Math & Science Distinguished Speaker Series: Dr. Mariek Schmidt

When the Curiosity Rover landed in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012, it began a geologic voyage of discovery. The nuclear powered rover is the figurehead for the MSL mission, the most complex mission ever to operate on the surface of Mars.   Curiosity contains instruments a robotic geologist might use, such as a microscopic imager, a drill, and it has the capability to traverse mountainous terrain. The rover is also a mobile laboratory and contains complex analytical equipment to measure the elemental and mineralogical compositions of rocks and soils as well as to detect organic molecules. The overall goal of the mission is to assess habitability, or whether Mars could have supported life in the past.

 

Mariek will talk about some of the first discoveries of rocks and soils in Gale Crater and how they are evidence for past or modern environments on Mars. As well, she will share some of her experiences as a participating scientist directly involved in mission operations and data interpretation at NASAs Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, CA.