Additional information
by Al Koller (Author)
This compendium is all about space exploration, space history, and space pioneers - past, present, and future. It describes past achievements in space, current missions and flights, and upcoming programs. Listings, pictures, and descriptions show you where we've been in space exploration, what is happening now at Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and where we are headed in the future with direct references to new and emerging players from the American commercial space industry.
If you have worked in any facet of the space program you know you are involved in an adventure that is much bigger than yourself. This book helps explain how aerospace work leads to a broader appreciation not only for what has gone before, but also for that which is yet to come. Enjoy the read!
If you are a fan of space, this book will provide you with valuable insights into the genesis of the key programs, people, and hardware that took us to the moon, as well as where we are now and where we plan to go next.
If you are preparing to enter the aerospace industry, it will provide you a basic understanding of the structure of the industry and the give and take that makes space exploration a growing part of every advanced economy on earth.
If you are hiring people to work in the space program, this book can become a primer to provide them with valuable background knowledge of the history of aerospace in America, the activities and results of the "cold war" space race between America and Russia, the place of the Space Shuttle Program and in international space collaboration, the development of the International Space Station and how it is used.
If you are a student interested in space, included are some of the specific science based knowledge that will help answer basic questions about propulsion, launch windows, effects of microgravity, and similar elements - all from a very hands-on approach that helps anyone understand how it all works.
Author Biography
I began my aerospace career at age 17 as a graduate of Titusville High School in Florida, working summers for the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) at its Missile Firing Lab on Cape Canaveral. I transferred to NASA at the Kennedy Space Center in 1960 as part of the von Braun ABMA rocket team and worked in Launch Vehicle Operations as Technical Assistant to the Director; as the Environmental Program Manager; as the Environmental Health Officer and Biomedical Program Manager; and as a Total Quality Management Consultant.
I remained at NASA for 32 years, earning Masters and Doctoral degrees in management and retired in 1992 to pursue a lifelong commitment to education at Brevard Community College. There I was Vice President for International Education, working in more than 10 countries including Russia, India, Thailand, Hungary, the Czech Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, and Suriname.
In 1997 I became Titusville Campus President and served as the Executive Director of the BCC Aerospace Program. I led a national consortium of colleges winning $10M in grants to create SpaceTEC - the National Science Foundation's Center for Aerospace Technical Education. I served as SpaceTEC Principal Investigator and Managing Director until retiring in December of 2013. See www.spacetec.org and www.certtec.com.
I taught at several universities, consulted for private and public organizations, and am nationally published in technical and management fields and international education. I received the Florida Space Business Roundtable's "Explorer Award" for leadership in space-related education in 2001, the National Space Club Florida Committee Lifetime Achievement Award in Aerospace in August 2008; and the Thomas Gamble award for Excellence in Education in 2011.
In my private life, I serve as President of the NASA Alumni League Florida Chapter and am active in aerospace consulting. I am a member of St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church in Titusville serving as Treasurer, Junior Warden, Senior Warden, and Lay Reader. I married my wife, the former Carol Ann Knight of Jacksonville, Fl, in our senior year in college more than 50 years ago. We have three daughters, a son, ten grandchildren, and four great grandchildren. I have taught at several universities, consulted for private and public organizations, and am nationally published in the technical and management fields, as well as in international education. You can learn more at my website: www.e3company.com.
