Swati Mohan, an Indian-American scientist who moved to the US at a young age, stressed the importance of increasing female representation in space research. Speaking at a program at the Birla Industrial & Technological Museum as part of National Science Day celebrations, Mohan highlighted the growing opportunities for women in space research.
Recalling her own journey, Mohan noted the scarcity of women in space research when she started her career but expressed optimism about the changing landscape, encouraging more women worldwide to pursue careers in the field. Though she didn’t provide specific figures, Mohan expressed a desire for greater female participation in space research.
Highlighting the necessity for increased female representation, Mohan emphasized, “The number should be higher.” Renowned for her leadership in NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover’s guidance, navigation, and control operations, Mohan shared her decision to pursue physics, leading to her internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2004.
Driven by her passion for exploring the solar system, Mohan worked on guidance, navigation, and control systems. She mentioned the NISAR satellite project, a collaboration between NASA and ISRO scheduled for launch in 2024, aiming to observe natural processes and changes in Earth’s ecosystems.
Expressing enthusiasm for more India-US collaborations in space research, Mohan commended ISRO’s recent achievements. Regarding funding for space research, she suggested countries like India and the US allocate more resources to support scientific exploration.
Inspired by watching Star Trek during her childhood, Mohan highlighted humanity’s ongoing efforts to explore and understand the vast unknowns of the universe. BITM arranged diverse science lectures for National Science Day, covering topics like biodiversity, the Raman effect discovery, and Dr. Swati Mohan’s NASA journey, with support from the US Consulate.
