#164) Att'n: All LibraVets Who Retired Around 1995.

It has come to our attention that the small group of LibraVets who retired around 1995 and received a special severance/pension package, probably received an incorrect Lockheed-Martin (L-M) 2019 “non-qualified” W2 recently. L-M’s Pension Department is aware of the problem, so those LibraVets affected may soon receive a corrected W2. Unfortunately, L-M would not provide us with the names of all those affected due to privacy concerns, so we’re having to post this notice on our Blog for “All Libravets” to read. If you are in this group, and you do not soon receive a corrected W2, you should contact L-M’s Pension Department before filing your 2019 tax returns.

For information on how best to contact L-M’s Pension Department, whether you soon receive a corrected W2 or not, please contact Ralph Simon ASAP. This small group of LibraVet retirees has experienced many L-M pension payment related problems in the past, and some of those problems may repeat in the future. Ralph has offered to share his past pension problem experiences, and any new information he has learned, with all those who contact him. It's important though to contact him now.

Ralph’s e-mail address is: ralph3222@gmail.com

Good luck,
Carl

#158) The Names of Many Libravets Are Now On Mars!

Thanks to JPL and Lockheed Martin, the "Mars InSight Lander" landed successfully yesterday on the surface of Mars! In addition to all its scientific instrumentation, it carried the engraved names of the many Librascope Memories - News Blog readers who signed up last year. See Blog Post #152 dated October 10, 2017. 

A brief 2+ minute JPL video describing the purpose of the mission is available at https://www.space.com/40067-mars-insight-lander.html. Note, the video will start immediately following a brief 30 second commercial. Also note that there are provisions for displaying the video full screen on your computer.

#152) Want NASA to Leave Your Name On Mars?

Perhaps for public relations purposes, NASA has set up a website where you can easily sign up to have your name placed on a tiny microchip and sent to Mars next year. It will fly aboard the InSight spacecraft built by Lockheed Martin. In addition, if you also sign up for NASA’s “frequent flyer” program, they will credit your account for the 33.9 million miles travelled to Mars, including any future flights you may sign up for.

The next mission to Mars; i.e., the InSight Mars Lander, will launch in May, 2018 and land on Mars in November next year. Its mission is to study the interior of Mars and listen for Mars quakes.

The InSight lander is being built at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver. In the attached photo, a spacecraft specialist in a clean room, affixes a dime-size chip onto the lander deck. This chip will carry all the names submitted online by the public from all over the world.

Applicants who opt to include their email address will become a “Frequent Flyer”. NASA will then automatically keep track of all the missions you participate in. They will also store copies of all your boarding passes, and notify you whenever new flight opportunities become available.

To put your name on the “passenger list”, simply Click Here and type it in. Note, press #4 at the top of this NASA website to learn more about Mars and the InSight.

IMPORTANT - The last day to submit your name is Wednesday, November 1, 2017. To date, about two million “passengers” have signed up.

#118) Three "New" Librascope Videos Are Now On YouTube

Following are three new Librascope videos that I recently posted on YouTube. The first two were filmed in 1997, but have never been published before. The first video is of a very humorous roast of Sam Ward, who served as Librascope President shortly after Lockheed Martin acquired Librascope. The second video is a film of my "surprise" retirement luncheon. I wasn't roasted, but the speakers were very entertaining. The third film is a video slideshow of the Libravets who were honored for their 15+ years of service during the 1980's. The Libravet's photos were copied from the 1980's Librazettes. Finally, I have included a previously published German video of the LGP-30 in operation.

To view these four videos, simply click on the links provided below. Your Comments are welcome.

Sam Ward's Librascope Farewell Ceremony Roast - 1997

http://youtu.be/Z726Z9YXBXg?t=0s

Carl Sorensen hosts a "roast" of Sam Ward, Librascope President and Carl's boss, in recognition of Sam's departure for an opportunity with SAIC in San Diego. Speakers (in order) were Carl Sorensen, Tom Taggart (Manassas, VA), Randy Klebe, Steve Lebit, Tom Cuda, Steve Wallace, Sam Ward, and Bob Lang.

The ceremony ends with the presentation of some "special" gifts.

Retirement Ceremony for Carl Sorensen, a Libravet since 1958.

http://youtu.be/7OV3NJs1bQs?t=6s

On September 15, 1997, a luncheon ceremony was held honoring Carl Sorensen's retirement from Librascope Division, Lockheed Martin. Speakers, in order of appearance, were Craig Gifford (Librascope President), Tom Cuda (Engineering), Ed Arnold (Business Development), Jim Brantley (Union), Ray Hand (Information Systems), Steve Lebit (HR Benefits), and Carl Sorensen (Operations and Resource Management).

Libravets Honored During the 1980’s

http://youtu.be/IQtlOsCQ9AA?t=0s

A Video Slideshow of the Libravets Who Were Honored For Their Years of Librascope Service During the 1980’s.

Note, if you see an advertisement near the bottom of the screen, you can remove it by simply clicking on the X in the upper right hand corner of the ad. The copyrighted background music required this advertisement.

Warming Up The LGP-30

http://youtu.be/7WaYYNUCWMY?t=0s

The LGP 30 is a computer made of valves, diodes and a drum memory. This machine is from 1958. It is located at the museum of the computer science faculty of the University of Stuttgart, Germany. The computer is in a fully functional state.

In this clip, the machine is shown starting up and doing some work, just to get a feeling for what that kind of machine looked and felt like.

#98) Free Book - Lockheed Martin's First 100 Years

Celebrating their 100th anniversary, Lockheed Martin recently published a beautifully illustrated 273 page book, and it is now available for free.

Filled with inspiring stories, illuminating images and interesting details that chronicle Lockheed Martin’s heritage, the new commemorative book, “Innovation with Purpose” proudly highlights the Company's first 100 years.

If you missed ordering the paperback copy that Lockheed Martin offered to retirees in October, you can now get a free copy from Apple's iBook Store. Note, you will need the iBook App on an iPad (iOS-6, or later), or a Mac with the new Mavericks OS X v10.9 Operating System installed.

In addition, Lockheed Martin plans to offer a free PDF download in the near future. Click here to check the current status. You'll also find the paperback book listed on Amazon, but it is "currently unavailable".