Rodolfo Neri Vela

Infobox Astronaut
name =Rodolfo Neri Vela


type =NASA Payload Specialist
nationality =Mexican
date_birth =19 February 1952
place_birth =Chilpancingo, Guerrero
occupation =Scientist
selection =1985 NASA Group
time =6d 21h 04m
mission =STS-61-B
insignia =|

Rodolfo Neri Vela (born 19 February 1952) is a Mexican scientist who flew aboard a NASA Space Shuttle mission in 1985. He is the only Mexican citizen to fly in space.Cite web|url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/nerivela-r.html|title=Rodolfo Neri Vela (Ph.D.) Biography|accessyear=2007|accessmonthday=October 4|publisher=NASA|year=1985|author=NASA]

Personal

Vela was born in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico. He is a professor for the Telecommunications Department in the Electrical Engineering Division of the Engineering Faculty, at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

Education

Vela received a bachelor's degree in mechanical and electronic engineering, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) 1975, and received a master's degree in science, specialized in telecommunications systems, in 1976 from the University of Essex, England. Vela then received a doctorate degree in electromagnetic radiation from the University of Birmingham in 1979, and performed one year of postdoctoral research in waveguides at the University of Birmingham.

Career

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, U.S.; The Institution of Electrical Engineers, UK; Asociación Mexicana de Ingenieros en Comunicaciones Eléctricas y Electrónicas, Mexico; and Colegio de Ingenieros Mecánicos y Electricistas, Mexico.

Vela has worked at the Institute of Electrical Research, Mexico, in the Radiocommunications Group, doing research and system planning on antenna theory and design, satellite communications systems, and Earth station technology.

He is currently also a full time researcher at the Electric Engineering department of the Faculty of Engineering in the UNAM

paceflight

Vela was a Payload Specialist aboard the STS-61-B Atlantis mission, from (November 26 to December 3, 1985). STS-61B launched at night from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California. During the mission the crew deployed the MORELOS-B, AUSSATT II, and SATCOM K-2 communications satellites, conducted two six-hour spacewalks to demonstrate space station construction techniques with the EASE/ACCESS experiments, operated the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis (CRFES) experiment for McDonell Douglas and a Getaway Special (GAS) container for Telesat, Canada, conducted several Mexican Payload Specialists Experiments for the Mexican government, and tested the Orbiter Experiments Digital Autopilot (OEX DAP).

At mission conclusion, Vela had traveled 2.4 million miles (3.8 million km) in 108 Earth orbits, and logged over 165 hours in space.

Bibliography

*cite book |last=Neri Vela |first=Rodolfo |authorlink= |coauthors=Ramón Soberón Kuri |title=El ingeniero en electricidad y electrónica, qué hace? |year=1984 |month= |publisher=Alhambra Mexicana |location=México, D.F. |language=Spanish |isbn=9789684440357 |oclc=21308198
*cite book |last=Neri Vela |first=Rodolfo |authorlink= |coauthors=Carlos Elizondo |title=El planeta azul : Misión 61-B |year=1986 |month= |publisher=EDAMEX |location=México, D.F. |language=Spanish |isbn=9789684093287 |oclc=15155985
*cite book |last=Neri Vela |first=Rodolfo |authorlink= |coauthors=Jorge L Ruiz G |title=El pequeño astronauta |year=1987 |month= |publisher=Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología |location=México, D.F. |language=Spanish |isbn=9789688231975 |oclc=19739242
*cite book |last=Neri Vela |first=Rodolfo |authorlink= |title=La exploración y uso del espacio |year=1989 |month= |publisher=Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología |location=Mexico, D.F. |language=Spanish |isbn=9789688231036 |oclc=24257788
*cite book |last=Neri Vela |first=Rodolfo |authorlink= |coauthors=Bernardo Martinez Avalos |title=Construya e instale su propia antena parabolica |year=1990 |month= |publisher=Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología |location=Mexico, D.F. |language=Spanish |isbn=9789688231685 |oclc=24494639
*cite book |last=Neri Vela |first=Rodolfo |authorlink= |title=Los eclipses y el movimiento del universo |year=1991 |month= |publisher=Grupo Editorial Iberoamérica |location=México |language=Spanish |isbn=9789687270760 |oclc=25668587
*cite book |last=Neri Vela |first=Rodolfo |authorlink= |title=Vuelta al mundo en noventa minutos |year=1992 |month= |publisher=Atlántida |location=México |language=Spanish |isbn=9686868003 |oclc=30537012
*cite book |last=Neri Vela |first=Rodolfo |authorlink= |title=Líneas de transmisión |year=1999 |month= |publisher=McGraw-Hill |location=México |language=Spanish |isbn=9789701025468 |oclc=45878412
*cite book |last=Neri Vela |first=Rodolfo |authorlink= |title=Comunicaciones por satélite |year=2003 |month= |publisher=Thomson |location=México |language=Spanish |isbn=9789706862822 |oclc=55022508

References

External links

* [http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/nerivela-r.html NASA biography page] (original source for this article)
* [http://www.nmspacemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.php?id=111 Rodolfo Neri Vela] , International Space Hall of Fame inductee
* [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/nerivela_rodolfo.htm Spacefacts biography of Rodolfo Neri Vela]
*" [http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/132421.html Accidente 'echó abajo' al segundo astronauta nacional] " 2005-11-25 article in "El Universal" newspaper; [http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/132421.html English translation]