SEVERAL ALUMNI OF A SINGLE CLASS AT RIPON ALL END UP AT NASA

Tom Horvath ’84 dreamed of being an astronaut when he was young, but his career instead has taken him into the inner workings of the space industry. Horvath has worked at NASA for more than 30 years as an aeronautical engineer. He was named American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics National Engineer of the Year for work done to better understand how the Space Shuttle Columbia was lost during re-entry in 2003.

He currently uses special aircraft equipped with special infrared cameras to look up and “image” a spacecraft as it re-enters the earth’s atmosphere. His team then can determine the actual temperature the spacecraft experiences during its flight back to earth.

“These temperatures can reach several thousands of degrees F, so the astronauts and hardware must be adequately protected to survive,” Horvath says. “An aerospace engineer must determine the ‘Goldilocks’ thickness of this thermal protection. Too thick and it’s too heavy and costly. Not enough, and the spacecraft and crew won’t survive. The temperatures we infer from the infrared observations help us validate complex predictive tools used for design.”

Horvath’s journey is tightly woven with relationships he forged through Ripon College. He recalls that journey here.

Igraduated from a high school in Minneapolis in 1980. At the time, I was deeply disappointed that a failed eye exam had brought my ambition to become an astronaut to a screeching halt. So I was not sure what I was going to do for a career. At the end of my senior year at high school, I attended a college fair where a Ripon College representative was present. I was interested in a small school where I would not have classes with a large number of students, so I applied to a program where you could spend the weekend with an actual Ripon student on campus.

I stayed with a senior physics major named Jeff Viken ’80. It was a fantastic weekend. If I recall correctly, Jeff had a side business going on where they would make pizzas in their room and then sell them to others! As Jeff had graduated as I entered my freshman year at Ripon, I would not see him again for the next several years. Our paths would cross four years later as Jeff and I both ended up at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

From my first week at Ripon, Professor Dino Zei really took an interest in me. About a few weeks into my first physics class, I realized that I had not been exposed to some of the basic mathematical tools that would be required for class. … He eventually spoke to the mathematics department head and made sure that I took the appropriate pre-calculus courses to allow me to keep up with the rest of the class.

Our class of 1984 started out with 10 students, I believe. By my sophomore year, our class was whittled down to four or five. I was especially close to Carolyn Jordon ’84 and Zia-ur Rahman ’84. The three of us seemed to click together and helped each other out with homework assignments.

I met Larry Huebner ’83 at Ripon. Larry was in the physics class ahead of me. Like our class of 1984 group, I recall their class having a similar level of camaraderie and relationships with the physics professors. As Larry was one year ahead, he was usually willing to give me tips as an exam approached.

Larry was in a fraternity with Bret Jaeger ’84. Both Bret and Larry would both impact my life significantly. After his graduation from Ripon, Larry went to work at NASA Langley in Virginia, and I temporarily lost contact with him. A year later, Bret (a history major) and I both graduated from Ripon. That fall, I was set to start studies at the University of Minnesota as a graduate student in their aeronautics department. Bret called me up several weeks from the start of classes to see if I wanted to take one last road trip — out east to visit Larry and NASA. I couldn’t refuse.

While on the East Coast and visiting Virginia Beach, Larry ‘suggested’ that I interview for an internship at NASA where he worked. I was NOT prepared for an interview. Shorts and T-shirts were all I had packed in my suitcase. Nevertheless, Larry set up the interview with the department chair at NASA. It actually went well. However, when asked if I had a letter of reference, I had to admit that I had not come prepared. I told the NASA department chair that all I had with me was Professor Zei’s phone number. He called Dino right there on the spot! I never spoke to Dino about the call, but I guess he provided a good verbal recommendation. I’ve been here at NASA since the fall of 1984.

Larry has since transferred to NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, but I usually see him several times a year. I often call Larry to discuss some aspect of my work that might involve engineering that is performed at MSFC.

I usually hear from Bret and Larry when the Vikings and Packers play against each other. Carolyn dropped off my radar for years after graduation. Then one day, I see her at the NASA cafeteria! Turns out she periodically works as a NASA contractor and comes to NASA Langley where she assembles and calibrates her science instruments. Jeff Viken is still here at NASA Langley, as well, and our paths cross many times.

It was always a dream of mine to be an astronaut. Life threw me a couple of curveballs, but working at NASA has been the next best thing. I get to work on spacecraft that go into space and then return back to earth. The relationships that began at Ripon helped get me to where I am today, and some of the relationships continue to influence my work.

Funny story: Back in 2014, I was at NASA Johnson Space Center just after the successful launch and test flight of a capsule that is intended to replace the Space Shuttle. A large group of engineers and support personnel had been invited to a celebration party. I started a conversation with a stranger. Based upon his accent, I quickly placed him from somewhere in the Midwest. He soon started talking about the Green Bay Packers, so I narrowed it down to somewhere in Wisconsin. His voice sounded oddly somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. After about 10 more minutes, he mentioned his brother also worked at NASA. A lightbulb went off. I quickly asked if he had gone to Ripon College. He responded yes — and added ‘how did you know?’ Turns out he was Larry Huebner’s brother, Bill ’80. I had never met Bill, but his voice and passion for the Packers gave him away.

Certainly all the math and physics coursework at Ripon College provided me with the tools I would need to successfully perform my engineering work at NASA. But I have to admit, that wasn’t the most important aspect of how Ripon would shape my career and life in general. My experience at Ripon College first and foremost taught me to believe in myself — even through difficult times. The challenges I faced trying to catch up academically in my freshman year at Ripon seemed, at least for a while, insurmountable. But I didn’t give up. I surrounded myself with people who took the time to help me.

Carolyn Jordan ’84 is an atmospheric scientist with the National Institute of Aerospace, working primarily on aerosol research at NASA Langley Research Center. “For me, scientific research is fascinating. The older I get, the more I appreciate how much we don’t know about the world and the universe in general. I get to spend my days working on understanding those things we don’t know. To the extent I can, I get to help answer those questions which is really exciting and fun. I love what I do. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.”

Lawrence Huebner ’83 has been working for NASA more than 27 years, 14 at NASA Langley and the last 13 at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. He most recently has worked on “a variety of projects related to the advancement of space technologies in areas ranging from small-launch vehicle design to new methodologies for manufacturing and assembling very large space structures in orbit. … The reward is truly in the efforts of fellow colleagues at NASA, other governmental organizations, industry and academia to make the impossible (or more accurately the ‘really hard’) possible.”

has served in numerous roles for NASA. He currently is the flight operations directorate lead for nominal flight software and automated fault management software development. This supports the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems of the new Orion spacecraft.

“Reaching forward to do things not yet done and to discover things not yet known is an intrinsic characteristic of being human. Doing so with potential benefit to humankind helps justify the effort and cost of such endeavor. To me, crewed exploration of the solar system — with the associated risks and costs — pushes us, as a people, to be our very best, and it affords us unique opportunities to make new discoveries that can benefit all.”

Former Professor of Physics Dino Zei inspired countless students during his 35-year career at Ripon College. He served at Ripon from 19571992 and died in 2010 at his home in Ripon.

He taught physics at St. Cloud State College, Milton College, Beloit College and the University of Wisconsin. At Ripon College, he served as chair of the department and the William Harley Barber Distinguished Professor of Physics. He did extensive research at Argonne National Laboratory, the Bureau of Standards, High Altitude Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and NASA in Houston, Texas.

He also consulted for Giddings and Lewis and other companies.

He was married to Joan Archambault Zei ’64, who died in 2015.