Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kevin J DeBruin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kevin J, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
It was retirement party for my boss’s boss while working at NASA JPL. He’s so happy. His name is Richard. I love Richard. He’s a great guy. Such a good soul. He’s giving his speech and he says “I can finally live my life the way I want to. I can sleep in when I want. I go for walks when I want, go on vacation”. And inside I was like… “Oh man, you’re 65 years old. You have just been working for the last 45 years of your life?! Now you literally can’t go outside without a hat on because your doctor doesn’t want the sun to touch your scalp. And now you’re saying, I can live the life I want to live?!”
I’m thinking to myself “I am 25 right now. I am not looking to wait 40 years to live the life I want to live. No freaking way.” That really lit the fire. And I was like, Yeah, no, I don’t want to climb up those ranks. I need to get out. I need to figure out a way where I can live the life I want to live in my prime. Yes, I’m a hard worker. I will sacrifice, I will dedicate, I will make things happen. It’s not all going to be sunshine and candy, but it needs to be a lot better than what it is right now.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Kevin J DeBruin and I am a former NASA Rocket Scientist turned public Space Expert & Motivator. I teach about space exploration through my instagram @kevinjdebruin and company Space Class (VirtualSpaceClass.com). I also provide motivation and life coaching through my latest book To Dare Mighty Things.
I am an expert in NASA’s mission & spacecraft design process. I’ve pretty much achieved every goal I’ve ever set and share my space & success knowledge to educate and inspire others. I like to crafts engaging stories to share my expertise with the world in an easy to understand and relatable way. From the best place to find alien life in our solar system to overcoming obstacles to achieve your dreams, I aim to motivate all those I interact with.
Some of the things I have accomplishd include becoming a NASA Rocket Scientist, a Masters of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech, designing more than 30 advanced space missions and spacecrafts, authoring three books: ‘The Quick Quide to Adulting’, ‘To NASA & Beyond’ and ‘To Dare Mighty Things’, giving two TEDx talks, founding Space Class (VirtualSpaceClass.com), establishing myself as a well-respected & trusted space expert and personality, expert space consultant for media companies, spacecraft design course instructor, contract engineer for the aerospace industry, an Eagle Scout, certified personal trainer, American Ninja Warrior, bodybuilder, and 1st place finisher in obstacle course races.
To Dare Mighty Things:
This book will give you confidence, motivation, and actionable steps to make any dream a reality. I share NASA’s design principles and proven practices that allowed myself, and several notable figures, to achieve our dreams and defy limitations. Think like a rocket scientist, these steps and habits can be used to get through trauma, figure out your path, explore options, embody perseverance, and ultimately accomplish your goals.
To NASA & Beyond:
3 years and over 150 applications to NASA before I received his first internship, Georgia Tech was the only graduate school I wanted to attend initially denied my application & gave me no funding, Georgia Tech actually paid my full tuition and gave me a research stipend, after three rounds of interviews with NASA JPL they did not give me a full time job, I decided to graduate without a job but take a 10 week internship with NASA JPL, after knocking on countless doors and setting up over 30 interviews on the last day of that internship I received word that he would be given a job offer!
Space Class:
Space Class offers engaging online educational videos for kids ages 8-12 about outer space, like a virtual space camp! We currently have 10 different Space Science, Space Vehicle, & Space Exploration lessons & a follow along PDF booklet with space to take notes. Each lesson ends with a quiz. Space Class is where curious kids come to learn! All lessons have been reviewed & approved by scientists and engineers from NASA and other top aerospace organizations. We believe in educating kids about the wonders of science & space exploration, and its importance to us here on Earth. We believe in giving kids the knowledge required to grow up and impact the world in a positive way.
I worked as a Systems Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena, CA. My main focus was on the Europa Lander Mission Concept as a Flight Systems Engineer as well as more than 30 advanced mission concepts exploring the universe as a member of TeamX, TeamXc, and A-Team. I am an expert in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and offer a training course Fundamentals of MBSE with OpenX Education. After NASA , I worked for a short while full time at The Aerospace Corporation as a Senior Systems Engineer where I launched two 1.5U CubeSats into Earth orbit. I now work periodically with The Aerospace Corporation as a Senior Member of their Technical Staff.
I fell in love with science communication while working at NASA JPL designing spacecraft. I became the most active member of the JPL Speakers Bureau giving multiple presentations a week and even taking vacation to speak more frequently about space. I ended up deciding to leave NASA and dedicate myself to educating and inspiring others in science. My vision is to inspire and educate as many people as possible about the wonders of space exploration and its importance to us here on Earth. I work endlessly to bring space down to Earth for the masses in a fun & exciting fashion. With more than 30 mission concepts under his belt, I may be the go-to guy for solar system exploration.
Lastly, I was born & raised in Kaukauna, WI. I obtained a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and a Masters in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech where I was a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) in the Aerospace Systems Design Lab (ASDL) under Prof. Dimitri Mavris.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Space Class will evolve into an entire suite of STEM master classes for kids – Ocean Class, Water Class, Air Class, Weather Class, Land Class, Wildlife Conservation Class, and more! The goal is to disrupt the STEM Education industry in America and across the globe by providing all youths with exposure and access to credible, engaging, & interactive STEM information taught by experts. We believe in giving the world’s youth access the STEM knowledge required to grow up and impact the world in a positive way.
The mission of To Dare Mighty Things is to enable people to help humanity, change the world, and feel great about themselves. The goal is to disrupt the Personal Development space with the Launcher System Forging a Phoenix Mentality,a scientific process focusing on creating an unbreakable spirit and relentless work ethic to survive & thrive in chaos – a fortified attitude to always stand back up and never take no for an answer. The Einstein meets Rocky Balboa method of Personal Development.
Have you ever had to pivot?
The pandemic hit and my in-person events went away. I was teaching space & science summer camps around the country and throughout Los Angeles County. I’m trying to figure out ways to make money, to pivot my business. Space Class was originally called Space Camp Box. I needed a way to make money. These space camps aren’t happening in person anymore. Let’s do an online one was my idea. I went from just having an idea to launching a new company with inventory in 30 days with Space Camp Box.
It was a virtual space camp where I taught the lessons live with Q&A and prior to camp I would send out a box full of every single thing you need for the activities we would do. All materials down to pencils, work mats, scissors, crayons, and even some astronaut ice cream. I had 25 boxed prepped and ready to do along with a supply of bulk materials to put together additional boxes.
I hired a designer for the logo and website, I purchased all the materials, got the website, got everything all sorted out, and launched the company just 30 days later. I spent like $5,000. Let’s invest it to get it back. And a week after I launch the company, I get a cease and desist letter from the Alabama Space and Science Center. Why? Because Space camp is trademarked… I didn’t even think to check if “space camp” was trademarked because it is such a general phrase. But it turns out it has been since the 80’s and they have wide bredth to protect it. So I had to cancel all ads, refund signups, pull everything down, and figure out my next step.
I spent the next nine months turning Space Camp Box into Space Class, where now it’s online lessons with no materials. However I still have all the Space Camp Boxes in storage for maybe a new approach on a rain day.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kevinjdebruin.com
- Instagram: @kevinjdebruin
- Facebook: @kevinjdebruinNASA
- Twitter: @kevinjdebruin
- Youtube: youtube.com/APlaceCalledSpace
- IG: @todaremightythings www.todaremightythings.com
- IG: @_spaceclass www.virtualspaceclass.com