STORIES OF ACROBATS: Etto Fins, Aiming for the stars
At seven, he was selected for, Ad Astra, Elon Musk's school on the SpaceX campus. The school only accepted 42 talented kids from SpaceX families and later from all over the world. At the age of eight, he built his first rocket. He made a nuclear reactor for his 7th-grade final exam and brought it to school. In Dewesoft Italy, he is known as "the little guy who solved the Tesla Coil problem."
"His brain is wired differently," smiles his father. "We noticed it in kindergarten. The boy is diligent and obedient, but he doesn't understand why he has to paint a specific line and stick to the limits of how to create. When the others were building walls and houses with Lego bricks, he made a huge tower several meters high, pointing skyward. The educators had a hard time, but my wife and I quickly realized that this boy needed something different."
At age five, Etto built a serious 3D printer and rocket inside Minecraft. Moreover, he built the first little rocket in the real world at eight. "Etto taught himself everything,” his parents say, "We don't even understand most of it." YouTube is his world. YouTube teaches him about technology, mechanics, space, and everything else.
Among other things, he watched a video on how to make a rocket. That would do, he thought. But then, the fuel was too weak, or the mixture was wrong. There was too little depth or the wrong materials... After forty attempts, he finally made a rocket that flew 200 meters. "We never retrieved it. I don't know where it landed," he smiles.
The Ad Astra school
His father heard that the American business tycoon Elon Musk had not found a school he deemed suitable for his children - a school where thinking outside the box was essential. So, he founded and funded Ad Astra School, carefully selecting up to 42 gifted children. "It sounded too good to be true! Perfect for Etto!"
To test the integrity of this dream, they got on a plane and flew to California. Before being accepted for the selection, there was a preselection, a challenge. They had eight planets. Where, why, and under what conditions would the human species most likely settle? Etto put together a spacecraft in Minecraft that allowed visits to each of the planets, taking air and soil samples, analyzing them, and making a video of it all. This impressed the judges.
The selection itself consisted of two parts - mathematics and a game. The aspirants were given a certain amount of money to buy and sell pieces of artwork. The jury observed how they thought, made decisions, found the right moment, and chose the right amount of money.
Etto - Ad Adstra school selection day
There was just one problem: the minimum age for entry to Ad Astra School was eight years - Etto was only seven at the time. However, they made an exception and accepted Etto. He became the first European to be admitted to this school "for kind, independent and adventurous children", as Ad Astra put it.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk moved SpaceX's base to Texas and stopped funding the school. However, the head of the school and the teachers formed a new school, Astra Nova, and continued to teach. Then, the COVID pandemic exploded, and it made sense to do the classes online and take on more families to support the school's operations.
Professors and practical lessons
"We had exceptional teachers," Etto quickly points out. "One of them, Elvio Sadun, with a background in the patent office, invented practical lessons every day. He explained how a ski jump worked. We took apart a microwave oven. Once, he replaced the filter of his swimming pool live during the lesson..." Practical things to explain operations, techniques, and materials.
Etto's favorite conversation was with his professor, Andrew Voss. Voss had just come from SpaceX, where he had worked on the Falcon 9 project. He was a treasure trove of rocket knowledge. Voss gave the students all sorts of mathematical problems, from the simple 'if an object falls from a certain height with a certain acceleration, what’s the duration of the fall?' to the relatively more complex.
Only a few students could solve his problems; Etto was one. Within his wide range of interests, he cared the most for rockets and predictably became the school's Rocketry Club leader.
"I didn't pay much attention to it then, but interestingly, Andrew Voss, the teacher and engineer at SpaceX, used Dewesoft equipment," Etto mentions.
After two years, Etto left Astra Nova and attended a classical school in Italy. It was a "pretty boring but interesting experience," he comments. In Ad Astra, he had classmates with whom he could talk about building rockets and traveling to other planets; he missed this.
However, Etto connected with a Milan Rocketry team, learned about other European and EuRoC teams, and then created a team at his local university.
The SpaceX Rocket in exposition in front the HQ
Connecting with Dewesoft
One day, Riccardo Petrei from Dewesoft Italy contacted Etto. Recognizing the boy's talent, he offered him Dewesoft instruments. "At the time, I thanked Riccardo but said I didn't need it. I had no idea what Dewesoft was. When I looked at the website, I didn't understand what to do with the products either."
Etto made a nuclear reactor for his seventh-grade final exam and brought it to school. "I liked it. I think I built it well. I knew I couldn't light it because I would have to carry too much stuff, but I brought it anyway for show. As I expected, nobody was interested except one professor. They were just looking at the little motor I had brought. It was spinning a bit - nothing special." He posted the process of building the reactor on LinkedIn.
Riccardo was still following him on social media and asked again if he needed anything. This time, Etto chatted a bit with Riccardo, and after some time, he was invited to visit Dewesoft, Italy. At first, the Dewesoft Italia team thought that Etto was recording and posting what someone else was doing. The team soon realized that all was Etto's work.
The Dewesoft Italy team then taught him how to use Sirius Data acquisition systems. Etto was delighted! More videos of Etto measuring with Dewesoft equipment are on his YouTube.
One day, Etto saw Dewesoft Italy’s Tesla coil. His interest quickly grew. They had been struggling for months with a transistor breaking repeatedly after a few seconds of operation. They couldn't find the cause and fix the issue. "I can solve this," Etto said, carrying all the components home. Since the original circuit was quite complex, he decided to remake it from scratch. Within a few weeks, he managed to make the Tesla coil work.
Joining the Acrobat Family
In November 2023, President dr. Jure Knez invited Etto to visit Dewesoft in Trbovlje. Etto brought some suggestions for product improvements and additions.
Etto is now collaborating with Dewesoft as a Global Ambassador, writing the last Pro Training lesson on using AI for data analysis. This year, he was invited to join the team organizing the Dewesoft Summer Camp. Here, several talented students from different countries spend a few days building interactive robots running on Dewesoft's new product, Obsidian.
Etto on stage, presenting the Obsidian with the president dr. Jure Knez
"It's good to see that the environment of Dewesoft and Katapult attracts young people," says Jure Knez. “Youngsters, who want to do more. Year after year, the number grows, and they surprise us repeatedly. One of the biggest surprises is Etto, who already has an endless curiosity and joy to create. It’s a pleasure to help him on his way."
Etto likes to come to Trbovlje, Dewesoft, and Katapult. "It's an interesting environment here. They have quite a few experts who know well what they are doing. It's a good place for anyone who wants to build something," he says.
Time and again, the boy surprises us. For example, he and Vid Kok talked about using PET and PETG plastics in 3D printing. Vid casually adds, "Well, I don't even know exactly what the difference is." And even more casually, Etto says: "G means it has glycol added. It makes it more flexible and resistant to impact." Later, Vid checked online - yes, the guy is right. Amazing how much knowledge he has in different fields. Etto and Vid, by the way, during the very busy Summer Camp schedule, printed a beautiful black and orange violin, which they gave to Jure on the day of departure.
Etto Fins, dr. Jure Knez and Vid Kok
"In the future, I'll probably be an engineer," Etto says. "I have to finish my education, then I'll see. I would go somewhere where I have direct contact with rockets."
"I'm still young and will probably not help humanity reach Mars," Etto reflects. "It will be done by Elon Musk already. NASA will make a base with Artemis to go to the Moon, so I probably won't be able to contribute much there either. Where I could be involved is perhaps space stations on other planets.”
"I'm grateful to dr. Jure Knez and the entire Dewesoft team for their belief and support over the past year," Etto says. "Their encouragement and the time they have dedicated to my growth have been pivotal in shaping my path. Being part of the Dewesoft family goes beyond professional development—it's about embracing a community that fosters creativity".
Etto, always welcome!
Etto on Etto
Rocketeer and Youtuber, founder of 🚀 CARE4Space.IT Rocketry & Space Club 🎓 Student of Elon Musk's experimental school born at SpaceX. I love 🚀 Rocketry Aerospace Engineering making rocket engines ⚡Electronics, 🍎 Physics Tinkering 🧵 3Dprinting 🥼 Science Experiments 🧪 Chemistry and 🔬 Nanotech Sometimes I play 👽 KSP Kerbal Space Program 🔨 Minecraft 👩🚀 Astroneer
Interview with Etto:
Ostale Novice
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