People always say if you “shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you’ll land among the stars.” Well, this week’s A+ Award winner did just that! Grant Bauer, an eighth grader at Huron Middle School, recently got a personal message from NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover.
Grant was one of twenty students from across the country who were selected by NASA to speak with the rover team at the Jet Propulsion Lab in California. Students were nominated by teachers and chosen for showing the attribute the rover was named for, perseverance.
“Grant is a really hard worker. When he faces a challenge he sticks to it until he’s successful,” Mrs. Lacrosse, Grant’s teacher and cross country coach told us. She also shared that he is the “go to guy” for keeping the school's three 3D printers operational. She also told us that he was able to use the technology to build models of the rover and space shuttle.
Grant told us that he hopes to eventually work for NASA and that his interest began in fifth grade. He has a particular interest in microgravity. Grant taught us that microgravity is the condition in which people or objects appear to be weightless. Microgravity can be seen when astronauts and objects float in space. It’s what keeps the International Space Station in orbit. You might remember that we told you about NASA’s long term plans for the space station a few weeks ago.
Grant also told us about his conversation with the rover team at the Jet Propulsion Lab. The engineers at NASA told him that the rover’s trip to Mars was not as easy as it seemed. They were challenged with two system restarts and a coding error!
Grant’s dad told us that he’s most proud of Grant’s character and his unwillingness to give up. And that brings us to the message Grant received from the rover.
Grant told us that the rover’s message was “keep going. Never stop. Stopping will get you nowhere.” That message sums up Grant’s approach to life.
This week’s A+ Award goes to Grant Bauer, from Huron Middle School for his grit and determination. Keep reaching for the stars, Grant!
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