Europa

"Being present at the grand finale event to celebrate Cassini's enormous success with my family and many of my colleagues was a truly special moment for me."

"Math is going to be the basis for all the science and engineering that you will have to do in the future."

"Remain open to the opportunities that present themselves and then embrace them and continue to learn and grow."

"In our line of work, Earth is another planet, the one we know best."

"There is no substitute for persistence. You must get all the training you need, and you must do well at it... that's a given."

"While serendipity has a role in being in the right place at the right time, a person can do a lot to maximize the chances of that happening."

"I knew I wanted to be an aerospace engineer the first time I saw 'Apollo 13,' after the scene where the engineers use the box of random junk to fix the CO2 filters and save the astronauts."

"The most exciting moments are the 'aha moments' when a scientific problem that you've been wrestling with suddenly falls into place."

"Science and math are part natural gifts and part practice. You don't have to be a genius to be successful."

"I always tell students that if you want it bad enough you can do it."

"I wanted to help build and operate the spacecraft systems that would enable us to further our understanding of the universe."

If you are doing something that makes you happy, you will work hard at it and you will be successful.

"Modeling satiated my creative and exploratory sides, but getting my education and pursuing engineering helped me become mentally stronger, more rational, and generally more content with my life."

"There will be times when you don't think you are doing the right thing, but don't make any hasty decisions. Just hang on in there."

"I never get over the thrill of getting to know something nobody else knows. I'm addicted to it, I admit."

Could there be life on Europa? "It’s not implausible. I think we’re a long way from being able to show it, to make the tests to determine whether it’s happened or not."

"Be bold. Search out people who work in your area of interest."

"Be tenacious. If you know you want to do something, go and find someone who will help you do it."

"Always try different things, and be open to an evolution of your interests."

"I realized I have a responsibility to share my knowledge and experiences with youth so that they know they, too, can work at NASA."

"My first personal connection with outer space occurred during the arrival of Voyager 2 at Neptune."

"No human had ever seen this landscape before. And the 20 of us were the ones who were seeing it exclusively."

"Even though I had only been on the (Cassini) project for four years, it really felt like a family."

"With a strong technical education, there are endless numbers of fascinating areas you can work in."

James Frederick “Jim” Bridenstine was sworn in as NASA’s 13th administrator on April 23, 2018.

"My job is to be the top advocate for planetary science in the federal government."

"Get lots of good chemistry, physics and math background in college."

Eric pioneered the use of stereo HDTV, IMAX, and digital cinema technology for the visualization of planetary surfaces and atmospheres.

"My favorite moment was the landing of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on Mars. It was amazing to be able to see the instruments that you had worked on actually sending back science data from Mars."

"Having a dream is a must. Having a plan is an excellent idea, but you also have to be willing to jump at unexpected opportunities. "

"The words that I truly believe have helped me succeed the most in program management are 'please' and 'thank you'."

"Don't worry about your exact path, but keep in mind where you want to end up."

"Most people think of the movie 'Men in Black' when they hear [my job title]."

"Study lots of math. Math is the language of science."

"My boss joked with me that if the critical Saturn orbit insertion maneuver didn’t go as planned, I might have the shortest career ever at JPL. Luckily, the maneuver went as planned."

"The great thing about being at NASA is that there are jobs for all types—whether it's engineering, science, finance, communication, law."

"Hmm, I can answer “favorite science fiction book”—can I do that? Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke. Unbelievably good. Written in the mid 1950s, which makes it all the more incredible."

"We are living in a new golden age of planetary exploration—there are spacecraft exploring the solar system from one end to the other."

"The wonder I had as a child for understanding the natural world around me still motivates me today."

"There's way too much exploring to be done for a 40-hour week."

"Most of my heroes have succeeded against the odds in some way."