Fabiola Campins

Venezuelan astrophysicist leading NASA's Mars Sample Return mission

Fabiola Campins is a pioneering astrophysicist who became the first Latina to lead a NASA mission when she was appointed Principal Investigator for the Mars Sample Return (MSR) program in 2022. Her groundbreaking work analyzing cosmic ice has revolutionized understanding of water in the solar system. Campins' discovery of water ice on the asteroid 24 Themis in 2010 laid the foundation for current Mars exploration strategies.

As Director of Florida Space Institute since 2020, she oversees research facilities critical to NASA's Artemis program. Her 2023 paper in Nature Astronomy》 detailing organic molecules in comet nuclei has redefined astrobiology research. Campins developed the Sample Analysis for Mars (SAM) instrument》 currently operating on the Perseverance rover.

She created the Latin American Space Agency Network in 2021 to promote STEM education across 18 countries. Her TEDx talk The Cosmic Ice Trail》 has inspired thousands of young scientists. Campins' advocacy for women in STEM led to the establishment of the Campins Foundation》 providing scholarships for underrepresented groups in space science.