Dare to Explore

48:03

Episode 57: Joseph Pelfrey

Dare to Explore ·

2026/08/17

Joseph Pelfrey is the senior advisor to the deputy associate administrator at NASA. Throughout his long NASA career, Joseph has served in many positions, including aerospace engineer, design integration lead, and the director of the Marshall Space Flight Center. He has contributed to the ISS program, Ares I rocket, and the SLS.

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42:12

Episode 56: Julie Savage

Dare to Explore ·

2026/07/21

Julie Savage is the Director of Space Platforms and Threat Sensors Growth at Leidos. She was a RADAR Flight Test Director and Lead RADAR Systems Engineer at Reagan Test Site in Kwajalein Atoll, is a National Space Club Board Member serving the Education committee, and the Vice President of Sponsorships on the Space Force Association Board of Directors. Julie was a counselor at Space Camp in 1996, and was inducted into the Space Camp Hall of Fame in 2026.

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39:16

Episode 60: Damon Feltman

Dare to Explore ·

2026/06/08

Retired US Air Force Brigadier General Damon Feltman served as the Deputy Chief Strategy and Resources Officer for the United States Space Force. **Feltman holds multiple advanced degrees in space leadership, strategic studies, and business management, serves as Board Chair for the **Association of Commercial Space Professionals, and is a mentor to Vanderbilt University’s Space Edge Accelerator program. Today, he is the Chief Executive Officer of the Space Force Association, a 501c3

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38:24

Episode 54: Michelle Christensen

Dare to Explore ·

2026/05/08

Michelle Christensen is a Mission Operations Integrations Lead of Luna Permanence at Blue Origin. She was previously a Flight Director for New Shepard Mission Operations and Engines Test Lead developing the BE-4 engine. She attended the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Penn State University, earning a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering.

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25:48

Episode 53: Ethan Couch

Dare to Explore ·

2026/04/20

Ethan Couch is a cofounder and general manager of Yellowhammer Brewing in Huntsville, Alabama. Yellowhammer is a local craft brewery that has been serving Huntsville for 15 years. Yellowhammer is the brewery behind T-Minus, a tangerine kölsch inspired by Tang that raises scholarship money to send kids to Space Camp!

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44:48

Episode 57: Eiman Jahangir

Dare to Explore ·

2026/03/18

Eiman Jahangir is Section Director for General Cardiology and Cardio-Oncology at Vanderbuilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Eiman has been a finalist for NASA’s Astronaut Candidate Program twice, was the medical officer for the first analog astronaut mission at the Space Analog for the Moon and Mars at Biosphere 2, **and became the 704th person to travel to space aboard **Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.

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37:43

Episode 51: Jason Williamson

Dare to Explore ·

2026/02/27

Jason Williamson is a civil engineering graduate of Purdue University. He has decades of civil and structural engineering experience and is the senior vice president of Dunaway. Jason recently attended adult Space Camp as part of Team Magellan, winning the Commander’s Cup, and is preparing to launch into space onboard Purdue 1 with Virgin Galactic in 2027.

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34:22

Episode 50: Anna Boyd

Dare to Explore ·

2026/02/09

Anna Boyd was a United States Navy helicopter pilot and Company Officer before serving in the US Navy Reserves for over a decade. She was commanding officer of SEAL Team 18 - Unmanned Aerial Systems and commanding officer of the Navy Reserve Naval History and Heritage Command. Today, she is the Senior Product Manager at Pinnacle Solutions in Huntsville, Alabama.

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42:37

Episode 49: Ben Chandler

Dare to Explore ·

2026/01/19

Ben Chandler has served as the President & COO for Easy Auto and Sunrise Acceptance since 2017. He attended Space Camp and Aviation Challenge programs 16 times, helped form the Space Camp Alumni Association, is a licensed pilot and airplane owner, and has served on the board of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation. Ben is Chair of the Cleveland, Tennessee, Regional Jetport Authority and Past Chairman of the Cleveland and Bradley County Community Foundation.

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35:50

Episode 48: Mike Wicks

Dare to Explore ·

2025/12/18

Mike Wicks began his career as a United States Army civilian engineer and private contractor for the Department of Defense. He co-founded and led Summit Research Corporation, found and led Integration Innovation Inc., or i3, and served as a vice president at Lockheed Martin when they acquired i3. In retirement, Mike and his wife Christine formed the nonprofit Wicks Family Foundation and is president of the Houston-based Diakonos Research developing of state-of-the-art cancer immunotherapies.

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39:18

Episode 47: Robin Soprano and Nathan Carter

Dare to Explore ·

2025/11/24

Robin Soprano and Nathan Carter are part of the future-looking leadership of Space Camp. Robin is vice president of Space Camp. She has been with the US Space and Rocket Center for nearly a decade, and previously was a director at Sci-Quest and an engineer with the United States Army at Redstone Arsenal. Nathan is the Director of Strategic Camp Development, and previously was the Director of Mission Support for Space Camp.

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45:38

Episode 46: Gretchen Green 2

Dare to Explore ·

2025/11/17

Astronaut Dr. Gretchen Green is a Brown, Yale, and Harvard educated radiologist practicing in North Carolina. She attended Space Camp four times, and served as a crew trainer. Dr. Green has served on the Space Camp Alumni Association Board and is currently on the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation's Board of Directors. In May of 2025, Dr. Green added the title of Astronaut to her resume, flying aboard Blue Origin’s NS32 New Shepherd rocket.

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31:08

Episode 45: Alexandra Kemp

Dare to Explore ·

2025/10/27

Dr. Alexandra Kemp is an advanced human factors systems engineer at Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, in Phoenix, Arizona. She is an adjunct professor of space human factors at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a bioastronautics researcher for the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences, and a classically trained professional opera singer.

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25:21

Episode 44: Cheri Volkin

Dare to Explore ·

2025/10/13

Cheri Volkin is the accountant and scholarship coordinator for the US Space and Rocket Center Foundation. She previously served as an accountant for the US Embassy in Paris, France, and in guest relations for the Rocket City Trash Pandas before joining the Space and Rocket Center as an Aviation Challenge Docent.

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25:12

Episode 43: Duke and Tina Tucker

Dare to Explore ·

2025/10/01

Duke and Tina Tucker are married professionals working in the aviation industry. Tina is president of Pinnacle Solutions, and Duke is the vice president of business development at Akima. Together, these companies are developing state-of-the-art training and simulation products, as well as a variety of other services for the aviation industry.

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33:45

Episode 42: Heather Roden

Dare to Explore ·

2025/09/10

Heather Roden is the Director of Space Camp Education at the US Space and Rocket Center. With a long career in informal education and museum experience, Heather oversees the Space Academy for Educators program, a Space Camp experience for teachers.

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42:42

Episode 41: Jeff Haars

Dare to Explore ·

2025/08/13

Jeff Haars is the Vice President and General Manager Space Exploration Division at Amentum, an advanced engineering and innovative technology company that has supported projects with the United States Military and NASA. Their current projects include parts of the Space Launch System and Human Landing System for the Artemis program.

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45:27

Episode 40: Brenda Carr

Dare to Explore ·

2025/07/24

Brenda Carr is the Executive Director of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation. Prior, she served as Vice President of Development at the US Space and Rocket Center, led the marketing department at Community Bank, and was the Director of Public Information in the Office of the Alabama Secretary of State for a decade.

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23:49

Episode 39: PeggyLee Wright

Dare to Explore ·

2025/07/18

PeggyLee Wright was a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter pilot who flew with the 82nd Airborne Division. She is the founder and president of The Company You Keep, a leadership consulting company working with government, military, academia, non-profit, and industry organizations. She serves on multiple boards in the Huntsville, Alabama area, including the Huntsville Special Operations Forces Network.

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36:27

Episode 38: Rey Almodóvar

Dare to Explore ·

2025/05/22

Rey Almodóvar is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Emeritus of INTUITIVE, an aerospace and defense company in Huntsville, Alabama. As a civilian engineer for the U.S. Army, Rey worked on multiple weapons systems, including the Patriot missile. Rey has received a number of prestigious awards, is a member of the Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission, the Von Braun Center Board of Control, and the Industry Advisory Board of his alma mater the University of Puerto Rico School of Engineering

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