After earning a B.S. degree in Engineering Science at Tennessee Tech University, my career began as an Instrumentation Engineer working on the Saturn rockets in the Apollo moon-landing program, continuing with the first launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia plus 25 following Shuttle launches for NASA and Lockheed at the Kennedy Space Center. I was literally a “rocket scientist.”
When I was young I wanted to be an Astronomer. When Sputnik was launched in 1957, my love changed to “rockets” like the Redstone, Jupiter, and Atlas. I wanted to help launch rockets for space exploration and to go to the moon! I worked at the Kennedy Space Center for 26 years on Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.
Watch this video to see what some think of a “Rocket Scientist”.
Summary
My passion is sharing experiences and knowledge with ALL from experts to novices who are interested in learning more about space exploration – past, present, and future. I am fortunate to have Apollo/Saturn and Space Shuttle first-hand experiences and my passion has led me to study and to research Hubble Space Telescope, Mars rovers, Kepler probe, and other spacecrafts that are making unprecedented new space discoveries!
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Experience
Chief Engineer of Research at Space Exploration For All
Directing research for development of Space Exploration educational content and engaging opportunities is extremely rewarding. I have the world’s greatest “job”! My passion is to pass on my experiences in science to youth, hopefully increasing their interest in STEM careers.
Aerospace Engineer at NASA, Kennedy Space Center
June 1968 – September 1994 (26 years 4 months). Worked on the Saturn V and Saturn S1B rockets for all Apollo launches and moon landings, plus the first 26 Space Shuttle flights. Assigned to the SIVB third stage of the Saturn V rocket where the Lunar Module legs were folded. Was a member of the Launch Vehicle Close-out Team that performed the final inspections on the rocket just before fueling began. Touched the ladders of every Lunar Module so my fingerprints would be on the moon!
Student Intern at CSC, Marshall Space Flight Center
May 1967 – August 1967 (4 months). Developed computer application to track inventory of parts for the Saturn V rocket. While working on the application, my software crashed the Univac 1108 mainframe computer at the MSFC computer labs multiple times. Worked with Univac reps to troubleshoot the root cause.
Education
Sputnik and the “Space Race”, inspired me to become an engineer and scientist. For that to happen, I had to earn my college degree at my local university:
Tennessee Technological University
Bachelor of Science, Engineering Science
Activities and Societies: Theta Tau Engineering Fraternity, Engineering Science Club, Undergraduate Assistant for NASA “Hypervelocity Impact” studies