Local woman's NASA career headed up

A woman from Mount Airy is reaching new heights with a career in the space field, which has now elevated her to NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Rachel Harris, PhD, recently began a two-year Postdoctoral Management Program Fellowship with NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration), an involvement that could help identify life elsewhere in the universe.

“During this time, I will be working in the Planetary Sciences Division of the Science Mission Directorate,” explained Harris, a 2010 graduate of Mount Airy High School, where she was the class valedictorian, a Morehead scholar and a standout softball player.

Her parents are Todd and Betsy Harris of Mount Airy, where Todd formerly served as a city commissioner before assuming his latest position as Surry County register of deeds.

After receiving an undergraduate degree in biological sciences at Wellesley College in the Boston area, Harris earned advanced degrees in geosciences at Princeton University. In recent years, the former local woman was employed by Harvard University in its Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology.

Being firmly entrenched in the biological field hasn’t kept Rachel Harris from also having an interest in outer space. This included a past association with NASA through an internship at the agency’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field in California, beginning in 2012.

Harris’ dual interests in outer space and biology are converging through her latest assignment that involves NASA’s Astrobiology Program.

Astrobiology is defined as the scientific study of the origin, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe, including how it began on Earth and the possible existence of life elsewhere. Astrobiologists are determining how to search for signs of microbial life — past or present — on the planets and moons in Earth’s solar system and beyond.

“My role involves overseeing the development of the 2025 NASA Astrobiology Strategy, a strategic document outlining the goals and scientific objectives for NASA’s Astrobiology Program in the next decade,” Harris advised.

“This strategy aims to guide and inspire the future of astrobiology as it relates to research, planetary science missions, human exploration and public outreach,” the MAHS grad added.

Such questions as “how did we get here?” and “are we alone in the universe?” have been asked for centuries. But the knowledge and technology to explore these from a scientific perspective have only recently become available.

Astrobiology is considered a collaborative effort that crosses the boundaries of traditional scientific disciplines.

It includes assembling researchers from historically separate fields such as microbiology, astronomy, geology, paleontology and chemistry to explore basic scientific questions.

“The project will promote interdisciplinary collaboration among hundreds of astrobiology community members, ensuring that astrobiology remains a core pillar of NASA’s scientific endeavors,” Harris said of her present focus.

In Washington, she is working alongside Dr. Lindsay Hays, deputy program scientist for astrobiology, and Dr. David Grinspoon, senior scientist for astrobiology strategy.

While the sky appears to be the limit careerwise, Rachel Harris hasn’t forgotten her roots, evidenced by statements she made to a Rotary Club of Mount Airy audience in July 2021 which included local students:

“I wanted to instill in the young people here today that Mount Airy can take you places.”