The Habitability of Mars: An Update from Curiosity (and Beagle)

General event

The Habitability of Mars: An Update from Curiosity (and Beagle)

  • Event time: 1:30pm
  • Event date: 2nd February 2015
  • Speaker: (Space Research Centre, University of Leicester)
  • Location: CSEC Seminar Room,

Event details

The Curiosity Rover has shown convincing evidence for a habitable environment on Mars, with an early Hesperian fluvio-lacustrine environment. In addition Curiosity has made the first bona fide identification of methane on Mars and analysed other chlorinated organic compounds. Clay - with similarities to that studied in the nakhlite martian meteorites  - has been identified and from this and other secondary minerals we can determine conditions of habitability: T, pH, fluid composition. This mission has made many other discoveries which I will discuss.

Another mission of discovery, Beagle2, has had an unknown fate until now, I will show the new evidence for its successful landing in 2003.

UK Centre for Astrobiology seminar series

The astrobiology seminar series is run by the UK Centre for Astrobiology based in the School of Physics & Astronomy. Astrobiology is a multi-disciplinary subject and the seminar series actively encourages attendance by undergraduates, postgraduates and academic staff from other departments.

For further information or to propose speakers, contact:

Mark Fox-Powell (m.fox-powell [at] ed.ac.uk) or Jesse Harrison (j.p.harrison [at] ed.ac.uk)

https://www.astrobiology.ac.uk/events/
 

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