La Conner man serves as a volunteer Solar System Ambassador.

Sharing his love of space

07/17/01
KARI McGINNIS

Tsutomu Fujita Skagit Valley Herald

MOUNT VERNON -- Richard Manning always has been fascinated by the night sky. As a child he would stare into the vast darkness littered with stars and wonder what was out there.

Today, the 71-year-old La Conner man can talk for hours about the latest happenings in space exploration — which he does, as a Solar System Ambassador. Manning this year joined a group of about 200 volunteers nationwide who are devoted to sharing their love of space with local communities.

The Solar System Ambassador Program is sponsored by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The laboratory is part of the California Institute of Technology and a lead research and development center for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

"As an ambassador, my job is to spread the word about what NASA's doing," Manning said. "I tell people about discoveries we've made in space and about exploration missions."

 

Manning spent a lifetime navigating by the stars, venturing to every corner of the world as a flight officer in the Navy for 27 years.

But it was his sons' curiosity about the heavens that ultimately piqued Manning's interest. When identical twins Rob and Chuck were born 43 years ago, Manning never imagined his boys' life paths would lead them from a childhood in the Skagit Valley to careers at NASA.

Rob and Chuck have become leading figures in space exploration, working as engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

With his sons working on projects that involved building probes and robots to land on distant planets, Manning found himself submerged in riveting details.

His personal attachment to space exploration gives Manning an insider's edge that is invaluable, Kay Ferrari said.

Ferrari, director of the Solar System Ambassadors Program, said Manning's enthusiasm paired with his understanding of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's missions made him a perfect candidate for the ambassador program.

When people hear ambassadors talk about solar system exploration, they get a better understanding of what NASA does, Ferrari said.

Manning gives presentations to local service clubs. He hopes to expand his outreach into local schools in the fall. His presentations usually include a NASA video and inevitably end with a conversation about missions to Mars.

"One thing about it, no one ever nods off during these videos," Manning said with a chuckle after a recent presentation at a Kiwanis Club of Skagit Golden K meeting in Mount Vernon.

The quirky facts included in the video astound people, Manning said. People respond to things when described in interesting ways, he added.

The video detailed bits of information about the planets -- The surface of Venus is hot enough to melt lead; Jupiter could hold about 1,000 Earths; Saturn would float if placed in one of Earth's oceans.

Kiwanians Florence Anderson and Helen Packard said they appreciated Manning's presentation because he put the scientific information on a level anyone can understand.

"It's a rare opportunity to hear someone with the insight he has," Packard said.

Fellow Kiwanian Don Herbaugh agreed.

"This is the same as exploring the West in the early days," he said. "You have to see it to know what's out there and to understand it.

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