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  3/23-24: Space Lectures Rick Mastracchio (UK)

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Author Topic:   3/23-24: Space Lectures Rick Mastracchio (UK)
Rick Mulheirn
Member

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 11-05-2017 10:20 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ken Willoughby and Space Lectures are delighted to confirm that the next astronaut speaker coming to Pontefract this spring is Rick Mastracchio.

As a NASA astronaut, Mastracchio logged 228 days in space on three space shuttle missions and one long-duration stay at the International Space Station. His first flight, STS-106, came in 2000, on board space shuttle Atlantis, when he and his crewmates worked to prepare the space station for its first expedition crew. He returned aboard space shuttle Endeavour for STS-118 in 2007, when as lead spacewalker, he participated in three spacewalks to install a new truss segment, a new gyroscope and a new spare parts platform on the space station's exterior.

In 2010, Mastracchio was part of the STS-131 crew of space shuttle Discovery. He performed another three spacewalks and helped deliver 27,000 pounds of hardware, including three experiment racks and new sleeping quarters for the space station. He was then able to put the hardware to use in 2014, when he spent 188 days in space as part of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. During that stay, he performed three more spacewalks, leaving him with a total of 53 hours spent outside the space station on nine spacewalks.

Prior to becoming an astronaut, Mastracchio worked first with Hamilton Standard and then with Rockwell Shuttle Operations Co. before coming to NASA in 1990 as an engineer. He worked in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory on space shuttle flight software, and in the Astronaut Office on ascent and abort procedures for crew members. From there, he became a Guidance and Procedures Officer flight controller, working in mission control for space shuttle ascents and entries.

Today, Mastracchio is Orbital ATK's Senior Director of Operations for the Commercial Resupply Services program, which delivers cargo to the International Space Station on Cygnus spacecraft.

Details of the event are as follows:

  • Friday, 23 March 2018:
    Evening Dinner and Auction £80
    The King's Croft, Wakefield Road, Pontefract
    Photo shoot: 18.00-18.45 (£30 payable on the day)
    Dinner 19.00-21.00
    Auction and autograph session

  • Saturday, 24 March 2018:
    Lecture £35
    Carleton Community High School "The Infinity Theatre"
    Doors open at 14.00
    Photo shoot: 14.45-15.45 (£30 payable on the day)
    Lecture 16.00-17.00
    Q&A session, approximately 15 to 20 minutes
    Autograph session

Rick Mulheirn
Member

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 11-16-2017 03:49 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I would like to invite the budding designers in our midst to submit designs for the Rick Mastracchio photo shoot back drop that will be used in the Space Lectures event in March.

Previous events have turned up some wonderful incarnations and nobody has won more than once which should tell you we are open to designs from all quarters.

Given Rick's extensive career involving the shuttle, ISS, umpteen EVAs and of course Soyuz there is a wealth of imagery out there. I will see to it that the winner receives their own bespoke, signed portrait photo courtesy of Rick and Space Lectures.

Brings it on chaps... and chapesses!

Rick Mulheirn
Member

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 12-16-2017 05:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I can confirm that a second limited batch of Space Lectures embroidered patches has been ordered and will be available to purchase at the Rick Mastracchio event in March 2018.

Such has been the support of so many regulars at these twice yearly events we thought it appropriate that they should have "first refusal". Only after the Mastracchio event will any patches NOT sold be made available to the wider public.

We were delighted to receive this week a photo taken by Scott "Scooter" Altman, proudly displaying his Space Lectures patch.

Rick Mulheirn
Member

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 12-21-2017 02:59 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Seasons greetings, best wishes to all collectSpace members and here's to another exciting space year!

And on behalf of Ken Willoughby and all of the Space Lectures team a HUGE thank you to Scooter and Bruce McCandless for making 2017 such a memorable year, and of course all of our supporters without whom the Space Lectures events would not be possible.

Roll on 2018: Roll on Rick!

Rick Mulheirn
Member

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 01-04-2018 07:05 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
How are the Mastracchio backdrop designs coming along folks? March will be upon us before we know it.

Dave_Johnson
Member

Posts: 106
From:
Registered: Feb 2014

posted 01-05-2018 11:02 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dave_Johnson   Click Here to Email Dave_Johnson     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I know you said that no one has won more than once (yikes, there's a mouthful!), but since there appears to be no response I thought I'd throw this out for your consideration.

Rick Mulheirn
Member

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 01-07-2018 07:31 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Nice one Dave. Thank you.

Dave_Johnson
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Posts: 106
From:
Registered: Feb 2014

posted 01-07-2018 11:46 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dave_Johnson   Click Here to Email Dave_Johnson     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
You're welcome, Rick. Just trying to help keep things running smoothly.

em8g16
Member

Posts: 21
From: Spain
Registered: Dec 2017

posted 01-08-2018 10:48 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for em8g16   Click Here to Email em8g16     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This is the first time I do something like this, but it can't hurt trying!

Rick Mulheirn
Member

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 01-08-2018 01:32 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Wow. One tip if I may? Keep Rick's mission patches to the sides of the image. Across the top people's heads may interfere and obstruct one or more patch.

em8g16
Member

Posts: 21
From: Spain
Registered: Dec 2017

posted 01-08-2018 02:06 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for em8g16   Click Here to Email em8g16     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Is this one better? As I said it's my first time. Also, as with any design it can always be modified!

Rick Mulheirn
Member

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 01-08-2018 05:50 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Nice! Thank you.

em8g16
Member

Posts: 21
From: Spain
Registered: Dec 2017

posted 01-08-2018 06:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for em8g16   Click Here to Email em8g16     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
No problem! If you end up choosing mine and want any tweak done please let me know. I'm more than glad to do it!

Rick Mulheirn
Member

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 01-30-2018 02:55 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Rick Mastracchio event will soon be upon us.We will shortly have to select the photo shoot back drop. Can any "lurkers", thinking of posting a possible composition do so soon. We can put it to the rest of the team and Ken will have the final say.

Thanks in advance.

Rick Mulheirn
Member

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 02-17-2018 04:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I think Ken has chosen a backdrop for the Mastracchio event... and it is none of the above. That said, he was very impressed with em8g16's attempt, particularly as it was the first time he/she had entered.

I will see to it that em8g16 gets a signed portrait of Rick stood in front of the event backdrop with the compliments of Space Lectures...and thank you guys for participating.

Rick Mulheirn
Member

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 03-11-2018 02:02 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Please be advised, the second batch of the Space Lectures patch will be available for purchase first at the Rick Mastracchio event. I'm not entirely sure where they will be sold from but I'm sure Mrs OWL will have a stash about her person!

spaceman
Member

Posts: 1104
From: Walsall, West Midlands, UK
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 03-26-2018 08:25 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for spaceman   Click Here to Email spaceman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Excellent guest, great weekend, thanks to Ken Willoughby and the team (are they Willoughbites?). Looking forward to their next event and guests in October. Quite a sparse astro calendar for the U.K. so far....

crash
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Posts: 318
From: West Sussex, England
Registered: Jan 2011

posted 03-26-2018 02:20 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for crash   Click Here to Email crash     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ken and the Willoughbies — appearing at a venue near you in October. 12-13 October to be precise.

Rick Mulheirn
Member

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 03-27-2018 01:44 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Space Lectures has been bringing astronaut speakers to the UK for 11 years and if nothing else the Rick Mastracchio event proves that Ken Willoughby and the team must be doing something right.

It was Rick himself who reached out to Ken and offered his services as a speaker. He had been impressed by both the Space Lectures social media experience and feedback from friends and former astronaut colleagues who have graced the Space Lectures stage.

"It's great to be here guys and I'm looking forward to having some fun," Rick exclaimed upon arrival at the hotel. It soon became evident that Rick's energy and sense of fun would permeate the entire weekend and so it proved.

At a private team function Rick became the latest astronaut recipient of the much vaunted Space Lectures patch: the first from the second batch of patches. Over the next two days they proved very popular and sold like the proverbial hot cakes... but a small number remain so anybody interested in acquiring one should act fast!

One could be forgiven for thinking that Rick was a product of the NASA "mill." A honed (aka trained) and polished public speaker who knows exactly what to say and which buttons to press. In truth he simply loves meeting people. Whether it was high fiving school children or mixing with the dinner guests Rick has an innate natural talent for engaging with people that endeared him to everybody who came within his orbit.

As part of Space Lectures' outreach program Cundall Manor School of York invited Rick to speak to some 360 pupils. With ages ranging from 6 to 16, Rick skilfully managed to pitch what was essentially the same talk to two distinctly different groups of children.

Fast paced and packed with detail the excitement of his personal spaceflight experience was perfectly blended within the context of the space program as a whole. What has been done to date, what is going on now and what will happen in the future. And all this from a guy who applied to be a NASA astronaut no less than nine times: that's right... NINE times!!

His advice to the students was to excel at their studies, naturally, but also to stretch themselves and acquire a variety of skills. Whether it is playing a musical instrument, playing sports or being good with their hands, his experiences particularly on the astronaut selection board later in his career taught him that being an astronaut is not all about academia. Not surprisingly Rick's message of perseverance coupled with a can do attitude was the overriding message the pupils took away from their astronaut encounter.

Before both the dinner and public lecture the audience was invited to stand for a one minute silence as a mark of respect for heroes who have spoken previously at Space Lectures and who have sadly recently left us. RIP Dick Gordon and Bruce McCandless: we miss you both.

Friday's dinner and auction at the Kings Croft hotel was well attended and from the outset Rick mingled. He studied the goodies on offer from our resident dealers and it was at times difficult to spot him amongst the other diners before and after the photo shoot. Prior to the auction Rick offered to pitch in with descriptions and anecdotes for many of the signed lots including a flown patch from his personal collection. Not surprisingly the bidding that followed contributed to a good return, all of which will go to fund the next Space Lectures' event and chosen charities.

Many of the dinners are Space Lectures stalwarts that bring multi-signed pieces with them from previous astronaut encounters. One such Space Lectures encounter was with Rick's friend and one time crewmate Scott "Scooter" Altman, but this proved to be a source of faux irritation.

Time and again Rick would exclaim "Darn it. I'm underneath Scott Altman again." Before adding, "Don't believe a word that Altman says. He pays me money every year so that I can go around telling folks that he is a proper astronaut!!" It was evident from the twinkle in Rick's eye that the joshing was good natured and that he and Scooter are close.

320 people turned out to hear Rick at Saturday's lecture, some travelling from as far as France and Russia. Once again the audience was treated to an all-encompassing presentation: a beefed up "full fat" version of that given to the school. In his own inimitable style Rick packed in so much detail that even the most mundane of tasks seemed interesting, neigh exciting. Who would have known that taking the trash out of the ISS could be so riveting?

His insight as an Orbital ATK executive coupled with his experiences as a NASA astronaut left the audience with arguably the most comprehensive feeling of what it is like to not only live and work in the ISS but how to keep it operational and viable.

At the autograph session that followed the appreciation from the audience was overwhelming and Rick was continually thanking folks, shaking hands and on one occasion even offering advice to a young aerospace engineer currently working for Lockheed Martin.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end and Rick had to catch a 5.30am flight the next morning in order to be back at work on the Monday, so he beat a hasty retreat to the airport. But next morning, once settled in to his seat mid Atlantic he took time out to tweet "Thanks for everything. You have Great folks doing great work. Keep it going."

Ken would like to thank everybody for attending. Without their support none of this would be possible. And while the announcement for October's event was not as slick as we would have liked, the response to Robert "Hoot" Gibson and Dr. Rhea Seddon proved VERY popular with the audience many of whom ordered tickets there and then.

Ladies and gentlemen, you know what to do. October will be here before we know it.

18blue78
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Posts: 126
From: UK
Registered: Aug 2013

posted 03-27-2018 03:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for 18blue78     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
One of the highlights of the Space Lectures' events is reading Rick's detailed report and behind-the-scenes stories.

Many thanks to Ken, Rick, the whole Space Lectures team and of course Rick Mastracchio for another great weekend.

Spoon
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Posts: 143
From: Cumbria, UK
Registered: May 2006

posted 03-28-2018 03:02 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Spoon   Click Here to Email Spoon     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A fantastic lecture from on Saturday.

My wife accompanies me to the Space Lectures events, and thanks to Rick's clear, enthusiastic delivery, she came away from this one with a renewed appreciation, and understanding, of spaceflight ops including the past, present and future of the manned space program. I found him to be really friendly and approachable (even commenting he really like my jacket!).

Roll on October! I remember following the exploits of 'Hoot' as a small boy — along with his wife Rhea, a chance to enjoy the company of true space shuttle royalty.

Kite
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Posts: 831
From: Northampton UK
Registered: Nov 2009

posted 03-29-2018 04:47 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kite     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Pleased it all went very well. Unfortunately I was unable to make it this time and really missed my always looked forward to trip to Pontefract. The next one should be great and I will hopefully be there.

Rick Mulheirn
Member

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 03-29-2018 04:53 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Be there or be square Kite! The place doesn't seem the same without you.

Kite
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Posts: 831
From: Northampton UK
Registered: Nov 2009

posted 03-29-2018 05:32 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kite     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Much obliged Rick. As always thanks for your detailed report.

spaceman
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Posts: 1104
From: Walsall, West Midlands, UK
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 03-30-2018 10:17 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for spaceman   Click Here to Email spaceman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Our meal on the M1 services wasn't the same without you Kite. We did "dine" with two other Space Lectures attendees though.

Kite
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Posts: 831
From: Northampton UK
Registered: Nov 2009

posted 03-30-2018 03:08 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kite     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thats nice of you Nick. I missed your family's company too but already looking forward to October.

em8g16
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Posts: 21
From: Spain
Registered: Dec 2017

posted 04-06-2018 02:18 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for em8g16   Click Here to Email em8g16     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have just received the photograph signed by Rick Mastracchio as Rick promised. I am really thankfull to Rick and the entire Space Lectures team for this gesture.

Reading the summary of the event it seems it was a great evening and I hope to be able to assist one in the future.

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