The talk explains why meteorites remain some of the most important materials for understanding the where, what and why of our
Solar System, as they preserve information about key events and processes. For Mercury, as one of the least
explored planets, we still don’t exactly know how it formed or what is going on at the surface. I’ll be
discussing how important these cosmic samples are, and how they contribute to our knowledge of how the
planets, like Mercury, formed. With the upcoming ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission on its way to
Mercury, and building off of NASA MESSENGER mission data, I’ll discuss some of the latest work being
done here at the Institute for Space, University of Leicester, in our research to understand the history of the
smallest rocky planet in our Solar System.

Dr. Cartwright is a planetary scientist, cosmochemist and expert in the study of meteorites, with research
focused on understanding the timings, formation and evolution of planetary surfaces. She uses multiple
petrological and geochemical analytical techniques to understand both large- and small-scale processes in
the Solar System.
Having worked in the field for over two decades, including many notable international research institutions,
she is currently an independent research fellow at the University of Leicester, where she is leading research
to understand the surface composition of the planet Mercury, as part of the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo team
using novel equipment at UoL. She is also involved with in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) topics,
particularly for exploring applications to the lunar surface, as well as studies of meteorites, regoliths and
asteroids.

The talk will be in person at Long Compton Village Hall 7pm for 7.30 Start (Members Only)