INTERVIEW with MICHAEL RAMPEY  from USA

(c) OeWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

Team & Task(s) Michael Rampey was born in the USA and presently lives in Switzerland. For the MARS2013 Mission he is the leader of the Remote Science Support (RSS) Team, which has the overall responsibility at the MSC for the operation and readiness of all experiments. That includes the scientific experiment activity planning and managing time, power and data rate requests from multiple experiments in cooperation with the Flightplan Team.

Space & MARS2013

How did you first get in touch with the topic of space / astronomy / analog research?

I have been interested in exploring outer space since I was a child. After college, I learned to fly high-performance jet aircraft for the USAF and later obtained a Ph.D. in Volcanology from the University of Cambridge, UK, in order to qualify for the US space program. Unfortunately I was not selected.

When did you first hear about the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF)?

I was told about the OeWF by a colleague who works at NASA.

How did you learn about the “MARS2013” mission?

Same colleague.

Why did you choose to participate?

At first I tried to submit a proposal for an experiment. When that wasn’t selected, Gernot asked me to get involved with RSS.

What was your first impression when you got involved with the OeWF team?

I was and am quite impressed by the level of commitment and excitement that the team members bring to the table.

What is your personal goal in this mission?

In general, I hope to help the team get its goals accomplished and specifically I hope to help Gernot to have a successful expedition. I would additionally like to see this experience lead to other opportunities with OeWF programs, especially with field simulations.

Work, Life & Family

What I do for a living:

I am a jet aircraft pilot instructor.

A typical day in my life looks like this:

I travel to Paris and teach pilots how to fly the Falcon 2000 EX aircraft.

This is how I spend my spare time:

I work on volcanology science research projects with colleagues in the UK and USA. Currently, I am particularly busy with a couple of Mars volcano projects.

Family status:

We are a small family of three. My son, who is 10, would like to fly airplanes once he has grown up.

How my friends would describe me:

Busy.

Me, Myself & I

These things are precious to me:

Time. My family/relatives.

What drives me crazy:

Rap music.

Something I would never do:

There are very few things I would never do.

To relax I absolutely need:

Very little.

For this I would do almost anything:

Travel to outer space.

Something that once changed my life:

Lots of things have changed my life: learning to fly, learning to do geology in Ethiopia, going on expeditions to Antarctica, and climbing in the Alps. Almost anything you do with your whole heart will change your life.

What is the most unusual / challenging / exciting / scary / funny thing you ever experienced?

Flying at the top of the atmosphere in a high-altitude military jet, was, I suppose, the most exciting thing I have ever done. Exploring Antarctica on two missions for the ANSMET program was about the most unusual and also satisfying thing I have ever done.

Goal(s) & Motto

Something I would love to learn or to achieve:

I would like to be the first man to set foot on Mars.

My Motto / A saying I can identify with:

Audaces Fortuna Juvat.

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