Aseel Anabtawi (Arabic: أسيل عنبتاوي, 1969–) is a Palestinian-American electrical engineer from Tulkarm who works for the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She specializes in radio science.[1][failed verification][2]

Aseel Anabtawi
Professional headshot of woman smiling at camera
Anabtawi in 2017, wearing her "Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn Grand Finale" polo shirt
BornAugust 15, 1969 (age 55)
Tulkarm, Palestine
Alma materCalifornia State University, Fullerton (1992)
University of Southern California (1996)
OccupationElectrical engineer
Years active1993–
Known forCassini–Huygens mission

Biography

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Aseel Anabtawi was born in 1969 in Tulkarm in Palestine's West Bank. Her family later emigrated to the United States.[3] She received her bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from California State University, Fullerton in 1992. In 1996, she obtained her master's degree in the same field from the University of Southern California.[4]

Anabtawi started work at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1993.[5] She has participated in multiple projects during her employ at NASA. At the beginning of her time at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Anabtawi worked on the Galileo Jupiter probe.[4] She also worked on the Mars Global Surveyor,[4] a robotic probe that explored and mapped Mars, from its atmosphere to its rocky surface.

Following her work on Galileo and the Mars Global Surveyor,[4] Anabtawi was selected to participate in the Cassini–Huygens mission in 2003.[5] This mission, a collaborative effort between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Italian Space Agency, sent two unmanned crafts to Saturn.[1] The Huygens landed on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan.[6] Anabtawi worked with Cassini, a space probe which explored and photographed Saturn's atmosphere, sending back valuable data for NASA scientists.[7]

As of 2022, Anabtawi is part of the Mars Science Laboratory team, the mission that landed the Curiosity rover on Mars.[2]

Anabtawi was awarded the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal in 2007 for her work on the Cassini project.[8][9] In 2015, she received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal for her continuing work with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Catching Cassini's Call". ESA Science & Technology. European Space Agency. January 13, 2017. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Aseel Anabtawi". IEEE Xplore. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022.
  3. ^ "العالمة أسيل عنبتاوي وجه فلسطيني ناجح في عالم الفضائيات [Scientist Aseel Anabtawi is a Successful Palestinian Face in the World of Stellite Channels]". Al-Watan Voice (in Arabic). June 3, 2020. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d "أسيل عنبتاوي.. عالمة فضاء فلسطينية في وكالة "ناسا" [Aseel Anabtawi: Palestinian Space Scientist as NASA]". Sonara (in Arabic). October 10, 2017. Archived from the original on April 19, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Cassini's Family Takes the Plunge". NASA. September 15, 2017. Archived from the original on February 29, 2024.
  6. ^ "Huygens". NASA. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023.
  7. ^ Chang, Kenneth (September 14, 2017). "Cassini Vanishes Into Saturn, Its Mission Celebrated and Mourned". New York Times. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017.
  8. ^ "Cassini Significant Events 06/20/07 – 06/26/07". NASA. June 28, 2007. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024.
  9. ^ "Honoring Achievement" (PDF). Universe. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. July 2007. p. 3. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024.
  10. ^ "2015 NASA Agency Honor Awards Complete Listing of Recipients" (PDF). NASA. p. 5. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024.