IMB-CNM Invited Talk: Mars: past life, future life?
By Guillem Anglada (Institute of Space Sciences, ICE, CSIC).
The red planet shared a similar origin and composition as our planet, and it is one of the most available windows we have to explore the early Solar System and the environment on which life emerged on Earth. Some key differences in its early evolution froze the planet into its current state which we can now explore to search for fossil evidence of life. I will make a quick review of the status of the search and the kind of biosignatures typically searched in these investigations. Thanks to 'relatively' benign surface conditions coupled to availability of key resources, the red planet the most suitable place for human habitation given our technology. Assuming that the technology is ready to start a settlement, the question arises as whether such settlement could survive and develope independently from Earth supplies. This is a necessary condition to ensure long-term human presence beyond Earth that does not further drain our world's resources. I will review the basic technological and social constraints that a Martian city must satisfy to reach self-sustainable development, and assess how far we are from achieving it.
Session will be live streamed via youtube on the following link: https://youtu.be/0CLVqjKSavA