By- Srushti sharma
Many young people in India have aspirations of one day working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the American space agency.
The same desire was realised by an Indian woman who became the first citizen of her country to drive a rover on Mars, a mission that involved gathering samples to be returned to Earth.
Dr. Akshata Krishnamurthy, an Indian scholar, shared her inspirational trip to NASA on Instagram.
Her aim, she said, was to work at NASA and oversee ground-breaking robotic activities on Earth and Mars when she immigrated to the United States thirteen years ago.
She noted that many people had discouraged her, telling her that, as a foreign citizen on a visa, it was impossible and that she should have a backup plan or pursue an other career path.
However, she ignored advice from others and persisted until she discovered a solution.
After completing her doctorate at the esteemed Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), she was given a full-time position at NASA.
But getting employed required her to knock on hundreds of doors, so it didn't come easily.
I work on a number of exciting space missions these days, such as the Perseverance rover, which gathers samples to be returned to Earth. There is never a dream too huge or insane.
Maintain your self-confidence, put on your blinkers, and keep working! I assure you, with hard work, you will succeed.