Why Curiosity Matters

Adam Steltzner doesn’t sound much like an ordinary engineer.

For instance, when we asked him if he would talk about Curiosity—and explain why the Mars rover matters to ordinary people--the former rock-n-roller responded "I'm totally down with that."

He really is down with it. Steltzner is the NASA engineer who helped take the country's cool new Curiosity rover to the surface of Mars with moves – and flair – even Evel Knievel would envy.

Steltzner begins, "I'm so thankful to Clara Ma for suggesting the name 'Curiosity.' It embodies a fundamental attribute that defines us as humans. "

“Why do we explore? It’s our nature,” he says. “Human curiosity is why you and I can talk across the country by phone. It's why I'm sitting 60 feet above the ground in a building made of alloys and other high-tech composite materials. We dominate this planet because we wonder what's around the next corner."

When people ask Steltzner "Is the new rover worth 2 ½ billion dollars?" he has a compelling answer:

"It's not 2 ½ billion dollars we stuffed in a trunk and blew into space. It’s thousands of high tech jobs spread over 37 states. It's honing and developing our skills in science, engineering, and math."