The small planet 8333, of the Asteroid Belt, named “Medina” in honor of Dr. Javier Medina

The asteroid 8333 of the Asteroid Belt has received the name of "Medina" in December 2020 in honor of Dr. F. Javier Medina, head of the laboratory "Plant Cell Nucleolus, Proliferation & Microgravity" of the Margarita Salas Center for Biological Research. This name is associated with the award that the COSPAR organization awarded to this researcher in 2020 "for his outstanding contribution to the development of international cooperation in the field of space research."

Francisco Medina (born 1952) co-directed an international project on plant biology and life sciences coordinated by ESA at the ISS. As a result of these studies, discoveries have been made on the multiple light sensory systems in plants, which allow designing the scenario for upcoming space missions that address the use of plants in bio-regenerative life support systems for future manned missions.

Asteroid 8333 was discovered in 1982 by the Czech astronomer Antonin Mrkos at the Klet Observatory, located in the Czech Republic.