The boy who reached for the stars : a memoir

Morillo, Elio, 1993- author.

First edition.

Book

New York, NY : HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2023]

©2023

viii, 197 pages ; 24 cm

"Elio Morillo's life is abruptly spun out of orbit when economic collapse and personal circumstances compel his mother to flee Ecuador for the United States in search of a better future for her son. His itinerant childhood sets into motion a migration that will ultimately carry Elio to the farthest expanse of human endeavor: space. Overcoming a history of systemic adversity and inequality in public education, Elio forged ahead on a journey as indebted to his galactic dreams as to a loving mother whose sacrifices safeguarded the ground beneath his feet. Today, Elio is helping drive human expansion into the solar system and promote the future of human innovation--from AI and robotics to space infrastructure and equitable access"--Dust jacket flap.

Morillo, Elio, 1993-

Engineers -- United States -- Biography.

Engineers -- Ecuador -- Biography.

Hispanic American engineers -- Biography.

Manned space flight -- Systems engineering.

Scientists -- United States -- Biography.

Palatine (Ill.) -- BIPOC author.

Palatine (Ill.) -- BIPOC subject.

Palatine (Ill.) -- Own voices.

Grayslake (Ill.) -- BIPOC author.

Grayslake (Ill.) -- BIPOC subject.

Grayslake (Ill.) -- Own voices.

Grayslake (Ill.) -- DEI

Autobiographies.

Molinari, Cecilia, author.

Introduction -- Launchpad: from Ecuador to the unknown -- Landing site selection: New York -- Pad reconstruction: Puerto Rico and the kindness of strangers -- Ground support: adverse weather conditions -- Load and go: the academic dynamics that shaped my dreams -- Defying initial conditions: built to be tougher than expected -- Launch vehicle rollout: developing an empire state of mind -- Final countdown: education, the silver bullet to poverty -- Liftoff: skyrocketing to my dreams -- Mission control center: the data that helped shape my identity -- Max pressure: inching closer to real-world results -- Cruise phase: mastering engineering while monitoring a family reality -- Trajectory correction: preparing to reach for the stars -- Entry, descent, and landing: the Rover, the helicopter, and me -- Surface operations: searching for joy -- Epilogue: Beaming toward a compassionate future.

9780063214316