Those Space People

This episode of “Thermal Lens” features Charlie Siggs, Commercial Agronomist at constellr. constellr is a German satellite company providing thermal intelligence for better resource accountability in agriculture. They build satellites for imaging in thermal wavelengths, which allow analysing water stress in plants.
Charlie has a background in agriculture and has been solving problems in the agriculture industry for over 15 years.

In this episode, we discuss how agronomists work with satellite companies to monitor plant health using thermal imagery. We explain how thermal imagery reveals plant water stress and the importance of accuracy and resolution in this process. We also explore the use of different wavelengths and data fusion techniques. Commercially, we consider the value of company data for various applications and collaboration opportunities. Lastly, we touch on the skillset needed for agronomists to work in satellite applications. Join us as we explore the link between agriculture and satellite technology.

This episode is hosted by Agnieszka Soszyńska & Rachana Mamidi

Chapters

• (00:00) - Intro

Roxana Dumitru is the COO & co-founder at ParaLoon. ParaLoon is a new space start-up aspiring to harness space based solar power for both space and on Earth using inflatable parabolic balloon structures. 

With a background in architecture, civil engineering, and physics, Roxana shares her journey from these fields to space entrepreneurship. She discusses the innovative technology of space-based solar power, its challenges, and strategies for overcoming them. Roxana envisions sustainable space exploration and encourages professionals from diverse backgrounds to shape the future of space technology and beyond.

In today’s episode, we’re “Bridging the Gap” with Shelli Brunswick - the COO of Space Foundation. Space Foundation is a non-profit organization leading  space awareness activities, educational programs and major industry events and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA. All through her distinguished career as a program management leader and congressional liaison for the U.S. Air Force, to her current role at the Space Foundation, Shelli has always been passionate to contribute to the development of the next-generation workforce.

During the episode, Shelli elaborates on the different inroads into the space industry. She talks about the most sought after skill sets and shares insights into the prevalent gaps within the talent pool. Emphasizing the need for customized space outreach, Shelli underscores the importance of aligning outreach strategies with the unique values and aspirations of individuals within a country.Shelli concludes by underscoring the role of networking in uncovering new opportunities within the space sector.

Here are the networking organizations mentioned by Shelli: 

Women in Aerospace (Europe/USA/Canada/Africa) https://www.womeninaerospace.org/ 

Women Tech Network - https://www.womentech.net/ 

SGAC https://spacegeneration.org/ 

“Calibration is the poor step-child of remote sensing designs” - Ellis Freedman

Welcome back to the second part of our conversation with Ellis Freedman, the founder of Serious Science. In the previous episode, Ellis talked about the differences between big space missions and smaller newspace ones. Today, we're diving into thermal mission design.

We'll cover essential topics like challenges in satellite bus design for thermal payloads, calibrating IR sensors, and understanding the hardware behind IR imaging systems. Ellis emphasizes the significance of fundamental radiometry knowledge for users of thermal data, elaborating on several key concepts, and delves into the skills required to work with thermal data. And lastly, he discusses the impact of AI and ML on thermal data processing and shares his predictions for the future of thermal remote sensing.

• (00:00) - Intro

Join us in today's episode as we sit down with Ellis Freedman, the founder of Serious Science, a US-based consulting company specializing in satellite imaging systems. With over 40 years of experience in radiometry for infrared (IR) and VSWIR imaging, Ellis brings a wealth of knowledge from diverse remote sensing missions, including NASA's Landsat program. He has also served as a visiting lecturer on remote sensing payload design and IR phenomenology at Villanova University in the USA.

Ellis being a seasoned systems engineer, our conversation with him covers a range of topics. To ensure clarity, we've divided this insightful discussion into two distinct episodes. In our first segment, we delve into the distinctions between large space agency missions and smaller newspace missions. Tune in for insights into mission planning, target users, challenges in satellite bus design, data quality considerations, and potential synergies between data from large and smaller missions.

• (00:00) - Intro

Sanket Suman Dash is an Assistant Principal Engineer (AOCS/GNC) at ST Engineering which is a Singaporean multinational technology and engineering group. His area of expertise is AOCS/GNC.

Sanket takes us into the world of spacecraft GNC (Guidance, Navigation &  Control) and explains in detail the different elements of attitude and orbit determination for diverse applications of orbit maneuvering, station keeping, image pointing, potential docking and such. He talks about the effects of the current trend of component miniaturization on the AOCS subsystem. Do listen in for some valuable advice on pursuing a career around satellite GNC/AOCS!

The ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) instrument has been in space for nearly 25 years, riding aboard the Terra satellite. As the satellite's orbit gradually descends, we've taken the opportunity to explore the instrument's legacy, the insights gained from its mission, and its significant contributions to the advancement of thermal remote sensing. This episode delves into the origins of the ASTER mission, its pivotal role in shaping the field of thermal remote sensing, and the potential directions for future developments in the field.

Our guest, Michael Abrams, serves as the Science Team Lead for the ASTER mission at NASA JPL. With almost half a century of experience in thermal remote sensing, Michael has been at the helm of the ASTER mission for over two decades. His background in geology and his involvement in the development of new remote sensing instruments at NASA JPL make him a true veteran in the field.

Land Surface Temperature (LST) is a vital measure derived from thermal remote sensing satellite data. In the summer of 2023, it gained attention in the media and stirred some confusion when compared to regular air temperatures.

In the first episode of the special series "Thermal Lens," we feature Michael Perry from the University of Leicester. He's been part of important space missions like LSTM and Sentinel-3's SLSTR, all focused on studying LST. Mike, with a background in physics and a PhD in developing new ways to understand LST and emissivity, is our expert.

During the episode, Mike explains what LST truly is, how we calculate it, and where we obtain the data. He also simplifies the various methods and algorithms used, making it easier to grasp their differences.

If you're new to LST, this episode provides practical advice on selecting the right data for different applications.

Abhijeet Borkar is a research scientist at the Astronomical Institute of Czech Academy of Sciences.  He has a PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the University of Cologne. Abhijeet is currently based in Prague.

Having studied and spent time in universities across India, Germany and Prague, Abhijeet shares insights into building a career in astronomy and astrophysics across different geographies. He shares his experience of working with space-based and several ground based telescopes across the world. He also talks about the impact of mega constellations on astronomy and the astronomer community's perspectives around it. He gives an overview of the different kinds of softwares and skillsets typically required for an astronomer and how to get into learning them. We end the podcast with a passionate discussion on our favourite space sci-fi!

Omkar Nikam is the founder of Access Hub, a space technology, defense, and security research and analysis firm with a global coverage and special emphasis on Europe. Omkar is also a free-lance consultant and analyst and writes extensively around space applications for defense and international security. He is also the host of the Space, Defence, & Security podcast.

Omkar's career trajectory is testament to the fact that imagination is the only limit in carving out a niche for oneself in the space industry. He shares delightful insights into his journey from remote sensing & astronomy to security & strategy while gaining experience in technical writing, journalism, economics and space law/policy along the way. Omkar also talks about landing consulting opportunities around Europe and across the world. He believes in taking a multi-disciplinary approach to space and is currently also writing a space SciFi novel from a defence and security perspective!