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Testimony from Yves Gourinat, elected full member of the Air and Space Academy

Yves Gourinat

Professor of Structural Physics

Testimonial Category :

Research

Date :

08 Jul 2024

Meeting with Yves Gourinat, elected full member of the Académie de l'Air et de l'Espace

– Yves Gourinat is a professor of structural physics in the Structures and Materials Mechanics Department (DMSM) at ISAE-SUPAERO.
– Already a corresponding member since 2019, he has just been elected a full member of the Académie de l’Air et de l’Espace.

Key dates

1984: Graduates from ENSMA - Engineering degree and DEA, Mechanics & Materials
1985: Graduates from Supaéro - Masters specialising in Aerospace Mechanics and Space, followed by National Service at Supaero
1986: Engineer in industry (Aerospatiale Avions) to do a doctoral thesis (defended in 1989) and take part in the A340 programme (composites)
1993: Associate Professor at Ensica, hired to set up a Space programme
2003: Joins Supaéro as Professor of Structural Mechanics in the Department of Structural Mechanics and Materials (DMSM)
2007: Obtains his HDR (Habilitation to Supervise Research) in Solid Mechanics, Structures, Materials and Surfaces at the University of Poitiers
2011: Qualified as a University Professor by the Conseil National des Universités (French National University Council)
2012: Becomes Director of the Aeronautics-Astronautics Doctoral School (until 2016)
2013: Appointed Deputy Director of the Institut Clément-Ader, Head of the Aeronautical and Space Structures Advanced Master® programme and Head of the Mechanics of Structures and Materials Department at ISAE-SUPAERO (until 2018)
2024: Elected full member of the Académie de l'Air et de l'Espace

Passionate about music from an early age, Yves Gourinat was not predestined for a career in the sciences.

It was at the age of 7 that he discovered his passion for aeronautics: “When I saw the picture of Concorde, I said to myself, that’s what I want to do”. At the time, his love of physics was “completely inseparable from his love of music”, and after completing his studies at the Conservatoire, he continued to pursue both at the same time until he was 19.

“A true enthusiast” is how he defines himself. After hesitating between music and physics, it was physics that finally won out professionally.

This “free electron”, who came from the conservatoire and university, passed the ENSI competitive entrance exam (now the Concours Commun Polytechniques) and entered the ENSMA, from which he graduated in 1984, with a major in Materials.

A career in three vocations

A vocation for teaching

First of all, a vocation for teaching. He owes this in particular to Didier Bellet, professor of mechanics at Supaéro, “an extraordinary personality”, who took him under his wing as an assistant for a year as part of his national service.

It was during this period that his first opportunity arose, the year he turned 25: “He phoned me up one Sunday to say, ‘I’ve got flu, can you do my lecture for me tomorrow?

The first lecture was given and the wheels were set in motion!

“I really enjoy giving lectures because for me it’s theatrical improvisation. I arrive at a lecture without any notes and that’s what fascinates the students! My main accessory is a pair of glasses. Improvisation is very important, it’s the legacy of the Conservatoire and the organ!”

After obtaining his ENSMA engineering diploma and his doctoral thesis at SUPAERO, he joined Airbus in 1990 (formerly Aérospatial Division Avions) and stayed there for 4 years as Composite Structures Engineer on the A340.

A turn in space

In 1994, he flew to Russia for 6 weeks for a SOYOUZ-MIR training course at Star City (a childhood dream).

At the same time, he went back to school and became an associate professor at ENSICA, helping to set up a Space department alongside Pierre Sintes, for whom he was already doing some vacation work: He worked with him for 10 years on launcher dynamics and manned flight safety.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if he hadn’t hired me. I owe my vocation in space to him.”

At ISAE-SUPAERO, “telling the science story”

It was finally in 2003 that he returned to SUPAERO to replace Serge Larose – with whom he had established an “old tradition” by replacing him in the lecture hall whenever the opportunity arose – as associate professor.

But also to follow the advice of his first mentor, Didier Bellet (“You have to do research”), by becoming Director of Research, after passing his HDR (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches) in 2007.

“Scientific research is a permanent transgression: You have to go where others don’t go”.

Since 2008, Yves Gourinat has been head of the Advanced Master® in Aeronautical and Space Structures. He is also Associate Professor of Structural Mechanics in the Department of Structural Mechanics and Materials, teaches biophysics at the Université Paul-Sabatier and also lectures at the University of Texas at Arligton.

In 2011, the International Astronautical Federation awarded him the Malina Astronautics Medal, a worldwide medal awarded each year to a single individual, in recognition of scientific and educational commitment to the service of Space.

A vocation for aeronautics

Today, the physicist is fully devoted to his vocation for aeronautics, through his courses and his research into his areas of application: cryogenic tanks, living cells and the thermodynamics of hulls. Teaching, the common thread running through his career, remains at the heart of his commitment, as he is currently supervising four PhD students… bringing to 24 the number of PhD students he has supervised throughout his career!

Recognition for a brilliant career

Invited to all Academy meetings since 2015, Yves Gourinat was elected a corresponding member of the Académie de l’Air et de l’Espace in 2019. He joins various working groups on aircraft certification to provide a link between the Academy and the school’s national and international aerospace activities.

Five years later, this emeritus member, who was already active in several learned societies including 3AF, was appointed titular member, and was happy to take on “more responsibilities and duties to honour the Institute and enhance its prestige”.

He will be officially introduced on 6 December 2024 alongside Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez, recently elected corresponding member, at the Salle des Illustres in Toulouse’s Capitole building!

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Testimony from Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez, elected member of the Air and Space Academy

Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez

Professor in space systems

Testimonial Category :

Research

Date :

07 Jun 2024

Meet Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez, elected to the Académie de l'Air et de l'Espace

– At ISAE-SUPAERO, Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez heads up SaCLaB, a research laboratory on the space systems of the future.
– A professor of space systems engineering, she has just been elected to the Académie de l’Air et de l’Espace.
– This is recognition by her peers of a brilliant and atypical career in the service of a passion: space exploration.

Key dates

1971: Born in Toulon (Var).
1995: Graduates from Supaéro (S1995).
2008: Working for Altran Technologies, part of the team of engineers operating the Jules Verne cargo ship, the first ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle).
2009: Joins ISAE-SUPAERO as a lecturer in space systems engineering.
2015: Defends her doctoral thesis on "Optimisation of operational scenarios for crew rotations and refuelling of the cargo of an international station at the L2 Lagrange point of the Earth-Moon system" as part of a joint ISAE-SUPAERO / University of Stuttgart degree programme.
2017: Takes charge of SaCLaB, a research laboratory on advanced space systems, as part of a sponsorship chair with Airbus and ArianeGroup.
2022: Obtains her Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches, awarded by the University of Toulouse, on "Rendez-vous spatial: De l'orbite terrestre à l'environnement cis-lunaire".
2024: Elected Correspondent of the Académie de l'Air et de l'Espace.

Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez describes her career as “atypical”. But there is one thing that remains constant: Her burning passion for space.

This passion finds fertile ground in his native Provence, “where shooting stars are so bright”. And the Nice Observatory, the subject of a school trip at primary school. On her return, the schoolgirl couldn’t stop wondering about the Universe… and drawing her thirst for knowledge from books. “There was a mobile library that passed through the village where I lived. I used to borrow all the books on science. I was particularly struck by a story about Marie Curie told by her daughter. It was at that moment that she made her decision: She too would become a scientist. But in the field of space.

During her secondary education, she heard about Supaéro. The École Nationale Supérieure de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace in Toulouse became her goal. During her preparatory studies at the Lycée Thiers in Marseille, she met an “exceptional” maths teacher who encouraged her to go down this path. A teacher who would later become… that of Arnaud Prost, another ISAE-SUPAERO alumnus and current ESA reserve astronaut.

"Astronauts in jeans"

Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez passed the Supaéro entrance exam in 1992 and obtained her engineering degree in 1995. After working in mechanical and automation engineering at Aerospatiale les Mureaux (now ArianeGroup) and Matra Marconi Space (now Airbus Defence and Space), she joined Altran Technologies, where she stayed for 13 years.

One experience made a particular impression on her: “In 2008, I was part of the team of vehicle engineers in charge of developing and piloting the first ATV, a cargo spacecraft developed by ESA to supply the ISS.” We were known as the “astronauts in jeans”! I flew the first ATV from CNES in Toulouse. It was fantastic. I had five screens in front of me and I had to stay focused while bottles of champagne were being opened all around me!

That same year, she applied for the ESA astronaut selection process, during which another Supaéro alumnus, Thomas Pesquet, was chosen. Fate took her elsewhere: “My former professor at Supaéro, Bénédicte Escudier, contacted me about a teaching position in Systems Engineering at ISAE-SUPAERO. I thought, why not?”

From space rendezvous to advanced space systems

In her new role, she has discovered a passion for teaching, and in particular for supporting students. She found “the human side that was missing when I was an engineer”. At the same time, she began a doctoral thesis on space rendezvous – when two vehicles reduce their distance to become one – with a double degree from ISAE-SUPAERO and the University of Stuttgart. “It was interesting for me to discover the theory after having dealt with this subject operationally as an engineer”. After defending her thesis in 2015, she began supervising doctoral and post-doctoral students. She is also responsible for the Advanced Master® TAS Astro.

Her colleagues describe her as a teacher and professor who is very present and attentive. “She is very welcoming and, despite her busy schedule, she always finds time for her students and her colleagues,” notes Spencer Boone, a post-doctoral student in space mechanics. “After Covid, I was struggling to find a work placement. She opened the doors of her lab to me and we worked on my internship topic together,” says Augustin Gallois, now a PhD student under her supervision. Francesco Sanfedino, a lecturer and researcher in space systems control in his laboratory, remembers his years as a student engineer at ISAE-SUPAERO: “Stéphanie gave us the great opportunity to work on a research project based on a CubeSat. At the time, we knew nothing about the research environment, but our paper was selected for an international conference. It opened doors for me and my partner”.

Researching the future and under-explored subjects

In 2017, as part of a sponsorship chair with Airbus and ArianeGroup, Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez took over as head of SaCLaB (Space Advanced Concepts Laboratory), “a research laboratory on advanced space systems, along the lines of what is done in major American universities”. The laboratory is looking at orbital systems, future space transportation and robotic and manned space exploration in a future of more than 15 years (see box below).

The team works “on major international programmes and our research is funded by organisations such as ESA, CNES and groups like ADS and Thales”, explains Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez. But we are also working on subjects that are rarely tackled. “Stéphanie is one of the few specialists in space mechanics in France,” says Spencer Boone. Augustin Gallois, whose dissertation is on the eco-design of a lunar habitat, says that “we have the opportunity to study many aspects of a little-explored subject”.

A Chevalier des Palmes Académiques and active in a number of learned societies, Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez was elected Correspondent at the Académie de l’Air et de l’Espace, based in Toulouse, at the end of May. She joins two other active professors at ISAE-SUPAERO, Yves Gourinat (appointed full member) and Frédéric Dehais (correspondent). This is yet another accolade for this enthusiast, who is just one experience away from being fulfilled: travelling in space. “I tried my luck again when the ESA selected its astronauts for 2022. I went as far as the psycho-technical tests… But I’m not giving up. I’ll find a way!”

The Space Systems Design team (SaCLaB)

Part of the Design and Operation of Aerospace Vehicles (DCAS) research department, the Space Systems Design team is made up of five full members (Stéphanie Lizy-Destrez, Annafederica Urbano, Joan Pau Sanchez-Cuartielles, Thibault Gateau and Francesco Sanfedino), three post-docs and fifteen PhD students, who are supported by around sixty students working on research projects.

Its main areas of research are in-orbit servicing (space rendezvous, trajectory optimisation, quantification and propagation of uncertainties); monitoring and reduction of space debris, particularly in cislunar environments; advanced space transportation (reusable launch vehicles, space propulsion, refuelling in space and fuel storage); robotic and human space exploration (optimisation of interplanetary trajectories to the Moon, Mars, Phobos, Enceladus and asteroids); AI for autonomy and distributed systems; eco-design of lunar bases; characterisation of the impact of isolation and confinement on crew performance.

The environmental and societal impact of space missions is a theme that cuts across all research projects.

The Air and Space Academy

It is based in Toulouse and is made up of French and foreign members and correspondents who hold, or have held, major responsibilities in their respective fields related to aeronautics and space. They represent a unique pool of knowledge in Europe, with the aim of encouraging and promoting the development of high-quality scientific, technical, cultural and human activities in the fields of Air and Space. The correspondents liaise between the Academy and national and international aerospace activities.