On October of 1999 I was invited by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to attend the first Gossamer Spacecraft Workshop held that year in Oxnard, California. JPL was looking for foam wheels for Mars rovers and for other lightweight spacecraft structures like solar sails. It was a fun conference. The best talk was given by Dr. K. M. Catley, on spider webs- their strength, economy of design, (intrinsic beauty) and how it all related to super light spacecraft.

After the talks there was volleyball on the beach, (NASA scientists vs. engineers). The banquet was wonderful, but most memorable were the evenings at beach bar- where we’d drink beer, look up at the night sky, and talk of spaceflight to the stars.

Wonderful people, scientists and engineers- wonderful people with wonderful dreams. Later on, I’d go out on the beach and walk alone, thinking spacey thoughts… and on how very lucky I was.