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Milwaukee native shares in success of NASA's Mars rover

Darian Dixon works as a photographer on NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and credits his time at Riverside High School and UW-Milwaukee for helping him achieve his science goals.

Milwaukee native shares in success of NASA's Mars rover

Darian Dixon works as a photographer on NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and credits his time at Riverside High School and UW-Milwaukee for helping him achieve his science goals.

>> IT’S BREATHTAKING EVERY DAY. BEN: MORE THAN 130 MILLION MILES AWAY, DARIAN DIXON’S PHOTOGRAPHS ARE AMONG THE MOST SPECTACULAR IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM. IS IT FAIR TO SAY THIS IS A DREAM JOB OF YOURS? >> OH, YEAH. ABSOLUTELY. BEN: THE RIVERSIDE HIGH AND U.W. MILWAUKEE GRAD IS PART OF A TEAM THAT OPERATES THE CAMERAS ON NASA PERSEVERANCE ROVER ON MARS. DIXON’S CAMERA WORK WILL HELP SCIENTISTS LOOK FOR ANCIENT SIGNS OF LIFE. >> SCIENCE AND SPACE WERE ALWAYS MY THING, SO I WAS ALWAYS VERY INTERESTED IN SCIENCE, ALWAYS VERY INTERESTED IN SPACE FROM AN EARLY AGE. AND I WAS REALLY FORTUNATE TO HAVE JUST A GREAT FAMILY AND A GREAT MOTHER THAT REALLY NURTURED THAT CURIOSITY, AND NURTURED THAT DESIRE TO LEARN. BEN: DIXON IS ALSO PART OF THE CURIOSITY ROVER MISSION, WHICH CAPTURED THESE STUNNING IMAGES OF THE RED PLANET. WHILE HE LIVES HIS DREAM, HE HOPES KIDS, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE OF COLOR, REALIZE REACHING FOR THE STARS COULD, TOO, LAND THEM ON MARS. >> I DO BELONG IN THESE SPACES. I CAN BE HERE. I CAN DO THIS WORK. AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYONE, NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE, WHATEV THEIR GOALS ARE, TO NEVER, NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF THAT, AND TO NEVER FOR A SECOND THINK THAT, OH, MAYBE BECAUSE OF WHO I AM AND WHERE I COME FROM, THIS ISN’T NECESSARILY A PLACE FOR ME. DO’T -- DON’T EVER BELIE THAT, NOT FOR A SECOND. BEN: DIXON SAYS HE OWES HIS TEACHERS AT RIVERSIDE AND UWM A TON OF CREDIT FOR HELPING HIM PURSUE HIS PAS
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Milwaukee native shares in success of NASA's Mars rover

Darian Dixon works as a photographer on NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and credits his time at Riverside High School and UW-Milwaukee for helping him achieve his science goals.

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