2014 Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowships
Ing. Alessia Simonini won the 2014 Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowships. Established in 1938 in honor of famed pilot and Zontian, Amelia Earhart, the Amelia Earhart Fellowship is awarded annually to women pursuing Ph.D./doctoral degrees in aerospace-related sciences or aerospace-related engineering. The Fellowship of US$10,000, awarded to 35 Fellows around the globe each year, may be used at any university or college offering accredited post-graduate courses and degrees in these fields.
Alessia Simonini’s research is on the development of optical measurement techniques for characterizing the sloshing phenomenon of conventional and cryogenic propellants on spacecraft. Sloshing describes the motion of the propellant in the spacecraft tank, a free surface fluid inside a container, which is strongly affected by external accelerations. The response of the propellant during a space mission varies according to the different gravity conditions while a strong coupling between the thermal and motion field is also experienced. Management of the propellant is one of the key technologies influencing normal operating conditions for the spacecraft. Alessia Simonini’s work will involve experimentation to provide data to calibrate and validate a numerical code. Tests will be performed in both earth gravity and a micro-gravity environment. The low gravity testswill be conducted at the Bremen drop tower. Ms. Simonini enjoys hiking, airplane modeling, playing the flute and singing in choirs.