Working for the American space agency NASA is a dream for many space enthusiasts and scientists. The same dream was realized by an Indian woman who became the first Indian woman to collaborate on her NASA Mars rover mission, which involved collecting samples from the planet to bring back to Earth. The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon-to-Mars exploration approach, which also includes the Artemis mission to the Moon to help prepare for human exploration of Mars.
Rocket scientist Dr. Akshata Krishnamurthy took to Instagram to share his inspirational and motivational journey with the space agency. She has her Ph.D. She received her PhD in aerospace from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Krishnamurthy joined the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a NASA-owned laboratory, to work on projects for NASA.According to the lab Websiteemploys both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals.
In a post on the social media platform, she said she came to the United States more than a decade ago to lead groundbreaking science and robotics operations on Earth and Mars. “I came to the United States a little more than 13 years ago with only one dream: to work for NASA and lead groundbreaking science and robotics operations on Earth and Mars.” She said that everyone told her that it was impossible for a person to achieve such a feat. “Everyone I met told me that this was impossible for foreigners with visas and that I had to either have a plan B or change fields completely. Thank goodness I persisted until I got it. I found a way!” she added.
“From getting my PhD at MIT to knocking on hundreds of doors to get hired full-time at NASA, nothing has come easy. We are working on several exciting space missions, including the Perseverance rover, which will collect .
Concluding her post, she said, “No dream is too big or crazy.” She said, “Believe in yourself, keep your blinkers on, and keep working. I promise you, if you work hard, you will reach your goals.”
The scientist has also held leadership positions on a variety of NASA missions, including the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, the ArcSecond Space Telescope that enables astrophysical research, and the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar. According to her LinkedIn profile, she is also a researcher on her NASA research and development grants, mission concept proposals, and mission design studies.
Since being shared, her post has garnered 1.9 million views and 65,000 likes.
“The fact that you still represent the Indian flag,” the user said.
“Women like you are an inspiration to aspiring female youth leaders!!” one user said.
A third added: “I really hope you get the recognition you deserve.”
“MIT and NASA? Living the dream, girl,” one person added.
“True heroes of our society” Read comments