From: mk_thisisit
Professor Lieutenant Colonel Aleksander Nawrocki is known as a Polish contributor to NASA and the co-creator of the Java programming language. His career highlights include serving as NASA’s chief robotics engineer and leading significant projects in space exploration and software development [00:01:30].
Early Life and Education
Born in Poland, Nawrocki faced political challenges when his Polish citizenship was revoked during the communist era due to his cooperation with the United States; he was considered a “traitor to the homeland” [00:00:25] [00:02:02] [00:21:47]. He later regained his citizenship in 1997 [00:22:04].
Nawrocki graduated from the Lodz University of Technology in the 1970s [00:08:41]. He was among the first in Poland to work on the Odra River computer system [00:08:46] and undertook an internship at Elwro, where he programmed paper tape and punched card readers [00:08:50]. He describes this period as the “Middle Ages in computer science” [00:09:07]. Following his studies, he became the main automation engineer at Huta Baborów and, at 20.5 years old, was the youngest director in the history of refrigeration and heavy industry in Poland, overseeing 600 people [00:09:16] [00:09:21].
Journey to North America and NASA
Nawrocki left Poland, moving to France, where he worked for Scher [00:09:37]. He responded to an advertisement for engineers in Canada who spoke French, a description that perfectly matched his qualifications [00:09:52]. He was offered a job by a large software company in Montreal, which he accepted [00:10:16].
In Canada, he gained recognition for successfully launching a complex data acquisition system for Bombardier, a project that others had struggled with for 1.5 years, in just three months [00:11:55] [00:12:48]. This success led him into the aerospace sector when he was invited by a former director, Patryk, to work on satellite communication due to Canada’s reliance on satellites for telephone communication [00:13:04] [00:13:14].
When the Canadian government decided to establish its own space agency, Nawrocki applied and was among the first 20 people hired [00:14:07]. His aerospace background and experience with satellites were key factors [00:14:23]. He became involved in the project to create the robotic arm for the space shuttle, a Canadian contribution to the U.S. space program [00:15:26]. He was nicknamed “Roki” by colleagues because of his last name [00:16:18].
Role at NASA
Nawrocki transitioned to NASA when the Canadian government decided to participate in the space station project. The Canadians took charge of the robotics aspect due to their successful track record, as the Canadian arm never broke down in orbit [00:17:01]. He became the leader of the Canadian team involved in designing the “Space Station Freedom,” a project with a budget of $14.7 billion intended to house eight astronauts [00:17:39]. However, the U.S. Congress froze the budget, reducing the station’s planned capacity to four astronauts, leading to the team’s disbandment [00:18:03].
Subsequently, Larry, a director from Houston, invited Nawrocki to join NASA directly as the chief robotics engineer [00:18:24]. His responsibilities encompassed all aspects of robotics [00:19:15]. He initially worked on the space station and later on the space shuttle, where he was a space flight controller managing the robot’s activities [00:19:22]. The robotic arm was crucial for various tasks, including carrying astronauts for inspections of the shuttle’s ceramic tiles and coatings [00:19:41].
He became a Mission Controller, one of only 12 people in the main room making critical decisions [00:20:16]. He was responsible for the first flight built after the Challenger accident [00:20:33].
One of his most memorable experiences was during the launch of a satellite for the Barcelona Olympics, which required a 29-hour uninterrupted shift to repair boosters after they failed to bring the satellite to a stationary orbit [00:22:22] [00:22:58].
Co-creator of Java
Poles are largely unaware that a Pole co-created the world’s most famous programming language, Java [00:00:31] [00:23:23]. Nawrocki was primarily responsible for the real-time programming part of its development [00:23:34]. The project was conducted under the direction of the Institute of Standardization near Washington [00:23:55].
At the time, Nawrocki was the vice president of a software company in California, leading a large team of over 1,000 programming engineers across offices in Sweden, Germany, England, France, and various U.S. cities [00:24:18]. His company specialized in Ada, a language used by NASA and the military [00:24:50]. The desire to create something similar to Ada led to Java’s inception [00:25:02]. Nawrocki states that the name “Java” has nothing to do with coffee [00:25:22]. He also led the Java consortium for two years [00:25:44].
Perspectives on Space Exploration
Extraterrestrial Life and Classified Information
Nawrocki believes in extraterrestrial life but acknowledges the immense challenge of proving its existence due to the vast distances and the limitations of the speed of light [00:02:31]. He notes that even reaching the nearest star system, Proxima Centauri, would take 30,000 years with current technology [00:03:02] [00:03:45]. He suggests that the classification of information by space agencies like NASA stems from ignorance – “we know too little to provide information publicly because it can cause an undesirable effect” [00:05:20].
Future of Space Travel
Nawrocki discusses the long-standing goal of reaching Mars, which Werner von Braun had already developed a mission plan for in the 1950s [00:32:10]. He believes that a human landing on Mars will not happen before 2030 [00:33:25]. He advocates for building a base on the Moon first as a staging point for safety and energy efficiency, as a round trip to Mars could take at least two years due to orbital alignments [00:33:56] [00:34:21]. While technically possible within years, the financial aspect remains a hurdle [00:34:50].
He questions the rationale behind conquering Mars, noting that it’s primarily for expanding human knowledge and testing the laws of physics, similar to climbing the Himalayas [00:36:38] [00:35:07]. Regarding space tourism, he anticipates it becoming accessible to wealthy individuals, but not common, within 5-15 years [00:37:38].
Current Activities in Poland
Nawrocki is the president of the Robotics Academy foundation in Poland, aiming to engage young people in robotics and artificial intelligence from the high school level [00:38:29]. He highlights Kraśnik as the “capital of Polish robotics,” noting that a team from there has represented Poland in international Robotics Olympics since 2017, participating in events in Washington, Mexico, and soon Singapore [00:38:52]. He provides financial support to the team, as they received funding from the Ministry of Digital Affairs but not the Ministry of Education [00:39:41].
He runs businesses in California with programming teams based in Poland [00:27:17]. He observes a wide range in the skill level of Polish programmers and notes that Polish education teaches essential skills like programming too late [00:27:53] [00:40:46]. Nawrocki stresses that a professional life involves three stages: learning knowledge, developing skills, and then using those skills to change the world [00:28:23]. His sons, both top students, have pursued studies in computer science and economics at prestigious universities like Yale [00:29:05].
He also notes a significant positive shift in how Poland is perceived in the United States, with many Americans now proudly acknowledging Polish heritage [00:30:13]. He attributes this change partly to Pope John Paul II and states that “Polish jokes” in places like Chicago are no longer prevalent [00:30:58].