MiMi Aung facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
MiMi Aung
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| Born | 1968 (age 56–57) |
| Education | Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (BSEE, MS) |
| Known for | Project lead for Mars Helicopter Ingenuity, which made the first extraterrestrial powered, controlled flight on April 19, 2021 |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | 100 Women, member of the National Academy of Engineering |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electrical engineering, space science |
| Institutions | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Amazon Kuiper Systems |
MiMi Aung (born 1968) is an amazing engineer from Burma and America. She is famous for leading the team that built the Mars Helicopter Ingenuity. This helicopter made history by being the first aircraft to fly on another planet!
Right now, MiMi Aung works for Amazon's Project Kuiper. This project aims to bring internet access to more people around the world. It uses many satellites orbiting Earth.
MiMi Aung was born in the United States. Her family moved back to Burma when she was two years old. She spent her childhood in Burma and Malaysia. When she was 16, she returned to the U.S. to study engineering. She went to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. There, she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees.
In 1990, she joined NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). She became a lead engineer for the Mars Helicopter Ingenuity. This helicopter arrived on Mars on February 18, 2021. On April 19, it made its first flight, which lasted 39 seconds. MiMi Aung said it was "an incredible moment." This flight was as important as the Wright brothers' first airplane flight in 1903. A small piece of the Wright brothers' plane was even carried to Mars by Ingenuity!
Contents
Early Life and Family
MiMi Aung's parents met in the United States. They were both studying for their advanced degrees. Her mother, Hla Hla Sein, was the first woman from Myanmar to get a doctorate in mathematics. Her father, Thein Aung, earned his doctorate in chemistry.
MiMi Aung was born in Illinois. She moved back to Myanmar with her parents when she was two and a half years old. When she was 11, her family moved to Malaysia. She went to St. Christopher's School there.
At 16, her parents arranged for her to return to the U.S. She stayed with friends in Illinois to finish her education. Her two younger sisters could not come because they were not born in the U.S. MiMi Aung is married and has two children.
Education and Dreams
By age 16, MiMi Aung loved math. Her parents wanted her to study something practical. So, she chose electrical engineering. She studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. She earned her bachelor's degree there. Then, in 1990, she got her master's degree.
Her master's project was about communications. It also covered signal processing. During her studies, a professor talked about JPL's work. They explored deep space exploration and used signal processing. This made MiMi Aung want to work at JPL.
Amazing Space Career
Working at NASA JPL
In 1990, MiMi Aung started working at JPL. She worked on many projects. These projects were about spaceflight and the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN). The DSN helps NASA communicate with spacecraft far away.
She helped develop and test systems for the DSN. These systems allowed scientists to receive signals from space. She also worked on technologies for space missions. In 2003, she became a leader for the Guidance, Navigation, and Control Sensors Group. This group created sensor technologies for spacecraft. She became very interested in spacecraft that could explore on their own. In 2010, she became a manager in this area.
Leading the Mars Helicopter
Since 2015, MiMi Aung led the team for the Mars helicopter. This team designed, built, tested, and flew Ingenuity. Other key team members included chief engineer Bob Balaram and chief pilot Håvard Grip.
Flying on Mars is very hard. The air on Mars is much thinner than on Earth. It's only about 1% as dense! So, the helicopter had to be super light. Its blades also had to spin much faster than they would on Earth.
Also, people on Earth couldn't control the helicopter directly. Radio signals take too long to reach Mars. So, JPL engineers gave Ingenuity a special computer system. This system allowed it to fly and navigate by itself.
The first tests of the Mars Helicopter happened in early 2019. They took place inside a special space simulator at JPL. The helicopter cost about $23 million. It weighed less than 1.8 kilograms (about 4 pounds).
The helicopter was attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover. It launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on July 30, 2020. This was part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission. The rover landed safely on Mars on February 18, 2021. Two days later, JPL got its first message from Ingenuity. The helicopter was successfully set down on April 3, 2021.
Ingenuity's Historic Flights
On April 19, 2021, Ingenuity made history. It completed the first powered, controlled flight on another planet. The team at JPL confirmed the flight was a success. They received data from the helicopter through the rover.
Ingenuity completed its test flights after three successful trips. For its first flight, it took off and climbed about 10 feet (3 meters). It hovered in the air for a short time. Then, it turned and landed. After that, the helicopter made more flights. Each new flight went farther and higher.
Ingenuity operated on Mars for over 1,000 Martian days (sols). This was much longer than planned! It was retired when its rotor blades were damaged.
Amazon Kuiper Systems
In July 2021, MiMi Aung left JPL after 30 years. She took on a new role at Amazon's Kuiper Systems.
Project Kuiper
This project aims to improve internet access. It uses a network of satellites. These satellites orbit close to Earth. They help bring broadband internet to communities worldwide.
Awards and Public Engagement
MiMi Aung has received many honors for her work:
- In 2019, the BBC named her one of the top 100 Women in the world.
- She was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2021.
- In 2022, she became a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). This is America’s top engineering group. They advise the government on science and technology. Members are chosen by other engineers. MiMi Aung was recognized for her amazing work on the NASA Mars Helicopter. She was honored for the first flight on another planet.
- She received the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Illinois. This award was for her "technical contributions and innovation in spacecraft." It also recognized her leadership on the Ingenuity helicopter.
MiMi Aung is an expert for The Planetary Society. She has also written for Spaceflight magazine.
While the helicopter was being built, she put a webcam in the cleanroom at JPL. This allowed people to watch the team's progress online!
MiMi Aung was also in a 2019 documentary called Space Queens. This film featured women inspired by Apollo 11. It showed her work on the Mars 2020 project and the Ingenuity helicopter.
On April 24, 2023, MiMi Aung gave a speech at Harvard University. Her talk was called "The Sky’s Not the Limit: My Journey into Space Exploration and STEM." She shared her personal story as a space engineer.
See also
In Spanish: MiMi Aung para niños
