The thing that sets Mars apart is that it is the one planet that is enough like Earth that you can imagine life possibly once having taken hold there.

Is there water still on Mars? I don't have a view on that because we don't have good data to answer that question. One of the biggest mistakes you can make if you're a scientist is to think you know the answer, or wish for a certain answer, before you actually have it.

I want to make as many people as possible feel like they are part of this adventure. We are going to give everybody a sense of what exploring the surface of another world is really like.

Having been given that public trust, we have a responsibility to share with the public.

That's really what science is just trying to figure stuff out, and I like figuring stuff out.

I can't ever remember not wanting to be a scientist.

My style of leadership is to lead with the lightest touch that I possibly can.