MILFORD, Ohio USA – Brad Theilman, a Milford High School junior, has scored a perfect 36 score on his ACT test – not a bad way to launch his quest to become an astronaut.

And that’s not all.

The 16-year-old is captain of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force’s rocket team, which qualified for national finals in the prestigious Team America Rocketry Challenge, the world’s largest model rocket contest. The competition is Saturday.

While doing that, he was also busy preparing to take the ACT in April. A math and science whiz, he knew he was not as sharp in English, particularly the rhetoric section. The night before the test, he read material about the section and aced it the next day.

His focus this week is on the rocketry competition.

Brad’s seven-member team had to design, build and test a model rocket that can carry two eggs to an altitude of 750 feet and bring them back down safely, as close as possible, to a total flight time of 45 seconds. More than 600 teams participated in the competition, but only the top scoring 100 high teams qualified to compete in the national contest.

His mom, Regina Theilman, has been a big influence in his success. She’s an enabler of the best kind. A single parent, she’s shuttled him nearly every Saturday to the Air Force museum since September.

"It was so important to me that he was involved in all of the things that he was interested in, so I may not have the cleanest house in the world, but he got to do everything that he wanted to do."

"She supports everything that I do," Brad agreed. "I don’t think she pushes me too hard. She just encourages that I do well."

In seventh grade, Brad volunteered to participate in Milford Innovative and Inventive Team, an after-school elementary school science program. Brad and his mom loaded the car with science equipment on Sunday nights for the week. Every day after school, she’d drive him to a different elementary school.

"That’s when I introduced him to dashboard dining," Theilman said.

He also plays the saxophone in the marching, jazz and symphonic bands at Milford High School. He’ll attend Buckeye Boys State this summer. Among other activities, he’s a member of the National Honor Society, Academic Team and Energy Team, which teaches students in grades 4-6 about energy and conservation.

Milford High School Principal Ray Bauer said Brad is like a sponge, soaking up every opportunity to learn and participate. But, Bauer said, Brad isn’t just focused inward. He’s willing to share what he’s learned.

"I see a well-rounded young man, who is not only engaged with life at Milford High School, but also takes a leadership role," Bauer said. "It isn’t just ’I’m going to devote my life to study.’ There’s an intense level there, but I see him embracing life intensely at all levels."

Brad has been a member of Mensa, the High IQ Society, since he was 6, the third youngest member. He also skipped second grade.

Theilman is proud of her son’s accomplishments, but she isn’t afraid to inject a little humor about his abilities.

"If I could have him focus this on anti-aging wrinkle creams or weight loss, something I could make use of, but, instead, we’re into physics," she said with a laugh.

"He takes pressure so well," Theilman said. "He puts pressure on himself. He’s good-hearted. He’s kind ... He is an individual and will strongly remain that way. He doesn’t give into peer pressure in any way, shape or form. His favorite thing to do is learn. Even as a child, that’s all he ever wanted to do. He would invite kids over to play and talk to the kids about plutonium."

Brad is looking at Purdue University for college, where he’s considering majors in aerospace engineering and medicine. He wants to be a flight surgeon for NASA.

"The reason why I want to do it is because if you’re on a long duration space mission to Mars and an astronaut would need surgery for an appendectomy, you have to figure out how to do that when there’s no gravity, and everything’s floating around. You have to know how to make sure they stay alive or know how to treat anything that might come up on a space mission like that," Brad said.

"Since he was born, that’s all he’s ever wanted to do," his mother said of his career aspirations. "How do you come out of the womb knowing you’re going to be an astronaut? He has his own space suit."

When his mother revealed that nugget of personal information, he didn’t wince, like some teenagers might.

He just smiled and said, "eBay."

Copyright © 2008, The Enquirer.