When astronauts return to Earth, a team is waiting.
High above the ocean, helicopters descend rapidly through the sky—tracking, filming, and preparing for recovery. Among those leading the recent Artemis II mission was De’Andre Matthews II, a 2012 graduate of the Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs High Tech High. He is now a Naval Aviator flying the MH-60S, the Navy’s premier search-and-rescue helicopter. And during NASA’s Artemis missions, he’s been right in the middle of it.
As part of the Artemis recovery effort, De’Andre served as Assistant Officer in Charge and Imagery Mission Lead, helping coordinate a complex operation aboard the USS John P. Murtha. His squadron deployed four helicopters. Two focused on astronaut recovery, and two captured high-quality imagery of the capsule as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere.
“To accomplish this, we fly through a debris field and descend rapidly from 10,000 feet to 400,” De’Andre explained. “If you watched the recovery live, that was the work of NASA’s camera on my helicopter.”
That footage wasn’t just for viewing. For example, imagery captured during Artemis I helped NASA identify when the capsule’s heat shield began to show signs of failure, informing future missions.
For De’Andre, the experience was unforgettable. “It has been an absolute honor to work alongside the incredibly smart, talented, and hard-working folks at NASA,” he said. “Nothing unites the nation, the world, the human race like these space missions. Any fully qualified MH-60S Navy pilot could have done this. I got lucky that the timing worked out, so it got to be me!”
De’Andre’s path to the cockpit wasn’t something he had mapped out early on. “If you had told me while I was at HTH that I would become a Navy pilot, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he said.
But what High Tech High did give him was a foundation that still shows up in his daily work. “Presentations continue to shape the world I operate in,” he shared. “We give mission briefs nearly every day. Getting that early introduction at HTH was a huge reason I have any presence when presenting today.”
He also credits one of his earliest mentors, Brett Peterson, as having a lasting impact. Brett is now the director of High Tech High Mesa and was De’Andre’s advisor during his time at HTH.
“Having him as my advisor was an unfair advantage,” De’Andre said. “He truly cared about us, and we still keep in touch nearly 18 years later.”
Reflecting on those early years, Peterson recalls seeing De’Andre’s potential from the very beginning. “I remember driving away from a home visit in 2008 thinking, ‘this young man has the light in his eyes,’” Peterson said. “Over four years, he grew from a quiet, thoughtful student into a confident and joyful leader, guiding his peers on college tours and in advisory activities.”
Peterson added that De’Andre’s path comes as no surprise. “He embodies what we hope for in an HTH graduate—courageous, caring, and confidently moving in the direction of his dreams.”
De’Andre describes his career choice as both personal and practical.
“I jokingly call this the family business,” he said, noting his father, an aunt, and two uncles who served in the military. “But I chose to be a pilot because, as an avid gamer, I was looking for the most video game-esque job I could find.”
That blend of inspiration and openness to possibility ultimately led him to aviation. It’s a path he didn’t fully discover until after college.
For current HTH students, De’Andre’s advice is simple: “Keep all options open and don’t burn any bridges. You don’t have to have it all figured out right now—just keep progressing toward something.”
Today, as De’Andre supports historic space missions and serves his country, he remains connected to the High Tech High community. A sibling is currently attending HTH.
His journey is proof that paths aren’t always linear, but preparation matters.
“By finishing my education, it kept the door open for me to become a military officer,” he said. “I didn’t figure this path was for me until after graduating from college. …I’m a big dreamer. I always feel like I’m two steps away from the next big breakthrough.”
