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Looking Up: Our Curiosity for the Opportunity to Explore Mars Perseveres

mars.nasa.gov

Dean and Anna are joined by Sampling Science Systems Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (and Cincinnati raised!), Robert Moeller. He shares some of his journey from his younger days in Cincinnati suburb, Reading, Ohio to working at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as an engineer for the Mars Perseverance Rover mission. Together they celebrate the succesful landing of Perseverance in late February, while taking a look forward to what's next for the misison.

Of course, they also have to explore the question humanity has asked since first realizing those glowing dots in the sky are entire planets: Is there life on Mars? Does the relatively recent discovery of water on Mars and what stargazers' observance of possible canals mean there may have been in the past?

  

Dean Regas is the Astronomer for the Cincinnati Observatory and a renowned educator, a national popularizer of astronomy and an expert in observational astronomy.
Anna Hehman is the Director of Development for the Cincinnati Observatory. Her official duties include ensuring the financial security of the Observatory and securing support for its outreach programs as well as exploring relationships with potential funders. Anna also has a Marketing background and manages the Observatory's social media, where she resists the urge to post adorable animal videos on the O's social media accounts with almost 100% success.