Maria Grulich

European Space Research and Technology Centre, Technical University of Munich

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Maria Grulich is a visionary aerospace engineer whose work centers on the conceptual design of crewed missions to Mars and its enigmatic moons, Phobos and Deimos. Her most influential contribution is the "Advanced concept for a crewed mission to the martian moons" (2017, 5 citations), a foundational study that outlines a feasible architecture for human exploration of these small bodies, bridging the gap between robotic precursor missions and a full Mars landing. Grulich’s impact is further underscored by her award-winning "Innovative Mars Global International Exploration (IMaGInE) Mission" (2016, 2 citations), which earned first place in a prestigious competition. This paper presents a complete conceptual design for delivering a crew of four to Deimos’s surface while deploying a robotic explorer to Phobos during a 343-day stay in the 2031 window. By integrating international collaboration with cutting-edge mission planning, Grulich has advanced the roadmap for human deep-space exploration, demonstrating how lunar-like operations at the Martian moons can serve as a critical stepping stone. Her work inspires a new generation of mission architects to think boldly about humanity’s next giant leap.