NASA supercomputing facility marks 25 years of accomplishments (Forwarded)

Michael Mewhinney
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. April 21, 2008
650-604-3937/207-1323

RELEASE: 08- 34AR

NASA SUPERCOMPUTING FACILITY MARKS 25 YEARS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- This year is the 25th anniversary of NASA's
premier supercomputing organization at Ames Research Center.

NASA officials today observed the occasion with a celebration
highlighting the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) Division's legacy
of accomplishments in high performance computing, and aerospace
modeling and simulation.

Originally founded in 1983 as the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation
program, the NAS Division today encompasses not only supercomputing,
mass storage system, and high-speed networking, but also a host of
integrated services. This includes advanced visualization,
application performance optimization, expert user services,
high-fidelity computational science and innovative information
technology solutions.

"Over the past quarter-century, the NAS Division has earned an
international reputation as a pioneer in development and application
of high-performance computing technologies," said NASA Ames Research
Center Director S. Pete Worden. "This outstanding team provides its
diverse customers with state-of-the art supercomputing services and
world-class aerospace modeling and simulation expertise."

The NAS facility and staff have contributed significantly to NASA's
missions, including essential work for the space shuttle's return to
flight and subsequent missions. Simulations conducted at NAS are
critical to the design of Ares and Orion, NASA's space transportation
vehicles for a new generation of explorers.

In science, Columbia and the other supercomputers at NAS are used for
simulations in nanotechnology, combustion, atmospheric chemistry,
ocean and climate modeling, hurricane prediction, solar and black
hole physics, and cosmological structure simulations. The division
continues to support NASA's aeronautics research covering all flight
regimes from subsonic to hypersonic.

"NAS has a stellar record of innovation and delivery of cutting-edge
technology," said Rupak Biswas, chief of the NAS Division. "None of
that success would have been possible without our expert staff, which
continuously accomplishes ambitious goals while overcoming
challenges. I look forward to the next 25 years and the new heights
that this outstanding team surely will attain."

NAS continues to strive to improve and expand its capabilities. The
division installed the world's largest known visualization engine,
the "Hyperwall-2," a powerful tool with more than a million times the
graphics rendering power of the original workstations installed
nearly 25 years ago. This summer, NAS plans to install a new cluster
supercomputing system to augment its current computational capability.

For more information about the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division, visit:
http://www.nas.nasa.gov/