Presentation time: Monday, 30 September, 2019 - 20:30

In 2020 two missions – the ESA ExoMars Rover and the NASA Mars2020 rover – will be launched to study two new places on the surface of Mars. They will continue to investigate the question: Could there ever have been live on Mars? Answering this question does not only require Rover missions, it also requires detailed knowledge of the geography, geology, and chemistry of Mars. And it requires an in depth understanding on the needs of life – microbial life – under such extreme conditions as the ones found on Mars. In this session Dr Matt Balme, whose research covers many aspects of the physical geography and geology of Mars, will discuss the landscapes encountered by the rovers upon landing. Dr. Susanne Schwenzer, who specializes in the chemistry of water-rock reactions, will talk about the environmental conditions within the rocks, past and present. Dr. Michael Macey, who investigates the microbiology of extreme environments, will take all that information and then look at some groups of microbes, which could potentially be happy in the environments described. In this session, we will discuss the different aspects of Mars research and exploration, from laboratory-based experiments to orbiters and rovers. This session will show why it is so difficult to find life – but keep in mind, we haven’t found anything yet… and: “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” (Carl Sagan).

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