Cleaning the Optical Window

Cleaning the Optical Window. Eric Fraim from NASA’s Digital Mapping System (DMS) team at Ames Research Center cleans the optical window in the fuselage of the P-3B before a sea ice mission flight over the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, north of Alaska. Credit: NASA/Michael Studinger

Also 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; and airborne astronomy. Ames also develops tools for a safer, more efficient national airspace. The center’s current director is Eugene Tu.