Although IWD is celebrated on March 8th, there are so many women whose work has improved numerous lives throughout the world, some of who are our very own, within the IAM. Throughout the month of March we will feature women from different parts of the world and historical eras to remind us that the women’s movement indeed has deep and long roots. Follow us as we learn together about women who have left a mark on history and society.
Not only the face of the Perseverance landing mission on Mars, she is also the guidance and controls operations lead for the Perseverance rover mission, NASA’s most sophisticated spacecraft to date. Swati was born in India and moved to the U.S. with her parents when she was one year old. She studied mechanical and aerospace engineering at Cornell University, followed by a master’s degree and doctorate in aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Before her work on Perseverance, she was a part of space exploration efforts such as Cassini, a spacecraft that unearthed countless discoveries about Saturn, and GRAIL, a mission that sent twin spacecraft around the moon.
Her phrase and voice will mark history, as she announced to the world, “Touchdown confirmed. Perseverance safely on the surface of Mars, ready to begin seeking the signs of past life.”
