NASA Engineer Built Model Rocket, Now Launching Artemis II

Three days after launching a model rocket he built from scratch, Mike Guzman got a job offer from NASA that would change his life forever.

Today, the main propulsion systems engineer at Kennedy Space Center sits at the heart of Artemis II, the mission sending four astronauts around the Moon this spring. It's the first crewed lunar journey in more than half a century, and Guzman will be in the firing room when the rocket ignites.

His path started humbly. Born in New York to a Dominican Republic family, Guzman moved to Florida and earned engineering degrees while nurturing an obsession with physics. During a 2013 summer internship at NASA, he bought a textbook and started building a model rocket in his spare time.

The project caught his supervisors' attention. His drive was undeniable. When the little rocket launched successfully, NASA made him a permanent offer.

Guzman joined the propulsion team in 2019, first working on hydrogen systems at Launch Pad 39B. He learned the massive liquid hydrogen sphere and the intricate piping that feeds propellant to the rocket. Now he focuses on the main propulsion system inside the Space Launch System rocket itself.

His secret weapon is the "brain book," a thick binder containing every drawing, requirement, procedure, and launch commit criteria. By studying it obsessively, Guzman knows exactly where to find answers when seconds count. On launch day, hundreds of engineers will crowd the firing room, each monitoring different systems that connect like puzzle pieces.

Why This Inspires

Guzman's journey shows how passion projects open doors. He didn't wait for permission to learn rocket science. He bought a book and built one in his free time while still an intern.

His email signature tells you everything: complex equations for rocket thrust, specific impulse, and the physics of cooling liquid oxygen with helium bubbles. "I'm a huge nerd," he says. "I love math, science, and physics. Even in my free time, I'll find myself watching physics lectures."

That curiosity turned a summer intern into the engineer who will help launch humanity's return to the Moon. He describes the teamwork required as essential. Each console operator's actions ripple through the entire spacecraft, creating a constant dance of observation, communication, and anticipation.

For Guzman, watching Artemis II lift off will be the culmination of years of preparation and collaboration. "It's not something that happens every day, and it's not something that you get to be a part of every day," he says.

The kid who built a backyard rocket is sending astronauts to the Moon.