Indian-origin Vandi Verma drives Perseverance rover on Mars, says it's incredible

With a PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University, she has been driving rovers on Mars since 2008 with successfully steering Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity rovers.

“Jezero is incredible,” says Vandi Verma, the Indian-origin Nasa engineer, after driving the Perseverance rover on Mars. On Friday, the SUV-sized rover began its journey in search of ancient microbial life on the floor of the Jezero crater. Verma, chief engineer for robotics operations with Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), is steering the rover through the tenuous terrain of the crater believed to be the site of an ancient lake.