Touchdown confirmed. The #CountdownToMars is complete, but the mission is just beginning. pic.twitter.com/UvOyXQhhN9
— NASA (@NASA) February 18, 2021
Swati Mohan, an Indian-American scientist, was in-charge of handling the controls and landing system of Mars Perseverance Rover when it landed on the Martian surface.
Mohan navigated a particularly difficult touchdown leading the landing system of the rover.
As it made the historic landing, Mohan announced “Touchdown confirmed!” She has been associated with Perseverance Rover since its establishment, and was working on the project for over seven years.
She was also a part of Nasa’s Cassini mission to Saturn.
Mohan moved to America when she just a year old. She spent her childhood in the Northern Virginia-Washington DC metro area.
If you watched the Mars landing today, the voice you heard was @DrSwatiMohan. She immigrated to the US from India at age 1, was inspired by Star Trek at 9, then earned a B.S from Cornell in mechanical and aerospace engineering, and an M.S. and Ph.D from MIT in aeronautics. pic.twitter.com/mHZQmz3iPD
— Paul Rogers (@PaulRogersSJMN) February 18, 2021
After watching ‘Star Trek’ for the first time at the age of 9, she was amused by the beautiful depictions of the new regions of the universe. She realised she wanted to find a new and beautiful place in the universe.
Though Mohan wanted to be a pediatrician initially, her first physics class and teacher changed her mind and made her consider engineering as a means to pursue her interest in space exploration.
After working on several projects, Mohan led one of the most ambitious missions to bring back rocks from Mars to find signs of ancient life on the Red Planet.
The independently led procedure was completed more than 11 minutes earlier, which is the period required for the radio signals to reach the Earth.
Also Read: Watch: Excitement grows as NASA rover streaks toward a landing on Mars
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