An Interview with John Grotzinger

by Kylee Reed

Following our 2013 Distinguished Explorer Award event, I had the joy of interviewing Dr. Grotzinger exclusively for the Roy Chapman Andrews Society.  He was incredibly generous with his time and offered a great deal of wisdom and insight.  On behalf of the RCAS, I hope that you enjoy reading what follows.

Q: You had mentioned that during your youth, you hoped to grow up to be an explorer. If you could, share how your childhood self would have described what that word meant to him, and what that word means to you today.

A: For me exploration has always meant adventure, and the chance to try things out on your own. I enjoyed “book learning” but the most fun I had, and still have, is turning the corner and seeing what’s new.

Q: Your work and the work of your colleagues has been invaluable in terms of reinvigorating the public’s interest in space, technology, and innovation. For many, it seems as though Curiosity was something remarkable that just happened, rather than the result of years of hard work and research. In terms of an elemental dramatic structure, could you describe the “Story of Curiosity?” (e.g. – exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and dénouement).

A: Curiosity definitely didn’t just happen. For many of the team it began 10 years ago, even before Opportunity and Spirit landed. It was a very ambitious concept with a bold and daring landing system. The science goals – to explore for habitable environments – were guided by the past 20 years of modern microbiology, understanding the limits of procaryotic life. Our instruments were designed with the deliberate search in mind for the environments where these kinds of microbes could survive, if they had ever existed on Mars. The developmental phase of the mission featured many significant hurdles, including the very difficult decision to postpone launch in 2009 because development of the rover was behind schedule. But we recovered and then were able to meet the new schedule for launch in 2011. And then there was Seven Minutes of Terror, when we all wondered if the landing system would actually work, and now we’ve had Seven Months of Handwringing as we try out every system for the first time to make sure it works properly. It has, and now were securely on our way to some very cool science discoveries.

Q: When you were younger, what were some of your interests? (If you would like, you could talk about favorite musicians, books, films, etc.) Was there a person in your life who inspired you to pursue a life in the sciences/higher education?

A: When I was a kid I spent as much time as possible outdoors, in the neighborhood woods, fields, and streams. One of my favorite books was Thoreau’s “The Maine Woods” which I finally was able to explore (for real) in high school. In high school I was inspired by my biology and chemistry teachers. My biology teacher taught a course in ornithology that I loved, and it really allowed me to more fully appreciated what I had observed in our diversity of neighborhood wildlife.

Q: Your career achievements in science and in education are staggering. However, I am certain that it has not all been cake and roses. Was there a moment in your life that caused you to question yourself/your research/your field of study? How did you reconcile that doubt?

A: There were many times that formal education tested my patience. I just wanted to try things myself. At times I found myself questioning what I was doing in a field that required ten more years of education beyond high school. As a professor I can see that tendency in some of my own students on occasion, and then I’m motivated to take the extra time to help them find the light at the end of the tunnel.

Q: As a follow-up to the previous question, what words of wisdom and comfort might you offer to students and hopeful scientists today?

A: As Henry Ford once said: “Do what you love, love what you do, and don’t promise more than you can deliver”.

Q: Thus far, what has been your best memory associated with the Curiosity mission?

A: Much of my my life has been spent planning the next field site for exploration — whether my childhood neighborhood, the wilds of the Maine woods, a mapping area in northern Canada, which continent might preserve the best record of early animal evolution, or what spot on Mars to land Curiosity. From the first time I learned about Gale Crater – which Curiosity is now exploring – I wanted to go there. I just seemed like the right place. So when NASA announced that this was our destination I was thrilled.

Q: What do you think will be the next focus of NASA/JPL? What will follow up Curiosity’s performance, so to speak?

A: Mars sample return. Pick a place like Gale Crater, and build a rover that will collect samples to bring back to Earth and study. The additional science we’ll learn will be worth it alone. But there’s an extra motivation: if we ever want to land humans on Mars we’ll need to figure out a way to get them home. We’ve become pretty good at landing stuff on Mars but the next level is to bring something back.. Because Mars has gravity much greater than the Moon this will be a challenge, building a vehicle that can ascend from the surface of Mars.

Q: Ideally, what would you like to see accomplished with regards to space and space-related technologies over the next few decades?

A: Building the Mars Ascent Vehicle for sample return. It will be extremely challenging and probably very expensive but with strong public support it can be done.

(Interview conducted by Kylee Reed)