Lonnie Puterbaugh has been an automation specialist in control systems design since 1984 and holds a degree in Electrical Engineering. He has loved all things space-related since first watching the Gemini and Apollo programs at a young age. He purchased his first small telescope and star atlas at age 12 from money he earned as a newspaper carrier. The pictures in that star atlas were of objects taken with the Mount Palomar telescope and he hoped to someday be able to observe those objects himself in a much more powerful telescope. Today, his special equipment regularly outperforms those images taken with the largest telescope in the world in his youth and his equipment is not located on some remote mountaintop. It's on wheels and ready to drive to any location! NASA-inspired himself, today he seeks to do the same for others. Lonnie has been recognized with awards for pioneering significant advances in science education for children and the public in 2005 from the Von Braun Astronomical Society and internationally in 2011 from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. From a 16 pound meteorite to sizable pieces of the Moon and Mars, Lonnie has done presentations for Scouts, museums, observatories, senior centers, church groups, concerts, parks, libraries, elementary, K- college programs, home-school groups, astronomy groups, movie theater exhibits, etc. since 2003.