In this episode, Chris Mattmann shares how NASA is continuously in search of intelligent innovations everywhere. Although most people associate NASA with images beamed back from Mars, Mattmann shares how his work also helped journalists in government track international financial crime amongst the world’s elite by uncovering insights in the Panama Papers, which won the Pulitzer Prize in Journalism in 2017.

Chris also shares how every dollar spent in space comes back fivefold on earth. For example, if you look at the evolution of the iPhone camera over the last 15 years, the seamless technology for these cameras came from space and originated from a Caltech patent. He also shares how investments in space have led to innovation around regenerative food and different types of sustainable food.

There are many examples of innovation in our daily lives that all came from explorations of Mars and interstellar space. But if you would like to hear more about what he believes is the greatest innovation of all time, listen to the full episode.

Guest Details:

Name: Chris Mattmann, PhD.
Title: Chief Technology and Innovation Officer 
Company: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Twitter LinkedInInstagramWebsite

Chris Mattmann is the Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where his work has helped NASA explore space, and journalists and governments track international financial crime amongst the world’s elite across the globe.

Chris is best known for his 20-year career inventing the most downloaded software on the planet, and creating technology that powers all the data systems in the industry. Tika, the “digital babel fish” is the key technology that solved the Panama Papers and won the Pulitzer Prize in Journalism in 2017.