Anita Sengupta’s childhood fascination with science fiction and curiosity led her to a career as a project manager in NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. advertisement advertisement She helped design the 70-foot parachute that slowed the descent of the Curiosity rover so it could land safely on Mars in 2012, and she’s currently working on an experiment intended to make its way to the International Space Station in 2016. Yet, at a conference a few years ago, Sengupta was struck by a thought as she listened to one of the speakers explain to the audience how appreciative he was of the mentors who’d had a hand in inspiring him and helping shape the direction of his career. “I sat there thinking, I’ve been working here for 10 years, and I never had that,” she said, lamenting the reality that there still aren’t enough women in her field that other women can look up to. “It was sad for me to come to that realization. But I think, … [Read more...] about What It’s Like To Be One Of The Few Female Aerospace Engineers
