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Seven Months of Perseverance on Mars
September 16, 2021 @ 2:00 am - 3:30 am PDT
Free
- Thursday, September 16, 2021 from 5:00-6:00 PM PDT Presentation, 6:00-6:30 PM PDT Q&A
- Online via Zoom, Free, Registration required
Abstract:
February 18, 2021 marked a momentous occasion in space exploration: after a six-month journey, the Perseverance rover landed in Mars’s Jezero Crater. Thus began a mission that has promised to yield novel insights into the geology, astrobiology, and habitability of one of our closest planetary neighbors, paving the path for possible manned missions in the future.
For our next virtual Café Scientifique: Silicon Valley, we are honored to have with us Dr. Ken Farley, Professor of Geochemistry at Caltech and Project Scientist for the Mars 2020 mission. Please join us on Thursday, September 16, 2021 to hear Dr. Farley discuss the exciting work that Perseverance has been conducting ever since its historic landing.
Bio:
Ken Farley is the W.M. Keck Foundation Professor of Geochemistry in the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at the California Institute of Technology. His research centers on development and application of geochemistry techniques, especially involving isotopes of the noble gases, to a wide range of terrestrial and solar system questions. Specific areas of interest include geochronology of both Earth and Mars, the geochemical evolution of the Earth, and the behavior of noble gases in minerals. He is currently Project Scientist for the Mars 2020 Perseverance mission. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Yale University in 1986 and a doctorate in Earth Science from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego in 1991. He began his professorial career at Caltech in 1993.
About Café Scientifique:
Café Scientifique is a place where anyone can come to explore the latest ideas in science and technology. The Café provides a forum for debating science issues outside a traditional academic context. We are committed to promoting public engagement with science and to making science accountable – all spoken in plain English. There is no admission charge to attend our events. Building on its great success outside the United States, Café Scientifique Silicon Valley is the first such Café on the West Coast. We meet monthly to discuss a variety of science topics.