ABSTRACT

As primitive life was becoming established on Earth, Gale Crater on Mars was a shallow lake filled with drinkable water and brimming with all of the chemical ingredients necessary for life to form. For the past 5 years, we've been exploring the remnants of this lake with the Curiosity rover. For the first time in the history of space exploration, we are directly studying an environment that was once habitable for life as we know it. The story of Gale Crater tells us how Mars has changed and whether life may be common in the universe.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Scott Guzewich is a Research Astrophysicist in the Planetary Systems Laboratory of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Dr. Guzewich’s research focuses on studying the atmospheres of terrestrial planets, particularly Mars, and understanding the interactions of the atmospheric circulation with aerosols. Dr. Guzewich is a member of the Mars Science Laboratory and MAVEN science teams.

Dr. Guzewich received a BS in Meteorology from Pennsylvania State University in 2003, and then was a meteorologist with the US Air Force for the next 6 years. He attended graduate school at Johns Hopkins University, graduating with a MA and PhD in Earth and Planetary Science in 2013 and came to GSFC as a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow.