QUESTION:
It is my understanding that a Malian mathematician was instrumental in the
development of the Soujouner rover. If so, who is this person and where can
I find more information about him or her?

ANSWER from J. Matijevic on November 18, 1997:
You are probably thinking of Cheick Diarra, who actually manages our
outreach program for the Mars Exploration directorate.  I'm not sure of
Cheick's educational background, but before he began doing the "outreach"
job, Cheick did work on the navigation and trajectory design of the mission
for the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft.  Cheick did not work specifically on the
development of the "Sojourner" rover.

J. Matijevic