Miniaturized Lidar for Mars (MiLi)>People

 

People

INTA

Dr. Alberto Martín-Ortega (right) is a computer engineer and holds a PhD in Computer Science and Telecommunications. He has a strong technical background in satellite avionics and payload computers for critical systems. During his career, he has participated in over 10 space missions, targeting from Earth orbit satellites to Deep Space missions and planetary exploration rovers. His experience ranges from technical design leadership to systems engineering and project management.

Isaías (left) is a software engineer with a Master’s degree in Telecommunication Engineering. He is an expert in the development of critical software for space applications, as well as the in the automation of processes in mission operations and AIT (Assembly, Integration and Tests) fields. As part of INTA and Imperial College London staff, Isaías has been involved in missions such as the Mars Science Laboratory (NASA) or Solar Orbiter (ESA).

Juanjo (right) joined INTA in 2001. He has worked in more than 10 Space Projects, participating in all stages of payload development, from design to flight explotation. He has been responsible for the calibration of some sensors and payloads: radiometry sensors (i.e. RDS of MARs'2020 on-board Perseverance) and radiation monitors (i.e. LDT proton monitor on-board NANOSAT-1B which was the subject of his PhD). He is the head of the Optoelectronics Lab.

Dr. Laura Gómez Martín (left) is a researcher at the Atmospheric Research and Instrumentation Branch (INTA) and previously associated professor at the University of Reims (France). She has a PhD in Physics from both: the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain) and the Franche-Comté University (France). Her research have been centred on the study of molecules and particles with atmospheric and astrophysical interest, mainly for the Earth and Mars atmospheres. This research was conducted using a broad range of both theoretical and experimental spectroscopy techniques and radiative transfer simulations. She is involved in different space missions (SIS-ExoMars, RDS-Mars2020, MiLi-ESA, ANSER-INTA).

Dr. Carmen Córdoba-Jabonero is a scientific researcher at the Atmospheric Research and Instrumentation Branch (INTA). She has a PhD in Physics from the Autonomous University of Madrid and a BSc in Physics from the Moscow State University. Her scientific expertise is in aerosol (dust, biomass-burning, marine) and cloud (cirrus, mixed-phase) research by using both active and passive remote sensing observations (lidar, radar, photometry) and advanced retrieval algorithms of their properties for radiative forcing assessment. She is/has been involved in ground-based aerosol lidar networks (e.g. NASA/MPLNET, EU/ACTRIS), and space missions such as CALIPSO (NASA) and EarthCARE (ESA) on Earth, and Mars Express/Beagle-2 (ESA) and pre-REMS/UVS (NASA) on Mars.

asphericon

Angela Heckl (left) has a background in nanostructure technology and worked in laboratories with electron spectroscopy at Julius-Maximilians-University in Würzburg and ultra-short pulse laser facilities in Lithuania before she started her career in the sales team of the asphericon GmbH. She is the contact person for customers who need expertise in freeform optics and responsible for the Southern European, Swiss, and Austrian as well as the Bavarian (Germany) market.

Matthieu Frambourg (right) is an optical engineer. He is Head of Space Projects at Asphericon and his role is to ensure better communication between the project requirements and the engineering and manufacturing teams at Asphericon.

York University

Dr. James Whiteway is a Professor at York University and was previously a faculty member at the University of Wales at Aberystwyth. He has a Ph.D. in Physics from York University and a B.Sc. in Engineering Physics from Queen’s University. His research involves the development and application of laser remote sensing technology for investigation of the atmospheres on Earth and Mars. Professor Whiteway led the Science Team for the LIDAR instrument on the spacecraft for the NASA Phoenix mission that landed on Mars in 2008. The highlight from that work was the discovery of snow falling from Martian clouds. Professor Whiteway’s Earth based research involves the study of processes in the atmosphere that play a role in determining climate and air quality.

James “Jim” Freemantle obtained a BSc in Physics from the University of Waterloo (1982) and a MSc in Physics from York University (1985). Jim is now the Project Manager for the OSIRIS-REx Lidar Altimeter (OLA) project and laboratory manager for the Canadian Planetary Simulator (CAPS) Facility at York University in Toronto, Canada. Before the OLA project Jim worked on the Phoenix Mars Lidar Mission.

As a research scientist for CRESTech and ISTS (1990-2002) he worked on algorithm and software development for processing of image data from hyperspectral sensors. Jim also provided scientific and management support to the AEROCAN project at the University of Sherbrooke (2002-2013).

Eamonn McKernan has a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Toronto. He has extensive experience in atmospheric modelling, thermal vacuum experimentation, and satellite calibration and validation. His previous projects include calibration and validation of the MOPITT satellite instrument and the Metop platform instrument suite. He has also supported helicopter-based infrared trace gas measurements. Most recently he carried out lidar measurements of water deliquescence under Martian conditions in a thermal vacuum chamber.

CINN

Adolfo Fernández Valdés (left) holds a BSc in Organic Chemistry and a PhD in materials science. For 3 years he led the Security and Defense Area of ITMA Foundation and in 2019 was appointed Director of the CINN. His research interests are focused on the synthesis and processing of multifunctional materials, and particularly the development of ultrastable ceramic nanocomposites. He is author of 96 papers and 12 patents, 4 of which relate to ultrastable materials.

Adrián Alonso (right) has a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Oviedo and is currently Innovation Manager at the Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Research Center (CINN). Since 2005 his professional career has been focused on the valorisation of research outcomes in the field of materials science, particularly ceramic nanocomposites, and the development of high-added value products for extreme environment applications.

Politecnico Di Milano

Kirill Potemkin (left) is currently a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering, participating in the "Development of Advanced Monitoring Systems" program at Politecnico di Milano, 38th cycle. His main research focus revolves around the hardware design and evaluation of space instruments. As a member of the MiLi Mechanical Design team, Kirill is playing a role in the development of thermo-mechanical subsystems for the instruments.

Marco Giovanni Corti (right) is pursuing the Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano, within the “Development of Advanced Monitoring Systems” framework. His primary research focus regards the mechanical design, integration, and testing of space instruments hardware. As a member of the MiLi Mechanical Design team, Marco is actively contributing to the development of instrument thermo-mechanical subsystems.