I am thrilled to have Dr. Anita Sengupta on the Ian Khan Show in an After Shock special episode.
Bio
Dr. Anita Sengupta Dr. Anita Sengupta is a rocket scientist and aerospace engineer who for over 20 years has been developing technologies that have enabled the exploration of Mars, Asteroids, and Deep Space. She started her career working on the launch of vehicles and communications satellites at Boeing Space and Communications.
Next her journey took her to the forefront of the US space program. At NASA her doctoral research focused the developing the ion engines that powered the Dawn spacecraft to reach Vesta and Ceres in the main asteroid belt launched in 2006. She was then responsible for the supersonic parachute system that was integral to the landing of the Curiosity Rover on Mars in 2012. From 2012 to 2017 she managed and led the development of the Cold Atom Laboratory, a laser-cooling quantum physics facility that is now onboard the International Space Station.
Her next engineering role took her to the private sector as a senior executive leading the development of an in-vacuum, magnetically levitating, electrically propelled high-speed transportation system known as the hyperloop. She led the product planning, systems architecture, regulatory compliance, and human safety certification as Senior Vice President of Systems Engineering at Virgin Hyperloop. Her current venture is leading the development of terrestrial and space-based transportation technologies as an entrepreneur and research professor. Her research includes eVTOL, hydrogen fuel cell powered aircraft, supersonic boom mitigation technology, and in space power and propulsion systems. Dr. Sengupta is also a Research Associate Professor at the University of Southern California.
She teaches the only Entry Descent and Landing class on the West Coast for Graduate students in the Astronautics and Space Technology Department. She is also a professional public speaker and STEM outreach advocate. She keynotes events around the world sharing with audiences her personal and professional experiences of Engineering the Red Planet and the Future of Green Transportation. In her spare time she is an avid instrument-rated pilot, motorcyclist, runner, snowboarder, bicyclist, and science fiction, enthusiast. Follow her at https://anitasengupta.com/
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