bright spots


Channel your passions into space with the NASA Space Apps Challenge weekend

Coming up soon – on the weekend of October 7 & 8, 2023, the annual NASA International Space Apps Challenge is happening again. Know what a hackathon is? If so, this is one focused on 30 goals, or projects, or “challenges” defined by NASA. Don’t know what a hackathon is but are eager to learn […]


New opportunity for legal and ethics specialists in rocket science

We always love an opportunity to feature events and programs from our friends at FOR ALL MOONKIND. Michelle and Tim Hanlon lead this organization. It has made an incredible impact as a small organization such as facilitating nations to sign The Artemis Accords for responsible moon exploration and settlement, and being recognized as Permanent Observer […]


Another innovative way to enter aerospace thanks to the dearMoon mission with MZ

This website blog (and the book that started it) is all about innovative ways to launch a career in the aerospace or aviation fields Or how to be a so-called rocket scientist. In this month of December, 2022, a major announcement was made. The #dearMoon mission, funded by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa (YZ), announced 8 […]


More than a full day at NASA Kennedy Visitor Center

This month, we took a family vacation to Orlando, Florida. It was a great time, despite the brutal heat and humidity. I’m not used to that! Now I live somewhere with dry heat when it’s hot. Anyway, we planned for a full day at NASA Kennedy Space Center. It is roughly an 80-minute drive away […]


How To Be a Rocket Scientist – the book is back in print!

Happy news for anyone who wants to blaze their own trail into a fun and rewarding career in aerospace or aviation! “How To Be a Rocket Scientist: 10 Tips to Enter the Aerospace Field and Launch the Career of Your Dreams” has been republished! In both paperback and ebook formats! Ready for a “reality check” […]


My first-hand account of the Alpha rocket launch by Firefly Aerospace 1

OVERVIEW On September 2, 2021, the first rocket from the space exploration startup company Firefly Aerospace made its first attempt at launch. It was the boldest first rocket launch attempt ever in the history of humankind: to go directly into orbit on the very first try with the first rocket engineered and produced by a […]


Goodnight Moon Base completes a successful Kickstarter campaign!

Hooray for everyone who wants to bring dreams of living on the moon to children every night for bedtime! The Kickstarter campaign to help bring GOODNIGHT MOON BASE to publication in 2021 has met its crowdfunding goal! My huge THANK YOU and congratulations to everyone who made this possible! Especially my family, close friends, colleagues, […]


Goodnight Moon Base has launched on Kickstarter!

The crowdfunding campaign to bring GOODNIGHT MOON BASE into reality is underway! When our daughter and son were little kids, my wife and I enjoyed bedtime every night by reading different stories to them. It included the classic book Goodnight Moon. My hope and dream is that when they become parents themselves, along with other parents and […]