Orbital Radar Sounding on Mars and Beyond
When
Where
Dr. Stefano Nerozzi
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
University of Arizona
Orbital radar sounders have the unique ability to probe the subsurface of virtually any planetary body, revealing structures and compositions on both local and global scales. In this talk, I will demonstrate how subsurface profiles acquired by SHARAD and MARSIS—two radar sounders still operating in orbit around Mars after nearly 20 years—can be used to explore the deepest reaches of Mars' north polar region. These datasets have been key in revealing the stratigraphy and compositional makeup of buried ice and sediments, whose accumulation history—and thus their climate record—spans approximately 3 billion years. I will then present ongoing efforts by our LPL TAPIR team to design and develop a new generation of radars to explore the broader solar system, from asteroids and comets to gas giants and their moon systems.
Host: Dr. Mark Marley