Anima Patil-Sabale / Image courtesy of Anima Patil-Sabale

The Johnson Space Center (JSC) recognized Anima Patil-Sabale’s journey from Mumbai, India to NASA  in commemoration of this year's Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. 

A childhood ambition fueled by the Apollo missions initiated Patil-Sabale's pursuit of a position at NASA. Originally she aspired to be a fighter pilot but limitations for women in the Indian Air Force at the time (women were allowed in combat roles in 2015) necessitated a different path. She earned degrees in physics and computer applications before working as a software engineer in Mumbai.

The Human Exploration Research Analog Campaign 2 Mission 3 crew / NASA/Bill Stafford

Relocating to San Jose, California, placed Patil-Sabale closer to NASA's Ames Research Center. This rekindled her childhood ambition and motivated her to seek employment with the space agency and pursue a master's degree in aerospace engineering. Her NASA career commenced with supporting the Kepler space telescope at Ames as a software and operations engineer. 

Over time, she has held various positions across Ames and JSC, steadily building her expertise. Currently, Patil-Sabale serves as a private astronaut mission (PAM) integrator for the International Space Station (ISS) Avionics and Software Office. This role involves ensuring compatibility between private astronaut missions from Axiom Space and the ISS's onboard systems.

Image courtesy of Anima Patil-Sabale / Anima Patil-Sabale (foreground) with her dance performance team members during Johnson Space Center’s 2023 Diwali celebration.

In addition to her core duties, Patil-Sabale's time at NASA offered experiences closer to her childhood dream of becoming an astronaut. In 2015, she served as commander for the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) Campaign 2 Mission 3. This mission also marked her first visit to Johnson Space Center. "Visiting the home of astronauts was a truly emotional and exciting experience," she recounted.

Her participation in HERA wasn't the only time Patil-Sabale stepped into an astronaut-like role. "Beyond my core work at NASA, I've had the privilege of contributing to the human spaceflight program as a human test subject. While I don't know if I'll ever fly to space myself, I'm fulfilled by contributing, even in a small way, to active research that will help us establish a human presence on Mars and ultimately become a spacefaring civilization,” she said.

Patil-Sabale's involvement with the Johnson Space Center's Asian American/Island Stilla Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group (ASIA ERG) began in 2019. Invited to share her personal and professional journey, she subsequently became the group's Social/Culture Committee lead. 

"Bringing people together is a passion of mine," she said. "I believe people enjoy not only learning about each other's cultures and traditions but also actively participating in them."

This passion fueled her efforts to spearhead a Johnson-based Diwali celebration in 2023, complementing the agency-wide event organized by NASA Headquarters. The Johnson celebration featured dance and musical performances, a fashion show, and traditional food.

"Cultural events like these provide a unique opportunity for us to bond," Patil-Sabale explained. "We discover facets of each other that wouldn't be revealed in a strictly work environment." She further highlighted the benefit of fostering connections across teams. "For my Diwali dance performance, I brought together seven people from different teams who didn't know each other beforehand. The practice sessions became a great opportunity for them to connect."

Patil-Sabale remains a vocal proponent of increased cultural celebrations at Johnson and encourages others to take the initiative in organizing them. She emphasized the importance of ERGs continuing to offer social and cultural opportunities alongside professional development programs. "These opportunities hold immense value for people like me," she said.