Nicolas Thiry is an Early Stage Researcher within Stardust Marie Curie ITN at the University of
Strathclyde, Glasgow. His current work involves the study and comparison of different approaches for the active removal/deflection of uncooperative targets. Before this, Nicolas got a first master's degree in mechanical Engineering from Universite Catholique de Louvain and a second master's degree in fluid dynamics at the von Karman Institute where his research on supersonic inlets was awarded the Belgian government prize. His professional experience includes one year as a young graduate trainee in the structure section of the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESA/ESTEC) in the Netherlands and one year as a vibro/aero-acoustic engineer for Free Field Technologies, MSC Software company. In his spare time, Nicolas likes playing music, travelling and discovering new lifestyles.
Project description:
His preliminary list of objectives and tasks is to study the evolution of clouds with new numerical techniques, to investigate the use of particle clouds for deflection purposes, to model and compare asteroid deflection and active debris removal techniques and to investigate new conceptual approaches and include them into a consistent evaluation tool. Practically, this involves among others:
- The development of a numerical model of a set of deflection and debris removal technologies, the simulation of removal/deflection actions and assessment of feasibility and performance of each technology.
- Advanced development of laser-based deflection and debris removal techniques.
- Investigation of innovative solutions to debris removal and asteroid deflection, like smart clouds.
- Integration of the models into damage prediction tools.
Supervisor: Prof. Massimiliano Vasile
Nicolas' work