Angioletta Coradini facts for kids

Angioletta Coradini (born July 1, 1946 – died September 5, 2011) was an Italian scientist. She was an astrophysicist and a planetary scientist. This means she studied stars, galaxies, and the universe, as well as planets and other objects in space.

Her Life and Work

Angioletta Coradini was born in Rovereto, Italy. She grew up to become a very important scientist. She helped us learn more about how planets form and what they are made of.

Her Education and Career

In 1970, Angioletta Coradini earned her master's degree in physics. She studied at the University of Rome. She spent her entire career doing research in Rome. First, she worked at the university. Then, from 1975, she joined the National Research Council of Italy (CNR). Later, she worked at the National Astrophysics Institute of Italy (INAF).

Working on Space Missions

Angioletta Coradini was involved in many big international space projects. She helped design and work on instruments that explored space.

• NASA Lunar and Planetary Research (1970–74): She was a co-investigator for NASA's studies of the Moon and planets. This means she helped plan and carry out these important research projects.
• Cassini-Huygens Mission (1991–2011): She was part of the science team for two instruments, CIRS and VIMS. These instruments explored Saturn and its moon Titan. She was also the main scientist for the VIMS visible channel.
• Moon Orbiting Observatory (1993–96): She helped create a plan for a new observatory that would orbit the Moon. She was also on its science team.
• ESA Infrared Observatory (1994–96): She helped decide which projects would get to use the European Space Agency's infrared telescope.
• Juno Mission (2005–11): She was the main scientist for the JIRAM instrument on NASA's Juno mission. This mission explored Jupiter.

Awards and Honors

Angioletta Coradini received many awards for her amazing work.

• David Bates Medal (2007): She won this award for her important work in planetary science. It also recognized her leadership in creating space instruments.
• Jean Dominique Cassini Medal & Honorary Membership (2012): This is a very high honor in Earth and space sciences.
• NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal (2012): NASA gave her this medal for her outstanding public service.
• Angioletta Crater on Vesta (2014): A crater on the asteroid Vesta was named "Angioletta" after her.
• Coradini Crater on Pluto (unofficial, 2018): A crater on 134340 Pluto was unofficially named "Coradini" in her honor.

Key Projects

Professor Angioletta Coradini started the project for the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument. This instrument was sent to Jupiter on the Juno spacecraft. JIRAM helps scientists study Jupiter's atmosphere and auroras.

Her Passing

Angioletta Coradini passed away in 2011 from cancer.