Mars is the next destination for humans to explore and colonize in our journey through the solar system and beyond. For the past thirty years, the space programs of many nations have been sending landed platforms of increasing complexity, revealing the Red Planet’s ancient past. One of the most challenging aspects of all missions to Mars is the safe landing on the surface, from an initial entry speed of 30,000 miles per hour to a soft touchdown. On the surface future explorers must be able to survive radiation and low pressures, with only the limited resources they can bring with them. This talk will discuss the motivation for Mars exploration and how engineering challenges are tackled with computational modeling, cutting-edge technologies, and out-of-the-box thinking. Engineering the Red Planet is the key to our future and understanding our past.

Dr. Anita Sengupta is a rocket scientist and aerospace engineer who for the past 15 years has enabled the exploration of Mars, Asteroids, and Deep Space. Her expertise spans the aerospace sector from launch vehicles, Earth re-entry systems, plasma propulsion systems that have reached the main asteroid belt, supersonic aerodynamic decelerators to land a rover on Mars, and a laser-cooling facility to make the coldest spot in the known universe.

Dr. Sengupta received her MS and PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California, where she teaches spacecraft, entry, and landing system design for planetary exploration. In her spare time she is an avid pilot, motorcyclist, scuba diver, world traveler, public speaker, and science fiction aficionado. She has been featured on Larry King Now, BBC radio and TV, Wired, and Popular Mechanics.

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