Curious about Curiosity? The history of Martian exploration

The NASA Curiosity rover touched down on Mars in the summer of 2012 amidst the London 2012 Olympic madness, but what has it been doing since? What are the actual goals of this hugely popular mission and what has the rover found in its first year on Mars? Join us to learn about the history of Martian exploration, the scientific rationale behind the Curiosity rover and discuss the data already sent back from the Red Planet itself!

Natasha Stephen is a planetary geologist currently working at the Natural History Museum and teaching at City Lit and Imperial College London. She gained her first degree from Royal Holloway, University of London with a Masters in Volcanology, choosing to study volcanic rocks from Mars for her PhD studies in the Earth Science & Engineering department at Imperial College London. Natasha is currently working on various projects involving linking Martian meteorites to spacecraft data from Mars and collaborates internationally. She also frequently appears during events at the Natural History Museum talking about her work and all things space!