Any opinions,
findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are
those of the developer, PASSPORT TO KNOWLEDGE, and do not necessarily
reflect those of the National Science Foundation.
LIVE FROM MARS: lfm
Steve Wall
Advanced Projects Design Team Leader
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
How I Got to Where I Am
I always liked to discover new things. I liked finding a new kind of bug in my yard,
or finding a new path through the woods in my neighborhood. When my dad gave me a corner
in our basement for my own, I started building things: boxes, wheels, whatever I could
think of. Then I started to focus on what I liked best and what I seemed to be good at.
By the time I got to high school I knew I wanted to be a scientist. At North Carolina
State University I studied physics, then I went to the University of Rochester for a
Masters degree in engineering. NASA offered me my first real job and I learned how to
design space instruments. I was lucky enough to work on the Viking Mission, where I
helped design and build the cameras that would take the first close-up pictures of Mars.
I liked trying to explain the pictures and won a research contract with the Mars Data
Analysis program that moved me to JPL.
Likes/Dislikes About Job
I like building teams and getting them together to accomplish things. I like to find
mysteries and explain them. I really like being able to do field work when I go to
far-away places to compare them with what we see from space or what we find on other
planets. Mostly I enjoy knowing that I am part of a giant learning experience that just
keeps going. What I like the least is getting distracted from all the little things that
don't really matter. Sometimes I get surprised and find little things that really do
contribute to the experience after all.