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2008 Keynote Speaker

W. Bruce Banerdt
Monday, October 20, 2008, 7:00 p.m.

Prospecting for Water in the Deserts of Mars

NASA launched two robotic geologists, Spirit and Opportunity, toward Mars in June and July of 2003, reaching the planet Mars the following January. Although they were designed for a 90-day mission, both rovers have lasted more than four years on the surface of this inhospitable planet and each has covered more than four miles while gathering evidence on ancient environmental conditions on Mars.

The science objectives for this mission are focused on delineating the geologic history for two locations on Mars using geological and geochemical techniques. There is an emphasis on the ancient history of Mars, as there is much evidence that conditions may have been much more clement than today. A common focus of the various investigations is the role of water, as it is a unique ingredient in a broad variety of processes, and leaves its fingerprints in the chemistry and configuration of rocks. Instruments include high-resolution cameras (both panoramic and close-up), a thermal infrared spectrometer, an alpha particle/X-ray spectrometer, and a Mössbauer spectrometer.

About Bruce Banerdt...

Bruce Banerdt is a planetary geophysicist who has been working in the Earth and Space Sciences Division at JPL since 1977. He earned a BS in Physics (’75) and a PhD in Geophysics (’83) at USC (with a 2-year detour through Penn State).

He has participated in numerous planetary flight instrument teams, including the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter on Mars Global Surveyor, the Synthetic Aperture Radar on the Magellan mission to Venus, the Seismometer on the NetLander mission to Mars (unfortunately canceled before launch), and the SESME Acoustic Sounder on the European Rosetta comet mission. He helped develop a miniature MEMS seismometer and has been working for the past 18 years to send seismometers to Mars. He is currently heading a NASA project to develop a Mars seismic network mission, and is working on several projects relating to seismic stations on the Moon.

Dr. Banerdt has served on several NASA and National Academy of Sciences advisory panels on space science, and is currently a member of COMPLEX (the Committee for Planetary Exploration). He has been the Project Scientist for the Mars Exploration Rovers for the past two years.

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