
10:30 - 11:00 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL
Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ

April 1, Saturday
11:00 am - 9:00 pm - Ames Research Center Western
Regional First Robotics Competition - San Jose State
University Event Center, San Jose, CA (direct uplink
to NTV)

April 2, Sunday
12:00 - 12:30 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL
Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ
12:30 - 1:00 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL
Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ
1:00 - 3:00 pm - Computer Security Hearing before the
House Subcommittee on Government Management,
Information and Technology; Government Reform
Committee (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ
3:00 - 3:30 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL
Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ
3:30 - 4:00 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL
Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ
4:00 - 6:00 pm - Computer Security Hearing before the
House Subcommittee on Government Management,
Information and Technology; Government Reform
Committee (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ
6:00 - 6:30 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL
Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ
6:30 - 7:00 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL
Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ
7:00 - 9:00 pm - Computer Security Hearing before the
House Subcommittee on Government Management,
Information and Technology; Government Reform
Committee (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ
9:00 - 9:30 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL
Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ
9:30 - 10:00 pm - Administrator Goldin Addresses JPL
Employees (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ
10:00 - Midnight - Computer Security Hearing before
the House Subcommittee on Government Management,
Information and Technology; Government Reform
Committee (recorded on 3/29/00) - HQ


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SPECIAL NOTE TO ASSIGNMENT EDITORS & PRODUCERS

FROM:  Jack Dawson, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, (818) 354-0040
       Michelle Viotti, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
       (818) 354-8774

ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE?

     Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered which
stars might have planets around them?  Is life out there in the
Universe, abundant on some distant world?  What is that planet
like, and could we recognize life there if we found it?
Creative sparks are flying as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory awards
contracts to four industry-academic teams, which will take the
first steps toward answering these far-reaching questions.  Over
the next eighteen months, the teams will set out to create the
most innovative designs for Terrestrial Planet Finder, an
ambitious mission in NASA's Origins Program that will look for
life-sustaining Earth -like planets around other stars.

     Astronomers have already found far more planets outside of
our solar system than within it, but so far we've only been able
to detect really large, gaseous bodies that wouldn't likely
support life.  We're on the verge of having the technology that
will enable us to look for much tinier, Earth-like planets that
orbit closer to their parent stars. Terrestrial Planet Finder will
have the potential to give us the first "family portraits" of
planetary systems like our own--and it might even find another
planet where life can thrive.

     Live satellite interview opportunities are available with
JPL1s Dr. Firouz Naderi from 6 to 10 p.m. EST on Friday, March 31.
Animation, B-roll and interviews will be carried on GE-2,
Transponder 9C at 85 degrees West longitude, with vertical
polarization.  Frequency is on 3880.0 megahertz with audio on 6.8
megahertz.  Emergency telephone numbers are 818-354-0246 and 818-
354-2113.

     Dr. Firouz Naderi is the Program Manager for Origins and the
Project Manager for the Terrestrial Planet Finder. With JPL for
the past 20 years, Dr. Naderi has also served as Program Manager
for the Space Science Flight Experiments Program and Project
Manager for the NASA Scatterometer and SeaWinds missions, among
others.  He received his B.S. from Iowa State in 1969 and a
Masters and Ph.D. from USC in 1972 and 1976, all in electrical
engineering.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS:

- How likely is it that life exists elsewhere in the Universe?
- How will Terrestrial Planet Finder look for Earth-like planets?
- How hard is it to detect life-bearing planets around other
  stars?
- Would a planet have to be like Earth to support life?
- What is the lasting value of Terrestrial Planet Finder to our
  civilization?


To book time for this interview call, Jack Dawson at 818-354-0040
or e-mail Jack at jack.b.dawson@jpl.nasa.gov

For more information on this subject, see:
http://tpf.jpl.nasa.gov/



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Unless otherwise noted, ALL TIMES ARE EASTERN.

ANY CHANGES TO THE VIDEO LINE-UP WILL APPEAR ON THE NASA VIDEO
FILE ADVISORY ON THE WEB AT
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/tv-advisory/nasa-tv.txt
WE UPDATE THE ADVISORY THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

The NASA Video File normally airs at noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m., 9 p.m.
and midnight Eastern Time.

NASA Television is available on GE-2, transponder 9C at 85 degrees
West longitude, with vertical polarization. Frequency is on 3880.0
megahertz, with audio on 6.8 megahertz.

Refer general questions about the video file to NASA Headquarters,
Washington, DC: Ray Castillo, 202/358-4555, or Fred Brown,
202/358-0713, fred.brown@hq.nasa.gov

During Space Shuttle missions, the full NASA TV schedule will
continue to be posted at:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/nasatv/schedule.html

For general information about NASA TV see:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv/



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Contract Awards

Contract awards are posted to the NASA Acquisition information
Service Web site: http://procurement.nasa.gov/EPS/award.html



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end of daily news summary