My First 100 Days in Office at ERAU

Since joining the +Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) August 16th, a lot has happened in our lives. We have seen two more launches, but because of my high paced new role as an Assistant Professor of Commercial Space Operations and raising our toddler (Rafael, aka Rafi), my blog will be pushed to the occasional update. We survived our first Hurricane (thanks Matthew) and another Presidential election (personal opinions suppressed), which brings us to this post, my First 100 Days in Office. New President's are judge by what they promise and then accomplish in their first 100 days in office and with USA Thanksgiving, it is a good time to think back and reflect on what I have done so far and a bit about upcoming plans.

Spacesuit Up!

As the newest member of the CSO program, I am preparing to take over management of the Spacesuit Operations Lab in January, which I have tentatively renamed, mostly to avoid dooming acronyms in the space industry, the Spacesuit Utilization of Innovative Technology Laboratory (SUIT Lab). The SUIT Lab will focus on experiential learning for students and research initiatives with industry. Stay tuned for updates in 2017!

Donated U2 "Dragon Lady" high altitude pressure suit (David Clark Company designed). We are hanging out in the Suborbital Spaceflight Simulator (SSFS).

SpaceX picturesque sunset launch of #SES9

The +SpaceX launch of #SES9 was delayed and scrubbed several times as the SpaceX teamed worked hard to cool the liquid propellant to maximize performance of the rocket. They also were unlucky with a boat in the "Danga Zone" on one of their attempts. Luckily for us, we were out of town or indoors for two of their attempts.

This photo composite was taken with 2-sec bursts (too bright for longer exposures).

We missed the #GPS2F12 launch, but not the webcast. Family first!

The launch was delayed and pushed into our vacation. For the actual launch day we were in south Florida (Pompano Beach) with our family. We watched the webcast and went outside with the babies for the odd chance we would see or hear the rocket overhead.  Being 200 miles to the south, I knew it was a longshot (the trajectory would need to also be going south), but the cloud coverage made sure we would not see anything. The babies of course are not aware yet, and it is still a fun ritual to spot the rocket.

Rafi and Harper enjoyed meeting each other and shared a launch experience... well at least the webcast!

Rafael's first rocket launch. #DeltaIV #WGS7 launch at sunset. #ULA #RNK

Sometimes the best way to watch a rocket is from the comfort of your own home! This was Rafael's first launch experience (outside of the womb). Jen was holding Rafi (just turned 1-week old earlier that morning) and I was holding Teddy for a family experience. I set up the camera to take a photo every second and we turned back to smile for a few of the pics. Unfortunately a few days after I Photoshopped the image below, my laptop hard drive had a mechanical failure and I have not recovered the data including this photo shoot. The image below is my only surviving digital footprint of Rafi's 1st launch (downloaded from Facebook) until we have an affordable data recovery service (one shop wanted $150 up front to look at the drive and then up to $1000 for data recovery - so the drive is safely stored until I get a fixed price). Rafi was sleeping the whole time, so I guess that answers the question of what life is like inside the womb in Cape Canaveral.

Rafi's 1st rocket launch (outside of the womb)!

The launch of Rafael Neil Kobrick! #RNK was launched on same day as #Apollo11. To the Moon!

It is with great pride that Jen and I announce the birth of our son Rafael Neil Kobrick! Rafi was born on July 16th at 0030 after a long labor (which included a rocket launch). He was 6 pounds 13.1 ounces (3.09 kg) and 19 inches long (48.3 cm) upon arrival. He is the 4th generation R. Kobrick (H. Robert, Ronald, Ryan and now Rafael) and his name essentially means 'healer' in Hebrew, which is a nice tribute to Jen's passion for massage therapy and my passion for helping humans stay alive and thrive in space (countermeasures, performance, etc). His middle name is in honor of Apollo Moonwalker Neil Armstrong and a tribute to Jen's Irish heritage. July 16th, by cosmic coincidence, was also the anniversary of Apollo 11's historic launch to the Moon. Here are some pictures from the first few days of Rafi's life:

Rafael "Rafi" Neil Kobrick. Ready to conquer the world one heart at a time.

The labor of launching a rocket. #GPS2F10 launched as #BabyK prepped for arrival. #ULA #AtlasV

After a sleepless night, we headed to the hospital on the morning of July 15th expecting both a rocket launch and a baby launch. With contractions steadily progressing, we didn't know if we would catch the launch. At the beginning of the launch window, we were in between contractions so we took our positions by the hospital window. The rocket launched right on time and unfortunately we couldn't see if from Melbourne. However, I did get to see this particular rocket up close on one of our legislative tours of KSC/CCAFS. We went up to the top deck of ULA's Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) and were able to look down at the rocket before the payload was added. We saw the rocket on multiple platform levels with the most bizarre floor numbers. We even got to stick our heads pretty close to the RD-180 engines on the ground floor and read the Cyrillic print "РД-180" in red paint. To finish the story, after a long labor, Rafael Neil Kobrick was born on the next day at 0030, July 16th, the anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch to the Moon! It happened to be a new moon that night and a very busy hospital.

The Atlas V patiently waits for it's payload to be delivered at LC-41. We went to the very top floor (just under the yellow crane, but not up by the ULA logo) and what a view of the Cape! Photos were not allowed inside/outside the VIF, but check out the video below.