Nate Eller's Connection to the Artemis II Mission
Caroline Zago, a seventh-grade science teacher at Twin Hills Charter Middle School in Sebastopol, received a text alert on her phone on April 1, the day Artemis II launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The text was from Nate Eller, one of her former students, who alerted her to his role in the Artemis II mission.
Eller, a 2019 Analy High School graduate, sent a note to his two middle school teachers, letting them know about his involvement. "It said, ‘The rocket I worked on was hopefully launched to the moon today,'" Zago said. "‘If you want to watch it, it will be streamed on YouTube.'"
Today, Eller is an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field in Santa Clara County. He has worked on projects related to the Artemis II mission, contributing to the historic effort.
Eller’s former teacher, Mary Fitch, who retired from Twin Hills three years ago, reflected on his journey. "It’s deeply satisfying," Fitch said. "You know as a teacher that you are doing great work, that people need you, but you don’t often see the final product … To see somebody that actually goes into the business that you are training people for? To see a kid go become a rocket scientist is really satisfying."
Eller’s story underscores the lasting impact teachers can have on their students' careers and the role of education in inspiring future achievements.
As reported by The Press Democrat.
