May 29, 2015 VO LUM E 1 3 | IS S U E 30 | FREE
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GRAD-ELATION
Ponderosa High School graduate Sarah Coleman spots her supporters in the crowd after her name is called at Sports Authority Stadium during the school’s commencement ceremony May 19.
Rainy and colder-than-normal weather couldn’t stop hundreds of seniors from high schools in Parker from taking the next step in their lives last week at commencement ceremonies. Find more graduation coverage inside on Pages 10 and 11.
PHOTOS BY CHRIS MICHLEWICZ
Chaparral High School graduate Patrick John does a heel-clicker as he leaves the stage at Sports Authority Stadium May 21.
Chaparral seniors, left, and Ponderosa graduates, right, engage in the ceremonial turning of the tassels at their respective commencements.
Parker man plays big role in space launch After successful mission, Shane Roskie celebrates at home with friends
nauts on missions to and from Mars, said Roskie, whose title is Orion test engineering and operations senior manager. It’s important for today’s students to gain the knowledge necessary to carry space travel into the future, he said.
By Chris Michlewicz
Friends, family and fun stories
cmichlewicz@coloradocommunitymedia.com With a sense of wonder still well intact, Shane Roskie thanks his lucky stars for getting to live out his childhood dream everyday. The Parker resident and 30-year veteran at Lockheed Martin admits that he still pinches himself on occasion. It’s easy to see why. He played a lead role in the December launch of the Orion Spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
What he did As the Orion launch conductor, it is his job to make sure every guidance, control and instrumentation system has been correctly tested and configured before a launch takes place. “I’m the person that gives the final ‘go’ to the launch director to proceed with a launch,” Roskie said, referring to the person Roskie who conducts the actual countdown. Along with a team of engineers, he then reviews flight data and makes any necessary changes to the design before the next launch. He is already working on Orion’s second mission — known as exploration mission 1, or EM1 — which could happen as early as 2018.
The Orion crew module is moved by a crane after a splash-down in the Pacific Ocean. Photo by NASA/Cory Huston
The mission The objective of the unmanned December launch was to test the critical systems on the craft and determine whether major components are working properly. That includes, for example, an analysis of the heat shield’s performance upon re-entry, the functionality of the guidance system and the capsule’s capability to withstand a splash landing. The ultimate goal of Orion is to “push the technological envelope” for the United States and, ideally, shuttle astro-
Roughly five months after his return to Colorado, Roskie finally had a chance to settle down and catch up with old friends. He spent the better part of last year in Florida making preparations, and several months back and forth before that. He’s glad to be back, and his loved ones are glad to have him. Reggie Fontenot, one of the many friends at a May 16 party thrown in Roskie’s honor, said he was eager to hear stories from his friend and view behind-the-scenes photos and videos. Mostly, he wanted to mark more than two years of hard work, which culminated in a career milestone for Roskie. “He’s just such a low-key guy, a ranch boy from Wyoming,” Fontenot said. “He never gives himself credit.” Roskie, 57, said he was “astounded” by the national and international support for the Orion mission, including encouraging notes from retired scientists, teachers and NASA execs. The local support, he said, was particularly touching.
Living out a dream
Roskie grew up watching the Apollo missions play out on television and knew early on that he wanted to work in aerospace. He said he thoroughly enjoys his job and is thankful that people recognize its worth. “It still gets me excited,” Roskie said. “It’s a very tough, demanding, complex industry, but the rewards are enormous — if everything works right. This one (Orion) flew perfectly.”