Who is Jahnavi Dangeti? 23-year-old woman from Andhra Pradesh completes two-week Mars analog mission

VISAKHAPATNAM: Continuing her journey in space exploration, Jahnavi Dangeti, a 23-year-old woman from Palakollu in West Godavari district, successfully completed a two-week analog astronaut mission at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah, USA, where she served as the crew scientist for Crew 328. During the mission, she worked on experiments with Martian soil simulants, helping research on how resources on Mars could be used and how sustainable habitats could be built for future astronauts. She also took part in a delayed communication experiment to study how time delays affect teamwork, decision-making, and human behaviour, which is an important challenge for future Mars missions. In addition, she engaged with school students during the mission, sharing her experiences and insights about space research and human spaceflight. Speaking to TOI, Jahnavi said that she participated in the Mars analog mission at MDRS in Utah from Jan 25 to Feb 10. "The mission was designed to simulate life on Mars, giving a realistic experience of isolation, limited resources, and operational challenges. During the mission, all outdoor work required wearing an EVA suit, navigating using maps instead of digital devices, and managing limited food, water, and communication systems. I conducted scientific tasks under these conditions, including working with soil samples and observing how the environment affected the experiments. The experience gave me hands-on exposure to extreme temperatures, very low humidity, and the kinds of challenges astronauts face on Mars. It provided valuable lessons for future planetary exploration. Analog missions are not just about being isolated; they are mainly about learning how people can live and work effectively in extreme conditions," she said. Jahnavi is no stranger to the world of space. In 2021, she became the first Indian to complete the International Air and Space Programme at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre, where she acted as the mission director and led a team across continents. In 2022, she became the youngest participant at the Analog Astronaut Training Centre in Poland. Her curiosity and passion for space exploration then took her to Geospace Iceland, where she studied planetary geology in areas that resemble the Moon and Mars. She has also trained with Project PoSSUM (polar suborbital science in the upper mesosphere), a programme that focuses on studying the upper atmosphere, space environment, and high-altitude missions.