Stefano Debei, our dear friend and colleague, died prematurely on August 7th, 2022, after battling an incurable illness. Stefano had a vibrant and active mind, always exhibiting a great desire to plan, design, and build things useful for exploring the unknown. His field of research was the design of measurement instrumentation for the exploration of the solar system and his work has contributed to improve our knowledge of the planets and their moons. He has participated with his research group to the development of scientific instrumentation that flew on space missions for the exploration of Mars, Mercury, and the moons of Jupiter. Stefano had a very direct and transparent personality and, with great generosity, he offered useful advice to students and colleagues who now remembers him with commotion and affection. His courage in facing the illness, without ever accepting defeat and working tirelessly till the very end of his life, is a source of inspiration for us all. His professional achievements have increased the visibility of the University of Padova and the “Giuseppe Colombo” CISAS Research Centre of which he was a Director during the years 2015-2021. We remember him with great affection and share our sorrow with all the AIDAA colleagues for his premature departure.
Author: Enrico Lorenzini, Universitá degli Studi di Padova
