Growing up watching space shuttle missions, John Sayres knew from an early age that he wanted to work in aerospace. With original aspirations to do backflips in space, he realized during his college years at North Carolina State University that instead of going to space himself, he wanted to build rockets so that others could explore deep space.
Sayres has been a propulsion engineer at Boeing for 11 years, starting with propulsion system analysis and design work for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Boeing is the lead contractor for the SLS core stage that houses the propulsion system connected to the stage’s four RS-25 engines. The components Sayres designed – and the SLS core stage – proved successful during the rigorous testing series known as Green Run in 2021. The Green Run test series culminated in a hot fire of the core stage and RS-25 engines – mimicking real launch conditions for the components. Watching the engines fire was a surreal moment for Sayres. His own sense of accomplishment was mirrored and multiplied by all the people who had contributed to the building the core stage.
Sayres values continuous improvement, and he hopes the next generation of leaders and scientists are similarly inquisitive with an endless thirst of knowledge and learning.
“I would tell the Artemis generation to be prepared and ask questions,” he said. “I’d also tell them to reach out for other viewpoints. Everyone can always learn something!”
Sayres’ heart for learning and advice for an open mind will be crucial as the Artemis missions progress, and it is the reason why Sayres is so excited for the future of deep space exploration.
“I recognize that the path forward involves permanent habitats on celestial bodies, which requires the collaboration and support of all humankind,” Sayres said.
When John isn’t building a rocket, he enjoys playing music and testing new recipes. His family members are direct beneficiaries of his extracurricular talents, as the taste testers of his delicious creations and recipients of a music video he created at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to the tune of the Beatles song “Let It Be.”
Next up for Sayres will be the biggest test yet of the SLS rocket: a launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida that will send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft beyond the Moon and back. Then, he will know whether they got that core stage recipe just right.