Lucas Benítez

Lucas Benítez
Born	(1991-02-11) 11 February 1991 Montecarlo, Misiones Province, Argentina
Alma mater	University of Buenos Aires
Occupation	Biologist
Era	Vriend Era
Employer	Weltraumgruppen (2015–2024)
Known for	Biological research on Neutanoa
Spouse	Mila Bellini ​ (m. 2021)​

Lucas Benítez (born 11 February 1991) is a biologist who conducted biological research on Neutanoa from 2015 to 2025, initially for the Weltraumgruppen and later under the planet's local administration. After returning to Argentina, he began documenting his research and giving public presentations about life on Neutanoa.

Early life

Benítez was born on 11 February 1991 in Montecarlo, Argentina, which was then under the rule of the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen. He was an Einsatzer. His father worked as a carpenter, and his mother was a Christian. His younger brother was born on 3 May 1998.

His aptitude for science attracted attention at school in October 2003. He began specialist forestry instruction in Eldorado the following March and continued studying ecology through 2008. His mother gave him a Bible for his fourteenth birthday in 2005, which he later took to Neutanoa.

Benítez finished secondary school on 11 December 2008 and moved to Buenos Aires in March 2009 to study biological sciences at the University of Buenos Aires. His studies were sponsored by the Allgemeine SS. He became particularly interested in cellular stress under saline conditions and investigated how microorganisms from salt-tolerant soils affected plant growth. In October 2013, he recorded a modest improvement in seedling growth under controlled conditions. He graduated on 18 December 2014 with a Licenciatura en Ciencias Biológicas.

Career

The SS forwarded Benítez's academic record to the Weltraumgruppen in June 2014 after he volunteered for an off-world research position. He passed medical screening in August, although his interviewers questioned how he would cope with prolonged isolation and leaving his ill mother. During a simulated contamination exercise on 11 September, he noticed an inconsistency in a control sample and documented the problem. His mother encouraged him to accept the appointment in November and promised to wait for his return.

The Weltraumgruppen accepted Benítez as a planetary biological research specialist on 12 January 2015. During training, he questioned the assumption that extraterrestrial organisms would necessarily share the cellular structure of terrestrial life. He was initially told to expect a two-year posting.

Benítez left Earth on 17 March 2015 and arrived on Neutanoa on 24 March. Based in Georgetown-Neu, he joined a biological survey team and began collecting environmental specimens outside the settlement later that month. His work required him to record collection sites and the conditions under which samples were obtained.

In September 2015, unusual chemical readings from samples collected at different locations prompted Benítez and his supervisor to repeat their measurements. They found that the readings varied with local environmental conditions, but couldn't establish whether the material had a biological origin. Benítez returned to the investigation in 2018, collecting additional samples that confirmed the environmental pattern without resolving the question of biological activity.

The Weltraumgruppen offered him a continuing appointment in early 2017, which he accepted. In 2020, he discussed visiting Earth with his family but chose to complete another stage of his research before requesting leave. The following year, he was appointed to coordinate a small biological survey team. He organized field investigations and reviewed the collection methods used by newer researchers.

The Weltraumgruppen dissolved on 30 November 2024 during the collapse of the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen. Benítez continued working under Neutanoa's local authorities until his departure in March 2025. Back in Argentina, he sought employment in biological research but couldn't find a position. He began working as a carpenter with his father in Montecarlo in June 2025.

Public presentations

In 2026, Benítez shared excerpts from his field notebooks with a researcher documenting extraterrestrial planets. The researcher examined the material and arranged an interview on 8 August. A recording released on 13 August attracted international attention, and a subsequent fundraising effort improved Benítez's finances. He left regular carpentry work in September to concentrate on documenting his years on Neutanoa.

Benítez began compiling a catalogue of his observations, distinguishing organisms he had examined from material whose biological origin remained uncertain. He published an illustrated extract in October 2026. The complete catalogue remained unpublished.

In early November, Benítez gave a public lecture in Montecarlo using diagrams from his research. He explained his field investigations and discussed the limitations of his findings. A local teacher subsequently invited him to speak to students, although no date had been arranged. Benítez could read and write scientific English but had less experience delivering presentations in the language, so he began rehearsing for English-speaking audiences.

He also brought photographs back from Neutanoa, showing native organisms and his field investigations. Other pictures documented Georgetown-Neu and people he knew there, including his wife. He displayed selected photographs during his public presentations.

By November 2026, Benítez was preparing a chronological illustrated account of his ten years on Neutanoa. Drawing on his field records and photographs, he intended to describe both his scientific work and everyday life in the settlements. He planned to make the account freely available. He had also begun saving money toward a proposed move to Brenham with his father, where he hoped to continue writing and presenting his experiences to the public. Neither had moved to the United States.

Personal life

Benítez met Mila Bellini, a florist in Georgetown-Neu, in September 2017. He had begun visiting her shop out of interest in native Neutanoan flowers. On 7 September, they spoke at length about differences in flower colour and his biological research. The following month, he took her to a field site where he was investigating native flowering plants, and they began dating.

Bellini told Benítez in 2018 that she had been brought to Neutanoa at age 17 under a settlement population programme but had never been selected for its intended arrangement. They married on 19 June 2021. The following year, they discussed a possible move to Earth together, although neither made definite arrangements.

In March 2025, the couple intended to leave Neutanoa aboard the same shuttle. Bellini went to collect her remaining belongings from accommodation in another settlement but did not reach the departure point in time. Benítez waited as long as he could before boarding on 3 March, knowing that no further Earth-bound ship had been scheduled. He never learned what delayed her. The couple had promised to think of each other whenever they looked at the stars.

Benítez reached Earth on 10 March 2025 and travelled by air to Puerto Iguazú before continuing by road to Montecarlo. His mother died that night after seeing him. The following morning, his father told him that his younger brother had died while serving in the Tanoan Wehrmacht during his absence.

During his August 2026 interview, Benítez spoke publicly about his marriage to Bellini and their separation. He said he had received no further information about her. Their marriage remained intact, although he had no reliable means of contacting her on Neutanoa.