Military life imposes unique demands on families that require exceptional courage, resilience, and sacrifice not only for the service members but also for their families. In honor of Military Family Appreciation Month, we would like to highlight one of IAI North America’s key employees, Michele Kuepfer.

Michele has been with IAI North America for five years. Her official title is Office Manager, but she is so much more to our team. Michele works in  IAI North America’s finance department, helps with marketing initiatives, ensures events for the Innovation Center run smoothly, helps with human resources needs, and has been designated the “mom” of the office due to the compassionate way she engages with her coworkers and helps them navigate challenges in their professional and personal lives.

In support of military families worldwide, we asked Michele to discuss her time as a military wife.

Here is what she had to say:

 

Carolyn Joseph: Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. I wanted to start off by asking about your journey as a military spouse, about the challenges you faced, and what you learned from those challenges.

 

Michele Kuepfer: Being a military spouse for 15 years was a great honor for me. I have profound respect for our U.S. military and supporting my [now] ex-husband made me proud. Sometimes being alone and raising our [three] kids, one with special needs, with my military member across the world was challenging, but when I decided to marry a Marine, I knew what I was in store for. Being a military spouse gave me a great commitment to our country and the men and women who give up so much for others. I became more independent and found a greater calling in performing volunteer work.

 

Carolyn Joseph: What was it like being home alone with three children while your husband was deployed?

 

Michele Kuepfer: I want to say it was easy, but honestly it wasn’t.  It seemed when my husband was deployed that is when everything went wrong. I experienced a miscarriage, broke my foot twice, lost a child in Sears, and had my car doors malfunction while driving. BUT it was not a horrible experience. My ex and I decided to give up some luxuries in life so I could stay home with our children. I got to watch them grow and become the people they are today. Our son with special needs was able to get specialized care because I was home to take him to multiple appointments a day. We became a well-oiled machine when he was deployed. We missed him greatly, and sometimes we cried, but we made it work for us.

 

 

 

 

Carolyn Joseph: It can be a drain on the families while their loved one is deployed or on training missions, especially if a child needs special attention. What coping strategies did you find most helpful during deployments or extended separations?

 

Michele Kuepfer: Having positive, supportive people around was how I coped during deployments or TAD’s. Knowing I had a village surrounding us, loving my kids and myself always made things easier.

 

Carolyn Joseph: How did military life impact your family dynamics and routines?

 

Michele Kuepfer: Being a military spouse taught me to be more independent, but also to ask for help from others when I needed it. I learned that family wasn’t always related to you but those who were going through the same challenges as you. I’ve always been a giving person, but I think that being a Marine spouse, I learned to give more and to listen better.

 

Carolyn Joseph: Having s support systems sounds critical to making military life work. How did you build and maintain support networks and systems in and out of the military community?

 

Michele Kuepfer: While a military spouse I volunteered with our commands, Relay For Life, and our church. Doing this helped me to create bonds with others in our community. I always felt like I had a home in each new duty station, and I have continued to do this back in the civilian world.

 

 

 

 

Carolyn Joseph: It sounds like you took a very active role in your community. How did you stay engaged with your community while balancing the demands of military life?

 

Michele Kuepfer: I volunteered a lot. It is something I was passionate about, and even became the civilian volunteer of the year for our command in Hawaii two years in a row.

 

Carolyn Joseph: It has been said that modern communication capabilities have changed the way deployed soldiers can communicate with their loved ones back home. How do you think access to video calls and other instant forms of global communication has changed how military families communicate?

 

Michele Kuepfer: This is easy. When I met my husband, we had to rely on letters mostly to communicate. I would occasionally get an email or a monthly phone call, but letters were how we communicated his first deployment. Fast forward to his last deployment and we talked almost daily and sometimes more than once a day. Technology has helped keep families more connected, but I do miss the days of letter writing.

 

Carolyn Joseph: How did you celebrate special occasions when your ex-husband was away?

 

Michele Kuepfer: We celebrated holidays and special occasions basically the same as when he was home. We did send him special boxes, and sometimes we celebrated twice (Once with him gone, and once when he got home).

 

 

 

 

Carolyn Joseph: Did you have any unique family traditions that help maintain a sense of normalcy?

 

Michele Kuepfer: My goal as a mom was to make sure my kids grew up knowing that their dad and I loved them, even when he was far away. So we conquered each day as it came, just like we would do in day to day life.

 

Carolyn Joseph: Are there specific resources or programs that have been particularly beneficial for you and your family?

 

Michele Kuepfer: As a Marine wife, I was involved with our Family Readiness team which provided great command support. The Exceptional Family Member Program was very beneficial in helping me with our special needs child. Of course, our church and the love and support they gave us.

 

Carolyn Joseph: You seemed to be very involved at every duty station you lived. What was your favorite duty station, and why?

 

Michele Kuepfer: This is hard. I can tell you something amazing from everywhere we have been. If I had to pick one, I would say Hawaii. We were lucky to spend 5 years there. I hiked almost daily, started running, formed great lifelong friendships, and re-found my faith. Hawaii was the perfect place for my children and I.

 

 

 

 

Carolyn Joseph: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me about your expansive experience as a Marine wife. As a final question, what advice would you give to someone who has just become or is about to become a military spouse?

 

Michele Kuepfer: Get involved, be patient, and be understanding. Most importantly, have your own identity.

 

 

Israeli Spacecraft Beresheet Launched to the Moon at 08:45pm EST on February 21, 2019. First data from Beresheet received at 08:23pm EST. The spacecraft’s legs deployed at 08:25pm EST as planned. Mr. Morris Kahn, President of SpaceIL:”The successful launch positions Israel on the map. History has been made. We look forward to an amazing 7-week journey that will mark yet another historic even. We cross our fingers for Beresheet. Thank you to the amazing teams if SpaceIL and IAI. Israel is now on the space map.”

 

Ido Antebi, CEO of the SpaceIL NGO:“We arrived at the launch with a fully tested spacecraft on its way for a highly challenging mission. I am proud of SpaceIL and IAI teams who made this accomplishment possible with professional work, perseverance and collaboration, if everything goes well, the spacecraft will enter a cruising orbit around Earth within an hour from the launch. In the next two months, Beresheet will continue its challenging journey until it lands on the moon.”

 

Nimrod Sheffer, CEO, Israel Aerospace Industries:This Friday morning, SpaceIL and IAI, the partners in the Beresheet project, announced the successful launch of the spacecraft. Initial data was received in the control room in Yehud, the spacecraft’s legs deployed as planned and Beresheet started in-orbit tests while cruising to the moon. After all sub-systems are tests, Beresheet will start its first maneuver and circling the Earth within nine hours.

 

Beresheet’s historic accomplishments?

 

•  Beresheet is the first spacecraft to land on the moon as a result of a private initiative, rather than a government.
• Beresheet is the smallest spacecraft by weight.
• It was developed and constructed at a cost of only $100 million, compared to billions of dollars in similar projects.
• It will make the longest journey until landing on the moon, 6.5 million kilometers.
• It will make Israel the first non-superpower nation to soft-land a spacecraft on the moon after Russia (1966), USA (1969), and China 2013).

 

The main challenges in the journey to the moon:

There are five major challenges of the spacecraft’s journey to the moon: Firstly, the launch is fraught with risks in and of itself. Secondly, locating the spacecraft and contacting it over the vast distance to the moon is very intricate. Thirdly, the spacecraft’s durability under extreme conditions in space, complex navigation (without a GPS) etc. Fourthly, the Moon Capture Point, where the spacecraft must switch from Earth’s orbits to orbit the moon. To perform this switch, the spacecraft must reach the right location at the right time and at the right speed and direction so that a braking maneuver will enable the moon’s gravitation to capture it. The final challenge is the most difficult – the landing on the moon.

 

The spacecraft’s journey to the moon – the longest ever:

The spacecraft will orbit the Earth in elliptical orbits and will travel 6.5 million kilometers – the longest distance ever travelled to the moon. During these orbits, the spacecraft will raise its orbit around Earth until it reaches the proximity of the moon. When the spacecraft is in lunar orbit, about 10 days before landing, it will orbit it until the appropriate time and an autonomous landing process will begin. The route will take about two months until the expected landing on April 11, 2019.

 

How did it all start?

Although this is a national and historic achievement, it is based on a private initiative conceived about eight years ago by the three founders of SpaceIL, with two main goals: to land an Israeli spacecraft on the moon and to inspire the younger generation to study science and technology.

 

In hope to fulfil their dream, the young entrepreneurs Yariv Bash, Kfir Damari and Yehonatan Weintraub enrolled in Google Lunar XPRIZE Challenge. The competition ended without a winner in March 2018. However SpaceIL, announced that it would continue working on its mission.

 

The world’s first spacecraft built in a non-governmental mission

Since the establishment of SpaceIL, the task of landing an Israeli spacecraft on the moon has become a national project, but funded by donors, headed by Morris Kahn. This is the lowest-budget spacecraft to ever undertake such a mission. The superpowers who managed to land a spacecraft on the moon have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in government funding.

The development and construction of the spacecraft in such a limited budget is a significant achievement in itself, both for the State of Israel and for the space industry worldwide. If the mission proves successful, it will be a technological breakthrough of an international scale.

 

The significance of the project for the State of Israel

Landing a spacecraft on the moon will bring an extraordinary achievement to the small State of Israel. The project expresses Israel’s technological capabilities and opens many opportunities for it: First of all, it will promote scientific education of the next generation: since its foundation, the NGO met eith over one million students throughout the country. Secondly, it will advance and promote science and research. Thirdly, it would open a new horizon for the Israeli economy thanks to its engineering knowledge and advanced development capabilities. The success of Beresheet is a symbol of Israel’s’ success in these and other fields.

 

The development and construction process

The planning and development process of the spacecraft included intensive work by dozens of engineers, scientists and staff. The development by SpaceIL and IAI started in 2015 and lasted until 2018. The spacecraft, which weighs only 600 kilograms, is considered the smallest to land on the moon. The height of “Beresheet” is 1.5 meters, it is about two meters wide and it carries fuel which is approximately 75 percent of its weight. Its maximum speed will reach 10 km per second (36,000 km / h).

 

The Israeli flag on the moon, the selfie and a scientific mission in conjunction with NASA via Israel Space Agency

Once landed on the moon, the spacecraft carrying the Israeli flag will begin taking photographs of the landing site and a selfie to prove we have indeed landed on the moon. The spacecraft has an important scientific mission to complete: measure the moon’s magnetic field as part of an experiment carried out in collaboration with the Weizmann Institute. NASA is also participating in the mission under an agreement entered with Israel Space Agency. NASA has installed a laser retroreflector on the spacecraft, and will assist in communicating the spacecraft on the moon.

 

The time capsule: a huge database about humanity as it is today

The spacecraft carries a “time capsule” – a huge database of hundreds of digital files ranging from details about the NGO, the spacecraft and the crew of the project, national symbols, cultural items and materials collected from the general public over the years to be placed on the moon by the spacecraft.
The time capsule will remain on the Moon even after the mission is completed. Since the spacecraft is not expected to return to Earth, the information it carries is destined to remain on the moon for an indefinite period, and may be found and distributed by future generations.

 

Packing and transporting the spacecraft to the US launch site

In January 2019, the spacecraft was packed and flown to the US launch site in a complex logistics operation. It was flown in a unique container, which underwent structural and engineering changes to accommodate the sensitive cargo. After arriving at Ben-Gurion Airport, it was loaded onto a temperature-controlled cargo plane. Upon landing in Orlando, FL, USA, the spacecraft was transported by land to the launch site in Florida.

 

ELTA Systems, a division and subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), has unveiled a new and enhanced configuration of its Drone Guard system which detects, identifies and disrupts the operation of UAS and small drones.  Most recently, the system was offered to the Gatwick Airport Authorities for placement in the airport.  Drone Guard can detect and intercept drones using low level jamming and take-over techniques. Already successfully proven in foiling several drone incursions into closed airspace during the recent G20 summit in Argentina, ELTA’s Drone Guard is globally the most sold anti-drone system for military, homeland security and civilian applications.

 

With hundreds of units already operational across the world, the new modular configuration has added a Communication Intelligence (COMINT) system for more precise detection, classification and identification based on broadcast frequency and unique communication protocol analysis and verification for neutralizing threats. Furthermore, the Drone Guard’s 3D Radars, Electro-Optical (EO), and Jammer systems have all been upgraded with bolstered capabilities.

 

 

 

 

The use of commercially available UAS and small drones has increased dramatically over the past few years as these platforms have become a potential threat to sensitive facilities, crowds, high profile individuals and other aircraft, due to their small size, slow velocity, and low altitude flight. Small drones can be further used for hostile applications such as unwanted intelligence gathering, smuggling and even as weapon carriers.

 

ELTA has responded to these challenges with new and enhanced Drone Guard capabilities. In addition to the current radar, EO and jamming capabilities – a hostile threat can now also be detected, classified, identified by means of the enhanced COMINT system. The system can effectively jam or disrupt the drone’s control channel and navigation, by supporting an array of communication protocols that can ‘fend off’ a single drone or even a swarm of drones from the guarded premises.

 

 

 

 

Yoav Tourgeman, IAI VP and CEO of ELTA, said, “The Drone Guard, with its new addition of COMINT capabilities, is a proven operational system for civilian and military applications that can meet the growing threats of hostile UAS and small drones. ELTA designed the Drone Guard to be modular, so that customers can choose the best combination that meets their operational and budgetary requirements in the most cost-effective manner. We at ELTA are dedicated to continue to develop the Drone Guard system to counter evolving threats and provide maximum security for our customers.”