David Blake: Who's Who at NASA

Published: Feb. 1, 2015, 5 p.m.

David Blake developed the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) X-ray diffraction instrument. The powder-handling device, now featured on the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity, won Blake the 2010 NASA Commercial Government Invention of the Year award. His technology allowed scientists to analyze the billion-year-old rocks on the Red Planet.