“I always thought sports were important to me,” recalled Jandura. “I wanted to be good in sports and good in school, but I never thought it would lead to sending some of my designs to the moon and Mars.”
mysterious Red Planet. After developing a locking mechanism that helped capture solar wind and bring it back to Earth to analyze the effect on the ions on the magnetosphere of our home planet, Jandura concentrated on part of a Rover that would allow scientists to gather even more specific information about the composition of the surface of Mars. She led a team that oversaw the creation of a part that would allow the rover to deploy from the Mars lander. The rover would be able to alight on the surface and begin to collect samples with a robotic arm and transmit the data back to the Earth.
of it,” recalled the engineer.
The MIT grad then turned her attention from the Earth’s surface to the area just above – the magnetosphere that surrounds our own planet. She helped design and develop a locking mechanism that would help capture solar wind and bring it back for analysis so we can determine the effects on the trillions of ions that escape the sun’s gravity and effect the magnetic field. While we used a remote to lock our car doors, Jandura’s design helped open and secure the doors of a canister that collected 10 to the 20th power ions – or about .4 milligrams worth of data. For over 1100 days the Genesis mission orbited the earth, collecting solar wind and storing it safely thanks to Jandura’s work.
“I do remember being in mission control for the lock ring mechanism unlocking,” said Jandura. “The cover opening and the feeling when the telemetry changed from ‘locked’ to ‘in transition’ to ‘unlocked’ and ‘closed’ to ‘in transition’ to ‘open’ was awesome.”
The MIT grad went from taking pictures of the Earth from space to helping scientists gain a better understanding of Mars, the
Landing Day was met with much anticipation both at NASA and JPL. Scientists across the nation were looking forward to a successful launch of the Rover. “When the first images came back from Mars, the feeling was overwhelming,” recalled the MIT grad. “It took about a week before the Rover was on the surface and another week before we started using the arm. During this period we were all following what was going on by watching the web site and the daily press conferences that were being held on Lab. It was all exciting. Each day was just amazing and that lasted for quite some time.”
These days Jandura hones her management skills on the hockey pitch as an umpire. Schools in California, both high schools and colleges, welcome her on campus to blow her whistle, and she welcomes the chance to see a new generation of young men and women participating in a sport that she loves.
“I always thought sports were important to me,” recalled Jandura. “I wanted to be good in sports and good in school, but I never thought it would lead to sending some of my designs to the moon and Mars.”
chipr@virginia.edu 35
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