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findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are
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LIVE FROM MARS: lfm
Charles Whetsel
Spacecraft Systems Engineer
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
UPDATE: (October 14, 2001) Charles Whetsel has been named Chief Engineer of the Mars Program, a position he has held in an acting capacity since February.
As chief engineer, Whetsel will lead the technical development of all current and
future Mars missions. Along with other members of the Mars Program staff, he will
identify promising mission architectures and technologies, while resolving technical
issues affecting multiple projects within the existing Mars Program. He will also lead
the Mars Program Systems Engineering Team, comprised of senior engineers from across
NASA and other key international space agencies participating in the cooperative
exploration of Mars.
Who I Am
As a spacecraft systems engineer on the Mars Global Surveyor Project, I am responsible
for making sure that the spacecraft we are building will meet all of the scientific
objectives that we have planned for our mission.