Unveiling the geology of Mars with robotic explorers

Talk by Dr Joe McNeil, Natural History Museum, London.

Abstract:
Before the first observations of Mars by orbiting spacecraft in the 1970s, it was widely thought that the red planet resembled Earth’s Moon in its geology. However, decades of robotic exploration by orbiters, landers, and rovers alike have radically reshaped our understanding, revealing Mars’ unique and complex geological history. Abundant evidence of past liquid water on its surface reveal processes both familiar from Earth and others that are entirely unique to Mars. In this talk, we will cover an overview of Mars’ geology, discuss how geological investigations of Mars are conducted from orbital and landed spacecraft, and explore the geological mysteries of Oxia Planum, the future landing site of the European Space Agency’s ‘Rosalind Franklin’ ExoMars Rover (launching in 2028).