Senator Coons congratulated Delaware State University for their research and development of lasers to be used on NASA’s Curiosity Rover mission to Mars. Scheduled to launch November 25, the rover will contain a ChemCam instrument that was partially developed at DSU and uses lasers and spectroscopy to analyze the contents of rocks on the surface of Mars.
Dr. Noureddine Melikechi — who is the founder of the DSU Optics Research Program where the research took place — worked with NASA in connection with the upcoming launch. Alissa Mezzacappa, a DSU Ph.D candidate in optics and a graduate research assistant, assisted Dr. Melikechi. The two of them are in Cape Canaveral to witness the launch in person.
An ardent supporter of science, technology, engineering and math education, and a lifelong fan of NASA and the space sciences, Chris is extremely proud of DSU’s involvement in the project. Historically, NASA’s missions have cultivated American’s hope and wonderment about our vast universe and has inspired many young people to pursue a career in the sciences.
The involvement of DSU in the Mars mission is the latest accomplishment of the University’s prolific Optics Program. The Optics Program received a $5 million grant to work on a $2.5 billion space project with a large team of scientists from throughout the United States and France.
With a focused vision, Dr. Melikechi methodically worked to maximize every new opportunity and each research success. Founded as a one-person project in 1995, Dr. Melikechi expanded DSU’s Optics Research Program to include 12 professors, 18 graduate students and two post-doctoral researchers. It will soon move into a new, 65,000-square-foot building, supported by $10 million in state funding and millions more in private bonds DSU plans to raise.
Click here to learn more about the “DSU goes to Mars” mission.
Click here to learn more about Chris’ work to improve education.