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Jeff Jones and Tom Weber

The man behind the Mars rover on exploring space

An illustration of the Mars rover.
An illustration of the Mars rover.
Courtesy of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech

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Kobie Boykins
Kobie Boykins
Courtesy of NASA

Kobie Boykins is one of the few people on Earth who can truly call themselves a Mars explorer. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer designed critical parts of all the NASA spacecraft that have roamed the red planet in the last two decades. His solar arrays helped power the Opportunity rover long after its expected lifespan on Mars.

More recently, he helped create the Mars Science Laboratory, called Curiosity, that landed in 2012. Boykins is also on the front lines of science communication for NASA. He speaks about Mars and the future of space exploration at the Fitzgerald Theater Thursday night at 7 p.m. as part of the National Geographic Live series.

Use the audio player above to hear Boykins' interview with host Tom Weber.

Gallery
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Kobie Boykins at work in NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab.
Kobie Boykins at work in NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab.
Courtesy of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
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Illustration of the Mars rover.
Illustration of the Mars rover.
Courtesy of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech
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Martian panorama photographed by the rover, Curiosity.
Martian panorama photographed by the rover, Curiosity.
Courtesy of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech