More women should pursue careers in space research: Indian-American scientist Swati Mohan

Kolkata: Indian-American scientist Swati Mohan, who migrated to the US at a very young age, emphasised the importance of increasing the representation of women in space research.

Speaking at a programme at the Birla Industrial & Technological Museum here as part of National Science Day celebrations, Mohan noted the evolving landscape of opportunities for women in the field of space research.

Reflecting on her own journey, Mohan highlighted that when she began her career in space research, there were few women in the field.

However, she expressed optimism about the changing scenario and encouraged more women to pursue careers in space research worldwide.

While she didn't provide specific figures regarding the number of women space researchers, Mohan expressed her desire to see a higher participation of women in the field.

She emphasized the need for increased representation of women, stating, "The number should be higher." Mohan, known for her leadership in the guidance, navigation, and control operations of NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, shared her decision to pursue physics over biology, which ultimately led her to intern at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She had joined NASA as a missions operation systems engineer in 2004.

Her passion for exploring the solar system drove her to work on guidance, navigation, and control systems.

Regarding collaboration between NASA and ISRO, Mohan mentioned the NISAR (NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite project, which is slated for a 2024 launch, aims to observe natural processes and changes in Earth's ecosystems, providing crucial data on environmental changes.

Expressing enthusiasm for more collaborations between India and the US in space research, Mohan praised ISRO's achievements in recent years.

Asked about increasing funding for space research, Mohan suggested that countries such as India and the US should consider allocating more resources to support scientific exploration.

Sharing her inspiration from watching the show Star Trek during her childhood, Mohan highlighted the vast unknowns of the universe and the ongoing efforts to explore and understand it.

As part of the National Science Day commemoration, BITM organized various popular science lectures, including an interactive session on biodiversity conservation, a talk show on the discovery of the Raman effect, and a session featuring Dr. Swati Mohan's personal journey as a NASA scientist, in collaboration with the US Consulate.