Solar sail Operations Linking Academic Researchers (SOLAR)
Team Bios - John Keefner
John makes his home in Rapid City, South Dakota where he attends classes at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. He is a Senior, pursuing a degree in Geological Engineering. In addition to attending graduate-level classes, John has devoted significant time to several research projects in his college career. As a freshman, he participated in the first SDSM&T KC-135 project, which flew in March 2000. By attrition, he quickly ascended to team leader and has proposed projects to the RGSFOP every year since. He flew on the KC-135 for the first time in July 2002 with his project Photon Propulsion for A Gossamer Spacecraft. Other research projects include fundamental superconductor research, using a magnetic force microscope to analyze magnetite particles in deep sea basalts and limestones, and using aluminum/tin as an analogue for two phase strain models of the upper mantle. One of John's goals is to go to Antarctica as part of ANSMET, the meteorite hunting expedition. He is also pursuing field camp in Mongolia this summer as an alternative to the usual school requirements.
John grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota hunting for the various rocks and minerals that are present in the plains and mountains of the area. He has expanded his rock hunting and exploring ability by learning how to rappel and climb and by participating in the local caving group (with strict adherence to the Leave No Trace guidelines). His love for the outdoors, along with a fondness for math and science, became the reason for his choice of degree. He also dabbles in music, having recently retired from a four-year stint working at several large radio stations that broadcast to most of Western South Dakota. John is also dabbles in amateur photography. Feel free to ask him about the moose incident in Yellowstone.
Other jobs John has recently held include two years as a SDSM&T Technology Fellow, one year as a SD Space Grant Fellow, Summer Internship through the NASA Planetary Geology and Geophysics Undergraduate Student Research Program at the University of Minnesota and Fall Internship with the Undergraduate Student Research Program at Johnson Space Center and the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science group.