Women’s Day tomorrow Chandamama Kathalu inspired Jahnavi to reach out to moon

Just like every grandparents, Leela Ramanadham has started narrating a story about the moon to her granddaughter Jahnavi Dangeti who didn’t know that this story would change her life. Mesmerised with the tales of the moon, her passion to study the magnificent universe and galaxies drove her to pursue a career in astronomy.
Following the footsteps of Kalpana Chawla,  Jahnavi Dangeti from Palakollu, Andhra Pradesh said, “My passion for aerospace had begun since my childhood. My grandmother Leela Ramanadham had narrated stories of the moon or Chandamama kathalu. Listening to the stories about space, especially moon and stars have captivated me. This passion drove me to pursue a career in astronomy.”
She has pursued her graduation from Lovely Professional University, Punjab in BTech Electronics and Communications.
When asked why she pursued Electronics and Communications instead of Aeronautical Engineering, Jahnavi said, “I am fascinated about electronics and love to learn a lot about them apart from space. During COVID pandemic, a majority of colleges had not offered admissions for pursuing graduation for students like me. During that period, LPU had offered admissions in B Tech courses and I joined Electronics and Communications stream.”
“During my Sophomore days, I used to work on a lot of projects and workshops offered by NASA, ISRO and other space organizations. I had participated in more than five programmes conducted by NASA and applied for selections to the International Air and Space Programme at Canada Space Centre in Alabama.  Following two interviews, I got selected. Also, I had bagged a scholarship from a Mexican company thereby seizing the opportunity to be a part of the International Air and Space programme at the Kennedy Space Centre in the US in December 2021. Jahnavi was chosen from a group of 20 students from all over the world to receive training in zero gravity. She has also done her training in Analog Astronaut from the Analog Astronaut Training Institute (AATC), a private agency set up by the European Space Professionals at Krakow in South Poland for two weeks thereby crafting her name as the youngest person in the history to complete this training programme.
Following her training, she became a Mission Director for Team Kennedy and led a group of 16 persons from different countries. Under her leadership, the team has successfully launched and landed a tiny rocket. Moreover , she is a member of the International Organization of Aspiring Astronauts.
Jahnavi Dangeti currently works as a President of Space Magica, a new Astronaut Training facility for kids and the public. Her future goal is to be the First Indian to set her foot on Mars.