Yanos was a worker on Checkley's World.
After Sheldukher had stolen Project FXX Q84, wiped the computer files and killed the project director Dr Pethering, Yanos and Cooper were sent into the laboratory to see what could be salvaged. When one of Pethering's surviving experiments attacked Cooper, Yanos let him die since the Board that ran the planet had told them they were less valuable than anything that remained of the research. (PROSE: Prelude The Highest Science)