Space Explr

Lukasz Wilczynski is co-founder of the European Space Foundation. The originator of the European Rover Challenge project. Experienced dot-connector and communication consultant specializing in technology and innovation. Very committed space advocate. He is an author of articles and whitepapers on science and technology. For his work, Lukasz was awarded a unique award Tiuterra Crystal created by the Austrian Space Forum in collaboration with Swarovski. He joined the previous winners' ranks, such as Head of SpaceX Elon Musk, former head of NASA Charles Bolden, or head of the UN space sector agency, Dr. Simonetta di Pippo and European astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.

Steve Eltz talks about space imaging, galaxies, nebulae, and an incredible passion for astronomy. He lives in the state of Pennsylvania with his wife, 3 kids, and 4 dogs. During the day he is a software development manager for a commercial HVAC and industrial refrigeration equipment manufacturing company. At night he becomes an astrophotographer. He dabbled in it since the early 2 thousand and in the last 2 years, he has got pretty serious about it, where he has not missed a clear night for imaging.

Katie Hughes talks about capturing the night sky, nebulae, moon, and wonders of the universe. She lives in Loch Lomond, Scotland. She took up photography 5 years ago doing portraiture and weddings. Katie grew up with a Dad who loved Astronomy and the night sky, when she was a young girl he showed her the Orion Nebula and craters of the moon. This blew her mind. Any Astronomy she did was always observational until she has borrowed her husband's camera, she tried taking images of the moon which turned out well as she could capture sharp detail of the craters. This then lead her to trying to capture Deep Space Objects which has now become a passion for her.

Elliot Roth is the founder of Spira, a company that creates replacements for animal and petroleum compounds in the supply chain using genetically engineered algae. Spira has received awards from RebelBio, Lighthouse Labs, the World Food Programme, Halcyon Incubator, BeGreen, CommBeBiz, and NSF. He has presented at South by Southwest, Synbiobeta, and Thought for Food. Elliot is a Kairos Fellow, a Seasteading Ambassador, and sat on the Virginia Governor’s Council for Youth Entrepreneurship. Before Spira, Elliot graduated with a degree in biomedical engineering. Where he studied synthetic biology for 12 years and worked for 5 years as a product consultant. He previously founded 7 failed startups and 2 successful nonprofits including an open community science lab and raised over $1,000,000 for various startups. He is incredibly motivated to solve physiological needs using simple biological design. In his spare time, he plays music and is working on side projects to make airships and health clinics on the ocean.

Callum Wingrove talks about space photography, science, missions, the future of humankind, and more. He lives in London and he is also a father to grown-up identical twin daughters. He loves all things science and obtained his Ph.D. in biochemistry. His interest in space exploration was forged from growing up at the time of the Apollo missions. These days he explores the cosmos in his spare time through astrophotography from his home.

Shikhar Gupta talks about taking pictures of the night skies, landscape photography, cosmic theories, space science, and much more. He is professionally a data engineer, he is an avid traveler and an amateur photographer with a strong liking for night skies and landscapes. Being an overnight ride away from the Himalayas, he can be called more of a travel astrophotographer, who loves to travel to pristine skies to escape the city lights and capture the photons emanating in the distant blobs of dust.

Matej is a Flight Operations Engineer for the Columbus module of the International Space Station at DLR. Aside from working on the existing station, he has also worked on habitation concept studies for the Moon, Mars, and Venus, collaborating with teams to design bases and necessary systems for these destinations. The most recent of these - a lunar base named Domi Inter Astra, developed with a team from the Space Generation Advisory Council - has won the 1st place prize in a competition organized by The Moon Society. Prior to his full-time involvement in human spaceflight, Matej worked with robotics, AI, CubeSats, took part in a 2-week Lunar analog mission, and spent a year at the European Space Agency working on software technologies.

Aaron Engelhart talks about genetics, cell biology, molecular evolution on earth, other planets, and much more. He is an expert in molecular evolution on Mars and elsewhere in the Solar system. He and his team are working to develop advanced RNA imaging tools, towards achieving a robust, general tool for imaging arbitrary RNAs of interest – particularly in challenging systems, such as mammalian cells and whole organisms.

Sanjoy talks about geology, astrobiology, Blue Marble Space, next-generation scientists, and much more. He is a geologist and astrobiologist at the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science and sits at NASA's Ames Research Center in California. He is the founder and CEO of Blue Marble Space, a non-profit dedicated to scientific research, disseminating science, and training next-generation scientists.

Dr. Stella Kafka is talking about variable star observations, participating in astronomy research, and much more. She is the Executive Director and CEO of the American Association of Variable Star Observers, an international organization focusing on engaging professional and amateur astronomers in science. Within the auspices of the AAVSO, Dr. Kafka is working towards enabling individuals from all backgrounds to actively participate in research projects, building a diverse and inclusive community of science-savvy citizens who work collectively to understand some of the most dynamic phenomena in the universe. Dr Kafka acquired her Bachelors of Science in Physics from the University of Athens (Greece) and her Masters /PhD in Astronomy from Indiana University (USA). Dr. Kafka’s research interests are semi-detached binary star systems (cataclysmic variables) that can become supernovae.