NASA and one of its contractors opened their doors to a 9-year-old rocket scientist whose biggest dream is to work in astrophysics.
While the goal was to treat the young student to a fun experience, they were the ones left in awe, with a spokesperson saying how the workers were “impressed” by his knowledge.
David Balogun made history in February by becoming the youngest person to graduate high school in Pennsylvania. He also became the second-youngest person in the nation’s history to graduate from high school, and his field of interest is space, specifically black holes and supernovas.
After news of his graduation made headlines, NASA and the Maryland-based Space Telescope Science Institute invited the brilliant young man to visit the agency’s James Webb Space Telescope Mission Operations Center in Baltimore, according to Insider.
The Space Telescope Science Institute is one of the most important campuses for NASA as it is the Mission Operations Center for NASA’s Webb Space Telescope, operates the Hubble Telescope, and will soon be responsible for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
The kid genius came to visit the institute in March.
“I had actually seen David’s story all over social media and thought, ‘Wow, I’d bet he’d find a trip to Webb’s Mission Operations Center exciting!’” Hannah Braun, the institute’s spokesperson, explained to Insider.
Braun said everyone at the institute was “thrilled” to meet Balogun, who was escorted on the adventure by his mother, Ronya Balogun.
The mom said this was an opportunity to have an immersive experience inside his dream career while they figure out which university he will attend next. Currently, he is taking classes at a local community college.
The institute set up a private tour for the youngster. Even before he arrived in the building, Braun said staffers were “buzzing with excitement” to meet the history maker and MENSA member. Because of the…
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