For Anita Sengupta, sky is not the limit, it is just a beginning. The Indian-American has been at the forefront of several successful projects at US space agency NASA.
In a career spanning nearly two decades, the aerospace engineer has been developing technologies that have enabled the exploration of Mars, asteroids and deep space.
From 2012 to 2017, she headed the space agency’s project that helped NASA create the coldest spot in the universe which could be 10 billion times colder than the vacuum of space. After the successful completion of the project, Sengupta wrote on her Facebook wall.
“It was an honor and a passion to lead and develop the Cold Atom Laboratory for NASA from our original proposal in 2012 to 2017 for its final destination of the International Space Station. As an Indian person, to continue the ground breaking work of my fellow Bengali scientist Satyendra Bose (that later led to two nobel prizes in physics), as one of the few women of color at NASA to manage a mission, I trail blazed for those that come next.” Anita Facebook quote.
The former NASA scientist has a strong connection with India as her father is from West Bengal. She started her career working on the launch vehicles and communications satellites at Boeing Space and Communications.
She is currently leading Virgin’s Hyperloop project, a technology that could revolutionise travelling. Sengupta was the brain behind the supersonic parachute that helped in crucial landing of Nasa’s Curiosity rover on Mars in 2012. Sengupta is not just a successful space scientist but also “an aerospace engineer, pilot, professor, and public speaker, revolutionizing space exploration and green transportation.”
Her achievements are bound to inspire all of us.
