IceInSpace Interviews Professor Steve Squyres

[iceman (Mike)]

In the second instalment of the new Interviews feature, I was lucky enough to get a chance to talk to Professor Steve Squyres - the lead scientist and Principal Investigator for the Mars Rover Exploration (MER) Mission, which sent the two rovers Spirit and Opportunity to Mars, where they've been for over 1000 sols!

Steve talks openly about the mission, his past and future, the highlights and lowlights of the mission, as well as providing his thoughts on the recent announcement of new groundwater evidence taken by the MGS!

I was very excited to be able to interview Steve, as I've been a long-time fan and follower of his work. You can read the interview by clicking below:

IceInSpace Interviews Professor Steve Squyres

Many thanks to Steve for taking the time to respond to my questions, and I hope you all have as much fun reading the interview as I had in putting it together.

[iceman (Mike)]

Interview uploaded.

[ving (David)]

he does it again!

onya mike, i'll read it in a sec.

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

That's great Mike! Interviews give a whole new dimension to the site. Thanks to Steve Squyres and David Malin for time and contribution!

[Dennis]

What an enthralling and fascinating interview! Professor Squyres’ insights, dedication and impressive commitment to the mission and his other projects really shines through and makes the interview a very human, energising, inspirational and riveting read. You almost walk the tortuous journey with Professor Squyres and wonder at the obsessive dedication required to overcome the many hurdles, and accommodate the numerous sacrifices made along the way.

I also admire the strength of his wife and family in coping with the impact of the mission on their family life. It felt like an emotional roller coaster ride, reading about the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the successes and partial failures and I just had not appreciated how long it takes to get these missions off the drawing board – wow!

The keenness and enthusiasm of Mike also helped contribute to the very lively tempo of the interview – I particularly liked the question, and response, describing a typical “day at the office” in Professor Squyres life.

Reading about the working relationship and different, yet complementary skills and motivation of the scientific and engineering teams was also very illuminating.

Thanks guys – simply fantastic!

Dennis

[Ric]

Great interview Mike, a fascinating insight into the man behind the Rovers.

Great reading

[iceman (Mike)]

Thanks guys, and thanks Dennis for your great analysis.

It really was a thrill for me to interview Steve, and he's such a generous guy - giving of his time. He returned the answers to the interview in literally less than 1 day! A man with as much on his plate as he has, and he takes the time out to answer my questions in less than 1 day!

If you haven't done so yet, I'd highly recommend getting the "Roving Mars" book - it is a gripping read. I got my copy signed by Steve when he launched it back in August 2005.

[anj026]

Another great interview Mike, well done!
Opportunity and Spirit have been such a success and I am amazed that they have lasted so much longer than their designers expected. Professer Steve Squyres seems like a great guy and your interview has really shed light on the life of a planetary scientist.

Thanks