Passage IV

The Meteoric Rise of Meenakshi Wadhwa

Meenakshi Wadhwa was pursuing her PhD; when a professor asked her, if she wanted to see a meteorite from Mars. Wadhwa was struck by how similar the rock's chemical makeup was to that of Earth rocks. Thereafter, the idea that she could learn about the composition of distant worlds by studying meteorites has driven Wadhwa's career ever since.

After graduating, Wadhwa became the curator of the meteorite collection at The Field Museum in Chicago, there she conducted research on meteorites, especially those from Mars. Wadhwa used a mass spectrometer to identify and measure the elements in meteorite samples. The mass spectrometer revealed the rocks' age and identified the processes that created them. This information helped Wadhwa better understand the geological history of Mars.

In 2006, Wadhwa became the director of the Center for Meteorite Studies at Arizona State University. With more than 1,800 space rocks, including samples from Mars and the asteroid belt. Making the meteorite collection Wadhwa oversees is the largest at any university. Because meteorites contain material that predates Earth, Wadhwa and her colleagues can learn about the elements that were present when the Sun, planets, and moons formed.

Wadhwa's research has shed light on the early history of the solar system. For example, a 2010 study she cowrote found that the solar system is likely 1.9 million years older than the previous estimate. In 2013, Wadhwa and two colleagues discovered evidence that a supernova exploded before the planets formed likely seeded our solar system with many essential elements. (56)

Of the many honors Wadhwa's research has earned her, perhaps the most meaningful one came from astronomers, Carolyn, and Gene Shoemaker. After discovering an asteroid, they asked the International Astronomical Union to name it after Wadhwa. The asteroid's orbit crosses that of the Red Planet meaning that one day, as Wadhwa put it, she “just might have an impact on Mars.”