Saturday Science Lecture with Scott VanBommel on Mars Sample Return
Since the first rover landed on Mars in 1997, NASA has continued its exploration of the Martian surface with a focus on mobile robotic explorers. Over two decades and four generations of Mars rovers later, we are on the verge of a longstanding goal: returning carefully selected Martian materials from the surface of Mars to Earth. In this presentation we will discuss past, active, and future missions that will, one day, enable detailed studies of these samples in laboratories here on Earth. We will note significant discoveries and ultimately explore Mars through the lens of these rovers while focusing on what motivates the profound ongoing technological challenge of selecting, liberating, and ultimately returning, physical samples from the surface of another planet.
The Zoom link will be sent via email to everyone on our email list before each lecture. Those wishing to join the email list should email a request to physics@wustl.edu.