Dr. Cody Paige is the Director of the Space Exploration Initiative at the Media Lab, a team of 50+ students, faculty and staff building and flying advanced technology for space exploration. She recently completed her Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT.

Dr. Ariel Ekblaw founded the MIT Space Exploration Initiative, a team of 50+ students, faculty and staff building and flying advanced technology for space exploration. Ariel leads the MIT “To the Moon to Stay Mission” and developed MIT’s “Operating in the Lunar Environment Course” that incubated and advised this first cohort of lunar surface payloads.

Dava Newman is the director of the MIT Media Lab. She holds the Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics chair at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is a Harvard–MIT Health, Sciences, and Technology faculty member in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Dr. Hoffman is Professor of the Practice and Director of the Man Vehicle Lab at the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In May 2023, astronaut, STEAM advocate, and business pioneer John Shoffner served as Pilot on Axiom Space Ax-2 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Throughout the duration of his mission, he hosted live events with schools around the world, demonstrating life in microgravity.

Sean serves as Mission Integrator for the MIT Space Exploration Initiative.

Joseph Paradiso directs the MIT Media Lab’s Responsive Environments group, which explores how sensor networks augment and mediate human experience, interaction, and perception.

Fangzheng Liu is a second-year PhD student at the MIT Media Lab, studying in the Responsive Environments group, advised by Prof. Joseph A. Paradiso and Dr. Ariel Ekblaw.

Nathan is a multidisciplinary software engineer with several years of experience in industry, most recently an alum of Tulip Interfaces.

Dr. Jennifer Heldmann is a Planetary Scientist in the Division of Space Sciences & Astrobiology, Planetary Systems Branch at NASA Ames Research Center. Heldmann studies the Moon with a focus on improving our understanding of lunar volatile deposits as well as focusing on lunar geology.

Dr. Amanda M. Cook is a space instrument scientist at NASA Ames Research Center. She is the integration and test lead and mission ops lead for the Near-InfraRed Volatile Spectrometer System (NIRVSS).

Ferrous Ward is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, and is a member of the Human Systems Laboratory.

Don Derek Haddad is a PhD student in Media Arts and Sciences at the Responsive Environments Group under the supervision of Prof. Joseph Paradiso.

Maya is a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard SEAS on the MethaneSAT project, focusing on mission planning for the instrument in-orbit Lunar calibrations, with expertise in spacecraft operations, engineering systems, technology strategy, and space law and policy.

Patrick Chwalek is a third-year PhD student in the Responsive Environments group at the MIT Media Lab.

Lenny Paritsky is an experienced aerospace and systems engineering leader who develops advanced technologies for small spacecraft.

Jamie Milliken (he/him) has over 20 years of experience designing and implementing embedded electronic systems, with a focus on robotics and sensor integration.

Dr. Forrest Meyen is a Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of the space robotics company, Lunar Outpost.

Mehak Sarang is currently based in Denver, CO. She works with NASA to integrate scientific instruments aboard commercial lunar landers as part of the CLPS program first at Masten Space Systems, and now at ispace U.S.

As a member of the SpaceX mission management team, Becca has a hybrid systems engineering/program management role where she owns various aspects of customer missions, including test plans, verifications and operations.

Dr. Antosca serves as the the Chief of Staff of Aurelia Institute, a hybrid space architecture research institute and venture incubation studio.

Elise O'Hara's primary role is in administration and operations support for the MIT Space Exploration Initiative.