The Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck

Professor Ian Crawford, Professor of Planetary Science and Astrobiology, Birkbeck, University of London, will deliver his Inaugural Lecture on Tuesday 4 June 2013 starting at 5pm in B01, Clore Management Centre, Birkbeck. The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception.

Title: Moon, Mars, and the Search for Life in the Universe

Abstract: In this Lecture, Professor Crawford will attempt to tie together the main themes of his research interests since his arrival at Birkbeck in 2003, namely the geological history and evolution of the Moon, the study of Mars analogue environments on Earth, and the importance of both in the search for life elsewhere in the Universe.

In addition to being a fascinating planetary body in its own right, the Moon also has much to teach us that is of astrobiological interest. This is because the Moon has spent the last 4.5 billion years orbiting the only known inhabited planet in the Universe, and therefore retains a unique record of the inner Solar System environment under which life evolved on our planet. Mars is a more obvious target for astrobiological research, as the planet was clearly habitable in its earlier history if it is uninhabitable today. Designing instruments to search for past or present life on Mars benefits from the study of environments on Earth that appear similar to potentially habitable past environments on Mars.

Professor Crawford will describe the fieldwork that has been conducted in Iceland  which is contributing to the development of future space probe instruments designed to identify such environments. He will conclude by summarising the implications of our studies of both the Moon and Mars for the future scientific exploration of the Solar System and the wider search for life in the Universe.