Seminar- Abby Fraeman (JPL) – Unlocking Clues to Mars’ Habitable Past with Curiosity and Orbital Data

Title: Unlocking Clues to Mars’ Habitable Past with Curiosity and Orbital Data

Abstract: The Mars Science Laboratory’s rover Curiosity landed in Gale crater 14 years ago with the objective to assess the habitability of ancient Mars.  The rover’s main target of exploration, Mt. Sharp, is a ~5 km high mound of sedimentary material in the crater’s center. To date, Curiosity has climbed nearly 1km in elevation up the flank of Mt. Sharp and compiled evidence for long-lived habitable environments in multiple geologic settings. Along the way, orbital data have also played a critical role in the mission, guiding strategic traverse planning and providing regional context for Curiosity’s observations. In this talk, I will explore how coordinated analysis of in situ and orbital data have provided new insights into the geologic settings and implications of Mt. Sharp’s habitability. I will also share and discuss implications of several, recent high-level findings from the mission and plans for the rover’s fifth extended mission, which focuses on understanding the fate of habitability at Gale crater.

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