Free public lecture by Prof Paulo de Souza
Mars is getting intense traffic. On 6 August 2012 the “Curiosity” rover will land on Mars and it will be the most sophisticated vehicle ever sent to the Red Planet.
The Curiosity landing is the most difficult NASA mission ever attempted in the history of robotic planetary exploration. Curiosity will be investigating whether Mars has ever offered an environment favourable for microbial life.
The rover will check for the basic chemical ingredients for life and for evidence about energy available for life. It will use tools on a robotic arm to deliver samples from Martian rocks and soils into laboratory instruments inside the rover that can reveal in greater detail the Martian composition.
Professor Paulo de Souza from the University of Tasmania, who has instrumentation aboard the rover twins “Spirit” and “Opportunity”, will share some insightful details about this mission and guide you through the history of the Exploration of the Red Planet, introducing you to the what you would expect to see in the next decade.
Who: Professor Paulo de Souza, Honorary Associate and Professor of Sensor Informatics, UTAS
What: The landing of NASA's Curiosity Rover (free public lecture)
When: Thursday 2 August 2012, 6pm
Where: Centenary Lecture Theatre Grosvenor Crescent, UTAS Sandy Bay campus
RSVP: UTAS.Events@utas.edu.au or phone (03) 6226 2521
More info: www.events.utas.edu.au
Image: The Curiosity rover. Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.