by Chad Campbell, senior producer
Pat Duggins was based in Orlando, Florida and at public radio station WMFE for years where he became NPR’s de facto space reporter. Now he’s moved on to Alabama Public Radio to become their News Director and he still covers space issues. Alabama is home to the Marshall Space Flight Center. Duggins has written a new book about NASA’s past programs and this country’s future in space. It’s called Trailblazing Mars: NASA’s Next Giant Leap.
Duggins is also the author of Final Countdown about the end of the Space Shuttle program and he played a big role in our coverage of one particular shuttle mission. In November of 2008, I went with Bob and fellow producer Geoffrey Redick down to Cape Canaveral to witness and record the night launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour. Pat was there covering the launch live for WMFE and we talked with him hours earlier about his book on the shuttle program. Click here to read about that adventure and to hear the show.