BrainMap

Marcel Popescu

Dr.

Scientific Researcher II - INSTITUTUL ASTRONOMIC

Other affiliations

Associate Professor - UNIVERSITATEA DIN CRAIOVA (Romania)

Researcher | Scientific reviewer

My research topics concern the Solar System astrophysics with emphasis on the minor bodies, asteroids and comets. Within this topic I am expert into the physical properties of these celestial objects which I’m determining using ground-based observations (spectroscopic, photometric, astrometric) and space-missions data. I’m conducting various long-term telescope observation programs and I’m part of the scientific working groups of several space-mission

Curriculum Vitae (20/02/2024)

Expertise & keywords

Data-parallel detection of Solar System objects and space debris Call name: P 2 - SP 2.1 - Proiect experimental - demonstrativ
PN-III-P2-2.1-PED-2021-3625 2022 - 2024

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL ASTRONOMIC

Project partners: INSTITUTUL ASTRONOMIC (RO); UNIVERSITATEA DIN CRAIOVA (RO)

Affiliation:

Project website: https://planet.astro.ro/ParaSOL/

Abstract:

The continuous monitoring of our Earth nearby space is essential to understand the formation and evolution of Solar System, to know our immediate surroundings, and to prevent possible celestial impacts that could endanger our planet. In this context, we started the development of an innovative tool consisting in a modular and extensible software suite to detect faint moving objects in the images acquired through telescopes. Our algorithms take advantage of advanced parallel computing applied to image processing and succeeds to go at the limit of noise. This project starts from the concepts and the first experiments presented by the scientific article Stănescu & Văduvescu, 2021, Astronomy & Computing. Thus, we aim to bring Umbrella suite prototype from a technology concept (TLR 2) to a software package with the critical functionality validated (TLR 4).

We target the following objectives: the implementation of synthetic tracking and trails detection modules into Umbrella software suite; the validation of critical properties for all algorithms; the development of integrated platform for all our software components; the implementation and testing of the algorithms by taking into account various computational architectures; the performance evaluation in the relevant environment (various telescopes and survey programs).

This platform will be a very powerful tool for surveys dedicated to discover faint minor bodies (asteroids, comets, interstellar objects), but also to derive accurate astrometry of newly discovered or poorly observed Solar System objects with highly uncertain orbits (including virtual impactors) using small telescopes. Also, this algorithm will allow the follow up of space debris with amateur affordable telescopes, which is a key element for space industry. The SYNTRACK module will be one of the few digital tracking detectors and includes unique capabilities in terms of speed, detection efficiency, and the possibility to handle large mosaic cameras.

Big data for small bodies Call name: P 1 - SP 1.1 - Proiecte de cercetare pentru stimularea tinerelor echipe independente
PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2019-1504 2020 - 2022

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL ASTRONOMIC

Project partners: INSTITUTUL ASTRONOMIC (RO)

Affiliation:

Project website: http://planet.astro.ro/BD4SB/

Abstract:

The study of the asteroids and comets is of primary importance to understand the origin of our Solar system, and it is crucial to assess the role they played for the delivery of water and organic-rich material to the early Earth, and the subsequent emergence of life. Technical advances brought by the space missions and by the ground-based telescopes have contributed in the recent years to an impressive increase of minor planets observational data.

The aim of our project, Big Data for Small Bodies (BD4SB), is to quantify and to characterize the diversity of small bodies of the Solar System at sizes from meter to kilometer scale. To achieve this objective we will develop a framework which combines the existing tremendous amount of observations provided by the large surveys programs with the data provided by space missions and with the laboratory results of meteorites and various rocks and minerals. We will make use of the advancements of machine learning and pattern recognition algorithms.

Based on this new approach which considers the big data obtained by various instruments, telescopes and spacecraft mission in a unified context, we will be able to shed light on the following questions: 1) What are the processes that shaped the planetesimals in the early Solar System? - characterize the differentiation process across the Main Belt 2) Is there any asteroid composition unsampled in the existing meteorites collections? 3) What are the resources (and to which level) that small bodies can provide for the space exploration? 4) How the properties of small bodies of the Solar System compare with those of recently discovered interstellar objects.

The second aim of our project is to consolidate our Romanian team of planetologists. Within this project we will publish at least three articles in journals with I.F. > 5 and we will enhance the collaborations in the framework of the working groups of the space-mission research teams and all-sky surveys.

Extensive use of experience in space and security activities Call name: P 1 - SP 1.2 - Proiecte complexe realizate in consorții CDI
PN-III-P1-1.2-PCCDI-2017-0371 2018 - 2021

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL DE STIINTE SPATIALE-FILIALA INFLPR

Project partners: INSTITUTUL DE STIINTE SPATIALE-FILIALA INFLPR (RO); UNIVERSITATEA DE VEST TIMISOARA (RO); INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE-DEZVOLTARE PENTRU OPTOELECTRONICA INOE 2000 INCD (RO); INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE-DEZVOLTARE PENTRU FIZICA PAMANTULUI - INCDFP RA (RO); UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DIN CLUJ - NAPOCA (RO); CENTRUL INTERNAŢIONAL PENTRU PREGĂTIRE AVANSATĂ ŞI CERCETARE ÎN FIZICĂ-FILIALĂ A INCDFM BUCUREŞTI (RO); UNIVERSITATEA BUCURESTI (RO); INSTITUTUL ASTRONOMIC (RO); UNIVERSITATEA "DUNAREA DE JOS" (RO); INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE - DEZVOLTARE PENTRU FIZICA SI INGINERIE NUCLEARA " HORIA HULUBEI " - IFIN - HH (RO)

Affiliation: INSTITUTUL ASTRONOMIC (RO)

Project website: http://www.spacescience.ro/projects/vess

Abstract:

The goal of the project is to improve the institutional performance of the partners, including those with the potential for relaunching, by developing space and security competencies and by encouraging the orientation of research activities in pragmatic directions. Space activity involves the development of technologies and technologies validated in extreme conditions, which have significant applicative potential in various priority economic and social domains.

The VESS project is based on the experience gained by the Coordinator through participation in ESA scientific missions, the development and validation of flight software and hardware components, the development of countermeasures in the context of human crew space missions. Partners contribute with their own skills in areas such as math physics, computer science, advanced technologies, astronomy. VESS will provide knowledge sharing and exploitation within and outside the consortium by creating technology transfer and knowledge transfer offers to other areas of activity. Furthermore, VESS will allow joint use of existing research infrastructures for partners. The four component projects are oriented, each by its specificity, both to the consolidation of the Romanian presence in the activities of ESA, as well as to the capitalization in the economic and social environment of the obtained results. Ensuring synergic interaction between component projects at the level of the complex project will maximize the chances of success and superior valorisation of the results. The joint RDI program to be developed will lay the foundations for a field of competence in space and derivative applications. The offer of services to the socio-economic environment will be achieved by organizing workshops that will be provided with adequate advertising. The patenting of the results will be done by the partners directly involved in the activities that produced these results.

Compositional mapping of asteroid population based on spectral and spectrophotometric data Call name: Projects for Young Research Teams - RUTE -2014 call
PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4-2199 2015 - 2017

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL ASTRONOMIC

Project partners: INSTITUTUL ASTRONOMIC (RO)

Affiliation: INSTITUTUL ASTRONOMIC (RO)

Project website: http://observer.astro.ro/cmaps/

Abstract:

CMAPS project aims to derive a compositional mapping of the asteroid population. The use of spectral data with spectrophotometric data, both in visible and NIR region will provide a refined understanding compositional distribution over asteroid populations.

Part of our main objective consists in building up statistics, find correlations and trends over a large number of visible and near-infrared spectra of asteroids. It is expected that such statistics will reveal correlations between size, composition and source region of the different categories of asteroids.

Our project will provide comprehensive answers to questions such as: What are the statistical properties of different populations of asteroids; What is the relationship between asteroids comets and meteorites; What is ratio between primitive asteroids and those with evolved surface?

The fully benefit of the interpretation of the obtained results will be accomplished within the collaborations with more experienced colleagues from institutes on which the members of the team developed important collaborations in the last 5 years.

Compositional and dynamical modeling of near-Earth asteroids Call name:
2012 - 2015

Role in this project: Key expert

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL ASTRONOMIC

Project partners: INSTITUTUL ASTRONOMIC (RO)

Affiliation: INSTITUTUL ASTRONOMIC (RO)

Project website: https://observer.astro.ro/cod-nea/

Abstract:

Our program COD-NEA - Compositional and dynamical modeling of near-Earth asteroids aims to characterize the compositional and physical properties of some of the most important NEAs using multi-wavelength (visible, infrared), multi-instruments (photometer, spectrometers) techniques and to explore their dynamical evolution by means of massive, parallel numerical integrations. The project is based on the previous experience of the project's team in the field of planetary sciences and on two existing facilities: the Remote Observation Center in Planetary Sciences (ROC) and the SGI ALTIX 3700 supercomputing system both currently hosted and operated by the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy (AIRA).

Aiming to obtain critical physical and compositional information needed to assess the damage potential and impact risk of NEAs this program is situated within the objectives of the European Space Agency (ESA) Space Situational Awareness (SSA) initiative. The expected results of the project should strengthen the integration of the Romanian planetology community into ESA scientific programs such as MarcoPolo-R space mission.

Spectroscopic and Astrometric studies of near-Earth asteroids Call name:
2014 - 2014

Role in this project: Project coordinator

Coordinating institution: Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

Project partners: Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (RO)

Affiliation: Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (RO)

Project website:

Abstract:

Our project aims to characterize the compositional and dynamical properties of some of the most important NEAs using multi-wavelength (visible, infrared) and multi-instruments (photometer, spectrometers and direct imaging) techniques. Through our project we will develop pipelines for data reduction of new spectral images obtained with different instruments (like IDS from Isaac Newton Telescope, ACAM and LIRIS from William Herschel Telescope).

FILE DESCRIPTION	DOCUMENT
List of research grants as project coordinator or partner team leader
Significant R&D projects for enterprises, as project manager
R&D activities in enterprises
Peer-review activity for international programs/projects