PC grad had role in Artemis II launch
PHIL CAMPBELL — Noah Williams stood in a grassy field at Kennedy Space Center on April 1 about seven miles from the Artemis II launch pad. It was the Phil Campbell High School graduate’s 28th birthday and it was a very special day.
Williams spent a great deal of time in Cape Canaveral, Florida, over the 18 months as he worked on the design and assembly support for the boosters that powered the Artemis II launch. Williams, an engineer, is part of the Booster Integration Team based in Ogden, Utah, that built the boosters.
His work has meant many trips between Ogden and Cape Canaveral.
Last week, joined by his parents Chris and Angela Williams and a crowd of observers, he watched the manned spacecraft lift into orbit for a moon fly by, achieving a major step toward the return of man to the moon.
The entire scene was spectacular, but Williams was focused on a moment nearly 2½ minutes in when the booster rockets separated from Artemis. The boosters successfully separated at 5:38 p.m. central time.
“When it got down to about 10 minutes, everyone was really focused and quiet,” Williams said, speaking of the crowd that had gathered to watch the launch. At ignition, that changed.
“You could feel it in your chest,” he said. “There was a lot of cheering and clapping, especially right at the initial launch.”
His mother, Angela, said she could see her son’s tension as the rocket launch began.
“He was so nervous watching the rocket go up,” she said.
That nervousness broke after the boosters separated.
“It was kind of a relief that my team’s job was done, but I was also just excited that we were able to make those boosters work like we intended,” he said.
“I design a lot of the parts that come together to make the full booster, and I help address problems while it’s being manufactured and make sure everything is safe for the astronauts,” he said.
Valedictorian of the 2016 graduating class at Phil Campbell, Williams went on to obtain a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree from Texas A&M University, maintaining a 4.0 grade point average the entire time.
He interned at Northrop Grumman and ended up staying with the company.
Noah Williams, 2016 Phil Campbell High School valedictorian, and his parents, Chris and Angela, were on hand to watch the historic launch of the Artemis II rocket.
“He wanted to get into missile defense and moved to Ogden, Utah, two years ago in January,” Angela said. “He was a shy kid, a quiet kid, but he really stepped outside his comfort zone to move across the country.”
She said her husband, Chris, are proud of the part their son played in the launch.
“We couldn’t miss this launch,” she said. “It is so historic and we couldn’t miss our child being a part of that.”
The Williamses, who own Leisure Creations, said both of their sons have spent their lives assembling outdoor furniture and had a knack for it. Today, Noah and his brother, Ben, are engineers.
Chris said Noah is doing what he loves.
“This is something he’s dreamed of doing, so it’s exciting to see him living that dream,” he said. “He’s definitely gone further with it than I had even hoped.”
Williams said his team is already working toward the next mission.
“I’m looking forward to what comes next. It’s an exciting time to be involved.”
