Blind Student Participates In NASA Mission

Posted by New York Able News by Jeremy Morak, Lighthouse Guild

Three years ago, 15-year-old high school student Matthew Cho lived a happy, everyday teenage life until he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, resulting in two surgeries to remove the malignant mass. When Cho awoke after the second surgery, he was left completely blind. The sudden loss of sight shocked him and his family and created a challenging roadmap that required mental fortitude and painstaking hard work to get his life back on track. He transferred to the New York Institute, a school designed to help students with disabilities, and started receiving services at Lighthouse Guild. Three years later, at 18-year-old, he’s getting set to graduate high school, has continued his passion for playing and teaching music and just returned from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where he participated virtually in a mission in outer space. The Artemis I mission aboard the Orion spacecraft was, in November, the first uncrewed rocket ever sent to space. Alexa, the AI voice of Amazon, powered the rocket. Earlier this year, Amazon and Lockheed Martin announced plans to integrate Alexa into the Orion spacecraft for Artemis I, the first of several NASA missions intended to bring the first woman and the next man to the Moon. On Dec. 9, Cho was chosen to represent Lighthouse Guild at NASA’s space station to join the virtual Artemis crew and tour the facility. During the tour, Cho learned about the process that astronauts must go through to prepare for missions, and the conditions they face while in space. He was also able to touch the various materials that are part of the astronaut suit to protect them from the extreme conditions. “The coolest part of the tour was feeling the material of the astronaut’s suit,” he said. From the Artemis command center at Mission Control, he communicated directly with Alexa, asking questions about the mission and giving commands. Some of the questions included asking Alexa how many miles away Orion was from Earth and how fast the rocket was traveling. He also commanded Alexa to change the light within the spacecraft to green and got Alexa to recite a fun space rap.

“It was a truly emotional experience,” said Cho. “I felt, WOW. I got to be one of three people in the whole world, in the whole country that talked to Alexa while she was in space.” Talking about the experience, he explained, “It just feels like I’m in a totally different world, like I’m in outer space. It’s just a wonderful opportunity. I feel that being part of this, listening to everything as a visually impaired person, it reminds me just how far technology has come and what’s in store in the future.” The first Artemis mission ended on Dec. 11 when it splashed down off the coast of San Diego.

Join our Mission

Lighthouse Guild is dedicated to providing exceptional services that inspire people who are visually impaired to attain their goals.

• Join Mailing List
• Volunteer
• Donate