Perseverance Time: Mars Landing Challenge with Luis Velasco

Feb. 18, 2021 will mark the historic landing of Mars Perseverance rover. The name “Perseverance” was assigned to the rover months prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the last months of the mission required perseverance from all to ensure a successful launch. But the most challenging phase of the mission is yet to come – the entry, descent and landing (EDL) of the rover on Mars. The process is known by NASA as the “Seven Minutes of Terror.” In this lecture, Luis Velasco will briefly describe the mission, challenges, status, seven minutes of terror and his participation on the mission.

Velasco is the Mars 2020 mission Cruise, Entry, Descent and Landing (CEDL) systems mechanical design lead and performs advance mobility simulations for the Mars 2020 Rover. He participated in the development of new technologies for the EDL and other Terrain-Relative Navigation. He is currently transitioning to a new mission: Europa Clipper.

He was born in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico. After finishing high school at age 17, he moved to the U.S. and earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from BYU. He worked for several companies including Siemens and TRW Aeronautical Systems before landing at the NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in January 2004, right after the two Mars Explorer rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, had successfully arrived on Mars.

Velasco was honored in 2018 with JPL’s prestigious Bruce Murray Award for his efforts on “International Collaboration” and in September 2019 received the Voyager Award for demonstrating “Excellence in Leadership” on the Mars 2020 CEDL project. He serves as a volunteer in several organizations and is the co-founder and president of the Cluster Espacial Red Global MX (Professional International Organization of Mexicans Abroad in Space). He is chair of the Board of Directors of Mundo Maya Foundation and is coordinator of the Education, Science and Technology Committee of Mexico Innova. He also founded the Red de Talentos Mexicanos en el Exterior - Los Angeles Chapter and the BYU Management Society – Hispanic Chapter. He is former president of Amigos Unidos of JPL and is a member of the JPL Speakers Bureau.

Velasco loves water sports, folklore, Latin dancing, travel and conferences, and enjoys projects on innovation, technology, international collaboration and entrepreneurship. He wants to write a book and is considering traveling to and colonizing Mars. He is an incurable dreamer! His most valued treasures are his family, friends and project collaborators.

The Fifty and Better program (FAB) was designed to offer university-level courses (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals 50 years of age and older in our community. When COVID-19 erupted and the first-ever offering of in-person courses had to be postponed indefinitely, we responded by moving the courses to a virtual (online) environment using Zoom.

 This two-hour lecture is free.

Register

Register by 5 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 6