“I was born in India soon after we got independence from the British. So we were just beginning to get access to education. My mother was very keen that her daughters get an education. She was a big motivating force behind my interest in science. Since I was really little, she would say, ‘This daughter of mine is going to be a scientist.’ “And I loved nature. In those days, the monsoon would make India come to life with flowers and creepy-crawlies and all kinds of little creatures. I would just go out, eagerly looking for new forms of life. I was always curious. And I remember the night sky — just trying to count all the stars. We didn’t have electricity so it was very dark. You could see the Milky Way, it was so clear. “When Sputnik was launched, it came out in the newspaper that you would be able to see it pass overhead at 5 in the morning. And my grandmother woke up everyone — the entire household — to see it. There was a big crowd in the backyard to watch Sputnik go by. "Then, Yuri Gagarin made a tour of India. He came to our city — Lucknow — and there was a reception for him. My mother got invitations for all of us to see the cosmonaut. We were just little kids. We ran right to the stage — there was no security then — and said hello to him. He gave us little booklets and autographs. It was a big inspiration for me. I remember just staring at that booklet he gave me. I kept it for years.” NASA Program Scientist, Dr. Hashima Hasan, poses for a portrait in her backyard, while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Monday, July 6, 2020 in Maryland. Hasan currently works at NASA Headquarters as a program scientist on the agency’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) spacecraft, the Keck Observatory, and the NASA Astrophysics Archives, and is the deputy program scientist for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

“I grew up in Venezuela and studied in the military high school Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho. They would frequently bring in speakers, usually professional that were doing important work. Here comes Dr. Humberto Fernandez-Moran, a Venezuelan scientist working at NASA He was speaking to us about teamwork and he told an anecdote about this janitor that was mopping the floors in one of the NASA installations, when someone asked the man what he was doing. The janitor turned around and said “I’m sending people to the Moon.” In that moment I thought, “Wow, NASA is a really inclusive place to work because they value all the contributions of the people that work for them.” When I immigrated to the United States, I didn’t start my career at NASA. I worked in various positions in the private and public sector. When I saw this position open and applied, I was reminded of that story. Later on, I worked for NASA as part of the new employee orientation team for a little over a year I would share that story with the new hires to let them know that NASA was extremely inclusive and that their work would matter. Regardless of the scope of their contribution you were part of a team working toward the same goal. When someone asks me about my job? I respond with immense pride I am part of the Office of the General Counsel – International Law Practice Group and I send astronauts into space." NASA Legal Administrative Specialist, Linda Perozo, poses for a portrait outside her home in Maryland, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

"When I left college, I went to go work in investment banking on Wall Street. It was one of these experiences where people said, ‘that’s the most awesome job ever. How did you manage to do that?’ But once I was inside that world, I felt very disconnected from people. I felt like the world was passing me by while I was inside cars going to business meetings and dinners. And I really wasn’t interacting with people, or understanding the challenges they were going through. So I applied to a number of medical schools. Once I got my letters of acceptance, I just chose one and I went. Then I felt like I was really doing what I wanted to do. I had a tremendous experience in my training and my classes. I just felt like, ‘wow. This is what I’m meant to do.’ Everybody has their thing. Everybody has a place where they shine. And for me, it’s being a physician, helping people heal, solving medical problems. Helping people feel better in their own bodies, no matter what that looks like." NASA Headquarters Medical Director, Dr. Andrea Fore, poses for a portrait while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Monday, July 13, 2020 in Maryland. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Queen Elizabeth II, lower right, talks to Expedition 15 crew members from left, NASA astronaut, Sunita Williams, Russian cosmonaut Fyodor N. Yurchikhin and cosmonaut Oleg V. Kotov aboard the International Space Station crew along with NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, lower left and NASA astronaut Michael Foale during a downlink at the NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Operational Control Room, Tuesday, May 8, 2007, in Greenbelt, Md. NASA Goddard was one of the last stops on the Queen's six-day visit to the United States. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Queen Elizabeth II and NASA Administrator Michael Griffin plant a commemorative tree on the grounds of the visitor's center during a visit to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Tuesday, May 8, 2007, in Greenbelt, Md. The Royal couple's appearance was one of the last stops on a six-day visit to the United States. Photo Credit (NASA/Debbie McCallum)

Prince Philip, left, speaks with veteran space walkers John M. Grunsfeld, center, and Michael J. Massimino at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Chris Gunn)

Prince Philip, left, asks astronauts K. Megan McArthur, Commander Scott D. Altman and Gregory C. Johnson, pilot details about the STS-125 mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Chris Gunn)

The International Space Station, with a crew of seven aboard, is seen in silhouette as it transits the sun at roughly five miles per second, Friday, April 23, 2021, as seen from Nottingham, Maryland. Aboard are: NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Mark Vande Hei; Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy, Pyotr Dubrov; and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi. Joining the crew aboard station tomorrow will be Crew-2 mission crew members: NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Preston Burch, left, Hubble Spece Telescope Program Manager presents Prince Philip with three solar cells returned from space during the first HST servicing mission. Photo Credit: (NASA/Chris Gunn)

Queen Elizabeth II greets employees on her walk from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center mission control to a reception in the center’s main auditorium, Tuesday, May 8, 2007, in Greenbelt, Md. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as one of the last stops on their six-day United States visit. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Queen Elizabeth II talks with students at a NASA Explorer School Workshop, at NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center, Tuesday, May 8, 2007, in Greenbelt, Md. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as one of the last stops on their six-day United States visit. Photo Credit: (NASA/Pat Izzo)

Queen Elizabeth II, left, prepares to talk with the International Space Station crew along with NASA astronaut Michael Foale, right, and NASA Administrator Michael Griffin (not pictured) from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center‘s Operational Control Room, Tuesday, May 8, 2007, in Greenbelt, Md. NASA Goddard was one of the last stops on the Queen's six-day visit to the United States. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Hrybyk)

Queen Elizabeth II greets children on her walk from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center mission control to a reception in the center’s main auditorium, Tuesday, May 8, 2007, in Greenbelt, Md. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as one of the last stops on their six-day United States visit. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Employees at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center wait to greet Queen Elizabeth II, Tuesday, May 8, 2007, in Greenbelt, Md. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as one of the last stops on their six-day United States visit. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Queen Elizabeth II talks with NASA astronaut Piers Sellers at NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center, Tuesday, May 8, 2007, in Greenbelt, Md. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as one of the last stops on their six-day United States visit. Photo Credit: (NASA/Pat Izzo)

Attendees pick up movie posters for the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope” following a screening at at the Greenbelt Cinema, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Attendees take their seats before a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Cynthia Simmons, deputy director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, speaks before a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Attendees gather outside of the Greenbelt Cinema before a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

The marquee of the Greenbelt Cinema before a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Attendees watch a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Attendees watch a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Cynthia Simmons, deputy director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, speaks before a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Patrick Lynch, director of the Office of Communications at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, speaks before a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Attendees watch a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Attendees line up to enter the theater for a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Patrick Lynch, director of the Office of Communications at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, speaks before a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Caitlin McGrath, executive director of the Greenbelt Cinema, welcomes attendees before a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

A movie poster for the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” is seen outside the Greenbelt Cinema, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Sophia Roberts, a NASA video producer who documented the James Webb Space Telescope project, speaks during a panel discussion alongside Paul Geithner, former deputy project manager for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Jacob Pinter, host of NASA’s Curious Universe Podcast following a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Jacob Pinter, host of NASA’s Curious Universe Podcast, left, leads a discussion with Sophia Roberts, a NASA video producer who documented the Webb project, center, and Paul Geithner, former deputy project manager for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, right, following a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Paul Geithner, former deputy project manager for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, right, speaks during a discussion alongside Sophia Roberts, a NASA video producer who documented the Webb project, and Jacob Pinter, host of NASA’s Curious Universe Podcast, following a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Paul Geithner, former deputy project manager for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, right, participates in a discussion alongside Sophia Roberts, a NASA video producer who documented the Webb project, and Jacob Pinter, host of NASA’s Curious Universe Podcast, following a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Cynthia Simmons, deputy director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, left, speaks with Paul Geithner, former deputy project manager for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope before a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Jacob Pinter, host of NASA’s Curious Universe Podcast, left, leads a discussion with Sophia Roberts, a NASA video producer who documented the Webb project, center, and Paul Geithner, former deputy project manager for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, right, following a screening of the new NASA+ documentary “Cosmic Dawn: The Untold Story of the James Webb Space Telescope,” Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. Featuring never-before-seen footage, Cosmic Dawn offers an unprecedented glimpse into the assembly, testing, and launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Queen Elizabeth II greets employees on her walk from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center mission control to a reception in the center’s main auditorium, Tuesday, May 8, 2007, in Greenbelt, Md. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as one of the last stops on their six-day United States visit. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh look on as Goddard employees demonstrate “Science on a Sphere.” This system, developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), uses computers and four video projectors to display animated images on the outside of a 6-foot diameter sphere. Photo Credit: (NASA/Pat Izzo)

Prince Philip greets astronauts from STS-125 L to R Andrew J Feustel, Michael T Goode, K. Megan McArthur, Michael J. Massimino, Gregory C. Johnson, and Commander Scott D. Altman. Photo Credit: (NASA/Chris Gunn)

Solar Dynamics Observatory Program Manager, left, describes the SDO project to Prince Philip in front of the spacecraft clean tent. Photo Credit: (NASA/Chris Gunn)

Queen Elizabeth II, left, prepares to talk with the International Space Station crew along with NASA astronaut Michael Foale, right, and NASA Administrator Michael Griffin (not pictured) from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center‘s Operational Control Room, Tuesday, May 8, 2007, in Greenbelt, Md. NASA Goddard was one of the last stops on the Queen's six-day visit to the United States. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Hrybyk)

The International Space Station, with a crew of seven aboard, is seen in silhouette as it transits the sun at roughly five miles per second, Friday, April 23, 2021, as seen from Nottingham, Maryland. Aboard are: NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Mark Vande Hei; Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy, Pyotr Dubrov; and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi. Joining the crew aboard station tomorrow will be Crew-2 mission crew members: NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

This composite image made from six frames shows the International Space Station, with a crew of seven aboard, in silhouette as it transits the sun at roughly five miles per second, Friday, April 23, 2021, as seen from Nottingham, Maryland. Aboard are: NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Mark Vande Hei; Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy, Pyotr Dubrov; and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi. Joining the crew aboard station tomorrow will be Crew-2 mission crew members: NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Queen Elizabeth II speaks with STS-116 astronaut Nicholas Patrick, back to camera, as NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, right, looks on at the NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Wednesday, May 8, 2007, in Greenbelt, Md. The Royal couple's appearance was one of the last stops on a six-day visit to the United States. Photo Credit (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

The OSAM-1 Servicing Payload Integration team tests the mounted floodlights at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., Apr 17, 2024. This photo has been reviewed by Maxar, OSAM1 project management, and the Export Control Office and is released for public view. NASA/Mike Guinto