Loretta Hall has been interested in space travel since her teenage years. She followed closely the early NASA programs: selection of the first astronauts (the Mercury Seven), the suborbital and orbital missions of Mercury and Gemini, the Apollo steps toward a moon landing. She stayed up until 1:15 a.m. in her Seattle home to watch a live telecast of man's first steps on the moon.
In 1977, Loretta moved to New Mexico and became enamored with the state's rich cultural diversity and long history of indigenous people, European colonizers, and American settlers.
Thirty years later, when plans for Spaceport America, the country's only purpose-built commercial spaceflight facility, began moving forward, she was fascinated to discover the important role New Mexico has played in the development of space travel. She decided to herald that unheralded history by writing the only book to document the historic events in the state and the personal stories of the people who accomplished them. Out of this World: New Mexico's Contributions to Space Travel was published in the spring of 2011.
Loretta is a member of the National Space Society and the Historical Society of New Mexico.
A former high school math teacher turned freelance writer, Loretta has written four previous books:
Arab American Biography
Arab American Voices
Underground Buildings: More than Meets the Eye
From Skyscrapers to Superdomes: Forces in Balance
Since 2005, Loretta has been active in promoting earth-sheltered buildings as energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. She is a Green Building Technical Professional. She has spoken at numerous regional and national conferences devoted to sustainability in building design. Now she is poised to devote a similar effort to publicize New Mexico's role in the development of space travel. Interestingly, Spaceport America's terminal/hanger is an earth-sheltered building.
In 1977, Loretta moved to New Mexico and became enamored with the state's rich cultural diversity and long history of indigenous people, European colonizers, and American settlers.
Thirty years later, when plans for Spaceport America, the country's only purpose-built commercial spaceflight facility, began moving forward, she was fascinated to discover the important role New Mexico has played in the development of space travel. She decided to herald that unheralded history by writing the only book to document the historic events in the state and the personal stories of the people who accomplished them. Out of this World: New Mexico's Contributions to Space Travel was published in the spring of 2011.
Loretta is a member of the National Space Society and the Historical Society of New Mexico.
A former high school math teacher turned freelance writer, Loretta has written four previous books:
Arab American Biography
Arab American Voices
Underground Buildings: More than Meets the Eye
From Skyscrapers to Superdomes: Forces in Balance
Since 2005, Loretta has been active in promoting earth-sheltered buildings as energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. She is a Green Building Technical Professional. She has spoken at numerous regional and national conferences devoted to sustainability in building design. Now she is poised to devote a similar effort to publicize New Mexico's role in the development of space travel. Interestingly, Spaceport America's terminal/hanger is an earth-sheltered building.
Loretta (Hood) Hall [center] as a high school senior, class of 1964, in Huntington Beach, CA.
Loretta Hall in 2009, when she began investigating New Mexico's long, richly productive, and relatively unknown role in the development of space travel.
Unless otherwise credited, all material on this site is © Loretta Hall 2010-2012.
Loretta Hall
Photo Credits
Robert Goddard towing one of his rockets to the launch site near Roswell about 1931, courtesy of NASA.
WhiteKnightTwo carrying SpaceShipTwo at Spaceport America runway dedication flyover, photo by Loretta Hall.
Robert Goddard towing one of his rockets to the launch site near Roswell about 1931, courtesy of NASA.
WhiteKnightTwo carrying SpaceShipTwo at Spaceport America runway dedication flyover, photo by Loretta Hall.
Loretta appeared on The Space Show on October 16, 2011. Hear the archived, 90-minute audio recording.