Jeff Hessel grew up in the era of Sputnik, Alan Shepard, John Glenn and John F. Kennedy’s challenge of going to the Moon. His career began as an engineer at Cape Canaveral supporting both National Defense and NASA/ Apollo Programs. Drawing on his firsthand experience at the height of the Space Race, including witnessing the Apollo 11 launch, he has created a series of lectures titled Space Talks with Jeff Hessel, offering audiences a rare, behind-the-scenes perspective on one of the most pivotal eras in American history.

He has presented to a wide range of communities, clubs, colleges, professional societies and has served as a keynote speaker at a major space conference in Orlando. His presentations have been featured at FAU’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, one of his lectures was livestreamed to all high school STEM students throughout Palm Beach County and has frequently presented at local schools and libraries.

Jeff is an official NASA Solar System Ambassador, dedicated to educating and inspiring audiences of all ages about the history, the science and the human stories of space exploration.