Here are some inspiring 'Rocket Women' of India, who broke all the stereotypes and made themselves stand shining like a star in India's space and aerospace history.
It's been quite a long time since the battle to break all the gender stereotypes has been going on. Although, in the past few years, we have seen women being successful in proving and making themselves equal to men, there are still some fields where the contribution of women gets overlooked. Speaking about the same, in the fields of science, space, or technology, several individuals' roles often get overlooked based on their genders. However, throughout the years, some talented women have proved that they are equal to men by showcasing their talents in different fields.
Indian Space Research Organization's project Chandrayaan-3 made a soft landing on August 23, 2023. There's no denying the fact that it's the pride of India, and everyone is overwhelmed with utmost joy. Amid the nation being extremely eager for project Chandrayaan-3, let's dive deep and learn about the Rocket Women who have weakened all the barriers of stereotypes and made everyone's jaws drop with their contributions to the successful accomplishment of several projects by ISRO. So without further ado, let's learn about these Rocket Women and their contributions.
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Anuradha T.K., a retired Indian scientist, was a project director of the ISRO and specialised communication satellites. Anuradha joined the space agency in 1982, and she was the first woman to break the stereotypes and become a women satellite project director at ISRO. She also worked on the launch of satellites like GSAT-12 and GSAT-10. For her hard work and contribution, Anuradha received several awards from ISRO, a few of which were the ISRO Team Award 2012, the 2012 ASI- ISRO Merit Award, and more.
The talented individual holds a bachelor's degree in electronics from the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering in Bangalore. Anuradha's father, a teacher of Hindi, and her mom, a homemaker, kept inspiring her and her two sisters, and kept telling them about the moon missions that sparked an interest in Anuradha's mind. The idea of space programs and moon missions had driven Anuradha. Because of her diverse interest in science, she even rejected an offer from the Institute of Science (IISc) to study Master of Science. Talking about her marital life, the scientist got married to someone who is the general manager at Bharat Electronics. The duo is blessed with two daughters, who have also been pursuing engineering careers.
From being driven by the moon, and stars, their secrets, and collecting newspaper cuts to track NASA and ISRO's space-related activities, to becoming the deputy director of the Mangalyaan mission, Ritu Karidhal proved that she is one of the "Rocket Women" in India. Ritu Karidhal, an Indian scientist and aerospace engineer, has worked for ISRO since 1997. Talking about her academic career, Ritu holds a B.Sc. and M. Sc. degree in Physics. She also joined a doctorate course in Physics and taught in the same department. Ritu was also a research scholar at Lucknow University, and later, she pursued a master's degree in aerospace engineering from IISc. For her hard work and incomparable talents, the scientist received the ISRO Young Scientist Award in 2007 from the hands of the former president of India, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
Muthayya Vanitha, an Indian electronics system engineer, started her career as a junior engineer. From working in several fields of hardware testing and development to becoming the project director of the Chandrayaan-2 lunar mission, Muthayya Vanitha showcased her talents and broke the stereotypes. She also led the Telemetry and Telecommand Divisions in the Digital Systems Group of ISRO Satellite Centre. Apart from these, Vanitha also was the project director of several satellites such as Cartosat-1, Megha-Tropiques, and more. The Astronomical Society of India provided the talented one with the Best Woman Scientist award for her contributions to the successful accomplishments of several projects.
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VR Lalithambika is one of the senior-most scientists at the Indian space agency. The talented individual has been with ISRO for over 30 years and has been a part of over 100 space missions. Apart from this, she is also a specialist in Advanced Launcher Technologies, and currently, she is the director of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme, Gaganyaan. Talking about her early life, Lalithambika was influenced by her grandfather, who used to make gadgets like lenses and microphones at the house. Lalithambika's grandfather kept her updated about ISRO's works, which sparked an interest in her about space science. Lalithambika's grandmother was also an astronomer, a gadget maker, and a mathematician.
Moumita Dutta is an Indian physicist who has been working at the Space Applications Centre (SAC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Apart from being a scientist, she is also an engineer. Moumita has specialised in developing and testing Optical and IR sensors and instruments. She was a part of the team Mars Orbiter Mission 2014. Moumita was one of the other scientists who developed one of five payloads of MOM.
Nandini Harinath is an Indian rocket scientist who has contributed to several ISRO projects for many years. The talented individual was influenced by the popular series, Star Trek. With her father being an Engineer and her mom being a mathematician, all of them were fond of Star Trek and other science fiction, which left the talented scientist with an interest in space science. Moreover, apart from being the Project Manager, Mission Designer, Nandini was the deputy operations director on the Mars Orbiter Mission.
Well, all these women have proved that anyone can reach a higher level of success with their dedication and hard work. These Rocket Women of India truly broke all the stereotypes that only called out the names of male individuals. What do you think? Let us know!
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