Claire Parfitt

Q. What's your background? Tell us more about your path in ESA.

My background is in physics, and I have a PhD in spacecraft power systems engineering. I worked in the UK space industry as a systems engineer on projects such as ExoMars and SMILE before joining ESA three years ago.

My current role is split between two directorates. Firstly, I am a team leader and systems engineer in the Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality for about 20% of my time, where I focus mainly on Mars-related studies.

The remaining 80% of my time is spent as functional support to the Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration where I am currently in the role of Lead Systems Engineer and Acting Future Mars Mission Studies Coordinator in the Mars Exploration Preparation Research and Technology (ExPeRT) Team.

Q. Which mission concept study has been the most interesting for you?

I have been privileged enough to be involved in nine CDF studies so far, either as systems engineer or team leader. All have been exceptionally interesting in their own way and there is always something new to learn.  Seeing mission concepts come to life that will inform the future strategy of Mars exploration, and seeing the passion from our team of experts, always makes me proud of this unique way of working.

I have worked on studies of CubeSat missions all the way to a Mars Transit Habitat design for the first generation of human Mars explorers.

One of the most interesting and complex studies was designing a Mars Weather Network Mission which comprised a set of several landers on the surface which will interface with two different types of orbiter.

The landers are designed to survive for two martian years, studying dust storms and meteorological parameters, which is a very tough engineering challenge. It was nice to see the customer take the idea forward by running some follow-up industrial Phase 0 activities to investigate the concept further.

Q. If you could design a mission from scratch, what would it be?

Designing the mission where astronauts will take their first steps on Mars would be very high on the list! It would mean a great deal of preparation precursor mission planning and would involve an enormous multi-disciplinary and multi-agency collaboration. A systems engineer’s dream!

Q. What’s your perception of the representation of women in STEM jobs in ESA?

Having come from working in industry, which is very male-dominated and where gender bias was evident on a daily basis, coming to ESA has been a different experience for me.

While there is always room for improvement, at ESA I see many inspiring women in every aspect of STEM and in leadership roles, many of whom have provided mentorship and guidance to me.