SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The NASA Ames Research Center is known for establishing innovative partnerships and Pete Worden, the former Air Force general who serves as the center’s director, is known as a maverick. Still, the latest partnership to come to light has caught even some longtime NASA observers by surprise.

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Debra Werner is a correspondent for SpaceNews based in San Francisco. Debra earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University. She is a recipient...