Kellogg teen meets former astronaut

Ryan Rosenquist has an eye for the sky.

The 13-year-old Kellogg teen who attends Berg Middle School hopes to some day be an aerospace engineer. With that in mind, Rosenquist’s parents, Joe and Becky DeHart, took their son to meet Captain Alan Bean, a former astronaut and the fourth man to walk on the moon during the Apollo 12 mission.

“Because I’m interested in being an aerospace engineer when I grow up I thought it would be cool (to meet him) since it’s related to what I want to do,” Rosenquist said.

Rosenquist and his family met Bean when he was the featured speaker as part of the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) West Campus inaugural Innovation Week.

“He talked about how he got his masters in geology so he could go to the moon,” Rosenquist said. “He didn’t want to get it but he said it was worth it so he could go to the moon.”

Joe DeHart, who works for DMACC, said it was exciting to share the experience of meeting an astronaut with his son.

“It was surreal,” DeHart said. “You sit there talking to a 77-year-old man who is kind and gentle and you realize when you shake his hand you are shaking a hand that has been to the moon collecting samples and all that. It really was surreal that
he’s one of only 12 men who has been to the moon.”

DeHart said Bean’s message was a good one to share with the family.

“He has a very good message about hard work and going after your dreams and how it takes hard work and committment,” DeHart said of what Bean shared at the event.

Rosenquist, who excels at math and science, said meeting Bean helped solidify his hopes of becoming an aerospace engineer.

“We were all very excited and it was very interesting,” Rosenquist said of meeting the astronaut. “I just asked him if I could have his autograph and he was really nice. It was cool.”

Jessica Lowe can be contacted at 792-3121 ext. 426 or via e-mail at jlowe@newtondailynews.com.