Edward Wong, an Arcadia resident since 1993, is a Principle Engineer and Technical Group Leader at JPL He was the technical manager for the design of guidance and control flight software for the Mars Curiosity Mission.

Edward explained the planning required for the 8-½ month trip to Mars. The Rover was designed with six wheels with the capacity to climb a 45-degree slope. It was equipped with nuclear cameras, a robotic arm and equipment to study the climate and biology of Mars. It had to be designed to withstand the extreme temperature variations of the planet.

The $2.5-billion spacecraft arrived on Mars on Aug. 6, 2012. Edward described the landing of the craft on the surface of Mars. First the unit had to go through a re-entry phase; next a parachute was deployed to slow the descent. Then the chute was jettisoned and a skycrane was used to softly lower the Rover to the surface. It gently touched the ground about the same moment the skycrane severed the link and flew away. There were “Seven Minutes of Terror” while scientist on earth, waited for a signal that let them know the landing was successful. Edward and his coworkers are to be congratulated for accomplishing such an outstanding feat.