2023-06-16 12:35:00
A team of Catalan scientists has traveled to a ‘Martian camp’ located in the middle of the Utah desert (United States) to study what life would be like on the red planet. His adventure is the first of the Hypatia project, an initiative created to promote research projects, make visible the role of women scientists and, above all, inspire the new generations of boys and girls who dream of going to space. The mission has remained, for now, on the earth’s soil, but one day, its teachings could help the first earthlings who set out to set foot on the red planet.
These are the nine Catalan scientists who have starred in the Hypatia project.
Mariona Badenas-Agustí, commander and astronomer
The mission has ‘taken off’ under the command of the Catalan scientist Mariona Badenas-Agustí. This researcher is expert in astrophysics, cosmology and planetary sciences. In his curriculum you can read the names of such prestigious institutions as Yale University, where he obtained his degree in astrophysics, the Institute of Space Sciences of Catalonia, where he obtained his master’s degree, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he is now He is working on his PhD. Her research is currently focused on computational tools to study, on the one hand, the evolution of stars and, on the other, the search for worlds beyond the solar system.
Carla Conejo González, crew officer
The second in command of the mission has been the Catalan biologist Carla Conejo González. This scientist has experienced science from all angles. On the one hand, as a researcher, she has specialized in biotechnology and has worked on neurobiology projects at the Center for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona. On the other hand, as a science communicator, she has worked as a scientific advisor and documentalist for TV3, as well as director of scientific programs at the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera. She is also the founder of the Polaris science travel app.
Ariadna Farrés Basiana, crew scientist and health and safety officer
The person in charge of the safety of the mission and the health of the crew it was the scientist Ariadna Farrés Basiana. This researcher comes from the field of applied mathematics and is specialized in astrodynamics and celestial mechanics. He currently works on the flight dynamics team at NASA’s prestigious Goddard Space Flight Center. She also supports the mission of the Nancy Grace Roman and James Webb Space Telescopes, the most powerful scientific instrument ever launched by our species.
Laia Ribas, manager of the GreenHab
One of the objectives of this Martian mission has been work in a greenhouse to study how plants will be grown on the red planet. This project, baptized as GreenHab, will be in charge of the researcher Laia Ribas. This scientist works at the Institute of Marine Sciences of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC). Her scientific career has focused on understanding what kind of factors determine the sex of fish.
Núria Jar, journalist on board
The mission’s on-board log has been written in the handwriting of science journalist Núria Jar. Currently, this professional collaborates in programs such as ‘El Matí de Catalunya Ràdio’, in media such as the SINC Agency or the magazine ‘Muy interesante’ writing about topics related to science, health and environment. One of its objectives on board this mission has been to document daily both the life of the astronauts on Mars and the progress of each of the experiments and projects that are launched on the red soil.
Neus Sabaté, team engineer
The renowned Catalan scientist Neus Sabaté has been in charge of test a new generation of Martian batteries. That is, some energy sources that resist the inclemencies of the red planet. Sabaté will immerse himself in this mission using all his experience in the field of investigation. This scientist, in fact, comes from the field of physics, she works as an ICREA professor at the Institute of Microelectronics in Barcelona and is co-founder of Fuelium; a company dedicated to developing and marketing paper-based batteries for single-use portable devices.
Cesca Cufí Prat, engineer
The aerospace engineer Cesca Cufí Prat has been one of those in charge of studying the “cellular intelligence on the martian surface“. His mission will consist above all in studying the behavior of a curious single-celled organism known as a ‘blob’ to see how it reacts to red soil conditions. This scientist, specialized in space systems, obtained her undergraduate studies at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and her master’s degree at the prestigious Institut Supérieur de l’Aeronautique et de l’Espace (ISAE Supaero). She currently works at Airbus Defense and Space developing high-precision instruments for Earth observation.
Anna Bach, scientist and artist
The researcher and artist Anna Bach Valls, specialized in mathematics and computer science, has been the first astronaut in the Hypatia I reserve and one of those selected for the liftoff of Hypatia II, which will take off in 2025. In his more scientific facet, Bach works as a data analyst at the multinational company Scopely, where he uses machine learning techniques to understand user behavior. On her more artistic side, this researcher is responsible for the ‘Annet Planet’ project where she shares illustrations about women and science.
Helena Arias Casals, engineer
The young Helena Arias Casals has been the second reserve astronaut of the Hypatia I mission and one of the selected for the takeoff of the Hypatia II program, which will be released in just two years. Arias is student of mechanical engineering, electronic engineering and physics at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and at the National University of Distance Studies (UNED). This young woman, who combines her engineering studies with her sports career as an Olympic shooter, has participated in various research programs such as Joves i Ciència (Youth and Science) of the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera, or the International Science Summer Institute (ISSI) of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.
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