meet Team salsa
Danny & Laura
About Danny, the space nerd ~
I was born and raised on a ranch near Ignacio, Colorado — or as I refer to it, the Rocket Ranch — to a farmer and his wife. I have one sibling and instead of farming, I dreamed of being an astronaut and remember being excited as I watched the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space flights. My love for space exploration was launched!
After I started my exciting career in education teaching science, I was selected to tour the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. I was so impressed with the programs, facilities, and people, it became my mission to share this great opportunity with students. I started organizing students in grades 4-12 to attend Space Camp, and since then, have chaperoned over 500 students, with plans to continue for many more years. I am very honored and excited to be a member of the Space Camp Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2010.
With encouragement from family and friends, Danny’s Rocket Ranch was established in 2018. Our small business specializes in selling my scrumptious dehydrated products. I have always loved to cook and eat, and after years of making a delicious fresh salsa, I perfected a dehydrated salsa to be consumed on Earth, in space, and beyond. To help students continue to attend Space Camp, Danny’s Rocket Ranch will donate a portion of the profits to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation for Space Camp Scholarships.
About Laura ~
I was born in England, to a career Air Force Fighter Pilot and his wife. A proud Air Force Brat, I am one of eight children and being military, we moved about every 3 years. This gave me the wonderful opportunity to live in and visit so much of the U.S. and Europe. I still love to travel, meet new people, and experience new cultures.
Growing up, “Laura” and “science” were two words not used in the same sentence. Thank goodness that changed! As a mom, I learned about the fascinating world of science and space, and liked exploring and sharing it with my daughters. As an elementary teacher, I really enjoyed teaching and bringing the world of science and space alive with my students. I still enjoy learning new things and helping students!
About Danny & Laura ~
In March 2019, I reconnected with Laura, who was a friend of my late wife’s, when they met at Kaiserslautern American High School in Germany. Laura was living in Alaska teaching elementary students, and after a fairy tale romance (That lives on and is worthy of a movie!), Laura Lake and I were married on December 31, 2019. Our two small families have now become a bigger fabulous family and life is good!
