Voyages of Scientific
Discovery with the
Mars Exploration Rovers
William J. Clancey
Presentation at the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco
February 27, 2012
Abstract
For more than eight years, scientists have been doing fieldwork on
Mars, the first overland investigation of another planet. Working
through programmed robotic laboratories, called the Mars Exploration
Rovers, they have a virtual experience of being on Mars. The Spirit and
Opportunity teams have driven over 25 miles, taken over two hundred
thousand photographs, analyzed the chemistry of the terrain, and
inspected rocks by grinding them and taking microscopic images. How
does working remotely through a robotic laboratory change the nature of
field science? How does it change the scientists? A cognitive scientist
with privileged access to mission operations, Clancey explains that the
“robotic geologists” are not just the rovers, but the scientists who
have imaginatively projected themselves into the body of the machine.
Presentation
Illustrated Script (pdf)
Audio streaming
TheTech Museum Presentation (San Jose, CA, August 2012 on YouTube)
Venue
The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest
public affairs forum. It brings over 400 annual events on topics
ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy to 15,000
members. The Club's weekly radio broadcast—the oldest in the U.S.,
dating back to 1924—is carried across the nation. The mission of the Science & Technology Member-Led Forum is to explore visions for the future.
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