5 Useful Things MBA Students Can Learn From NASA’s Perseverance Rover Mission

By Bhavya Thakkar
20 February 2021

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As you may have heard, NASA’s latest Mars rover Perseverance landed on the red planet’s Jezero crater yesterday. It took seven months for it to make the 480 million km trip to Mars. The main goal of the mission is to check if microbial life is present on Mars or not.

Clearly, it took a lot of effort to land Perseverance on Mars. Years of planning went behind this amazing achievement.

Facts about NASA's Preservance Rover Mission

Mission Name: Mars 2020
Rover Name: Perseverance
Main Job: The Perseverance rover will seek signs of ancient life and collect rock and soil samples for a possible return to Earth.
Launch: July 30, 2020, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Landed: Feb. 18, 2021
Landing Site: Jezero Crater, Mars
Mission Duration: At least one Mars year (about 687 Earth days)

You must be wondering what this has to do with MBA aspirants. Let us explain.

Management courses focus a lot on case studies of other organisations and how they have handled challenges or problems. NASA has been at the forefront of space exploration for decades and this is no fluke. Their teams know how to effectively manage resources, which is a vital skill for MBA students.
These lessons are also valid for MBA students and they can help you in your quest for a successful career.

Things Management Students can learn from the Preservance Rover Mission

That is why we have for you a list of 5 things MBA students can learn from this mission-

Perseverance

The rover has a tough mission. Travelling millions of kilometres in 7 months is no mean feat. The team working on the rover has worked for years to see this moment. They must have encountered countless setbacks but it’s important to respond to each setback with a comeback. MBA students need to imbibe this quality in themselves and keep on persevering even if the odds are against them.

Determination

NASA’s first rover, Sojourner was sent on Mars in 1997. Spirit and Opportunity found evidence that the planet once hosted running water in 2004. Curiosity has been exploring Mars since 2012. All this points to the determination of NASA to reach Mars and investigate the origins of the planet.
MBA students need to take a leaf out of NASA’s playbook and be determined to success in their career.

Innovation

The technological advancements made so far have enabled NASA to continuously upgrade their spacecraft and make it more sophisticated. Science and human innovation has ensured that Mars exploration programs haven’t stood still.
Likewise, MBA students and professionals need to keep upskilling themselves to stay ahead of the competition.
Value Creation

Creating something that delivers value to everyone involved is a huge thing. The Perseverance rover will provide never before obtained data from Mars that will aid in space exploration further down the line.
MBA students and grads should also aim at creating value at their workplace and doing new things.
Improvisation

The rover faced seven minutes of terror before landing on Mars. It struck the Martian atmosphere at almost 20,000 km per hour. Almost half the spacecraft sent to Mars till now have failed to negotiate these seven minutes of hostile conditions.
However, the team at NASA was able to successfully land Perseverance on Mars which is really commendable. MBA students should learn the art of improvising according to any situation that might crop up and not lose heart. The ability to keep going and never giving up is vital.

Conclusion

We hope all MBA aspirants, students or grads reading this article get some motivation from the success of NASA’s Perseverance Rover and utilise some of the qualities of the team who worked on it in their own lives. We are sure this will help you succeed in your career.

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