The news of the successful landing of NASA’s spacecraft ‘Perseverance’ on Mars was announced by Dr Swati Mohan, an Indian. The mission searches for life on Mars. Soon after she announced it from NASA’s control room, social media turned curious to know about her. ‘Who is Dr Swati Mohan?’, everyone asked. Even her ‘bhindi’ was trending on Twitter! She was called ‘The NASA girl with red bhindi’. Swati, a fan of the popular Star Trek series, wanted to know the secrets of the universe and hence explored space. One can summarise Swati Mohan just like that.
Since the NASA Mars 2020 Mission in 2013, Swati has been at the helm of Guidance, Navigation and Operations Controls at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She is also responsible for controlling the rover landing system and attitude control system. Before this, Dr Swati had served multiple NASA missions, including Cassini (mission to Saturn) and GRAIL (a pair of formation flown spacecraft to the Moon).
According to her NASA profile, Swati Mohan is a member of a family that immigrated to the US from India when she was only one year old. She grew up in Northern Virginia and graduated from Cornell University in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. She later earned a master’s degree and a PhD in aeronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Until the age of 16, Swati‘s dream was to become a paediatrician. She says she has always been interested in the space but was unaware of the opportunities to convert her passion into a profession. A Physics class at the age of 16 encouraged her to explore the space scenario. She decided to opt for engineering. As a child, Swati was influenced by science fiction. The Star Trek series which she saw at the age of nine inspired her to get to know the universe better. The girl who wanted to discover new and beautiful places in the universe now leads the Mars mission’s key departments – Guidance, Navigation, and Controls system. What an inspiring life!
GN&C controls the spacecraft’s entry, safe landing and landing location on Mars. Dr Swati Mohan is the main link in the project’s further communication. She also decides the GN&C procedures in the Mission Control Room. As NASA takes the next step to explore the mighty Mars, Dr Swati Mohan’s heart is beating with pride and excitement.
