 |
My
first exposure to the reality of space exploration came
in the form of visits to McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis
(where my father worked) to see the Mercury and Gemini
capsules. I was always interested in space, but followed
a different career path until the first Columbia flight
in 1981; that convinced me to follow my dreams. I started
catching up on manned and unmanned missions, doing programs
and looking for way to get my foot in the door. I found
it at the University of North Dakota in the world's
first multidisciplinary Space Studies program. While
there I also became the caretaker of Buzz Aldrin's collection
of Gemini 12 and Apollo 11 artifacts, some of which
I often used in talks. From there I was selected as
an summer intern at Johnson Space Center in 1989 and
took part in teacher workshops, center tours and two
big events, Apollo 11 20th Anniversary and Voyager/Neptune.
From there I completed the M.S. in Space Studies and
went to Oklahoma State University to work on the Spacemobile
Program. One year later I was working at JPL in public
services and spreading the word on the lab's incredible
accomplishments. We returned to Wyoming in 1994 to raise
our family and start working with schools and community
groups. As an Ambassador, I travel around the state
educating audiences of all ages and backgrounds in the
wonders of space and the benefits of this exploration.
Our state is relatively isolated physically and culturally
and I have found very positive receptions when I visit
with groups on these exciting topics. I do this because
I believe in space exploration very strongly and want
to be a positive force in helping to shape our future.
|
|
