Lecture
Kaiser Spring Lectures: Planetary exploration and the search for life in our Solar System
- Date
- Saturday 15 March 2025
- Time
- Location
-
Old Observatory
Sterrenwachtlaan 11
2311 GW Leiden
NB: This lecture will be given in English.
Astrobiology bridges space and Earth sciences to explore the origins and evolution of life in our Solar System and beyond. Ongoing robotic missions target planets and moons to assess their habitability and search for signs of extraterrestrial life. Mars, once potentially habitable, remains a key focus, though its harsh environment challenges the preservation of organic material. Insights from extremophiles on Earth have reshaped our understanding of habitability, driving future missions to Mars and icy moons like Europa, Enceladus, and Titan, which may harbor subsurface oceans. Exploratory missions to comets and asteroids, particularly those investigating their organic content, offer significant potential for understanding the prebiotic reserves accessible to early Earth and Mars. Laboratory, field, and space simulations are essential for refining life detection strategies and developing exploration technologies.
Never before have so many space missions been dedicated to exploring our Solar System. This lecture will present recent mission discoveries and the scientific foundation for future robotic and human exploration in the search for life.
About the Kaiser Spring Lectures
The Kaiser Spring Lectures is an initiative from Leiden University and the Astronomical Society ‘F. Kaiser’. This is a society for all astronomy students in Leiden, from first years to PhDs. L.A.D. ‘F. Kaiser’ is named after Frederik Kaiser, the first director and co-founder of the Old Observatory. The society organises many activities for students, from drinks and football tournaments to lectures and museum trips, which are all completely managed by students.