Vandi Verma


Vandana "Vandi" Verma is a space roboticist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory known for driving the Mars rovers, notably Curiosity, using software including PLEXIL programming technology that she co-wrote and developed.

Biography

Verma was born and grew up partly in Halwara, India; her father was a pilot in the Indian Air Force. She gained her first qualification, a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh, India. She went on to gain a masters in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University
followed by a PhD also in robotics from Carnegie Mellon in 2005, with a thesis entitled Tractable Particle Filters for Robot Fault Diagnosis.
At CMU she was involved in a 3-year astrobiology experimental station in the Atacama desert. The desert was chosen because of the similarities between its hostile environment and the surface of Mars. Also at university she won a competition to create a robot that was capable of navigating a maze and collecting balloons which started her interest in robotics in unknown environments. As a student, Verma tested robotic technologies in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Between studies she gained her pilot's license. She worked first at Ames Research Center as a research scientist.
In 2006 Verma was one of the co-writers of PLEXIL, an open source programming language now used in automation technologies such as the NASA K10 rover, Mars Curiosity rover's percussion drill, International Space Station, Deep Space Habitat and Habitat Demonstration Unit, Edison Demonstration of Smallsat Networks, LADEE and Autonomy Operating System.
In 2007 Verma joined NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory with a special interest in robotics and flight software and became part of the Mars rover team in 2008. She is currently group leader of Autonomous Systems, Mobility and Robotic Systems at JPL.
Verma has written academic papers in her field on subjects such as the AEGIS targeting system, NASA Lunar rover operation and robot fault detection, an area she has worked consistently.
Verma is currently also working on developing flight and flight simulation software systems to be used by the Mars 2020 rover.
Verma also participates in frequent 'open house' events at the lab and online as a science communicator to encourage children into STEM careers.

Mars robotics

Verma has worked on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover projects since 2008 and has operated all three rovers: MER-A Spirit MER-B Opportunity and Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity. Verma explains that in order to operate robotic spacecraft efficiently the team must adjust to the sol, or Martian day which is 24 hours, 39 minutes and 35.244 seconds, by beginning each day 40 minutes later. This kind of shift work involves covering the windows at home and work. Verma says "We tend to live by the Mars clock and many have Mars watches." As of 2018 there have been approximately 12 rover drivers. She explains how driving the rover is an extremely slow operation as commands can take up to 20 minutes to reach the device, so commands are usually performed first as a simulation and multiple commands uploaded at a time via NASA's Deep Space Network, relaying signals using Mars Odyssey orbiter.
Operating the rover involves a large team effort with scientists performing experiments across different fields. A typical set of commands will have involved evaluating previous 3D images, developing a plan and route to maximize exploratory potential without risking the rover's safety, choreographing and simulating moves and then integrating each step of the sequence into a detailed set of instructions.
Verma said in 2012,

Awards

Verma has received numerous awards for her team work including:
In 2011 Verma appeared in and directed an episode of Nova ScienceNow called Can We Make It to Mars?
Verma appears in US Air Force documentary Science in the Extremes series 3, episode 6 by Seeker explaining her 2020 work on Mars' surface.
In 2018 Finnish director Minna Långström made a documentary about Verma and her work with the Mars rover Curiosity titled The Other Side of Mars. The film focuses on the way images are made, their manipulation and use which shapes our understanding of space and technology.