Denver, CO — Colorado student hero Kendrick Castillo’s name is memorialized on the new Mars rover “Perseverance” that NASA landed last Thursday.
Castillo tragically lost his life in 2019 when he helped stop another student who entered his classroom with a gun at the STEM school in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. He died a hero and is credited with saving the lives of countless classmates.
Growing up, Kendrick found a passion for the aerospace industries in Colorado. Multiple companies in the area where Kendrick grew up helped contribute to the Perseverance’s mission to explore the Red Planet.
United Launch Alliance in Centennial built the rocket that carried the rover to Mars. Lockheed Martin, based in Littleton, designed the heat shield that made the descent to the Martian surface possible.
Now, Castillo’s name and memory will be carried with the aptly named “Perseverance” rover forever.
Kendrick’s father, John Castillo, said, “Kendrick has a unique name and to know that it is on this rover and that it is making history and doing things that have never been done before is special to us.”
NASA sent the Castillo’s a letter asking for permission to include Kendrick’s name on the rover, saying, “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.”
You can watch NASA land the Perseverance in the video below.
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