Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures

When Mars Was Like Earth: Five Years of Exploration with the Curiosity Rover

August 01, 2022 Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures Season 18 Episode 4
Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures
When Mars Was Like Earth: Five Years of Exploration with the Curiosity Rover
Show Notes

Speaker: Dr. Ashwin Vasavada, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory 

For five years, Curiosity explored Gale Crater, one of the most intriguing locations on Mars -- once the site of an ancient lake.  In this talk, the mission's Project Scientist discussed what the rover was capable of and the many things it discovered on and about  the red planet.  In particular, he fills us in on the evidence that ancient Mars, billions of years ago, was much more like the Earth -- with a thicker atmosphere and flowing water on its surface. (Recorded Feb. 28, 2018)