Ten missions have now been successfully landed on the planet Mars since 1976, including six rovers that have traversed across a total of more than 50 kms of terrain. Arizona State University’s Dr. Jim Bell has been the lead or deputy scientist in charge of the science cameras on NASA’s Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance rovers, providing him with an amazing front row seat for their photographic and geological adventures.
The Mars Society will be welcoming Dr. Bell as a plenary speaker during its 25th Annual International Mars Society Convention, scheduled for October 20-23, 2022 at ASU. His address will be titled “Postcards from Mars: Curiosity & Perseverance Mission Update” and will include his favorite images and stories from “inside” mission operations and describe the major scientific findings made by these missions over the past 45 years. In addition, he’ll discuss plans for NASA Mars sample return mission.
As a professor at ASU’s School of Earth & Space Exploration, Dr. Bell is an active astronomer and planetary scientist who has been involved in solar system exploration using data from the Hubble Space Telescope, Mars rover missions, 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, The Earth Book, Hubble Legacy, and his newest book The Art of the Cosmos (to be released on Oct. 4). Dr. Bell also served as President of The Planetary Society from 2008-2020, has received the American Astronomical Society’s Carl Sagan Medal for public communication in science, and has a main belt asteroid named after him – 8146 jimbell.
For more details about this year’s Mars Society convention, including online registration, call for papers, and volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, please visit our web site (www.marssociety.org). Also please note that early bird ticket prices are available until Wednesday, August 31st, 5:00 pm MT.
