THE EMMIHS-II CREW
Michaela Musilova
Mission Commander
She is also a graduate from the International Space University (ISU)'s Space Studies Program. Michaela's space research experience includes working at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; University of London Observatory; on NASA's and UK Space Agency's MoonLite project; being an analogue astronaut in NASA's and the University of Hawaii (UH)'s HI-SEAS simulated mission to Mars, and commander of such a mission at the Mars Desert Research Station. Michaela is currently the Director for HI-SEAS missions, as part of UH and the International MoonBase Alliance.
She is also a visiting professor at the Slovak University of Technology, vice-chair of the Slovak Organisation for Space Activities (SOSA), lecturer for ISU and a senior research adviser for Mission Control Space Services Inc. Michaela has received numerous prizes and grants, including the Emerging Space Leaders Grant from the International Astronautical Federation (2016); Women in Aerospace- Europe Young Professional Award (2016) and the 30 under 30 Forbes Slovakia recognition (2015).
Contact: musilova@moonbasealliance.com
Sabrina Kerber
Crew Engineer, Space Architect
Sabrina Kerber, the crew's support engineer, is an Austrian space architect, working on concepts for extra-terrestrial habitation with ESA's EuroMoonMars Team and Vienna University of Technology (VUT).
She is a laureate of the NewSpace2060 International Moon Pitch Competition. Sabrina has collected valuable insights into the space sector by doing a six-month internship at the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
As a woman in the STEM field, Sabrina is a strong lawyer for gender equality and always looking to promote women in technology.
Her personal interest and the focus of her work during EMMIHS-II are in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and on-site production.
Contact: sabrina.kerber@outlook.com
Ana Paula Castro De Paula Nunes
Chief Engineer
Ana Paula is our only crew member from South America and will be the EMMIHS-II crew engineer. She completed her degree in Aerospace Engineering in Brazil and is now enrolled in the Space Law & Policy master's program at Beihang University in China.
Ana obtained valuable knowledge into the space industry during her internship working as an intern at the Space Applications Section at the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs.
As crew engineer, she'll assist on experiments, maintenance and various tasks inside the habitat. Her personal interests lie in the sustainability of space activities and space debris mitigation.
Contact: ana.castron19@gmail.com
Ariane Wanske
Crew Engineer, Space Architect
Ariane is a space architect from Berlin, Germany. She works on developing concepts for inflatable habitats for extra-terrestrial explorations together with the European Space Agency and Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU).
The focus during the EMMIHS-II mission lies on the exploration and analysis of lava tubes for lunar habitation with investigations on human factors.
Ariane's personal interest lies in the development of architectural solutions that counteract the psychological effects on astronauts during their missions.
Contact: ariane.wanske@icloud.com
Charlotte Pouwels
Crew Physicist
Charlotte was a part of the plasma thruster project for CubeSats at The ARC Training Center for CubeSats.
During the EMMIHS-II mission, the main focus will be on conducting research in the area of growing food for extra-terrestrial missions.
Contact: charlotte.pouwels@gmail.com
Joseph D'Angelo
Chief Medical Doctor
After 6 years as Medical Director (operations) and Chief Medical Officer (crew health), COL Joseph A. D'Angelo, MD finally had an opportunity to volunteer for a HI-SEAS simulation mission.
As a civilian, he is a pediatrician and pediatric cardiologist in solo private practice for 21 years on the Big Island, Hawaii. He trained at UCSD Medical School in California and completed a residency in Pediatrics and fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, OR.
He served for 16 years in the Army National Guard as a Field Surgeon, most notably with the 1-221st Armored Cavalry Squadron of the Nevada Army National Guard ("tanks are a lot like space capsules.") and he served in four combat tours in the Middle East.
Currently, he is the Public Health Officer in the 322nd Civil Affairs Brigade of the U.S. Army Reserves.
He has been involved with HI-SEAS since the beginning, caring for the crews before during and after the analogue Mars missions.
He has a passion for service and now his patients range from Hawaii to Asia, and to the Moon and beyond (Mars).
Contact: koadoc@gmail.com
MISSION SUPPORT TEAM
Like any other space mission, the crew is aided by a supporting team, both locally and internationally. Several key supporting team members are:
Anouk Beniest
Mission Ground Support
Dr. Anouk Beniest is part of the EMMIHS-II ground support communication. She is a geologist from The Netherlands, where she currently works as a postdoctoral researcher at Free University Amsterdam.
The research context on understanding the solid earth from a plate-tectonic perspective in an interdisciplinary way using structural geological, geodynamic and geophysical methods and data. Besides being an Earth Scientist, she is passionately advocates for equal opportunities for women in science and helps Early Career Scientist find their way in the geoscience community as well as the vice-Unionwide Early Career Scientist Representative of the European Geoscience Union.
Contact: a.beniest@gmail.com
Marc Heemskerk
Remote Support Geoscientist
A geoscientist from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Marc is interested in utilizing locally available resources on the Moon and Mars.
He is currently finishing his MSc. in Geology and Geochemistry at the VU in Amsterdam, with research projects on lunar and Martian ISRU, such as synthesizing concrete blocks, extracting vital resources and lava tube discovery and exploration.
In collaboration with ESA, Marc has collaborated on multiple projects regarding human lunar habitation and has played a minor role as geological remote support for EMMIHS-I and EMMIHS-II. This in preparation for his task as Lead Scientist on board of the EMMIHS-III crew.
Contact: marcvheemskerk@gmail.com