Scientific Seminars

Mars Exploration: Unresolved Questions and Future Directions

Dimitra Atri
New York University Abu Dhabi

2024-04-23    11:00    Brera - OAB Colloquia: Cupola Fiore + Sala virtuale - https://meet.google.com/ehi-hpit-bzr

With over five decades of dedicated exploration via space probes, our understanding of Mars has evolved dramatically. We now understand that ancient Mars had a marine environment with potentially habitable conditions akin to Earth's primordial era. Yet, significant questions persist: how did Mars lose the majority of its atmosphere and water, and could life have originated and survived there? This colloquium offers a comprehensive overview of past, present, and future Mars exploration endeavors, with a particular emphasis on unresolved questions. I will discuss our latest efforts, including the construction of a photographic map of Mars utilizing data from the Emirates Mars Mission (Hope orbiter). Additionally, I am honored to unveil this map in Italian, as a tribute to the pioneering work of Giovanni Schiaparelli on Mars.