This gave me goosebumps! Kendrick Castillo is a hero to so many and his spirit will live his earthly dream on Mars.
Kendrick lost his life while saving others during the shooting that happened at the Stem Highlands Ranch School in 2019. He went to the Stem school because he was a fan of science and robotics. His dad actually carried his Kendrick's favorite NASA sweatshirt to court with him.
NASA heard about Kendrick's passion for space and one day being part of a mission, so they decided to honor his dream.
NASA sent the Castillo's a letter in the month following Kendrick’s death. It read, “Kendrick’s extraordinary heroism and selflessness changed lives and saved lives. That spirit survives him. I would like to add his name to the list being sent to Mars next year aboard our Mars 2020 rover as a small token of our admiration for his commitment to what we do at NASA.”
John Castillo, his dad, thanked NASA and called it a “wonderful day.”
On his Facebook page he wrote, “We will know that Kendrick’s name is somewhere on the Rover getting ready to discover the red planet."
A wonderful day indeed!
To find out more about this story, check out CBS4
https://denver.cbslocal.com/2021/02/18/kendrick-castillo-mars-perseverance-rover-carrying-name/