MILWAUKEE — A rockstar from Los Angeles is providing kids in Milwaukee a different perspective on how a career in music can lead you to unexpected places — like working in space.
With a flick of his wrist, Jason Achilles can command a crowd. His audience inside a Milwaukee middle school isn't old enough to buy a ticket to one of his rock shows, but they got a front-row seat to some out-of-this-world advice.
"I want them to feel like something like rocket science isn't impossible," the guitarist said.
Achilles can still recall when someone proved to him that space wasn't intangible.
"I remember when I was 5 years old and I remember the day our teacher came in and showed us a model of the solar system — and it stuck with me forever."
For students at Glen Hills Middle School, that teacher is Mrs. Murali.
"We are all so lucky to get this great opportunity and Jason is here to talk about his NASA journey and then to learn from my students about their experiments," she explained.
Her class is working on two experiments with NASA and it's opened the door to some pretty impressive guests including the vice president of the National Space Society, who flew in from Hawaii to talk with students.
"This experience has made up my mind," chimed in 8th-grade student Anaiya Deacon. "Working at NASA is like a dream of mine. I don't even care what I do there!"
Achilles is another special guest — explaining how his background as a recording engineer lead him to help NASA design a microphone that captured the first sounds from Mars, on board the Perseverance rover.
"Hearing the sound coming from Mars gave me goosebumps," added Reece Couch, another 8th-grade student in Mrs. Murali's class. "I feel like a huge takeaway is — let the passion and curiosity take over, not just the skill."
While Achilles was in town he also performed at a fundraiser for the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music to help raise money for music education.
And if you're wondering about those NASA experiments, Mrs. Murali is set to fly in a zero-gravity simulation in August. Her students will be able to watch it all, live, as she tests out their theories.
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