Dr. Jim Bell, Arizona State University
Postcards from Mars: The Latest from the International Armada of Robot Explorers
In this beautifully illustrated talk, Prof. Jim Bell, who is a key leader in projects to take images with NASA's rovers on Mars, discusses the history and current state of our exploration of the red planet. He summarizes the scientific findings, and shows his favorite images, from the Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance missions. He puts each mission into the larger context of the questions we are asking about Mars today and about ancient Mars, which could have been more hospitable for life.

Jim Bell is a professor in the School of Earth & Space Exploration at Arizona State University. He is an astronomer and planetary scientist who has been involved in solar system exploration using data from the Hubble Space Telescope, Mars rovers, Voyager 2, and orbiters sent to Mars, the Moon, and several asteroids. His research focuses on the use of remote sensing imaging and spectroscopy to assess the geology, composition, and mineralogy of the surfaces of planets, moons, asteroids, and comets. He is also an author of many popular science books related to space exploration, including Postcards from Mars, The Space Book, The Interstellar Age, The Ultimate Interplanetary Travel Guide, and Hubble Legacy. He was President of The Planetary Society from 20082020 and received the American Astronomical Society's Carl Sagan Medal for public communication in science.