Meet the Drivers Behind NASA's Mars Rovers

Posted by Zonk on Friday November 16, 2007 @08:23AM from the best-game-ever dept.

StonyandCher writes "Scott Maxwell must have one of the best IT jobs in the solar system, driving NASA's Mars Rovers. Behind every robot is a driver. He's one of 14 Rover Drivers that work in NASA's California-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Maxwell discusses what makes up an average work day, the highlights of the project, how he got the job, and the tools he uses in his work. A great look at the team of dedicated IT workers behind the robots, plotting the every move of NASA's twin robot geologists, Spirit and Opportunity, since they first landed on Mars at the start of 2004."

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IT? by Anonymous Coward · 2007-11-16 08:33 · Score: -1, Offtopic

Since when is Aerospace Engineer or Scientist an IT job?

Yes, the rovers use a Microprocessor, but what does not today?

Is a Truck driver an IT professional because the truck has an engine management system?

A Clerk is and IT professional because the barcode reader is on an ethernet?