Solar Eclipse Voyages

Lt. Col. Verderame is a graduate of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School and has flown in 56 different aircraft. While on active duty he was a NASA astronaut flight control & propulsion instructor, teaching astronauts to fly the Space Shuttle and is 1 of only 4 non-astronaut Air Force officers ever qualified to fly the full motion simulator, logging over 500 hrs and 100+ landings.

He trained both the STS-28 & STS-30 Space Shuttle crews, the latter deploying the Magellan Synthetic Aperture Radar Probe to Venus. Col Verderame has also been an instructor at the USAF Test Pilot School and in 1997 he was selected as the Air Force Senior Fellow at the RAND Corp where he studied future military reusable space applications.

Col Verderame holds a B.S. degree in aerospace engineering as well as a master’s degree in astrophysics with a minor in planetary geology and a second master’s degree in geological engineering. He has authored 6 books and 11 scientific and engineering papers including a study for the NASA Mars Exploration Office on selecting drilling sites for upcoming robotic missions in search of subterranean water. He is an active member of a local astronomy club where he regularly participates in astronomy ‘outreach’ programs, helping the public experience the universe firsthand and can he be found on most winter clear nights in his backyard observatory with his 14” aperture telescope searching the cosmos.

Dr. Kramer obtained a Bachelor of Science and then a doctorate degree in Physical Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Sussex, UK. Following his studies, he pursued his area of interest in Canada and began work at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). At AECL, he expanded his career and focused his research on the field of Health Physics ultimately becoming the Head of the Bioassay Laboratory and In Vivo Monitoring Facility. He further expanded his research and transferred to Health Canada, taking up the position of the Head of the Human Monitoring Laboratory. Over his research career, Dr. Kramer has published over 200 papers in peer-reviewed scientific literature, written more than 300 technical documents, and published a book with his wife as co-author..

Dr. Kramer has developed a number of interesting topics that can be presented to a general interest audience or one looking for more technical content. Presentations are designed to be approximately 45 minutes but this can be modified accordingly. Dr. Kramer has been teaching, speaking, and making presentations for over 40 years and during that time has developed an engaging style that will be both enjoyable and educational. The full list of topics is on his website (enlight42.com). There are currently about 120 presentations that are ready, all meticulously researched and constantly updated before use. Professional Awards Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. Incentive award for the pioneering work performed by members of Unit 2000 in the areas of hyperthermia, intelligent sensing, and stable isotope production. Meritorious Service Award presented by the Assembly of the 35th Annual Meeting on Bioassay, Analytical and Environmental Radiochemistry.

Ralph Pass was born and raised in Maryland. He attended the University of Maryland where he earned degrees in Mathematics. After graduation, he joined NASA and was a member of the support team for all the manned Apollo missions. His career at NASA continued through numerous unmanned missions. While at NASA he provided planetarium shows and general public lectures. He contributed to the successful flyby of Comet Borrelly by the Deep Space I space probe and the Deep Impact mission to Comet Temple I. He has taught Astronomy at Merrimack College and Endicott College. He is the Observatory technician at Middlesex School. In 2022, asteroid 7732 was named for him for his contributions to astronomy and space exploration.

Frank Buzzard spent a distinguished 30-year career with NASA at the Johnson Space Center retiring in 2003 after leading the NASA Columbia Accident Investigation Task Force. He then served as Barrios Technology, Inc. Program Manager for the International Space Station (ISS) Mission Integration Contract from 2003-2005. During his NASA career, Mr. Buzzard served as Chief Engineer of the Space Shuttle, Chief Engineer of the ISS, and ISS Program Director/Senior System Integration Manager at NASA HQ.

NASA awards include the Distinguished Service and Exceptional Service (2) Medals. Mr. Buzzard was born in Wilkinsburg, PA in 1947 and grew up in Longmont, CO--a 1965 graduate of Longmont High School. He served as a US Army helicopter pilot for 5 years including a Vietnam combat tour as a Chinook pilot in the 101st Airborne Division. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering with special honors from the University of Colorado in 1974 as the top engineering graduate. Mr. Buzzard received the University of Colorado Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award in 2016. He received a Master of Science degree in Physical Science from the University of Houston in 1981. He attended Harvard Kennedy School, Senior Manager in Government in 1993. Mr. Buzzard lives in Edwards, CO and has an aerospace consulting business, Frank Buzzard Consulting, Inc.