By TOM LAVENTURE
IRONWOOD - Jim Kaufman achieved many goals in life before following through on his passion for astronomy.
He was an aerospace engineer. He earned a private pilot's license. He retired before age 55.
Kaufman said his fascination with the sky and the universe was fueled by a childhood immersed in science and science fiction. Growing up in the Flats of Ironwood, he recalls chasing what he thought was a UFO flying north at night with his friends.
"When I started high school my mind was focused on the wonders of the universe and I thought about the sky...