Dave Lavery

About Dave Lavery

Mr. Lavery is responsible for management of the design and development of the next generation of Mars exploration spacecraft, and advanced technologies to enable them. Mr. Lavery is currently the Program Executive for Mars Science Laboratory mission, which landed on Mars in August 2012, and the Europa Clipper mission, which will launch toward Jupiter in 2024. He also oversees the development of the Mars Helicopter technology demonstration carried aboard the Perseverance Mars Rover, which landed on Mars in February 2021, and the MOMA-MS instrument for the ExoMars Rover mission in 2022. These active projects have a combined total budget of $7.5 billion. Previously he was the Program Executive for the Mars Exploration Rover mission which landed the Spirit and Opportunity rovers on Mars in January 2004, and the US components of the joint European-U.S. Mars Express mission, which has been operating at Mars since 2004. Prior to that, Mr. Lavery directed the NASA Telerobotics Technology Program for 12 years. There, he was responsible for the content and direction of the NASA robotics and planetary exploration research efforts, establishing national space robotics technology policy and procedures, developing agency efforts in space robotics technology, and integrating and directing national efforts for the development of the space robotics industry.While at NASA, Mr. Lavery participated in the field parties for the Dante I and Dante II projects, deploying robotic rovers inside active volcanoes in Antarctica and Alaska in 1992-94. He was the program manager for AERcam/Sprint, a self-contained, free-flying robotic camera platform for the Space Shuttle, and program manager for the Sojourner planetary rover, which landed Mars in 1997.He also founded and directs the NASA Robotics Alliance Project, including NASA participation in the FIRST robotics competition program. This project focuses on exposing high school students to real engineering challenges by having them work side-by-side with professional engineering mentors. Under his leadership for the last 27 years, the project now directly supports and impacts over students participating in robotics competition programs.Mr. Lavery has received the Edwin F. Church Medal for outstanding mechanical engineering education from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Joseph Engelberger Medal for outstanding leadership from the Robotics Industries Association, and the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal for excellence in federal civil service from the Partnership for Public Service.

Experience

1. Program Executive for Solar System Exploration

   NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

   May 1986 — Present · DC, US

   Mr. Lavery is responsible for executive oversight of the design and development of the next generation of Mars exploration spacecraft, and the advanced technologies to enable them. He is currently responsible for Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN Mission (MAVEN), Mars Exploration Rovers (MER), and the U.S. components of the European Space Agency’s Exo-Mars and Mars Express missions. He is also responsible for the Mars Advanced Technology Program that is creating new approaches to remote exploration by robotic systems. These projects have a total combined lifecycle budget of over $5 billion.

Education

• Virginia Tech

  BS, Computer Science

  1978 — 1982

• George Mason University

  Grad school, Computer Science/Artificial Intelligence

  1988 — 1992