Amazing Alumnus:

John Duxbury, ’61, College of Engineering

Current life role: Science and Payload manager for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter project, NASA

Is there life elsewhere in the universe?

Duxbury, who has spent virtually his entire professional career at the Jet Propulsion Lab, plays an integral role in NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter project that launched from Cape Canaveral in August 2005. He was responsible for overseeing a $100 million budget to develop the instruments, some of which were first-of-their-kind. This newest orbiter continues NASA’s quest to learn more about the water that scientist’s think once flowed over the Martian surface and the role it may have played in the development of life on the planet.

Duxbury says NASA is trying to get answers to questions about Mars such as: when was water present on the surface? How much water was present and where? Where did it go? And the million-dollar question: what is the potential for life elsewhere in the universe?

But the real payoff of the project “will be seen in our children and grandchildren’s time when we have our astronauts on Mars communicating back to Earth via Mars telecommunication satellites,” Duxbury says.

Working alongside the world’s best

Duxbury says his electrical engineering degree from Valpo has served him well over the years. “My VU degree prepared me for a strong start in entry-level aerospace engineering. The discipline of having to meet schedules (homework, test prep, lab experiment write-ups, etc.) was invaluable.” He adds, “I’ve had no problem dealing with some of the world’s renown intellects in fields of planetary science, space and military project management, and engineers representing a multitude of technical disciplines.”