NASA Ames is named in honor of Joseph Sweetman Ames, a physicist and one of the founding members of NACA. At last estimate NASA Ames has over US$3.0 billion in capital equipment, 2,300 research personnel and a US$860 million annual budget.
Beryl, the mineral of which emerald is a variety, has a chemical composition of Be 3 Al 2 (SiO 3) 6. When pure, beryl is colorless and known as goshenite.. Trace amounts of chromium or vanadium in the mineral cause it to develop a green color.
Emerald is the birthstone for those born in the month of May (like myself). The word emerald is derived from the Greek word smaragdus which translates to green. Similar to aquamarine as mentioned above, an emerald is a green variety of beryl based on the impurities found in the beryl.