Volunteers

George Gorman

George began volunteering at the Space Foundation Discovery Center in June 2014. It was just eight years ago that George and his wife moved to Colorado Springs so George could take on a new job here in town. George moved here from Minnesota. He has both a son and a daughter. His son stayed in Minnesota, while his daughter, whose husband is in the U.S. Coast Guard, moves around quite a bit, currently living in San Diego. George also has a 7-year-old grandson. George retired in June of 2014, around the same time that he started volunteering in the Discovery Center.

George worked in the computer chip design field for 45 years. In the early years of his career (early 1970’s), George worked on the memory modules for the first Space Shuttles. They used magnetic core technology, which has been obsolete now for many decades. More recently, George worked on a computer chip that can control sending data to thousands of hard drives. George saw quite a difference in this technology field throughout his career.

George helps in the Discovery Center one or two shifts per week. He enjoys keeping busy and staying productive, as well as learning new things. One special moment that stands out for George happened when a 9-year-old boy suggested that “you gotta add a gear to those things,” referring to rovers in our Mars Robotics Lab. The boy made a prototype on the spot to illustrate what he meant. His ideas lead George to develop several 4-wheel drive rovers that can easily navigate our “Martian” terrain.

When asked if there is a special exhibit or display in the Discovery Center that he is drawn to, George’s fascination with space shines through.

“All of the exhibits are a joy to be around, reminding me that there really are incredible things people have built and created and then sent to space,” he said.

George’s favorite in the Discovery Center is the Science on a Sphere®, noting that he likes to ensure every visitor who comes through the Center is shown the “magic” of the sphere. George also enjoys helping visitors learn to drive the rovers in the Mars Robotics Laboratory.

For anyone interested in volunteering with the Space Foundation, George says it has been a wonderful experience for him. George expects to keep coming for a very long time. He enjoys how much there is to learn here and commented that the Space Foundation team is great to work with on all sorts of different projects. George notes that if you enjoy space and talking about space, this is the place to spend some time.

Thanks George! The team here at the Space Foundation appreciates all that you do and we count ourselves very lucky that you have chosen to spend your time with us.

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