This week in the magazine, Burkhard Bilger writes about NASA's Curiosity rover mission. Here, Sasha Weiss talks with Bilger and his editor Cressida Leyshon about his career, which includes writing about Burmese pythons in Florida, police dogs in New York City, and short-order cooks in Las Vegas. Bilger explains how having a German engineer for a father shaped his interest in science, and how growing up in Oklahoma led to his interest into Southern subcultures (he's also written about coonhounds, cockfighting, and catfish noodling). He reveals how he got his start (writing love letters to his future wife), and how his approach to writing and reporting has developed over his career. Also, Jesse Eisenberg records a session with his therapist, Marv Albert.