RODOLFO NERI VELA: BIOGRAPHY, CONTRIBUTIONS, RECOGNITIONS, WORKS - BIOGRAPHIES

Rodolfo Neri Vela (1952) is a Mexican-born mechanical engineer who became the first Mexican national to travel into space. Neri Vela was part of the crew of the shuttle Atlantis in 1985, on a mission that aimed to put several satellites into orbit and carry out some scientific research.

The first Mexican astronaut was born in the State of Guerrero. From a young age he was interested in science, for which he studied industrial mechanical engineering. After completing these studies, Vela Neri expanded his training in England. All this preparation served him to be chosen as one of the crew of the space mission.

Rodolfo Neri Vela (first from the right, standing), along with his mission companions - Source:

Mexico's participation in the mission had been the result of an agreement between NASA and the government of that country. In addition to putting a Mexican communication satellite into orbit, Neri Vela was in charge of carrying out some experiments commissioned by scientists from his nation.

In addition to his participation in space flight, Neri Vela has taught at the University of Mexico, has promoted the creation of the Mexican Space Agency and participated in projects of the European Space Agency. Today he is still active and is one of the most recognized scientific disseminators in the country.

Biography

Rodolfo Neri Vela came to the world on February 19, 1952 in the bosom of a fairly modest family. His first five years were spent in his hometown, Chilpancingo de los Bravos, in the Mexican state of Guerrero. Later the whole family moved to Mexico City.

It was in the Mexican capital where Neri Vela attended his first studies, specifically at the Instituto México de Primaria and at the Colegio Euterpe, Benito Juárez and Heroicos Cadetes. Already in those early educational levels, the future astronaut showed his great intelligence. His parents, in addition, stimulated his vocation for science.

After finishing elementary school, Neri entered the National Preparatory School 2. At that center, he studied both high school and college preparatory. Within the educational program, the young man paid special attention to metallurgical chemistry.

Training

The next stage in Neri Vela's education took place at the Autonomous University of Mexico, UNAM. In this institution he studied Electrical Mechanical Engineering and specialized in communications.

Neri successfully completed his university studies in 1975. However, the following years were devoted to furthering his training.

For this he moved to England, specifically to the County of Essex. At his well-known university he completed a master's degree in Telecommunications Systems. After finishing it, he entered the University of Birmingham to do a PhD in Electromagnetic Radiation.

With the title of doctor already obtained, in 1979, Neri Vela stayed one more year in Birmingham to carry out some post-doctoral research on waveguides.

Career

Neri Vela made her formative years compatible with work. Thus, starting in 1973, she gave classes in various institutions and no longer gave up teaching. In her words, the training of the new generations was essential for the advancement of the country.

Within his teaching career, Neri became a professor and researcher at the Faculty of Engineering at UNAM. His relationship with this institution has now reached 30 years, during which time he has taught courses and directed research on different subjects.

On the other hand, Neri Vela has also developed a professional career in other areas. Thus, between 1980 and 1983, he held the position of head of the Radio Area of the Institute for Scientific Research, located in Cuernavaca. Later, he was part of the team that installed the Walter C. Buchanan Space Center.

First Mexican astronaut

In 1983, NASA and the government of Mexico, then chaired by Miguel de la Madrid, began looking for a Mexican astronaut for a space mission as a result of negotiations between the two organizations.

The main purpose of the flight was to put a Mexican communications satellite, Morelos II, into orbit. In addition, different experiments designed by scientists were to be carried out.

Neri Vela was one of hundreds of people who participated in the tests carried out to be part of the crew. After the first selection phases, she became one of the five finalist applicants. All of them went to the Houston space center for the last selection.

On June 3, 1985, the final decision of NASA was announced: Rodolfo Neri Vela had been chosen to become one of the crew of the STS-61-B mission aboard the shuttle Atlantis.

training

After being officially selected, Neri Vela, along with two other compatriots chosen as substitutes in case something happened, had to spend half a year in Houston to prepare for the mission.

After those months of training, the date chosen for the start of the mission arrived: November 26, 1985. On that date, the shuttle successfully took off and Neri Vela became the first Mexican astronaut and the second Latin American of the history.

Despite the fact that the mission had no problems, Neri received criticism from some scientific sectors in his country. According to her own words, in Mexico some sought to disparage her participation: "… on the one hand they said that my training had been very short, that I was not an astronaut, that the Mexican experiments were very simple, that everything. was done wrong… ".

Space Station Alpha

Neri Vela's national and international projection after the mission led him to participate in various projects related to space and communications. In this way, he first joined the Electric Research Institute of Mexico, where he was part of its Radiocommunication Group.

Later, between 1989 and 1990, Neri participated in the development of the Alpha Space Station project, promoted by the European Space Agency.

This did not make him abandon his teaching task. In this field, Neri gave classes at the UNAM in satellite communication, mathematics or electromagnetic theory, among other subjects.

Mexican Space Agency

Neri Vela also tried to get his country, Mexico, to join the space race. To do this, together with a group of scientists, he promoted the creation in 2010 of a Mexican space agency.

Another of the tasks to which Neri Vela gave more importance after his trip to space was scientific dissemination. The astronaut gave numerous conferences in which he tried to make science more important in Mexico.

Among his most important talks is the one given at the Technological Institute of Ciudad Juárez, when that body turned 50.

Finally, and as a curious fact but that shows the importance of his figure, Neri Vela participated in the dubbing of the Mexican version of Finding Dory, in 2016. His role was that of guide of a Marine Life Institute that, in Mexico, bore his name.

Contributions and discoveries

Although Rodolfo Neri Vela has carried out important works in the field of engineering, his main contribution has been his participation in the space mission carried out in 1985. This makes him the first Mexican astronaut to travel to space and the second Latin American in do the same, after the Cuban Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez.

The mission

Atlantis, with Neri Vela on board, took off on November 26, 1985 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Its main mission was to put three communications satellites in orbit, among which was the Mexican Morelos II.

This mission, which had the participation of the Mexican government, concluded with absolute success. In addition to the aforementioned placement of the satellites, the crew members carried out two spacewalks to test some techniques that should be used to build the space station.

Nera Veli and the rest of her companions safely returned to Earth on December 3, after spending 7 days orbiting our planet.

Neri Vela's role

Each of the Atlantis crew was assigned some specific missions. In the case of Nera Veli, it was about supervising the systems that were to be used to assemble the future International Space Station.

In addition to this task, the Mexican also had to carry out some experiments designed by scientists from his country. Specifically, he devoted himself to studying how some plants grew under reduced gravity.

Neri Vela's other duties on the shuttle were to carry out an experiment on continuous flow electrophoresis, commissioned by McDonnell Douglas, and to test an automated orbital piloting system. Finally, the Mexican Government commissioned him to investigate some matters related to communication

Tortillas for space food

Although it may seem anecdotal, at the time much attention was paid to the fact that Neri Vela introduced the famous Mexican tortillas as food in space.

However, this food turned out to be very practical. Unlike bread, tortillas do not release crumbs, thus eliminating the risk of them leaking into the instruments with which the ships are equipped. It was NASA itself that was in charge of designing special tortillas that would withstand the passing of days.

Columbus European Program

Neri Vela's experience in space and his training as an engineer led him to receive offers from other countries to develop various projects. Thus, between 1989 and 1990, the European Space Agency counted on his collaboration for the Columbus program.

Promoter of the Mexican space program

Nera Veli was convinced of the need for Mexico to invest in projects related to space. For this reason, together with other scientists, professors and engineering associations, they presented a petition to Congress for the creation of the Mexican Space Agency.

Although they succeeded, Neri himself has complained on occasion that the agency's budget is too low, preventing research and experimentation.

Other contributions

As noted above, Neri has done a great job as a science communicator. Among his works related to this issue is his participation in several television programs for the Latin American Institute of Educational Communication or for National Geographic.

In addition, he presented a program on Puebla TV called Puebla in the Cosmos in which he interviewed the most important Mexican scientists.

Apart from his role as a communicator, Neri has acted as an advisor to all the exhibitions on telecommunications and astronautics held at the Explore Museum of the León Science Center and the Museum of Science and Technology of Xalapa. These exhibitions are intended for the youngest in order to boost their interest in these fields.

Awards and honours

The first recognition that Neri Vela received after his trip to space came from the Technological Museum of Mexico City. The institution asked him for his suit to be exhibited permanently at its headquarters.

In addition to this symbolic fact, the astronaut became one of the most prominent members of various organizations related to his activities: the College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, the Mexican Society of Geography and Statistics, and the Academy of Engineering.

International impact

Neri's merits were also recognized abroad. As an example, the engineer appeared in 2012 in the edition of Who's Who in the World (Who is who in the world?).

That same year he was also chosen by the Cambridge International Biographical Center as one of the top 100 professionals on the planet for his contributions during his career.

Merit badge

The government of the Federal District awarded him the Medal of Citizen Merit in 2015. Likewise, he was also awarded the "Eduardo Neri and Legislators of 1913" medal by the Congress of the Union.

Engineering awards

The engineering associations of Mexico have also recognized the work of his colleague on several occasions. The last time was in 2016, when the rector of the Autonomous University of Mexico presented him with an award from the College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineers.

Published works

Neri Vela's written production during his career has been considerable. His works include university textbooks on communications engineering, which have been used for years at UNAM and in Latin American and Spanish educational centers.

Apart from those books, he is also the author of 15 popular science titles, focusing on astronomy and astronautics.

Also in the field of scientific dissemination, Neri was writing a periodic column in the newspaper El Universal.

Publications

- Neri Vela, Rodolfo; Ramón Soberón Kuri (1984). The electrical and electronics engineer, what does he do? Mexico, DF: Alhambra Mexicana.

- Neri Vela, Rodolfo; Carlos Elizondo (1986). The Blue Planet: Mission 61-B. Mexico, DF: EDAMEX.

- Neri Vela, Rodolfo; Jorge L Ruiz G (1987). The little astronaut. México, DF: National Council of Science and Technology.

- Neri Vela, Rodolfo (1988). Communications satellites. Mexico: McGraw-Hill.

- Neri Vela, Rodolfo (1989). The exploration and use of space. México, DF: National Council of Science and Technology.

- Neri Vela, Rodolfo (1989). The blue planet. A trip to space. New York: Vantage Press.

- Neri Vela, Rodolfo (1990). Manned space stations. Their construction, operation and potential application. Paris: European Space Agency.

- Neri Vela, Rodolfo (1990). 2035: Emergency mission to Mars. New York: Vantage Press.

- Neri Vela, Rodolfo (1991). Eclipses and the motion of the universe (in English). Mexico: Grupo Editorial Iberoamérica

- Neri Vela, Rodolfo (1992). Around the world in ninety minutes. Mexico: Atlantis.

- Neri Vela, Rodolfo; B. Martínez (1993). The Great Intergalactic Race (board game). Mexico: Montecarlo News.

- Neri Vela, Rodolfo (1993). The Universe of man and his Solar System (Youth Space Series, Vol 1.). Mexico: Atlantis.

- Neri Vela, Rodolfo (1993). Inhabited space stations. Mexico: Atlantis..

- Neri Vela, Rodolfo (1999). Lines of transmission. Mexico: McGraw-Hill.

- Neri Vela, Rodolfo (2003). Satellite communications. Mexico: Thomson

References

Escobar, Nasheli. Rodolfo Neri Vela, pride of the Mexican people. Obtained from hypertextual.com
National Geographic. Rodolfo Neri Vela, the first Mexican astronaut in space. Obtained from ngenespanol.com
Trejo, Antonio. Rodolfo Neri Vela: an endless mission of scientific dissemination. Obtained from Cienciamx.com
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Rodolfo Neri Vela. Retrieved from britannica.com
Revolvy. Rodolfo Neri Vela. Retrieved from revolvy.com
Wade, Mark. Neri Vela, Rodolfo. Retrieved from astronautix.com
Hispanic Engineer. Rodolfo Neri Vela, Mexico's first astronaut. Obtained from hispanicengineer.com

RODOLFO NERI VELA: BIOGRAPHY, CONTRIBUTIONS, RECOGNITIONS, WORKS - BIOGRAPHIES - 2024