The Institute for Space Science, Exploration and Technology with
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Edmonton Centre

The 2018 Space Exploration Symposium

Featuring keynote talks by two Canadian scientists involved in international space missions (see below), and talks and posters by University of Alberta students and other researchers.

Keynote speaker Cameron Dickinson

Planetary Scientist–MDA Brampton

Development of the OSIRIS REx Laser Altimeter

The joint NASA/Canadian Space Agency OSIRIS REx Mission is set to characterize and sample the primitive asteroid Bennu – a time capsule of our early solar system. Beginning in December of 2018, the OSIRIS REx Laser Altimeter (OLA), will provide unprecedented 3D data of the asteroid surface. Such data will be employed to provide a shape model of the asteroid, characterize its many craters, and help locate an optimal “Touch-and-Go” (TAG) sample site. This talk will focus on the challenges faced during the development, build and testing of this compact yet complex instrument, as well as the unique challenges of planetary missions in general. (Image credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona)

Keynote Speaker Livio Tornabene

SETI Research Scientist, Adjunct Research Professor at Western University in London

Colour/Stereo Images of Mars from the ExoMars TGO Mission: Seeking sources of Martian gases and Future landing sites

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) and Roscosmos ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) launched on the 14th of March from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, and arrived successfully at Mars on October 16th, 2016. TGO began observing the atmosphere and imaging the surface with the Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) in March/April 2018. CaSSIS is unlike anything sent to Mars before – a high-resolution camera providing full-colour/stereo images up to ˜9.5 km in width and up to ˜50-km long at &tilde4-5 m/pixel, over wavelengths extending into the near infrared. The camera can take photos of the same spots on Mars at different times of the day, allowing the study of processes happening over daily timescales. The main goals of CaSSIS are to provide images of possible sources of gases coming from the martian surface, investigate active processes on the surface (such as surface water or ice sublimation) and characterize potential landing sites for future robotic or human missions.