Understanding space, and how we use it, helps us solve the world’s problems.

Living Intense proudly supports:

-The Planetary Society (+ LightSail 2!)

-AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics)

-Detonation Space (one of the initial investors)

-The Explorer’s Club

-Sky & Telescope Magazine

-NASA STEM outreach

-CitizenScience.gov

-Space For Humanity

“You can’t run a vacuum cleaner on 12 amps, John!”

“Apollo 13” is one of my favorite movies of all time.  It tells an amazing story.  That quote ^^ (about the vacuum cleaner) makes me laugh as I think about the night it became an inside joke.  My friends Connor, James, Meredith and I were group partners for one (actually many) of our projects for our Astronautical Engineering degree program at the Academy.  This particular project had us, yet again, pulling an all-nighter… this time we all met at one of the squadron CQs, which is just a computer station in the middle of the dorm room hallway.  We couldn’t legally pull an all-nighter behind closed doors with a girl in our group (Academy policy) so we met at this spot in the hallway.  We each had our laptops out, working away on whatever it was that we needed to get done.  James, though, had his laptop playing the movie “Apollo 13” in the background -it was a classic for all of us, obviously- while he used the desktop at the CQ.  As you may remember, the Apollo 13 crew is required to power down their entire spacecraft, and the engineering teams back in Houston are working on a “power-up plan” to relay to the crew in space so that they can preform their reentry procedures.  They need to get the spacecraft draw down to 12 amps. 

It was late.  It was well past 3 in the morning.  We were all in that zombie-like state, in which you don’t even care if the work you are doing is correct, you just have to fill in the document to get the grade.  As that scene came on, without even looking up from his computer, James quoted that line in unison with the movie, using his best nerd voice.  “You can’t run a vacuum cleaner on 12 amps, John!”  I can’t explain why, but at that moment in time, it was the funniest possible event in the universe.  We all died laughing.  We couldn’t contain ourselves.  We had to laugh together for a good 20 minutes before getting ourselves together to finish the assignment. 

Now, every time I watch that movie and that scene comes on, I open up the group text I have with those three friends and send out the now famous quote.  It always gets a laugh.  Its a memory I cherish.  Unpredictable moments like that make life worth living.

(check out 0:46 in the clip below and keep reading to see how we support space exploration!)

Honorary LI Founders

Living Intense has three honorary founders who have devoted their lives to the exploration of space.

I have met some incredible humans throughout my life.  I have had the privilege of of working with two different NASA astronauts, and calling a third one “friend”.  I took a manned space flight class that was taught by Colonel James Dutton and Colonel Gary Payton.  The class was about designing a manned mission to Mars.  We explored the technologies that would be required for such a mission, and we did trade studies weighing the pros and cons of various mission aspects.  How many people should be on the crew?  What should the crew make up be?  These questions are often more complex than the technical questions. 

In addition to the manned space flight class, I worked with Col Gary Payton on the FalconSAT program, in which I worked on the FalconSAT-6 flight model, which is now on orbit.  I was also accepted into an undergraduate flight test engineering course that consisted of 50% classroom time and 50% flight time in aircraft.  Col James (Jim) Dutton was one of the flight instructors for that program, and I got to fly with him multiple times.  I truly enjoyed working with both men.

I am fortunate to call NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren a friend.  I have never worked with him in any official capacity, but any time our paths cross we make an effort to meet up and grab a coffee (or watch a rocket launch, etc.).  Kjell and I met around 2012 at Johnson Space Center.  He was getting ready for his first ISS mission.  While chatting, we realized we were both former members of the Air Force Academy Parachute Team, the Wings of Blue.  With that realization, we instantly became friends.  We have kept in touch ever since.  I recently texted him, congratulating NASA on the first human space flight with SpaceX.  Not long after that, he was selected to take the trip himself on Crew-4.  Kjell definitely understands living intense, and is one of our honorary founders.

Kjell Lindgren

Current NASA Astronaut

Dr. Kjell N. Lindgren was selected by NASA in 2009. He spent most of his childhood abroad and returned to the U.S. to complete his education and earn a Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Colorado. He is board certified in emergency medicine. After serving as the Deputy Crew Surgeon for STS-130 and Expedition 24, he was selected as an astronaut in June 2009 as one of 14 members of the 20th NASA astronaut class. Dr. Lindgren flew on Expedition 44/45 and logged 141 days in space. He participated in two spacewalks and in more than a hundred different scientific experiments. He is currently in training to fly the NASA SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the ISS, scheduled to launch on April 15th, 2022.

Jim Dutton

Former NASA Astronaut, F-22 Test Pilot

Dutton was selected in May 2004 as one of 14 members of the 19th NASA astronaut class. In February 2006 he completed Astronaut Candidate Training that included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training, T-38 flight training, and water and wilderness survival training. Dutton was initially assigned to the Exploration Branch working on the development of the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) cockpit and to the Capcom Branch as a shuttle capsule communicator. He served as Ascent/Entry Capcom for STS-122 in February 2008, and STS-123 in March 2008. In 2010 Dutton was the pilot on the crew of STS-131 and has logged over 362 hours in space.

Gary Payton

Former NASA Astronaut, Current AFA Astronautics Distinguished Professor

Payton flew on STS-51C Discovery (January 24-27, 1985) which launched from and returned to land at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. STS-51C was the first dedicated Space Shuttle Department of Defense mission. At the conclusion of the mission, Payton had traveled over 1.2 million miles in 48 Earth orbits, and logged more than 73 hours in space.  The nature of the mission is still classified.