You are invited to hear

Dr. Chantal Cappelletti

Assistant Professor, Laboratory of Aerospace Science and Innovation
University de Brasilia

"Nanosatellite Mission for Cancer Research"

Monday, November 6 @ 11 a.m.
Montgomery Knight Room 317

Abstract:
The presence of microgravity conditions and ionizing radiation makes space a unique environment for biomedical research. Different studies have shown a strong correlation between exposure to space environment and increased risks for human health. This is the case, for example, of cancer and osteoporosis.  The human exploration of space is of course affected by such factors.

On the other hand, the exposure to space environment can have important effects on organisms already affected by diseases like cancers. Nevertheless, these mechanisms are not well known nor completely understood nowadays. Space environment could promote, hinder or have no effect on these cells but in any case, each result obtained by biomedical experiments in space would be of fundamental importance to increase the knowledge about the proliferation mechanisms of cancers.

Traditionally, biomedicine studies in space are performed on board large platforms such as the International Space Station. Nowadays, the advancements in technology allow to use smaller and cheaper solutions such as nanosatellite.

This seminar will present a nanosatellite mission for investigating Glioblastoma cancer cells in space. The design of the spacecraft, of all its subsystems and of the overall mission will be described. The resulting configuration will be optimized in terms of the scientific goals of the mission, taking advantage from the results of two precursor missions performed in 2011 on board the last two flights of the Space Shuttle.

Chantal Cappelletti received a BSc (2005) in Aerospace Engineering from Sapienza Università di Roma, a MSc (2008) in Astronautical Engineering and a PhD (2012) in Aerospace Engineering from the Scuola di Ingegneria Aerospaziale della Sapienza Università di Roma. She is currently an Assistant Professor at University of Brasilia, where she is associated with the Laboratory of Aerospace Science and Innovation (LAICA). She is the cofounder of the Italian company GAUSS Srl. She has led 6 satellite projects in Italy (UNISAT program and others) and in Brazil (SERPENS, TuPOD). She was PI of 2 missions concerning cancer cells behaviour in space. She was an ASI delegate at Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC). Her main research interests are related with Small Satellites, Biomedical Research in space, Space Debris, Astrodynamics and Attitude Control. She is member of the International Academy of Astronautics.