Post by Dominic Locks

What do I have in common with ESA director Josef Aschbacher, German astronaut Alexander #Gerst and Pascale Ehrenfreund, former president of the International Astronautical Federation? Not much (yet) - except, as of the last two weeks, one incredible experience: the Summer School #Alpbach! ⛰️ In the stunning beauty of the Tyrolean Alps, 60 engineering and science students from 24 ESA member states came together to learn, connect, and design amazing space missions. This year's topic, "Small bodies in the solar system" covered asteroids, comets and dwarf planets, and their links to the formation of the solar system, the origin of water on Earth and the origin of life. 🧠 We began with some phenomenal lectures on this topic. I was blown away by the caliber of people invited as lecturers and tutors. Who better to talk about the #Hera mission than Patrick Michel, its PI? Who knows more about #Rosetta's #Philae lander than the project manager, Stephan Ulamec? Who could teach us more about mission analysis than German Aerospace Center (DLR) chief mission analyst Marcus Hallmann? Every expert impressed me immensely, both with their professional experience but also with their expertise and competence. They showed me striking examples of exactly the kind of person I aspire to be, and reinvigorated my ambition to reach these lofty heights. 🚀 After learning about the theory, we were split into four groups to devise a space mission to answer some pressing scientific question about this topic. I was in Team Blue, under the wonderful tutelage of Elise Wright Knutsen and Riccardo Lasagni Manghi. Our mission? To solve the missing link in planet formation: how millimeter-sized grains turn into meter sized boulders, which can then turn into asteroids, moons, and the planet we're standing on. Our target? In keeping with the theme of "small bodies in the solar system", we went... to Saturn 🪐, in whose rings these kinds of processes happen all the time. Our Name? SAURON, the one true Lord of the Rings! 🛰️ As Engineering Lead of my team, I stepped far outside of my comfort zone and gained a lot of experience in leadership. One of my fondest memories is of one evening where I spent 3-4 hectic hours interfacing between all of the subgroups, without a single moment to spare for the subsystems I had assigned to myself. 🎤 I also got to present the engineering part of the mission during our final presentation, gaining invaluable experience in speaking in front of such a large and illustrious crowd - although I freely admit that I still have a long way to go on that front. 🌠 Huge thanks to everyone who made this unforgettable. Special shoutouts to Peter Falkner for brilliant technical leadership, Anna Ganser for seamless organization, and FFG Austrian Research Promotion Agency for making it all possible and sponsoring my attendance. And above all - thank you, Team Blue and all my fellow students, for making it such a fun and fulfilling experience!