Amalia Ercoli Finzi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Amalia Ercoli Finzi
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| Born |
Amalia Ercoli
20 April 1937 Gallarate, Italy
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| Alma mater | Polytechnic University of Milan |
| Employer | Polytechnic University of Milan |
| Known for | Aerospace engineering Philae |
Amalia Ercoli Finzi (born April 20, 1937) is a famous Italian engineer and professor. She was a main scientist for the SD2 drill, a special tool on the Philae spacecraft. This spacecraft made history by landing on a comet!
Contents
Early Life and Studies
Amalia Ercoli Finzi grew up in Gallarate, a town near Milan, Italy.
She was very smart and loved learning. In 1962, she made history by becoming the first Italian woman to graduate in aeronautical engineering. She studied at the Polytechnic University of Milan and finished with top grades.
Amazing Career in Space
Amalia Ercoli Finzi has taught at the Polytechnic University of Milan for over 50 years. She became a professor in 1994. She taught about how spacecraft move in orbit. She also helped lead the Department of Aerospace Engineering.
She has a lot of experience with how things fly in space. She has given advice to big space groups like NASA (from the USA), ASI (from Italy), and ESA (from Europe).
Missions to Space
Amalia Ercoli Finzi has worked on many exciting space missions. These include missions with NASA and the Italian Space Agency.
One of her most important jobs was with the Philae mission. She was in charge of the SD2 instrument. This special drill dug into the surface of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, a comet. It collected tiny pieces of the comet for scientists to study.
Amalia is married to Filiberto Finzi. They have five children.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Amalia Ercoli Finzi has won many awards for her amazing work.
In 2012, she received the Franck J. Malina Astronautics Medal. This award is from a big international group that studies space. She also won the Leonardo Award for her lifetime achievements in space exploration and teaching.
Amalia is a big supporter of women in science. She often speaks out against unfair ideas about what women can do. In 2017, she won the Premio Porto Venere Donna award. This award celebrates the most important women in Italy each year.
In 2018, an asteroid was named after her! It is now called 24890 Amaliafinzi.
In 2022, a working model of the newest Mars rover was named after her by the European Space Agency. This model is in Turin, Italy. It helps scientists test all the moves the real rover will make on Mars.
See also
In Spanish: Amalia Ercoli-Finzi para niños
