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Federico Cantero Villamil...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 5, 2014 at 7:14am
Image Source

Federico Cantero Villamil (Madrid, 22 June 1874 - 1946) was a Spanish civil engineer known for the dams he constructed and planned along the river Duero and for his research on the aeronautical field, which is summarized in the Libélula española, a helicopter constructed by him.



His parents were the civil engineer Federico Cantero Seirullo and Isabel Villamil Olivares. He married Tránsito Cid, and they had two children. A few years later she died. Later, Cantero married Concepción García-Arenal Winter, a granddaughter of Concepción Arenal, and they had six children.



He became an engineer 30 September 1896, with the first mark. He did his working practice during 1897 in Zamora, and in 1900 he began to work at the "Jefatura de Obras Públicas de Zamora". In May 1900 he asked and obtained a leave in order to work in hydraulics. At that moment, the governments of Spain and Portugal were planning how to exploit the hydroelectric potential of the river Duero.



In 1899 founds the society "El porvenir de Zamora" (The Prospect of Zamora), with the aim of funding and exploiting the dam of San Roman, near Zamora. Its construction lasted until 1903. This dam took profit of a "hoz" (meander) of river Duero that was 11.2 km. long. He opened a tunnel 1.5 km. long and built up the turbines and engines at the other side. By means of this, the unevenness from the reservoir to the turbines measured 14 meters, while the height of the dam was only 5 meters.



Although Cantero's main work was that of the dams, since 1908 he was patenting other inventions in the field of aeronautics. His main interest was the problem of flight. It is in 1910 when he patented an ...idea to hold bodies in the air, and, if wanted, propulsion. Thirty-four patents followed the first one, being the last ones devoted to the helicopter he constructed: the Libélula española.



 Wikipedia: Federico Cantero Villamil, inventor

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The DARK GOD'S GIFT continues Monday with Author William Hayashi

Posted by H. Wolfgang Porter on October 3, 2014 at 6:28pm

Monday, October 6th the DARK GOD'S GIFT continues with Sci-fi Author and Genesis Radio Host, William Hayashi's 'DARK GOD'S GIFT: A Great Uncle's Legacy'. Somewhere deep in the Las Vegas Desert, a lone traveler has car trouble and stops in a small community only to be drawn into a strange phenomenon affecting the lives those who live there. The traveler's decision to stay or move on will not only affect the locals, but the entire world!

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Black Speculative Fiction Month

Posted by Stafford Battle on October 4, 2014 at 12:47pm

Buy Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy!

There are many good writers, graphic artists, animators, and other creative people of color who need our support. Using their craft, they tell our stories. Art can influence the fate of our communities. Science Fiction and Fantasy can change the world. 

So, this is what we must do.

Google Black Science Fiction and Fantasy. Go to Amazon and Smashwords and other venues for ebooks. Purchase. Write a review (4 stars or 2 stars).  Tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter about what you have read. 

Get involved because October 2014 is Black Speculative Fiction Month! The dreams can become reality.

Believe. Create. Accomplish. 

Thank you.

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RM 8027...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 4, 2014 at 10:21am


At left, a structural model of a typical silicon nanocrystal (yellow) stabilized within an organic shell of cyclohexane (blue). At right, a high-resolution transmission electron microscope photograph of a single silicon nanoparticle.

Credit: NIST

If it's true that good things come in small packages, then the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) can now make anyone working with nanoparticles very happy. NIST recently issued Reference Material (RM) 8027, the smallest known reference material ever created for validating measurements of these man-made, ultrafine particles between 1 and 100 nanometers (billionths of a meter) in size.

RM 8027 consists of five hermetically sealed ampoules containing one milliliter of silicon nanoparticles—all certified to be close to 2 nanometers in diameter—suspended in toluene. To yield the appropriate sizes for the new RM, the nanocrystals are etched from a silicon wafer, separated using ultrasound and then stabilized within an organic shell. Particle size and chemical composition are determined by dynamic light scattering, analytical centrifugation, electron microscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), a powerful technique that can measure elements at concentrations as low as several parts per billion.

NIST: World’s Smallest Reference Material is Big Plus for Nanotechnology
Michael E. Newman

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Fernando "Frank" Caldeiro...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 4, 2014 at 10:24am
Astronaut Fernando (Frank) Caldeiro poses in front of the orbiter Discovery

FERNANDO (FRANK) CALDEIRO

NASA ASTRONAUT (DECEASED)



PERSONAL DATA: Born June 12, 1958 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but considered New York City and Merritt Island, Florida, to be his hometowns. He died on October 3, 2009 following a 2-1/2 year battle with a brain tumor. He is survived by his wife, the former Donna Marie Emero of Huntington Beach, California, and two daughters.



EDUCATION: Graduated from W.C. Bryant High School, Long Island City, New York, in 1976; received an associate degree in applied science in Aerospace Technology from the State University of New York at Farmingdale in 1978, a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona in 1984, and a master of science degree in engineering management from the University of Central Florida in 1995.



ORGANIZATIONS: Experimental Aircraft Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.



AWARDS: Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Technical Leadership Certificate; Rockwell International Corp. Certificate of Commendation; Group Achievement Awards (9); KSC Center Director Round Table Award; KSC Superior Performance Awards (2); KSC Public Affairs Certificate of Appreciation for Service. University of Central Florida Distinguished Alummni, 2001 Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry Hispanic Scientist of the Year. Appointed in 2002 by President G. W. Bush to serve in the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans under the President’s “No Child Left Behind Act”.



EXPERIENCE: From 1985-1988, Caldeiro worked as a test director during the production and flight test of the Rockwell/USAF B-1B Bomber. In that capacity he was involved in the checkout and delivery of all 100 aircraft. In 1988, he was transferred by Rockwell International to the Kennedy Space Center as a space shuttle main propulsion system specialist. In this capacity he was the Rockwell International design center representative for the ground processing and launch of the Orbiter Discovery.



 NASA: Fernando "Frank" Caldeiro, astronaut

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George D. Zamka...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 3, 2014 at 7:57am
Astronaut Testimonials

GEORGE D. ZAMKA (COLONEL, USMC, RET.)

NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER)



PERSONAL DATA: Born in 1962 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Raised in New York City; Irvington, New York; Medellin, Colombia; and Rochester Hills, Michigan. Married to the former Elisa P. Walker of Mississippi; they have two children. He enjoys weightlifting, running, bicycling, scuba diving and boating. His mother, Sofia Zamka, and brother, Conrad P. Zamka, both live in Florida. His father, Conrad Zamka, resides in Indiana.



EDUCATION: Graduated from Rochester Adams High School, Rochester Hills, Michigan, in 1980. Received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the United States Naval Academy in 1984; received a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1997.



ORGANIZATIONS: Association of Space Explorers, United States Naval Academy Alumni Association, Marine Corps Association and Marine Corps Aviation Association.



SPECIAL HONORS: NASA Space Flight Medal (two), NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Strike Air Medal (six), Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V and various other military service and campaign awards. Distinguished Graduate, United States Naval Academy. Commodore’s list and Academic Achievement Award, Training Air Wing Five. Awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.



EXPERIENCE: Zamka was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps after graduating from the United States Naval Academy in May 1984. After basic flight training, he was trained as an A-6E pilot at Whidbey Island, Washington, from 1987 to 1988. He then flew with Marine All Weather Attack Squadron VMA(AW)-242 in El Toro, California. He served in administration and flight safety roles and also as squadron weapons and tactics instructor. In 1990, he trained to be an F/A-18 pilot and was assigned to Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron VMFA(AW)-121, also in El Toro. He flew the F/A-18D Night Attack Hornet during overseas deployments to Japan, Korea, Singapore and Southwest Asia. Zamka flew 66 combat missions over occupied Kuwait and Iraq during Desert Storm. In 1993, he served with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines in Camp Pendleton, California, and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in the Western Pacific. He was selected to attend the United States Air Force Test Pilot School class 94A and graduated in December 1994. Zamka was then assigned as an F/A-18 test pilot/project officer and the F/A-18 operations officer for the Naval Strike Aircraft Test Squadron (NSATS). While assigned to NSATS, Zamka flew a wide variety of tests in the F/A-18 Hornet, including high angle of attack, loads, flutter, crew equipment and weapon system programs. Zamka returned to VMFA(AW)-121 in 1998 and was serving as the aircraft maintenance officer deployed to Iwakuni, Japan, when he was selected for the astronaut program. Colonel Zamka retired from the Marine Corps in August 2010.



He has logged more than 5,000 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft.



NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected as a pilot by NASA in June 1998, Zamka reported for astronaut candidate training in August 1998. He has served in various technical and leadership roles in the Astronaut Office, including space rendezvous and proximity operations, landing and rollout instructor and lead for shuttle systems within the Shuttle Operations Branch. Zamka served as lead for the Shuttle Training and Procedures Division and as supervisor for the astronaut candidate class of 2004. In 2007, he completed his first spaceflight as pilot on STS-120. For his second spaceflight, Zamka commanded the crew of STS-130, which flew in February 2010. Colonel Zamka has logged more than 692 hours in space. In March 2013, Zamka retired from NASA. He is now serving as the Deputy Associate Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, for Commercial Space Transportation.



 NASA: George D. Zamka, Colonel, USMC, astronaut, retired

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60 Years Young...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 2, 2014 at 7:23am
From Planet X - kind of reminded me of "The Time Tunnel" (dating myself)

CERN, Europe’s particle-physics laboratory and the place famous most recently for the discovery of the Higgs boson, is celebrating its sixtieth birthday today (actually 29 September).



The name CERN originally was the French acronym for Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, or European Council for Nuclear Research, and its convention officially came into force on 29 September 1954. In the wake of a war that had torn the continent apart, a small group of scientists and policy-makers created CERN in an attempt to use fundamental research to reunite Europe.



From 12 founding members, the organization has today grown to 21 states, with scientists at the lab hailing from almost 100 countries around the globe.



While CERN hosts a celebration at its home near Geneva, Switzerland, Nature looks back at some of the lab’s most significant moments from the past six decades.



Some excerpts from the timeline:



1983: CERN’s 6.9-kilometre-long Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) discovers the particle carriers of the weak force, the W and Z bosons.



1989: CERN computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee’s drafts a paper outlining plans for an information-management system, which at the time he termed “the mesh” but which later becomes known as the World Wide Web. Berners-Lee’s boss, Mike Sendall, famously replies that the proposal was “vague, but exciting”, giving Berners-Lee the green light for development. The world’s first web page address is born the following year (this copy is from 1992).



2012: On 4 July scientists at the LHC’s ATLAS and CMS experiments announce that they have found a clear signal of the Higgs boson, and reporter Geoff Brumfiel records the moment in a live blog (and later in an article). The announcement, made by the ATLAS and CMS experiments, causes waves around the world, and in 2013 earns theoretical physicists François Englert and Peter Higgs the Nobel Prize in Physics for their prediction of the mechanism.



 Nature News Blog: CERN at 60: Biggest moments at flagship physics lab, Elizabeth Gibney

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Victor Ochoa...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 2, 2014 at 7:26am
Images Source: Smithsonian Education

The Ochoa Plane



Ochoa's machine is made of a framework of steel spring and steel tubing which he has contrived to put together in such a manner that it can be folded by working a lever. Over the framework is stretched a canvas covering. The plane is about twenty-six feet wide and the machine measures from front to back only six feet. The rear rudder is similar to a bird's tail.



The whole arrangement is mounted upon two bicycle frames whose wheels form the groundwork of the aeroplane. Between the bicycle frames, the inventor has mounted a six-horse power motor, below which he has placed a seat for the operator. The whole machine weighs about 250 pounds.



The inventor has been working upon this aeroplane more than twenty years, and during that time has succeeded in putting together several machines that operated successfully for short distances. The first fruit of his labors was a marvelously accurate reproduction of a bird with six wings. With this he believed he had solved the problem of aerial flight. His earliest models, propelled by clockwork, flew with remarkable stability.



He also invented an adjustable wrench, electric brake, pen and pencil clip, reversible motor and windmill. He apparently also was a revolutionary with a $50,000 dead-or-alive price on his head. Quite a guy!



 Smithsonian Education: Victor Ochoa Mexican inventor

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The Dark God's Gift continues in 'A Tangled Web' Pt. II

Posted by H. Wolfgang Porter on October 1, 2014 at 2:02pm

The Dark God's Gift continues in 'A Tangled Web' Pt. II. Agent Thia Wayan's cover as an Asian Mobster's wife is holding well, too well! As she goes deep into the Triad's inner-circle the Big Boss of the Dragon Triad has taken an 'interest' in the lovely agent. If she didn't have enough problems, the Boss receives a strange jeweled gift Agent Wayan believes could be far more dangerous than the gang themselves!

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Guillermo González Camarena...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 1, 2014 at 7:57am
Source: Antonio Toriz's blog

Guillermo González Camarena invented an early color television system. He received US patent 2296019 on September 15, 1942 for his "chromscopic adapter for television equipment". [1]



He was born on February 17, 1917 in Guadalajara, Jalisco. At two years of age, his family moved to Mexico City. Ever since he was young, he liked building electric toys, for which he established a laboratory in the basement of his house.



In 1930 he enrolled in the School of Mechanical and Electric Engineers and two years later was given license as radio operator. While he experimented in his laboratory, he worked at the radio station of the Ministry of Education. In 1934 he built his own television camera, he was 17 years old.



With the goal of giving color to television, he developed and patented a Trichromatic Sequential Fields System from primary colors, which could be adapted to the black and white system. This last patent was granted to him when he was 23 years of age. [2]



1. Inventors.com: Top List of Mexican Inventors, Mary Bellis
2. Explore and do Mexico: Guillermo González Camarena...

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Dr. Fe del Mundo...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 30, 2014 at 6:15pm
Source: Amazing Women of History link below

Fe del Mundo (1911–2011) was a Filipino pediatrician who was the first woman to be admitted to Harvard Medical School in 1936 — over ten years before the school officially began admitting women. She was also the first woman to be named National Scientist of the Philippines in 1980, and founded the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines.

Born in Manila in the Philippines in 1911, Fe decided to become a doctor when her older sister died from appendicitis at the age of 11. She enrolled in the University of the Philippines in 1926. While earning her medical degree, she decided to pursue pediatrics. *

Fe del Mundo, OLD ONS OGH, (November 27, 1911 – August 6, 2011) was a Filipino pediatrician. The first woman admitted as a student of the Harvard Medical School,[1][2] she founded the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines.[3] Her pioneering work in pediatrics in the Philippines in an active medical practice that spanned 8 decades[2][4] won her international recognition, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1977. In 1980, she was conferred the rank and title of National Scientist of the Philippines while in 2010, she was conferred the Order of Lakandula.




Del Mundo was noted for her pioneering work on infectious diseases in Philippine communities. Undeterred by the lack of well-equipped laboratories in post-war Philippines, she would not hesitate to send specimens or blood samples for analysis abroad.[12] In the 1950s, she pursued studies on dengue fever, a common malady in the Philippines of which little was then yet known.[12] Her clinical observations on dengue, and the findings of research she later undertook on the disease are said to "have led to a fuller understanding of dengue fever as it afflicts the young".[5] She authored over a hundred articles, reviews and reports in medical journals[5] on such diseases as dengue, polio and measles.[16] She also authored "Textbook of Pediatrics", a fundamental medical text used in Philippine medical schools.[17]



Del Mundo was active in the field of public health, with special concerns towards rural communities. She organized rural extension teams to advise mothers on breastfeeding and child care.[11] and promoted the idea of linking hospitals to the community through the public immersion of physicians and other medical personnel to allow for greater coordination among health workers and the public for common health programs such as immunization and nutrition.[17] She called for the greater integration of midwives into the medical community, considering their more visible presence within rural communities. Notwithstanding her own devout Catholicism,[2][5][11] she is an advocate of family planning and population control.[11]



Del Mundo was also known for having devised an incubator made out of bamboo,[17] designed for use in rural communities without electrical power.[11] Wikipedia

* Amazing Women in History: Dr. Fe del Mundo

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Interview with Winston Blakely

Posted by Winston Blakely on September 29, 2014 at 3:30pm

 

                   Just in time before the release of Aura - The art of Winston Blakely

                    comes what I consider a very introspective , positive and personal

                     interview on myself.

                      Please take a moment and read this... I am sure you will enjoy it.

        

                           Thanks

     http://cedpharaoh.com/360BEYOND/creator-spotlight-winston-blakely-conceptual-and-comic-book-artist/

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As a baseball fan, I'm saddened right now...

Posted by Clifton McMillan Jr. on September 28, 2014 at 8:40pm

I know that despite the fact that baseball isn't as popular as it used to be, it's still a robust sport and an American tradition. And every so often you see something special in sports that you don't see every day. As a Yankees fan and a fan of baseball, I'm going to really miss Captain Derek Jeter. He was that special something in baseball.

I'm still wrapping my mind around the fact that he's not going to be at Yankee Stadium at the position of shortstop opening day 2015. Today, I actually witnessed his last at bat on TV against the Red Sox. But he's earned his retirement. I can relate to him. Nope, I'm not a millionare. Nope, I still haven't been drafted by any sports team (but you never know what the future holds. Nope, I never won any World Series rings. However I can appreciate Jeter's path to being the best.

Jeter wasn't the strongest guy or the fastest runner in baseball. Jeter wasn't the flashiest player for the most part (except when he just happened to make these awesome plays that seemed to come out of thin air). Jeter didn't thump his chest and boast of his greatness. Jeter didn't bash baseball rivals, and he did his best to not speak ill of his teammates either. Jeter didn't embarrass himself and the Yankees by acting stupid in public.

Let's be honest about Jeter. He got overlooked by a lot of the baseball experts when he was first drafted. He didn't always have the highest baseball stats from season to season. There were guys around him who hit way more home runs than he did.

However Jeter worked hard to improve himself as a student of the game. He sought to make his teammates feel comfortable in the clubhouse and confident enough in their own abilities to play at their best. It didn't matter if you were a nervous and eager rookie who just got called up from the minors or a high paid veteran free agent. Jeter didn't care. He'd strive to make sure you were comfortable and ready to play.

Jeter's leadership style was that of leading by example. He tried to do whatever he could to help the Yankees win that was within the rules. If he was asked to make a humble sacrifice bunt so somebody else could get on base, he would do it without complaining. This leadership helped to subconsciously elevate the play of the entire team. I respect that a lot and try to do the same at my job, in my community and in my church. I try to do that in my writing and other projects. Thanks for the memories and wisdom shared, Captain Jeter.


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The Dark God's Gift arrives tomorrow!

Posted by H. Wolfgang Porter on September 28, 2014 at 3:22pm

The Dark God's Gift starts Tomorrow with an introduction by H. Wolfgang Porter. Then on Tuesday, September 30th K. Ceres Wright's 'A Tangled Web' starts and will be featured in four parts concluding on Friday October 3rd! Get ready for Dark Tales of Action, Lust and Horror to be told in the Dark God's Gift season 2!

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Manuel Corominas...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 28, 2014 at 9:00am
Manuel Corominas - see link below

El ingeniero Manuel Jalón Corominas, inventor de la fregona, ha fallecido esta madrugada en Zaragoza, a los 86 años, tras sufrir una parada cardiorrespiratoria.



Así lo ha confirmado uno de sus nietos, Alejandro, quien ha informado de que falleció en el hospital Miguel Servet de la capital aragonesa, de forma rápida y sin sufrir.



Manuel Jalón es el inventor de la fregona, pero en su currículum tiene además otras patentes muy importantes, como innovaciones en la jeringuilla desechable y otras de uso industrial.



Natural de Logroño (La Rioja), pasó la mayor parte de su vida en Zaragoza, ciudad de la que fue nombrado hijo adoptivo en 1992, aunque previamente vivió en Estados Unidos o en Finlandia, donde trabajó después de obtener el título de Ingeniería Aeronáutica -en Madrid- y de escribir su tesis doctoral sobre accidentes aeronáuticos.



*****



Manuel Jalon Corominas engineer, inventor of the mop, died this morning in Zaragoza, to 86 years , after suffering a cardiac arrest.



Manuel Jalon is the inventor of the mop on your resume but also has other important patents, such innovations in the disposable syringe and other industrial use.



Born in Logroño (La Rioja), spent most of his life in Zaragoza city that was named adoptive son in 1992, but previously lived in the United States or Finland, where he worked after earning the title of Aeronautical Engineering - in Madrid and writing his doctoral thesis on aviation accidents.



 Spanish Inventor: Manuel Corominas

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Big Bad Pulp Heroes - Coming in Aura - The art of Winston Blakely

Posted by Winston Blakely on September 9, 2014 at 8:38pm

        

      

  His name is Truck Spartan... and as the saying goes
 " Don't mess with him."
   He is a Private Eye from the noir era of Harlem 1930's
   kicking down the doors of hoodlums who get in his way...
   working the streets and keeping them neat.
    His first case will be seen in an upcoming anthology.
    He's big... He's bad...He's Truck Spartan.
     All of this and more coming in...
   
       Aura - The art of Winston Blakely

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How It Works...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 28, 2014 at 8:55am
Source: The Economist



I have four previous posts about BICEP2 and how the initial roll out (i.e. announcement) was heady for some; aggrandizement for others.



This next to the last paragraph at the bottom of The Economist sums it succinctly:



Rowing back on a triumphant announcement about the first instants of creation may be a little embarrassing, but the saga is a useful reminder of how science works. There is no suggestion that anyone has behaved dishonourably. Admittedly, the BICEP team’s original press conference looks, with hindsight, seriously overconfident. More information-sharing between the various gravitational wave-hunters, all of whom guard their data jealously, might have helped tone down the triumphalism. But science, ideally, proceeds by exactly this sort of good-faith argument and honourable squabbling—until the weight of evidence forces one side to admit defeat.



Now, the last paragraph points to a joint paper that's coming from the European Planck Telescope & BICEP2, (open adversaries to) the BICEP2 team. This seems confusing to those that would use this to point to scientific findings as "just theory," and if the scientists were so sure, they wouldn't change their minds on it. It atomizes the academy and politicizes reported results.



This however, is the nature of science and how it works.



There has to be an understood release to public scrutiny - not at all like (emphasis: unequal to) opinions trolled on Social Media - but peer review, which can be brutal for the uninitiated.



Whatever your findings are, become vetted by like-trained professionals who will first attempt to: 1. Read and understand your report and its results; 2. Using the conditions you've described in your paper, attempt to simulate and/or duplicate or get statistically close to your reported results within an acceptable percent error range.



The pseudosciences are not apt to subject themselves to this kind of scrutiny, often becoming openly hostile to any challenge to their veracity. The projected accusation is usually the scientific community is close-minded, reactionary and projecting a "religion of secular humanism."




All scientists are not humanists, that is a generalization. However, for a field to call itself a "science," it must be willing to allow this kind of public scrutiny, and if proven wrong: acquiescence to the prevailing evidence. Otherwise, it is mere notion and political canard for manipulation of a public that wishes to hear it for their own comfort at the sacrifice of their advancement and empowerment.



 How Stuff Works:

 How The Scientific Method Works
Scientific Method Steps
Scientific Method Videos
History of the Scientific Method

 #P4TC: Ibn al-Haytham

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Michael E. Lopez-Alegria...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on September 27, 2014 at 11:00am
International Space Station Imagery

MICHAEL E. LOPEZ-ALEGRIA (CAPTAIN, USN, RET.)

NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER)

PERSONAL DATA: Born May 30, 1958, in Madrid, Spain, and grew up in Mission Viejo, California. Lopez-Alegria enjoys sports, traveling and cooking and is interested in national and international political, economic and security affairs.



EDUCATION: Graduated from Mission Viejo High School, Mission Viejo, California, in 1976; received a bachelor of science degree in systems engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1980 and a master of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1988. Graduate of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security. Speaks Spanish, French and Russian.



EXPERIENCE: Following flight training and designation as a Naval Aviator in 1981, Lopez-Alegria served as a flight instructor and then as a pilot and mission commander of EP-3E aircraft. In 1986, he was assigned to a 2-year cooperative program between the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland. His final tour before being assigned to NASA was at the Naval Air Test Center as an engineering test pilot and program manager. He has accumulated more than 5,700 pilot hours in over 30 different aircraft types.



NASA EXPERIENCE: Lopez-Alegria reported for training to the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in August 1992. Following a year of training and designation as an astronaut, he was first assigned to be the Astronaut Office technical point of contact to various space shuttle project elements. Lopez-Alegria was then assigned to Kennedy Space Center (KSC), where he provided crew representation on orbiter processing issues and support during launches and landings. Following his first spaceflight, he served as NASA Director of Operations at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. After his second mission, he led the International Space Station (ISS) Operations branch of the Astronaut Office. Following his third spaceflight, he was assigned as the technical liaison to JSC’s Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Office. A veteran of four space flights, Lopez-Alegria has logged more than 257 days in space and performed 10 spacewalks totaling 67 hours and 40 minutes of EVA. He retired from the Navy in June 2008 and left NASA in March 2012. Lopez-Alegria currently serves as President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation in Washington, D.C.



 NASA: Michael E. Lopez-Alegria, Captain, US Navy (retired, former astronaut)

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