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 a precious gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5â8 on the Mohs scale. Most emeralds are highly included, so their toughness is classified as generally poor. Emerald is a cyclosilicate.