GETTING THERE FROM HERE

by Steddon Sikes ’84

What do you want to be when you grow up? If you were asked that as a child, and chances are you were, did you ever say an astronaut? For most of us, at one time or another, our dreams were uninhibited and we were all in with our answer to explore the universe, walk on the moon, live in a space station, and wear a spacesuit. And even though the odds are against it, most parents smile and say something like, “Good for you,” or “You would make a great astronaut!”

In his teen years, our youngest son had the dream to work for NASA. He loved building rockets and had an early interest in robotics. We visited the Space Center in Houston and bought a souvenir NASA mug… still his favorite. He still eats cereal from bowls that when stacked together look like a space shuttle. Now in his mid-twenties, he loves his chosen career as a systems engineer but hasn’t reached that childhood dream of working for NASA. But he knows a guy.

Ryan Roseke ’88 came to York with a plan that would put him on the moon, figuratively. Smart, well-spoken, had a mind for numbers, and trusted that God would pilot him in the right direction, Roseke had big dreams of making his mark in the world of engineering. He took calculus as a freshman under the tutelage of Dr. Terence Kite and excelled wherever there was a formula that needed a solution. It was a good thing he was an exceptional student as he eventually had eyes for Valene Kite, a fellow classmate, and Dr. Kite’s niece. Alumni who know Terry and his late wife, Jo Kite, can guess the bar was set high for someone dating kinfolk.

Getting married, finishing their degrees at Oklahoma Christian, and raising their family in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, less than a hundred miles from where Ryan grew up, was all part of God’s plan. YU board of trustee Roger Lessly ’58, helped Ryan get a job as a nuclear engineer — from there to working on aerial refuel tankers, ejection seats, and now spacesuits.

When asked how York prepared him for his career in engineering, Ryan said, “In addition to the small class size, which provided the ability to get as much personalized instruction as I wanted, York gave me the confidence to believe I could be an engineer. York also helped me learn to enjoy learning. I’ve had the opportunity at Collins to work in different areas and continuing to learn is absolutely necessary.”

Currently in his 25th year with Collins Aerospace, Ryan is making one giant leap to lend his expertise and team skills to their partners at NASA in developing the next-generation spacesuit for the International Space Station. This is Collins’ first task order under NASA’s Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services, or xEVAS, contract which was awarded in 2022.

The spacesuit contains everything an astronaut needs to survive in the vacuum of space. Made up of more than 18,000 parts and with an interior volume