♪ ♪ >> DeMarco: WELCOME BACK TO >> DeMarco: WELCOME BACK TO "GMA3", OUR NEXT GUEST IS KNOWN "GMA3", OUR NEXT GUEST IS KNOWN AS THE SPACE McKENNA, AN AS THE SPACE McKENNA, AN ENGINEER WHO HAS DEDICATED HIS ENGINEER WHO HAS DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO THE EXPLORATION AND LIFE TO THE EXPLORATION AND EXPANSION IN SPADES. EXPANSION IN SPADES. >> Eva: AND NOW SPEAKING OF >> Eva: AND NOW SPEAKING OF HIS JOURNEY TO EXPLORING HIS JOURNEY TO EXPLORING INFINITY AND BEYOND IN HIS NEW INFINITY AND BEYOND IN HIS NEW MEMOIR CALLED THE BOY WHO MEMOIR CALLED THE BOY WHO REACHED FOR THE STARS. REACHED FOR THE STARS. PLEASE WELCOME ELLIE OVER RIO. PLEASE WELCOME ELLIE OVER RIO. SO I MEAN, WHEN I READ THESE SO I MEAN, WHEN I READ THESE ACCOLADES COMING OR JUST LANDED ACCOLADES COMING OR JUST LANDED A JOB AT THE BLUE ORIGIN AS THE A JOB AT THE BLUE ORIGIN AS THE SPACE SYSTEMS ENGINEER. SPACE SYSTEMS ENGINEER. HE PREVIOUSLY WORKED AT NASA ON HE PREVIOUSLY WORKED AT NASA ON THE MARS 2020 MISSION, YOU'RE THE MARS 2020 MISSION, YOU'RE THE FIRST PERSON IN HISTORY TO THE FIRST PERSON IN HISTORY TO LAUNCH A HELICOPTER ON ANOTHER LAUNCH A HELICOPTER ON ANOTHER PLANET, THAT WAS MARS. PLANET, THAT WAS MARS. HOW OLD ARE YOU? HOW OLD ARE YOU? HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO DO ALL OF HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO DO ALL OF THIS? THIS? >> I JUST TURNED 30 A FEW WEEKS >> I JUST TURNED 30 A FEW WEEKS AGO, AND TO BE FAIR AND THAT AGO, AND TO BE FAIR AND THAT PREVIOUS STATEMENT, I WAS PART PREVIOUS STATEMENT, I WAS PART OF A TEAM THAT DID ALL OF THIS. OF A TEAM THAT DID ALL OF THIS. I THINK THAT'S PART OF WHAT I I THINK THAT'S PART OF WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE IS THAT WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE IS THAT I HAVE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE I HAVE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE DESPITE A LOT OF THE OBSTACLES DESPITE A LOT OF THE OBSTACLES AND CHALLENGES THROUGHOUT MY AND CHALLENGES THROUGHOUT MY LIFE, I'VE ALWAYS HAD SOME TYPE LIFE, I'VE ALWAYS HAD SOME TYPE OF NURTURING COMMUNITY AROUND OF NURTURING COMMUNITY AROUND ME, INCLUDING AT NASA, INCLUDING ME, INCLUDING AT NASA, INCLUDING NOW MY CURRENT JOB AT BLUE NOW MY CURRENT JOB AT BLUE ORIGIN, AND THAT'S VERY ORIGIN, AND THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT PART OF WHAT I LIKE TO IMPORTANT PART OF WHAT I LIKE TO COMMUNICATE. COMMUNICATE. >> DeMarco: YOU TALK ABOUT THE >> DeMarco: YOU TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF EVERYONE BEING IMPORTANCE OF EVERYONE BEING ABLE TO GET A QUALITY EDUCATION, ABLE TO GET A QUALITY EDUCATION, YOU CAME FROM A VERY PRESTIGIOUS YOU CAME FROM A VERY PRESTIGIOUS SCHOOL IN PUERTO RICO WHEN HE SCHOOL IN PUERTO RICO WHEN HE MOVED TO NEW YORK CITY, BUT YOU MOVED TO NEW YORK CITY, BUT YOU ALSO MENTION THE SYSTEMIC RACISM ALSO MENTION THE SYSTEMIC RACISM THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM STILL THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM STILL DEALS WITH ACCORDING TO SO MANY DEALS WITH ACCORDING TO SO MANY PEOPLE. PEOPLE. SPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE SPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE REALIZED IT AND FACED IN REALIZED IT AND FACED IN DAY-TO-DAY, WHAT IS YOUR DAY-TO-DAY, WHAT IS YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT? THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT? AND HOW YOU GOT TO WHERE YOU ARE AND HOW YOU GOT TO WHERE YOU ARE WHEN IT COMES TO EDUCATION? WHEN IT COMES TO EDUCATION? >> IT'S A VERY VALID QUESTION, I >> IT'S A VERY VALID QUESTION, I DID NOT REALIZE IT FOR MANY DID NOT REALIZE IT FOR MANY YEARS THAT I WENT THROUGH THAT YEARS THAT I WENT THROUGH THAT WHEN I WAS IN BROOKLYN, BUT IT WHEN I WAS IN BROOKLYN, BUT IT WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE A MOM WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE A MOM WHO STEPPED UP TO THE INJUSTICE. WHO STEPPED UP TO THE INJUSTICE. DESPITE NOT KNOWING ENGLISH, DESPITE NOT KNOWING ENGLISH, THERE WERE CERTAIN SITUATIONS THERE WERE CERTAIN SITUATIONS THAT COULD HAVE HELD ME BACK IF THAT COULD HAVE HELD ME BACK IF I DID NOT KNOW ANY BETTER, AND I DID NOT KNOW ANY BETTER, AND MY MOM WAS VERY ADAMANT ABOUT MY MOM WAS VERY ADAMANT ABOUT MAKING SURE THINGS WERE DONE MAKING SURE THINGS WERE DONE CORRECTLY AND SHE IS A TRUE CORRECTLY AND SHE IS A TRUE BELIEVER IN JUSTICE. BELIEVER IN JUSTICE. I GET UP FROM SOMEBODY. I GET UP FROM SOMEBODY. AND THAT PUSHED ME TO A CERTAIN AND THAT PUSHED ME TO A CERTAIN PATH, AND THEN WITH MENTORS AND PATH, AND THEN WITH MENTORS AND TEACHERS AND OBVIOUSLY MY TEACHERS AND OBVIOUSLY MY FRIENDS, I AM SURROUNDED BY AN FRIENDS, I AM SURROUNDED BY AN INCREDIBLE GROUP OF FRIENDS THAT INCREDIBLE GROUP OF FRIENDS THAT WE HAVE PUSHED EACH OTHER OVER WE HAVE PUSHED EACH OTHER OVER THE YEARS AND THEY INSPIRE ME, I THE YEARS AND THEY INSPIRE ME, I INSPIRE THEM. INSPIRE THEM. AND WE EXTEND A HAND. AND WE EXTEND A HAND. AND I FULLY UNDERSTAND THAT THEY AND I FULLY UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE NOT MANY PEOPLE THAT LOOK ARE NOT MANY PEOPLE THAT LOOK AND SOUND LIKE ME IN THE AND SOUND LIKE ME IN THE INDUSTRY AND I THINK IT'S A INDUSTRY AND I THINK IT'S A RESPONSIBILITY THAT I TAKE VERY RESPONSIBILITY THAT I TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY TO SHOW MY FACE, TO SERIOUSLY TO SHOW MY FACE, TO TALK ABOUT MY STORY SO THAT KIDS TALK ABOUT MY STORY SO THAT KIDS SEE THEMSELVES HOPEFULLY IN SOME SEE THEMSELVES HOPEFULLY IN SOME WAY THAT THEY CAN MIRROR THEIR WAY THAT THEY CAN MIRROR THEIR OWN JOURNEYS AND UNDERSTAND THAT OWN JOURNEYS AND UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A PATH THAT THEY CAN THIS IS A PATH THAT THEY CAN TAKE, THAT THEY CAN FOLLOW, AND TAKE, THAT THEY CAN FOLLOW, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE THEM ON I CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE THEM ON BOARD AND EXPLORE THE STARS BOARD AND EXPLORE THE STARS TOGETHER. TOGETHER. >> Eva: WHEN WE SAT DOWN I WAS >> Eva: WHEN WE SAT DOWN I WAS LIKE YOU ARE THE COOLEST LOOKING LIKE YOU ARE THE COOLEST LOOKING NASA SCIENTIST I'VE EVER SEEN. NASA SCIENTIST I'VE EVER SEEN. BUT WHAT STARTED THIS LOVE OF BUT WHAT STARTED THIS LOVE OF SPACE FOR YOU? SPACE FOR YOU? >> YEAH, I THINK CURIOSITY AND >> YEAH, I THINK CURIOSITY AND OVER THE YEARS WATCHING SOME OVER THE YEARS WATCHING SOME SHOWS ON TV, I WAS ALWAYS SHOWS ON TV, I WAS ALWAYS VERY -- IT WAS ALWAYS VERY CLEAR VERY -- IT WAS ALWAYS VERY CLEAR THAT THERE WERE PEOPLE BEHIND THAT THERE WERE PEOPLE BEHIND THESE INCREDIBLE MACHINES, AND THESE INCREDIBLE MACHINES, AND ALTHOUGH THERE WEREN'T THAT MANY ALTHOUGH THERE WEREN'T THAT MANY PEOPLE THAT LOOKED AND SOUNDED PEOPLE THAT LOOKED AND SOUNDED LIKE ME, IT STILL WAS VERY LIKE ME, IT STILL WAS VERY REASONABLE TO THINK HEY, I THINK REASONABLE TO THINK HEY, I THINK I CAN DO THIS. I CAN DO THIS. AND WITH A MOM THAT WAS A AND WITH A MOM THAT WAS A TEACHER, EDUCATION WAS JUST THE TEACHER, EDUCATION WAS JUST THE WAY FORWARD, AND THAT SOMETHING WAY FORWARD, AND THAT SOMETHING I AM INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR. I AM INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR. >> DeMarco: THANK YOU VERY >> DeMarco: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND I LOVE HOW YOU JUST MUCH, AND I LOVE HOW YOU JUST GAVE YOUR MOM THE PRAISE, YOU GAVE YOUR MOM THE PRAISE, YOU REFER TO HER AS THE OJI HUSTLER. REFER TO HER AS THE OJI HUSTLER. THAT'S VERY COOL. THAT'S VERY COOL. GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE. GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE. AND THE B