Planets Like Ours: Mars, Venus, and Beyond

About This Event

As Earth formed over 4 billion years ago, two other similar, terrestrial worlds formed on either side of us but evolved in dramatically different ways. Water existed on Venus, Earth, and Mars as they orbited at a cozy and safe distance from the sun, but life as we know it only formed here on our pale blue dot. What happened to Mars and Venus over time, and what will they tell us about Earth’s future? Shannon Curry will talk about why these worlds look so different, what we still don’t know, and how we explore Mars and Venus with robots, spacecraft, and humans. Dr. Shannon Curry: Dr. Curry is the Principal Investigator of the Mars Atmospheric and Volatiles EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission and an Associate Professor in the Astrophysics and Planetary Sciences Department at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her research focuses on how planets and their atmospheres are shaped by the sun and solar activity, and she specializes in Mars science and operations. Dr. Curry is also the Project Scientist for NASA’s ESCAPADE mission and a science team member on Parker Solar Probe mission. She previously served as a member and chair for NASA’s Planetary Advisory Committee. She received her B.S. in Astrophysics from Tufts University and her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.