Zoltan Sternovsky

Conducting space research as an undergrad

Jeff Zehnder — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:18:32 +0000

Conducting space research as an undergrad Jeff Zehnder Mon, 01/26/2026 - 08:18

Jeff Zehnder

Hernandez holding a high altitude balloon launch payload
she built which reached 89,245 ft. in altitude.

Diana Hernandez is performing research using data from a sun-orbiting space probe as an undergraduate sophomore.

It is an impressive job for a student who only recently completed her first thermodynamics course.

A first-generation student at the �Թ�� of Colorado Boulder and Lattice Scholar, Hernandez is modeling t space dust impact data from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (PSP).

Undergraduate Research

While dust on Earth is a nuisance, in space it is a building block for planets and stars. Studying it can help us better understand how our solar system developed.

Space dust can also cause problems. Though the particles are very small, they are electrically and magnetically charged. Impacts with space probes can create electronic disruptions. PSP carries a special instrument suite designed to measure signals from these impacts using three search-coil magnetometers.

Hernandez with Polaris Dawn astronaut and
CU Boulder alumna Sarah Gillis (AeroEngr'17).

“You would not expect that dust in space could have such a big impact. It’s really cool,” Hernandez said.

Her efforts, in the lab of aerospace Professor Zoltan Sternovsky, were part of the Discovery Learning Apprenticeship and Fundamentals of Undergraduate Research Program programs, which offer students the chance to conduct hands-on research as undergraduates.

“It’s amazing work and the people in the lab have helped me step-by-step to become a researcher; how to look into what the data’s telling you and when you come to a dead end, how to get out of it to come to a conclusion,” she said.

Through DLA, Hernandez was recently selected to present her research at the the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) this spring in Richmond, Virginia.

Hidden Figures

Hernandez’s aerospace path began nearly a decade ago, when she first saw the film Hidden Figures, about the Black women at NASA in the 1950s and ’60s who solved the complex computational problems that landed astronauts on the Moon.

“Watching the movie in middle school with my Dad, he said he wanted me to be like the first Black women in NASA. Becoming an astronaut became my goal. When I started looking at colleges, I researched where astronauts went to school,” Hernandez said.

Reaching Out

Hernandez is excelling in her classes today, but when she first enrolled at CU Boulder, it took time to find her place on campus.

Hernandez (fourth from left) with members of ROTC.

“I didn’t do so well freshman year and failed two classes,” Hernandez said. “I didn’t know how to study. I love math and science, but my high school was pretty easy. I’m the very first one my family to ever set foot in a university, and I didn’t know how to ask for help.”

A heart-to-heart with her scholarship advisors connected Hernandez with the Campos Student Center, peer mentoring resources, and other students with similar experiences. Participation in ROTC also helped her build discipline.

“I started going to peer academic tutoring and now, a year later, I’m serving as a mentor for incoming freshmen. I’ve learned more about myself and am creating a positive impact on other students,” she said.

When Hernandez began at CU Boulder, her intention was to earn a bachelor’s degree and then commissioned as an officer in the Air Force. Exposure to research has her moving in another direction, toward graduate school.

“I really fell in love with the idea of grad school,” Hernandez said. “I have so much curiosity. Grad school could open so many opportunities. I also want to show my three little siblings you can get a bachelor’s degree and even go for a master’s.”

Diana Hernandez is performing research using data from a sun-orbiting space probe as an undergraduate sophomore. It is an impressive job for a student who only recently completed her first thermodynamics course.

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Hernandez with a poster on her space dust modeling research.

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Seminar: Dust Detector and Analyzer Instruments - Oct. 13

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 15:42:35 +0000

Seminar: Dust Detector and Analyzer Instruments - Oct. 13 Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/08/2021 - 09:42

Zoltan Sternovsky
Associate Professor, Smead Aerospace / LASP
Wednesday, Oct. 13 | 12:00 P.M. | AERO 114

Abstract: The tremendous success of the Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) instrument on the Cassini mission provided inspiration for further dust investigations. There are currently two NASA flagship missions in development that will carry a dust analyzer instruments as part of the scientific payload. These are the Europe Clipper mission that will assess the habitability of this enigmatic Galilean moon, and the Interstellar Mapping and Accelerator Probe (IMAP) that will resolve some of the fundamental scientific questions about the local interstellar medium. Both dust analyzer instruments are provided by the �Թ�� of Colorado. In addition, the Japanese Destiny+ mission, designed for a Phaethon flyby, also carries a dust analyzer instrument from Germany. The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission is in its prime exploring the near-vicinity of the Sun. PSP’s plasma wave instruments, just as similar instruments on previous missions, are sensitive to dust impacts occurring on the body of the spacecraft. This presentation will be a review of the recent development in dust instrumentation technology. Specifically, it will review the design and capabilities of modern dust analyzer instruments, and the supporting laboratory studies. The latter are enabled by the unique dust accelerator facility operated at CU and is used for characterizing the properties of impact ionization plasmas, calibration of mass spectra from known samples, or the understanding of the processes how antenna instruments detect dust impacts.

Bio: Dr. Zoltan Sternovsky is an associate professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the �Թ�� of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, and a research scientist at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, focusing on aerosols and dusty plasmas. His professional interests include laboratory plasma physics and related experimental measurements, and developing instruments for space. He holds a PhD and an MS degree in physics from Charles �Թ�� in Prague, Czech Republic.

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Seminar: The Age of (Cosmic) Dust - March 2

Anonymous — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 18:40:20 +0000

Seminar: The Age of (Cosmic) Dust - March 2 Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 02/22/2021 - 11:40

Zoltan Sternovsky
Associate Professor, Smead Aerospace & LASP
Tuesday, March 2 | 3:00 P.M. | Zoom Webinar - Preregistration Required

Abstract: There are currently two NASA flagship missions in development that will carry a dust analyzer instruments as part of the scientific payload. These are the Europa Clipper mission that will assess the habitability of this enigmatic Galilean moon, and the Interstellar Mapping and Accelerator Probe (IMAP) that will resolve some of the fundamental scientific questions about the local interstellar medium. Both of the dust analyzer instruments are provided by the �Թ�� of Colorado. In addition, the Japanese Destiny+ mission, designed for a Phaethon flyby, also carries a dust analyzer instrument from Germany.

Coincidentally, these three missions are all to be launched in 2024, which will start the age of cosmic dust in a sense that there has never been a period in the history of space exploration with a paralleled science focus on these micron-sized solid. Moreover, the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission is in its prime exploring the near-vicinity of the Sun. PSP’s plasma wave instruments, just as similar instruments on previous missions, are sensitive to dust impacts occurring on the body of the spacecraft. The difference is that PSP planned on detecting dust particles as part of its science goals.

So, why is there such an increased interest in detecting and analyzing cosmic dust particles? The answer to this question is the tremendous success of the Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) instrument from Cassini, and the advancements made in the interpretation of the collect mass spectra. This presentation will be a review of the recent history and current activities in the dust lab. Specifically, it will review the design and capabilities of modern dust analyzer instruments, and the supporting laboratory studies. The latter are enabled by the unique dust accelerator facility operated at CU and is used for characterizing the properties of impact ionization plasmas, calibration of mass spectra from known samples, or the understanding of the processes how antenna instruments detect dust impacts.

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