Mamta Patal Nagaraja: Ex-NASA (24 years), currently free agent in STEM

In Episode 117 of The Astro Ben Podcast, Ben sits down with Mamta Patel Nagaraja, former Associate Chief Scientist for Exploration and Applied Research at NASA, who recently left the agency amid its office closures in February 2025. Mamta reflects on her career leading biomedical and physical sciences for the ISS, Artemis, and commercial space missions, while sharing candid insights on NASA's challenges and opportunities in 2025. From streamlining science communication to navigating a toxic work environment, her story is one of resilience and reinvention. Now a free agent in STEM, Mamta discusses her future plans and offers some advice to the new NASA administration. OUTLINE: Here's approximate timestamps for the episode. 00:00 Intro to Mamta Patal Nagaraja 00:57 Mamta's passion for Space 03:20 Working for NASA 06:12 How to/can you quantify "is a mission worth it?" 08:30 NASA cuts and how it was done - the timing of Manta's departure from NASA 12:15 Jared Isaacmans involvement? 15:00 What is NASA's mission? 17:45 How to predict/predict other committed programs? 22:17 Space science communication 24:52 Whats next post NASA? 27:54 Mamta's advice to new leadership at NASA 33:49 Whats next for Mamta? 36:57 Wrap Ups and Socials Follow Mamta on Social: Threads: https://www.threads.com/@mamta02 Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mamta2002 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mamtapatelnagaraja/ Stay connected with us! Use #Astroben across various social media platforms to engage with us! Youtube: www.youtube.com/@astrobenpodcast Website: www.astroben.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astrobenpodcast/ X: https://x.com/Gambleonit Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@astrobenpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/astrobenpodcast/