Mars Rover touches down in Winsted

WINSTED — It may be 33.9 million miles from Mars to Earth, but Winsted native Michael Kelley brought the planet (and some stars) down to Earth for students at St. Anthony School on Friday, Sept. 21.

Kelley has worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for more than a decade. He is currently NASA’s lead program scientist for the Near-Earth Object Observation Program at the Planetary Defense Coordination Office in Washington, D.C.

Kelley grew up in Winsted, attending St. Anthony School from kindergarten through seventh grade. He graduated from The Gilbert School.

“I may not live here anymore, but to me this town is home,” Kelley said in an interview before his presentation to the students. “It’s nice to come home and see some things haven’t changed.”

Kelley brought two models of NASA Mars rovers for the children to look at, along with a rock from the red planet.

“How many of you want to be astronauts when you grow up?” Kelley asked the audience of lower-school students. Almost all of them raised their hands. “That would be cool, wouldn’t it?”

Kelley said in his interview before the presentation that, “It’s important to talk to children about space because, having come from a small town myself, sometimes your vision is limited when it comes to where you can go in life. 

“I’ve had a career that has taken me all over the world and I think it’s very important to share that with children.”

Kelley said he still has fond memories of his time at St. Anthony.

“This school is where I started,” he said. “I remember my Cub Scout and Boy Scout meetings here. I also still remember all of the teachers I had. To me, this is a great school.”

Principal Louis Howe said that he was delighted to have Kelley speak to the students.

“With all of the discussion in the news about going to Mars, it’s great for the children to have a NASA scientist to talk to,” Howe said. 

Howe believes there could be a few future astronauts in the student body.

“These kids are all very bright,” Howe said. “I would not be surprised if one of them is someday one of the first to step on Mars.”