Title: A volatile tale of two atmospheres.
Abstract: For the science of Mars and Pluto: it is the best of times, it is the worst of times. At Mars, a series of landed space missions have gradually built up a strong framework over the past 20 years. Meanwhile, the first ever visit to the dwarf planet Pluto by the New Horizons spacecraft has touched off a revolution in our understanding of distant icy worlds. Unexpectedly, the results from the mission revealed a rich geology enabled by an unexpectedly retentive atmosphere. In my talk, I will compare and contrast the atmospheres of these two worlds and our exploration of both. Some surprising similarities between the two environments are revealed and the differences are instructive to our understanding of volatile processes in the solar system and beyond.