Future robotic exploration of Mars.

Describe some examples of recently discovered extra solar planets, which
are suggested to be habitable and explain why.

1. Role model astronomer/astrobiologist
   Science advances by efforts of large collective of collaborating people, but there are
   outstanding individuals that we all admire for their role in moving us forward in
   understanding our world. Choose your favourite contemporary (that is born not earlier than
   the twentieth century) astronomer or astrobiologist that you learnt about in studying this
   course, and describe their contribution to their field of research. Explain why this person
   inspired you personally.
2. The Standard Cosmological Model
   Describe the standard cosmological model (also known as the Lambda-CDM model of the
   universe). What is the observational evidence that supports the model?
3. The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence
   Explain what is SETI and how it approaches the search for the ET. Explain why radio
   telescopes are particularly useful in such a search. If we contact an advanced
   extraterrestrial civilization discuss how likely it is that we will benefit from the encounter
   through, for example, the information they may provide on advanced technologies, or are
   we likely to suffer through the hostility of a species that competes for our resources and
   perhaps our planet? Based on your assessment should we be advertising our presence by
   sending messages to the stars or would we be better keeping quiet?
   Factors you may wish to consider could include:
   • Do we expect advanced intelligent species to be friendly or hostile to other species
   (based on evolutionary theory, and the requirements of survival of such a species)?
   • Has the human race developed more, or less, tolerance of different peoples and
   cultures as civilization has developed?
   • The historical record of encounters between colonial and indigenous peoples on
   Earth.
   • Our record of treatment of closely related species such as the great apes.
   • The vast distances between stars and the difficulty of physical contact with extraterrestrial neighbours.
4. Manned Missions to Mars
   There is discussion of sending a crewed mission to Mars in the future. Discuss how such a
   mission could be executed and describe its challenges. Describe possible benefits and
   drawbacks of such a mission in comparison with the previous and future robotic
   exploration of Mars.

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