Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Loay Muhammad Hassan al-Basyouni is a Palestinian electrical engineer who led the development of the electronics development team for the side-engine control and electric propulsion of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter, which is responsible for collecting data on Mars.
Foundation
He was born in Germany while his father was studying medicine there. His family returned to Gaza when he was five years old. He lived through the first intifada period and received his primary and secondary education in the schools of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
From Gaza to NASA
He left Gaza seeking knowledge and then obtained a partial scholarship to study at a University of Pennsylvania in 1998, then moved to Kentucky to work and study, where he studied electrical engineering. He completed his first university studies in 2004 in engineering, then a master's in electrical engineering from the University of Louisville in 2005. He worked at "General Electric" on a project to develop electric cars, and moved to work on developing very light engines for electric drones in an American company working for NASA.
He led the team of engineers to design the electric propulsion system for the “Ingenuity” robotic helicopter, whose engine weight should not exceed 20 grams, to be carried by the spacecraft called Perseverance, and to be able to fly and navigate on the surface of Mars in extremely cold conditions, -100 degrees Celsius, and almost no air. The other teams of the Mars mission also participated in the Tunisian scientist Mohamed Obeid and Moroccan Kamel Oudgiri.
Reaching Mars is easier than reaching Gaza
He was unable to meet his family after his exit from Gaza due to the ongoing events and the closure of the crossings. Only in 2000, and he was not able to meet his family after that until 2011 in Germany.
Ingenuity Airlines
The helicopter successfully made its first flight on Mars on April 19, 2021, 11:30 UTC, marking the first flight on another planet.
Achievements and Awards
Honors and rewards
Membership of the IEEE Power Electronics Society
Honored by UNRWA for his dedicated work
John L. "Jack" Swigert Jr. Award. space exploration from NASA
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- Years in active
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