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OATS-DAUT SEMINAR
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Speaker:
Francesca Esposito (INAF/Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte)
Title:
Toward a manned space mission to Mars
Date: Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
Time: 12:00
Venue: Villa Bazzoni
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Abstract:
The exploration of Mars continues to be a high priority in planetary science. Several space missions (from USA, Europe, Russia and Japan) have been launched and are now in orbit around the planet or walking on its surface, and many others are in preparation. Results coming from space instruments have completely renewed our knowledge of the red planet that appears now much more complex and interesting than in the past. Among the various discoveries, one stands out above all others: the possible presence of liquid water on Mars, either in its ancient past or preserved in the subsurface today. Water is a key issue due to its implication on the presence of past or present life on the planet.
This presentation will focus on the key discoveries that have characterised the last 40 years of space exploration of Mars and will describe the present and future exploration strategy of both NASA and ESA. This strategy has been developed in order to shed light on 4 principal objectives: 1) to determine if life ever arose on Mars, 2) to understand the processes and history of climate on Mars, 3) to determine the evolution of the surface and interior of Mars, 4) to prepare for human exploration.
The ESA ExoMars mission is the first flagship mission of the programme AURORA devoted to formulate and implement an European long-term plan for the robotic and human exploration of solar system bodies holding promise for traces of life. Among the instruments carried out by the ExoMars lander we will focus on the MEDUSA experiment, developed by the INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte and designed to characterise the atmospheric environment close to the surface of Mars.
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contact: Marco Fulle (OATS)