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Brazilian leads group at NASA that controls communication with space robots
Um Brazilian is in command of one of NASA's most important groups, ensuring that our space robots continue to explore the universe. Luciano Camilo Alexandre, at 39, has fulfilled the dream of many engineers by leading the robotic telecommunications group at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). NASA.
Graduated in Santa Rita do Sapucaí, Minas Gerais, with a doctorate in telecommunications engineering from Inatel, Luciano almost gave up on the profession in 2019. “In 2019, I even thought about giving up engineering”, he confessed. But life took a turn when he saw a vacancy in NASA advertised on the internet. Today, he describes his job as “a dream come true”.
“We have communication planning with each spacecraft, with each mission in space. For each mission, I have like a highway lane, where I will transmit and receive data. And I have to ensure that no mission will interfere with the other.”
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Luciano serves in two of the 40 current missions of NASA: the Europa Clipper, which will visit Jupiter's moon Europa, and the Artemis mission, which marks man's return to the Moon. “We are developing some experiments in the telecommunications area to simulate a possible environment similar to what we could see in Europe”, explained about the Europa Clipper.
Regarding Artemis, he highlighted: “Enabling new types of services, such as cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, using the same technologies we have on Earth, adapted to the lunar environment.”
Luciano's trajectory is inspiring, showing that, even in the face of challenges, it is possible to reach prominent positions in institutions such as NASA. His story was featured on Globo Repórter, where he shared more details of his journey.
And you, do you believe that more Brazilians can follow in Luciano's footsteps and gain positions at NASA and other space agencies? Leave your opinion in the comments!
