A Burton, West Virginia, junior reporter and geologist reaches for the stars during a behind-the-scenes look at NASA and Blue Origin.
In November, eight students from across the U.S. set out for NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and its Blue Origin rocket factory. They were there to learn all about journalism from industry professionals, interview Blue Origin astronauts and engineers, and watch a real-life rocket launch. What was this legendary team? It was the 2024 SpaceKids Press Squad, formed through an annual competition hosted by SpaceKids Global and Blue Origin’s Club for the Future, two national nonprofits dedicated to STEAM+ education—an expanded acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, plus Environment—for children across the country.
These eight students were selected from among 1,100 applicants for this exclusive squad based on video applications. One of the lucky students is Alethea Brown, a 12-year-old from Burton, West Virginia.
Homeschooled and entering seventh grade, Alethea has big dreams of astrogeology and petrology—the studies of space minerals and their composition. This ambitious Space Kid’s Florida adventure has boosted her confidence and reinvigorated her dreams.
We caught up with Alethea after her return to learn about her trip.
What inspired you to apply to join the SpaceKids Press Squad, and how did you decide on “weather reporting from Mars” as your application video topic?
Alethea: My mom decided to apply for me. I came up with the video idea because, if I was going to study space, then I would probably study rocks or the planets. So, I thought doing a weather forecast for Mars would be cool, and it worked for some reason. They were like, “Oh, this girl knows something about Mars, let’s hear her story!” and I was like, “Wait, what?”
How did you feel when you found out you were one of the eight students chosen for the trip?
A: It was really surprising. I honestly for a second thought my mom was joking, but then she was like “No, you’re going!” I was speechless. I was frozen.
Once you realized this was really happening, what part of the trip excited you the most?
A: I was looking forward to the actual launch, because I knew that was going to be amazing. I’ve seen videos, so I knew that was probably going to be the coolest part. During the trip, my favorite part was the Kennedy Space Center.
Why is “space geologist” your dream job, and did you get to see anything related to space geology at the Kennedy Space Center?
A: I’ve been kind of obsessed with rocks and weather since kindergarten. I wrote a whole essay on a really neat book about weather and tectonic plates. It would be really cool to study space rocks and figure out if we can use those to our advantage and mine them for materials. The space center had a moon rock in a case where you could reach in and touch it. They had a display of different rocks, but that was the only one you could touch. I washed my hands afterward because I wasn’t sure about that.
What did you learn from this experience?
A: I learned that my dreams aren’t really that hard. It’s not an impossible goal—that’s what I’ve learned. There are so many people who do it, so I can, too. It’s achievable, it’s not just a dream. It was a really fun experience. The kids were all super nice, the staff was super nice. It’s amazing that we build rockets as humans with little monkey brains, and we can make things that go to space. It’s just amazing.
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