Angioletta Coradini
Encyclopedia
Dr. Angioletta Coradini (born 1 July 1946, Rovereto
, Italy
– died 5 September 2011, Rome
, Italy
) was an Italian
astrophysicist, planetary scientist and one of the most important figures in the space sciences in Italy.
(ESA) and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as well as with the Soviet Space Program
, as well as working directly for the Italian Space Agency
(ASI). She was Principal Investigator (PI) of the visible channel for the Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer aboard the ESA-NASA-ASI Cassini-Huygens mission launched in 1997 to explore Saturn. Her group designed the Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS), for which Coradini was PI, aboard the ESA Rosetta probe currently en route to the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
for a rendezvous in 2014, and a twin spectrometer operating aboard Venus Express
.
She was Principal Investigator for the Visible and Infrared (VIR) instrument on the US Dawn mission, currently at the asteroid Vesta and destined for a rendezvous with the asteroid Ceres, both in the main belt, as well as serving as PI for the Jovian Auroral Mapper
(JIRAM) spectrometer on the NASA “New Frontiers
” Juno mission
, launched on 5 August 2011 to Jupiter.
Rovereto
Rovereto is a city and comune in Trentino in northern Italy, located in the Vallagarina valley of the Adige River.-History:Rovereto was an ancient fortress town standing at the frontier between the bishopric of Trento - an independent state until 1797 - and the republic of Venice, and later...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
– died 5 September 2011, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) was an Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
astrophysicist, planetary scientist and one of the most important figures in the space sciences in Italy.
Biography
In 1970 she completed a Masters degree in Physics at the University of Rome, the city where she would do her research over her entire career—at first at the university, then from 1975 at the National Research Council of Italy (CNR), and finally at the National Astrophysics Institute of Italy (INAF). Her early geological research conducted in the Gulf of Cagliari earned her notable international recognition, so much so that her “Department of Planetology” at CNR was one of the early groups to be entrusted by NASA with the analysis of lunar samples brought back to the Earth by the Apollo Program. From 2001-10, Dr. Coradini served as director of the Institute for the Physics of Interplanetary Space of INAF. She was awarded the David Bates Medal of the European Geophysical Union in 2007. In 2010 NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory named her one of its Distinguished Visiting Scientists.Participation in ESA and NASA missions
Dr. Coradini participated in numerous missions of the European Space AgencyEuropean Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
(ESA) and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as well as with the Soviet Space Program
Soviet space program
The Soviet space program is the rocketry and space exploration programs conducted by the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from the 1930s until its dissolution in 1991...
, as well as working directly for the Italian Space Agency
Italian Space Agency
The Italian Space Agency is a government agency established in 1988 to fund, regulate and coordinate space exploration activities in Italy...
(ASI). She was Principal Investigator (PI) of the visible channel for the Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer aboard the ESA-NASA-ASI Cassini-Huygens mission launched in 1997 to explore Saturn. Her group designed the Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS), for which Coradini was PI, aboard the ESA Rosetta probe currently en route to the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko, officially designated 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, is a comet with a current orbital period of 6.6 years. It is the destination of the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft mission, launched on March 2, 2004....
for a rendezvous in 2014, and a twin spectrometer operating aboard Venus Express
Venus Express
Venus Express is the first Venus exploration mission of the European Space Agency. Launched in November 2005, it arrived at Venus in April 2006 and has been continuously sending back science data from its polar orbit around Venus. Equipped with seven science instruments, the main objective of the...
.
She was Principal Investigator for the Visible and Infrared (VIR) instrument on the US Dawn mission, currently at the asteroid Vesta and destined for a rendezvous with the asteroid Ceres, both in the main belt, as well as serving as PI for the Jovian Auroral Mapper
JunoCam
JunoCam is a visible-light camera/telescope for the Juno Jupiter Orbiter, a NASA space probe to the planet Jupiter launched on 5 August 2011...
(JIRAM) spectrometer on the NASA “New Frontiers
New Frontiers program
The New Frontiers program is a series of space exploration missions being conducted by NASA with the purpose of researching several of the Sun's planets including Jupiter, Venus, and the dwarf planet Pluto...
” Juno mission
Juno (spacecraft)
Juno is a NASA New Frontiers mission to the planet Jupiter. Juno was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on August 5, 2011. The spacecraft is to be placed in a polar orbit to study the planet's composition, gravity field, magnetic field, and polar magnetosphere...
, launched on 5 August 2011 to Jupiter.
Participation in international scientific projects
- Co—investigator for NASA lunar and planetary research (1970–74);
- Member of the Joint Working Group (JWG) between the US National Academy of SciencesNational Academy of SciencesNational Academy of Sciences commonly refers to the academy in the United States of America.National Academy of Sciences may also refer to :* National Academy of Sciences of Argentina* Armenian National Academy of Sciences...
and the European Science FoundationEuropean Science FoundationThe European Science Foundation is an association of 78 member organisations devoted to scientific research in 30 European countries. It is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organisation that facilitates cooperation and collaboration in European research and development, European...
(1983); - NATO contractor for collaboration between Institute for Space Astrophysics (IAS) and UCLA (1984–87);
- Member of Solar System Working Group (SSWG) of ESA (1985–88);
- Member of the Phase A Assessment team for ESA Rosetta, third cornerstone (1985–93);
- PI for campaign of telemonitoring of active volcanic zones, organized jointly between CNR and NASA/JPL (1986);
- Member of the Science Team for data analysis of the ISM Sensor for the Soviet Phobos mission (1990–93);
- Member of the Italian Team for the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS) and Omega Vnir spectrometer for the Soviet Mars 94/96 mission (1989–96);
- Member of the Science Team for the CIRS and VIMS instruments, and PI of the VIMS visible channel, Cassini-Huygens mission (1991–2011)
- Coordinator of the Moon Orbiting Observatory (MORO) proposal and member of the MORO science team (1993–96);
- Member of the Observing Time Allocation Committee (OTAC) for the ESA Infrared Observatory (ISO) mission (1994–96);
- Member of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) observing Program Committee, Panel F (1997–99);
- PI of the VIRTIS instrument for the ESA Rosetta mission (1996–2011);
- PI of the Mars Multispectral Imager for Subsurface Studies (Ma-Miss) (1999–2011);
- Member of the Scientific Council of the Finnish Academy of Space Studies “Antares” (1999–2004);
- Member of the Scientific Council of the International Institute of Space Studies (ISSI), headquartered in Bern (1999–2002);
- Member of the ESA Science Program Committee (SPC) in the role of consultant for planetary science from the Italian delegation;
- Member of the High Scientific Committee of the Paris Observatory;
- PI of the VIR instrument for the NASA Dawn Discovery mission (2001–11);
- PI of the Jiram Instrument for the NASA New Frontiers Juno mission (2005–11);
- Member of the Space Advisory Group (SAG) of the European Community (2008–11);
- Past member, European Space Science Committee (ESSC);
- Past Secretary Division III, Commission 16 of the International Astronomical Union
Awards and Recognition
- David Bates Medal (2007) “In recognition of her important and wide ranging work in planetary sciences and Solar System formation, and her leading role in the development of space infrared instrumentation for planetary exploration”
- Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Science
- Asteroid 4598 Coradini4598 Coradini4598 Coradini is a main-belt asteroid discovered on August 15, 1985 by Ted Bowell at Flagstaff.It's named after the astrophysicist Angioletta Coradini -External links:*...
, shared with brother Marcello, for contributions given to the development of planetary science. - Elected member, International Academy of Astronautics, in 2009.