Meet the D-MARS EDU 01 Ramonauts
The D-MARS EDU 01 Mission's objective is to train future instructors of the Davidson Institute-led Young Astronaut Academy program. The Ramonauts of the D-MARS EDU 01 mission will spend 2 days in the Habitat, between April 2nd and April 3rd 2018, and will learn first-hand what it is like to conduct an Analog Mars simulation mission. They will conduct scientific experiments and communicate with Earth through a 10 min time-delayed channel via the Mission Support Center in Rehovot, Israel. Their experience and lessons-learned will be used to train and teach future classes of high-school student participating in the Young Astronaut Academy.
Mor Langer-Appel - Field Commander
Born in 1985, lives in Tel-Aviv with her husband and new born baby.
Mor holds a B.Sc degree in marine biology, Completed the ISU (International Space University) summer program and Co-Founded the Israeli Mars Society.
Mor serves as a Junior High school science teacher as part of Teach First Israel Network. As a science teacher Mor would like to stimulate her students imagination, curiosity and excitement through space studies. Mor assisted with setting up the control room for the D-Mars01 mission.
During the D-MARS EDU 01 mission, Mor will function as the mission field commander
Gilad Petranker- Science Officer
Gilad is an earth & space sciences instructor and teacher. Holds an MSc in geology from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and a teaching certificate in Earth Science from the Feinberg Graduate School.
Gilad is the chief instructor in the first course of Davidson Institute's Young Astronaut Academy, whose students will take part in the first teenage-operated analogue mission in the DMARS habitat in April '18.
Gilad works in various educational programs both in the formal and informal systems.
Durning D-MARS EDU01 mission, Gilad will be the science officer, responsible for collecting soil samples and analyzing their content.
Ramon (Moni) Zeltser - Argonomist
31 years old, married to Laly, born and raised in a farm in the Judaean Mountains.
Agronomist, holding a B.Sc from the Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University. Moni specializes in urban agriculture and was the head of the development group in ‘Vertical Field’. He was appointed by ‘Mashov’ program as one of the 40 young pioneers of the Israeli agriculture.
In addition, Moni is establishing educational programs for agriculture in high schools, leading survival skills, and a teacher for biology and agriculture in the Gymnasia High-School, TLV.
Nir Langer - Documentation Specialist
Nir Langer was born in 1988 and lives in Ramat-Gan. Holds a B.A degree in Geography and environmental planning form Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Nir works as a GIS specialist in the municipal field during the day and as a pro night life photographer in Tel-Aviv at nights. In his spare time Nir takes nature photos as a hobby during his traveling.
During the first mission of D-mars Nir was the photographer of the project. He documented the work on the habitat from its first stages to the establishment in the field and took the photos of the ramonauts.
In D-MARS edu-01 Nir will be responsible for documentation in the field and habitat.
Lena Eyov-Meroz
Lena is a geologist, and a researcher assistant at the Dead Sea and Arava Science Center.
After completing her Master's degree in Earth Science Teaching at the Weizmann Institute, she moved to Mitzpeh Ramon and established a Geo-education project in south Israel, as a part of the community approach of Science Center. The Geo-education project provides a framework for Earth Science Studies (5 scientific units) for students from Eilat to Be'er Sheva based on a Web-Support Learning platform.
Lena also teaches courses in Earth Science at various schools and informal education programs, which combine geological field trips and independent inquiry in labs.
She lives in Mitzpeh Ramon with her husband and dog and spends her time hiking, doing yoga and ceramics.
Noa Breuer
Noa is 29 years old and lives in Jaffa.
She holds a bachelor's degree in animal science from the faculty of agriculture food and environment of the Hebrew university of Jerusalem.
Noa works in a chemistry and biochemistry lab in a pharmaceutical company, and has worked as a research assistant in the Weizmann Institute of Science during her school years.