Martian Footprint

Adam Steltzner PhD1999 has eclectic interests. The lead engineer on NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover, he’s also an avid rock-’n’-roll drummer. This sculptural tribute combines the different sides of Steltzner’s personality, linking drumsticks with a small image of Martian landscape: the tire tread represents the footprint left behind by one of Curiosity’s six wheels, as shown in a photo it sent back to Earth. Curiosity launched from Florida on November 26, 2011 and parachuted down into the Gale Crater on August 6, 2012. Though initially intended for a two-year mission, the rover continues to examine Martian geology and climate, and NASA has extended its mission indefinitely.