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Contestant's Profile
Phil Bland
Academic title, degree: Ph.D.
Fields of science: Planetary Science
Research interest: Using primitive meteorites to explore the origin and early evolution of the Solar System; understanding asteroid and cometary impacts, and the impact rate
Institution: Space Science and Technology Centre, John Curtin University
Position: Director, Distinguished Professor of Planetary Science
Country: Australia
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About Contestant
Phil Bland joined Curtin University as an ARC Laureate Fellow in 2012. Prior to this he was Director of the Impacts & Astromaterials Research Centre at Imperial College London. He graduated in geology from the University of Manchester in 1991.
His interest in planetary science began with a 3 year post as curator of meteorites at the Open University. He was awarded a PhD in 1995. Phil spent a sent a year as a Royal Society Overseas Research Fellow at the WA Museum before taking up a Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council Research Fellowship at the Natural History Museum (London). In 2000 he was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship.
Recent Achievements
Achievement in building own miniaturized satellite to be tested in orbit. Researchers from Curtin University’s Space Science and Technology Centre (SSTC) have accomplished the rare feat of building their own pocket-sized satellite, which they will launch on a re-supply rocket to the International Space Station to be released into orbit.
Known as a cubesat, the technology will be fully tested on the ground before launching next year, with the European Space Agency (ESA) partnering with Curtin to provide mission control capability for the project.
The Curtin's team that consisted of 12 staff and student engineers developed the miniaturized satellite. The Curtin team has managed to put all the systems required to operate the satellite, including the power, computer, steering and communications, on a single eight-layer printed circuit board, which at 10cm by 10cm by 2.5cm. Having everything on a single circuit board means there is more room for what the satellite is carrying. The other advantage of developing such a compact single-circuit board system was that it presented a more cost-effective alternative than those currently being produced by other manufacturers.