Jessica Corry
The Daily Local News staff writer
Originally published by The Daily Local News

Charlie Zern was among the millions who watched television coverage of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing 40 years ago. But as an aerospace engineer with a passion for rockets, the occasion held personal meaning.

Zern had dedicated his life to the rocket technology that enabled the first manned mission to fulfill President John F. Kennedy's goal of reaching the moon by the end of the 1960s. During last week's celebration of the moon landing's 40th anniversary, the 71-year-old Zern recalled time spent in the field from his home at the Atria Woodbridge Senior Living Center.

The space race between the United States and the Soviet Union dominated the 1960s and for the many bright, young engineers fresh out of college, NASA and the companies affiliated with the nation's space agency were the places to be.

Armed with an engineering degree from the University of Toledo, the Korean War veteran headed west after the conflict in search of employment and instead awakened a lifelong fascination with space exploration.

"As an engineer back then, you were almost certain to get a job somewhere," said Zern. "I didn't intend to get involved in the space program, I just followed the trail out to California and ended up in aerospace. That's when I found that I really loved rockets."

Zern said he spent a few years at various companies, including Lockheed Aircraft Corp. (which would later become Lockheed Martin) and Marquardt Co. At one of his jobs, he conducted test studies on the magnitude of thrust produced by the combustion of various propellants.

Unlike other engineers at the time, Zern said, he was reluctant to remain with one company for an extended period of time and preferred to follow new opportunities whenever he found them.

"I moved with impromptu swiftness," explained Zern. "I never could understand why people would devote their lives to one job. I could leave as fast as you can shake a hat and took jobs wherever I could get them."

One of his best experiences, Zern said, was working for Douglas Aircraft Co. on the development of the Delta Space Research Vehicle, which served as NASA's primary launch vehicle for boosting communications, weather, science and planetary exploration satellites into orbit.

Specifically, Zern worked on the launch vehicle's fairing, an enclosure around the nose of the rocket launcher that protects the satellite.

"It wasn't that I stayed with Douglas for a long time, I just really enjoyed what I was doing there," Zern said. "It was so exciting and quite the challenge."

After a couple of years with Douglas, Zern returned to the East Coast and worked for a time with an agency specializing in water treatment in New Jersey.

But his passion for aerospace drew him to Huntsville, Ala., nicknamed "The Rocket City" because of its close history with space missions. It is the home of NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center and the Redstone Arsenal, where the Saturn V rocket used in the Apollo missions was developed.

Although his memory falters at times due to Parkinson's disease, Zern recalled several unique experiences he had while in Huntsville.

He met astronauts Buzz Aldrin of the Apollo 11 mission; Alan Bean, the fourth man to walk on the moon; and Alan Shepard, the first American in space. Furthermore, he had the opportunity to ride in a human centrifuge and viewed the Apollo 11 lunar module as well as the Saturn V rocket.

Upon retirement about 20 years ago, Zern devoted his time to three main hobbies: history, jazz music and, of course, aerospace.

The astounding collection of space memorabilia adorning the walls of his apartment attests to his passion and includes rocket diagrams, autographed pictures of astronauts Aldrin, Bean and Shepard, and photos of some 15 rocket launches.

Furthermore, several framed photographs depict Zern himself with the Saturn V rocket as well as aboard the space station and the Apollo 11 lunar module.

An amateur historian, Zern also has hundreds of newspapers from memorable events throughout his life, which he said he is now interested in selling because a move out of a larger home has left him with less space.

Unlike many at the time, Zern said that back in the 1960s, he did not envision humankind would be living on the moon by the 21st century.

"No, I always thought the Russians were going to catch up and give us a hard time," he said with a laugh. "But now, there are such advantages with current technology that I'm surprised we are not further along in getting to Mars and Jupiter."

Although he no longer works with his beloved rockets, Zern continues to follow developments in space exploration and loves to talk about his jobs in aerospace.

"As a mechanical engineer, I just did whatever they asked and tried to do the best job I could," he said. "It was really fun because it kept me occupied and busy. I liked being down south and working on rockets. That really knocked my socks off."