UF assistant professor on NASA s Perseverance rover team talks Mars landing
UF Assistant Professor Amy Williams’ proposal to join the mission was one of the 13 selected out of over 100 submissions Photo by Aubrey Bocalan | The Independent Florida Alligator
When Amy Williams watched meteor showers with her parents as a kid, she knew it was only a matter of time before she would begin exploring the depths of space herself.
Now, Williams’ galactic aspirations are directly contributing to one of the most ambitious missions to Mars.
The 35-year-old UF geological sciences assistant professor is participating in her second mission to analyze for signs of ancient life on Mars through NASA’s Perseverance rover team, which is landing on the red planet Thursday. The rove
Astrobiologist Amy Williams’ mind is on Mars.
Williams, a University of Florida geology professor, recently joined her second Mars mission: After serving on the Curiosity rover team since 2009, she’s now a participating scientist on the Perseverance rover, which touches down on the red planet on Feb. 18.
“Serving on any NASA mission is the greatest experience I could possibly dream of,” she said.
Her proposal to search for signs of ancient life on Mars was one of 13 selected by NASA from over a hundred submissions.
Geology professor Dr. Amy Williams joined the Curiosity mission as a graduate student. Now, as a principal investigator on Perseverance, sheâs able to return the favor, offering her graduate students places on a mission to Mars.