Roger B. Chaffee was born February 15, 1935 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. An engineer, pilot and astronaut, Chaffee lost his life in the Apollo 1 accident on January 27, 1967. The Roger That! conference, scholarly in nature and open to the general public, is co-organized by Grand Valley State University, the Grand Rapids Public Museum and the Roger B. Chaffee Scholarship Fund. Roger That! seeks to honor Chaffee and highlight local research in a two-day celebration of space exploration. 

Roger That 2025 will take place on Friday, February 14th and Saturday, February 15th, 2025. Our theme is Communication & Space! Registration will open in January 2025. 

Date: Friday, February 14th, 2025
Location: Loosemore Auditorium, GVSU Pew Campus, 401 Fulton St W, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

• 8:30 am - 4:00 pm: Academic conference online (via zoom) featuring speakers talking about all things space related.
• 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm: In-person workshops in physics and engineering for the whole family 
• 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm: Design That! entries and reception
• 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm: Astronaut keynote address 

Date: Saturday, February 15th, 2025
Location: Grand Rapids Public Museum

The GRPM will continue the celebration of space exploration and the life of Roger B. Chaffee through exciting and educational exhibitions and activities taking place throughout the day. Learn more here. 

Ad Astra Ubi Spatium Pro Omnibus! 

Theme for 2025: Communication and Space

Communication and Space, Roger That!'s 2025 theme, refers to a number of ways space exploration and communication can intersect. Humans on the ground communicate with people in space, engineers communicate with spacecraft, and a lot of amazing communicators work right here on Earth to help communicate ideas and concepts about space exploration to the larger community. Our theme of "communication" encompasses all of those meanings and more!

Roger That IX will start on Friday, February 14th (Valentine's Day!) with a lineup of amazing online speakers then transition to in-person events later in the day. There will be more events and activities at the Grand Rapids Public Museum on Saturday, February 15th. 

Our confirmed guest list includes: Space-focused composer Joni Greene; mechanical engineer/solar system ambassador Shayla Redmond; science fact and fiction film director, Jeffrey Morris; JPL engineer/Voyager 1 team member Bruce Waggoner; astronomy journalist Lisa Grossman; and OSIRIS-REx Missions Operations Manager, Andy Calloway. 

Keynote Speaker for 2025

Commander John Herrington, PhD, is a retired NASA astronaut, U.S. Navy Commander, and the first enrolled member of a Native American tribe (the Chickasaw Nation) to fly in space, During the 2002 STS-113 mission, where he served as a Mission Specialist, he performed three spacewalks focused on the International Space Station's construction (these spacewalks are commemorated on the back of the 2019 version of the Sacagawea dollar). Herrington holds a PhD in education from the University of Idaho and a Master’s in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. His service as a naval aviator, test pilot, and astronaut has earned him multiple awards and honors, including induction into both the Chickasaw and International Air & Space Halls of Fame. Dr. Herrington continues to share his experiences through public speaking and his children’s book, Mission to Space.

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