Indian-Americansare taking over the US, President Joe Biden said while congratulating SwatiMohan, the NASA engineer, who guided the Mars rover Perseverance to a softlanding on the Red Planet.
"It'samazing. Indian of descent Americans are taking over this country. You, my VicePresident, my speechwriter Vinay. But I tell you what, thanks. You guys areincredible," he said during a virtual meeting to congratulate Mohan andothers on the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) team that landed thePerseverance on Mars.
"Oneof the reasons why we're such an incredible country is we're such a diversecountry. We bring the best out of every single solitary culture in the worldhere in the US of America. And we give people an opportunity," Biden saidof the immigrants.
Mohan,who proudly displays her Indian identity with a bindi on her forehead, said:"Being able to work with this incredibly diverse talented team that hasbecome like a family, spending years creating our own technological marvel hasbeen a privilege."
TheNASA engineer said that she had been inspired as a child to get into spaceexploration by watching the Star Trek TV series where a "fantastical,really, really close knit team" was working together for sole purpose ofexploring space "and understanding new things and seeking new life".
Biden'sVice President is Kamala Harris and his director of speech writing is VinayReddy, who is one of more than 20 Indian-Americans named to senior positions inhis administration.
TwoIndian women astronauts have gone to space, Kalpana Chawla, who was killed onher second mission aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger that broke up in 2003,and Sunita Williams, who has been a commander of the International SpaceStation.
AstronautRaja Chari belongs to the Artemis team from which the next members of futureexpeditions will be selected. He is to command the SpaceX Crew-3 mission setfor September.
WhenJPL Director Michael Watkins introduced Mohan, Biden said: "Hey Doc, howare you?"
Mohansaid she was well and as she began to thank him for taking the time to speak tothem, he cut her off, saying,:"Are you kidding me? What an honour this is,what an incredible honour this is" (for him to speak to her).
Aftermentioning the achievement of Indian-Americans, he told her: "Did you wantto say something? I'll be quiet."
Mohansaid she hoped that Perseverance would be able to find new life on Mars.
Sherecalled to him the moments before the Perseverance landed on the Red Planet:Although it was going pretty smooth, the team was "really nervous and,frankly, terrified until we got through those final seven minutes".
Mohan,who guided the rover safely to a soft landing, said: "To be able to call'touchdown' safely, to see those first images come back from Mars, to see theplace where we have never been able to go to on Mars before and go there --reach there for the express purpose of seeking out new life just made it feellike I was living in a dream."
Bidenreplied: "I tell you what, you feel like you live in a dream, you'vecreated a dream for millions and millions of young kids young Americans.
"Yourestored a dose of confidence in the American people. They were beginning towonder if we are still the country we always believed we were. You guys did it.You guys gave a sense of America's back. It's astounding what you did. Youshould not underestimate it."
Takinga dig at his predecessor Donald Trump, Biden said that he had heard of a headof state who wondered what had happened to the US.
"Theyused to be so proud to do great things. And here they can't even deal with acoronavirus.
"Itmatters because democracies have to demonstrate they can run efficiently.