Expedition
Leadership | Leadership
Types | Leadership
Skills
Leadership
in 30 Days | Leadership
Profiles
John Grunsfeld
 Leadership Position: NASA Chief Scientist
NOLS Graduate: 1974 Wind
River Wilderness course
As an elementary school student
on Chicago's South Side, John Grunsfeld used to sketch
in the margins of his school
papers. He'd draw pictures of snow-capped
mountains and designs for space ships. He dreamt about going to the mountain
wilderness of the West and the even wilder expanse of space.
In 1974, John realized one of those
dreams when, at 15, he took his first NOLS course, a Wind
River Wilderness course. It
was a profound experience, validating his longing to
climb mountains, explore the outdoors, and experience
nature
firsthand. That course also taught him the importance of leadership skills
in expeditions.
During the fly fishing portion of that course, for example, John opted to stay
back at camp. "One of my instructors came up to me and asked what the
heck I was doing in camp and I told him I already knew how to fish," recollects
John. "He about hit me over the head and said, 'Well, then go teach somebody
else how to fish!' That made a big impact on me, the importance of sharing
my knowledge with others on an expedition. Those leadership skills definitely
helped
me later life as a student, scientist, and astronaut."
In 1980, John graduated from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology with a degree in physics, followed by a
doctorate in astrophysics from the University
of Chicago. While in college and graduate school John introduced mountaineering
to many of his friends, indoctrinating them with the same concepts of minimum
impact camping, tolerance of adversity, and decision making skills that he
learned
in his first NOLS course. He also applied many of the same lessons to expeditions
that he led around the world in his work as an experimental astrophysicist.
To help him in his exploits to the mountains he took another NOLS course, a
snow
and ice seminar in the Pacific Northwest.
In 1995, he realized his dream to
explore the wilds of space as an astronaut aboard the Space
Shuttle Endeavour
on a 17-day astronomy mission, and again
in 1997 aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis visiting the Russian Mir Space Station.
Even though the heights of space might seem like a long way from the Wind River
Range in Wyoming, John sees a lot of parallels between space expeditions and
the challenges of a NOLS course.
"Many of the same lessons apply," says John. "All
of the team members have to show good expedition behavior
and the same lessons in personal conduct
and leadership conduct apply." Even some of the physical training has
similar aspects. Indeed, John's love of mountaineering and climbing has led
to the inclusion
of a climbing wall in the astronaut gym. John finds that climbing and movement
in space call for the same forethought and physical attributes like forearm
strength. "We
can't afford to make any mistakes when we are outside of the Space Shuttle
in our space suits, working on the space telescope. It's very much like rock
or
ice climbing, we even wear backpacks! Of course instead of a difficult rock
pitch, we're working on a billion dollar international resource."
"Various aspects of my NOLS education were perfect
for astronaut training: enjoying adversity, making decisions
under stress, leadership skills, teamwork,
team building,
enjoying nature, learning science, hands on training with real equipment…
it was so important."
Expedition Leadership | Leadership
Types | Leadership
Skills
Leadership
in 30 Days | Leadership
Profiles
|
