NASA’s persistent Mars rover mission was led by a variety of scientists, many of them women and minorities. Adriana Diaz has more to say about their stories.

Video transcription

Adriana Diaz: We end tonight with the incredible panorama of Mars captured by NASA’s latest robotic explorer, the Perseverance Rover. But what caught our attention was not only on Mars, but also within mission control.

Swathi Mohan: Touchdown confirms.

– It was a voice heard all over the world.

Swathi Mohan: Permanent permeability on the surface of Mars.

– NASA ‘s Swati Mohan was not just a commentator.

Swathi Mohan: He will perform the Skycrane feat.

– They lead the space control team.

How did you feel when you said the words “confirmed victim”?

Swathi Mohan: I was still a little shocked.

– Mohan left India for the United States. She is one of more than a dozen black women on the 300th Perseverance Core team.

– Christina, how did you feel when you noticed and cared for Swati?

Christina Hernandez: I was, yes, like a girl! A, not only does it give a lot to society, but I was very excited to see a woman who is a technical animal.

– The first Mexican-American engineer, Christina Hernandez, helped develop the Rover’s scientific instruments.

– Half black and half Korean, Mogga Cooper leads the team to make sure there is no more pollution on Mars.

– There’s no perfect team out there, you know? Diversity can always improve. But man, it warms my heart when I look around and see women leaders and engineers.

– What are you doing for NASA?

– Calculate your launch and landing site.

– The real story of the African-American women mathematicians who played a crucial role in NASA’s struggles with diversity in space competition is documented in “hidden figures”.

– It is not far from one generation to another. My father tells me how he served in an isolated naval unit. Of all the groups, I am most convinced that scientists can think beyond what society says and be more inclusive with others.

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– Diversity is a matter of different perspectives. As you try to solve these complex problems, we need to be able to think outside the box.

– Have you ever seen someone say you can’t be an engineer or work at NASA?

– There are always times like this, inside, you wonder, oh, is it because I’m young? Is it because I am a young woman? Am I a black girl? But you have to push the stars.

– Growing up, not everyone could afford the luxuries like a space camp. But their families found a way.

– If you do not have a local library, and we do not have PBS, it is genuine and can be accessed regardless of your income.

– These struggles made us better at our job. As my grandmother used to say, she said: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]. So, you know, “Enter it all.” That’s what we all do on Mars persistence.

Adriana Diaz: They say their greatest passion is helping the next generation.