Sunday Science Lecture: Jared Espley, Ph.D.

Oct. 20, 2013, 3 p.m.

Jared Espley, Ph.D., NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Sunday Science Lecture: Jared Espley, Ph.D.
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Laboratory for Planetary Magnetospheres
“Climate Change on Mars: The Case of the Missing Martian Atmosphere”
Mars was not always the dry, cold place we see today.  Ancient gullies and canyons were carved by flowing water, minerals that can only be made in standing water formed, and the remnants of ancient volcanoes litter the surface. Clearly, the atmosphere had to have been thicker and possibly warmer at some point in the red planet’s past. What happened? Could the lack of a planetary magnetic field be the culprit? The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission, launching in November 2013 and arriving at Mars in September 2014, will help us unravel the mystery of Mars’ changing climate.

Running Time: 60 minutes

For more information, see OCTOBER 2013 FRIENDS OF THE PLANETARIUM PROGRAMMING

Doors open: 2:30 p.m. Show begins: 3 p.m.

Our capacity is 58 seats. We set aside 20 seats to accommodate those who arrive without a reservation, so if the show is sold out you can still try to attend by arriving close to 2:30 p.m. However, although we will do whatever we can to seat all comers, there is no guarantee of admission without a reservation.