John Mackin developed his interest in space as a child through stargazing and meteor storm watching. Growing up in the Apollo era, John watched man land on the moon and aspired to be an astronaut. With the limitation of wearing glasses, John channeled his love of science into becoming a product development chemist and then a high school teacher of chemistry and aerospace engineering. His passion for aerospace led him to become a teacher promoting space exploration to both students and adults. John retired from teaching in 2018 and continues to promote space exploration to the larger community.