Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Astronaut Owen Garriott, Amateur Radio W5LFL/SK
From http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-in-space-pioneer-astronaut-owen-garriott-w5lfl-sk :
"04/15/2019
The US astronaut who pioneered the use of Amateur Radio to make contacts from space — Owen K. Garriott, W5LFL — died April 15 at his home in Huntsville, Alabama. He was 88. Garriott’s ham radio activity ushered in the formal establishment of Amateur Radio in space, first as SAREX — the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment, and later as ARISS — Amateur Radio on the International Space Station.
“Owen Garriott was a good friend and an incredible astronaut,” fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin tweeted. “I have a great sadness as I learn of his passing today. Godspeed Owen.”
An Oklahoma native, Garriott — an electrical engineer — spent 2 months aboard the Skylab space station in 1973 and 10 days aboard Spacelab-1 during a 1983 Space Shuttle Columbia mission. It was during the latter mission that Garriott thrilled radio amateurs around the world by making the first contacts from space. Thousands of hams listened on 2-meter FM, hoping to hear him or to make a contact. Garriott ended up working stations around the globe, among them such notables as the late King Hussein, JY1, of Jordan, and the late US Senator Barry Goldwater, K7UGA. He also made the first CW contact from space. Garriott called hamming from space “a pleasant pastime"...(more at the link above)”
We have a couple of pottery pieces designed and crafted by the now deceased former Mrs. Garriott, a "Moon Jar" and a "Sun Jar" that we proudly display at our home. You can see them here on my older blog post.
Additionally, their daughter was in one of my college classes, taking it for dual credit, college and high school. We did discuss her brother who later also traveled to the Space Station as a civilian.
I am a Ham Radio licensee but never did make contact with any of the Garriott's via Ham Radio.
Labels: Celebrities, Jim's Life, space, Work
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Hellen Garriot pottery -- Ruby (Red) Tuesday -- My most used red book
Sorry I am late. I had an appointment with my cardiologist today.
Nuclear stress test and sonogram of my abdominal and kidney arteries.
I'll be needing a stent in my artery to the left kidney.
Congratulations to daughter, Karen!
She completed in Sunday's Houston Marathon Half Marathon race.
[large picture] [extra large]
Nuclear stress test and sonogram of my abdominal and kidney arteries.
I'll be needing a stent in my artery to the left kidney.
Congratulations to daughter, Karen!
She completed in Sunday's Houston Marathon Half Marathon race.
[large picture] [extra large]
Last week I missed out on the homework of posting red books that we use in our homes. (Mary please this one time accept my late homework.) This is the one that I use most, The Teacher's Bible Commentary Edited by H. Franklin Paschall and Herschel H. Hobbs. It mentions every verse and chapter in the Bible, giving insight for Sunday school teachers.
It is fairly well used by a friend of mine, Sam L, who died this Fall. He had given it to me when they moved from their house to a multi-level-care facility. It is copyright in 1972. Sam was a man of love, I never heard him talk bad about anyone and whoever he was with at any time he treated as this person had the greatest value to him.
This Sun Jar, as we call it, was made by my friends wife, Helen Garriott. She had a little studio and kiln in Seabrook, Texas (link). We also have several of her Moon Jars--See picture below (link to Garriott family post).
Helen's husband was Astronaut Owen Garriott, a SkyLab astronaut. I did a lot of training with Owen for his first space mission when I was working at NASA in Houston as a Simulation and Training Engineer. He was a heads up-asking questions-fast learner.
Owen once came to deliver a speech at our Phi Beta Lambda (national college business club fraternity) state leadership conference. At that time and several years around I was the 'club' sponsor. That also involved taking students to the National Leadership Conference where they competed in competition about business subject areas with colleges all over the U.S. We took home many prizes and were always a top scoring 'club.'
Owen and Harriet's son, Richard also went into space to visit the Space Station as a paying cosmonaut on the Russian shuttle transport. (link, same as above). Later I had his daughter in one of my business classes. It's a small world.
Click the Ruby Tuesday button for Mary's Ruby Tuesday post list
of other interesting RED finds today.
Mary is in charge there, you can see more or post your own from there.
The Moon Jar:
.
Labels: Art, Books, Ruby Tuesday, space
Thursday, November 20, 2008
"Houston we have a problem" -- My efforts to help the space program: found, a tool box lost from space; helped in training astronauts
"Honey I had a little problem while I was doing powder puff work on the vehicle."
"O my gosh [OMG], what now? You cause more problems than you fix. I wished I'd never have encouraged you to take those courses."
"Nothing's bad with the it. Some other guys got it back in order."
"Well?"
"I lost our tool box, that's all."
"How could loose that tool box, it's big and heavy?"
"It just floated away. I had it tied on to me but it got away anyway. Gone into space."
"Oh boy, do you know what that cost us? A hundred thousand bucks. I can't earn that in several years!"
"That part is alright, the Government is going to bail us out on this one."
"O my gosh [OMG], what now? You cause more problems than you fix. I wished I'd never have encouraged you to take those courses."
"Nothing's bad with the it. Some other guys got it back in order."
"Well?"
"I lost our tool box, that's all."
"How could loose that tool box, it's big and heavy?"
"It just floated away. I had it tied on to me but it got away anyway. Gone into space."
"Oh boy, do you know what that cost us? A hundred thousand bucks. I can't earn that in several years!"
"That part is alright, the Government is going to bail us out on this one."
.
Some comments now.
First, Adi and I found that toolbox out in our driveway this morning, it must have landed here. I am hoping to get it autographed.
Secondly, that woman loves those granny knots. We learned in Boy Scouts to tie square knots. For added security I always do another on top making it a double square knot. Those never give way.
Some comments now.
First, Adi and I found that toolbox out in our driveway this morning, it must have landed here. I am hoping to get it autographed.
Secondly, that woman loves those granny knots. We learned in Boy Scouts to tie square knots. For added security I always do another on top making it a double square knot. Those never give way.
.
What does this photo have do with the post today? That jar sits in a prominent place in our home, it was made by an astronaut's wife and astronaut's mother. She was an artist, we like her Moon Jars--this one, the lid has the earth, the jar is the Moon, both are sculpted in relief.
[The cougar behind is a print by Charles Fracé, a nature painting artist. Mine is autographed by him, "To: Jim", and represents my college, The University of Houston, and its athletes, the Houston Cougars. Mrs. Jim gave me the picture after having it so nicely framed.]
How can that be? She is Mrs. Garriott, mother of Richard Garriott who is son of NASA Skylab veteran astronaut Owen Garriott.
And? I was active at the beginning Owen's flight training. I gave the senior Garriott his first indoctrination lesson to the Skylab vehicle in the Skylab mock-up simulator for which I was on the design team and helped to build.
That was back when I was a senior aerospace engineer with Ford Aerospace at NASA. I did a lot of other work with him while I was a flight control simulation and training person there. Note also that during Skylab missions (training was completed) I monitored and advised on either the Electrical Power Console or the Environmental Control Console.
And? I know that Dr. Garriott would have trained his son Richard better than that as to not lose a toolbox. Unfortunately Richard Garriott returned to safely to earth earlier last month in the Soyuz capsule along with two cosmonauts landing in north-central Kazakhstan (link). Or he could have done the job without losing the toolbox, I am sure of that.
One more item here, I was fortunate enough to have the Garriott's daughter as a student in my Introduction to Business class at San Jacinto College. At that time she was concerned for her brother who had quit college and was just 'playing with' his computer closed in the closet. He has come a long way and is one of the biggest producers of computer games now (read about his game career here).
More space things later
What does this photo have do with the post today? That jar sits in a prominent place in our home, it was made by an astronaut's wife and astronaut's mother. She was an artist, we like her Moon Jars--this one, the lid has the earth, the jar is the Moon, both are sculpted in relief.
[The cougar behind is a print by Charles Fracé, a nature painting artist. Mine is autographed by him, "To: Jim", and represents my college, The University of Houston, and its athletes, the Houston Cougars. Mrs. Jim gave me the picture after having it so nicely framed.]
How can that be? She is Mrs. Garriott, mother of Richard Garriott who is son of NASA Skylab veteran astronaut Owen Garriott.
And? I was active at the beginning Owen's flight training. I gave the senior Garriott his first indoctrination lesson to the Skylab vehicle in the Skylab mock-up simulator for which I was on the design team and helped to build.
That was back when I was a senior aerospace engineer with Ford Aerospace at NASA. I did a lot of other work with him while I was a flight control simulation and training person there. Note also that during Skylab missions (training was completed) I monitored and advised on either the Electrical Power Console or the Environmental Control Console.
And? I know that Dr. Garriott would have trained his son Richard better than that as to not lose a toolbox. Unfortunately Richard Garriott returned to safely to earth earlier last month in the Soyuz capsule along with two cosmonauts landing in north-central Kazakhstan (link). Or he could have done the job without losing the toolbox, I am sure of that.
One more item here, I was fortunate enough to have the Garriott's daughter as a student in my Introduction to Business class at San Jacinto College. At that time she was concerned for her brother who had quit college and was just 'playing with' his computer closed in the closet. He has come a long way and is one of the biggest producers of computer games now (read about his game career here).
More space things later
Labels: Humor, Jim's Life, space, Stories, Work
