 Vernon Kramer |
W. Vernon Kramer holds a B.S. in Mining Engineering from Texas Western College; a M.S. in Geology from the University of Texas at El Paso and post-MS studies at New Mexico School of Mines. His work in mining and exploration spans 30 years and his work experience extends from being an underground miner to managing international exploration offices. He has conducted multi-national exploration in Asia, including Afghanistan, Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia, as well as in both North and South America, for metallic and non-metallic commodities such as limestone, gold, oil and gas, copper, and uranium. Vernon has a passion for teaching and has taught third and fourth grade science. He is now an instructor of Geology at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas where he is actively recruiting future geologists.
Vernon joined the Mars Society because he has an intense interest in the future of Mars mineral exploration and eventual settlement. He has conducted mineral and mining studies for the 4Frontiers Corp., given seminars on this subject and even had a short stint for mining iron on Mars for the History Channel's Modern Marvels. |
 Joseph Palaia |
Joseph Palaia holds a bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a master's degree in Nuclear Science & Engineering from MIT. In various appointments throughout his career, he has developed electrical and mechanical systems in robotics, plasma processing and space propulsion applications. He is currently the Vice President of the 4Frontiers Corporation (www.4FrontiersCorp.com), where he has served in both engineering and management roles in two comprehensive Mars settlement design efforts. He has co-authored technical papers on the topics of Mars surface nuclear power planet design, Mars settlement architecture and space economics, and recently completed a book chapter on the topic of the economics of energy on Mars. Joe is the recipient of the 2005 Peter Diamandis Leadership Award and the 2007 Young Professionals Entrepreneurship Prize, awarded by the Luigi Gerardo Napolitano Society and the International Astronautical Federation. Joe brings to the expedition his tenacity in executing the tasks that are before him, and his passion for Mars exploration and settlement. |
 Stacy Cusack |
Stacy Cusack is a Space Station Training Lead at NASA's Johnson Space Center where she trains astronauts and cosmonauts in the operations of the International Space Station (ISS). She is responsible for leading the simulations used to certify flight control teams who operate the systems on the Space Station. She is also involved in the development of training plans to prepare astronauts for future Moon and Mars missions. Stacy is the Training Lead for the Expedition 20 crew, the STS-132/ULF-4 assembly mission, and the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle. The Expedition 20 crew launches on May 27, 2009 and will mark the start of six-person crew operations onboard the ISS.
Prior to becoming a Station Training Lead, Stacy supported 2000 hours of real-time spacecraft operations in Houston's Mission Control Center where she managed the operations of the life support systems on ISS. She has worked eight Shuttle/ISS assembly missions and eight ISS Increments in Mission Control. Stacy also worked for four years as a Spaceflight Instructor training crewmembers in the operations of the ISS life support systems and Space Station emergency response (fire, rapid depressurization, and toxic atmosphere). She has traveled to the Space Station astronaut training and mission control centers in Japan, Russia, and Germany as part of her integration with the ISS partners around the world. Stacy has a Bachelor's Degree in Aerospace Engineering and a Master's Degree in Planetary Geology. Her graduate work focused primarily on the study and exploration of Mars and included papers on topics such as Mars meteorites, space radiation, volcanism on Mars, and thermal infrared remote sensing on Mars. Stacy is also a licensed HAM radio operator. Stacy served as the Executive Officer, Habitat Capcom, and one of the geologists on the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) Crew 7 in November 2002. Crew 7 was an international crew comprised of members from France, Belgium, Britain, and the United States. |
 Kristine Ferrone |
Kristine Ferrone is a flight controller for the International Space Station (ISS) at NASA's Johnson Space Center supporting mission planning and timeline development for crew and ground activities. She is certified in three console positions integrating the ISS mission timeline from start to finish, incorporating inputs from all NASA disciplines as well as all the ISS International Partners.
Prior to her work in Flight Planning, Kristine was Mission Scientist and flight controller for the ISS Payloads group, traveling between Johnson Space Center and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL for the integration of ISS payloads. She served as the liaison between spaceflight operations and the primary investigators for payload experiments onboard the ISS. Kristine is a 2004 graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a B.S. in Physics/Astrophysics. Her undergraduate research focused on high energy particle physics, leading her to take a position as an operator in the Main Control Room for the Collider-Accelerator Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) responsible for the operations and troubleshooting of the particle accelerator complex. Also while at BNL, Kristine worked in operations at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory, studying the effects of space radiation on astronauts and space vehicle equipment. She is also a 2007 graduate of the University of Florida with an MBA and is currently working on an M.S. in Sports Medicine from the United States Sports Academy. In the fall she will begin an M.Arch. in Space Architecture at the University of Houston. Kristine is a native of Pittsburgh, PA and is a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. She now resides in Houston, TX with her boyfriend Loi and their dog Roxy. Her interests include travel, sports, scrapbooking, reading, and spaceflight. |
 Brian Shiro |
Brian Shiro is a space explorer trapped inside an earth scientist. A seismologist by training, he is a veteran of numerous geophysical field expeditions to install seismometers in remote locations including Antarctica, Alaska, Canada, and various tropical Pacific islands. His diverse background includes summer jobs working with upper atmosphere gas sensors, carbon nanotubes, satellite radar mapping, geochemistry, glaciology, and high performance computing. Brian has also worked at three NASA centers (JSC, GSFC, and JPL) and served as the principal investigator for a Mars Geophysical Lander mission concept proposal developed with NASA JPL's Team X in 2003. A common theme in his interests is a belief that science should improve society, and he is particularly passionate about natural disaster mitigation using space technologies. He is a father, marathon runner, SCUBA diver, aviation enthusiast, tree hugger, home improvement do-it-yourselfer, and all around outdoor sports junkie. Brian made it to the "Highly Qualified" stage of NASA's 2008/9 astronaut selection and is the author of a popular blog that chronicles his journey through the astronaut selection process. He lives in Hawaii with his wife and young son.
Brian earned a B.A. with triple majors in Integrated Science, Geology, and Physics from Northwestern University in 2000 and a M.A. in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis in 2002. He completed all requirements except the dissertation for a Ph.D. in planetary science from Washington University, but he left academia to accept a position as Geophysicist with NOAA at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Brian spent the summer of 2005 at the International Space University (ISU) Summer Session Program in Vancouver, Canada, where his concentration was space policy and law. The following year he gave an invited presentation on his ISU team's work involving global wildfire forecasting to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in Vienna, Austria. In 2007, he became a distance M.S. student in the University of North Dakota's Department of Space Studies and expects to complete the degree in 2010. Brian is a member of several space advocacy groups and is active in the online space community. He served as a CapCom for the Mars Desert Research Station during the 2009 field season. He also serves as Science Officer for the Human Synergy Moon Project, which is vying for the Google Lunar X-PRIZE. |
 Christy Garvin |
Christy Garvin is a teacher at Vaughan Elementary School in Powder Springs, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. She has been teaching for sixteen years, and is currently teaching third to fifth grade gifted students. Although the gifted curriculum is multidisciplinary, her interest and love is science.
Christy graduated from Presbyterian College in 1992 with a degree in elementary education and psychology and returned to Kennesaw State University in 2001 to work on a biology degree and then a Master's of Science Education. She is an EMT and holds a private pilot's license. Christy enjoys research and has helped on several research teams including: a team that collected data on coral reefs located in Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve, a hydrography team in Alaska, and a Spaceward Bound Team conducting astrobiology research in the Mojave Desert. Christy enjoys participating in aerospace activities and is active in the Network of Educator Astronaut Teacher's. She has attended and spoken at numerous aviation and space conferences and frequently attends summer workshops focused on human exploration of space. Christy is very excited about the opportunity to participate in the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station during 2009. She realizes it will be an incredible learning experience and can't wait to share the experience with her students, colleagues, and community. |