Female astronomer shares her story at Fresno City College

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A female astronomer who plays a big role in the Mars 2020 mission took some time from space exploration to share her story at Fresno City College.

Dr. Moogega Cooper has been called a real-life "guardian of the galaxy" for what she does for NASA.

As the lead of Planetary Protection for the Mars mission, she plays an integral part in the mission to discern whether Mars could be habitable for humans.

She talked about the work it took for her to get to where she is, and shared what her day-to-day is like including the dynamics she shares with her colleagues.

"It also takes a diverse team. Diverse in all the sense of the word. The way you were raised, it brings a different perspective. Small problems in a bigger way. We have people from multiple disciplines, tackle problems with the right angles," said Dr. Moogega Cooper.

In addition to working with NASA, she is a public speaker and is passionate about connecting with boys and girls from underrepresented communities to introduce them to the world of STEM.

Appearing on shows like Bill Nye and Because Space has enabled her to do that on a bigger scale.