Ron Garan

Former NASA astronaut and highly decorated combat fighter Ron Garan racked up 178 days in space and more than 71 million miles in 2,842 orbits between between tours on the International Space Station, flying on both the US Space Shuttle and a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. During his time in space Ron conducted four spacewalks in support of ISS construction and maintenance. Prior to those space journeys, he lived and conducted research on the bottom of the ocean in the world’s only undersea research lab, Aquarius. Before reaching the summit of his career, Ron, a former test pilot and graduate of the US Naval Test Pilot School, taught hundreds of elite pilots how to fly at the prestigious USAF Fighter Weapons School, the Air Force version of Top Gun. He is the author of the critically acclaimed book, The Orbital Perspective and the upcoming books, Floating in Darkness – A Journey of Evolution and Railroad to the Moon. Today, Ron is celebrated for his research in space and for his humanitarian contribution to life on Earth. 

3 words to describe Nature? 

Implicit. Natural. Wholeness

3 things Nature taught you? 

To be still

To be quiet

To be grateful

3 most treasured Nature spots? 

Boulder Flatirons

Zion National Park 

Rain forests of Costa Rica

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...? 

Interdependent

When you see a forest, it makes you feel...? 

One with the biosphere

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...? 

The certainty that I am part of a much bigger picture.

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...? 

As if I am watching life's expression that it's grateful to be alive

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...? 

Connected to the primordial

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...? 

Energized 

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person? 

I am a person who strives to keep the focus on the continuum that links all those ecosystems and more

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being? 

10.5

Share with us a childhood nature memory? 

I have fond memories of trading a day-to-day life in the city to camping with the Boy Scouts in the NY Adirondacks.


Joel Sercel

Dr. Joel Sercel is the CTO and CEO of Trans Astronautica Corporation. TransAstra is a NewSpace company dedicated to accelerating the process of human exploration and industrialization of cislunar space and near Earth asteroids. Funded by a combination of private sector investment plus NASA grants and contracts, TransAstra is building the technology to provide in-space transportation and related services with a fleet of reusable space tugs supplied by propellant derived from asteroid and lunar resources.

Dr. Sercel has over 30 years of NASA, industrial, other government agency, and academic experience and education all of which is directly related to space technology development and innovation. Sercel’s professional experience includes a 14 year career at JPL; 12 years teaching, researching, and advising graduate students at Caltech in the area of space systems engineering; two years as a senior government official serving as the Chief Systems engineer of a $22B Air Force communications satellite network (TSAT) leading a team of 122 systems engineers and several years as a private technology and management consultant

Joel conceived and initiated the NSTAR project (the first deep space solar electric propulsion system) and served as the first Principal Technologist of the NSTAR project. He presently has patents pending in the area of space resources technology and is known as the inventor of Optical Mining™, a practical method for extracting the ingredients in rocket propellant from asteroids. 

Dr. Sercel is a five time NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Fellowship awardee. 

3 words to describe Nature?

Nature. Includes. Everything 

3 things Nature taught you?

While we will never understand everything about nature, we have learned enough to know that nature follows laws that are understandable to the mind of Man.

When you discover a truth about the universe, it unlocks other truths and they all fit together.

When scientists think they have a mature theory that they understand, they are in for a big surprise.

3 most treasured Nature spots?

A kelp forest in the Channel islands

Looking across the Sierras at night at a thunderstorm on the next mountain

The night sky in the Arizona desert on a clear day

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?

Peace

When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?

Connected

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?

Wonder

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?

The flow of time

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?

Lucky

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?

Small

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?

One part each, no preference. Love them all

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?

As I am part of nature, that would be a 10

Share with us a childhood nature memory?

The Milky Way galaxy spread across the night sky and the realization of the immensity of it all and the potential for an infinite future for humanity and our progeny coupled with a sense of awe that we exist.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLijoedlE2A


Rick Roberts

RICK ROBERTS is the Director, Hospitality Operations for Summit Powder Mountain in beautiful Eden, Utah. Summit Powder Mountain is a year-round destination for an ongoing program of events and activities - a home to the emergent culture of creativity and collaboration exemplified by the Summit community. Summit Powder Mountain is the largest skiable resort in North America and is preserving its magical skiing experience for generations to come and to save it from overdevelopment. Summit is now focused on building a new urban village at 8600 feet, showing that by developing a portion of the mountain responsibility, the entirety can be saved from overdevelopment.

Prior to joining the Summit family, Rick served 21 years in the Air Force as a dedicated and experienced thought leader and innovator with a history of delivering measurable results while leading teams of 500 in dynamic, combat and non-combat environments. He is a highly decorated veteran that possess a comprehensive background of managing large scale hospitality operations, fitness and recreation programs, human resources, and capital planning.

Additionally, he volunteers for Healthy Body Healthy Life, a non-profit educating individuals, changing families and growing communities. He is extremely passionate about outdoor recreation and the therapeutic effects it can have for veterans challenged with post-traumatic stress.

3 words to describe Nature? 

Inspiring, calming, pure

3 things Nature taught you? 

Humility, courage, determination

3 most treasured Nature spots? 

Havasu Falls, Interlocken, Switzerland, Cliffs of Moher

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...? 

Vulnerable...it's another world

When you see a forest, it makes you feel...? 

Curious

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...? 

Powerful

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...? 

Thankful

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...? 

Anxious

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...? 

Attentive

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person? 

Mountain

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being? 

10

Share with us a childhood nature memory? 

I was always fond of being out on a lake fishing with my Dad. After serving in WWII, Korea and Vietnam, fishing brought him peace and joy. I appreciate those special moments with him.