
"When Mars is visible in the sky you look at that little dot and you think right now there's a robot out there doing commands that I told it to do. "I really think I have one of the coolest jobs in the world," said Verma, whose interest in space - like Mohan's - was fueled by a childhood love of the TV series Star Trek. Swati Mohan made headlines around the world for her role in the landing of the Perseverance rover on Mars, as NASA's scientists urge girls to "reach for the stars" and be inspired to launch a career in STEM. The space roboticist is operating the Perseverance - the most advanced astrobiology lab ever sent to another world - as it roams Mars looking for signs of ancient microbial life.

It's opened people's perceptions of who can be a space engineer," Verma told the Thomson Reuters Foundation ahead of International Women's Day on Monday. "It's definitely inspired girls everywhere.
