NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer, Adam Steltzner, speaks to students at Fresno’s Town Hall, Jan. 18.

Steltzner invented the revolutionary sky crane that landed on the surface of Mars Aug. 5, 2012. He led a team of NASA’s engineers who guided the rover, Curiosity, down into the the shadows of the Gale crater.

After high school, Steltzner was an aspiring rock star, when he became curious about space and astronomy. He took a course in astronomy and physics for poets, which was the class that sparked his interest about the laws governing the universe.

“Curiosity is the spark,” Steltzner said. “Exploration is the fire that burns from it.”

Speaking about human curiosity, he encourages us to keep exploring and to keep asking ourselves, “How grand are we?”

Steltzner will lead The Mars Sample Return in 2020.

For more Feather photos, visit media, photos 2016-17