Afternoon Astronomy Coffee Hangout on 23 February

"The Curiosity of Martian Mud Cracks"
Afternoon Astronomy Coffee Hangout

NASA's Curiosity rover certainly has uncovered unusual features of Mars. Recently the rover was used by scientists to take a closer look at grid-like patterns of shallow ridges on slabs of rock. It seems that these ridges may have originated as cracks in drying mud, similar to features seen in drying lake beds on Earth. If it turns out that these are indeed mud cracks, they show that the generally wet conditions long ago at Curiosity’s site occasionally dried out.

Join regular hosts Tony Darnell and Carol Christian on Thursday, 23 February, at 3:00 pm ET as they chat with Ashwin Vasavada (JPL), Nathan Stein (Caltech), and Rachel Kronyak (University of Tennesee), about how they found these unusual Martian features and how the features may have originated. The best place to hangout with us will be on YouTube, broadcast on the Deep Astronomy Channel. You can also take part in the live chat, connect through Facebook, and join the conversation on Twitter with #AstroCoffee. An archive of previous hangouts in this series may be found in a Deep Astronomy YouTube playlist.

What Are Afternoon Astronomy Coffee and Future in Space Hangouts?

Future In Space” and "Afternoon Astronomy Coffee" Hangouts are part of a weekly series, held every Thursday, that also includes a segment on Footsteps to Mars. We bring the the latest research in astronomy, highlights from the future of space astronomy and astronautics planning, as well as updates on the exploration of Mars to you every week via Hangouts on Air. With the cooperation of both the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and the American Astronautical Society (the other AAS), our hosts Tony Darnell, Carol Christian, Alberto Conti, and Harley Thronson bring you topics that examine today's breakthroughs in research and look forward to peer into the unfolding possibilities of what we may learn about the universe and Mars exploration. We join with members of the American Astronomical Society to chat, in an informal online setting modeled after "science coffee" events held in universities and research organizations across the country. We will examine what we hope to learn about exoplanets, black holes, the early universe, quasars, and life in the universe along with what technologies might help us — and reflect upon the scientific endeavors occurring today that uncover amazing astrophysics and lay the groundwork for studies to come.

We will also explore the technology and engineering used today as well as possibilities for future space travel and research with members of both Societies, and probe what our future in space may look like and how we might get there. We will examine the underlying technologies of space telescopes, orbiters, landers, and human space vehicles now and in the years to come. We will delve into topics that help us understand the possibilities and limitations of human space flight and eventual human colonization of other worlds.

We hope you can join us each month as we bring experts from both Societies — people who think about and plan for our future in space — to your computer, tablet, or smartphone. We invite you to bring your questions and comments and get ready to learn about the amazing possibilities for the future of space astronomy and exploration.