Special Session 18

Applications and sensors derived from applied physics and engineering research in avant-garde environments such as aerospace have produced more and more uses for safeguarding from Space access and return to Earth Observation and Environmental monitoring. However, it is necessary to minimize the gap between predicted and experimental results, and the community now faces new challenges in innovative methodologies, measurement, and uncertainty assessment.

Our ambition in releasing this Special Session is to ensure the rapid dissemination of up-to-date theoretical and research results from a very broad spectrum of topics, including measurement and sensors for aerospace applications, and information harvesting in the field of human safety like Earth Observation and Environmental monitoring. Therefore, papers should also present measurement methods, approaches, and principles for performance assessment through measurement, verification protocols, testing, and validation methods. Interdisciplinary contributions crossing boundaries within methodologies and measurements are especially welcome in the form of research papers, communications, review papers, and letters. There are multiple interconnections between apparently different research environments, and our goal is to combine the best research and technology in one Issue to ensure the safety and protection of humanity and the surrounding environment.

SPECIAL ISSUE ON MDPI APPLIED SCIENCE
For the participants there will be the opportunity, with special Discount/Free Publication, to submit the extended papers in the special issue of the MDPI Applied Science journal (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci). Details on the special issue are at the following link:
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/special_issues/Diagnostic_Methodology_and_Sensors_Technologies.

• Radiative Sensors
• Nuclear Sensors
• Linear Accelerator
• Mass Spectrometry
• Ion Beam Analysis
• Reentry Test Facility applications
• Infrared and spectroscopy applications
• Heat Flux
• Calibration and Verification Techniques
• Thermal Protection System
• Plasma Jet
• Sustainability and Environment Monitoring
• Anthropogenic Characterization and Observation
• Observation Technologies for Human Safety
• Airborne Technologies
• Radiation Hardness

Mario De Cesare, PhD, is Senior Researcher in Applied Physics at CIRA (Italian Aerospace Research Centre), head of the Combustion, Aerothermodynamics and Thermo-Structures Measurements Laboratory, Adjunct Professor in Aerospace Physics Methodologies at University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” and associate at INFN, National Institute for Nuclear Physics, for collaboration in activity like Radiation Hardness for Space Systems, compact/gas-variable Plasma Jet and proximal remote sensing through MAV/UAV systems. He is Project and System Manager in Novel Physics Methodologies for Aerospace Applications and System Manager in Airborne-gamma measurements for Natural and Anthropogenic Environmental Monitoring.
Author of more than 50 publications, 30 conference participation like OCM/Chairman and part of the Editorial Board and Reviewer of many indexed peer-review journals.
His principal applications are based on the development of novel technologies for material and plasma applications in the re-entry vehicle phases. The Combustion, Aerothermodynamics and Thermo-Structures Measurements Laboratory at CIRA tests innovative structures for space re-entry vehicles and sustained hypersonic flight and for aeronautical subjected to high thermal gradients. It develops and perfects advanced experimental methods and tools: IR-thermography technique, Spectroscopy and Ion Beam Analysis applications. The laboratory carries out its tests in two large CIRA facilities, the SCIROCCO and GHIBLI plasma wind tunnels, which simulate the extreme conditions encountered during space re-entries and hypersonic flight. This allows the laboratory to validate newly developed design methods and to study very advanced TPS material. His applications are, also, innovative (AMS) and standard systems (e.g. gamma spectroscopy) for different environmental matrices an, since few years, developing Airborne (with light helicopters, drones and other platforms) gamma detection monitoring maps to analyze range of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides, dose and activity maps, thermal and photogrammetric maps as well as the greenness of the biomes with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The goal is to be able to monitor the widest possible areas and identify specific anomalies to be quantified with more sensitive methods.

Umberto Galietti, PhD, is Full Professor in Machine Design and Experimental Mechanics at Politecnico di Bari in Italy, is actually responsible for the Lab of Non Destructive Testing and Thermal Methods for Experimental Mechanics.
Author of more than 200 publications in the field of Design, Stress Analysis, Non Destructive Testing and fast material characterisation with particular focus in developing new experimental analyses procedures in various fields based on Infrared Thermography.
III level ISO 9712 for various Non Destructive Techniques and founder of a very active spinoff company (Diagnostic Engineering Solutions srl) of which has been President from 2011 till early 2019 that industrialized many of the results obtained in his lab.
He is also inventor of 4 patents and 1 industrial Design and he has been awarded 2 times for innovation and 3 times for best paper in conferences. He is actually in the Steering Committee of AIAS (Scientific Society for Italian Machine Design group). Formerly he was also involved in the boards of Italian and International Associations.