18-02-2025
Retired NASA engineer volunteers at age 95
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — This installment of 'Hoover's Heroes' features a retired NASA engineer who is still volunteering at the age of 95.
Otha 'Skeet' Vaughan, Jr. has been a NASA Emeritus Docent at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center for 10 years. The NASA Emeritus Docent program brings the expertise of NASA scientists and engineers to the guest experience.
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'Skeet' is one of dozens of these volunteers who share their personal experiences and answer the frequent questions visitors ask.
Pat Ammons, Senior Director of Public and Media Relations, says these docents truly bring the history and the technology to life. She also says 'Skeet' is a testament to living life well. And, what a life it's been so far!
Nowadays you can find Skeet wearing one of the white lab coats with a NASA 'meatball' on the back near the excursion module exhibit armed with a baby food jar of 'moon dust.' However, his time with NASA goes way back to the beginning when in 1960 Huntsville became the Rocket City when Wernher von Braun led the newly formed Marshall Space Flight Center.
As a charter member of the von Braun rocket development team, 'Skeet' worked as an engineer and research scientist developing space vehicles, researching missile flight performance, and solving engineering was years and years of groundbreaking work that helped allow men for the first time to leave Earth and explore the moon. His talents have contributed to the Apollo Program, the Apollo Lunar Exploration Program (Lunar Rover), Skylab, and the Space Shuttle.
Skeet says it didn't feel like a job.
'I was having so much fun and I was meeting a lot of interesting people, too,' he said.
Learn more about 'Skeet' and his story by watching the video found in this article. If you want to learn even more about 'Skeet' and his journey to NASA, visit his website for even more incredible details!
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