On the flip side, I'm totally out at work. When I meet a new colleague (JPL is a big place with over 5000 people), we usually engage first on a professional level. But it usually isn't long before we talk about our personal lives, or maybe they see me wearing a shirt with a Pride flag or a message like "Love Conquers Hate.” I think it's important for me to present that aspect of myself openly so they feel free to talk about it.

Are there queer role models or mentors working in STEM who motivated you in your career?

There were two people, professors at Caltech, who were out when I was a graduate student there. Though they didn’t work on spacecraft or interplanetary instruments, they were and are highly respected members of their fields… By their example, they showed me that, at Caltech at least, their identities weren't something they had to hide. I’m sure this had at least a subconscious influence on me and my decisions not to hide myself. It felt good to not be the only gay man in that department; it helped me feel comfortable and safe.

Have you ever had concerns about staying closeted in academic or professional settings?

No, that's something I decided to never compromise on. About 10 years ago, I started wearing that Pride pin — the same one I wore on landing day. I don't wear it every day at work, but it would be there on my shirt whenever I'd give a public talk, or a scientific lecture, or a television interview, or just met with colleagues from other NASA centers. It's been my way of combating LGBTQIA invisibility, and I encourage others in STEM fields to do likewise.

The most powerful thing you can ever do for someone else is to show them that they are not alone. There's a general rule-of-thumb in my line of work: There is either none of a thing (it does not exist), there is one of a thing (it is an anomaly brought about by random and unlikely processes), or there's tons of a thing (it happens all the time throughout the universe).

I've reached scores of people who may have felt alone in one way or another. I've received tear-jerking letters from gay scientists thanking me for being so public and open. So I feel like I'm helping people who may have felt like the anomaly in their world — the "only one of a thing." Seeing me, they realize there just might be lots of people like them and suddenly they aren't alone at all.

What is your connection to the leather community?

Oh, that's been a part of me for a long time. Not as long as space and science perhaps, but the attraction has been undeniable ever since I saw my first Tom of Finland drawing. I attended my first leather event in January 2001 before starting grad school, and I found a family I didn't know I'd been missing.

I think that public openness about our desires, desires that broader society tells us must always be private, allows us to connect with each other on very deep and meaningful levels.

Any kind of exploration is similar in some way — you’re trying to figure out something you don’t know. You’re letting out some expression of yourself, you’re seeing inside people, seeing what makes another person tick.

Thinking back to the person you were at the start of your career, what would you have thought of the work and life that you have today?

I don't think 2008-era me would be surprised about anything I'm doing. I think I knew that being at JPL, I'd eventually have the opportunity to operate scientific instruments on another planet. InSight is a culmination of my dream to be on Mars, even if it's through a robotic proxy. But there's lots more space and plenty of worlds to explore, so I'll keep exploring as long as I'm able.

I’m proud that I get to do this. I am who I am, and I get to show that to the world. Who else gets to say that on Mars?

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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