013 Virgin Galactic taking off in New Mexico with Jonathan Firth

You might say that Jonathan Firth flew into New Mexico through suborbital space aboard Virgin Galactic. A native of the UK, he arrived in the Land of Enchantment with a short-term plan that has since led to a bit longer stay (as so many of us have experienced). He uses his vast knowledge of business, having worked for the Virgin brand for many years, to collaborate with others to build an undeniable STEM ecosystem in Southern New Mexico. A fourth-generation Mechanical Engineer (his son is the fifth), Jonathan shares many STEM lessons from the “States” and abroad. Listeners will be excited to mark their calendar for April 2019 when they can meet Jonathan in-person at the week-long Las Cruces Space Festival!

Show Notes

Jonathan Firth is the Executive Vice President at Virgin Galactic, the spaceflight company that is developing commercial spacecraft and aims to provide suborbital spaceflights for future astronaut customers and for space science missions flying from Spaceport America in Sierra County, New Mexico.  Jonathan is English, and came from London to live in Las Cruces, NM four years ago. He is a member of the company’s leadership team, a mechanical engineer by background, and has been active and passionate throughout his career on initiatives to inspire and educate the next generation, particularly in the STEAM arena.

Virgin Galactic

Spaceport America

Las Cruces Space Festival

 

Book recommendations:

  1. To Be a Machine: Adventures Among Cyborgs, Utopians, Hackers, and the Futurists Solving the  Modest Problem of Death, by Mark O’ Connell
  2. A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking
  3. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
  4. The Right Stuff, by Tom Wolfe
  5. Cosmos, by Carl Sagan

STEM Heroes:

Richard Feynman

George Orwell

Favorite quote:          

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” by Albert Einstein

STEM Rockstar:

Dr. Bill Gutman

“How can we make space travel more accessible” at TedXABQ

 

Contact information:

lcspacefestival@gmail.com

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