Nasa Engineer Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu designs the robotic arms on the Mars Rovers. He tells Claudia Hammond how to drive a robot on Mars, what findings from the Mars Landers which have surprised him the most and discusses whether we will ever be able to live on Mars. He has worked on many of the Mars missions including Phoenix and Curiosity and is now focussing on the Insight mission. This will launch in 2016 and for the first time will be able to drill into the crust of the Red Planet with the aim of revealing how terrestrial planets are formed.

Mr Trebi-Ollennu founded the Ghana Robotics Academy Foundation dedicated to encouraging the next generation of students in Ghana to take part in science projects. Together with the audience at the Wellcome Collection he discusses the fact that despite engineering being a traditionally male dominated field, they have attracted a high proportion of girls onto their workshops.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
(Photo: Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu. Credit:BBC) Show less