Ralph Nansen on a recent cruise to the Mediterranean.

As 13-year-old Ralph Nansen bounced around the fields of eastern Washington while driving a grain truck during World War II, he dreamed of going to the moon. He could obtain a driver’s license because the usual crews were in military service.

Ralph, now a Lopez Island resident, was the second youngest of seven children. He grew up in Almira, Washington, where his father was a banker in the small community.

“It was a great place to be. I like small towns because kids have a chance to believe they can do anything since it’s assumed they will.” Ralph watched as Grand Coulee Dam was being constructed and listened as the head engineer, who roomed at the family’s home, related the progress. He loved wheat farming but did as the family expected, “go to college and do something.”

His fascination with the moon flourished as Ralph obtained his degree in mechanical engineering from Washington State University. He taught aircraft maintenance officers in Illinois while serving in the Air Force and hoped to work in the aerospace industry, specifically with the Martin organization in Colorado. Fortunately, they misplaced his application. When they finally notified him that he was accepted, he was on his way to a position with Boeing who “had the key to the Saturn Apollo Program; we built the first stage for Saturn V, the integrator for the entire Saturn stack. Boeing was given overall authority on Saturn V.

“I didn’t get to the moon but did develop the initial configuration for the first stage of the Saturn V moon rocket. Boeing won that contract. I was design manager for the fuel tanks of the first stage of the rocket,” Ralph, a big man with a gentle voice and founder and president of Solar Space Industries, explained. According to NASA, the Saturn V was one of the greatest engineering feats of the 20th century. It was the largest and most powerful rocket ever launched. There was a cluster of five engines in each of the first two stages of the three-stage rocket. Taller than a 36-story building, it had a total of three million parts and each had to function reliably and in coordination with the other components. Fifteen were built and none failed. Forty years ago this month, the Saturn V delivered the Apollo 11 astronauts to a manned moon landing.

The Nansen family lived in New Orleans during the 1960s as the first stage of the rocket was built. “A very exciting period,” said Ralph. His wife, the former Phyllis Moser, sang with the opera. The couple met in the third grade, dated in high school, and married while in college. Their two daughters and one son grew up as residents of Louisiana.

Returning to Seattle, Ralph was involved in the development of Boeing’s Space Shuttle configuration. He confessed great disappointment when the plan was rejected because of funding cuts. As Boeing Solar Satellite Program Manager during 1975-1980, he did extensive studies with the Department of Energy and NASA and had 65 engineers working on the project. “I became extremely enthused about the concept of obtaining energy from space,” Ralph said. The control of other energy interests convinced the Carter Administration to terminate continued development. “The world has been suffering ever since,” admonishes Ralph.

Carpentry and travel are other interests for him. Ralph has remodeled eight of the nine homes occupied by the family and, except for the hull, built most of their 49-foot sailboat, The Fram. Retiring in 1987 after 31 years at Boeing, Ralph and Phyllis left for a “very gratifying” six-year cruise on his 56th birthday. They spent most of their time in Mexico and the South Pacific. However, the desire to educate people about obtaining energy from space continued to haunt him. He returned to Seattle to write Sun Power: The Global Solution for the Coming Energy Crisis (1995).

Ralph became acquainted with Lopez while cruising and during visits. The Nansens moved to the island in 2002. He has served on the Community Center Board and has been Council President for the Lutheran Church for several years. “Living here is very satisfying, there are so many interesting people.” He remains a traveler at heart and has been around the world three times and visited 35 countries last year.

His second advocacy book for the public, Energy Crisis, Solution from Space, will be available in October. “Solar power satellites are the only energy source that can replace oil, stop global warming, and have the capacity to support the world far into the future. Development is inevitable. Most people don’t know about it. When it becomes widely known I think it will be accomplished.” His passionate hope is that the United States will be the country that leads the development. “I do feel it’s extremely important for the world,” Ralph concludes.