Fashioning the Future With: Corrine Rojas

This summer, NASA will launch the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. Today, we have planetary scientist and Mars 2020 Rover Mastcam-Z Operations Engineer Corrine Rojas on the blog! We are over both Martian moons for this one. So, just how rad is red planet rover engineer Corrine Rojas? Well, Mastcam-Z is one of the robot's sophisticated cameras — but what makes it especially loveable is that it's the instrument scientists on Earth will use to zoom in on and take video and 3D photos of objects on Mars. After the rover lands in February of 2021, Mastcam-Z will be what lets you take a good look at many a Martian rock and landscape thanks to Corrine and her Perserverance Mastcam-Z colleagues. Magnifying marzipan, how amazing is that?!

But roving Martian robots are just the tip of the iceberg of Corrine's cosmic cool factor. She has a degree in Geography and Geographic Information Science (GIS) from Arizona State University, meaning she is excellent at all things maps and data. In fact, prior to working on the Mars 2020 Rover, Corrine was a research technician on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) — and interned at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory before that. Not only is Corrine extremely accomplished at planetary science, she's also a role model who performs astronomically awesome work in #SciComm and STEM outreach with a focus on representation. Corrine is on the GeoLatinas leadership council as well as on the board of the Society of Women in Space Exploration (SWISE).

We were thrilled to ask Corrine what a day in the life of a Mars rover scientist looks like, how she took her career from Earth maps to extraterrestrial maps, what her favorite space fun fact is, and more. Meet Corrine Rojas, Martian.

When did you first know you were a scientist?

Towards the end of a semester as an upper class undergraduate, my spatial data structures professor told the class how we were planetary scientists for using our Earth mapping datasets to solve real-world human problems. Before then, I was always “helping scientists”, but it was the first time I considered that I was taking a step further and consuming these datasets, too. I thought you had to have a PhD or be published to be a scientist! Though I’ve since authored and co-authored scientific abstracts, I’ve been a planetary scientist ever since that day as an undergrad.

What drew you to majoring in Geography and Geographic Information Science specifically?

I’ve always loved maps. I was a political science major for 3 years, and towards the end when I was burnt-out, I realized my favorite part was looking at the maps — imagining these different places, topography, and people. I had a data entry job where I was digitizing a map using OpenStreet, and though it was repetitive, I really enjoyed that work. I finally put two and two together and did some research on what kind of other career paths I can try, and Geography/Geographic Information Science seemed like the perfect route to explore, especially because paired with computer science I can automate the repetitive parts and focus on beautifying maps. 

How did your background in geography lead to a career in space?

This transition was the most unbelievable part of my college experience. As a newly-minted GIS major, I wanted to apply to related jobs on campus that aligned with the work experience I wanted. There was a research aid position to work for an active lunar NASA mission making 3D digital terrain maps of the moon for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera team, based at Arizona State University. I almost didn’t apply just because I felt incredibly underqualified, plus I was learning about Earth’s geography and wasn’t sure if they would get how my skill set from a “social science” would align with NASA mission work. I was… a sweet, summer child, to be nice.

I applied and got the job. This opened so many doors for me and my new career trajectory, especially now where I am helping develop operations for a NASA flagship mission that hasn’t launched yet.

My advice to others: First, always know what kind of work you’d like to try — and be okay with the idea that this might change as you experience different lines of work. Know how to find the opportunities you want, be prepared to jump on opportunities that come by, never be afraid to ask questions, and most importantly — read the job description!

Do you have a favorite planetary science fun fact you enjoy dazzling people with?

It’s hard to fathom how far away humans have sent spacecraft. It took astronauts about 3 days to get to the moon, it will take the Mars 2020 rover about 7 months to get to Mars, and the Voyager spacecrafts have been traveling for more than 40 years now and they’re so far away from us that they’re outside the Sun’s heliosphere, or interstellar space.

Also, it takes minutes to communicate with spacecrafts orbiting the moon, roughly 20 minutes to communicate with our Martian spacecrafts, and over 14 hours to communicate with the Voyager spacecrafts.

What’s been your favorite part of working on the Perseverance rover’s Mastcam-Z team?

I’m so lucky to have been brought on board more than a year before launching the rover because I get to help out with developing operations. There is much work to do — particularly scripting software that will handle the large amount of images and data we’ll get from our cameras (Mastcam-Z, the “eyes of the rover”), and software to process these images into science products for our science team to see where the rover will go or what to target next.

Another big duty is making sure we understand the cameras inside and out (engineering concepts), because we are among the few people who are first in line to troubleshoot if something with the cameras goes awry.

What’s the day in the life of a Mars rover operations engineer like?

There are two general teams that are a part of instrument operations (at least for Mastcam-Z): Uplink, which sends commands to the rover cameras, and downlink, which receives the camera images and telemetry (camera health files). I am a part of the downlink team. Once we are on the surface of Mars, the day will go something like this:

1. First thing in the morning, we verify and monitor the payload health and status of all expected and received data products, using the previous Martian day’s (called a sol) report from the uplink team. Then it’s time to make some quick science products for the science team to use, e.g. special images with certain spectra highlighted to emphasize certain minerals, like hematite. These products are necessary for tactical decision making (e.g., quick-look data products, preliminary interpretations, and preliminary derived data products), and are important to be done in a timely manner for the next few hours of decision-making. 

2. Conference call with the uplink team to discuss these results, and to plan for re-taking images if needed. 

3. Tune into the science team conference call, in which they analyze and discuss the science of the images that came down. This can mean “Oh hey, there’s a really interesting rock with hematite in it, let’s get a closer look tomorrow!” This is where we would recommend instrument performance check/diagnosis activities to the science team for incorporation into the science plan.

4. Another conference call with the rover and instrument operations engineers, in which we make sure the next move will be safe and no danger to the rover is imminent. 

5. Finish up our downlink report for scientists to have a guide for interpreting the imagery and data sources, accounting for what we expected in the plans vs. what we received. We make sure all of the data is accessible. Then the plan for tomorrow is uplinked to Mars.

6. We take another look at the previous sol’s data, making sure things are being accounted and cataloged properly.

I am a small part of the process that goes into rover tactical planning. More roles and duties here: https://msl-scicorner.jpl.nasa.gov/scienceoperations/ 

Do you and your team have any celebration plans for the Mars 2020 rover’s launch day or landing day?

ABSOLUTELY!! Launch and landing are going to be two of the most important days of the mission so far. Mars 2020 is launching from Cape Canaveral anywhere from mid-July to the first week of August, and we are having a giant Mars 2020 Science Team Meeting and celebration right before that launch window opens. Once we land in February 2021, it will be just as exciting, but soon after we confirm that the rover has safely landed, my team will get right to work to make sure our instrument is healthy. We plan to take a 360-degree panorama of the landing site within the first few days. That is when I’ll know things are REAL!

What would choose to name the Mars 2020 rover?

I know the theme is having a noun/adjective, but I really like the idea of naming the rover after a historical figure, like Sojourner (Mars Pathfinder), which was named after Sojourner Truth, an abolitionist and women’s rights activist. It is an important human history lesson next to the science/engineering lesson. Of the 9 finalists from the Name the Mars 2020 Rover Contest, I like the name Ingenuity the most. I would nick-name the rover "Jenny" for short.

Editor's note: The winning name as we now know is Perseverance, but it's hard to go wrong with a rover name!

A lot of people, those who don’t have any formal affiliation with NASA/JPL/etc., feel connections with spacecraft. For example, many people were sad when Cassini crash-dove into Saturn. What do you make of this personal connection people have with robots/spacecraft, and do you already feel a strong connection to the Mars 2020 rover?

I have already built a personal and permanent connection to the rover. I had the pleasure of visiting the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and I was so honored to absorb the photons the rover was reflecting in the clean room. I made a joke that I was “imprinting” on the rover, like a baby duck would to its mother.

I think it is a significant example of how humans operate — during the process of creating tools or vessels, we also build an emotional connection with these inanimate but helpful objects. I think it counts twofold when they represent the best of humans: exploration. And when it comes to NASA missions, I think it’s ideal and AWESOME that people build these personal connections with spacecraft. I remember tearing up during the Cassini finale, and again during the NOVA special about it, which I think is an appropriate reaction despite not being affiliated with that mission. I am not looking forward to the day we will have to perform a similar procedure for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, but it is an unavoidable part of mission operations.

Do you have any favorite moments from working on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC)?

I joined the LROC team when it had already spent 6-7 years in orbit, and we were so data-rich at that point from taking thousands of images of the moon’s surface. We were encouraged to contribute to scientific research, even as student workers. Being a part of a science team that had been around relatively long meant a huge opportunity for early-career people to get a start in planetary science, and I owe my start to the LROC principal investigator and science team for taking me under their wings. I contributed two first-author abstracts to the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference as an undergraduate. Having the experience of presenting my research at poster sessions is something very special for which I will be forever grateful.

You’re in leadership positions on such important organizations like SWISE and GeoLatinas. What’s most rewarding about working with these groups?

Representation! In high school, I thought having Bill Nye’s job was my dream job, but I never considered a career in STEM or TV/Film because no one looked like me or came from where I did. Throughout my career so far, I have been given so many incredible and wonderful opportunities, and even though I feel like the luckiest girl in the world, it is doable. And if you’ve got the work ethic, passion, and talent to do something, you should do it regardless of your background or what you look like!

Who (modern day and/or historical) inspires you?

Diana Trujillo at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a true inspiration. She has an incredible story as an immigrant woman from Colombia who came to the United States with little besides giant dreams of studying engineering. She is the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity rover Mission Lead, and an important part of the Mars 2020 rover mission development. She’s done a ton of engagement in initiatives that inspire Latin American youth to consider a career in aerospace and engineering. I want to be like her when I grow up! 

What advice do you have for girls (middle and high school) who want to work on space rovers one day?

Learning is a muscle that you never stop exercising. The most important part about your schooling isn’t just what you study, but how you study. As a rover camera operations engineer, I have to find different ways to learn difficult engineering concepts and apply them to what I do without having a real guidebook on this stuff. In fact, I’m the one writing the guidebook! One of the funnest things about working on a young NASA mission is having to figure stuff out as a team, and you also need to know how to communicate.

You won’t learn things the same way your entire life. You’ll have to work to find new ways to learn different kinds of disciplines, so practice your ability to be flexible. Take the time to learn a topic: go to office hours, ask questions during/after class, and later, bring this attitude to your workplace. Teachers actually love to help, and they want to support you getting higher grades and being your best self.

What are some hobbies you enjoy in your free time?

I have a big patio garden that I like to maintain in the winter. I live in Phoenix, so it’s hard (though not impossible) to keep it over the summer. I love to cook as well, and I try to incorporate vegetables and herbs that I have grown into my meals. It’s so rewarding! 

Do you have any favorite STEM characters in books/movies/other art forms?

My favorite STEM character is Sailor Mercury from Sailor Moon, a Japanese anime/manga. I always related to Sailor Mercury being a reserved, kind friend who would be the first person people go to during a crisis because she knows how to find the information they need at a moment’s notice. She wanted to be a medical doctor as a human in Japan, and it was clear she had the dedication to go through that schooling.

I really loved watching Sailor Moon in general growing up — the main character, Sailor Moon, was a young brat who had horrible grades, cried a lot, and didn’t always believe in herself. But she had strong friendships and saved the day being a calm, knowledgeable princess and believing in herself. While unconventional, though super fashionable — all of the characters in the show were real heroes. I enjoyed Sailor Moon quite a bit growing up, I even learned English watching it as a pre-kindergartener.

If you were a superhero, what would your go-to wearable tech device be?

I would have some high-tech but stylish goggles that would give me a live bird eye’s view of any place in the solar system. If I were a superhero, I should definitely be able to travel between planets. And I need to make sure all systems are nominal before I travel!

Learn more about Corrine Rojas and her adventures on Mars on her website. Be sure to follow her out of this world social media on Twitter and Instagram, too!