DOWNINGTOWN, PA — A Chester County native was a critical part of the recent Artemis II NASA mission that sent humans farther out into space than ever before.
Downingtown STEM Academy graduate Cameron O'Rourke, a a part of the class of 2015, now works as a payload and spacecraft mechanical engineer at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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O'Rourke was a member of the Artemis II launch team which successfully sent four astronauts to the far side of the moon and back. NASA says the mission laid key groundwork ahead of a 2028 attempt to land astronauts on the surface of the moon.
"Cameron credits the Downingtown STEM Academy for being an important part of his journey," the school shared recently. "The lessons, encouragement, discipline, and belief instilled in him during his time at STEM traveled with him into his studies and his work."
O'Rourke posed in a photo in front of the spacecraft which the astronauts used to return to Earth last week, Integrity.
A Chester Springs native, O'Rourke studied at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and graduated in 2019 before landing his gig with NASA.
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