Harper student has Mars on her mind

When Harper student Kristen O’Mara registered for her general education courses last year, she knew right away which science she would choose: astronomy, one of her passions.

But little did she know that her class participation would lead to an aerospace scholars program with NASA scientists, of all things.

The North Aurora resident and mathematics major was one of only 180 students nationwide, and the only one from Illinois selected for NASA’s Community College Aerospace Scholars Program.

“When I submitted my application, I never thought I’d hear from them again,” she says with a laugh.

She says her “Stars and Galaxies” class, taught by Harper Associate Professor Bhasker Moorthy, planted the seed. Moorthy mentioned NASA’s educational opportunities for students and O’Mara took him up on it.

They met recently at Harper’s Karl G. Henize Observatory, underneath the dome that houses the 14-inch main telescope.

“I’ve always had a strong interest in astronomy,” O’Mara says, “but I never knew opportunities like this were available.”

She adds that as a mother of two, working full time and juggling course work, she never saw herself being NASA material. But her teacher did.

“Kristen is a historic student for me,” Moorthy says. “I’ve never had one quite like her. She’s a very good student. This was a very difficult program to get into.”

After being accepted, O’Mara found herself communicating regularly with NASA employees — studying math, science, engineering and computer science with their online guidance — and developing a $670 million Mars mission that she says could serve as a precursor to human exploration.

“In order to make it to the next phase, you had to write out an abstract, with a timeline, budget and live drawing of a proposed mission to Mars,” O’Mara explained.

Her work earned her one of only 48 spots in a second, on-site program this fall. In November, O’Mara will spend three days at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., developing a prototype Mars rover and presenting it to NASA engineers.

This rover she designed is fitted with devices to assess radiation levels on the Martian surface, measure the effects of radiation on red blood cells and analyze the chemical weathering of the planet’s rock surface.

“There are so many things about NASA and astronomy that interest me,” she says. “We know a lot about the universe, but there is so much more that we don’t know. So much is a mystery, and that makes it so intriguing to me.”

With her general education courses under her belt, O’Mara plans to transfer to Northwestern University this spring, with the possible goal of continuing on to earn a doctorate in physics and astronomy.

“This program has been an amazing opportunity,” O’Mara says, “and it’s literally open to anyone.”