#33: Martian Tales from a Former NASA Scientist

Welcome to Pint of View – Bangalore's first-ever community where classroom-styled lectures meet craft cocktails in pubs and bars.

In our thirty third lecture, we’re bringing you Nimisha Mittal, a veteran space systems engineer with over 15 years of experience at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). She led operations and testing for some of the world’s most ambitious robotic missions including the Cassini mission at Saturn, three of NASA's five Mars rovers, the Insight Mars lander, and most recently the NASA-ISRO SAR mission, NISAR. After a career of exploring the solar system, she's just completed her own mission of relocating to India. With engineering degrees from UT Austin and Stanford, she's now turning her attention from exploring other worlds to helping build the future of the Indian space industry.

Her talk, Martian Tales from a Former NASA Engineer, dives into the thrill of driving robots across another planet and the bigger question of why Mars captivates us so deeply. Is it the search for life, the dream of a second home, or something even more profound? With insider stories from her time on the Mars mission, she takes us through what a day on the Red Planet really looks like, the challenges of remote space exploration, and even what it takes to earn a Martian Driver’s License.

Come find out, and bring your questions — from whether humans can truly settle on Mars to what snacks power a NASA engineer through a 12-hour shift.

All of this, over beer or mocktail on tap at The Humming Tree, Indiranagar! 🍻

What to Expect:

• A 60-minute lecture on the realities of life on the Red Planet, from exploration to insider NASA stories
• 15–20 minutes of interactive Q&A
• One Geist beer on tap or a mocktail included with your ticket
• A lively mixer to share your insights

Event Details:

📅 Thursday, 29th October | 7 PM – 9 PM

📍 The Humming Tree, 100 ft Road, Indiranagar

🎫 Limited to 250 attendees only

💰 Early bird pricing available for the first few tickets

About the Lecturer

Nimisha Mittal is a veteran space systems engineer with over 15 years of experience at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where she led operations and testing for some of the world’s most ambitious robotic missions including the Cassini mission at Saturn, three of NASA's five Mars rovers, the Insight Mars lander, and most recently the NASA-ISRO SAR mission NISAR. After a career of exploring the solar system, she's just completed her own mission of relocating to India. With engineering degrees from UT Austin and Stanford, she's now turning her attention from exploring other worlds to helping build the future of the Indian space industry.

About Pint of View

Inspired by the successful Lectures on Tap community in the U.S., Pint of View brings this format to India for the first time. It’s where big ideas meet bar tables, and where you enjoy a drink in hand while walking out with a new way of seeing the world.

Book now & develop your own pint of view! 🍻