MDRS Crew 50
May 7 - 13, 2006

The crew of the Mars Desert Research Station rotates every 2 weeks. These are the scientists and engineers who live and work on site within the MDRS. They explore all of the facets of human exploration in a simulated Mars environment. The MDRS will be active for a 7 month period.

Name	Speciality
Kevin Sloan	Commander
Amy Blank	Executive Officer, Penn State Rover Lead
Joe Sapp	Rover Test Coordinator
Tim Serge	Chief Crew Engineer
Alex Baldowski	Crew Engineer
Mike Fenton	Rover Specialist
Jeremy Sotzen	EVA Coordinator
Phil Larson	Health & Safety Officer

Kevin Sloan	Kevin Sloan, is a veteran of MDRS, previously serving as the Commander of Crew 25. He is an alumnus of Penn State, and currently works in Washington, DC as a Systems Engineer. Kevin is also working part time (slowly but surely) towards his Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Maryland. He is heavily involved with the Mars Society, working as the Marketing Manager, a member of the Political Task Force, and also taking an active role on the 2006 Mars Society Conference Planning Committee. Kevin's primary research interests lie in human/computer interaction for planetary exploration. During Crew 50, he will be working with the Penn State rover, and will be using it to help develop rules for the Mars Society's University Robotics Challenge. On the rare occasion that free time exists, Kevin spends his time running, biking, playing in bocce and kickball leagues (yes, you read that right), enjoying brewed beverages, playing and watching any variation of football, and working on photography. And on ever rarer occasions, Kevin has been known to sleep, but rarely known to wake up to an alarm.
Amy Blank	Amy Blank is a senior at Penn State majoring in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. Her main interests lie in robotics, which she will be studying next year at Johns Hopkins. She has been working with the PSU chapter of the Mars Society for the past four years, contributing to the rover project and educational outreach. This is her second rotation at MDRS, with the goal of testing the PSU chapter's rover project. When she has not locked herself in a lab somewhere, she enjoys swimming, reading, karate, and frisbee.
Joe Sapp	Joe Sapp recently graduated from Penn State with a degree in Electrical Engineering, focusing on communications, RF technology, and embedded programming. Having been interested in space and aeronautics for his entire life, he joined the Mars Society in 2004 and has been the secretary of the Penn State chapter for 2 years. Fortunately for the club, he was not put in a position of enough power to drive it into the ground, but he has put a rather unique spin on the software and electronics teams this past year. His favorite way to unwind is to play electronic music (via records, of course), swing dance, and write useless and buggy programs.
Tim Serge	Tim Serge is an undergraduate student majoring in aerospace engineering at Penn State University. This is his first trip to MDRS as part of the student-run chapter of the Mars Society at Penn State. He helped design and fabricate components which will be tested in the field during the crew's mission to MDRS as part of a long-term research project for a robotic assistant. He enjoys activities such as Penn State Mars Society outreach events, space exploration, design and integration of mechanical systems, as well as outdoor activities such as canoeing and kayaking.
Alex Baldowski	Alex Baldowski is an undergraduate student at the Pennsylvania State University studying Electrical Engineering. He joined the Mars Society chapter at PSU in the fall semester of his junior year in 2005. He is involved in the design and construction of mechanical parts for the rover. Alex's reason for going to MDRS is to learn the processes and activities that occur when one tries to live on another planet. Going also allows him to interact with his fellow group members and run tests on the PSU's current rover design. He enjoys participating in the Waste Not Project and Model UN, along with Mars Society, while at PSU. Alex's interests include mountain biking, stargazing, reading, camping, and mixing drinks.
Mike Fenton	Mike Fenton is a junior in Computer Engineering at Penn State, University Park campus. He has been involved with the programming team of the Penn State chapter of the Mars Society since he was talked into joining by fellow programming team member Phil Hurwitz. It was one of the best mistakes he has ever made. He is also a member of the SPIRIT III team, a rocketry group at Penn State. Mike's interests (outside of robotics and programming) include Aikido, Japanese, and singing.
Jeremy Sotzen	Jeremy Sotzen is a senior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University majoring in Aerospace Engineering with a concentration in astronautics. Jeremy is the General Manager of the ERAU Satellite Development Group which designs, constructs, and operates satellites completely developed by undergraduates. Jeremy's passion is human exploration of the solar system, and the expansion of the private space industry. To support this passion, Jeremy plans on obtaining a Masters in Space Management at the International Space University and eventually starting a company in space technologies. Jeremy's main objective at MDRS is to conduct research to better understand the astronaut-rover relationship to best utilize time spent on the Martian surface. In addition, conduct scientific research to support MDRS operations.
Phil Larson	Phil Larson is currently an undergraduate Aerospace Studies student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL. He is an editor and head space writer for his school newspaper, The Avion, as well as an avid space exploration student and advocate. After graduating from Embry-Riddle in 2007, Phil plans on attending the University of North Dakota to achieve a Masters Degree in Space Studies. Phil's main focus in space is a human mission to Mars, and it is his goal to help realize this event during his lifetime. In his spare time, Phil enjoys reading, movies, video games, rollerblading, hanging out with his friends, and anything to do with sports—especially baseball. He also enjoys visiting his family and friends back home in Northern Wisconsin.