How We Landed a Car on Mars: NASA's Jordan Evans at TEDxMidAtlantic 2012

Jordan Evans is the Engineering Development and Operations Manager for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) "Curiosity" rover project at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Since 2006, in both his current role and prior role as the Deputy Flight System Manager, Mr. Evans has led the MSL team through the challenges of Curiosity's design, development, testing and operations on the surface of Mars. His past projects and experience encompass a wide array of aerospace topics including the B-2 Stealth Bomber, Hubble Space Telescope, and a space-based Gravitational Wave Detector. Publications from Mr. Evans include papers on bonded joints, compensation for "self-gravity," systems engineering challenges, managing critical tests, and cleaning of instruments for detection of organics on Mars.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)