The Sputnik period of 1957 marked the success of the Soviet space program and the beginning of the space race. Still in high school, Alan Fensin was already interested in space and put together a team that built and tested small rockets. After college, Alan began his career with Boeing and NASA in the early days of the American space program. He was a key member of the Apollo rocket design team that successfully put a man on the moon. As an electrical engineer, Alan helped design many of the critical elements used in the electrical system of the Saturn 5 moon-rocket. To this day he continues to be interested and to keep up with all things concerning space, our solar system, and the workings of our climate. He has been a lecturer and writer for the last twenty years.