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[ Music ]

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>> So I actually arrived
in the United States

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when I was eight years old.

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So I actually did go

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to elementary school
in my home country.

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Which is Nicaragua,
Central America.

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And I entered second
grade, I went to school

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in the San Fernando Valley.

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You know, we would huddle
around and watch the shuttle.

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We were just fascinated
with the fact

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that these giant rocket ships
are going out of this world.

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And, you know, as you grow up,
you have that sense of you want

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to explore that and
see what that's like.

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And really want to
find out what's

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out there besides
what's in our world.

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And that's what my fascination
with NASA really grew.

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NASA airport three, NASA one.

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>> Go ahead.

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>> We got word from PI that the.

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I'm Oscar Mejia, lead F-18
flight operations engineer.

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And I work for NASA.

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>> Okay, I'll be ready.

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>> But continue with
the wait point.

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So normal engineering
takes about five,

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six years to complete
the degree.

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I actually spent ten
years getting my degree.

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And that was influenced
because, as I was going

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through my community college
where we were getting ready

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to transfer, the terrorist
attacks of 9/11 hit.

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That actually put all
my education on hold.

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Because I felt that the nation,
you know, was in a situation

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where it needed my assistance.

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And I felt like a burden on
me say, you know, I need help

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and do something other
than just stand still.

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And so I disengaged
from education.

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Went to the military and served.

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We are ready for a third pass.

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As an officer and engineer,
my job is to make sure

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that we get all the data
we need for our scientists.

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And bring the pilots
home safely.

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And as your executing the
test cards, I mean, you know,

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I get little goose bumps
because it really is exciting.

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You're going through
a step maneuver.

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You know, someone.

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>> [inaudible] is turning in.

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>> Forty thousand
feet in the air,

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going 4, 500 miles per hour.

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And you're navigating them
and telling them okay,

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this is what we're doing.

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At the same time you're
keeping them safe.

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Because there's other
awareness that we have

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about the airspace
or what's going on.

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Or even the aircraft.

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They're consumed with
the maneuvers themselves.

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And we're consumed with
the safety and integrity

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of the aircraft and
instrumentation.

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Of course, the airspace
around him as well.

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That when you safely
do your maneuvers

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and you accomplish your
campaign, you're just, overall,

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you're like, man,
that was exciting.

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And then you wait
for the next one.

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Okay, with a few
modifications you're approved

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to begin building.

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Go. Ultimately, as
ambassadors of our profession,

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when you reach the point in your
life you come back and you say.

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You got your two astronauts.

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Hey, everybody, it's
through all of your support

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that I've been able
to accomplish some

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of the goals that
I set out to do.

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We were able to put a parachute
lander program for the kids

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where they actually got to test.

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Design. And even present
their particular lander.

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And tell us how they did it.

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And some of the challenges
they encountered.

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Oh, how fast was that?

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Okay. They love the
hands-on portion.

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They love exploring
their thought.

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And I saw them really engage
with each other and try

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to figure out how to solve
a problem and together.

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Wow, that is an interesting
design, okay.

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I'm presently working on X-59
sub-efforts that allowed us

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to test a lot of the
technologies that are going

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to be used on the X-59
when it rolls out.

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>> This is day one QSF flight.

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>> The goal of X-59 is to go out
there through different states

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and test the communal response
to its sonic boom signature.

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[ Jet Sounds ]

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To figure out what is an
acceptable level of boom?

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And what is the acceptable way

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to measure what people feel is
an acceptable level of boom?

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Copy one minute.

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And this is going to
lead into us being able

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to commercially fly supersonic.

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And really reduce the time it
takes to go from coast to coast

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or from ocean to ocean.

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>> Stay with wait point three.

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Wait point three.

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>> Rolling in three, two, one.

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>> So in order for us to
get the same signature boom

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that the X-59 would
actually produce,

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there's a very specific
technique and maneuver

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that the pilots will do that
allows them to put the rumbles

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or thumps, if you will,
across the landscape

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that would mimic what
the X-59 would produce.

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In an inverted pull down,
you know, back to wings level

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and pull up to create
recreate that signature

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that the X-59 will have.

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>> Okay, complete.

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>> I know I'm part
of a bigger picture.

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It really is a multi-billion
dollar industry

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that we're putting forward for
all the private sector people.

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And it's just a lot
of job creation.

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And, so even though we're
testing our technologies

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with what we have
now, I have no doubt

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in my mind the private sector
will come up with a way

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to make it more efficient
based on the guidance

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and rules we've already set up.

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So, yeah, I look forward to
what these future materials will

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look like.

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What type of super
cool composites,

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electric hybrid planes
they have.

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It's all going to come out
of what we're doing here now.

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And, ultimately, we're all
going to benefit from the fact

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that we get to where
we need to go faster.