Posted on 05/05/2008 8:03:59 PM PDT by Angelwood
Explorer89, a very good friend of MrConfettiMan sent me this information to share.
Click on the link above to get the pdf of an internal Goddard newsletter that describes the inscription on a reaction wheel that is going to the moon. Joe (FR's MrConfettiMan) wrote the software for the reaction wheel. Joe's article is on page 9. Since the pdf is a bit grainy, the inscription on the wheel is reproduced below:
"The life of Joe Vitale ended far too early, but his work will carry on as the United States Space Program returns to the moon. The software Joe wrote for this reaction wheel will play a vital role. It will help the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter identify natural resouces and landing sites as a first step to populating the moon and traveling beyond.
Joseph E. Vitale, 1965 - 2007"
MrConfettiMan has been gone for a little more than a year now, but is still missed dearly by family and friends. I am very happy to see NASA's memorial to such a fine and deserving man.
This is awesome. Thanks for telling us about this.
Well, I haven’t posted in quite awhile and have lost the knack. The link didn’t go through as planned. Hope someone will do the honors and fix it for me.
Thanks. Pinging some of the DC Chapter members.
He inspired us all and he would not coward if Hillary got into the White House. He would be down in DC every Saturday if he was alive.
Click the Link for the pdf file
Bump for later...busy right now...
I met Joe twice up in DC during the *Crinton mess and Altoast2000 Supreme Court debacle. I wanted to see him again at Duke Medical Center but he was released early. He is missed.
DC Chapter Ping List!
I hope everyone reads the article about Joe. It’s a great article and shows a photo of the inscription.
FReep On!
Thank you.
I still miss the sweet guy. He was one of the unforgetables.
That’s wonderful.
When he got to Heaven, God said “Welcome, old friend. Remember the days when you and I were the only ones protesting at the White House?”
Very cool tribute.
Thanks for this, Angelwood.
Joe was a really special person — and what a fighter he was! I still tear up when I think of him. Does anyone know how his wife and children are? There was just that short mention in the article.
I’m sure his spirit will be on that mission to the moon, too.
This is AWESOME! I loved MCM, I still think of him often whenever I am Freeping. RIP MCM, and I hope his family is doing OK.
Fantastic! His work lives on! More than many of us can say.
MCM Tribute Bump!
It’s reassuring to see that at least a few Americans are still capable of such a caring and honorable tribute. Joe must have been quite a guy.
God’s speed, MrConfettiMan!
Thanks for the post, Angelwood.
This is a wonderful tribute to an exceptional American.
Joe was a FRiend and shining example of patriotism to us all; he is deeply missed.
RIP, Joe. Thanks for being part of our lives.
What an amazing tribute ... and so well deserved.
Angelwood, thanks for this info.
I was proud to be one of his “Pushpins” on the map of people praying for him.
He was a wonderful man and a tremendous Freeper.
The story on page 9 on the current Goddard View is a wonderful tribute to the unique, warm person Joe was.
Joe was a good friend, a wonderful person and a great father.
Thanks for posting this Angelwood. MrConfettiMan was a great Freeper and I miss him.
A Lunar Resting Place
By Kelsey PaquinWhen Joe Vitale passed away from brain cancer on February 2, 2007, his family and friends knew that he would not soon be forgotten. His sense of humor, integrity, and heart left a permanent mark on those around him. Now, his Goddard family is remembering Joe by leaving a mark on his fnal project at NASA Goddard, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). They have engraved one of its reaction wheels in his honor.
Joe had been working as an engineer at NASA Goddard since 1993, most recently in Code 596, where he designed software used to support satellite missions. His last triumph at Goddard was the completion of the embedded fight software in the LRO reaction wheels. His efforts were critical to the successful design of the spacecraft, as the reaction wheels will be used to direct it and keep it at the desired position and orientation once it is launched.
Russ Roder, LRO’s reaction wheel lead, explains, “Each reaction wheel has a fywheel. When the fywheel spins up in one direction, the spacecraft starts to spin very slowly in the opposite direction. If you put a few reaction wheels on a spacecraft, you can control pointing about all three axes.”
When collecting information about the lunar environment on the level of detail that LRO will, such exacting control is all-important. This control would not be possible if not for the software Joe designed. Even though he’s gone, Joe continues to be a part of LRO’s success.
It seems appropriate to honor Joe, the self-dubbed “Gadget Man,” through one of his own technological achievements. Miriam Wennersten, his long time co-worker and friend, says, “Joe was a man all about gadgets. He loved toys and games. He married his love of gadgets with his love of games. For his fight simulator games on the computer, he had the right joystick. For his driving games, he had the right steering wheel. When his wife would go out of town, he would go over to a friend’s house, where they would “geek out” and play computer games all night long.”
The list of people touched by Joe was not limited to those directly around him. Shortly after receiving the news that he had a brain tumor, Joe decided he would share his story by creating a Web site to chronicle his journey. Through it, he was able to meet and connect with people across the coun- try. He constructed a virtual prayer network and placed pushpins on a map at every location where someone was known to be praying for him. About 200 pins crowded the map, displaying Joe’s ability to reach even those he had never met face-to-face.
Joe’s approach to his disease is described by Wennersten as, “Classic Joe Engineer.” He faced it with the same problem-solving knack that he applied to his profession as an engineer. He did extensive research on his disease and kept track of the doctors he had seen and the questions he had asked of them. He tracked his medication dosages and changes, and kept lists of helpful books he had read. True to his desire to share his story, Joe made all of this available on his Web site.
Chuck Clagett, Joe’s supervisor, said, “As Joe’s friend, I always had the highest respect for him because of his honesty and bluntness in any situ- ation. When he saw someone or something being done wrong, he would always get involved to straighten it out. He was not driven by political correctness, only by uncovering the truth. That’s a rare quality in today’s environment and one that I admire. His loss is still felt within the Branch and LRO project. We will forever be blessed for the time we had Joe with us.”
Joe’s wife, Debbie, and his children made a visit to Goddard in February to view the engraved reaction wheel. She expressed that she was pleased to see how LRO was progressing and that Joe would appreciate what the project offce had done for him.
When LRO has run its course and served its purpose, it will be guided to a to-be-determined spot on the Moon. The result of the impact will be a plume of debris that other satellites and telescopes can observe to fnd out more about the Moon’s composition. When the spacecraft reaches its fnal resting place, so will Joe’s engraved reaction wheel.
Thanks for the great report. Very nice.
Godspeed, Joe. It was an honor to know you and call you my friend.
"MrConfettiMan's original thread, calling FR to action. RIP, Joe. Thread below:"
DC Protest: I Was There, Where Were You?
September 26, 1998 MrConfettiMan
As promised in a previous article, I went down to the White House this morning with my protest sign. It was the first time I had every done anything that might label me an activist. And you know what? It felt awesome!!!!! It might feel really good to sit around with a bunch of like minded people and complain about Clintoon, but it feels a hundred times better to go out and be proactive.
I was there from around 8:00AM until noon and was joined by a fellow freeper (Thanks Chris!) from 9-11AM. When I first arrived I was approached by an officer from the Park Police. He wanted to know what I was protesting and I told him "my disgust with the current administration". I then asked if there was a problem with that and he said no. He said he just needed to know why I was there and how long I'd be staying. I told him I'd be there for four hours.
About 95% of the people walking around the White House were obviously tourists. Some, mostly foreigners, seemed really excited to be in front of the White House at the exact same time as a protestor. It was as if they felt privileged to actually witness our Constitution at work. My sign and I are going to be in a lot of photo albums and home videos. I lost count of the number of people that wanted me to pose with them for pictures.
Supporters far outweighed the dissenters!!!!
In four hours, only 7 or 8 people said anything negative to me. And none of them confronted me directly or openly. Each one said something just within earshot as they were passing by. I never caught more than a word or two from them. It was as if they were afraid to publicly voice their support for Clintoon because they know the polls are a joke and they are few in number.
Supporters on the other hand, were very direct. They would openly state their approval of and agreement with my message. I shook a lot of hands. The greatest feeling was when a man and his family walked up to me and he reached out to shake my hand. He said, "I just wanted to thank you for what you're doing." It brought tears to my eyes and made the whole thing worthwhile. Overall, about 40 people made favorable comments to me.
I tried to get a polaroid picture taken of me, my protest sign and a cardboard cutout of Clintoon just before leaving. I thought it'd make a great contribution to the FR archives but the street vendor refused to let me use my sign fearing it would be bad for business. Oh well, maybe next time.
My ability to repeat this performance during the week is hampered by my family and work responsibilities. I have no idea when I'll be able to show up down there during the weekdays although I think it would great to have people out where the White House correspondents give their nightly reports. Weekends are a different story and at this time I plan to be back again next Saturday. That's next Saturday. The sidewalk in front of the White House. From 8-12 in the morning. Join me. It'll make you feel really good.
---------------------------------------------------
Some Suggestions:
#1: I've got a few blisters on my feet from walking pretty much non-stop for four hours. If you're doing an event where you'll be doing a lot of walking, take note of the shoes you wear. I didn't and I'm gonna pay the price for a few days. :)
#2: It occurred to me it might be a good idea for all freepers to put some sort of notation on their protest signs to identify themselves with FR. (I was thinking the letters FR with a circle around them.) This way, if they happen to make the nightly news or a newspaper, those who see them will be able to recognize their affliation with the protestors. Anybody think this is a good idea?
Posted by: MrConfettiMan (E-mail deleted) *
09/26/98 11:03:43 PDT
MCM was a great American, but this is the first I've learned that he was a rocket scientist, too...Dave
These protests were during the Clinton reign of darkeness, weren’t they?
Angelwood - thanks for thread & for ping. I never met Joe but was able to get “acquainted” via the memory thread & now again
It is always hard to say goodbye to good people. They leave a kiss on your soul & that is the love of life type of kiss..
FReep on DC patriots... your legacy is powerful, as was Joe’s.
Rest well, fellow FReeper.
Thanks Angelwood for the NASA link for a well deserved tribute to a fine American Patriot.
Florida FReeper FRegards,
Dave
This man inspired all of us. He stood up and then had to fight for his life. He is the true Freeper.
Cool! I remember MrConfettiMan. I enjoyed his posts and conversing with him. Sorely missed around here......
Thanks for posting the story.
At the Impeachment Dinner, Mr Confettiman yelled “Impeach him again” which got the appeasers all wadded up. I thought it was great.
Thank you for posting this. I remember his posts and activities in my early days at Free Republic. Quite a guy.
Where is the Wall of Fame page?
Indeed.
I saw on another site where a user named Trident/Delta died. I think it was the same first name as our Trident Delta.
Thanks for the post.
Ping
Thanks for posting this Angelwood.
YaYa, you’ve gotta see this.
The Trident/Delta that died lived in the same state as TD on FR. Minnesota
The first name was Randy. He worked as a PI which also matches the FR TD.
I guess I should ping the Canteen
Thanks, Dave. Joe started something that is still a major work in progress — conservative “street theater.”
Until then, the looney left had the streets to themselves. After Joe got our ball rolling through his inspirational solo FReep, the looney left had competition, and it is fair to say that they have not dealt with it very well!
I was proud to have known and FReeped with him back in those days. Every time we FReep, we should recall Joe’s contributions to our cause.
Oh, there were probably other conservative protestors before Joe, but Joe got the ball rolling at the White House. Just about every Saturday following his first protest, a group of FReepers gathered in FRont of the White House to point out the Clintoon’s shortcomings and outrages.
Joe’s post on 9/26/98 inspired a lot of ordinary people to join together in an extraordinary demonstration of the power of FRee speech. That chapter of American History is still being written as we speak, c.f. the Walter Reed Army Medical Center FRiday night FReep, and of course, many others.
Rocket science may owe Joe a lot, but so do we conservatives!
:)Great news,God bless him.
Unfortunately, all the old March for Justice threads on FR have been deleted. Which I think is a travesty.
That’s an amazing legacy. And he made a difference in the streets of DC as well.
Combined General and Maryland PING!
RIP MCM.
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