DOUGLASSVILLE, Pa. — This is where everything started for Cole Werley, a Berks Catholic graduate, now working at NASA.
Right here in Douglassville, inside a barn in his family’s backyard.
“We built one rocket, then we built another rocket. We lost many rockets, so we had to continue building rockets,” said Mitchell Werley, Cole’s father.
A father building rockets with his sons, launching them in the street.
“Originally, we didn’t have all the trees in the backyard. Eventually, we figured it was better we would go to the front street, that’s when all the neighbors would come out and watch the launch,” Mitchell said.
Years later, that same passion is now part of something much bigger, helping make Artemis II possible.
While the world watched the launch, Cole’s parents watched from home.
“It’s a super proud moment as a parent,” said Kathy Werley. “He joined NASA back in ’22 for the first Artemis launch. This was in the making for three and a half years until Artemis II, now with astronauts on board. It was super exciting for us to watch him be a part of all of that.”
That journey started early.
“We did take him to Kennedy Space Center when he was seven. Never realized he’d be working there someday,” Kathy recalled. “And I think a big part of it, too, was all the science fairs he did through the years, at Immaculate Conception in Douglassville and at Berks Catholic.”