Index of:
Previous Issues
Current Stories

Mars Lander Engineer To Speak

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) engineer Kari Lewis will provide an insider's view of the recent Mars Polar Lander/Microprobe mission, Wednesday, March 1, 2:30 p.m., in the Hazell Center Ballroom.

Lewis, 25, one of NASA's new generation of women technologists, headed up the engineering team that developed the Deep Space 2 Microprobes (DS2) designed to penetrate planetary surfaces and search for signs of water. The DS2 probes were carried aboard the Lander spacecraft that reached Mars, Dec. 3, 1999, and then mysteriously fell silent.

In addition to discussing the future exploration of Mars, Lewis also will describe her experiences as a member of an all-woman mission leadership team - the first such team in NASA history. Lewis' appearance, sponsored by the Murray Women's Center, marks the opening of NJIT's Women's History Month 2000 celebration (WHM2000).

In a special 9 a.m. morning session prior to the 2:30 p.m. WHM2000 opening ceremony, Lewis will take questions from an audience of young female engineers and scientists of the future, assembled from high schools across the state. Lewis' presentation will be followed by interactive workshops and demonstrations conducted by NJIT women faculty members.

In addition to her work on the DS2 project, Lewis is the systems engineer for the MUSES-CN Nanorover - a new collaboration between NASA and the Japanese Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). The Institute will carry the NASA-built Nanorover on the MUSES-C spacecraft to be deployed onto the asteroid 1989 ML. The mission is scheduled for launch from Kagoshima, Japan, July 2002. While navigating on the surface of the asteroid, the Nanorover will take pictures and collect scientific data.

Lewis, born in Sioux City, Iowa, was raised in an Air Force environment across the country. A National Merit Scholar, she graduated from high school in Liberty, Mo. In 1995, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Lewis joined the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in 1993, as a student intern and began full-time employment, in 1996, as a systems engineer for DS2.

back to top| Home