num_pages: 256
description: From Adam Steltzner who led the Entry Descent and Landing team in landing the Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars comes a profound book about breakthrough innovation in the face of the impossible The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is home to some of historys most jaw-dropping feats of engineering. When NASA needed to land Curiosity a 2000-pound $2.5 billion roveron the surface of Mars 140 million miles away they turned to JPL. Steltzners team couldnt test their kooky solution the Sky Crane. They were on an unmissable deadline and the world would be watching when they succeededor failed. At the helm of this effort was an unlikely rocket scientist and accidental leader Adam Steltzner. After barely graduating from high school he followed his curiosity to the local community college to find out why the stars moved. Soon he discovered an astonishing gift for math and physics. After getting his Ph.D. he ensconced himself within JPL NASAs decidedly unbureaucratic cousin where success in a mission is the only metric that matters. The Right Kind of Crazy is a first-person account of innovation that is relevant to anyone working in science art or technology. For instance Steltzner How his team learned to switch from fear-based to curiosity-based decision makingHow to escape The Dark Roomthe creative block caused by fear uncertainty and the lack of a clear path forwardHow to tell when were too in love with our own ideas to be objective about themand conversely when to fight for themHow to foster mutual respect within teams while still bashing bad ideas The Right Kind of Crazy is a book for anyone who wants to channel their craziness into creativity balance discord and harmony and find a signal in a flood of noise.
language: English
title: The Right Kind of Crazy: A True Story of Teamwork, Leadership, and High-Stakes Innovation
publisher: Portfolio