Meet Swati Mohan, the Indian-American scientist who helped NASA land Perseverance rover on Mars Indian-American scientist, Swati Mohan, led the guidance, navigation, and control operations of the Mars 2020 mission. 0 claps historic landing of NASA's Perseverance rover on the Martian surface, it was Indian-American scientist, Swati Mohan, who led the guidance, navigation, and control operations of the Mars 2020 mission. Mohan also confirmed that the rover had survived a particularly tricky plunge through the Martian atmosphere. "Touchdown confirmed," exclaimed Mohan, who had emigrated from India to the US when she was only a year old. She says the Guidance, Navigation, and Controls Operations (GN&C) are "eyes and ears" of the spacecraft.