PLEASANT GROVE — Randy Bond hasn't been to space, and he probably won't ever get to space.

But that doesn't stop him from serving as a volunteer solar system ambassador for Jet Propulsion Labs of Pasadena, Calif.

He's one of a number of space enthusiasts from across the United States who hauls his memorabilia around with him and takes every opportunity he finds to share what he knows about space travel.

At the Pleasant Grove Macey's recently, he brought along models and photos of the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Saturn 5 rocket and the space shuttle.

He shared interesting bits of information gleaned from years of following launches into outer space.

"Did you know the Saturn 5 rocket that took astronauts to the moon is 10 stories higher than Salt Lake's tallest building, the (LDS) Church Office Building?" he asked the audience. "It's 36 stories tall, as tall as the Statue of Liberty and 13 times as heavy."

Bond pointed out that astronauts in the early years were severely limited by the space available to them in a space capsule.

"In the Gemini capsule, the space was equivalent to two adults in the backseat of a Volkswagen beetle with a full-size stereo between them," he said. "In the Mercury spacecraft, an astronaut couldn't be taller than 5-foot-10 or he'd be too big for the flight suit to fit."

Bond shared video of astronauts on the Discovery shuttle attempting to eat peanut M&M's in a weightless atmosphere.

He explained that the modern shuttlecraft — which travels at a speed of 17,000 miles per hour in orbit — needs the exterior ceramic tiles to keep the skin from burning since the exterior temperature reaches 5,000 degrees during re-entry.

He also talked about the "barbecuing" maneuver the shuttle does to avoid either roasting or freezing in space as it orbits.

Bond said he and other ambassadors don't get any compensation for their service "just the satisfaction of doing this."

He said he's available to speak to all kinds of groups from Boy Scouts to school classes for no charge.

He can be reached by e-mail at: rcbcjb007@msn.com.

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E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com