Bios and Presentation Titles

(Update: 2/17/20)

 

Name: Trip Barber, NAR 4322 L3

Bio: Trip is a former President of the NAR, a Level 3 high power flier, and an 8-time competitor on the US International Spacemodeling Team. He is the NAR representative to the National Fire Protection Association committee that writes the NFPA Codes which provide national safety guidance to fliers and to local fire marshals. He led several of the major safety studies that led to the safety requirements in these Codes. Trip graduated from MIT with a degree in Aero Engineering and then spent a 41-year professional career in the Navy, including command of a destroyer and the Norfolk Navy Base. 

Title of Presentation: Safety in High Power Rocketry

Description: Trip will review all the elements of range set-up, range operation, rocket construction, and pre-flight inspection that influence flight safety for high-power rockets, and discuss the lessons-learned and best practices for each of these that will minimize the chances of something bad happening that leads to damage or injury. 

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Name: Joe Barnard

Bio: BPS.space designs and builds advanced, actively controlled rockets.

Title of Presentation: BPS.space 2020

Description: Joe Barnard will be giving an update on the current state, and future goals, of BPS.space.

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Name: Mark “Bunny” Bundick

Bio: Mark “Bunny” Bundick, is a Level 2 certified, lifetime NAR member and has been flying model rockets for 54 years. A past NAR President, he received the 1982 NAR President’s Award, the 2008 G. Harry Stine Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2009 Howard Galloway Service Award. He holds degrees from the College of William and Mary and the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Retired after a 40-year career that mixed software, project management and capital markets businesses, he and wife Barbara are proud parents of twin daughters Liz and Jen, and doting grandparents of Evelyn and Colin.

Title of Presentation: Satellite Dreams: Doing Group HPR Projects by the Fox Valley Rocketeers

Description: Many sport rocket flyers nationwide have done HPR projects as a team, which they never could have accomplished individually. Does that make you want to try a team HPR project? When the Fox Valley Rocketeers decided they wanted to put their own stamp on a group project, they had lots of discussion, struggled at times, but had a lot of fun. Come hear about their adventures and learn from their experience before you and your team embark on one of the most rewarding experiences in high power rocketry, your excellent HPR team project.

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Name:  Gary Dahlke

Bio: Gary Dahlke is a career aerospace professional. He spent eight years on active duty in the U.S. Air Force in various ballistic missile assignments after which he attended college at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. His first post-college job was with Martin Marietta Astronautics Group assigned to the Titan IV launch vehicle. He was then hired to work on the Space Shuttle program in various assignments with Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion and United Space Alliance to include Solid Rocket Booster, Orbiter Ground Operations, and an assignment to Johnson Space Center in the Mission Operations Directorate.

Gary is a BAR and is a member of NAR’s L3CC.

Title of Presentation: Space Shuttle and Space Launch System Solid Rocket Boosters—The Most Powerful HPR Motors Ever Produced!

Description: The solid rocket boosters developed for the Space Shuttle program were (and remain) the most powerful solid rocket motors ever flown.  NASA’s new Space Launch System will utilize modified “shuttle era” SRBs to fly the first several series of missions.  This briefing will discuss the SRB development as well as its continued use with SLS.  For anyone who’s curious, Gary will give the NAR designation for an SRB, as well as how many “full O” motors that would be!

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Name: Tom Fagan

 Bio: Tom is a senior electrical engineer. He retired from Hughes/Raytheon in 2017 where he was a design engineer specializing in EMI and Spectrum Management on DoD missiles. He now works for a federal contractor supporting NASA, NOAA and DoD satellites. Tom is an Amateur Radio operator and volunteers his time taming interference problems and giving classes on antennas, lightning, EMI, grounding and spectrum management. He is also a scout leader and has worked with SARA on many model rocket build and launch days for the scouts and their families.

Title of Presentation: FCC Part 15: What you need to know.

Description: This presentation answers many questions on the rules and regulations of FCC Part 15 unlicensed devices including what frequencies can I transmit on and with what devices and can I modify part 15 devices.

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Name: Tom Fagan

 Bio: Tom is a senior electrical engineer. He retired from Hughes/Raytheon in 2017 where he was a design engineer specializing in EMI and Spectrum Management on DoD missiles. He now works for a federal contractor supporting NASA, NOAA and DoD satellites. Tom is an Amateur Radio operator and volunteers his time taming interference problems and giving classes on antennas, lightning, EMI, grounding and spectrum management. He is also a scout leader and has worked with SARA on many model rocket build and launch days for the scouts and their families.

Title of Presentation: Simple solutions to fix interference problems

Description: This presentation explains what Electromagnetic Interference is and how you can prevent or fix interference problems on your rocket.

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Name: Amy Heidrick

Bio: Amy Heidrick is the Director of Collections at The Museum of Flight in Seattle, WA and is responsible for the care and protection of the Museum’s artifact, library and archival collections. Additionally, she is in charge of the Museum’s dedicated Research Center and Reading Room, as well as the oral history program. Amy has been with The Museum of Flight for more than 12 years and has a B.A. in History from Linfield College (McMinnville, OR.) and an M.A. in Museum Studies from the University of Washington (Seattle, WA).

Title of Presentation: Model Rocketry Collections at The Museum of Flight: Creating Access to the G. Harry Stine and Lee and Betty Piester Collections

Description: Amy Heidrick will present a status report on the ongoing project to process and catalog the G. Harry Stine Collection, including detailing the resources now available publically for research. She will share unique materials from the collection including some of Stine’s personal research and NAR history. Amy will also provide a summary of the remaining work left on the collection to catalog the built and kit rockets and library materials, as well as future plans for increased access. Finally, The Museum of Flight has recently moved the Lee and Betty Piester Collection from Phoenix to Seattle and Amy will share an overview of the collection and the plans to process it in the coming months.

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Name: Dr. Roy F. Houchin II

Bio: Dr. Roy F. Houchin II joined the faculty of the Air War College in 2006 following his retirement from active duty with the Air Force. He has taught previously at the School of Advanced Airpower Studies, Air Command and Staff College and in the Department of History at the US Air Force Academy. While on active duty, Dr. Houchin served as Director of Operations and Chief, Combat Operations, 607 th Combat Operations Squadron, Osan, South Korea. He also held various air battle management assignments in the Tactical Air Command, Air Force Space Command, Air Combat Command and HQ USAF. He is the author of US Hypersonic Research and Development: The Rise and Fall of Dyna-Soar, 1944-1963, Taylor and Francis Publishing, 2006, several chapters in edited works and numerous articles in professional journals. His forthcoming book, The Military Missions of Dyna-Soar: A Legacy to the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, is with ARA Press. He is an associate editor for Quest: the History of Spaceflight Quarterly and editor for the National Association of Rocketry’s Educator’s Newsletter. Additionally, he has been a Visiting Professor to several southern and east Africa professional military education institutions. Dr. Houchin holds a B.A. and M.A. from Western Kentucky University, and a Ph.D. from Auburn University.

Title of Presentation: 780 days in Orbit: Dyna-Soar’s Military Mission Legacy to the X-37B

Description: Growing up with Walter Cronkite’s nightly news reports was special for a lot of reasons. Often he would host unique shows…“You are There” was one of those special shows where he unveiled a remarkable new Air Force program called Dyna-Soar. I watched with fascination as Walter described each aspect of the program: its potential to boost an astronaut in to space, perform a mission, and land him safely on a runway. For a while, I asked my Dad (how was serving in the Air Force) about the project; but, eventually we didn’t hear any more about it. Years later, this early curiosity about the disposition of what would have been our nation’s first space shuttle inspired my dissertation research and eventually a book. This presentation will illustrate how the hypersonic missions of Dyna-Soar became a legacy to the X-37B and provide some insight on the X-37B’s five missions. A second book, based on this research, is being published by ARA Press.

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Name: Art and Tom Just

Bio: Art is a retired nuclear pharmacist. He became interested in rocketry about 10 years ago when his grandson Aubrey made a small rocket in grade school. We went thru the Estes phase for a while until we saw an advertisement for a large rocket that was going to be launched by a SARA member at desert heat. We were addicted. It wasn’t long before I had my level 1,2 and 3. My son Tom is a retired phone and data sales engineer. He also has his level 3 certification. Together we worked our way up to bigger and bigger rockets with our 17 ft tall, 10 inch diameter Thor as the largest. We became interested in rolling our own fiberglass and carbon fiber tubes and have made many different sizes including the 10 inch tubes for the Thor.

Title of Presentation: The Art of rolling your own carbon fiber tubes

Description:We did a lot of research in learning about how to make our own tubes. We experimented a lot and found that there were a lot of different ways to go about it, some successful and some not so much. We will have several samples of some that worked and some that did not. We will have some slides of a tube sanding lathe that we designed and made that makes the sanding a lot faster. I believe that if we had someone show us how to roll a tube we would not have wasted so many supplies and would have learned faster so because of this we are going to roll a carbon fiber tube at this presentation .

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Name: Will Marchant

Bio: Will is a L3 rated flyer with the NOVAAR and VAST NAR sections. He enjoys all sizes and types of hobby motors. Will is a licensed ham radio operator and helps run the amateur radio facilities on board the International Space Station. He works as an aerospace engineer at UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory. He was the launch site operator for NASA’s ICON mission. ICON flew to orbit on an air-launched Pegasus rocket. He is now working on a science instrument that is expected to land on Jupiter’s moon Europa.

Title of Presentation: Air launching NASA’s ICON space weather mission.

Description: At the end of 2019, Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus system is the only operational commercial orbital launch vehicle that uses an aircraft as its first stage. Will served on the launch crew for both of NASA’s NuSTAR and ICON launches using Pegasus. Come and hear about this fascinating launch system and also get an overview of the competitors racing to get into the air launch to orbit market.

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Name: Will Marchant

Bio: Will is a L3 rated flyer with the NOVAAR and VAST NAR sections. He enjoys all sizes and types of hobby motors. Will is a licensed ham radio operator and helps run the amateur radio facilities on board the International Space Station. He works as an aerospace engineer at UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory. He was the launch site operator for NASA’s ICON mission. ICON flew to orbit on an air-launched Pegasus rocket. He is now working on a science instrument that is expected to land on Jupiter’s moon Europa.

Title of Presentation: Getting started with amateur radio in hobby rocketry.

Description: The ham radio hobby has a lot to offer the model rocket flyer. But there is a perception that getting started is difficult. Come hear about the differences between the various radio systems used in hobby rocketry, the possible uses, and how to get started. 

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Name: Gary C. Rosenfield

Bio: Gary is currently the president of the RCS Rocket Motor Components, Inc. and has been involved in hobby and professional rocketry for over 50 years. He founded Composite Dynamics in the mid ‘70s which was one of the first companies to produce composite propellant hobby rocket motors after the demise of Enerjet in 1974. He worked for Bermite and Aerojet in the ‘80s. Gary is the co-inventor of the reloadable hobby rocket motor which was introduced to the sport rocketry market in 1990. Gary joined the NAR in 1971 and is a founding member of the Tripoli Rocketry Association.

Title of Presentation: “How NOT to Blow Up Your Reloadable Rocket Motor”

Description: A brief history of the reloadable hobby rocket motor will be followed by a description of the various reloadable motor parts and their functions. The discussion will then move on to motor family-specific assembly techniques and particular things to follow and avoid, while highlighting typical user errors and their potential results. The presentation will also include a comparison of the benefits and drawbacks of reloadables compared to single-use motors. The session will conclude with a look into the possible future of hobby rocket propulsion, followed by a short Q&A session.

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Name: Dave Padgett, Deputy Missile Combat Crew Commander, Titan II 

Bio:  I was honored to serve as member of a Titan II missile combat crew from 1975 until 1979.  At the time I thought of my duty as nothing special. As the years have passed and the Cold War has warmed slightly, the honor of serving as a missilier has grown because the Titan II National Museum in Tucson.  The museum has shown the world what once was hidden from the public’s eye and has spread the knowledge of the importance of the Titan II program. I hope to enhance that experience at your conference.

Title of Presentation: “Life Amongst Titans—A Day in the Life of a Missilier”

Description: As an augment to the Titan II National Museum tour, my presentation will provide additional history, relevance, and insight to the missile program.  In particular, I will speak to the life of the crew members—who they were and what a day in the life of crew member was like. I speak from four years of experience as a Deputy Combat Crew Commander on a 571st Strategic Missile Squadron crew for the 390th Strategic Missile Wing located in Tucson Arizona.  The 571-7 missile site, the current museum, was our crew’s home site for two and half years.

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Name: Michelle Rouch

Bio: Even with 30 years of engineering experience Michelle Rouch finds more passion in the arts.   As Chair for AIAA Tucson Section, she uses her artwork as an Outreach tool, earning first place in STEM K-12 Outreach Awards for many years.  Rouch was nominated for the Arizona Governor’s Arts Awards in 2014 through 2016. Rouch is appointed on the Tucson Public Arts Council Board, and served as Artist Judge for Arizona Congressional District 2 for 4 consecutive years.  She’s exhibited at the Pentagon, EAA, Raytheon, Watergate Gallery, National Museum, Marine’s Memorial, and Ford Motor Company just to name a few.

Title of Presentation: “STEM 2 STEAM”

Description: The Arts excite the creative juices in the mind. Michelle Rouch offers insight how art can be used as a tool to communicate with all ages and integrate the arts with Science and Engineering.  

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Name: Matt Steele/Mike Nowak/Chris Flanigan/James Duffy

Bio: This group has extensive experience at multiple World Spacemodeling Championships over the past 40 years.

Title of Presentation: Secrets of World Class Scale Modeling

Description: A panel discussion on various tips and techniques used in some of the best scale models in the world that can be used by anyone to make better models.Interactive Q&A to the panel is encouraged.

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Name: Tim Van Milligan – President, Apogee Components, Inc.

Bio: Since 1994, Tim has been at the forefront of model rocketry as owner of Apogee Components. He interacts with modelers of all skill levels, and uses this insider information to create products and services that help modelers achieve their rocketry goals. Prior to running his rocketry company, he worked as a senior designer for Estes Industries (1991-1994), and as a rocket scientist on the Delta II rocket program from 1988 to 1991. He is an Aeronautical Engineer, graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach), and is also Level-3 High Power certified. The hardest model rocket he’s built: a 10 gram model for FAI competition. 

Title of Presentation: “Using RockSim – Insider Information on Designing Better Rockets”

Description: RockSim has been around since the early 2000’s, and has been used by tens of thousands of modelers to create and simulate advanced rockets. In this presentation, you’ll learn the basics of the software and how you too can design better rockets. New developments are also occurring with RockSim. Apogee is releasing the long anticipated version 10, which has several new features that makes the best rocketery software even better.

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Name: Terrill D. Willard

Bio: Terrill began flying model rockets and model aircraft in 1977. He became interested in thermals and “lift” while flying sailplanes between 2004 and 2007. Beginning in 2006, Terrill started flying in NAR competition. Since then he has flown Boost Glider, Streamer, and Parachute duration as a member of the Southern Neutron, Neutron Fusion, and Thunderbirds teams. He represented the United States as part of the 2012, 2014, and 2018 teams flying parachute and/or streamer duration. Additionally, he holds the C-division records for 1/4 A and A Parachute Duration.

Title of Presentation: Hot Air: thermals, lift, and when to fly.

Description: Learning to successfully fly NAR and FAI duration events takes a combination of learned skills. Terrill will share lessons learned over the last 14 years of competition. He will cover what thermals are, tools to detect them, how to practice fly, and give some insight into how mental games can be played in completion.