Reports from the MDRS
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| Name | Speciality |
| Jon Pineau | Commander |
| Ben Huset | Executive Officer & EVA Coordinator |
| Chris Cassell | Flight Engineer |
| Catherine Fourrel de Frettes | Crew Biologist |
| Thomas Hiriart | Crew Engineer |
 Jon Pineau |
Jon Pineau is a systems engineer for Stellar Solutions with a background in aerospace engineering, systems engineering, and space systems research. This includes spacecraft and life support system design, space life sciences, controls and embedded system real-time programming, space systems integration and testing, and real-time operations. With experience in NASA planetary missions (MGS, Mars Odyssey, Stardust, Genesis), manned vehicle systems (Space Shuttle and International Space Station payloads), space-based instruments (Hubble Space Telescope, VIIRS for NPOESS, LAT for the Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope), and other programs, Jon's background combines broad systems engineering experience with hands-on technical expertise in space and ground system I&T.
Growing up in the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains staring up at the dark and limitless skies Jon's passion in space and exploration began. This developed into a way of life and has resulted in the exploration of many amazing, harsh, and beautiful environments across the world as well as providing energy to support the many space programs of which he feels privileged to be part of. Earth bound explorations usually include mountain biking, rock climbing, scuba diving, mountaineering, and skiing. |
 Ben Huset |
Ben Huset: Spends much of his efforts giving hands on multimedia presentations to K-12 school groups, home schools, science fiction conventions, including Marscon, Convergence and MiniCon and civic groups on various space topics. Helped staff and then trained and managed staff for space education displays in planetariums, malls, theater lobbies and conventions. Past Director of MN Spaceweek. Helped coordinate display materials, manage display sites and trained and scheduled staffing. Helped staff NASA International Space Station display at MN State fair assisting visitors with hands on computer simulation displays. Created panel displays for Space Shuttle flights and ISS missions for local planetarium lobby and other venues , STS- 26 to current, often with realtime audio and computer world map displays. Staff writer/photographer for L-5 chapter newsletter L-5 Points. Later moved up to editor/publisher of Downrange. Wrote a syndicated monthly news and commentary column on Soviet Space Activity - Mirwatch. Co-authored article for Final Frontier magazine. Became board member, assistant director then executive director of MN Space Frontier Society. Elected regional board member of National Space Society. Campaigned for Presidential Candidate John Glenn. Founding Member of the Mars Society attended many of its conferences including the founding conference. Judge for Twin Cities Regional Science fair. Awarded certificates and prizes for outstanding space related projects. Videographer / producer at many Space Development conferences for cable access programs and chapter use. President of the MN Astronomical Society, during his 4 yrs in office, doubled membership to over 400+ members and brought two observatories on-line each with 16" telescopes. Established and managed an electronic bulletin board system for the easy exchange of information and electronic mail for the Space development community. Set up a desk top publishing system for a non-profit organization's daily operations and monthly newsletter. Set up a presentation computer graphics system for the organization. Currently developing World Wide Web pages for the many organizations that I’m a member of. Private pilot and General Class Amateur Radio operator KA0PSQ! Currently living with a wife, two teen-age kids and 6 cats and lots of computers. |
 Chris Cassell |
Chris Cassell is an aerospace engineer specializing in orbital mechanics at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Sunnyvale, CA. During his ten years at Lockheed since Ph.D. graduation, he has worked on commercial GEO communications satellites and was Lockheed's orbit analyst for their James Webb Space Telescope proposal. Chris is participating in MDRS as an individual on his own time. Lockheed Martin is not a sponsor of the program or affiliated with The Mars Society in any way.
Born in New York City, Chris received his B.A. in Physics and M.S. in Geophysical Sciences from the University of Chicago. Directing his career more toward space, he joined the Air Force becoming an aerospace engineer through a degree program at the Air Force Institute of Technology. He worked in an engineering group at the Air Force Geophysics Laboratory developing and launching sounding (suborbital research) rocket payloads from White Sands and elsewhere. After the Air Force, Chris worked for General Dynamics, San Diego where his lifelong interest in space became focused on the importance of space resource utilization, and orbital transport issues thereof, during studies related to the Space Exploration Initiative of the first (G.H.W.) Bush administration. This also inspired his return to grad school for a doctorate from UC San Diego. With help from a NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program Fellowship at JPL, his dissertation was in optimization of lunar swingby usage for near-Earth asteroid missions. Chris is an avid photographer (see his online gallery at www.light-and-shadow.org). He also runs regularly with the West Valley Joggers and Striders (www.wvjs.org). Rock climbing was his major sport for many years, though not recently, and he has climbed in many areas of the U.S. Chris lives in San Jose with his wife, two daughters and two cats. |
 Catherine Fourrel de Frettes |
Catherine Fourrel de Frettes was born and raised in Belgium. She graduated from the European University - Antwerp with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, and is currently an undergraduate student majoring in Biology at Northern College, Espanola, NM.
Today, she calls home Santa Fe, NM where, when not busy studying, she enjoys motherhood (her daughter Nora and her step children, Sebastien & his wife Michele, Celine and Christopher) as well as her wonderful husband. In between, she lived in Chicago, where she started working as a production manager for a steel company and ended by running her own business, after teaching French for several years. With her husband, she traveled the world, and hopes to continue to do so whenever time will be available. Her dream is to pursue a PhD in the microbiology field in order to do research as well as to teach. She feels very fortunate to be surrounded by extraordinary professors that continuously feed her curiosity and passion for learning as well as supporting her in this adventure. "I am among those who think that science has great beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician: he is also a child placed before natural phenomena which impress him like a fairy tale." - Marie Curie |
 Thomas Hiriart |
Thomas Hiriart was born in Nancy, in the North-East of France. Once he had his High School Diploma, he entered a "Classe Preparatoire" - a three year program to prepare the competitive entrance exam to the French Engineering Schools - where he learned how satisfying it could be to work hard and to develop strong motivation in order to stand up to the pressure to be the best. At the same time, he has discovered the sorrows and the joys of sports competitions. Rock climbing has always been something special in his life. This is a sport where a huge polyvalence (physical and mental) is needed, where being calm is essential and where the risk should be assumed and managed. Finally, he succeeded in entering the French School of Aeronautics and Space in Toulouse, FRANCE, two years ago. He has been graduated this summer from the NASA Academy and he is still working at the Goddard Space Flight Center on a weather satellite project (GOES). He will be back in France in January to work on a new Infrared Interferometer for the French Space Agency (CNES). |
The Mars Society
E-Mail: MarsSocInfo@aol.com - Phone: +1 (303) 984-9653
P.O. Box 273 Indian Hills - Colorado 80454, USA
Copyright © 2007 The Mars Society. All rights reserved.
E-Mail: MarsSocInfo@aol.com - Phone: +1 (303) 984-9653
P.O. Box 273 Indian Hills - Colorado 80454, USA
Copyright © 2007 The Mars Society. All rights reserved.