When: Wednesday 5th October at 7:30 pm.
Where: Space Place / Carter Observatory and also available via Zoom. Join the Zoom Meeting
at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89857934315?pwd=V1YzV2tFUml4SEFQOUJLUVUwWSt2QT09
Meeting ID: 898 5793 4315
Passcode: 12345
What: A (brief!) overview of Mars Curiosity Rover, its development and operations – Betina Pavri

Dr Betina Pavri (ex-Curiosity Mission at JPL) will give us a high-level overview of Curiosity’s science goals, how its landing site was selected, the rover, and its science instruments, challenges in development & operations, and some of the most important scientific findings so far.

She will also include a brief summary on what she is working on for Paihau—the Robinson Research Institute, ‘because it’s good for folks to know what research is going on locally, too!’

Betina Pavri is currently a Senior Principal Engineer at Paihau–Robinson Research Institute at Victoria University of Wellington/Te Herenga Waka, supporting the development of superconducting magnet technologies for space applications.

Previously, she worked as a senior operations/systems engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as part of the development and operations team for the Mars Science Laboratory Rover, the Dawn Mission to asteroids Vesta and Ceres, and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, among others. Betina holds degrees in Physics, Engineering/Applied Science, and Planetary Geology.