Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu, CEng, FIET, FRAeS, SMIEE, PMP, FGA is a Ghanaian robotics engineer at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the chief engineer and technical group leader for the mobility and manipulation group at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory[1][2][3][4] He has been associated with various NASA Mars missions, notably the Mars Rover and InSight projects.
[6] He joined the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1999 and rose through the ranks to become the leader of the team that designed the Mars Rover robot that landed on the red planet.
[4] In an interview with the BBC, Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu noted that he had started a project in his home country of Ghana to make Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) more likable and fun.
[3][7][8][9] As per the New York Times, the spacecraft was expected to study the Mars' underworld, listening for marsquakes and seeking clues about the dusty world's formation.
[3] In 2011 Ashitey founded the Ghana Robotics Academy Foundation (GRAF), a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to motivating and inspiring young Ghanaians in science, technology and engineering.
[11][12] His individual prizes include:[4] Ollennu's team awards include: Trebi-Ollennu's uncle was the barrister and judge, Nii Amaa Ollennu (1906–1986), elected the Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana during the Second Republic as well as serving as the Chairman of the Presidential Commission and acting President of Ghana from 7 August 1970 to 31 August 1970.