posted 06-11-2002 01:04 PM               

My other job is in broadcasting. I do news and traffic reports for Chicago-area radio stations. My regular shift is weekends on one of the News-Talk outlets here, but I often fill in for other reporters during the week.

posted 06-11-2002 01:20 PM               

I work as operations manager in the Finnish branch of a European transportation group.

It is more fun than it sounds as doing business with Russia you find out something new every day. I moved to Finland to live with my Girlfriend 3 years ago.

Unfortunately being situated in a remote corner of Europe we do not have so many chances to meet astronauts / cosmonauts, although we had the visit of Pavel Popovich 2 years ago. And the people at Autographica put on a good show in England every year.

posted 06-11-2002 08:57 PM               

I have enjoyed collecting for many years and plan to continue as long as possible.

posted 06-17-2002 06:28 PM               

I can actually remember the first time I saw the Shuttle. It was in Time magazine, March 1981. It was the issue that covered President Reagan's shooting. I was 12 at the time and was hooked for life. Columbia was launched 4 weeks later and Irish viewers were introduced to our own spaceflight correspondent, Leo Enright. Leo's enthusiasm and professionalism came through in every single report he ever made. In 1984, I got a present of a radio with a difference, it had all these bands under SW, seven I think. I tuned to one of them - static, foreign languages, even something that sounded like a woodpecker! Suddenly an American accent and the melody of Yankee Doodle Dandy. It was October 84 a week before flight STS-41G and I had just discovered Voice of America, some one had thrown me a lifeline and a new love shortwave listening was born.

Alan Silverman, Gary Treadway, Jay Barbree became my Walter Cronkites. VOA, AFRTS, Radio Canada, Moscow, Netherland, Germany, I wished for nothing else in life. Grades began falling but there was no going back now. Like John in Rochester I spent many wonderful days and night recording history live, most I still have.

Today I can bring in NASA TV at the touch of a button, receive mail from NASA news centers and Bill Harwood, I even call one astronaut and his wife friends of mine (Dan and Jane Tani), but nothing will come close to the thrill and joy and love and memories I have of that little Goodmans shortwave radio. Thank you Leo, Alan, Gary, and thank you Noah for this opportunity to remember a special time from my past.

posted 06-27-2002 08:34 AM               

In addition to producing this site, I am the Director of Marketing for Space Adventures, Ltd, the company responsible for brokering Dennis Tito's and Mark Shuttleworth's trips to the ISS. In my off-time (hah!), I also serve as a member of the National Space Society's Board of Directors, and volunteer my web services for the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.

I've been passionate about space travel since about the age of six, when I decided I wanted to be an astronaut. At age 11, I attended Space Camp for the first of six times. I didn't start collecting space until 1994, as I didn't really know one could. (Prior to space memorabilia, I collected Garfield, the comic strip cat, collectibles. When I ceased collecting in 1993, I had amassed a collection of over 5000 items with Garfield (or his friends) image. Everything from cereal boxes, to boxers, to garter belts, to a complete McDonald's store's happy meal package (not just one happy meal, but the entire supply for one store -- all signage, all cups, all boxes, etc.).

I attended the University of Maryland in College Park (Go Terps!) initially as an astrophysics major, and then as an English major (with a concentration on creative writing). It wasn't that I didn't understand the physics, its just that I couldn't see myself doing that for the rest of my life -- I enjoyed sharing the wonders of the universe with others much more than I enjoyed the mathematics behind them).

While there I developed my first website, S.P.A.C.E. (the Space, Planetary, and Astronomical Cyber-Experience) which was for space what Yahoo is to the entire web. That spun off into "Ask An Astronaut," the first website to allow the public access to astronauts online. Both sites were selected by the National Space Society to become part of their official site in 1996 and I was hired as their Director of Online Programs (My first boss was Lori Garver, as in "Astro Mom," then Executive Director of the NSS, who is now making a bid to fly to space).

I left NSS (but joined their board) to help establish Space Adventures, Ltd. In 1999, we split off Starport.com, a site dedicated to working with former astronauts to create unique content both on- and off-line. That effort was acquired by SPACE.com and I moved to New York to become their Communities Director. After a year in Manhattan, SPACE contracted and I returned to Space Adventures (bringing us full circle).

posted 06-27-2002 09:45 PM               

My parents worked for JPL and McDonald Douglas through the space race and for many years after that. Clearly, that's where my interest in space started. They would always bring home phot's and technical reports of the space programs, manned and unmanned that the companies were working on. As a kid you start looking through this cool stuff even though you couldn't understand half of it. I don't even want to think about the stuff that I know went in the trash ($$$).

I've worked on a lot of interesting projects over the years including the B2 bomber before most had ever heard of such a thing.

I've known my wife for nearly twenty years though we've only been married for two. We went through grades 3-12 in the same school but didn't meet until college when she was dating a friend of mine (he later married the girl I was dating at the time). We dated for years and broke up. She married, I married and years later we both ended up divorced, but were reintroduced by my sister.

posted 06-28-2002 11:24 AM               

By day or by night? Well by day I am a Technical Analyst for Boeing currently working on the Sonic Cruiser Program. We are the core team defining the configuration of the plane, doing the trades for speed, passenger count, size, etc... "We study everything - all the time" is the motto of our Product Development group. I feel very fortunate to "draw pictures of airplanes" for a living and get paid for it! Past programs which I have been involved with here at Boeing include the V-22, New Large Airplane, 747X, 777, and numerous other smaller studies. I have been at Boeing for about 14 years with a two year break in service when I coordinated public programs full time for the Museum of Flight in Seattle. That was a wonderful time and I had great opportunities to interact with many of the early space pioneers. I am very proud that many of them remain good friends.

By night I am the fictitious curator of "The Newport Way Air Museum" - in other words, my home in suburban Seattle. My decor is set up with displays on early aviation and manned U.S. spaceflight. It is my plan to acquire (as original as possible) models of the various spacecraft and build a chronological display depicting manned U.S. Spaceflight. I'm most of the way there, and am scratch building 1/35 and 1/100 scale examples to fill in the gaps.

Other details about me would include that I am single, was raised in a small town in Wisconsin, love photography & travel, and am finishing a book on the AEROCAR which is currently at a publisher.

The best aspect of collecting space artifacts for me is the ability to interact with the individuals who made these amazing flights and have displays at home which provide inspiration and a great decor.

posted 06-29-2002 12:48 PM               

As an engineer I worked designing and installing communications systems for many NASA sites. I spent a lot of time at NASA Houston and White Sands. I developed many of the low noise recievers, C&M systems and earth stations for them. I have a house and office full of memrobelia items. At my office I had a mini mall of items. I am selling off much of it to get back space (physical space).

The closest I got to a rocket launch was launching very large solid state rockets. I have sat in the pilot seat on the shuttle mock up and have been interested in NASA for years. I also used to park in Chris Kraft's parking spot at night at Johnson but never met him. I made it into his office once but he was out - never give a collector an all access badge.

posted 01-05-2003 09:49 AM            

I am a Unix computer support engineer (software side) building and supporting many thousands of aerospace Unix servers and workstations (same type NASA has at KSC).

But, over nearly 40 years have written, published, lectured, exhibited, displayed, promoted via radio, TV, newspapers spaceflight throughout UK to thousands of people in schools, colleges, industry and in general public areas (museums, art galleries). I even founded the L-5 Space Settlement Society for West Europe back in mid 70s!

I originated the Millennium Space Rock and had it flown aboard MIR then exhibited at KSC, Florida amongst other world wide places.

posted 01-07-2003 12:59 PM               

When I embarked for a three-year tour of the USA with Cirque du Soleil's show Dralion, I made it a goal to visit every NASA site, every space-involved research center and every artefact-oriented science museum within a day's driving, plus to meet every astronaut in sight. I did just about all of that (including two launches), save for Stennis center which was closed after 9-11, save for a night launch at Vandenberg which practically flew over my head unbeknownst to me while I was eating a louzy pizza in a noisy joint fifty miles from there ('found out about it the morning after in the local rag...) and for Jim Lovell who had left Lovell's twenty minutes before I got there!

I was introduced to the hobby of collecting in the grandest style, at the Christie's auction in 2001, where I acquired several of my most precious items and where I saw and handled many more. This was my introduction to collectSPACE as well, since I sat next to Robert that day. I also met several of the main actors and dealers in space collecting, a day which will remain one of the most intense and educational of all my collecting days!

I have met many of you through these journeys, and if any of you came to Canada, please let me know!

francois_guay@hotmail.com

posted 01-08-2003 04:12 PM            

I am a head teacher in a local primary school working with children from 3-12.

I first got interested in spaceflight at the time of the Gemini 4 EVA but it wasn't until Apollo 8 that I started to collect items related to US human spaceflight.

Over the years I have been involved in writing about all aspects of spaceflight and have had over 60 papers, articles and reports published in a variety of journals and magazines both in the UK and USA. My specialist area is US human spaceflight although I have written about many other aspects of spaceflight including Earth observations, solar system exploration, space visitor centres and Russian human spaceflight. I used to contribute an annual Space Shuttle mission review report to the British Interplanetary Society's SPACEFLIGHT magazine.

I have also carried out research for several other space writers including Tim Furniss - 'One Small Step - The Apollo Missions' and David Harland - 'Exploring The Moon - The Apollo Expeditions'.

I am credited by NASA (on the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal web site) as the discoverer of a single still photograph of Neil Armstrong, the first human to walk on the Moon. NASA previously had stated that no still photographs of Armstrong on the surface of the Moon existed.

My space highlights have been meeting and talking with John Young on one of his visits to Aberdeen and getting press status at KSC. In 1982 I got a personal tour of Shuttle facilities at KSC including being allowed to walk around and under Endeavour in the OPF. In 1987 I watched the STS-94 launch from next to the countdown clock at the press site... wonderful experience! However the number one highlight has to be watching live pictures of astronauts walking on the Moon - it was just all over too quickly!

posted 02-06-2004 12:52 PM               

Years ago I decided that the dream of going into space in my lifetime was probably a long shot. Settled for the next best thing. My brain on a chip embedded in a flight unit rocketing into space in the form of a coded E-PROM with my software burned on it.

Then, looking for something new, took a six year detour venturing into the financial sector in an effort to gain some database experience and also to see how the other half (of software developers) lives. That led to riding the dot com rebellion, bubble and ensuing crash.

For me it was a way of moving away from creating elements of warfare used in times of conflict. But then something happened that led to another shift. On 911 the financial company I was consulting to lost 11 employees on planes and in the World Trade Center in New York. It seemed that it was impossible to find a job where international conflict didn't exist.

posted 02-06-2004 01:06 PM               

I work for a Engineering Company

We supply Crane Driver and Mechanics to Oil platforms in the North Sea and a number of locations world wide. Recently we purchased 2 American Crane manufacturing companies and have offices on all contents.

What do I do I source spare parts for the cranes for some of the North sea platforms.

Its a bit like were mission control as some platforms only have 1 or 2 chopper flights a week and a supply boat every 2 so planning is essential and for a breakdown money can become a no object when your crane is the only one on the platform and its winter and you can't get food / water on or off the platform.

Or your piece of equpment being broking doen is costing 10K+ an hour.

Pressure don't you just love it!

posted 02-06-2004 04:51 PM               

Joined the airforce when I left school, failed my pilots course. Drove trams for a couple of years, and have been a policeman for 23 years plus now.

I was at high school in 1969 and remember watching Armstrong and Aldrin walk on the moon on an old black and white tv. Collect aviation and space books, prints and autographs. Nice to meet you all.

posted 02-06-2004 04:55 PM               

You are all a good people,

posted 02-06-2004 07:25 PM               

In addition to my space interest, I love Star Trek and Star Wars and costuming. I have an 80's-era NASA flight suit costume among my collection, of course, which I wore last Halloween, and wear to programs on the Centennial of Flight that I've been giving. I'm a fan of the rock band Queen (got to see them get their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October '02), but I'm dismayed that guitarist Brian May, while an astronomer, is anti-human-spaceflight

I hope to get to a Shuttle launch before the Shuttle is gone... I loved watching launches on TV at school and at home as a kid, and hoped for a launch during one of our family vacations to Florida, but it never worked out. I did get to go to KSC as a consolation, when I was about 10 or so. It was amazing to see the place where so much happens.

Glad to know you all a little better, and hope to meet more of you someday... I'm hoping to get to one of the "astronaut conventions" next year!

posted 02-06-2004 08:13 PM               

I had to give up my job in the heritage sector(planning and staging exhibitions etc.) and my part time job as a night club bouncer because of an anxiety disorder. Autographica was the first time I had been anywhere (other than to work) in years, so my interest in space has helped my recovery immensely.

posted 02-07-2004 01:05 PM               

My earliest memory of Apollo was listening to the Genesis reading Christmas 1968.

My Dad got us all up for the Apollo 11 moon landing and the fantastic tv shots of Apollos 15, 16 and 17 are still quite clear after all these years (for some reason I cannot remember Apollos 7, 9, and 10).

My interest started fading after ASTP (the downside of living in the UK) but when the shuttle started going in the 80's along with a GREAT magazine that was published at the time (I cannot remember the title) here in the UK my boyhood passion started to stir up again.

Its only since I've been on the internet these last two to three years that that my hobby has took off. Finding this site has been a God send, learning about this boyhood passion and getting the chance through this site to meet some of the astronauts that I was watching on tv 30 odd years ago.

Also its been a great site for making new friends here in the UK, Europe, the US and the land of OZ down under, long my it continue. Its a great hobby to be involved in and I wish ALL collectSPACE members all the best

posted 02-07-2004 03:03 PM               

I grew up during the Apollo years, and my mom would buy me clothes that I would usually avoid wearing unless she put the word "moon" in front of it. Moon Coat, Moon Boots, Moon... whatever. Then I would happily wear the clothing! (strange kid)

I wanted to be some kind of engineer doing something space/aviation related, but after about 5 attempts at calculus and failing miserably at numbers, I changed my mind. I work with computers at some very large evil software company (Just a vendor though, not an employee). My main computer interest is in hardware, but currently doing software support which I don't really like much, but it's a job for now. I'm looking for a hardware tech job still and would really like to go back to that - and at a smaller company! Someday...

I got my pilot's license as soon as I could afford it back in 1991 when I was 23. I've been flying ever since and have about 1850 hours, a commercial license and flight instructor. I once thought of being a pilot also, but nearsightedness, color blindness and the lack of stability in those jobs kind of made me change my mind and stick with computer work.

To keep my sanity outside of work, I collect autographs, flown items, and just about anything else space/aviation related. I also enjoy astronomy and astrophotography (yeah, it's a tough hobby in the Seattle area). I also fool around with model planes, ham radio, computers, trying to get rich on Ebay, and a bit of cat herding.

I've been to one shuttle launch attempt - STS-98, but didn't get to see it fly due to a possible SRB cable problem. Arrgghh!!! Shuttle-1, Tom-0.

You won't find any 'nice' paintings of mountain scenes in my house. My living room is the pre-shuttle display, dining room is shuttle items, and family room is aviation. I've got a 4 foot long Saturn 5 hanging above my couch in the living room. Friends think my house is a little odd, but they seem to like it though. Hehe!

posted 02-07-2004 03:34 PM               

We write historical works about the air war in Belgium during WWII, we detect crashed airplanes, do excavations for our museum and give missed pilots a grave.

posted 02-07-2004 11:04 PM               

I'm also a keen music fan (2500 LP/CD) and in my journeys have met and had albums signed (no autopens here) by the Moody Blues, Hall and Oates, Chris Cross, CSN, Bruce, John Denver (what a sad loss, a true gentleman) Richard Harris and Joe Cocker... and what a strange character that man is.

Also have a passion for Aussie Rules and Test Cricket which will probably mean zilch to the US members.