Student killed by homemade rocket had bright future

A charismatic high school honors student and athlete, he had been accepted at elite universities.

[...] his life was cut short this week by the blast of a homemade rocket — a failed nighttime science experiment on the tarmac of a Southern California elementary school.

A homemade chemical rocket attached to a skateboard blew up Monday night, mortally injuring Moon, who died at a hospital.

The experiment at the elementary campus wasn't sanctioned by any school, and the victims likely were using the courtyard because it's an open space, Kuredjian said.

William Kim, 18, of Irvine, met Moon last summer at Boys State in Sacramento, a weeklong camp where one standout student from each California high school gathers to set up a mock government.