1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:03,640 Speaker 1: On this episode of news World, we choose to go 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: to the Moon. We choose to go to the Moon 3 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:10,960 Speaker 1: and just decay and do the other thing, not because 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 1: they are easy, but because they are hard. Because that goal, 5 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:19,800 Speaker 1: we'll serve to organize and measure the best of our 6 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 1: energies and skills. Fifty years ago, one small step for 7 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,320 Speaker 1: man became one giant leap for mankind. But now come 8 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: the time for us to make the next giant leap 9 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:35,959 Speaker 1: and return American astronauts to the Moon, establish a permanent 10 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:40,960 Speaker 1: base there, and develop the technologies to take American astronauts 11 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:45,279 Speaker 1: to Mars and beyond for twenty off the service they 12 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: go delta. That sound confirmed perseverance, thickly ready to begin 13 00:00:52,520 --> 00:01:04,400 Speaker 1: thinking the bangs of popway. I've been fascinated by space 14 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,400 Speaker 1: since my earliest childhood, when I would read coming books 15 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 1: about Martian invasions of Earth. In the last year, I've 16 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 1: admired Vice President Pence's leadership on the Moon to Mars 17 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: mission plans, and I reveled at the successful launch of 18 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:23,400 Speaker 1: the SpaceX rocket from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, 19 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: Florida on Saturday twenty twenty. So you can imagine my 20 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: pleasure and welcoming my guests. Doctor Adam Steltzner, who was 21 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 1: the chief engineer for the Mars twenty twenty project Perseverance 22 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: Rover at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. He's 23 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:46,639 Speaker 1: here to tell us all about the latest mission to Mars, 24 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 1: but also to help us better understand this remarkable institution, 25 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and what we might expect over 26 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 1: the next few years. He and I are both fortunate 27 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: that we're living at the beginning of the golden age 28 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: of understanding planets beyond Earth. Adam, I'm really delighted to 29 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: have you joined. So let me ask you. I'm curious, 30 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: how did you first get interested in space? Well, nude, 31 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 1: I was a poor student, and so I was actually 32 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: playing rock and roll in the Sancisco Bay area and 33 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: got curious about the stars and the motion of the 34 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 1: Constellation of Bryan in the night sky one evening, and 35 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: that one thing led to another, and eventually a PhD 36 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 1: in engineering physics. Can you wrote a book in twenty 37 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: and sixteen, The Right Kind of Crazy, A true story 38 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: of teamwork, leadership and high states innovation. Now, how much 39 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: of that teamwork and leadership did you learn from the 40 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: rock band? Well, not much. I wanted a little bit 41 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: about people from being on stage and playing rock and roll, 42 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: But most of what I learned about leadership and collaboration 43 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaker 1: I learned on the job. Let's look at the personal 44 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 1: laboratory from my colleagues and those who I wanted for. 45 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 1: And again that when you had noticed the translational rhyme 46 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 1: was in a different place and you began to really 47 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: get intrigued, you learned that the astronomy class you wanted 48 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: to take had a physics requirement, And as I understand it, 49 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: that's when you discovered that you were really good at 50 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: length and physics. And was that kind of a shop team, Yes, 51 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: it is. I certainly convinced myself and all of my 52 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: teachers and parents that I was a poor student and 53 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 1: really an artist and not good at analysis, and in 54 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:50,560 Speaker 1: fact that's wrong. And I discovered that through really marveling 55 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 1: at the fact that the universe is governed by a 56 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: set of laws. I remember correctly, your undergraduate degree a 57 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: mechanical engineering is a University California Davis, I remembers, was 58 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:07,280 Speaker 1: one of the great agricultural research systems in the world. 59 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: I love Davis in the Central Valley. There a big 60 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: agg school. California's in some sets of the Red basket 61 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: of the nation. And my uncle is a farmer, a 62 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 1: grape farmer, now a grape and citrus and pistasia farmer. 63 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 1: But he started out as a wine maker, and Davis 64 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: has got a famous wine program, so I was sort 65 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: of famous in the city for my last name, even 66 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: though I could make wine myself. He went from there 67 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 1: to maybe the pre eminent intellectual center of the country 68 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:41,000 Speaker 1: at cal Tech, and went then from there back to 69 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:45,479 Speaker 1: University of Wisconsin Madison to get a PhD in engineering mechanics. 70 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:48,599 Speaker 1: How did you go from all that to starting to 71 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,920 Speaker 1: work for NASA. Well, when I went down to cal Tech, 72 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:59,600 Speaker 1: I started really looking into geo tectonic plate interactions and geology, 73 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 1: and I think I'm more naturally an engineer, and so 74 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,279 Speaker 1: I decided to leave Caltech after my master's. After I 75 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:10,120 Speaker 1: started at PA and I'd met the woman who would 76 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: become my wife and wanted to stay in the area. 77 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:19,360 Speaker 1: So I just got a job at JPL because Caltech 78 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:24,920 Speaker 1: runs JPL, and it was sort of an accidental stepping 79 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: into my dream job. I can remember what I first 80 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:31,800 Speaker 1: started having a bit of a crisis because JPL has 81 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:36,280 Speaker 1: been a place I would have imagined reaching somewhere late 82 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:41,840 Speaker 1: in my career after many years, or maybe a decade 83 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:44,720 Speaker 1: or two. Can you just take them in and explain 84 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:48,479 Speaker 1: to people the JEM Provocional Laboratory is unique in the 85 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 1: NASA system. Is it's not actually a NASA lab, it's 86 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: actually a contracted federal research center. How does that change 87 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:59,599 Speaker 1: things the j Profocional Laboratory If I am a fire 88 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:05,360 Speaker 1: at will private employee of Caltech and we are an 89 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:09,359 Speaker 1: f RDC federally funded research and development tellity that is 90 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 1: contacted to NASA ian if I could stay on that topic, 91 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:16,400 Speaker 1: just fromented, I have some friends who've spent many years 92 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:20,279 Speaker 1: looking at our space program who actually think that your 93 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:24,800 Speaker 1: model at the federally funded research center is a more 94 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:29,960 Speaker 1: powerful and produces a more competent result than the traditional 95 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 1: federal bureaucracy. And they've recommended that we actually move a 96 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: number of the other labs into something like the Jet 97 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 1: Propulsion Laboratory. You've had an astonishing level of success at 98 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:50,480 Speaker 1: JPL and consistently getting things done far more I think 99 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: than any other facility in our NASA system. Do you 100 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:58,039 Speaker 1: have any gut instinct is a net advantage to being 101 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:01,159 Speaker 1: a federally funded research center other than part of the 102 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: traditional system. Well, I don't know whether it is the 103 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: organization structure or the type of employment that we are 104 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: underneath of the contract, or whether it might not be 105 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 1: just the snowball rolling downhill effect. More work to get 106 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 1: more work, which makes you better. You know, we are changed, 107 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 1: all of us, every single one of us is changed 108 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 1: through work, the work we do. And we have been 109 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:39,040 Speaker 1: lucky enough at JPL because there are so many places 110 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:43,360 Speaker 1: in our solar systems that are available to explore, to 111 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:49,320 Speaker 1: have worked hard at exploring those places for so many decades, 112 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:54,400 Speaker 1: that that work builds upon itself and puts us in a, yes, 113 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: a unique position in having such a wealth of experience 114 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: and therefore such well honed skill. Not that we don't 115 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:08,480 Speaker 1: learn daily from our partners in the other NASA centers, 116 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:11,400 Speaker 1: and not that we don't have a lot to learn 117 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:15,080 Speaker 1: in the future, but certainly our experiences to date have 118 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 1: put us in a position to garner the success that 119 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 1: we did a few weeks ago in February. So when 120 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:25,280 Speaker 1: did you get involved with Mars. I mean you're now 121 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 1: at JPL. You entered JPL doing Mars or did you 122 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 1: do other things? First, great question. I came into JPL 123 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety one, which is shighteningly coming up on 124 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:41,200 Speaker 1: thirty years this October. I was in the least tracked 125 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:45,600 Speaker 1: structures in dynamics groups, and I was working on Casini Huygens, 126 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:49,720 Speaker 1: which was a mission to Saturn. And I can remember 127 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 1: something back then that oh my god, it's going to 128 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:56,160 Speaker 1: launch in ninety five ninety six, and it's going to 129 00:08:56,240 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: be fourteen years before at Saturn. It was inconceivable for 130 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:03,480 Speaker 1: me to think on those timescales back then. But lo 131 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:07,840 Speaker 1: and behold that mission has come and gone. So I 132 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:11,800 Speaker 1: worked on Cassini, I helped on the Galileo mission. I 133 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:16,319 Speaker 1: then started working on Mars missions. I helped a little 134 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:20,920 Speaker 1: bit as a dynamicist on Mars Pathfinder, and then I 135 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:26,520 Speaker 1: took on larger leadership roles on the Mars Exploration rovers. 136 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:30,240 Speaker 1: The two thousand and four landings of the rovers Spirit 137 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:34,960 Speaker 1: and Opportunity Solar powered Rovers important contributors because they taught 138 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 1: us that Mars had once been wet, which we know 139 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: from here on Earth is a big deal because where 140 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:45,280 Speaker 1: water is we find that almost always life springs up, 141 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 1: so that it opened the question has Mars ever been alive? 142 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 1: And then, of course I'm the chief engineer for perseverance. 143 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:17,000 Speaker 1: When you launch something like this, how does it feel 144 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:26,000 Speaker 1: when it works? Oh? Well, the personal investment of not 145 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:32,440 Speaker 1: only myself, of course, but of literally thousands of American 146 00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:37,319 Speaker 1: contributing be Then inside the jeoper Postal Laboratory, we think 147 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:41,679 Speaker 1: about a three thousand or so lab members have charged 148 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:45,760 Speaker 1: to this effort over the eight years of development. But 149 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:51,920 Speaker 1: then thousands of others scattered across the nation contribute, and 150 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:58,080 Speaker 1: this investment, personal investment, can be all consuming. And when 151 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:02,920 Speaker 1: you are successful, it's interesting. It's a strange mix of 152 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:11,880 Speaker 1: incredible relief and incredible joy and sadness in that you've 153 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:15,080 Speaker 1: been running a race, You've been working with this team 154 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:19,400 Speaker 1: for the better part of a decade, and that work 155 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:24,160 Speaker 1: has changed. In some sense, that work has stopped. The 156 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:26,680 Speaker 1: flavor of the work that you're doing. When you're designing 157 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:29,480 Speaker 1: and developing and testing and making sure the spacecraft will work. 158 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:33,240 Speaker 1: That's done, and you're now into a different kind of 159 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:37,680 Speaker 1: worth operating spacecraft. But it mostly different team, and so 160 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:41,000 Speaker 1: it's a complicated set of emotions, but there is no 161 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:46,200 Speaker 1: doubt that the investment that so many at JPL and 162 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:49,640 Speaker 1: around the nation it made is so great that it 163 00:11:49,679 --> 00:11:55,600 Speaker 1: really marks a big point in one's life. You now 164 00:11:55,679 --> 00:12:03,120 Speaker 1: have with the Mars twenty cameras that provide much higher 165 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:07,680 Speaker 1: resolution and the public can actually look at them. What 166 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:11,440 Speaker 1: was it like when it lands successfully and you're looking 167 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:16,280 Speaker 1: at these much higher definition images for the first time? 168 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:20,880 Speaker 1: A mind blowing newts The images are what makes it real, 169 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:22,800 Speaker 1: not only for myself, I know this for all the 170 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:25,720 Speaker 1: team members. Right. The numbers that come down the London 171 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:29,800 Speaker 1: zero is literally tell you the rover Sunate's job. Well, 172 00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:32,560 Speaker 1: they take the front party of brain to put together 173 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:35,880 Speaker 1: and really believe it to be true. But those images 174 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:42,200 Speaker 1: and now the super high resolution twenty one megapixel color 175 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:47,040 Speaker 1: images that we're getting down are mind blowing. They really 176 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:52,360 Speaker 1: put you get the landing site and they are an 177 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:57,200 Speaker 1: undeniable assertion of the success that the nation has had 178 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:00,600 Speaker 1: and the success that we've had through these very times. 179 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:05,679 Speaker 1: Where can people go to see this? Mars dot NASA 180 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:10,160 Speaker 1: dot gov will take you to the set of Mars missions. 181 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:14,439 Speaker 1: You select the perseverance mission, and you'll find you can 182 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:16,720 Speaker 1: go to raw images and just look at all the 183 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:19,160 Speaker 1: images as they come down. They spend about a day 184 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:21,600 Speaker 1: or two in the pipeline getting processed and the dumped 185 00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:27,080 Speaker 1: on to the website unedited for all of us to see. 186 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:30,360 Speaker 1: Or you can go and look for specific images given 187 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:34,520 Speaker 1: captions and exclamations. Videos are there. You'll find videos of 188 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:39,000 Speaker 1: the landing. We put some off the shelf commercially available 189 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:44,040 Speaker 1: video cameras. These aren't certisticated things. These are rubbed doct 190 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:46,439 Speaker 1: industrial cameras, very similar to the ones you might use 191 00:13:46,559 --> 00:13:49,480 Speaker 1: in your automobile when you put it in reverse. You know, 192 00:13:49,559 --> 00:13:52,720 Speaker 1: nowadays all the fancy costs got your ability to look 193 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:54,800 Speaker 1: out through the your license plate to see that you're 194 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:58,160 Speaker 1: not bumping into something. As a backup cams quite like that. 195 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 1: We put a few of them on the road to 196 00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:04,200 Speaker 1: see if you could capture the enter descent of landing sequence. 197 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:09,360 Speaker 1: And we didn't know because it's unlike building a space 198 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:12,400 Speaker 1: traded camera, which is expensive and i'll pikes a lot 199 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:16,520 Speaker 1: of time. These were just might work, and they did, 200 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 1: and they are amazing, amazing images, amazing videos of the 201 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:25,920 Speaker 1: rover being lowered below the descent stage and the skycrane maneuver, 202 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:28,840 Speaker 1: and the rover looking up at the decent stage in 203 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:32,240 Speaker 1: the skycaver parachute inflation. I mean, there's a whole bunch 204 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:37,640 Speaker 1: of great, great videos there. Mars dot NASA dot gov 205 00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:40,600 Speaker 1: will get you to it. We'll be sure to link 206 00:14:40,640 --> 00:14:44,120 Speaker 1: to the Mars mission on our show page at Newtsworld 207 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:48,040 Speaker 1: dot com. Encourage people to go and look at it. 208 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:53,800 Speaker 1: And I'm curious, what have we learned that has surprised 209 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:59,480 Speaker 1: us out of the latest rover landings since we started 210 00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:03,000 Speaker 1: putting roll on the surface of Bars. We've learned that 211 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:06,600 Speaker 1: it was wet. We've learned that that water was there 212 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:09,760 Speaker 1: for a long time, and that the chemistry of that 213 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:14,400 Speaker 1: water was habitable for life as it evolved here on Earth, 214 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: and that that wet habitable environment was present on the 215 00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:24,080 Speaker 1: surface of Bars about the time that life began here 216 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:29,040 Speaker 1: on Earth. So thus far we've now catalogued that both 217 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:32,120 Speaker 1: Bars and Earth were habitable for life at the time 218 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:36,320 Speaker 1: that life begins on Earth. So that's a big deal. 219 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:41,360 Speaker 1: It begs the question in life also evolved on the 220 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:47,480 Speaker 1: surface of us, is it possible that life is less 221 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:53,240 Speaker 1: rare that it's not just here on Earth, but maybe 222 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:58,440 Speaker 1: in other locations. Perseverance is the first leg really in 223 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:04,320 Speaker 1: a three leg epic journey to bring samples back from 224 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:08,520 Speaker 1: the surface of Mars to Earth to allow scientists to 225 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:13,760 Speaker 1: investigate them here, and that holds the possibility of unlocking 226 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:19,280 Speaker 1: that final question of whether Mars ever was alive and 227 00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:24,480 Speaker 1: whether life might be more common than otherwise. This is 228 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:28,640 Speaker 1: such a sophisticated project. How many people does it take 229 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:33,600 Speaker 1: to develop and implement something like Perseverance, Well a lot. 230 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 1: During the height of the project, we have about a 231 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:41,920 Speaker 1: thousand people at JPL working on it, but of course 232 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:44,760 Speaker 1: those are mostly engineers. I'd say like three quarters of 233 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:48,560 Speaker 1: the bar engineers. You know, I'm an engineer. We are 234 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 1: just building the robot. We are building the instruments that 235 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:58,240 Speaker 1: give the scientists the measurements and the observations that they 236 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 1: need to prove out the theories that they have for 237 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:07,920 Speaker 1: the planetary evolution, life evolution, etc. So about a thousand 238 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:10,440 Speaker 1: folks we're working at the lab, but you know, in 239 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: industry out in Colorado, in Maine, in Massachusetts, in Arizona. 240 00:17:17,359 --> 00:17:21,960 Speaker 1: On Curiosity, we've counted thirty seventh states. We haven't finished 241 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:26,600 Speaker 1: our tally for perseverance. But the majority of the nation's 242 00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:34,200 Speaker 1: states are involved in this effort, and so we think 243 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:39,199 Speaker 1: all in tens of thousands of Americans participated in this. 244 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:43,159 Speaker 1: The process and builds on itself. So if you go 245 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:46,720 Speaker 1: back to sojourner and you consider the lessons you learn, 246 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:52,439 Speaker 1: you keep adding levels of sophistication. Are you already starting 247 00:17:52,480 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 1: to work on the next lander? Yes, funny you should 248 00:17:56,520 --> 00:17:59,679 Speaker 1: mention that, yes I am before coming to speak to you. 249 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:04,320 Speaker 1: Just got off a meeting about the next legs of 250 00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:08,240 Speaker 1: that map of our sample return effort. There's something called 251 00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:12,400 Speaker 1: the Sample Retrieval Lander or s r L, and we're 252 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:15,359 Speaker 1: starting to work on that. And there's something called the 253 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:20,240 Speaker 1: Earth Return Orbiter. We're starting to work on that. We've 254 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:24,200 Speaker 1: forged a partnership with the European Space Agency and they're 255 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:26,679 Speaker 1: going to provide some of the pieces of flight hardware, 256 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:31,280 Speaker 1: specifically the Earth return orbiter, and so we're starting to 257 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:35,879 Speaker 1: work on the next effort. It's sort of relentless, you know. 258 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:39,720 Speaker 1: Have we landed on the eighteenth of February and so 259 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:43,040 Speaker 1: it's not been long, but no, we're right back in 260 00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:45,840 Speaker 1: the saddle. As I understand it. You will end up 261 00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:51,639 Speaker 1: with a very complicated system. One to land and to retrieve. 262 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:54,720 Speaker 1: Do you then retrieve up to the satellite and then 263 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:58,720 Speaker 1: from the satellite send it back to Earth. Now you're 264 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:02,480 Speaker 1: really making it as complicated and as exciting as the 265 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:06,240 Speaker 1: landers were. This next challenge that you've given yourself, it 266 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:10,760 Speaker 1: seems to me, is vastly more complicated. Well, you're right 267 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:16,639 Speaker 1: all the money there. It is the greatest robotic challenge 268 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:21,800 Speaker 1: that humanity will ever have undertaken. Perseverance. The rover that 269 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:26,840 Speaker 1: we just landed in February will take samples, take a 270 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:30,560 Speaker 1: rotary percusive coring drill and take core samples of rocky 271 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:35,760 Speaker 1: material from the surface of Mars. It will seal those 272 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:41,119 Speaker 1: samples in hyper sterile sample tubes for return to Earth. 273 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:47,000 Speaker 1: The next mission land a lander with a rocket on it, 274 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:52,840 Speaker 1: a MAB, a Mars Ascent vehicle, and we put the 275 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:56,760 Speaker 1: sample tubes in the top of the MAB in a 276 00:19:56,880 --> 00:20:03,080 Speaker 1: vessel we call the off orbital Sampling container, and we 277 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:08,600 Speaker 1: put the sample tubes at least twenty maybe thirty sample 278 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:12,000 Speaker 1: tubes in the top of the OFS and we launched that. 279 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:14,560 Speaker 1: It looks like it thought the size of maybe a 280 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:20,280 Speaker 1: soccer ball basketball that gets launched into orbit and then 281 00:20:20,359 --> 00:20:25,199 Speaker 1: it's retrieved from orbit by this orbiting spacecock called the 282 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:28,520 Speaker 1: Earth's Return Orbiter and a piece of equipment on it 283 00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:32,720 Speaker 1: called the Capture and Containment and Return System made by 284 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:36,159 Speaker 1: Goddard Space Flight System and the Languy Research Center of 285 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:40,200 Speaker 1: the Ames Research Center together all managed out of GPL, 286 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:45,320 Speaker 1: that collects this bat of samples flides it back to Earth. 287 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:50,000 Speaker 1: We put that basketball shaped piece in a Earth Return 288 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 1: capsule and then land it onto the surface of ancient 289 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:59,560 Speaker 1: Lake Bonneville in Utah at the Utah Test and Training Range. 290 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:03,439 Speaker 1: Five felt like two, what year do you think this 291 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:07,879 Speaker 1: will happen? Well, we're trying to keep the initiative and 292 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:10,359 Speaker 1: we'd like to try and get them back if we 293 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:15,080 Speaker 1: can before the turn of the next decade. At the earliest, 294 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:17,440 Speaker 1: it might be twenty nine. At the latest it would 295 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:20,360 Speaker 1: be in the early thirties, thirty one, maybe thirty two, 296 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:24,560 Speaker 1: So about ten years from now, anywhere from eight to 297 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:27,760 Speaker 1: ten or twelve years from now. For people listening to 298 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:32,000 Speaker 1: us right now, they have a reasonable prospect that in 299 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:37,680 Speaker 1: their lifetime there'll be samples from Mars being analyzed here 300 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:41,560 Speaker 1: on Earth. To determine in part whether or not there 301 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:44,760 Speaker 1: was life on Mars at one time. We've been building 302 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:49,399 Speaker 1: our capability at long distance robotics for I guess what, 303 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:54,280 Speaker 1: thirty years now, and it's now going to reach a 304 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:58,199 Speaker 1: truly amazing culminating point in terms of our understanding of 305 00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:02,879 Speaker 1: our solar system. You know, I sometimes pitched myself to 306 00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:06,560 Speaker 1: it and wonder what did I do to deserve the 307 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:11,040 Speaker 1: honor of being able to be doing a job like this? 308 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: Right this is the cutting edge of what we can do. 309 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:18,280 Speaker 1: It's a privilege to be able to try my best statter. 310 00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:36,640 Speaker 1: When you think back to your first days at JPO 311 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 1: and you think about the technology you worked with them, 312 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:44,800 Speaker 1: and you look at the technology you hope to develop 313 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:49,480 Speaker 1: over the next decade, isn't it like multiple revolutions, not 314 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:56,240 Speaker 1: just one revolution, but multiple scale of change in your lifetime. Yes, 315 00:22:56,920 --> 00:23:00,879 Speaker 1: and it's interesting that it doesn't all come necessarily from space. 316 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:05,639 Speaker 1: But there's a heaven flow. You know. We are using well, 317 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:10,360 Speaker 1: those cameras that we've videoed our enterdescent landing sequence were 318 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 1: off the shelf cameras that are spit out at high rate, 319 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:19,920 Speaker 1: essentially free, but we are using in the helicopter ingenuity. 320 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:22,680 Speaker 1: We took a dual road of counter rotating helicopter with 321 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:27,560 Speaker 1: us on Perseverance to check out and demonstrate aerial mobility 322 00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:32,679 Speaker 1: in the sin thin Martian aposphere. And inside that helicopter 323 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:37,720 Speaker 1: is a chip that is out of a cellphone, a 324 00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:40,600 Speaker 1: visual processing chip and a camera out of a cell phone. 325 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:47,640 Speaker 1: And again that's hard, tough and costs essentially nothing, right, 326 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:50,159 Speaker 1: it probably costs twenty five cents to make this peace. 327 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:54,880 Speaker 1: And yet we're looking to see. An innovation that we're 328 00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:57,760 Speaker 1: trying out is the use of commercial offer cellflore at 329 00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:04,480 Speaker 1: times the consumer where electronics industry is so icanic, it 330 00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:10,160 Speaker 1: operates on such a scale that its technologies rapidly get 331 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:13,200 Speaker 1: tested in a way that we could never test our technology. 332 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:19,280 Speaker 1: Now there's one hundred thousand people using, for instance, a 333 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:22,320 Speaker 1: particular chip in a cell phone, and you know that 334 00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:26,880 Speaker 1: it's well debugged, that you understand its reliability. I need 335 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:29,240 Speaker 1: that great statistics line. So now if you can use 336 00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:34,399 Speaker 1: some technologies from other locations beg. Borrow and steel as needed, 337 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:38,600 Speaker 1: that's one of the techniques we use to innovate in 338 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:42,679 Speaker 1: our applications at MARS. So if you're talking to a 339 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:47,560 Speaker 1: high school class, How would you describe to them the 340 00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:51,840 Speaker 1: potential they have in their lifetime to do things in 341 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:55,280 Speaker 1: space and to learn from space, and have space be 342 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:59,000 Speaker 1: an even more exciting part of what they learn or 343 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:03,640 Speaker 1: what they experience. You know what I think about what 344 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:08,239 Speaker 1: we're doing when we explore space. I think of it 345 00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:12,040 Speaker 1: actually as the gesture of who we are as a species, 346 00:25:13,119 --> 00:25:16,720 Speaker 1: as a gesture of our humanity. We are the curious ones, 347 00:25:17,359 --> 00:25:22,480 Speaker 1: We are the toolmakers. We figure it out, We figure 348 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:25,200 Speaker 1: out what's going on around us. I mean, everything you 349 00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:30,200 Speaker 1: could imagine space explorations is an extension of that activity. 350 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:36,040 Speaker 1: And so when I speak to student groups, I remind 351 00:25:36,080 --> 00:25:41,439 Speaker 1: them to revel in their curiosity, keep their intellects sharp, 352 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:46,440 Speaker 1: question each other and themselves things they think they understand, 353 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:50,720 Speaker 1: to make sure that they really know what they know 354 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:56,320 Speaker 1: and know what they don't know. And that process makes 355 00:25:56,400 --> 00:26:01,000 Speaker 1: all of us better. It's a sport in some way, 356 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:08,639 Speaker 1: a definition of our intellectual capacities and capabilities. And I 357 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:13,240 Speaker 1: think it's a bright future in that I hope that 358 00:26:13,359 --> 00:26:18,960 Speaker 1: the use of today will find themselves staring at an 359 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 1: ever expanding set of vistas and exercising their minds and 360 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:29,080 Speaker 1: the intellectual might as they have never done before. Let 361 00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:32,919 Speaker 1: me swish years on your per second, your engineoty helicopter. 362 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:38,560 Speaker 1: When will the experimental flight test be underway? We're in 363 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:41,399 Speaker 1: the process of what we'd call of commissioning the vehicle. 364 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:44,840 Speaker 1: The vehicle shows up, it's actually running a different set 365 00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:46,840 Speaker 1: of software that will run on the surface of the 366 00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:50,840 Speaker 1: software that got to bear the crew software. We've now transitioned. 367 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:53,600 Speaker 1: We want to be very careful. There's no way to 368 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:57,199 Speaker 1: reboot or to tune the vehicle off from Earth. You 369 00:26:57,240 --> 00:27:00,239 Speaker 1: know is unplug your computer or power cycle it with 370 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:04,159 Speaker 1: your finger. But we can't touch our rovers. So we 371 00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:07,160 Speaker 1: have a pair of computers. We change the software on one, 372 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:08,840 Speaker 1: check it, change the software. In the end of that 373 00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:11,400 Speaker 1: process is complete, we're in the process of checking out 374 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:14,520 Speaker 1: our instruments made all of our deployment. Anyway, this will 375 00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:18,400 Speaker 1: go on for an under a week or so, and 376 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:23,520 Speaker 1: then we'll move on to look for an appropriate site 377 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:27,040 Speaker 1: for the helicopter. So one of our first efforts is 378 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:31,440 Speaker 1: this helicopter experimental flight test that you refer to, which 379 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:34,960 Speaker 1: I love that phrase, by the way, and so we'll 380 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:41,119 Speaker 1: be deploying Ingenuity somewhere in the next month or so, 381 00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:45,520 Speaker 1: depending on how quickly we find an acceptable air field 382 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:50,520 Speaker 1: the approaches we will Ingenuity is under slung under our belly, 383 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:54,280 Speaker 1: and we will deploy it in a takeoff and landing 384 00:27:54,359 --> 00:27:57,520 Speaker 1: zone that they call an airfield, and it's a big patch. 385 00:27:57,640 --> 00:27:59,880 Speaker 1: We want to flat. We want to be miltively rock 386 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:04,040 Speaker 1: free for these first experimental flights. We anticipate will be 387 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:06,720 Speaker 1: there somewhere in the next month, So it would be 388 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:09,399 Speaker 1: possible by going to the same website for people to 389 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:14,560 Speaker 1: follow those flights. Yes, following the entire mission, sup to 390 00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:19,320 Speaker 1: not all the images, all the progress Mars dot, NASA 391 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:21,879 Speaker 1: dot got okay. I want to take you one more 392 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:27,639 Speaker 1: zone that's parallel to the progress you've been making, but 393 00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:32,600 Speaker 1: very different, and that is the rise of recoverable rockets, 394 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:35,320 Speaker 1: which is a project that Bob Walker and I had 395 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 1: worked on in the early nineties and could not get 396 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:40,720 Speaker 1: MASSA to figure out how to do it. Of course, 397 00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:44,360 Speaker 1: a decade ago, private sector people, starting with Delon Musk, 398 00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:47,600 Speaker 1: began to actually solve it. I'm just curious, if you 399 00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:51,000 Speaker 1: had a chance to go into space, either to the 400 00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:55,600 Speaker 1: station or some new thing, would you take it. That's 401 00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:59,080 Speaker 1: a good question, depending on the destination. I would love 402 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:03,800 Speaker 1: to look back at Earth from the vista space. I 403 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:07,920 Speaker 1: have young children and some fair obligations here on Earth. 404 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:11,200 Speaker 1: All of that riskless balance would have to work out 405 00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:15,200 Speaker 1: for me. But there's no doubt that every human who've 406 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:18,280 Speaker 1: traveled into space and looked down upon Earth has had 407 00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:23,400 Speaker 1: their perspectives radically changed. I would love that opportunity. I 408 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:29,880 Speaker 1: am excited about new space industry, and specifically the economics 409 00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:34,800 Speaker 1: that are happening in love services, driving prices down, and 410 00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:39,040 Speaker 1: so I think it's a good time for that. That's great, 411 00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:42,480 Speaker 1: And of course your young children will almost inevitably live 412 00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:45,040 Speaker 1: in an era we're going into space where begin to 413 00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:49,360 Speaker 1: be pretty close to routine about halfway through your life. 414 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:52,080 Speaker 1: It's just amazing. Listen. I want to thank you. I 415 00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:55,960 Speaker 1: think you're the kind of person who's dedication has not 416 00:29:56,000 --> 00:30:00,200 Speaker 1: only brought you great satisfaction, but has helped and it 417 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:03,520 Speaker 1: states immeasurably and has laid a base of knowledge for 418 00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:06,560 Speaker 1: the entire human race. It's a great privilege to me 419 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:10,240 Speaker 1: to be able to chat with you and to have 420 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:13,840 Speaker 1: you share so much, and I really want to thank 421 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:18,040 Speaker 1: you personally for being dedicated and for the time you've 422 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:21,240 Speaker 1: committed the life you've committed. Adam, thank you so much 423 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:25,280 Speaker 1: for spending time with us today. You've truly been a 424 00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:28,360 Speaker 1: remarkable person, and I think you're going to continue to 425 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:31,240 Speaker 1: be remarkable, and you are a role model for lots 426 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:35,080 Speaker 1: of other Americans. Well, newt thank you very much for 427 00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:40,160 Speaker 1: those kind words. I consider it an honor and a 428 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:44,400 Speaker 1: privilege to find myself in the position that I am. 429 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:46,480 Speaker 1: You know, I hope to make this nation and this 430 00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:50,240 Speaker 1: world a better place through the things that I do 431 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:53,800 Speaker 1: on a daily basis. Thank you for appreciating it, and 432 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:57,160 Speaker 1: I thank providence that I have the opportunity to be 433 00:30:57,280 --> 00:31:03,320 Speaker 1: here and do this. You can read more about DeMar's 434 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:07,360 Speaker 1: mission on our show page at Newtsworld dot com. News 435 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:11,520 Speaker 1: World is produced by Gingerish three sixty and Iheartmediam, our 436 00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:15,880 Speaker 1: exacutive producers Debbie Myers, our producers Gornzi Slum, and our 437 00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:20,320 Speaker 1: researchers Rachel Peterson. The artwork for the show was created 438 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:24,680 Speaker 1: by Steve Penn Special Effects, the team at Gingerish three sixty. 439 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:27,480 Speaker 1: If you've been enjoying news World, I hope you'll go 440 00:31:27,520 --> 00:31:30,720 Speaker 1: to Apple Podcast and both rate us with five stars 441 00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:33,920 Speaker 1: and give us a review so others can learn what 442 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:37,760 Speaker 1: it's all about. Right now, listeners of Newtsworld can sign 443 00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:41,400 Speaker 1: up for my three three weekly columns at Gingerish three 444 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:46,080 Speaker 1: sixty dot com slash news them I'm new Gingwich. This 445 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:47,040 Speaker 1: is news World