Alan, a founding member and lead singer of “Hitchhiking to Orbit”, had a love for flying (aircraft, spacecraft…whatever it took) and music. Songs the band played such as “Mr. Spaceman” and “Moon Dance” defined this passion (along with the parody lyrics he would craft to fit any gig or occasion).
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Ever the music theory/orbital mechanics instructor for his bandmates (and unsuspecting visitors to his jam room) Alan was also the king of the “song medley mash-up”…no matter the key, tempo, or genre differences, Alan could instantly hear (sense?) connections between two pieces of music that no one else could quite fathom…but I’ll be damned, it usually worked!
Alan was indeed a “Lucky Man” in life (a song we frequently played...that somehow escaped the medley assimilation process) and we were fortunate to work with him at NASA and play music with him in HtO.
On May 19, 2022, Alan’s ashes were onboard the Boeing OFT-2 space test flight launched from the Kennedy Space Center. Alan, a Rendezvous Instructor at NASA-JSC, was a key member of the development and operations team who worked many years to make the flight a reality. Alan was given a fitting tribute by NASA and Boeing, who ensured he had a ride on the historic flight. Hmm, Hitchhiking to Orbit…go figure!