Clean Facilities and Tools
30 Years of Service
James E. Townsend, longtime
Associate Curator of Technical Operations, has retired
from curatorial service . . .well almost! Jim will continue part-time
for two more years which will allow time to transfer his 30+ years
of experience to the next generation curatorial team. Jim's
memory and his file cabinet contain a treasure trove of historical
information concerning the practical aspects of extraterrestrial
sample curation. Construction of a secure area for storing lunar
samples, design of a laboratory to process samples returned from
investigators, setting up of Brooks AFB remote sample storage, and
an ultra-pure water cleaning facility are a few among Jim's
many accomplishments. Over the years he has been the person to
get facilities and tools needed to carry out sample curation, all with
the special material and cleanliness requirements which go with
all sample handling activities. The curatorial team is grateful for
his service and anxious to preserve this knowledge for future curation efforts.