Indian-born space scientist gives wings to the space dreams of poor desi students | India News

Meet Priya Patel. A 25-year-old Indian-born space scientist who has trained and worked with NASA space agencies and the European Space Agency (ESA) on key interplanetary missions and aspires to be a full-fledged astronaut in order to become the first Indian to reach the Moon and Mars, created an NGO in the United States to “provide resources to young Indian students from underprivileged socio-economic strata in order to introduce them to space installations abroad”.
Priya, who received her Masters in Space Science Engineering from University College London in 2017 and is currently pursuing her PhD at the same university in coordination with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a telephone interview, told TOI that “The idea behind the creation of an NGO The Sharda Foundation, named after my grandmother, is to bring talented and passionate Indian students to a space agency abroad, be it NASA or ESA, to allow students to discover space culture in various countries. I want to bring resources to my home country where there is a lot of talent and passion for space exploration ”.

“My parents gave me these opportunities thanks to the sacrifices they made when they left India. I was fortunate enough to have this experience but now I want to make sure that such experiences are shared with those who are really passionate about the space, but don’t have the resources to follow their passion ”, the space engineer, who is also training to become an aerobatic pilot, TOI said.
Priya, who was born in the town of Kadi in Gujarat and educated in Gandhinagar before moving to London in 2005, received her bachelor’s degree in physics from Imperial College London. Besides her space projects, she has also “trained in Bharatanatyam for over 12 years and participated in various national and international performances”.
The 25-year-old is currently working on collecting atmospheric data from NASA’s Perseverance Rover, which landed on the Red Planet on February 18 of this year, to study the presence of water on Mars. She had previously analyzed data from the Mars climate sounder aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to conduct Martian atmospheric research. “To work with NASA on a fantastic mission (Perseverance) is truly a dream come true and I am happy to represent Indian women in STEM,” she said.

Priya worked at ESA as a systems engineer on an upcoming gravitational wave detection mission called Laser Interferometry Space Antenna (LISA), which will be the first gravitational wave space observatory to be launched in 2034, and is also engaged in the ESA The Exomars rover which will be launched next year to measure water on Mars. “I am extremely fortunate to work alongside experts from around the world who inspire me for my work,” she said.
She is also passionate about STEM advocacy and is part of the ‘Rocket Women’ team, a team aimed at empowering Indians, especially Indian girls, to choose a STEM career, while providing support, encouragement. and above all a community.