Jim Banke is a former aerospace journalist and current owner of MILA Solutions LLC, a media consulting company.

Career

Banke has written for

Florida Today ''Florida Today'' is the major daily newspaper serving Brevard County, Florida. Al Neuharth of the Gannett corporation started the paper in 1966, and some of the things he did with this newspaper presaged what he would later do at ''USA Toda ...

Space.com Space.com is an online publication focused on outer space, space exploration, astronomy, skywatching and entertainment, with editorial teams based in the United States and United Kingdom. Launched on July 20, 1999, the website offers live coverag ...

and served as director of communications for the

Space Foundation The Space Foundation is an American nonprofit organization, the mission of which is to advocate for all sectors of the global space industry through space awareness activities, educational programs, and major industry events. It was founded in ...

and worked as a Space Launch Development Analyst for SAIC. He was appointed to the Florida Governor’s Commission on the Future of Aeronautics and Space in 2006 leading to the creation of

Space Florida Space Florida is the aerospace economic development agency of the State of Florida. Founded in 2006, it works with commercial space companies, other governmental agencies, and academic institutions to develop space-related infrastructure. His ...

. In 2007, Banke was awarded the

NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal The NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal is an award similar to the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, but awarded to non-government personnel. This is the highest honor NASA awards to anyone who was not a government employee when the service ...

for his contributions to the aerospace industry in Florida. Banke also serves on the board of directors of the Air Force Space & Missile Museum Foundation and the National Space Club Florida Committee. From 2009 to 2013, Banke hosted ''Space Talk'' a weekly radio program on WMMB in

Melbourne, Florida Melbourne ( ) is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando, Florida, Orlando along Florida's Space Coast, named because of the region's proximity to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. The city ...

discussing the nation's space program. He continues to provide live commentary for WMMB of rocket launches from

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida. Headquartered at the nearby Patrick Space Force Base, the sta ...

and

Kennedy Space Center The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten NASA facilities#List of field c ...

in Florida. In 2014, Banke was inducted into the Burnsville High School Hall of Fame. In 2019, Banke's name was added to the exclusive list of "The Chroniclers" at the Kennedy Space Center press site in Florida. The Chroniclers honors exemplary journalists as well as government and industry communicators who worked at KSC to tell the NASA story.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banke, Jim 1961 births American male journalists Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University alumni Writers from Minnesota Living people