GEOLOGY OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES



This is a very exciting time for planetary exploration, with important results coming in from several recent space probes, including Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey, which are currently mapping Mars with unprecedented resolution, and the two Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit and Opportunity) which conducted in situ explorations of the Martian surface in 2004. Meanwhile, the Clementine and Lunar Prospector spacecraft have broken the long hiatus in lunar exploration which followed the Apollo missions 30 years ago, greatly adding to our knowledge of our nearest neighbour in the Solar System. Furthermore, over the last several years, the Galileo spacecraft explored Jupiter and its moons, while the US-European Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and its enigmatic moon Titan arrived in late 2004. Additional missions to the Moon, Mars, Mercury, the asteroid belt and a comet are all actively being prepared for launch within the next few years.

This course forms the core of Birkbeck's new Certificate in Planetary Geology. It is designed to introduce students to the geological histories, and geological processes, of other planets, and to illustrate how this knowledge has led to our current understanding of the origin and evolution of the Solar System. It will aim to provide students with:

(1) A knowledge and understanding of the basic geology and geophysics of the other planets;

(2) An understanding of the various techniques used to acquire geological knowledge of other planets;

(3) An understanding of how a comparison of the geologies of the different planets informs our understanding of the origin and evolution of the Solar System as a whole;

(4) An ability to transfer geological knowledge gained in the context of the Earth to wide range of different planetary environments;

(5) A wider understanding of how scientific hypotheses are developed and tested.