‘This is it;’ Wayne High School graduate involved in NASA’s Artemis 1 launch

HUBER HEIGHTS/CAPE CANAVERAL, FL — A 2008 Wayne High School alum, who works at NASA, will be involved with tomorrow’s launch of Artemis 1, according to Huber Heights City Schools.

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Randy Eckman, a trajectory analyst and mission designer at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, tells News Center 7 he began working there in 2009 as an intern and became a full-time employee with NASA in 2013 working in International Space Station Trajectory Operations and Planning before taking on his current role in 2017.

He says he is ready to see this mission finally launch.

“It’s been in the planning stages for sixteen years, and I have been privileged to be part of that for the last five,” Eckman said. “I came to NASA with the hope of one day planning missions to the moon. I’m excited that I actually get to do that.”

As for the upcoming launch, he says he has been part of the team planning the trajectory for the Artemis 1 mission.

“Covering everything from the nominal mission as well as backup scenarios to ensure we always have a way to get home in an emergency,” said Eckman.

He will also be supporting the mission from Mission Control in a position called TARGO throughout the 42-day flight.

“We are responsible for helping the operations teams in the front room (the one you see on TV) replan the trajectory to adapt for any unexpected situations,” he tells News Center 7.

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As for his education, he was invited to join 8th Grade algebra taught by Theodore Kleiser as a 7th grader, according to the Huber Heights schools.

Eckman did an independent study of geometry with Mr. Kleiser and got him interested in math and science, where his love of geometry began, the school said.

Some of the orbit calculations used in designing the Artemis rocket’s trajectory were done with geometry he learned from Mr. Kleiser.

Eckman posted on his Facebook page about the Artemis launch on August 21.

“This is it,” he said. “The real deal. The last five years of my career come to this.”

The launch of Artemis 1 is targeted to launch during a two-hour window at 8:33 a.m., according to NASA.

“Weather permitting and assuming nothing else breaks,” Eckman said. “We launch the biggest rocket in 50 years for the first time...to the moon with a capsule built for people for the first time in 50 years.”

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