‘This is where my work truly begins...’
   Date :26-Feb-2021

Mohini Jodhpurkar_1 
 
 
By Kartik Lokhande :
 
Mohini Jodhpurkar, whose parents and grandparents hail from Nagpur, is a graduate collaborator for NASA’s Perseverance Rover that landed on Mars earlier this month
 
 
WHEN she was a child, the sight of twinkling stars fascinated her. As she grew up, the fascination for stars and planets blossomed into curiosity and passion. Gradually, she made choices that blended her pursuit of studies and pursuit of happiness. Then came February 18, 2021, an important date in life of Mohini Jodhpurkar. NASA’s Perseverance Rover landed on Mars and she, as a graduate collaborator, took a big leap towards realising her dream. “At the moment of landing, I was exhilarated not because it was successful, but because as a scientist and researcher, this is where my work truly begins! Every day, I can participate in documenting the rover’s progress, analysing data as it comes down, and deciding where it goes next. This is my first step in this journey. I hope to participate in other missions for years to come,” said Mohini while speaking to ‘The Hitavada’ over telephone from Arizona (US). Mohini’s success is a moment of pride for Nagpurians.
 
Her parents and grandparents hail from the city. She is daughter of Jeetendra Jodhpurkar, executive in a Washington DC consulting firm, and Madhavi Jodhpurkar, senior recruiter at PAE. She is the granddaughter of late Mukund Lokhande and Vrunda Lokhande, and Vilas and Bhawana Jodhpurkar. Mohini’s parents have founded and run a non-profit gitayog.org highlighting the application of the Gita in today’s times for adults and youth. Her younger brother Kanha is pursuing studies. Mohini is a graduate collaborator for NASA’s Perseverance Rover. She is utilising the Mastcam designed at Arizona State University (ASU) for seeing the first pictures in exploring the astro-geological features of the Mars mission. She is pursuing her PhD in Geological Sciences at the 2nd-best programme in the field in the US at ASU.
 
“The Perseverance Rover has several scientific instruments onboard. One of the instruments is Mastcam-Z instrument, which are the two cameras that are essentially the ‘eyes’ of the rover,” Mohini said. Her advisor Dr Jim Bell is the principal investigator for that instrument. As such, much of it is operated from ASU. “In addition to a mapping effort that will help add context to the landing site, I will continue to serve in roles on the rover science team to document what we are able to do on a day-to-day basis and scientifically analyse the data that comes down, along with participating in the process of planning where we go next and what to study in further depth,” she explained. Mohini was associated with a NASA-funded research during her internship and the project was related to Mars. The next summer, in Washington DC, she did her under-graduate thesis on a project related to Venus. Later, she was a student contractor for studies relating to Moon and Mars, with US Geological Survey.
 
She has conducted research on Moon and Venus. Mohini now works directly with Dr Jim Bell, a global luminary in the field. The team has developed, and manages, the camera on the rover. Mohini is personally researching a specific site on Mars planet for future landings of manned missions. She is doing orbital space study of section where the rover has landed. Besides, on day-to-day basis, she is busy doing different things ranging from processing and analysing data, what rocks are seen in images and what do they mean, documentation, keeping track of readings. The first image of NASA’s Perseverance Rover on the surface of Mars was taken from the High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Mohini uses HiRISE camera in her research. In her words, “The resolution of this camera is such that if there were a picnic table on the surface of Mars, we would be able to see that from orbit.” According to the bright young girl, it is amazing to have the chance to participate in something ‘so monumental’. Getting a mission like this to the surface of Mars requires thousands of people and billions of dollars.
 
“It is awe-inspiring that despite a global pandemic, we were able to pull it off. Honestly, more than anything else, I am just humbled to have been included in an effort so bigger, that has been going on for the better part of a decade.” she said. Mohini is grateful to her parents and family, who supported her throughout her career path. She is grateful to the scientists who have been mentors to her and encouraged her to pursue her interests. “I also plan to work on lunar research ahead of the US’ effort to send humans back there,” she said, concluding the conversation on a note full of promise.