Posted by Editor: FDBobko
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The FOGHORN 
ROTARY CLUB OF HALF MOON BAY
January 7, 2021
Article by Stacy Trevenon
 
Mary introduced speaker (and former Rotary District Governor) Joe Ramos. Joe holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and a master of science degree in management. He joined the Rotary Club of Lake Arrowhead, Calif., in 2004 following his 2001 retirement as Associate Director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Dryden Flight Research Center. (In 2014 it was renamed Armstrong Flight Research Center, in honor of first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong,) and is at Edwards Air Force Base in California. (Armstrong was a flight test engineer and test pilot at Dryden before he became an astronaut.) During his 34 years of service Joe also held senior positions at the Pentagon and Air Force Flight Test Center and was adjunct professor for 10 years at three universities, teaching graduate and undergraduate engineering and management.
 
Joe served as a Rotary club president in 2007-2008 and became District 5330 District Governor in 2013-2014, and continues to be very active in Zone 25/26. In 2018, as chair of the Rotary Rose Parade Float Committee, he was responsible for turning a financially challenged project around from debt into surplus, while (simultaneously) winning the Rose Parade’s Princess Trophy for the most beautiful float under 35 feet in size. He has been married for 52 years to his wife, Joanne, and they have two children and six grandchildren. They are major donors, multiple Paul Harris Fellows, members of the Paul Harris Society and Benefactors.
 
Joe discussed his work with NASA, beginning with a little about NASA and its role in developing new science. He said the first “A” in NASA, refers to aeronautics. But in 1915, it was called NACA --  National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. His talk centered on human exploration of space, and how it improved and enhanced human life on Earth.
 
Enhancing his talk with photographs, many taken in space, Joe gave an overview of NASA’s four missions: the first being aerospace technology, in which he worked at Edwards Air Force Base. There, the X planes were tested including the X1 which broke the sound barrier with Chuck Yeager on Oct. 14, 1947. Also a focus there was airborne science which looked at the earth’s atmosphere, global warming, polar caps, human exploration and development of space, and NASA in terms of going to the moon, space stations, Mars and beyond, and life sciences, i.e. improving human life on earth which helps us expand into space.
 
 
He went into science next: how the universe began and evolved, where we are headed and whether we are alone. Then came earth science, or a better understanding of natural and human-induced changes that impact climate, weather and natural environment. NASA has 10 centers throughout the United States plus headquarters in Washington D.C.
 
He began with aeronautics. The newest, fastest and highest-flying aircraft, like the SR71 Blackbird which can reach over three times the speed of sound, got started over Armstrong. Calling it a “flying wind tunnel,” he showed a photo of the craft, with a little rocket on it, called an X33, a test vehicle used as a replacement for the shuttle. 
 
He showed an aerial graphic of the Rogers Dry Lakebed, where NASA is at Edwards itself. With 44 square miles and 11 runways, they have the largest landing location in the world, where the Space Shuttle landed 59 times through 2011. Then, to the Rotarians’ delight, he showed a photo of a young Bo Bobko, and the landing he did on the runway at Edwards in April 1983, and mentioned that Bo was the pilot of STS-6, the first flight of Challenger. At that time Joe was working for the Air Force flight test center, for the special operations combined test force. There were similarities between what Bo did and what he did, and he regretted that Bo wasn’t there to share his own experiences.
 
He showed a photo of the support aircraft fleet when he was at the Armstrong Flight Research Center, a composite photo of roughly 18 aircraft that were tested there, including the X43 hypersonic aircraft that broke Mach 10 when he was there and is still the fastest aircraft on record. On the bottom left of the composite photo was the Helios, which broke the high-altitude record for solar-powered aircraft at 97,000 feet. Up there, he said, the atmosphere is about the same as that on Mars. Next he pointed out the Proteus, built by Scale Composites, one of the contractors who will be selling commercial flights into space.
 
Going back to the Space Shuttle, he discussed all testing from initial unpowered flights, which he thought Bo was part of, with a prototype called the Enterprise. When a Shuttle lands, it is put on a 747 and ferried off to the Kennedy Space Center. He discussed Neil Armstrong and the 1969 Apollo 11 flight, and went on to the winged, hypersonic X15 that flew above Mach 7 to 354,000 feet, comparing that to commercial flights at 30,000 feet. Those heights earn pilots their astronaut wings, he said -- space starts at 328,000 feet. He showed pictures of Armstrong training for his moon landing, which Armstrong had to accomplish manually to avoid large boulders.
 
Then Joe showed a photo of himself with a test pilot Tom McMurtry (spelling?) on one of NASA’s F18s. From there he spoke of one of the fun things he got to do, like sending astronauts off to Houston after they landed; he showed a photo of the STS-98 Shuttle Atlantis from the 2001 mission from the International Space Station. Another photo came from a party at his boss’s office, showing him, Chuck Yeager, his wife and astronauts. Then, “a view not often seen: the back side of the Shuttle” on the launch pad. He and his wife visited the Kennedy Center in October 1998 and toured the shuttle STS-95; that commemorated the flight that John Glenn was aboard as the oldest man to fly in space, to study the aging process in space. Then, a photo of the porthole for the crew entrance, and a photo of the gangway, titled “Space X Flight 2020.”
 
 Then Joe came to “What does NASA do?” He answered the question with photos: human exploration of space, moon landings, the ISS, going to Mars. One photo summarized the 11 moon landings so far; he said we’ll be going back by 2024, but this time to the moon’s south side where we know there is water – which can be converted to hydrogen and oxygen, to help get us “to Mars and beyond.”He mentioned six shuttles that were built, including the Enterprise which was not space-worthy, and Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavor, and he mentioned the tragic losses of the Columbia and Challenger. He mentioned Skylab, used for science in microgravity and then to carry large parts used in the shuttle and to launch military aircraft; he said Bo was on one of those missions, on Discovery in 1985. Its job became to bring astronauts up and back.
 
Today, NASA has two space programs: one to replace the Shuttle; a space crew vehicle will be used for the expensive job of ferrying the astronauts. There is also the Artemis program, that will get us back to the moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. In both Space X and Boeing, NASA is partnering with industry. Joe showed photos of the Space X Falcon 9 and the Boeing Space Launch System capsules. Space X will be used again: it is very simple, with 3 touchscreens and no front windows. 
 
NASA has Lockheed building the NASA-designed Orion shuttle replacement aircraft for trips to the ISS, the moon and beyond. In 2024, the Artemis program will include the first woman and next man to land on the moon. The Orion will hold either four or six people.
 
Showing various types of capsules, he mentioned that Russia, China and Europe also have space capsules, which makes for another kind of space race. He then detailed the Artemis, next program to the moon, and its six parts: launch parts, rocket portion, the capsule part that carries the humans. He said we’re developing a new approach: a “lunar gateway” where Orion will dock and transition to land on the moon or go deeper into space on missions.  He mentioned Artemis generation spacesuits that protect against radiation, a big problem on the moon. 
 
He showed a comparative graphic of the payloads side by side with each other and with the Statue of Liberty, which they all dwarfed. They included the Saturn V, which took Apollo to the moon.
 
Looking ahead, Joe said that landing on the moon is a steppingstone to future colonization of the solar system. The Lunar Gateway will orbit the moon, and its elements include utility, habitat and international modules. 
Regarding Mars: we’ve been sending machines to Mars for some 50 years but sending people will be a bigger challenge. Since it would take 30 months to go to Mars, we need to know human reactions, like sleep pattern interruptions, psychological issues, muscle and bone changes, vision and reaction to long delays. Signals to earth will take 14 minutes. The return trip is 18 months.
 
Next comes the space science mission, a non-human part that looks at our species’ origins. The latest Mars rover is called “Perseverance” with cameras and microphones, which will seek signs of ancient life. The deep space part of the mission uses satellites and telescopes. Along those lines he showed graphics of two galaxies merging, a supernova  and he explained how that becomes a black hole, which can gobble up larger stars. There are 100 billion galaxies, each with a black hole in the center, he said. He showed a graphic of our solar system, and the nearby Kuiper asteroid belt, with its orbit tethered to Jupiter. NASA also found a “brown dwarf” planet in our solar system, a gas giant of about four times the mass of Jupiter. NASA launched a New Horizons satellite to Pluto, and in 2015 it sent back a photo of the reddish surface under mile-high mountains of ice, with a nitrogen and methane atmosphere. 
Saturn is the No. 1 place where life can exist outside of earth, he said, and its moon Titan resembles earth with possible underground oceans. NASA has a “Kepler mission” searching for earth-size planets; it found seven such planets, clustered 40 light-years away. There, he said, there may be water, maybe life. 
 
He showed a several-year time-lapse photo from the Hubble telescope that looked back millions of light years. Joe said our universe has voids of dark matter between galaxies; his analogy was a Christmas tree: when it’s dark, you see the lights but don’t see what’s holding them up. Dark matter has mass and can deform light. Bottom line: our solar system is made up of a lot of things we are still learning about. We have earth science with a mission of understanding how natural and human-induced changes impacts the earth, in climate, natural hazards and more. This mission is supported by the Armstrong flight research center. Earth science is helping visually, to find 17 previously undiscovered pyramids in Egypt, peering through jungle canopies to find ancient cities, mapping polar ice to study climate change; weather research; and volcanic research in the Ring of Fire at the Pacific Rim.
NASA’s airborne science program has the SOFIA, which with a hundred-inch telescope helped predict how a star forms, in tandem with other observatories. They found the first step in stellar evolution takes at least one million years. 
 
His last slide showed how NASA helps firefighters and first responders locate hot spots, and discussed the cleanliness of rooms which contained sensitive scientific instruments. 
Then Rotary regular business continued: President Mary presented the certificate of commendation to Joe as a speaker. 
 
Further questions contrasted Boeing and Space X; and the time it takes to travel to Mars; it would not necessarily be a one-way trip, and there would be concern over heat shields. Discussion also touched on converting atmospheres to places that would support life, perhaps by planting. 
 
 
Club Meeting - January 7, 2021 
 
President Mary Rogren called the meeting to order at 12:04 p.m. 
 
Mitone Griffiths spoke of a recent meeting of the Rotary District 5150 Membership Committee and its discussion about holding meetings via Zoom, and using breakout rooms.
Guest Greg Edwards, who will speak to the club in February, was introduced.
Rosi said she was doing well though a work associate is dealing with Covid. She also welcomed  Half Moon Bay Rotarian Renee Lewis, back after a long absence from Rotary.

Pledge of Allegiance:  Ginger Minoletti led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Inspiration Thoughtt: Rosi Fontana gave two motivational thoughts for the day:
By Mother Theresa:
The fruit of silence is prayer
The fruit of prayers is faith
The fruit of faith is love
The fruit of love is service
The fruit of service is peace.
“I chose this because Rotary focuses on service,” Rosi said.
 
She also quoted, from St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians 16:14: 
"Let all you do
Be done in Love."
She explained: “I decided to include this quote because our nation is in dire need of love and compassion, justice, and peace- especially after the rioting and desecration of our Nation's capitol by the Trump supporters.  Simply incredible and despicable what Donald Trump did, fomenting sedition via lies and conspiracies on the Internet and social media. 
“Take care.....all we can do is move forward and do our best to be good citizens and good people,” she concluded.

Happy/Crappy News smiley/crying 

Rosi said she was doing well though a work associate is dealing with Covid. She also welcomed  Half Moon Bay Rotarian Renee Lewis, back after a long absence from Rotary.

Announcements

Mitone Griffiths spoke of a recent meeting of the Rotary District 5150 Membership Committee and its discussion about holding meetings via Zoom, and using breakout rooms.


Guest Greg Edwards, who will speak to the club in February, was introduced.

Krystlyn Giedt updated on the Chamber of Commerce; talk focused on the ongoing sandwich delivery. 

John Evans update on youth exchange.

Stacy Trevenon read a comic piece about New Year’s. The meeting drew to a close at 1:25 p.m.   

Marble Draw Buy marble tickets and feed the pig!  Mary sends an email with the link prior to each meeting.

 

PHOTO GALLERY