Young Mayan will work with NASA to explore Titan, one of Saturn’s moons

from childhood Guillermo Chin Canc He had many questions about the world around him. He remembers that his father tried to answer them all, but he had no answer Encourage him to investigate it himself To teach the young man.

Out of his curiosity, Guillermo trained to be a mechatronics engineer and then studied a master’s degree in space science and technology at the Autonomous University of Campeche (UAC). He is currently studying a master’s degree in physical oceanography.

His story has also brought him to where he is now. Be a young person from the community Indigenous Mayans From Campeche, he feels proud that he is able to continue the curiosity of his ancestors since ages past.

Remember that civilization Maya He developed his own calendar, which great foot The accuracy of the moon’s cycleAnd the SolarAnd the eclipse and the star movements. They had better accuracy than the old world accounts. Monitoring and recording were key factors in Mayan astrological progress. Its accuracy was like this They already have a record of planets (even Jupiter).

“From a very young age, I intended to become a scholar, and because of my parents, since we belong to the indigenous Mayan community. The Maya were famous for astronomy”, happily confirms his roots, which he is associated with by being part of an international astronomical project.

In March, Guillermo will travel to the United States (USA) to participate in the project dragonfly From the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).Container).

“We analyze the atmospheric dynamics of one of Saturn’s moons (…), My thesis research work is modeling the boundary layer of the atmosphereInstead of getting water, there’s methane and we’re trying to solve it How methane plays an important role in the emergence of life on Earthcommented.

He was able to establish contact with a doctor working on the project and tell him he has the perfect profile to do the work required in this way NASA planes It can have an automatic control system.

But in addition to studying for the desire to solve the mysteries of our origin as living beings, Guillermo is passionate about it Share what you’ve learned. For this reason, he had a sincere conviction to dedicate himself to the dissemination of science.

“To me, the revelation is that all this knowledge we have can reach anyone and above all. They understand the importance of this knowledge. The young Maya said I see myself this way: doing scientific research in astrobiology and spreading science to society.

First mission dragonfly (dragonfly)on the name of the appearance Quad What will happen The first flying robot to be sent to the moon of another planet. The quadcopter Double will be equipped with tools to select organic molecules And you will have the autonomy to fly to different points of Titan and explore the landscape.

Saturn’s largest moon is cold and has lakes and rivers of liquid methane. Scientists think there may be an ocean under its icy crust Water. “It is an environment that we know contains its ingredients lifeHe said to Washington Post Elizabeth Turtle, a researcher in the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Responsible for the programme.

The project will consist of a lander that will also take advantage of Titan’s relatively low gravity and high atmospheric pressure to fly like a drone, search for new targets and explore a variety of destinations over the course of the mission.

This unique ability will make it possible to study diverse landscapes over an area perhaps covering hundreds of miles, investigate biochemical pathways, analyze habitability (eg, climate, geological processes), and search for biosignatures.

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