Steve Squyres
Steve Squyres
Steven W. Squyresis the James A. Weeks Professor of Physical Sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. His research area is in planetary sciences, with a focus on large solid bodies in the solar system such as the terrestrial planets and the moons of the Jovian planets. Squyres is principal investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission. He is the recipient of the 2004 Carl Sagan Memorial Award and the 2009 Carl Sagan Medal for Excellence in Communication in...
along landing launch risk
The launch is a milestone, but just one of many along the way. Landing historically is where the most risk is involved.
switched
It is a big step. We've really switched gears.
came clean looks opportunity spirit
Spirit is our tough, hardworking robot. Opportunity looks like she just came off the showroom floor, clean and pretty.
again carefully caused checking concern fire immediate lengthy next recovering spacecraft standard takes time whatever whether
Unfortunately, recovering from something like a reset is a slow, lengthy process. You don't know what caused the problem, and the immediate concern is that whatever triggered it will do it again next time you try it. The thing you have to do is fire up each of the rover's capabilities one at a time, checking each one carefully and individually to see whether it would cause another reset or not. Standard spacecraft troubleshooting practicebut it takes time.
trust responsibility share
Having been given that public trust, we have a responsibility to share with the public.
leadership style
My style of leadership is to lead with the lightest touch that I possibly can.
hiking hills climbs
We didn't know if the rover could climb up or down the hills of the crater.
real adventure simple
What we initially conceived as a fairly simple geologic experiment on Mars ultimately turned into humanity's first real overland expedition across another planet. Spirit explored just as we would have, seeing a distant hill, climbing it, and showing us the vista from the summit. And she did it in a way that allowed everyone on Earth to be part of the adventure.
rocks giving water
We have concluded that the rocks here were once soaked in liquid water. It changed their texture, and it changed their chemistry. We've been able to read the tell-tale clues the water left behind, giving us confidence in that conclusion.
way turns
There's no way to actually turn the rover off.
remember scientist i-can
I can't ever remember not wanting to be a scientist.
rocks looks cleaning
The rocks, to a great extent, look swept clean. It's a much cleaner surface than what we had a right to hope for.
trying stuff figure-skating
That's really what science is just trying to figure stuff out, and I like figuring stuff out.
mistake thinking views
Is there water still on Mars? I don't have a view on that because we don't have good data to answer that question. One of the biggest mistakes you can make if you're a scientist is to think you know the answer, or wish for a certain answer, before you actually have it.