Hello I’m Abhi Tripathi.  I work in the Exploration Office at NASA Johnson Space Center.  The Exploration Office is responsible to research and plan the future of humans in space beyond the completion of the International Space Station.  Originally when I hired on in June of 2000 that included active research in sending humans to Mars.  Right now we are focused more on the Near-Earth Neighborhood, which includes a return to the Moon and trips to the Libration Points.  Currently however I am the Lead Systems Engineer on the Mars Sample Return project.  We are figuring out ways to bring a soil sample back from Mars.

I became an engineer and wanted to work for NASA because I have wanted to become an astronaut all my whole life and am still trying.  I have a bachelors and masters degree in aerospace engineering from the Universities of Michigan, and Colorado respectively.  I work with many high school and junior high students and will be mentoring a group of 8 high school students for our ride aboard the KC-135 Vomit Comet program the same week I will be mentoring for TASP.