A panel of NASA and Mars experts will gather Feb. 12 to discuss results of the current Mars Rover missions and the future of planetary exploration at a public symposium presented by the University of Colorado at Boulder.
"Mars Exploration Rover Results and the Future of Space Exploration" will begin at 7 p.m. in the Glenn Miller Ballroom inside the University Memorial Center. The event is free and open to the public, and panel members will be available for questions during a reception immediately following the presentation. Pay parking will be available in the Euclid Avenue Autopark, just east of the UMC.
Bruce Jakosky, a professor in the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, director of CU-Boulder's Center for Astrobiology and a scientist participating in several Mars missions, will moderate. The panel will be comprised of two scientists and an engineer with more than 80 combined years of work on Mars exploration.
"This is an exciting time in Mars exploration," Jakosky said. "There are currently five spacecraft operating at Mars - two on the ground and three in orbit - and they are returning some spectacular and exciting results."
Noel Hinners will talk about human exploration of the moon and Mars, as well as the implications of President Bush's agenda for the future of planetary science and space exploration. Hinners has held high-ranking positions in government and industry including associate administrator for space sciences at NASA headquarters, director of the National Air and Space Museum and vice president of Lockheed Martin Astronautics. He remains involved in planetary exploration as a senior research associate at CU-Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics.
Gentry Lee, a senior systems engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., with more than three decades of experience in Mars spacecraft design and operations, will talk about the history of Mars exploration including the Viking probes and the MER rovers. Lee has co-authored science fiction with futurist Arthur C. Clarke.
Jim Garvin, chief Mars scientist at NASA headquarters, will review results from the current rover missions to Mars, including mission operations, the geology of the landing sites and scientific results. The topics will include what scientists now know about Mars and what major questions remain unanswered.
The symposium is sponsored by the CU-Boulder Center for Astrobiology, along with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, CU-Boulder's Fiske Planetarium and the Planetary Society.
For more information, call the Center for Astrobiology at (303) 735-3800 or visit .