Diana Trujillo

Last updated
Diana Trujillo
Diana Trujillo (29795849390).jpg
Born
Diana Trujillo

1983 January 4th
Cali, Colombia
Alma mater Miami Dade College
University of Florida
University of Maryland, College Park
Known forMars Curiosity Rover, Mars 2020
Spouse
(m. 2009)
Children2
Scientific career
Institutions Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Goddard Space Flight Center

Lady Diana Trujillo Pomerantz (born 1983) [1] is a Colombian-American [2] aerospace engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She currently leads the engineering team at JPL responsible for the robotic arm of the Perseverance rover. [3] [4] On February 18, 2021, Trujillo hosted the first ever Spanish-language NASA transmission of a planetary landing, for the Perseverance rover landing on Mars. [5]

Contents

Early life and education

Trujillo was born in 1983, in Cali, Colombia. [1] [6] Her mother was a medical student when she got pregnant and had to leave her studies to look after her daughter. [7] Trujillo attended Colegio Internacional Cañaverales, [8] a bilingual school accredited by the International Baccalaureate, formerly the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). [9] During her school years, she had an interest in science and questioned the roles that are traditionally associated with women. [6]

Uncertain but determined to overcome the economic difficulties that her family faced in Colombia, Trujillo moved to the United States at the age of seventeen with only $300. [10] In order to improve her language skills, she started English lessons at Miami Dade College while working as a housekeeper, among other jobs. [11]

Trujillo enrolled initially at the University of Florida to pursue studies in aerospace engineering, [7] inspired by a magazine article about the role of women working on aerospace missions and having self-confidence in her strong mathematical skills. While studying at the university, she decided to apply for the NASA Academy, being the first Hispanic immigrant woman admitted to the program. [7] She was one of the two participants to get a job offer from NASA. [7] During her work at the Academy, she met NASA robots expert Brian Roberts, who convinced her to move to Maryland with the aim of increasing her chances in the Aerospace industry. [12] Trujillo attended the University of Maryland where she was part of Roberts' research team, focusing on robots in space operations. [13] In 2007, she earned a bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland. Her story was turned into a children's science book titled "Mars Science Lab - Engineer" by Kari Cornell and Fatima Khan. [14] She was a member of Sigma Gamma Tau. [15]

Career

Trujillo joined NASA in 2007, working at Goddard Space Flight Center on the Constellation program and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on human and robotic space missions. [16] [6] She has served many roles, including Surface Sampling System Activity Lead and Dust Removal Tool Lead Systems Engineer. [6] She was responsible for ensuring Curiosity's sampling fulfilled its science objectives dust-free whilst maintaining operational safety. The Dust Removal Tool took her six months to develop, and brushes the dust of the surface of Mars to allow scientists to investigate the surface below. [17] [18] [19] [13] It was used on Curiosity's 151st day on Mars. [20] In 2009 she was appointed telecom systems engineer for the Curiosity Rover. [7] Trujillo was responsible for the communications between the spacecraft and scientists on Earth. [21] She has also been Flight Ground Systems Engineer and Vehicle System Testbed Mars Surface Lead. [22] [23] She was at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory when the rover landed on Mars. [24] In 2014, Trujillo was promoted to Mission Lead. [7] [25] [26] [27] That year, she was listed as in the 20 most influential Latinos in the Technology Industry. [28]

Trujillo worked as flight director [29] on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover robotic arm [30] and in February 2021, she hosted NASA's first Spanish-language planetary landing show. [31]

She has been involved in several initiatives to inspire young women from Latin America and African-American women to pursue a career in science and engineering. [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] She took part in a discussion about Hidden Figures at the University of Southern California alongside Octavia Spencer and Pharrell Williams. [39] [40] [41] She has been a mentor for the Brooke Owens Fellowship, which she created with her husband Will Pomerantz. [42] [43]

In June 2020, Trujillo was appointed to the Brooke Owens Fellowship's Executive Board [44] [45] She was awarded the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Bruce Murray Award for Excellence in Education and Public Engagement. She was featured on CBS' 2018 celebration of Women's History Month.

Personal life

Trujillo married Will Pomerantz in 2009. They have two children. [46]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mars rover</span> Robotic vehicle for Mars surface exploration

A Mars rover is a remote-controlled motor vehicle designed to travel on the surface of Mars. Rovers have several advantages over stationary landers: they examine more territory, they can be directed to interesting features, they can place themselves in sunny positions to weather winter months, and they can advance the knowledge of how to perform very remote robotic vehicle control. They serve a different purpose than orbital spacecraft like Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. A more recent development is the Mars helicopter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazcam</span> Camera used by extraterrestrial rover missions to avoid hazards

Hazcams are photographic cameras mounted on the front and rear of NASA's Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity and Perseverance rover missions to Mars and on the lower front portion of Chinese Yutu rover mission to the Moon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Institute for Aerospace Technology</span> Research agency in of Spain

The National Institute for Aerospace Technology "Esteban Terradas" is an autonomous agency of the Spanish public administration dependent on the Secretariat of State for Defence (SEDEF). It is responsible for the aerospace, aeronautics, hydrodynamics, and defense and security technologies research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASA Academy</span> Leadership development training program at NASA

The NASA Academy is NASA's premiere leadership training program for undergraduate and graduate students. Since its founding in 1993, the NASA Academy has brought together future leaders of the aerospace industry and exposed them to the inner workings of NASA, academia, and industry. The Academy consists of a ten-week summer program hosted by a participating NASA center. Currently there are academies at Langley Research Center, Ames Research Center, Marshall Space Flight Center and Glenn Research Center. Goddard Space Flight Center and Dryden Flight Research Center previously hosted NASA Academies, as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mars aircraft</span> Unmanned space aircraft

A Mars aircraft is a vehicle capable of sustaining powered flight in the atmosphere of Mars. So far, the Mars helicopter Ingenuity is the only aircraft ever to fly on Mars, completing 72 successful flights covering 17.242 km (10.714 mi) in 2 hours, 8 minutes and 48 seconds of flight time. Ingenuity operated on Mars for 1042 sols, until it was retired following rotor blade damage.

<i>Curiosity</i> (rover) NASA robotic rover exploring Gale crater on Mars

Curiosity is a car-sized Mars rover exploring Gale crater and Mount Sharp on Mars as part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. Curiosity was launched from Cape Canaveral (CCAFS) on November 26, 2011, at 15:02:00 UTC and landed on Aeolis Palus inside Gale crater on Mars on August 6, 2012, 05:17:57 UTC. The Bradbury Landing site was less than 2.4 km (1.5 mi) from the center of the rover's touchdown target after a 560 million km (350 million mi) journey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mars 2020</span> Astrobiology Mars rover mission by NASA

Mars 2020 is a NASA mission that includes the rover Perseverance, the now-retired small robotic helicopter Ingenuity, and associated delivery systems, as part of the Mars Exploration Program. Mars 2020 was launched on an Atlas V rocket at 11:50:01 UTC on July 30, 2020, and landed in the Martian crater Jezero on February 18, 2021, with confirmation received at 20:55 UTC. On March 5, 2021, NASA named the landing site Octavia E. Butler Landing. As of 13 December 2024, Perseverance has been on Mars for 1356 sols. Ingenuity operated on Mars for 1042 sols before sustaining serious damage to its rotor blades, possibly all four, causing NASA to retire the craft on January 25, 2024.

<i>Perseverance</i> (rover) NASA Mars rover deployed in 2021

Perseverance, is a car-sized Mars rover designed to explore the Jezero crater on Mars as part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission. It was manufactured by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched on July 30, 2020, at 11:50 UTC. Confirmation that the rover successfully landed on Mars was received on February 18, 2021, at 20:55 UTC. As of 4 December 2024, Perseverance has been active on Mars for 1348 sols since its landing. Following the rover's arrival, NASA named the landing site Octavia E. Butler Landing.

Naia Butler-Craig is a science communicator and an American aerospace engineer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swati Mohan</span> American aerospace engineer

Swati Mohan is an Indian-American aerospace engineer and was the Guidance and Controls Operations Lead on the NASA Mars 2020 mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Mars 2020</span> Event timeline of the NASA Mars 2020 mission

The Mars 2020 mission, consisting of the rover Perseverance and helicopter Ingenuity, was launched on July 30, 2020, and landed in Jezero crater on Mars on February 18, 2021. As of December 13, 2024, Perseverance has been on the planet for 1356 sols. Ingenuity operated for 1042 sols until its rotor blades, possibly all four, were damaged during the landing of flight 72 on January 18, 2024, causing NASA to retire the craft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen Chen</span> American aerospace engineer

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kennda Lynch</span> Astrobiologist and engineer for NASA programs

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Canham</span> American software engineer

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