Dr. Deborah Bass lives in the Los Angeles area and is currently the Psyche Mission Manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she started as a research scientist more than two decades ago. Deborah and host Michael Whidden know each other through Michael’s wife Christie.
Deborah discusses her inspiring path from high school to university geology major to extraterrestrial geology specialization and the inspiration she drew, early on, from seeing a fellow woman in the field. She shares details about her exciting current project -- a mission to asteroid Psyche-16 -- including some of its cutting edge technology and how complex and interdependent such a team is. Deborah explains the realism of a few iconic sci-fi movies, Matt Damon's "The Martian" and Jody Foster's "Contact," and shares her thoughts on whether we are alone in this universe. She also discusses how she recharges in the idyllic rural setting of her home and by making sourdough bread and exploring California wines.
Deborah draws hope from Generation Z, which she observes has a good understanding of what really matters and is interested in making the world a better place.
