NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover successfully landed on the Red Planet on Friday (Feb. 19). It is interesting to note that the Indian-American Swati Mohan practically led Perseverance’s successful landing.
Swati Mohan was the first to confirm that the rover had landed successfully on the surface of Mars. “Touchdown confirmed,” said Operations Chief Dr Swati at around 3:55 PM Eastern Time (2055 GMT), as mission control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena celebrated the feat.
NASA has released a video of this moment showing Dr. Swati wearing a small bindi on her forehead. This quickly caught the attention of Desi Twitterati who absolutely loved the doctor’s look.
The parachute is deployed! @NASAPersevere is on its way to complete it #CountdownToMars pic.twitter.com/i29Wb4rYlo
– NASA (@NASA) February 18, 2021
After the photo went viral on Twitter, several users praised Dr Swati, calling her ‘lady with the bindi’. Some users also shared their stories with beloved bindi.
– I love how my Twitter feed loves to gain space – Striking how much more diverse NASA is than the years of white boys in a certain age group – That’s Dr. Swati Mohan, with a bindi no less – especially resonant because memories linger of racist / anti-immigrant “dotbusters”# Perseverance pic.twitter.com/wo3BRwHJ8w
– Tanvi Madan (@tanvi_madan) February 18, 2021
“Touchdown confirmed” announced @RTLnews, origin GN&C operations lead as @NASA‘s # Perseverance landed in a Martian crater.
No longer the hidden figure in space, ‘Lady with the Bindi’ Dr Swati has made proud and inspired women reach for Mars! pic.twitter.com/AFZYZzqyrA
– Lakshmi M Puri (@lakshmiunwomen) February 19, 2021
I wore a bindi in elementary school until I was old enough to notice people’s comments and feel self-conscious about them. Admittedly, I still hesitate to post photos from my childhood. Swati Mohan’s made me smile š https://t.co/wfmeoYk0Of
– Hema Mullur (@HemaMullur) February 18, 2021
listen. I wore a bindi in elementary school and was bullied for it, physically bullied. this does all kinds of things to me. swati mohan in mission control, thank you. #NASAPerseverance
– Anuradha Damale (ulianulikesstars) February 18, 2021
Swati Mohan came to America as a child. She spent most of her childhood in the Northern Virginia-Washington DC metro area. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Cornell University and completed her MS and PhD at MIT in aerospace / aerospace. Dr Swati is operational leader Mars 2020 Guidance, Navigation, and Controls (GN&C).