Minal Rohit facts for kids

Minal Rohit is a talented Indian scientist and engineer. She works for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). She played a big part in sending India's first spacecraft, called Mangalyaan, to Mars!

After finishing her studies at Nirma Institute of Technology, Minal joined ISRO. She worked closely with engineers on the MOM team. She checked the spacecraft's systems and its methane sensors. Minal was a key part of the team that launched MOM. She helped put all the different parts of the system together.

Minal's Early Life and School

Minal Sampat was born in Rajkot, India.

When Minal was a child, she dreamed of becoming a doctor. But then, she watched a TV show about space in 8th grade. That show changed her mind! During her school years, Minal noticed something interesting. Many girls around her chose science careers just for the money. They were not always interested in learning new things. Minal, however, wanted to learn. She got a full education, including college. But many girls she knew only went to school for a little while.

Minal graduated from Gujarat University in 1999. She also studied at the Space Applications Centre. She earned a B Tech degree in communications. She was a top student, winning a gold medal in electronics and communication engineering. This was at the Nirma Institute of Technology and Science, Ahmedabad.

Minal's Career at ISRO

Minal started her career as an engineer. She worked on satellite communications at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Later, she moved to the Space Application Center. Minal was one of 500 scientists and engineers. They all worked together on the amazing Mars Orbiter Mission.

As a Systems Engineer for the mission, she helped a lot. She made sure all the sensors on the orbiter worked together. She also helped test them. Minal was so dedicated that she did not take any days off for two whole years!

Minal also became a head engineer and a Project Manager. She worked on new projects like Chandrayaan II. Today, Minal Rohit is a Deputy Project Director at ISRO. She hopes to become the first woman director to lead a national space agency.

What Minal Researched

Minal Rohit was one of 500 scientists on the Mangalyaan mission. This mission was led by ISRO. She was also one of only 10 women on the project. Minal was a project manager and a systems engineer. She helped put together many important parts of the orbiter. These included the methane sensor (MSM) and the Lyman-Alpha Photometer (LAP). She also worked on the Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS) and the Mars Color Camera (MCC). She is a senior engineer at ISRO.

Currently, Minal is working on Chandrayaan-II. This mission is a follow-up to Chandrayaan-1. That was India's first successful Lunar probe (moon mission). Her main job on this new project is to make the Insat-3DS satellite better. This will help us get more and better information about Earth's atmosphere.

Minal's Amazing Achievements

Minal Rohit was one of ten women out of 500 scientists. They helped India send a spacecraft to Mars. Because of their hard work, India became the first country to orbit Mars on its very first try!

Minal Rohit was also featured in a short film. It was called Snapshots from Afar. In the film, she talked about her work on the Mangalyaan space probe. This probe went all the way to Mars.

Awards and Honors

Minal Rohit won the Young Scientist Merit Award from ISRO in 2007. She earned it for her work on their Telemedicine program. In 2013, she received the ISRO Team Excellence Award. This was for her work on the INSAT 3D weather tools.

Regarding the MOM project, Minal and her team received special praise. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave a speech. He praised their work on the mission. They had to finish it in only 15 months! Minal also graduated from Gujarat University with a gold medal. This was for her studies in electronic and communication engineering.

She also received the ISRO Young Scientist Merit Award again in 2013. This was for her help with the Telemedicine program. Minal was named one of CNN's Women of the Year in 2014.

Minal's Family Life

Minal has one son.