Dr. Don Platt is an Associate Professor at Florida Tech University and Director of Florida Tech's Spaceport Education Center. He has extensive experience in developing, testing and flying different types of avionics, communications, and rocket propulsion systems and. His areas of current focus are human space exploration and the adaptation to deep space, high performance small satellite systems and ways to utilize both human and satellite constellations as we move forward. Don is also the owner of Micro Aerospace Systems, Inc. and has built numerous subsystems and payloads for both spacecraft and ISS experiments.

He has degrees in Physics, Astronomy and Space Systems with a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology.

MicroAerospace website

Kevin and I look forward to talking with a great role model in aerospace: Rachel Garza. After receiving her degree in aerospace engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Rachel started her engineering career at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, where she worked as an astronaut instructor for the International Space Station program and served as a flight controller in the Mission Control Center. After 9 years in that role, she left TX to work as a systems engineer at GE Aviation in her home state of MI. She spent a year in that role before being hired into her dream job at Sikorsky Aircraft, working as a helicopter flight test engineer. Rachel is now a propulsion flight test engineering manager with Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, in West Palm Beach, FL. She leads the team responsible for all aspects of propulsion system flight testing conducted on helicopters designed by Sikorsky Aircraft. Stay tuned after for our takeaways.

Today we meet with avid space enthusiast Emily Carney. In 2010, Emily Carney started a spaceflight blog called This Space Available via https://space.nss.org/category/this- space-available/). She loves to tell the story that, one time, the late astronaut Gene Cernan (Gemini 9A, Apollo 10, and Apollo 17 astronaut, also known as “The Last Man on the Moon”) once asked her, “what the hell is a space blog?” That was just the beginning of using social media as her platform to share her love of space.

In 2011, Carney wanted to start a Facebook group for those with similar interests but was struggling to find a good name. Her husband, Steve, suggested “Space Hipsters” as sort of a sarcastic placeholder, but the name stuck. The group grew more quickly than she could imagine, and as of May 2023 it totals nearly 43,000 members. Space Hipsters boasts members from all around the world, and includes space enthusiasts, writers, artists, scientists, engineers, aspiring astronauts, and even a few actual astronauts.

We look forward to being more ‘hip” on space and hope you stay tuned after for our takeaways.

Today, we are rejoined by Andres Permuy, now a third-year Physics Major and Math minor at Georgetown University. Currently Andres is studying abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. He aspires to receive a master's degree in Space Robotics to pursue a career in Orbital Robotics and Automation. Andres’ current goal is to work with automation that can be utilized in the space industry for extraterrestrial exploration and satellite maintenance.

Andres is gaining experience as a CV & Robotics intern for a company called Astroscale Japan. Back in the United States, he works with the national team at the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, leads the Georgetown University Space Initiative as the Co-President, and conducts space policy research at the Beyond Earth Institute. We can’t wait to hear what he’s been up to since our first episode, which you can find by going to episode 73 linked below.

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e6296e0e-f83b-4e35-b5d3-891b851b5067/episodes/71705ed8-a1ad-4a24-b604-f394c7e40a86/let's-go-to-space-blue-sky-learning-episode-73-a-university-talkie-and-techie-combining-policy-and-engineering

Caius Reza is the Lead Business Executive at Alba Orbital, a Scottish company that builds and launches PocketQubes – PocketQubes, like what their name would suggest are tiny satellites small enough to fit in your pocket! After graduating from the University of Strathclyde in 2019, he joined the company and. handles the company’s marketing and business operations, as well as organizing launch campaigns with Alba’s launch team. Alba Orbital is based in Glasgow (Caius’ hometown) and was founded with the mission. of ‘democratizing access to space’ via PocketQube technology. PocketQubes are the ccworld’s smallest commercial spacecraft and can be as small as 5x5x5cm. Their small size dramatically cut down the cost to launch your own spacecraft, meaning more people than ever before can start their own space programs! Caius has helped plan and launch over 25 PocketQube launch campaigns, including missions for high schools and universities across the world. Having worked with companies like SpaceX and Rocket Lab, Alba Orbital is deploying an earth observation constellation for near real time earth observation services, helping to mitigate climate change and responding to natural disasters. Caius is excited to share his knowledge and experience with the STEM community. He believes that PocketQubes have the potential to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists.

Alba Orbital website

Today we are joined by two new Wolfpack members from Buffalo, NY. Brian Bartelo is 13 years old and brother Sean is almost 11. While they have many interests, one of their main passions is space. Brian has an impressive resume already. He has presented topics such as mitigating space debris at AIAA Regional in Buffalo and, most recently, at Explore Mars' Humans to Mars Summit. He was part of the life support systems American team of students for the inaugural Mars Society's Student Challenge with Dr. Robert Zubrin. He is accelerated in his learning and is taking concurrent high school and college credit courses at Genesee Community College as part of the NY State ACE Homeschooling Program. He is hoping to study astrophysics and mechanical engineering at the University of Buffalo. Brian is also the founder and editor of his online school paper "Astra Nova Student Newsletter". Sean is interested in planetary defense and 3D design and printing. He has attended the Henry Ford National Invention Convention two years in a row as a finalist for his inventions and presentations. This school year, he has led teams that were semi-finalists in challenges such as Future City, Cities in Space, and the Mars Innovation Challenge. As a citizen astronomer, he has discovered 17 asteroids. He enjoys drawing, painting, and architecture. He hopes to study astronomy and engineering.

Today we meet with Bev Berekian a middle school science and college level Earth Science. She has been teaching for over 17 years and began at the Community College level while she was earning a Masters Degree in Geology. Bev has participated in several space-related programs , and has presented and attended multiple conferences. She is a Department of Defense STEM Ambassador, a NASA/SETI Airborne Astronomy Ambassador, a Space Center Houston Teacher Crew Member, and a Space Foundations International Teacher Liaison. She is also an ISS National Lab Ambassador and a JPL/NASA Solar System Ambassador. Her current project is helping junior high school students to design experiments to fly in microgravity and she is working with Dr. Kevin Crosby of Carthage College and the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium to accomplish her space goals. We look forward to the conversation today and invite you to stay tuned after for the takeaway.

www.aerospacehigh.org

Today we meet with Kirstin Bunting, a kindergarten teacher at Roosevelt Elementary on Florida’s Space Coast. Kirstin has a strong passion for STEM but especially all things space! She strives to educate and inspire the Artemis generation and beyond to appreciate and understand the world of space. Through her university course work, Kirstin is creating professional development in STEM topics so other teachers can also inspire their students to reach for the stars. In her free time, Kirstin enjoys spending time at the beach and of course watching rocket launches from her backyard or the parking lot of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center.

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In this episode, Kevin and I meet with Fraser Cain, a space and astronomy journalist and publisher of amazing astronomy content through his website, Universe Today ,In addition, Fraser is the co-host of the Astronomy Cast Podcast and hosts a long-running series of space and astronomy videos on YouTube. He lives under beautiful dark skies on Vancouver Island in Western Canada which no doubt are a source of continuous inspiration. Stay tuned for the duration and be inspired yourself and learn more about how you can follow Fraser’s work.

Aerospace and Innovation Academy website

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Today we meet with PAEMST recipient and teacher of the year for multiple organizations including the Civil Air Patrol, the Air & Space Forces Association and the AIAA , Megan Tucker. Ms. Tucker is a veteran STEM teacher of 19 years who loves to engage students in the Engineering Design Process as well as to have a growth mindset. Megan has written and edited national aerospace STEM curriculum for the Civil Air Patrol and has served as a Dean of Curriculum, a K-5 STEAM Specialist, and a professional development facilitator among many other impressive titles. She is currently designing national STEM curriculum with AVID, which drives student success through engaging, rigorous, and student-centered learning environments.

Megan is passionate about teaching through the lens of aerospace and loves using the latest technology to hook our young learners She says her job is all about providing real world situations where scholars have to use 21st Century Skills to solve a problem, and have fun while doing it!.

We are prepared to learn a lot and we know you will too.

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