The spectacular landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars represented an unprecedented engineering achievement. Two years into its mission, Curiosity remains the most complex spacecraft to ever land and operate on the surface of another planet. In his speech, Dr. John Grotzinger shares insights on the exploration of the unknown, the prowess of high technology, and the unique management strategies for supervising hundreds of staff members working in 13 different countries who are all operating under intense pressure. He explains the best-practice approach of “test as you fly, and fly as you test” resulting in significant risk reduction and outlines how his team confronted and resolved challenges, giving audiences practical takeaways about mission success while simultaneously inspiring and astounding them with unique and cutting-edge stories, video, and photos about space, NASA, and the unexplored territories of Mars.