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AVENRAEXPEDITION SCIENCE

People / Mission Avenra

Expedition crew

Three specialists combine command, vehicle operations and field biology. Biographies and qualifications describe their public mission responsibilities.

Mission Commander

Captain Mira Solano

Mira Solano commands Mission Avenra and is responsible for crew safety, operating decisions and coordination between flight and scientific work. She holds a master's degree in systems engineering and has led remote expeditions involving instrument deployment, emergency planning and small-team operations. Her preparation combines vehicle-system training with field leadership and mission simulation. On Avenra, she oversees the transition from remote observation to crewed fieldwork and the decisions governing when an activity proceeds, pauses or ends.

Qualifications & preparation

  • Master's degree in systems engineering
  • Expedition command and emergency-response qualification
  • Vehicle systems and mission simulation training

Mission responsibilities

  • Crew safety and mission command
  • Operational readiness and abort decisions
  • Coordination of scientific and vehicle activities
  • Mission reporting

Pilot and Vehicle Operations Specialist

Jonah Reyes

Jonah Reyes is responsible for Avenra's vehicle operations, guidance and remote-instrument deployment. He holds a degree in aerospace engineering and completed professional flight-test and autonomous-systems training. His work has included simulation, flight-system verification and the integration of remotely operated vehicles with scientific payloads. During the expedition he plans maneuvers, monitors vehicle condition and coordinates deployment and recovery with the mission commander and science team.

Qualifications & preparation

  • Degree in aerospace engineering
  • Professional flight-test training
  • Autonomous-system supervision and remote-vehicle operations qualification

Mission responsibilities

  • Guidance and vehicle operations
  • Instrument deployment and recovery
  • Vehicle state and operating margins
  • Flight-system coordination

Botanist and Expedition Naturalist

Dr Sana Idris

Sana Idris leads Avenra's field observations of living systems. She holds a doctorate in plant ecology, with research focused on organisms and communities living under limited light, water and nutrient conditions. Her experience combines botanical fieldwork, ecological sampling and interpretation of interactions across species and habitats. On Avenra she works with imagery, sound and physical samples to distinguish recorded behavior from competing explanations. Her botanical training provides comparative methods; unfamiliar organisms are classified through observation rather than assumed to be Earth plants.

Qualifications & preparation

  • Doctorate in plant ecology
  • Remote-field sampling and ecological survey experience
  • Scientific sample handling and contamination-control training

Mission responsibilities

  • Field biology and habitat observation
  • Sample planning and ecological interpretation
  • Review of biological imagery and sound
  • Public natural-history explanation

Onboard mission-support AI

Ibis

Ibis assists the Avenra crew with navigation information, instrument coordination, vehicle monitoring and the mission record. It presents measurements, forecasts and operating limits in a consistent interface and supports approved automated procedures. The commander retains operational authority; scientific interpretations are reviewed by the crew.

Ibis distinguishes recorded data from model output, retains corrections and requests human decisions where required. Navigation assistance and approved automated procedures remain subject to operational authority and scientific review.

Mission record and instrument coordination →