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Emily Lakdawalla, Senior Editor of the Planetary Society and self-described \u201cPlanetary Evangelist,\u201d and Googler Scott Maxwell, a former JPL engineer, engage in a delightful discussion about her new book, The Design and Engineering of Curiosity: How the Mars Rover Performs Its Job. Taking over four years to write, this book is an in-depth exploration of the incredible design and engineering of the most complex robot ever built by NASA, including all of the obstacles and solutions that one would expect from such a groundbreaking project.

This book has been described as \u201cdestined to be the final word on the detailed story behind this amazing, epic and continuing scientific adventure.\u201d Ashwin Vasavada, chief scientist on the Curiosity mission, said, \u201cIf the Curiosity rover had a glove compartment, you\u2019d find this book inside of it.\u201d

Listen to their scintillating discussion about all the details you\u2019ve ever wanted to know -- why there are holes in the wheels, for example, and what those holes \u201cspell\u201d on the ground when they leave their mark on the dusty Mars surface. Or learn how Curiosity takes its own selfies, and how the picture for the cover of the book was created. After hearing this discussion, you\u2019ll find that you\u2019re more curious about Curiosity than ever before!

Get the book here: https://goo.gl/P48mWm

Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

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