MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Monday afternoon, Kall Morris Incorporated (KMI) had the opportunity to welcome two NASA astronauts to the U.P. for a unique learning experience.
The Marquette based company focused on space debris removal, brought in Dr. Anna Lee Fisher and Sunita Williams to speak at Marquette Mountain, followed by a meet-and-greet at Presque Isle.
“Bringing these astronauts here and showing them the community is a really great chance to further develop potential STEMs dreams in kids,” said Rose Schopfer, a software developer for KMI. “It’s a great way to start the communication about the importance that exploring space is, even though we’re specifically an orbital debris removal company.”
Dr. Anna Lee Fisher is most notably known as the first mother to go to space, while also being one of the first woman introduced into NASA’s earliest female inclusive astronaut class. Less than a year after her first child was born, she flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery in November 1984.
“I was doing the two things I loved most, and I never got to be so focused on either being a mom or my flight,” said Fisher. “If things didn’t go well at work, I could go home and be with Kristin, If Kristin was not being really great, I could go back to work. So, it brought balance into my life, and I wouldn’t trade either one for anything in the world.”
Fisher has worked with KMI for years, after meeting Co-Founder Adam Kall at the Kennedy Space Center. She now works on KMI’s Advisory Board.
Sunita (Suni) Williams has been known more recently, for her and Butch Wilmore’s extensive stay in space. The two astronauts were sent into orbit in June of 2024, initially on a two week trip, before complications turned it into a nine month stay on the ISS, finally returning with a SpaceX crew on March 18.
“Obviously, things didn’t go exactly as planned. So, you just take a pivot and go, ‘what are we doing up here?'” said Williams. “There were folks up there already doing some science experiments, so we would tag along while we were understanding about our spacecraft, learned what was going on, and when it was our turn to be the prime crew up, we said ‘hey, let’s do whatever we can do.'”
KMI was able to work alongside Williams during her time in space by launching its debris-grabbing robot program, “REACCH” in a care package last November.
“REACCH happened to be one of those payloads, and I was lucky enough to be there when it arrived, set it up, operate it, and then pass down all of that great work to the next folks who are going to be up there,” said Williams. “That’s what the International Space Station is all about. It’s trying out new technologies that are going to help us in the future. And this one has so many amazing capabilities.”
With KMI showcasing its successful innovations, Co-Founder Austin Morris says this is just the beginning.
“We just finished up a lot of the work that we’re doing on the ISS, next for us is continuing to develop the technology,” said Morris. “We showcased where it was as of a couple of months ago, and it’s already a lot further than it was. We have a lot more work still ahead.”
For more information about KMI and its ongoing projects, visit kallmorris.com.
