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Haritina MogosanuAge: 38 Special interest/s while on the mission:Biosecurity, Astronomy, Education, Environmental Management, Survey. |
Contact: |
haritina.mogosanu@kiwispace.org.nz |
Profession: |
Senior Adviser Information, Science & Risk Assessment Group - MAF Biosecurity NZ and starryteller (planetarian) at Carter Observatory Wellington |
Professional qualification/s: |
Horticultural Engineer, MSc. Environmental Science and Management |
Passionate about Mars because:
Mars is an achievable goal for humankind, our first step in becoming a spacefaring civilisation. Mars could be our closest laboratory for testing what we know about Earth or, if we find life on it, the proof that life is not a rare event. Either case the consequences could be spectacular.
In 4.5 billion years, when our Sun would turn into a supernova, the humankind would still survive (and with that all the smiles, songs, love and children's laughter). Humans arrived to a point where, for the first time in our history, we have the technological power to survive as a species, Mars is merely the first step but the most important.In an immediate context, using Mars as a source of inspiration for students to do their homework and to stimulate their thinking on how tomorrow is going to look like, via classroom resources and experiences, seems the most logical choice.
I also have a personal relationship with Mars, since my maternal great-grandfather's name was Marziali, it looks like in our family's whakapapa Mars was omnipresent.
You can find out more about me and my projects at:
web.me.com/Haritina
Any other relevant detail/s:
- Executive Officer for Crew 98 RoMars at the MDRS in 2011
- Part of the Astronomy Outreach team for the Mars Society
- Education Coordinator for KiwiSpace Foundation New Zealand
- Publicity Officer for the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand
- Founding member of the Mars Society NZ
- Future Intech (IPENZ) Science Ambassador to Schools NZ