Biography

Sergio Leal is a Mechanical Engineer supporting the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Division at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. He leads facility and infrastructure engineering projects critical to preserving and maintaining curatorial laboratories that house astromaterials from missions including Apollo, Genesis, Stardust, Hayabusa2, and OSIRIS-REx. He also provides engineering support for scientific research efforts across ARES, ensuring that facility systems meet the stringent requirements of planetary science investigations.

He serves as the lead engineer for ARES' Ultra-Pure Water (UPW) and high-purity nitrogen systems, which are critical to maintaining the environmental conditions required for curatorial activities. These systems support select astromaterials curation and research operations, ensuring high reliability and compliance with stringent purity standards.

In addition to his role at NASA, Sergio is a commissioned Naval Officer in the United States Navy Reserve, serving in the Civil Engineer Corps, where he supports military engineering and construction projects and operational readiness efforts.