Out of This World Support for The Salvation Army
*Pat was the editor of Ad Astra magazine during her time at the National Space Society.
After a career taking her from Oxford University to the Johnson Space Center and onto NASA Headquarters, Pat Dasch is enjoying a well-earned retirement in the West Texas city of Alpine. Along with her late husband, Julius, they produced an incredibly impressive body of work and research during their decorated careers.
Pat first met Julius while working at NASA. “He was a geologist and worked on moon rocks and meteorites while I was involved in remote sensing, studying images of earth taken from space.”
While working on the earth imagery, another fascinating opportunity presented itself when Pat was approached to be an announcer for the Space Shuttle missions. 24/7 commentary was provided during every shuttle mission via a 1-900 phone number.
“It went out like a radio broadcast, and they needed announcers. They flew me into Houston for each mission and I led the commentary team,” said Pat. “I was doing live commentary when Challenger blew up and was on air for about 90 minutes during that disaster. That was a really difficult day.”
The couple were equally interested and concerned about life much closer to home. They have long supported The Salvation Army and recognized the value of the organization’s many services.
“My husband was very aware of The Salvation Army in Dallas as he was growing up. Julius always had a very high opinion of them and was particularly impressed with their stewardship and use of donations,” said Pat. “He always felt The Salvation Army got it right.”
Even in retirement, the couple continued to teach and share their extensive experience and knowledge.
“We were persuaded to teach together at Sul Ross State University once we moved to Alpine,” said Pat. “They insisted we call the course ‘Rocket Science!’”
The couple made a donation to The Salvation Army that will support local programs throughout Texas into the future. “The Salvation Army is one of the organizations who step up during times of disaster and crisis for communities and families,” said Pat. “They really do make a difference.”