NASA Mission Highlights

Below are some rover mission milestones from my time on the teams along with highlights of the research and mission concept design work I have been involved in. I am currently a member of the Curiosity Rover Science Team. During the summer of 2021 I participated in the JPL Planetary Science Summer School mission concept design program. During my PhD I worked with the Opportunity Rover Science Team during the final year of operations.

Mars Curiosity Rover

"NASA’s Curiosity captured this 360-degree panorama while parked below Gediz Vallis Ridge (seen at right), a formation that preserves a record of one of the last wet periods seen on this part of Mars."

"NASA’s Curiosity captured this 360-degree panorama while parked below Gediz Vallis Ridge (seen at right), a formation that preserves a record of one of the last wet periods seen on this part of Mars."

"Four thousand Martian days after setting its wheels in Gale Crater on Aug. 5, 2012, NASA’s Curiosity rover remains busy conducting exciting science. The rover recently drilled its 39th sample..."

"Four thousand Martian days after setting its wheels in Gale Crater on Aug. 5, 2012, NASA’s Curiosity rover remains busy conducting exciting science. The rover recently drilled its 39th sample..."

"Curiosity’s team was surprised to discover the mission’s clearest evidence yet of ancient water ripples that formed within lakes. Billions of years ago, waves on the surface of a shallow lake stirred up sediment..."

"Curiosity’s team was surprised to discover the mission’s clearest evidence yet of ancient water ripples that formed within lakes. Billions of years ago, waves on the surface of a shallow lake stirred up sediment..."

Gupta, S., W.E. Dietrich, K.W. Lewis, E.S. Kite, C.A. Mondro, et al. ‘High’ but not so dry on Aeolis Mons: Transient lake systems in Hesperian deserts in Gale Crater. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2023, 2707.

Gupta, S., W.E. Dietrich, K.W. Lewis, E.S. Kite, C.A. Mondro, et al. ‘High’ but not so dry on Aeolis Mons: Transient lake systems in Hesperian deserts in Gale Crater. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2023, 2707.

JPL Planetary Science Summer School

Presenting: the Astrobiology eXploration at Enceladus (AXE) mission concept that my team designed during our 2021 PSSS session

Presenting: the Astrobiology eXploration at Enceladus (AXE) mission concept that my team designed during our 2021 PSSS session

More information about the PSSS program

More information about the PSSS program

"...collaborators concocted an Enceladus-exploration mission called Astrobiology eXploration at Enceladus (AXE): a New Frontiers–class mission ... that would take our understanding of Enceladus to a whole new level."

"...collaborators concocted an Enceladus-exploration mission called Astrobiology eXploration at Enceladus (AXE): a New Frontiers–class mission ... that would take our understanding of Enceladus to a whole new level."

Mars Opportunity Rover

"A new Amazon documentary pays loving tribute to Spirit and Opportunity — the exploration vehicles that unexpectedly lasted years on the Red Planet — and the scientists who made them" -Rolling Stone

"A new Amazon documentary pays loving tribute to Spirit and Opportunity — the exploration vehicles that unexpectedly lasted years on the Red Planet — and the scientists who made them" -Rolling Stone

"...the newly released image was captured by Opportunity's Microscopic Imager instrument, which the rover had never turned to take a picture of itself before, according to NASA officials."

"...the newly released image was captured by Opportunity's Microscopic Imager instrument, which the rover had never turned to take a picture of itself before, according to NASA officials."

"After more than a thousand commands to restore contact, engineers in the Space Flight Operations Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) made their last attempt to revive Opportunity Tuesday, to no avail."

"After more than a thousand commands to restore contact, engineers in the Space Flight Operations Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) made their last attempt to revive Opportunity Tuesday, to no avail."

"Opportunity's Sol 1 was landing day, Jan. 25, 2004 (that's in Universal Time; it was Jan. 24 in California). Sol 5,000 will begin early Friday, Universal Time, with the 4,999th dawn a few hours later."

"Opportunity's Sol 1 was landing day, Jan. 25, 2004 (that's in Universal Time; it was Jan. 24 in California). Sol 5,000 will begin early Friday, Universal Time, with the 4,999th dawn a few hours later."