Meet Lonnie Johnson, a distinguished figure in the field of aerospace engineering at NASA, holding the title of a nuclear engineer. He boasts a remarkable inventiveness, having secured more than a hundred patents throughout his career. Interestingly, he stumbled upon the creation of the immensely popular water toy, the Super Soaker, quite by accident.
First person he squirted with the Super Soaker:
"I don't actually remember the first person I squirted. You know, I remember the first time I shot the gun and I gave it to my daughter to let her play with it. But I think the first memorable person was actually when I was at an office function when I was in the air force, and my coworkers were there. I was a captain in the military at the time, and this major who outranked me saw me holding the gun and said, 'Captain, what is that?' I said, 'It is my water gun, sir,' and he asked, 'Does it work?' I replied, 'Yes, sir,' and I turned and shot him right between the eyes. It was hilarious. Of course, after that, the whole picnic turned into a riot. We were throwing water and beer from cups, and everything. It was a great ice breaker, and we had a great time."
Favorite invention besides the Super Soaker:
"That is like asking what is my favorite child, haha. Actually, I have a hard time choosing. I can say that there are five or four top highlights:
1. My robot that I built when I was in high school, which was a game changer for me.
2. The Super Soaker.
3. The Nerf dart guns.
4. My invention on the Galileo spacecraft.
5. The lithium battery technology that I'm developing right now, including solid-state batteries and lithium fuel cells.
6. And, of course, the heat engine - my engine that converts heat directly into electricity without any moving mechanical parts.
So, those are the highlights. I can't say one is my favorite because they all have had dramatic impacts on my life."
Advice to kids who want to be inspiring inventors:
"My advice for kids who are aspiring inventors is to persevere. Don't give up on your visions and the things that you want to make, sometimes only you can see them. Only you can realize the potential impact it could have. When I built my first robot, it was with an erector set, and I think I may have been about 6 years old at the time."
Seattle may have really stolen a guy in the 2022 Draft.
13th Rd pick Darren Bowen out of UNC-Pembroke looks the part. Just 6'2" 170lb. Up to 98. FF sits 94-97, avg. 19" IVB. Promising 2-seam. Low-80s sweeper. Nascent CH. Loose. Athletic. Longer AA. Needs to add weight to start.