Marc Rigter has spent seven months of this past year on an internship at Nasa's Ames campus deep in California's Silicon Valley. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER
What is the magnetic pull that draws Rotorua's space-age generation to Nasa?
A month after profiling Houston-based Mana Vautier (Our People, November 26), we're chatting with Marc Rigter who spent 7 months of this past year on an internship at Nasa's Ames campus deep in California's Silicon Valley.
It's nudging San Francisco Bay, Google's HQ is virtually next door, Facebook's down the road, Stamford University's nearby.
During his internship the former John Paul College (JPC) student was deep into research to find the best material to line scoops destined to gather soil samples from the red planet's surface.
The coating on the original scoops wasn't up to scratch, Mars' soil stuck to them.
It's the sort of thing only a Nasa insider would know and is something Marc acknowledges isn't "super relevant" to most, but for a man with a thirst for space-related knowledge it was "super exciting".
Cutting-edge stuff? Well, yes and no. Those non-stick scoops have a surprisingly prosaic back story.
The supervisor of the research unit Marc was attached to had a cunning problem-solving plan that, in keeping with Nasa's "keep costs down" ethos, didn't involve big bucks.
"Whatever the world thinks Nasa definitely operates on a tight budget. We went down to the local Target [chain store] and bought four frying pans which I got to cut out with a jigsaw. It really emphasised this sort of research is about finding a good, practical solution that works - if it's a frying pan, so be it."
It wouldn't have been a semester at Nasa's California base without a side trip to Houston's Johnston Space Centre where Mana, our earlier man with his eyes trained on space, is based.
By Marc's analysis the centre's far from the glamorous, "out there" space hub the world envisages.
"It's this hugely historic place where so many significant events have occurred but it is truly utilitarian, very practical; small rooms made out of concrete where they do so many amazing things in the most practical ways."
Marc's time at Nasa was at the instigation of his University of Sydney professor, a former international space station astronaut with six months on a space shuttle mission on his CV.
Marc's been at the university since winning a one-year scholarship to study Aerospace Engineering in his JPC year.
"Maths, science and physics were always stronger subjects for me than English but I was very surprised and happy to achieve the scholarship, the exams were pretty tough, quite intimidating but really great preparation for the university, so I actually didn't get the feeling going there was a huge step up in terms of class work."
He's recently completed his third year, 2017 will be devoted to his Honours thesis - the topic: autopilots for UAVs - unmanned aerial vehicles - that's drones to the rest of us.
Engineering's fascinated him since his mid teens, had he not acquired the Sydney scholarship his career path would have taken him to the University of Auckland's School of Mechanical Engineering.
As an aside, his sister Katie's just completed her civil engineering degree.
Surely engineering must dominate their blood line?
"Not at all, Dad's general manager at Red Stag [mill], Mum's degree's in law."
Mum and Dad are Tim Rigter and Sandra Kai Fong (Our People, September 10, 2011).
Marc credits these high achievers for his own work ethic and his "beautiful" JPC teachers for nurturing his aerospace industry ambition.
"I had this extremely supportive physics teacher, Paul Billing, who well and truly went out of his way to help me inside school and out of school hours, working with me on a science fair project."
We'd like to tell you exactly what that was but other than discovering it involved electric currents and metal rails, it's beyond Our People's limited scientific comprehension.
Shame on us, but it did win Marc second place in the Bay of Plenty Science Fair and cement his passion for a career where astrophysics dominates.
Basing our next question on the "all work and no play makes for dull boys" theory, was there life beyond JPC's classroom and science lab for Marc?
He's a bloke who's far from dull by any standard of measure, rather he's charming and fizzing with personality.
Being a good Kiwi kid he's passionate about sport; representing his school at cricket he also plays tennis and golf, his handicap a creditable 4.
Then there's the piano, he started to play at 14 or 15.
"Mum has this piano her grandmother gave her when she was young and I thought I'd have a crack at it, learning from old books and the internet. I've been playing since."
There's an interjection here from mum, Sandra. Marc's neglected to tell us he passed his Grade 6 exams "without sitting all the previous ones".
In Sydney he plays keyboard.
Such a line-up of extra-curricular activities is confirmation of what an accomplished all-rounder this 20-year-old home-grown product is.
Presently back for a brief break, the remainder of the summer will be spent working at the Australian Centre of Field Robotics.
The focus will be on those UAVs - drones is a word his astronaut professor can't abide.
"He refuses to use it because he says it sounds like a military device."
Marc's profile began with us musing on the pulling power Nasa has on our bright young stars.
It's a two-way street, Nasa has a vested interest in our geothermal areas.
In 2014 Marc spent time on the organisation's Spaceward Bound programme, its base at Rotoiti marae.
"We were studying Earth's life-forming properties in inhospitable environments, geothermal areas help work out how life forms elsewhere."
Who'd have thought evolution may have had some roots right here in our dot on the planet?
We're compelled to ask the obvious question. Working so closely with Nasa does a space mission feature on Marc's future agenda?
"It would be such an awesome opportunity but I'm not going down that path."
This is the final Our People in the present series. It will return in 2017.
FACTBOX
MARC RIGTER
Born: Rotorua, 1996
Education: St Mary's and John Paul College Rotorua, University of Sydney, Nasa internship, California
Family: Father Tim Rigter, mother Sandra Kai Fong, sister Katie
Interests: Hiking, mountain biking, golf, the beach, piano. "Catching up with my mates"
Post graduation plans: "Possibly a Masters degree in the US, Oxford or Cambridge if I can get a scholarship to do it."
On Rotorua: "I didn't appreciate it enough while growing up, I definitely appreciate it more coming back, its outdoors quality."
Personal Philosophy: "Be open to any opportunity that comes along."