Crew

Dr. Lindsay Rutter, Mission Commander
Lindsay Rutter is a JSPS postdoctoral fellow at the University of Tsukuba near JAXA. She conducts life detection projects and investigates how biology responds to spaceflight. Lindsay is a co-founder and co-chair of ISSOP (International Standards for Space Omics Processing), a NASA GeneLab analysis working group member, and an NfoLD (Network for Life Detection) affiliate member.

David Laude, Executive Officer/Crew Engineer
Dave Laude is a retired micro-electronics design engineer who specialised in analog integrated circuits. By elementary school he was highly interested in electronics and space exploration. He watched Apollo 11 launch from a nearby beach and eventually met two moon walkers. He is a founding member of The Mars Society and served with MDRS Crew 80. His current interests include space exploration, music composition, theatre organs, RC airplanes, computer simulation, antique radios, hiking and camping in the U.S. desert southwest.

Stuart Hughes, Remote Journalist
Stuart Hughes is a Senior World Affairs Producer with BBC News, based in London. Over more than two decades he has covered major news events in more than 60 countries. While reporting from Iraq in 2003, Stuart was critically injured when he stepped on an anti-personnel landmine, which led to the amputation of his lower leg. After learning to walk again, Stuart resumed his career using a state-of-the-art prosthesis.

Jin Sing Sia, Health and Safety Officer
Jin Sia is a Master’s research student at Western University in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with an interdisciplinary specialization in Planetary Sciences. Under the supervision of Dr. Jayshri Sabarinathan, he is helping to develop multispectral imagers for the exploration of the Moon and beyond. He graduated from his Bachelor of Applied Science in mechanical engineering at the University of Waterloo. He serves on the Mars Society of Canada’s board of directors as Vice-Chair and Chief Diversity Officer.

Inga Popovaite, Crew Scientist/GreenHab Officer
Inga Popovaite is a sociology PhD candidate at the University of Iowa. She studies group processes in space analog facilities, with a focus on gender, emotions, and status. Her research brings sociology into space science and helps understand how social forces and structural patterns can shape interactions in long term spaceflight crews.

Ludo Valentini, Remote Engineer
Ludovica Valentini (class 1995, Italian) is an Aerospace Engineer, currently working as Propulsion and Testing Engineer at OHB Sweden, in Stockholm. Her dream is to become an astronaut and the MDRS mission is making her dream come true on Earth instead of in space, for now. She is passionate about space and racing cars, and during her university studies she has been part of a CubeSat project (MIST) and of two Formula Student teams (UniBo Motorsport and KTH Formula Student). She likes sports and she has been a gymnast for fourteen years.

Yuzo Shibata, Remote Agricultural Advisor
Yuzo Shibata is an independent advisor in the field of Science including some Agricultural projects. As an Agricultural advisor, he advises the GreenHab Officer on gathering information from botanists, farmers and nutritionists. Yuzo holds a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and a master’s degree in Informatics from Kyoto University in Japan.

Dr. Olympiou Charikleia, Remote Flight Surgeon
Charikleia Olympiou is a cardiologist with a long-term goal to develop and demonstrate advanced knowledge, understanding and skills in the subjects of space physiology, and the physiological effects of the space environment upon humans and of the methods employed to mitigate such effects. She recently completed her cardiology fellowship and moved to the US seeking to engage in research to assess the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the cardiovascular system. She is particularly interested in the practical implications of disease and physical deconditioning associated with long duration space travel.

Marufa Bhuiyan, Remote Astronomer
Marufa Bhuiyan is the Founder and CEO of Everest Innovation Lab LLC, a space-based organization registered in Hawaii. She is a Systems Engineer and a licensed Ham Radio Technician (callsign: WH6GNE). She enjoys playing music, tracking satellites and is uniquely passionate about astronomy both in real-time and imaginary time. Currently, Marufa is working on several projects e.g. Mars City State design for 1,000,000 population, Interplanetary communication on a mission to Moon and Mars, Digital STEM engagement in Hawaii and ISS (D-STEMEHISS) etc. She holds MS and BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, later studied another MS in Electrical Engineering at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She has experience with several Analog Astronaut Training e.g., Mars Medic Mission 2020 at MDRS (Crew# 220), VALORIA II Mission (2021) at HI-SEAS facility in Hawaii.