Batavia library to offer NASA's Mars Rovers talk March 25

On Monday, March 25, the Batavia Public Library presents "NASA's Mars Rovers, Old and New" as part of this year's One Book, One Batavia series at 7 p.m.

Presenter William Higgins is an engineering physicist at Fermilab and a Jet Propulsion Laboratory ambassador.

Mobile robots have succeeded on Mars four times: Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity.

Working together with orbiting spacecraft, NASA's rovers have brought scientific instruments to the Martian surface for meticulous examination of its geological, chemical, and meteorological nature. Learn how they work, what they've learned about Mars, and what's in store for the new rover NASA expects to launch in 2020.

The Mars Opportunity rover mission was recently in the news when NASA announced that the mission - one of the most successful and enduring feats of interplanetary exploration - was at an end after almost 15 years exploring the surface of Mars. Designed to run for 90 days, the exploration spanned more than 15 years.

Along the way, it discovered definitive proof of liquid water on ancient Mars and set the off-world driving record.

Registration is required for this One Book, One Batavia program. Register online at www.BataviaPublicLibrary.org or by calling the library reference desk, (630) 879-1393, ext. 200.

One Book, One Batavia is an annual community-wide reading program presented by the Batavia Public Library in cooperation with Batavia High School and co-sponsored by the Friends of the Batavia Public Library.