NASA's Swati Mohan lauded for bindi at Perseverance landing, got hair dyed for occasion

People of Indian origin are spread far and wide, and it’s common to spot one while visiting any country. The achievements of PIOs are often celebrated as India’s own and the most recent example of this was Kamala Harris being elected as the Vice President of the United States of America. There was another development from the country about an Indian-origin person that made headlines on Thursday when scientist Dr Swati Mohan led the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mission of the landing of the Perseverance rover.

READ: Indian-origin Scientist Dr Swati Mohan Leads NASA's Op Perseverance Rover Landing On Mars

Swati Mohan makes Indians proud

An Indian-origin scientist leading the Perseverance rover made netizens proud, and many of them expressed their feelings on Twitter.  

A section of the reactions was surprisingly over Swati Mohan’s look. The scientist had worn a ‘bindi’ on her forehead during the streaming from the control room. Many shared their thoughts on following one's 'cultural norms’ and ‘look different’, and one being reminded of being bullied in school for the wearing one. One sent ‘big love’ to Mohan for ‘rocking the bindi in the control room.’

READ:Who Is Dr Swati Mohan? NASA's Operations Lead For The Perseverance Rover Landing

While the bindi might have been a usual accessory for Swati Mohan, there seemed to something different in her look. The NASA scientist stated that she had dyed her hair, especially for the occasion, after the ‘EDL family’ voted for it.

Dr Swati Mohan leads Perseverance Rover Mission

The Perseverance Rover successfully landed on the surface of Mars on Thursday. The mission seeks to study if life existed on the planet. Dr Swati Mohan was the one who had announced the confirmation of the landing.  

"Touchdown confirmed! Perseverance is safely on the surface of Mars, ready to begin seeking the signs of past life,” she had exclaimed.

Dr Swati Mohan was the Mars 2020 Guidance, Navigation, & Control Operations Lead for the Perseverance Rover Mission. She works with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory that handles NASA's robotic missions exploring Earth, the solar system and the universe.

The Perseverance rover is biggest, most advanced rover ever sent by NASA. The main task for the rover is to collect rock samples containing possible signs of bygone microscopic life, which it will perform using 7-foot (2-meter) arm to drill down the Martian surface.  

(With inputs from AP)

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