Rhiannon Vieceli

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Pennsylvania State University

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Rhiannon Vieceli is a visionary aerospace engineer whose work is helping to chart humanity’s next great leap into the solar system. Her primary research focuses on advanced mission architecture for human exploration of Mars and its moons, with a particular emphasis on the orbital mechanics and operational feasibility of crewed missions to Phobos and Deimos. Her most influential contribution is the conceptual design of the **Innovative Mars Global International Exploration (IMaGInE) Mission**, which earned the top prize in a prestigious international competition. This award-winning paper outlines a bold, technically rigorous plan to deliver a crew of four astronauts to the surface of Deimos for an extended 343-day stay in the 2030s, while simultaneously conducting a robotic survey of Phobos. Though her published work has garnered a modest citation count (with her 2017 paper on a crewed mission to the Martian moons receiving 5 citations), its true impact lies in its visionary scope and the recognition it has received from the global space community. Vieceli’s research serves as a critical blueprint for future international exploration, proving that a human foothold in the Mars system is not just a dream, but a credible engineering challenge.