Adam King: the Irish Boy Who Wants to Be a NASA Capcom

First published December 6, 2020.

Adam King is the six-year-old boy from Cork who stole the show on Ireland's Late Late Toy Show in November 2020. Asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he answered: "Capcom in Nasa." Adam has osteogenesis imperfecta, often called brittle bone disease, and he explained that being an astronaut was not for him. Within a day, NASA itself replied on social media to say there was space for everybody at the agency, and astronaut Chris Hadfield offered to talk space with him.

What happened on the Toy Show

The Late Late Toy Show is a much-loved annual special of RTÉ's The Late Late Show, the long-running Irish chat show. Each year children test and review the season's toys, and the broadcast has become a national Christmas tradition. The 2020 edition, presented by Ryan Tubridy, aired on Friday 27 November. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic it was filmed with social distancing and a virtual audience.

Adam talked about his love of space and helped lead a playful rocket-launch countdown with the host. When Tubridy asked whether he would have liked to be an astronaut, Adam calmly explained that his brittle bones ruled that out. What he wanted instead was to be the person in mission control who talks to the crew.

He also sent a "virtual hug" to everyone watching at home. At a time when many families had been kept apart for months, the gesture struck a chord far beyond Ireland.

NASA and Chris Hadfield respond

A clip of Adam's answer spread quickly on Twitter, and on 28 November NASA's official account replied directly:

🌟 Adam’s kind heart and adventurous spirit inspires us.

There’s space for everybody at NASA, and we can’t wait for him to one day join our team of dreamers. We’ll be here when he’s ready. 🌟 pic.twitter.com/WJCzue9O13

— NASA (@NASA) November 28, 2020

Retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who commanded the International Space Station in 2013, also answered. He pointed out that he had served as capcom for many spaceflights himself and suggested the two of them should talk space together:

Adam - I’ve been lucky enough to CAPCOM many spaceflights. We should talk space together. Take care, be good - Chris@RTELateLateShow https://t.co/XacYA9ncKT

— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) November 28, 2020

Hadfield followed through. In the weeks after the show he spoke with Adam in a video interview. Ireland's Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, sent Adam a personal letter calling him an inspiration, and the national postal service, An Post, created a special Christmas postmark of his virtual hug, applied to millions of letters from 12 December 2020.

What a capcom actually does

Adam's answer impressed space fans because it was so specific. "Capcom" is short for capsule communicator, a job that dates back to NASA's Project Mercury in the early 1960s, when spacecraft were called capsules. The capcom is usually the only person in Mission Control who speaks directly to the crew. All instructions and information from dozens of flight controllers are passed through that one voice, so that astronauts hear clear and consistent messages.

For decades the role was filled only by astronauts, on the reasoning that someone who had trained for flight would best understand what the crew was dealing with. Since the end of the Space Shuttle era, however, flight controllers and trainers who are not astronauts have also served as capcom during International Space Station missions, although astronauts still usually take the seat for critical moments such as spacewalks and dockings.

That shift matters for Adam's story. NASA's workforce is made up overwhelmingly of people who never leave the ground: engineers, scientists, flight controllers, software developers, doctors and communicators. A career in space exploration does not require a trip to orbit.

Understanding brittle bone disease

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a group of genetic conditions that make bones fragile. In more than 90% of cases it is caused by changes in the COL1A1 or COL1A2 genes, which carry instructions for type I collagen, a protein that gives bone its strength and flexibility. The condition can be inherited or can appear for the first time in a family. It affects roughly 1 in 15,000 to 20,000 people.

OI varies greatly. Its mildest common form, type I, causes bones to break more easily than usual, but people generally have a normal lifespan. Moderate and severe forms can bring frequent fractures, short stature, curved bones, hearing loss and breathing problems, and the most severe form is usually fatal around birth. For most people with OI, life expectancy is little affected.

Care is usually provided by a specialist team. It can include medicines that strengthen bone density, surgery to place supporting rods in long bones, gentle physiotherapy such as water exercise, and mobility aids. Families with questions about a specific diagnosis should talk to a doctor or a specialist OI clinic.

OI affects bones, not ambition. People with the condition work in medicine, law, science, the arts and public life. Adam's dream of a desk in mission control is a realistic goal for a curious child who loves space.

A show that raised millions for children

The 2020 Toy Show was more than a feel-good moment. RTÉ launched a charity appeal during the broadcast, and according to RTÉ figures reported by TheJournal.ie it raised about €6.2 million for children's charities. The Community Foundation for Ireland was chosen to distribute the money, with half going to Barnardos, Children's Health Foundation and Children's Books Ireland, and the rest given as grants to charities supporting children across the country.

Adam's appearance was widely credited with adding to that generosity. His mixture of honesty about his condition and simple optimism made viewers want to do something kind in return.

Why Adam's story resonated

Part of the appeal was how matter-of-fact Adam was. He did not present his condition as a tragedy or ask for sympathy. He simply named a limit, then pointed to another way of reaching the same dream. That is a lesson many adults could use.

NASA's reply also showed how institutions can encourage children without making promises they cannot keep. It did not offer a job; it told Adam the door would be open when he was ready. For any parent of a child with a disability, that message of welcome rather than pity carried real weight.

For children who share Adam's passion, there are practical ways to start: space camps and science clubs, astronomy societies, free online resources from NASA and the European Space Agency, and, later, subjects such as maths, physics, engineering and computer science. Ireland now has its own links to space careers through ESA membership, which means the path from a Cork classroom to a mission control room is shorter than it might seem.

Sources: TheJournal.ie: Adam King, NASA and the 2020 Toy Show appeal; The Irish Post (29 November 2020); The Irish Post: An Post virtual hug postmark; Wikipedia: Flight controller (CAPCOM); Wikipedia: Osteogenesis imperfecta.