Karen is a lifelong resident of the Space Coast. She was 18 months old when their family moved to Florida. Her dad came to work in the space program just like most everyone who lived here in the 60’s. As the space program developed the workers were a tight-nit group that spent weekends and holidays together. Karen got to hang out with astronauts, directors and engineers as a normal course of life. Only as an adult did she marvel the key players she met at that time. Especially close, because of their German heritage, Werner Von Braun, or uncle Werner, was a regular visitor. She remembers at the dinner table listening to her father talk about what was happening on the station, in space and upcoming launch activities.

In 1973 her family moved to Germany and she spent her high school years abroad. At 21 she came back to her roots, back to having sand in her toes, the beach was calling her home.

Before finding her life career as a tour guide she worked at KSC as an OIC in the OPF and VAB where the SRB and ET are stacked on the MLP. The first course of study at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is acronym recognition! She did enjoy working hands on with the Shuttle program as an Orbiter Integrity Clerk. She took great care when keeping logs of tools used on the shuttle. This was a procedure started after an incident on a shuttle mission. During a live video presentation from space, a tool left behind during maintenance, went floating by the astronauts.

After leaving the shuttle program Karen started sharing her knowledge with visitors to the space coast as a tour guide. With her vast knowledge and many stories she entertained people on tours around the Space Coast and Florida’s many sights. German visitors were especially grateful of her bilingual skills. She enjoys the outdoors, boating, snorkeling, watching wildlife, and birding. Her knowledge of the flora and fauna of Florida is extensive. As a guide for wildlife or spaceflight, Karen is an essential part of the Canaveral Tours group.

Shelley is a native Floridian and her favorite place to be, when she isn’t sharing Florida with guests, is outdoors, hiking, biking, boating or beaching. She loves anything history and the space program is of special interest. Not only because her backyard is the playground for Spaceflight, but as a teacher her inquisitive mind wants to know. Her favorite part of being a guide is meeting people who can add stories and history to the knowledge she already has.