Iowa State University alums-in-high-places Vance Coffman, former CEO at Lockheed Martin, and Dennis Muilenburg, who is chairman, president and CEO at Boeing Co., stopped by ISU last week to tell aerospace engineering students about the importance of innovation — and of going to Mars. “Innovating in the aerospace world is the lifeblood,” said Coffman, a 1967 graduate. “If you’re not innovating, you’re not going to have the next product that your customers want. Without it, you become second place.” Muilenburg, class of ’86, discussed plans for the new Space Launch System, expected to take people to Mars. “I think it’s an exciting time in the realm of space exploration,” Muilenburg said. “I’m hopeful that our country and our world will regain some of the momentum we had a few decades ago.”