Snapshots from Curiosity, Our Martian Mountaineer

At The Museum | Fleischmann Auditorium

For 13 years, the Curiosity Mars rover has been climbing a three-mile-high mountain, making a journey filled with beautiful vistas and surprising scientific discoveries. As she continues to ascend to higher elevations, Curiosity is stepping forward through Martian geologic history and documenting clues to the planet's mysterious past. Join us to learn from the rover’s Deputy Project Scientist Abigail Fraeman, Ph.D., and discover how Curiosity is reshaping our understanding of the evolution of our planetary neighbor. Find out what Curiosity has revealed about the fate of habitable environments on a world that was once Earth-like.

Dr. Fraeman is a planetary scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Her research focuses on using remote sensing to understand the geology of rocky planets in our solar system. Fraeman is also developing future scientific instruments that will fly to the Moon to search for water. She is a participant in the Japanese Space Agency's upcoming Mars Moon Explorer mission to bring a sample back from Phobos (a moon of Mars). She majored in geology and physics at Yale University, and received her Ph.D. in planetary science from Washington University in St. Louis. In her free time, she enjoys backpacking, photography, and travel.

No tickets or reservations required. This event is part of a monthly series of free astronomy talks presented by Santa Barbara’s astronomy club, the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit (SBAU). The evening will commence with a short meeting about club business. Look for more talks and free Star Parties with the SBAU on the Museum’s astronomy calendar.

Questions? Contact Astronomy Programs Manager Ila Jade Komasa at ijadekomasa@sbnature2.org or 805-682-4711 ext. 164.

Images by NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS and courtesy Abigail Fraeman