Reports from the MDRS
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| Name | Speciality |
| John Burgener | Commander |
| Sanjiv Bhattacharya | Crew Journalist |
| James Harris | Communications Engineer |
| Sandy Musclow | Chief Geologist |
| Georgi Petrov | Habitat Design Engineer |
| Richard Thieltges | Agronomist/Stromatolite Specialist |
 John Burgener |
Crew 22 Mission Commander John Burgener
I am an internationally experienced business executive and entrepreneur with diverse experience in management, marketing, sciences, research and development, technology and computers. My experience spans all the sciences, including Aerospace, Energy Conservation, Geophysics, Biology, Geology, Chemistry. I have worked in many remote areas, including the Canadian Arctic and Africa. I am associated with Xcor Aerospace in the development of reusable rocketplanes. My main business at present is production of nebulizers for chemical analysis.
|
 Sanjiv Bhattacharya |
I'm
Sanjiv Bhattacharya, a 32 year old journalist from south London who relocated to Los Angeles four years ago. I'll be writing about my
experience with MDRS Crew 22 for the Los Angeles Times Magazine. Upon graduating in philosophy at Cambridge University, I first played
saxophone in a funk band and then spent a year in India before taking up my present career. I started at GQ Magazine and became staff writer/features
editor for 2 years. Then I turned freelance in 1998 to write chiefly for the Times (London) and the Observer. A committed generalist, I've written
about all kinds of subjects since moving to LA, from evangelical bikers to Japanese beef. This Mars simulation is without question my most exciting assignment to date. |
 James Harris |
Hello, I'm James
Harris. So far in my time here I've been a chef, electrician, lifeguard, and now a professional computer geek. I work as a network administrator and nerd herder for Austin Community College in Austin, Texas. I am also an undergraduate student studying computer science and engineering. Currently 35 years old, my goal is to attain an advanced degree in data communications by the time I turn 40. My hobbies include astronomy, motorcycles (although currently between bikes...), and darts. With this trip to MDRS I would like, in at least some small way, to contribute to the goal of exploration and settlement of Mars. I remember the wonder I experienced when I was younger over the feats of Apollo and I want that back. My family helped settle Texas six generations ago. My hope is that by contributing to the Mars Society I can provide my god daughter and nephew with the same opportunities my great-grand parents experienced - only this time on a new world.
|
 Sandy Musclow |
Sandy Musclow is a small town farm girl from a tiny little village along the shores of the mighty Madawaska River in Ontario, Canada. She grew up in the wilderness where she divided her time between whitewater paddling and other outdoor pursuits. The day finally came when she said 'So long...but not too long' to her small town and headed out to the big city of Montreal to pursue the sciences at McGill University. There she was to learn to become a midwife...until she took an Astrobiology class that piqued her interest in space and Mars and life and geology and...to the point that she decided to major in Earth and Planetary Sciences. She got her BSc degree last june in EPS and decided that wasn't enough and that a MSc degree might suffice. Sandy is now working on her masters degree in the environmental aqueous geochemistry field, which has her currently working on everything from salmon farms in the Bay of Fundy to brine formation on the Red Planet. |
 Georgi Petrov |
Georgi Petrov is finishing his Masters of Architecture degree at MIT. For his
thesis he is working on the design of a permanently inhabited settlement on Mars, looking at how to maximize the use of in-situ resources while creating a
livable habitat. Georgi was born in the beautiful city of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. He came to the university town of Urbana, Illinois with his parents when he was twelve years old. There he completed high school, undergraduate studies in architecture and a master’s in civil engineering from the University of Illinois. He first became interested in space exploration when he watched Carl Sagan’s Cosmos series when he was a little boy. He hopes to be able to use his diverse background in engineering and architectural design to contribute to our quest to reach out in the cosmos. |
 Richard Thieltges |
Richard Thieltges is a stromatolite researcher from Montana. After a long career in farm management, he retired to take an M. A. in transpersonal psychology. He then pursued studies in medicinal herbal research, growing certified organic medicinal plants, and vitamin supplementation and life extension research. After becoming very interested in the Suiseki rock art tradition of Japan, he traveled extensively in the western U. S. collecting stromatolites. Presently he has one of the largest stromatolite collections in the U. S., and is interested in exo-paleontology and the usefulness of the study and classification of earth stromatolites for the facilitation of visual identification of exogeological strata for remote testing and sample return. |
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