Curator's Comments
by Gary Lofgren
NASA JSC

Gary Lofgren Eight months have gone by and I am feeling more like a curator. This job has more to it than one ever sees. Much is happening. We are circling the Moon and gathering new data that will enhance our global knowledge of that body. Integrated with the Galileo and Clementine data, it will provide the basis for a new round of global lunar investigations. There remains the possibility that frozen water exists in the permanently shadowed lunar poles. If water is present it changes how we view the Moon as a future outpost for space exploration. There will be a conference this month based on a CAPTEM initiative "New Views of the Moon Enabled by Combined Remotely Sensed and Lunar Sample Data Sets" to examine the new data from the Moon collected by the Galileo and Clementine missions.

In the category of new planetary samples, we are preparing to receive solar wind samples collected on the Discovery program, Genesis mission. We are modifying a portion of our facility to install a class 10 clean room. CAPTEM is overseeing the modifications and Larry Nyquist is heading up a renewed "Facilities Subcommittee" to advise us on future curation matters. Their immediate job is to monitor the current construction and insure that the process does not contaminate the rest of the building and the new facility meets our high standards. Lunar processing will be suspended during this construction period. Requests submitted to the CAPTEM meeting in November will be processed as soon as the construction is completed.

Two of our staff have retired, Ed Cornitius after 30 years on the job. I remember Ed working in old LRL when I first came to work here. Gee that's a long time ago. Rita Sosa has also retired. Both will be missed.