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Meet: Dave Lavery
Program Executive for Solar and Planetary ExplorationNASA
Dave Lavery is the Program Executive for Solar System Exploration at NASA headquarters, where he is the Telerobotics Technology Program Manager. He is responsible for the early development of space science and exploration missions, including projects to Mars, comets, asteroids, and the outer planets. He was a field party member of the Dante I and Dante II projects, which developed robots to explore volcanoes in the Antarctic and Alaska. His research program developed the Sojourner planetary rover, which landed on Mars on July 4, 1997 as part of the Mars Pathfinder mission. The program is also developing the AERcam and Ranger STX robotics that may one day be used to repair and maintain satellites in low Earth orbit.
What did you want to be when you were 10 years old?
Ever since I first saw John Glenn and the other Mercury astronauts fly into space, and later when I watched Neil Armstrong take the first step on the moon, I knew that being involved with space exploration was something I had to do. There was never a question in my mind about IF I would be involved with the space program, the only thing I had to figure out was HOW I was going to do it. And now I have the coolest job in the world. Every day, I get to live out a dream that I have had since I was six years old - to explore Space!
Who inspired you to pursue your current career?
At first, my sights were set directly on becoming an astronaut, and being just like Glenn and Armstrong. But I found that my poor eyesight would not let me pass the physical evaluations required to become an astronaut (since then, the standards have become more relaxed and my vision imperfections would not be considered an issue today). I tried to find out what other options would allow me to participate. My high school computer science teacher, Gretchen Goswich, helped me realize that one way to work in the space program would be to get involved in the development of the machines and technology that NASA used to conduct their research. I recognized that computer systems were one of the tools that were used throughout spacecraft systems, and that might be an avenue toward a career with NASA.
What educational background do you have, and is it typical of your field?
I pursued a degree in computer science, and got a job with a NASA contractor once I finished my degree. After several years as a contractor, which gave me time to really learn about and understand NASA and where in the organization I might like to work, I switched over to become a direct NASA employee. I pursued my education and conducted graduate work in computer science and artificial intelligence (AI), and I became involved with the NASA robotics and AI research program.
What kinds of things do you find most exciting about your work?
Over the past seventeen years with NASA I have been involved with sending robots into active volcanoes in Antarctica and Alaska, putting robots under the Antarctic ice shelf, remotely controlling robots navigating through Indian reservations, working in a space suit in a simulated zero-gravity environment with a robot, helping robots cut 100 acres of alfalfa in California, flying in the NASA zero-gravity aircraft (called the "Vomit Comet"), sending robots into space on the Space Shuttle, and sending the rover Sojourner to Mars as part of the Mars Pathfinder mission. These, and many other projects I have been able to work with, have made my job very exciting, unpredictable, challenging, and more fun than I would ever have imagined.
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