Page 20 - The Indian EYE 022621

North The Indian Eye

AmERIcANnewsline

20 February 26, 2021

sWati moHan

the indian american face

of successful mission to mars

In the NASA control room, a bindi-clad scientist was in command when Perseverance

rover made a landing on the red planet

Our Bureau

New York

he National Aeronautics
and Space Administra-
Ttion’s (NASA) Persever-
ance rover on last Thursday
successfully touched down on
the surface of Mars after sur-
viving a blazing seven-minute
plunge through the Martian at-
mosphere. Among the scientists
who are part of this historic mis-
sion, Indian-American Dr Swati
Mohan spearheaded the devel-
opment of attitude control and
the landing system for the rover.
“Touchdown confirmed! Perse-
verance is safely on the surface
of Mars, ready to begin seeking
the signs of past life,” exclaimed
NASA engineer Dr Swati Mo- first time, she was quite astound- nary. Everyone is respectful of Q&A on NASA’s website. “The
han. ed by the beautiful depictions of each other. And I think that’s vastness of space holds so much
When the world watched the the new regions of the universe part of the reason that Perse- knowledge that we have only
dramatic landing, in the con- that they were exploring. She verance was able to succeed… I begun to learn.”
trol room, calm and composed had immediately realized that definitely think diversity helps Still, she thought she would
bindi-clad Dr Mohan was com- she wanted to do that and “find with innovation,” she said in an grow up to become a pediatri-
municating and coordinating new and beautiful places in the interview. cian. It wasn’t until she took her
between the GN&C subsystem universe.” Not only is Mohan a pivotal first physics class at age 16 that
and the rest of the project’s “I was a year old when my player in the effort to determine she began considering a career
team. Apart from being the lead family moved from India to the whether there was ever life on in engineering, which would al-
systems engineer during the US. I am Indian as much as I am the red planet; she’s also a re- low her to follow her childhood
development process, she also American. I still have a lot of flection of the progress NASA dreams of exploring space.
looks after the team and sched- family in India that we try and has made in reflecting the na- Dr Mohan holds a Bachelor
ules the mission control staffing visit when we’re able. My par- tion it represents. Mohan has of Science degree in Mechani-
for GN&C. ents raised me with strong Indi- been interested in space ever cal and Aerospace Engineering
NASA scientist Dr Mo- an values and I feel like they did since she saw her first “Star from Cornell University and
han emigrated from India to a good job at helping us balance Trek” television episode at age completed her MS and PhD
America when she was just one- both cultures… I would have 9. It opened up her world to from MIT in Aeronautics/As-
year-old. She spent most of her to say that, in my perspective, the beauty and expanse of the tronautics.
childhood in the Northern Vir- JPL is incredibly diverse. I am universe. “I remember think- While she has been a mem-
ginia-Washington DC metro not the only woman of color. I ing ‘I want to do that. I want to ber of the Perseverance Rover
area. At the age of 9, after hav- am not the only Indian woman find new and beautiful places in mission since the beginning at
ing watched ‘Star Trek’ for the or the only woman or non-bi- the universe,’” she recalled in a Continued on next page... >>

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