Deal Talk With 7ma

Join 7MA Partner Leroy Davis as he sits down for a fireside chat with the Assistant Director for Science and Exploration Science Directorate at NASA Headquarters, Richard (Rick) Davis. On this special episode of Deal Talk, as part of the 2021 ACCESS Conference, they discuss Richard’s background and the fascinating work his team is doing on the Mission to Mars program. Leroy takes the opportunity to ask Rick how he first became interested in space, his involvement in the Mars Mission, and the technology behind the project. Private equity investors will be interested to hear Rick’s take on private equity, commercial involvement in space exploration, and how NASA and the government partner with private entities to advance space travel. Rick grew up on a farm outside of Charlottesville, Virginia, in a rural town called Happy Creek. There, the lack of light pollution means “the night skies are dark as anything and you could just see star fields like you wouldn't believe," he explains. "I remember walking outside a