Planetary Sciences Community Meetings Calendar
Organized by LPI/USRA *
December 2014
| 4-5 |
Hayabusa 2014: Second Symposium of Solar System Materials,
Sagamihara, Japan
Hayabusa return samples have been preliminary examined, followed by research in 1st and 2nd AO. This time spectroscopy is more emphasized to relate these samples with processes on small planets. Let us join and set a perspective to the future solar system science driven by these topics with this symposium! |
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| 15-19 | AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California |
January 2015
| 6-8 | 12th Meeting of the NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG), Phoenix, Arizona | |
| 8-10 |
Conference on Spacecraft Reconnaissance of Asteroid and Comet Interiors 2015 (#astrorecon2015) *,
Tempe, Arizona
The goal of the Conference is to identify and evaluate the best technologies for spacecraft robotic reconnaissance of comets, asteroids, and small moons, paving the way for advanced science missions, near-Earth asteroid redirection, hazard mitigation, in situ resource utilization, and human visitation. |
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| 13-15 |
Earth-Life Science Institute 3rd International Symposium,
Tokyo, Japan
The main theme of ELSI's 3rd International Symposium is the fundamental question: “Is there life in the universe, outside Earth?” Robotic exploration within the solar system, as well as observations of planets circling other stars, may soon give us more tentative hints, and possibly even convincing evidence, of extraterrestrial forms of life. During the 3-day symposium, we will address three questions, respectively: 1) which planets seem fit as potential cradles of life; 2) what can we say about the likely properties of more universal forms of life, different from the one specific example we know on Earth; and 3) how can we best try to find signs of life elsewhere? |
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| 23 |
Basaltic Volcanism: Magma Transport from Asthenosphere to Surface at Hawaii (Helge Gonnemann, Rice University),
Lecture Hall
I will discuss models of magma transport between the asthenospheric melting zone and the surface at Kilauea volcano, Hawaii. The presentation will focus on (1) an idealized model to explain temporal variability in magma supply to Kilauea; (2) dynamic linkage between Kilauea and adjacent Mauna Loa volcano; (3) some dynamical aspects of lateral magma transport within Kilauea's rift zone; and (4) the dynamics of explosive eruptions, specifically Hawaiian style fire-fountaining during the 1959 Kilauea Iki eruption. |
February 2015
| 4-5 |
Workshop on Early Solar System Bombardment III (#bombardment3) *,
Houston, Texas
One of the legacies of the Apollo program is the concept of late heavy bombardment or a lunar cataclysm that may have resurfaced the Moon and thermally metamorphosed its crust. Several recent studies have continued to test that concept and explore the implications any bombardment may have for our understanding of lunar evolution and for the origin and early evolution of life on Earth. That lunar record has also recently been expanded to include studies of asteroids and other solar system bodies. Another legacy of the Apollo era is the giant impact model, in which the Moon forms as a result of an oblique impact between the early Earth and another planet-sized body. Computer simulations have established that such an impact can produce an appropriately massive and iron-poor disk around the Earth. However, uncertainty remains as to how best reconcile the impact theory with key observed properties of the Moon. These include the Moon’s close compositional similarity to the Earth’s mantle, the lunar depletion in volatile elements, and a potentially water-rich lunar interior. Recognizing the community’s interest in these topics, the LPI and partners within the NASA Solar System Exploration Research Institute (SSERVI) have organized a workshop to explore them. The workshop will provide an opportunity to integrate several diverse components of the above topics. Example topics relevant to the lunar cratering record include an assessment of the geologic record of impact cratering throughout the solar system, cosmochemical constraints on any early bombardment, and dynamical models that might explain the flux of debris and potential changes in the flux of debris. Example topics relevant to lunar origin include cosmochemical and geophysical constraints on lunar formation; giant impact simulations; the chemical, thermal, and/or dynamical evolution of the protolunar disk; and the accretion and early evolution of the Moon. |
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| 6 |
Cyclicity in the Rock Record of Mars and the Origin of Mount Sharp (Kevin Lewis, Johns Hopkins University),
Lecture Hall
The Martian sedimentary rock record is likely one of the best archives of that planet's evolution. Understanding the history of deposition and erosion on Mars has the potential to yield unparalleled detail about its early climate and surface conditions. Determination of depositional setting for these sedimentary deposits can constrain the climate conditions under which they formed. Yet only with an understanding of the timescales over which they accumulated can we determine their relative significance to the long-term surface evolution of the planet. I will discuss a subset of the known Martian sedimentary rock deposits which contain distinctly rhythmic stratification that may record climate change induced by quasi-periodic changes in the planet's orbital parameters. These recorded cycles can be used to obtain relative ages within the sedimentary record for the first time. I will discuss implications in particular for the origin of Mount Sharp, the field site of the Curiosity rover, and one of the locations where quasi-periodic signals have been identified. |
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| 10-12 | WISE at 5: Legacy and Prospects, Pasadena, California | |
| 11-13 |
Workshop on Collisions in the Solar System,
Belgrade, Serbia
The importance of collisions in shaping our solar system has been recognized many years ago. Since that time, increasingly sophisticated tools have been developed for tracing the collisional history of various small-body populations, and understanding the role of collisions in producing observed features. This includes collisions involving the main-belt asteroids, near-Earth objects, and, in recent times, space debris. The aim of this workshop is to review the-state-of-the-art of the research on related topics, and to discuss directions for the future development. The meeting is particularly designed to prepare young researchers to start working in the field and to develop real projects. |
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| 18 |
Workshop on the Potential for Finding Life in a Europa Plume *,
Moffett Field, California
Current Europa missions under study by NASA are focused on answering the question “Is Europa habitable?” However, the potential presence of water plumes on the satellite could present an opportunity to pursue the question “Is there life on Europa?” Answering this question is far more challenging because measurements currently possible may provide only ambiguous results from a mission that either orbits or flies by Europa at relatively high velocity. To that end, NASA’s Planetary Science Division is convening a workshop to consider strategies to investigate Europa’s putative plumes for evidence of life. |
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| 19-20 |
Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG),
Moffett Field, California
OPAG is NASA's community-based forum designed to provide science input for planning and prioritizing outer planet exploration activities for the next several decades. It is chartered by NASA's Solar System Exploration Division and reports its findings at meetings of the Solar System Exploration Sub-Committee of the NASA Space Science Advisory Committee. Open to all interested scientists, OPAG regularly evaluates outer solar system exploration goals, objectives, investigations and required measurements on the basis of the widest possible community outreach. |
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| 23-27 | Physics of Exoplanets: From Earth-Sized to Mini-Neptunes, Goleta, California | |
| 24-26 |
Planetary Protection Course: Policies and Practices,
NASA Kennedy Space Center, Florida
NASA’s Planetary Protection Office has developed a course on planetary protection policies and practices to familiarize current and future practitioners with NASA and COSPAR planetary protection programs. The course is held twice a year at different locations in the United States and once a year in Europe. It provides a comprehensive review of all applicable policies, practices and procedures necessary to implement a successful planetary protection program, emphasizing integration of managerial, administrative, and laboratory activities. The course is supported by the NASA Planetary Protection Office and the NASA Astrobiology Institute. |
March 2015
| 2-5 |
Ground and Space Observatories: A Joint Venture to Planetary Science,
Santiago, Chile
The goal of this workshop is to explore synergies between ground and space-based observatories with planetary missions for exploring the Solar System and planets, and to foster collaborations between the different communities by sharing scientific and technical knowledge, needs, requirements, and techniques. Scientific topics include, e.g., planetary atmospheres, surfaces and rings, moons, asteroids, TNOs and comets. |
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| 3 |
Dating Impact Craters: What Can Precise and Accurate Ages Teach Us? (Martin Schmieder),
Moved to Hess Room
Impacts have played a major role in the evolution of planetary bodies and asteroids in the Solar System. About 188 impact structures – large and small, old and young – are currently known on Earth. The improvements in isotopic dating methods, in addition to stratigraphic age constraints, now offer an increasingly precise and accurate set of age data for a number of impact events on our planet. In this seminar I will present a synthesis of recent findings, current challenges and open questions in terrestrial impact crater geochronology mainly based on the 40Ar/39Ar dating technique, with examples from the North American, European and Australian impact cratering record. Precise and accurate impact ages are crucial when it comes to the potential link between large meteorite impacts, mass extinctions and biodiversification events; evidence for binary asteroid impacts and multiple impact events in the geologic record; and the nature and longevity of hydrothermal activity in cooling impact craters as hosts for economic deposits and niches for microbial life. |
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| 6 |
Preservation of Isotopic Heterogeneity in a Convecting Martian Mantle (Walter Kiefer, Lunar and Planetary Institute),
Lecture Hall
The existence of volcanic activity on Mars in the last 200 million years is demonstrated by both the low crater densities on volcanos such as Olympus Mons and by radiometric dating of the shergottite meteorites. This implies the existence of adiabatic decompression melting and thus an actively convecting mantle. On the other hand, the preservation of isotopically distinct reservoirs that formed in the first 100 million years of solar system history has been interpreted by some investigators as evidence that the martian mantle cannot be convecting. This apparent paradox can be resolved by considering the effects of geographic isolation of isotopic reservoirs and of inefficient convective mixing, which together allow geochemical reservoirs to be preserved within a convecting martian mantle. |
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| 15-18 |
Ringberg Workshop on Spectroscopy with the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy,
Schloss Ringberg, Germany
The conference venue, Ringberg Castle, will provide a unique setting for in-depth discussions on current and future unique science with SOFIA. In particular, sessions on new scientific results, on synergies with other observatories, and on new instruments enabling new science are envisioned. |
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| 16-20 | 46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (#LPSC2015) *, The Woodlands, Texas | |
| 22-27 |
Habitability in the Universe: From the Early Earth to Exoplanets,
Porto, Portugal
This workshop adresses three basic questions that fascinate and intrigue scientists, and the general public alike: Where, when and how did life emerge and evolve on Earth? What are the conditions under which life can exist? Does life exist elsewhere in the universe and, if it does, how can it be detected and identified? The workshop has specifically excluded the search for intelligent extraterrestrial life in its portfolio. |
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| 23-27 |
Star and Planet Formation in the Southwest,
Oracle, Arizona
The Southwestern US is rich with astronomers working in the fields of star and planet formation. This conference will feature pedagogical reviews, invited topical talks, and numerous contributed talks by junior scientists. A primary goal of this meeting is to forge collaborations across institutes in the Southwest, and to highlight the contributions of post-doc and graduate student attendees. This meeting will foster extended, unstructured discussion and interaction between the senior review speakers and other attendees. |
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| 24-26 |
Workshop on Planetary Protection Knowledge Gaps for Human Extraterrestrial Meetings *,
Moffett Field, California
While planetary protection requirements are in place for robotic missions, there is presently insufficient scientific and technological knowledge to establish effective quantitative requirements for the development of crewed spacecraft and missions. To prepare for such future missions, NASA created the NASA Policy on Planetary Protection Requirements for Human Extraterrestrial Missions (NPI 8020.7) that outlines the need to increase knowledge in the following study areas while iteratively developing an appropriate set of requirements: Study Area 1: Microbial and human health monitoring; Study Area 2: Technology and operations for contamination control; Study Area 3: Natural transport of contamination on Mars. The goal of this workshop is to capture the current state of knowledge in the aforementioned areas and identify additional research to appropriately inform planetary protection requirements development for the human exploration of Mars. |
April 2015
| 7-8 |
Workshop on Venus Science Priorities for Laboratory Measurements and Instrument Definition (#venustech) *,
Hampton, Virginia
The objectives of this two-day workshop are to (1) present, discuss, and document the status of the instrument technologies and the definition of new instruments; and (2) present, discuss, and document the status and needs of laboratory experiments in support of fundamental science as well as mission preparation. The objectives will be worked as guided by the recently released VEXAG Goals and Objectives, Pathways, and Technology Plan documents. The workshop presentations and discussions will form the basis of peer-reviewed papers or other documents that capture the relevant technologies and their readiness. These documents will be made available to the broader science and technology communities to enable them to attack the necessary problems. Participation by science, technology, and mission communities will be sought and encouraged for this workshop. |
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| 12-17 |
European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2015,
Vienna, Austria
The EGU General Assembly 2015 will bring together geoscientists from all over the world to one meeting covering all disciplines of Earth, planetary, and space sciences. The EGU aims to provide a forum where scientists, especially early career researchers, can present their work and discuss their ideas with experts in all fields of geoscience. |
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| 13-17 | IAA Planetary Defense Conference, Frascati, Italy | |
| 15 |
Investigating early lunar evolution through U-Pb chronology of the Northwest Africa 773 Clan Meteorites (Barry Shaulis, University of Alberta),
Lecture Hall
The Northwest Africa (NWA) 773 clan of meteorites represent some of the youngest lunar igneous rocks discovered so far. We selected four members of the NWA 773 clan of meteorites for U-Pb zircon and baddeleyite age analysis: NWA 773, NWA 3170, NWA 6950, and NWA 7007. These meteorites were selected because: 1) Constraining the timing of igneous activity that produced these lunar rocks is critical to furthering our understanding of the thermal evolution of the Moon and evaluating potential heats sources responsible for igneous activity at least 1.5 Gyrs after lunar accretion; 2) Each of the meteorites is partially or wholly comprised of one or both of the magnesian or ferroan gabbro lithologies. This is crucial to further understanding of the proposed co-magmatic origin of the lithologies. 3) Several members contain merrillite or apatite in either a breccia or gabbro lithology. Merrillite and apatite are important uranium bearing minerals for dating and can therefore be used to establish an impact and/or brecciation history of the NWA 773 clan via U-Th-Pb dating methods. A total of 50 baddeleyite grains were analyzed and yielded weighted average 207Pb-206Pb ages of 3119.4 ± 9.4 Ma for the magnesian gabbro, 3106 ± 22 Ma for the ferroan gabbro, and 3115 ± 14 Ma for the polymict breccia. These data establish a strong chronologic link between the meteorites and indicate that the magnesian and ferroan gabbro lithologies formed at similar times. This implies that they are both temporally and petrogenetically related. A single large zircon grain found in the polymict breccia of NWA 773 yielded a U-Pb concordia age of 3953 ± 16 Ma, indicating a significantly more ancient component within the breccia. A 2718 ± 44 Ma weighted average U-Pb age of apatite from the polymict breccia and magnesian gabbro lithologies is interpreted to date the brecciation event that assembled the NWA 773 clan components on the Moon. |
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| 17 |
Is Early Development of Large Volcanic Channels Typical of all Rocky Planets? (David Leverington, Texas Tech University),
Lecture Hall
The vestiges of large volcanic channels are preserved at the surfaces of the Moon, Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Io. The largest of these systems have widths of tens of kilometers and lengths of thousands of kilometers. Component channels were incised by voluminous low-viscosity lava flows, and are the surface expressions of magmatic systems that helped to dissipate internal heat accumulated through processes of accretion, differentiation, tidal interactions, and radioactive decay. Most of the more than 200 channels on the Moon are relatively simple systems that developed in the first ~1.5 Ga of solar system history. Lunar channels have widths of up to ~5 kilometers and lengths of up to several hundred kilometers. The more than 200 channels on Venus may have developed during the most recent 1 Ga. Some Venusian systems variously have lengths of thousands of kilometers, widths of tens of kilometers, and channel forms of remarkable complexity. Ten channel systems on Mercury have lengths of up to ~160 km and widths of up to tens of kilometers, and likely developed ~3.7 Ga before present as conduits for flood lavas emplaced across adjacent lowlands. The outflow channels of Mars have lengths of up to thousands of kilometers and widths of up to tens of kilometers, and mainly formed in the first ~1.5 Ga of solar system history. These systems are interpreted by most researchers as products of large aqueous outbursts from aquifers. However, support for aqueous interpretations is weak, and it is increasingly apparent that the characteristics of Martian outflow channels closely match those expected of volcanic systems. Widespread past development of large volcanic channels on rocky bodies beyond Earth suggests the possible formation of analogous systems on the Earth during the Hadean or Archean, a time frame of heightened internal temperatures and eruption of low-viscosity magmas. More generally, the geological record of the inner solar system suggests a predisposition of all rocky planets for early incision of large volcanic channels. |
May 2015
| 3-7 | Joint Assembly AGI, GAC, MAC, CGU, Montreal, Canada | |
| 4-6 |
Comparative Tectonics and Geodynamics of Venus, Earth, and Rocky Exoplanets (#geodyn15) *,
Pasadena, California
Venus and Earth display dramatically different geodynamical and tectonic regimes despite having nearly the same size and bulk composition. Venus lacks evidence of recent plate tectonics but may present analogies with early Earth tectonics. Furthermore, rocky exoplanets likely have a broader range of geodynamic outcomes. This workshop will bring together scientists studying Earth, Venus, and rocky exoplanets to explore the role of key variables such as mass, composition, temperature, atmospheric interaction, and volatiles on tectonic and geodynamic processes, and to compare planetary evolutionary paths within our solar system and beyond. |
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| 4-6 | Life on Earth and Beyond: The History and Philosophy of the Origin of Life, Ven Island, Sweden | |
| 5-7 |
Planetary GIS Workshop,
Madrid, Spain
The Planetary GIS workshop aims at targeting geospatial data, users, and producers in a broad sense. An informal combination of presentation, hands-on, and discussion sessions is envisaged where the following broad areas will be presented and discussed: (1) scientific needs and use cases (existing, new, cross-disciplinary); (2) existing technical solutions; and (3) open problems and areas suitable to improvement (particularly with respect to future PSA). |
|
| 5-7 |
The Humans to Mars Summit,
Washington, DC
H2M is a comprehensive Mars exploration conference that addresses the major technical, scientific, and policy challenges of getting humans to Mars, as well as how such missions can have positive impacts on STEM education, American Competitiveness, and other important collateral issues. |
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| 6-8 | Exoplanets in Lund 2015, Lund, Sweden | |
| 6-8 |
User Training in JWST Data Analysis,
Baltimore, Maryland
The purpose of this meeting is to introduce the data analysis tools being developed at STScI to the JWST user community. The meeting will include topics like “Python for the Novice User” and “Getting Familiar with Astropy” and will focus on Astropy tools, as well as follow the workflows of a few example use cases for data analysis to illustrate how the tools which currently exist fit within this framework. A major component of the meeting is enabling hands-on use of tools, soliciting feedback, and collecting suggestions for improvement. The science and operations center for the James Webb Space Telescope will provide data analysis tools for users. |
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| 11 |
Understanding the Role of Volatiles in Shaping the Martian Surface (Patricia Craig, Jet Propulsion Laboratory),
Lecture Hall
Volatiles in the martian crust have played an important role in shaping the surface into what we observe today as seen in the presence of hydrated minerals, such as phyllosilicates and hydrated sulfates. Observations of phyllosilicates and sulfates along with laboratory experiments allows for a ground-truthing of the recent analysis and interpretation of CheMin X-ray diffraction data that has identified phyllosilicate and sulfate minerals in Gale Crater. This has implications for the role of volatiles, specifically water and sulfur, in the formation of such minerals on the surface. Understanding how these minerals formed and were subsequently altered gives vital clues to the history of aqueous conditions on the surface in Mars’ past. In collaboration with scientists at the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) lab at Johnson Space Center, I have been conducting experiments that investigate the effects of acid-sulfate weathering on phyllosilicates with implications for the aqueous history of Mars. In my work, I aim to further understand the global climatic transition from the Noachian to the Hesperian eras on Mars in terms of volatile content in the crust. In this presentation, I will discuss some of my laboratory experiments constraining sulfate formation on the martian surface, the implications for these formation processes on the history of water on Mars and discuss potential collaborations with scientists at ARES. |
|
| 13-14 |
European Lunar Symposium,
Frascati, Italy
This meeting will build upon the success of previous European Lunar Symposiums (ELS) held in Berlin (2012) and in London (2014). The third ELS will be held under the umbrella of the European nodes of the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI), previously the NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI). The meeting format will consist of both oral and poster presentations divided into four broad themes of: “Science of the Moon”, “Science on the Moon”, “Science from the Moon” and “Future Lunar Missions”. |
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| 19-21 | Landolt Standards and 21st Century Photometry, Baton Rouge, Louisiana | |
| 19-22 | Fourth Annual International Planetary Dunes Workshop (#dunes2015) *, Boise, Idaho | |
| 19-22 |
Workshop on Issues in Crater Studies and the Dating of Planetary Surfaces (#craterstats2015) *,
Laurel, Maryland
The purpose of this conference is to improve our understanding of the crater population and how craters are analyzed, and to better understand the proper statistical tools when using craters as tracers for various geologic, geophysical, and dynamical processes such as deriving surface ages. |
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| 25-28 |
Geobiology in Space Exploration: Workshop on Extraterrestrial Subsurface Exploration,
Iglasias, Spain
This workshop will explore strategies and approaches to the subsurface exploration of other planetary environments, and the geomicrobiology of such habitats. The surrounding region has a large number of diverse mine and cave networks have a range of speleothem, microbial, and mineral features for geomicrobiological research. |
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| 25-29 | 1st Advanced School on Exoplanetary Science, Salerno, Italy | |
| 26-29 | Stellar and Planetary Dynamos, Göttingen, Germany | |
| 28-29 |
Emerging Researchers in Exoplanet Science Symposium,
University Park, Pennsylvania
Its purpose is to give these emerging researchers the opportunity to present their research to an interested audience, to provide plenty of opportunities to network with peers, and to enhance collaborations within exoplanet community. |
|
| 29 |
Subduction on Jupiter’s Moon Europa: The Case for Plate Tectonics in the Ice Shell (Simon Kattenhorn, ConocoPhillips),
Lecture Hall
Jupiter’s icy moon Europa has one of the youngest planetary surfaces in the Solar System, implying rapid recycling by some mechanism. Despite ubiquitous extension and creation of new surface area at dilational bands that resemble terrestrial mid-ocean spreading zones, there is little evidence of large-scale contraction to balance the observed extension or to recycle aging terrains. We address this enigma by presenting several lines of evidence that subduction may be recycling surface material into the interior of Europa’s ice shell. Using Galileo spacecraft images, we produce a tectonic reconstruction of geologic features across a 134,000 km2 region of Europa and find, in addition to dilational band spreading, evidence for transform motions along prominent strike-slip faults, as well as the removal of approximately 20,000 km2 of the surface along a discrete tabular zone. We interpret this zone as a subduction-like convergent boundary that abruptly truncates older geological features and is flanked by potential cryolavas on the overriding ice. We propose that Europa’s ice shell has a brittle, mobile, plate-like system above convecting warmer ice. Hence, Europa may be the only Solar System body other than Earth to exhibit a system of plate tectonics. These observations are in agreement with theoretical considerations that suggested the plausibility of convection-driven plate tectonics on Europa given its interior shell viscosity, thickness, and thermal structure. |
June 2015
| 1-7 |
International Forum : 'SpaceKazan–IAPS–2015,
Kazan, Russia
The International Forum “SpaceKazan–IAPS–2015” will give a broad outlook of scientific areas: analytical, numerical and structure analysis of early and modern Moon, Earth and planets on micro-, meso- and large scales; space geodesy, micro-arcsecond astrometry, geophysical budget of lunar and planetary rotation, free and forced lunar librations, space topography; Lunar and Planetary ephemeris; asteroid and comets, NEO hazards; solar and space physics, planetary science: physics, dynamics and chemistry of the Sun, Planets, Moon, moons; Lunar and Martian meteorites; gravitational and magnetic fields of the Sun, Planets, Moon, moons; lunar and planet dichotomies; microgravity and space life sciences; modern ground observations, space missions and future prospective. |
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| 2-4 |
Workshop on the Formation of the Solar System II,
Bonn, Germany
This workshop aims to bring together researchers working in various fields such as: cosmochemical constraints on the physical/chemical conditions in the solar nebula; timescales of the dust and planetesimal growth for the solar system; models of the Kuiper belt formation; the role of the stellar environment, with emphasis on star cluster dynamics; early planetary system development; and future evolution of the solar system. |
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| 5 |
Tectonic Geomorphology as a Tool to Understand the Structural Geologic History of the Moon (Christian Klimczak, University of Georgia),
Lecture Hall
The Moon hosts several types of large-scale tectonic landforms that are indicative of both extensional and contractional tectonic deformation. High-resolution data returned from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) missions allow us to assess these landforms in great detail. Extensional deformation is evident as large troughs that are interpreted to be graben structures. Grabens on Earth are generally found in rift settings, but also form as surface expressions of dike intrusions. Whether or not a graben is accompanied by a dike can be determined by a detailed analysis of their tectonic geomorphology. Contractional deformation, on the other hand, is manifest as prominent ridges, the largest of which are spatially associated with mare-filled impact basins. Ridges are believed to be the surface expression of one or more shallowly dipping thrust faults, with the ridge morphology representative of the thrust fault architecture at depth. The size and geometry of the landforms correlates with the size and geometry of the tectonic structures producing the landform, and so their morphologic characterization, coupled with numerical modeling provide a detailed set of observations and interpretations for deformation in the lunar subsurface. In this talk, I will show where large-scale graben are found to be associated with dike intrusions, and where mare ridges have been produced by large thrust faults that deeply penetrate the lunar lithosphere. These results increase our understanding of the regional and global tectonic evolution of our Moon in a quantitative manner. |
|
| 7-12 |
22nd ESA Symposium on European Rocket and Balloon Programmes and Related Research,
Tromsø, Norway
New trends and latest developments in the use of sounding rockets and balloons for scientific research will be highlighted in this symposium. This will facilitate the establishment of a strategic and lasting roadmap towards the future progress of these activities. |
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| 8-11 | Autonomous Spacecraft Navigation: New Concepts, Technologies and Applications for the 21st Century, Bonn, Germany | |
| 8-11 |
Second Planetary Data Workshop (#planetdata2) *,
Flagstaff, Arizona
The purpose of this worskhop is to provide a forum for discussion of available planetary data, including information on how the data are found, downloaded, processed, and used for cartography and scientific data analysis. The goals of the workshop are to bring planetary scientists, data providers from current and recent space exploration missions, and technology experts together to exchange ideas on the latest tools and technologies that can be used to address current needs in planetary research and data analysis. |
|
| 9-10 |
The Future of Planetary Radio Astronomy with Single-Dish Telescopes,
Green Bank, West Virginia
Radar studies of near-earth asteroids, mapping of planet and lunar surfaces, chemical compositions of comets, asteroids, and planetary atmospheres, and origins of solar systems, are just some of the exciting topics currently being studied through the use of large single-dish telescopes. This workshop will bring together researchers to discuss how the large single-dish telescopes such as the GBT and Arecibo can best contribute to future research in these and other topics, including new and improved capabilities and instrumentation. The intimate setting of the Green Bank Observatory fosters highly interactive meetings. Attendance will be limited to roughly 30 participants, and we aim to provide plenty of time for discussions. We expect the agenda to evolve as we hear from potential participants. There will be no registration fee, and meals and local housing will be provided without charge. In the unlikely event that we have more registrants than spaces available, preference will be given to those who are contributing a presentation. Weather permitting, workshop participants will tour the 100-meter diameter Green Bank Telescope. |
|
| 9-11 |
The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) LCPM-11,
Berlin, Germany
The focus of the 11th Low-Cost Planetary Missions Conference is on missions characterized by those of NASA's Discovery program and ESA's Cosmic Vision Small Class and Medium program. These missions of scientific exploration are conducted at a fixed cost that includes spacecraft and science payload development, launch, operations, science data analysis, and all relevant mission-specific technology development. The conference is a forum for planetary scientists, technologists, engineers, project managers and agency officials to gather for the exchange of information and ideas for making this class of robotic mission richer scientifically while remaining affordably low-cost. |
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| 13-14 |
Short Course: Radio Flyers,
Cologne, Germany
Sending space vehicles to other worlds is one of humankind’s most challenging and rewarding ventures. The 12th International Planetary Probe Workshop (IPPW-12) will bring together engineers, technologists, scientists, mission designers, space agency leaders, and students from around the world for a compelling, week-long collaboration focused on exploring solar system destinations via in situ missions. |
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| 14-18 |
The Future and Science of Gemini Observatory,
Toronto, Canada
Focusing on scientific results made possible from Gemini’s latest capabilities, including new observing and proposal modes, this gathering of Gemini’s users and stakeholders will also consolidate plans to ensure that our scientific legacy is sustained well into the future. Contributions from participants and partner communities will serve as a focal point for next-generation instruments, observing modes and synergies with other facilities, as the Observatory looks ahead to 2020 and beyond. |
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| 15-19 |
12th International Planetary Probe Workshop,
Cologne, Germany
The 12th International Planetary Probe Workshop (IPPW-12) will bring together engineers, technologists, scientists, mission designers, space agency leaders, and students from around the world for a compelling, week-long collaboration focused on exploring solar system destinations via in situ missions. |
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| 15-19 |
Astrobiology Science Conference 2015 (#abscicon) *,
Chicago, Illinois
The Astrobiology Science Conference 2015 (AbSciCon2015) is the next in a series of meetings organized by the astrobiology community. The conference will convene scientists from all over the world who are working in the multi-disciplinary field of astrobiology — the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. AbSciCon2015 will provide a forum for reporting new discoveries, sharing data and insights, advancing collaborative efforts and initiating new ones, planning new projects, and educating the next generation of astrobiologists. The 4.5-day conference will feature plenary sessions on current and controversial topics, topical sessions, evening programs, and public events. |
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| 21-26 | Electromagnetic and Light Scattering XV: Celebrating 150 Years of Maxwell's Electromagnetics, Leipzig, Germany | |
| 22-26 |
In the Spirit of Bernard Lyot 2015: Direct Detection of Exoplanets and Circumstellar Disks,
Montreal, Canada
This conference will be focused on the direct detection and characterization of exoplanets and circumstellar disks. |
|
| 23-25 |
The 2015 TMT Science Forum,
Washington, DC
The annual Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Science Forum brings together members of the international community to meet, collaborate, and plan for future TMT science programs. The Forum is the premier opportunity to learn about the status of the observatory, its instrumentation and adaptive optics systems, and to get involved in shaping the future of TMT. The theme for this year's Forum is “Maximizing transformative science with TMT.” With 9 to 14 times more collecting area than today's 8- to 10m-class telescopes, and 12.5 times better angular resolution than the Hubble Space Telescope in the near-infrared, TMT will enable amazing new science. The 2015 Forum is an opportunity to think ahead about how to maximize the scientific return from TMT through innovative collaborations, telescope operations, data management, and instrumentation development. The meeting will feature presentations about the transformative science enabled by TMT, and then focus on how best to accomplish that science. There will be working sessions devoted to planning for possible “key programs” that could span the international TMT partnership as a means to carry out projects that might exceed the capacity of individual scientists and teams within any single partner. The implications of such programs for TMT operations, and the evolution of its instrumentation suite, will all be discussed. |
|
| 26 |
Almahata Sitta and Other Polymict Ureilites and Why They Are So Important (Cyrena Anne Goodrich, Planetary Science Institute),
Lecture Hall
Almahata Sitta is the first meteorite observed to originate from an asteroid (2008 TC3) that had been tracked and studied in space before it hit Earth, providing an unprecedented opportunity to correlate properties of an asteroid with properties of the rocks derived from it. Almahata Sitta is also unique because the fallen fragments include a wide variety of different meteorite types. Approximately 70% belong to the ureilite group of achondrites, and 30% are various types of chondrites, including all major classes (ordinary, enstatite, carbonaceous, and also R-chondrites). Almahata Sitta has been classified as an anomalous polymict ureilite. However, maybe it is not so anomalous. Previously known (typical) polymict ureilites also contain a wide variety of foreign clast types. In this regard, all polymict ureilites differ from most other meteoritic breccias, in which the sole foreign clasts are CC matrix-like dark clasts. The foreign clasts in polymict ureilites represent at least 7 different parent asteroids and a wide range of chemical and isotopic environments in the early solar system. How did all these materials become mixed with fragments of ureilites in a single asteroid, and why is this process of mixing not apparent in most other meteorites? I will discuss several hypotheses and their disparate implications for early solar system processes. |
|
| 28-Jul 3 |
Gordon Research Conference on Origins of Solar Systems,
South Hadley, Massachusetts
The Gordon Conference on Origins of Solar Systems brings together a diverse group of scientists to discuss research at the frontier of understanding how planets and planetary systems form. Invited speakers from the fields of astronomy, astrophysics, cosmochemistry, planetary science, and geochemistry will present their latest findings. Discussions will also focus on the promise of new laboratory techniques, astronomical facilities, and spacecraft missions, including ALMA, Herschel, and HST, to make transformational discoveries that will have lasting impact on the field over the next decade. Particular topics of discussion will include what meteorites tell us about the birth environment of our solar system and planetary building blocks, how asteroids and icy bodies record the accretion epoch of the solar system history, new observational and theoretical constraints on gas and dust in protoplanetary and debris disk systems, and how the properties of exoplanets are determined and what they tell us about how those planets formed. |
|
| 29-Jul 1 | 13th Meeting of the NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG), Washington, DC | |
| 29-Jul 3 | Early E-ELT Science: Spectroscopy With HARMONI, Oxford, UK | |
| 29-Jul 3 | From Super-Earths to Brown Dwarfs: Who's Who?, Paris, France |
July 2015
| 1-13 | Nordic-Hawai’i Summer School “Water, Ice and the Origin of Life in the Universe”, Reykjavik, Iceland | |
| 3-8 |
International Symposium and Workshop on Astrochemistry,
Campinas, Brazil
We are happy to announce the International Symposium and Workshop on Astrochemistry. This event will take place from July 3rd to 8th, 2016 at the Hotel Fazenda Solar das Andorinhas in Campinas-SP, Brazil. The main goal of this event is get together experimentalists, observers and modelists interested to contribute to the progress of the knowledge in astrochemistry. Additionally, during the symposium, we will have two hands-on workshops: one focusing on experimental astrochemistry and other focusing on observations. The hands-on workshop will have activities about the proposal submissions to the LNLS (Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory) laboratory, data reduction and to LLAMA (Large Latin American Millimeter Array) and ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array) radio observatories. During this meeting we will also have an opportunity to follow a real astrochemical experiment (in real time) at one of the beam lines of the LNLS that simulates the interaction between UV and soft X-rays with astrophysical ice analogues. |
|
| 6-8 | The Second Workshop on Measuring Precise Radial Velocities, New Haven, Connecticut | |
| 13-17 | Pathways Toward Habitable Planets, Bern, Switzerland | |
| 19-23 | 2nd International Congress on Stratigraphy, Graz, Austria | |
| 19-25 |
Planetary Systems: A Synergistic View,
Quy Nhon, Vietnam
With exciting new results coming from both exoplanet observations and solar system exploration missions, it sometimes seems that the two fields of "planetary studies" aren't talking to each other. What new insights might come from a synergistic approach to planetary studies, where exoplanet and solar system scientists share data sets, develop and tune models jointly, and encourage postdoctoral fellowships and faculty positions that transcend the exoplanet/solar system divide? |
|
| 20 |
Lunar and Small Bodies Graduate Conference 2015,
Mountain View, California
The sixth annual Lunar and Small Bodies Graduate Conference (LunGradCon 2015) will be held at NASA Ames on Monday, July 20, 2015. LunGradCon will address the following research topics of the NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute: Dust/Regolith and Plasma; Geology and Geophysics; Volatiles/Exospheres; Missions and Human Exploration. LunGradCon will also present opportunities for social networking among LGC participants and senior scientists and engineers from NASA ARC and the NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute. |
|
| 21-23 | NASA Exploration Science Forum, Moffett Field, California | |
| 24 |
Thermoluminesence Analysis of Micrometer Fragments of Primitive Extraterrestrial Materials (Jonathan Craig, University of Arkansas),
Lecture Hall
Extraterrestrial materials such as the matrix from un-equilibrated ordinary chondrites (UOCs) and Antarctic micrometeorites (AMMs) represent some of the most primitive solar system materials and as such they retain a memory of early solar system formation processes. There are many techniques which can determine the mineralogical, petrological or compositional information about extraterrestrial materials. Few of these, however, can provide the insight into the history of a material that is possible with thermoluminescence (TL) analysis. Heretofore considered a “bulk sample” technique we have now extended its capability to include single micrometer particle analysis. In addition to the mineralogical information provided by TL analysis it is now possible to decipher the radiation and thermal history of primitive solar system materials on a scale never seen before. TL data has shown fine scale radiation and thermal heterogeneities present in all the materials analyzed to date which, when considering the close proximity of the samples to each other in the host rock, is a startling result. The data suggest that these materials contain highly localized radiation and thermal effects from galactic/solar cosmic ray exposure. Such heterogeneities at this fine scale show unique pre-compaction characteristics of the host rock that were previously hidden from the bulk analysis. |
|
| 25-26 |
The First Billion Years of Impact Records: Evidence from Lunar Samples and Meteorites,
Berkeley, California
A workshop about the first billion of years of impact records in the solar system. Meeting to be held immediately preceding the Meteoritical Society meeting scheduled July 27-31. |
|
| 27-31 | 78th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society *, Berkeley, California | |
| 29-Aug 3 | 20th Humans in Space Symposium, Prague, Czech Republic |
August 2015
| 2-7 | 12th Annual Meeting of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS), Singapore | |
| 3-7 | NBIA Summer School on Protoplanetary Disks and Planet Formation, Copenhagen, Denmark | |
| 3-14 | XXIX IAU General Assembly, Honolulu, Hawaii | |
| 4-6 | Second Landing Site Workshop for the Mars 2020 Rover, Pasadena, California | |
| 12-14 |
6th Planetary Crater Consortium Meeting,
Flagstaff, Arizona
The 6th Planetary Crater Consortium meeting will be held August 12-14, 2015, at the US Geological Survey in Flagstaff, AZ. The Planetary Crater Consortium is open to planetary scientists interested in any aspect of impact cratering on solar system bodies, including observational, theoretical, experimental, and numerical studies. The meeting is a combination of invited talks, contributed talks, and open discussion. Abstract deadline is Monday, August 3, 2015. |
|
| 17-21 |
Cosmic Dust,
Tokyo, Japan
This series of cosmic dust meetings is aimed at finding a consensus among experts on the formation and evolution of cosmic dust: Where does it come from and where does it go? |
|
| 18-20 |
Planet Signatures from Precision Spectroscopy,
Sao Paulo, Brazil
A wealth of information can be inferred from stellar spectra. The effective temperature, surface gravity, projected rotational velocity, and chemical composition can be readily obtained from standard analyses. The classical approach results in errors in effective temperature of about 50 - 100K, and in errors in chemical abundances of about 0.05 dex. However, predicted signatures of planet formation on the host star’s chemical composition demands both precise stellar parameters (effective temperatures within about 10 K) and precise elemental abundances (0.01 dex). This exquisite precision can be achieved by a careful, strict differential analysis between nearly identical stars (stellar twins), as was demonstrated first using solar twins by Melendez et al. (2009) and Ramirez, Melendez & Asplund (2009). Besides being important to study planet signatures (e.g., Ramirez et al. 2011), high precision is also key to study stellar evolution (e.g., Monroe et al. 2013; Tucci Maia et al. 2015), star clusters (Yong et al. 2013), and Galactic chemical evolution (e.g., Melendez et al. 2014; Nissen 2015). The aim of this hands-on workshop is to train a small group of astronomers (~10) on the strict differential technique. We will discuss with the participants all steps necessary to reach precise abundances, including observations, data reduction, equivalent width measurements, line-by-line analysis, stellar parameters, chemical abundances, and determination of errors. The activities will be led by Jorge Melendez (Univ. São Paulo) and Ivan Ramirez (Univ. Texas at Austin), pioneers of the high precision differential technique. Members of our group will help as tutors, and will also present their own work. During the workshop we will also discuss the different applications of high precision abundances, in particular on planet signatures, but also on the determination of stellar masses and ages, signatures of stellar evolution, and galactic chemical evolution. Members of our group will present different applications, and the participants are welcome to present a talk on their own work. |
|
| 18 |
Polygonal Patterns and Desert Eyes: Discovery and Study of Pervasively Developed Bedrock Structures in the Western Desert of Egypt Using Freely Available High Resolution Satellite Imagery (Barbara Tewksbury, Hamilton College),
Lecture Hall
Using high resolution satellite imagery, the NSF-funded Desert Eyes Project has discovered and studied bedrock structures that are pervasively developed over literally tens of thousands of square kilometers in the Western Desert of Egypt. That the vast majority of these structures have gone unrecognized before now is a function of 1) the remoteness and lack of topographic relief in large tracts of the Western Desert, 2) the scale and nature of the structures, and 3) the fact that the structures occur on the "Stable Platform" of Egypt, where previous workers have for the most part not gone looking for interesting bedrock structures. The fold structures are big enough in overall size (a few hundred meters across) and have such shallow dips that they are almost impossible to see from ground level given the lack of topographic relief. But, at the same time, the structures are small enough that they remained essentially "hidden" even at the highest resolution of previously available free imagery (e.g., Landsat panchromatic imagery, 15 m/pixel). With the advent of very high resolution imagery in Google Earth (1-2 m/pixel), these structures are suddenly not only spectacularly visible, but micro-topographic features are clear enough to allow significant structural analysis. Over the past five years, the Desert Eyes Project has discovered and documented the first extensive exposure to have been recognized on land of a unique class of faults known as polygonal faults (Tewksbury et al., 2014). Polygonal faults have previously been studied essentially only in marine basins using seismic data. The Project discovered and is investigating a network of hundreds of long, narrow synclines that produce a strong regional patterning in high resolution satellite images over an area of >20,000 km2 in the Western Desert and also in places east of the Nile. The syncline network developed in a narrow time window between Early Eocene deposition of the limestone’s and formation of cross-cutting faults associated with Red Sea rifting. We are currently mapping these structures over a large area in high resolution satellite imagery and have just acquired industry seismic reflection data to pair with our structural mapping. These structures do not have geometries typical of tectonic fold and fault terrains, and we are testing a variety of non-tectonic models for formation of these structures. ------- Desert Eyes is a joint US-Egypt Project funded by an NSF program designed for international collaboration and led out of the Department of Geosciences at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY.. |
|
| 21-22 | Cartography Beyond the Ordinary World, Niteroi, Brazil | |
| 24-26 | NASA Outer Planets Assessment Group Meeting, Laurel, Maryland | |
| 24-27 | 24th Annual Meeting on Characterization and Radiometric Calibration for Remote Sensing, Logan, Utah |
September 2015
| 4 |
Plate Tectonics in Time and Space (Adrian Lenardic, Rice University),
Lecture Hall
The paleomagnetic record, available from oceanic lithosphere, shows that plate tectonics has operated relatively smoothly over the last 150-200 million years of our planets evolution. Data based records extending deeper in geologic time, although not as conclusive, do suggest that the pace of tectonics has changed over our planets geologic lifetime. The observational constraints that are currently available are consistent with the hypothesis that plate tectonics operated in a sporadic ("episodic") mode in the precambrian. Geodynamic models indicate that this type of temporal transition can occur under hotter internal conditions for the early earth (associated with greater radiogenic heating). The combined interpretation of geologic data sets and geodynamic modeling based inferences has implications for understanding: 1) The temporal pace of tectonics over our planets geologic lifetime; 2) Potential tectonic regime transitions over Earth history; and 3) The potential for plate tectonics on other terrestrial planets, both in and beyond our own solar system. I will review the pertinent data, the models that suggest the plausibility of temporal changes in the pace and/or mode or tectonics, and the implications for Earth history and comparative planetology. |
|
| 8-11 |
Comparative Climates of Terrestrial Planets II: Understanding How Climate Systems Work,
Moffett Field, California
NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is delighted to invite the science community to participate in -- and we as Co-Organizers are sincerely happy to announce -- the "Comparative Climates of Terrestrial Planets II: Understanding How Climate Systems Work" conference. This next conference (CCTP2) will be held at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California (close to Mountain View CA and ~40 mi south of San Francisco CA and ~15 mi north of San Jose CA), 8-11 September 2015. The first CCTP meeting was held in Boulder, Colorado 2012, and fostered a series of interdisciplinary conversations on a wide range of planetary climates. We are planning for a similar range of conversations at the CCTP2 meeting, including the effects of the Sun and other stars on the climates of Earth and other planets in and beyond the Solar System. We anticipate the publication of a formal NASA Conference Proceeding (CP) comprised of extended abstracts from this meeting, including abstracts from individual presentations, and an Executive Summary that captures the essence of the presentations and panel discussions during the conference. The theme of this year’s CCTP meeting is "Understanding How Climate Systems Work." We encourage the submission of any research that puts planetary climate in the perspective of a comparative framework, including (but not limited to) the effects from space weather, the parent star, and orbital forcing. Abstract submission will open on 26 March, and will close on 15 May. |
|
| 11-18 | IRAM 30m Summerschool 2015, Pradollano, Spain | |
| 15-17 |
Life in a Cosmic Context,
Trieste, Italy
Four centuries after the Earth was displaced from the center of the universe by the Copernican revolution, times are ripe for terrestrial life to be set in a cosmic context. This task is felt as a priority by a growing number of scientists working on life's origins and Solar System exploration. The discovery of thousands of exoplanets is giving birth to new, life‐oriented fields, such as planetary habitability and the search for atmospheric biomarkers. The Fifth Workshop of the Italian Astrobiology Society will bring together scientists with widely different backgrounds with the aim of discussing fresh results obtained in the above mentioned fields. |
|
| 18 |
Insights Into the Aqueous History of Mars from Acid-Sulfate Weathered Phyllosilicates (Patricia Craig, Lunar Planetary Institute),
Lecture Hall
Phyllosilicates and sulfates have been identified in close spatial proximity to each other in several locations on Mars, including Gale Crater, Mawrth Vallis, and Endeavour Crater. In many cases, Ca-sulfates are identified with either Fe/Mg-phyllosilicates or Al-phyllosilicates. While several studies have shown that sulfates result from acid sulfate-weathered basalts it is possible that phyllosilicates that formed during Mars’ earlier Noachian (~ 4.1-3.7 Ga) era would have been affected by the prevailing acidic conditions in the later Hesperian (~ 3.7-3.0 Ga). Our acid-weathering experiments showed that interlayer Ca2+ weathers out first and the layered structure of the phyllosilicates (octahedral and tetrahedral layers) can remained intact. The leached Ca2+ combined with SO42- to form Ca-sulfates. This weathering process explains the observations of sulfates in close association with phyllosilicates on Mars and provides valuable insight into the aqueous and geologic history of Mars. |
|
| 21-25 |
3rd International Workshop on Microbial Life under Extreme Energy Limitations,
Sandbjerg, Denmark
The limits of microbial life and the exploration of the biological demand for energy is the focus of the 3rd International Workshop on Microbial Life under Extreme Energy Limitation, held 21-25 September at Sandbjerg Manor near Sonderborg, Denmark. |
|
| 21-25 | Radiation Mechanisms of Astrophysical Objects — Classics Today, St. Petersburg, Russia | |
| 21-26 |
Bridging the Gap III: Impact Cratering in Nature, Experiments, and Modeling (#2015gap) *,
Freiburg, Germany
We invite all researchers working in the field of impact cratering to participate in this conference, which continues the tradition of the successful Bridging the Gap I and Bridging the Gap II meetings in 2003 and 2007 respectively. As with the previous meetings, this conference is aimed at bringing together researchers from different fields, including “observationalists” (remote sensing, field geology, etc.), experimentalists, and modelers. The meeting will be open to all aspects of impact cratering including cratering mechanics, planetary perspectives, environmental effects, impact probabilities. etc. |
|
| 27-Oct 2 |
European Planetary Science Congress,
Nantes, France
The intention of the European Planetary Science Congress 2015 is to cover a broad area of science topics related to planetary science and planetary missions. The programme of the congress will contain oral and poster sessions, and it will emphasize workshops and panel discussions in order to have a strong interaction between the participants. |
|
| 28-Oct 2 |
Astrobiology and Planetary Atmospheres,
Santiago, Chile
An important activity of the astrobiology community in Chile is the organisation of a major biennial symposium of astrobiology in Chile bringing together astronomers, biologists, geologists, and climatologists from all over the world to discuss the most recent progress in the quest for exolife. AstroBio 2015 is the third symposium of this series. |
|
| 28-Oct 2 | Fourth Workshop on Robotic Autonomous Observatories, Torremolinos, Spain | |
| 29-Oct 2 |
Protoplanetary Disk Dynamics and Planet Formation,
Yokohama, Japan
The workshop's scope is the links between the new observations and recent progress in studies of the coupled dynamics of the disk gas, the embedded solid particles, and the newborn planets. The focus will be on exploring the mechanisms that concentrate the solid material during planets' growth, and identifying their signatures in the observations |
October 2015
| 5-8 |
From Clouds to Protoplanetary Disks: The Astrochemical Link,
Berlin, Germany
Recent advances in sub-millimeter (ALMA, NOEMA) and IR (Spitzer, Herschel, SOFIA) observational facilities and modeling have started to shed more light on the physical and chemical processes governing the evolution of interstellar clouds into pre-stellar cores, protostars, protoplanetary disks, and, eventually, planetary systems. Molecular spectroscopy has played a crucial role in these advances, as only lines can unveil the underlying dynamics and can provide information on the physical and chemical structure across clouds, cores and protoplanetary disks. Furthermore, chemo-dynamical models have become more and more detailed, thanks also to the great advances in (gas phase and surface) laboratory work as well as quantum chemistry calculations, while magneto-hydrodynamical simulations have included simplified chemical codes to test theoretical predictions. We believe this is the right moment to try to summarize a current status quo in this exciting field of astronomy, and to facilitate and foster future directions of astrochemistry research. Since astrochemistry is the trait d'union of different communities, the main goal of this well-focussed meeting will be to bring together observers, theoreticians and experimentalists to present their recent advances, to discuss about the main uncertainties and to plan future developments. Interaction between the different communities will be encouraged and mixed, lengthy discussions will be organized at the end of each session, and in the end of each conference's day. We will particularly encourage young scientists (students, PhD students, post-docs) to participate, with the main aim to help them to shape their knowledge and understanding of modern and forthcoming ideas about details of planet- and star-formation from a cohort of the world-leading experts. |
|
| 5-9 |
Rainbows on the Southern Sky: Science and Legacy Value of the ESO Public Surveys and Large Programmes,
Garching, Germany
Since the start of the VLT science operations, about fifteen per cent of the whole science time on La Silla Paranal telescopes has been used for Large Programmes. In the last five years, the Public Surveys on VISTA, VST, VLT and NTT, have beed added to the ESO landscape thus enlarging the offer of large/coherent observing programmes for the community and increasing the legacy value of the data delivered by the ESO telescopes. In 2003 and 2008, ESO organised two workshops to assess the scientific return of Large Programmes; in 2012 the first results from the imaging ESO Public Surveys were also presented to the community. Following the recommendations from the Observing Programmes Committee and Public Survey Panels, ESO now wishes to discuss and put into perspective the scientific results achieved through these programmes together with their teams, the community and representatives of the reviewing panels. The scientific research carried out by members of the community at the Observatory via these Programmes covers all the subjects of observational astronomy. This is celebrated by the diversified scientific program of the workshop organised in six sections: Stars and Planets, Milky Way and Local Group, Extragalactic Astronomy, Galaxy Evolution, High-redshift Universe and Cosmology, Legacy Value of Public Surveys and Large Programmes. The workshop will feature the scientific presentations from all Public Surveys and a representative set of Large Programmes that were completed since the 2008 Large Programme workshop. The astronomers in charge of these Programmes will be invited to present their scientific results and the impact on their field of research. The workshop will include a session on the impact of these ESO programmes and on the developments required to increase the community access to the reduced data. The goal is to enhance their legacy value for the whole astronomical community. |
|
| 6-9 |
15th EANA Astrobiology Conference,
Noordwijk, The Netherlands
The conference will focus on "Astrobiology and Spaceflight" and will include lectures by ESTEC colleagues. With Rosetta/Philae coming to a conclusion, Expose-R2 in orbit, ExoMars in the pipeline and nanosatellites under consideration, the focus comes at an ideal time. |
|
| 9-15 |
OHP 2015: Twenty Years of Giant Exoplanets,
Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire, France
The Colloquium "OHP-2015" will be hosted to review all observed characteristics of giant gaseous exoplanets, from 51 Peg b up to distant giants including Jupiter-like exoplanets, and theoretical works that relate to the measured properties. We propose to discuss the key questions regarding giant planets and how to solve them in the coming years, exploring the synergies between current and new facilities, and confronting the predictions of theories. |
|
| 12-16 | 66th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2015), Jerusalem, Israel | |
| 12-16 |
Exoplanetary Atmospheres and Habitability,
Nice, France
The aim of the workshop is to discuss chemical disequilibrium and its link to planetary habitability. In particular, the Thermodynamics, Disequilibrium, and Evolution focus group seeks to understand how disequilibria are generated in geological/chemical/biological systems, and how these disequilibria can lead to emergent phenomena, such as self-organization and eventually, metabolism. |
|
| 12-16 | Exploring the Universe with JSWT, Noordwijk, The Netherlands | |
| 16 |
Space Weathering on Icy Satellites in the Outer Solar System (Roger Clark, Planetary Science Institute),
Lecture Hall
Space weathering produces well-known optical effects in silicate minerals in the inner Solar System, for example, on the Moon. Space weathering from solar wind and UV is expected to be weaker in the outer Solar System simply because intensities are lower.However, cosmic rays from inner to outer solar system would be similar to first order. Similarly with micrometeoroid bombardment. That, combined with the much higher volatility of icy surfaces means there is the potential for space weathering on icy outer Solar System surfaces to show optical effects. The Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn is providing evidence for space weathering on icy bodies. The Cassini VIMS instrument has spatially mapped satellite surfaces and the rings from .35-5 microns and the UVIS instrument from 0.1 to 0.2 microns. These data have sampled a complex mixing space between H2O ice and non-ice components and they show some common spectral properties. Similarly, spectra of the icy Galilean satellites and satellites in the Uranian system have some commonality in spectral properties with those in the Saturn system.The UV absorber is spectrally similar on many surfaces. VIMS has identified CO2, H2 and trace organics in varying abundances on Saturn's satellites. We postulate that through the spatial relationships ofsome of these compounds that they are created and destroyed through space weathering effects. For example, the trapped H2 and CO2 observed by VIMS in regions with high concentrations of dark material may in part be space weathering products from the destruction of H2O and organic molecules. The dark material, particularly on Iapetus which has the highest concentration in the Saturn system, is well matched by space-weathered silicates in the .4-2.6 micron range, and the spectral shapes closely match those of the most mature lunar soils,another indicator of space weathered material. |
|
| 20-22 |
Annual Meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (#leag15) *,
Columbia, Maryland
The 2015 LEAG annual meeting will bring together scientists, engineers, and commercial sector entrepreneurs to focus on issues involving science, exploration, and utilization of the Moon. |
|
| 20-23 | 2nd International Planetary Caves Conference (#2ndcaves) *, Flagstaff, Arizona | |
| 26-Nov 6 | COSPAR Capacity Building Workshop on Planetary Data Mission Analysis, Guaratingueta, Brazil | |
| 27-29 | 13th Meeting of the Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG), Washington, DC | |
| 27-30 |
First Landing Site/Exploration Zone Workshop for Human Missions to the Surface of Mars (#JourneyToMars) *,
Houston, Texas
The purpose of this workshop is to identify and discuss candidate locations where humans could land, live, and work on the martian surface. |
|
| 28-29 |
Missions to Habitable Worlds,
Budapest, Hungary
The conference will take place in Budapest, Hungary, to oversee astrobiology relevant aspects of next generation space missions, including Solar System exploration and space telescopes for exoplanet characterization, mainly coordinated by ESA. The two day long meeting will take place at the main building of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences on 28-29 of October 2015. During the conference review presentations will be given by experts and mission specialists of ongoing and planned space missions (including ExoMars, JUICE, CHEOPS, PLATO etc.) that support the understanding of the origin and evolution of life beyond the Earth. Beside overview talks, emphasis will be given on some specific research topics, including analogue field activity and planetary protection issues. The meeting will consist of two panel discussions: 1. on how to approach habitability from different disciplines (astronomy, biology, chemistry, Earth sciences, philosophy) and 2. on trans-domain research in astrobiology (including possible contribution to ESA missions), together with the initiative of the future European Astrobiology Institute. |
|
| 29 |
The Climate History of Mars: Was the Early Mars Climate “Warm and Wet” or “Cold and Icy”? (James W. Head, Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University),
Hess Room - Special Seminar (Note Time and Location)
The current and Amazonian climate of Mars is classified as hyperarid and hypothermal, but the presence of extensive valley networks, open and closed basin lakes, and distinctly different mineralogy in the earlier history of Mars all hint at a "warm and wet" climate in the Noachian. Recent climate models have great difficulty reproducing conditions for a "warm and wet" early Mars, suggesting instead "cold and icy" conditions. We examine the predicted nature of a "cold and icy" early Mars and assess whether such a climate is compatible with the geological evidence. |
November 2015
| 1-4 | Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Baltimore, Maryland | |
| 2-4 | Workshop on Space Weathering of Airless Bodies (#airlessbodies) *, Houston, Texas | |
| 2-5 | K2 Science Conference (K2SCICON), Santa Barbara, California | |
| 5-6 |
Second Off-Earth Mining Forum,
Sydney, Australia
The forum will host speakers from across the spectrum of off-earth mining issues: missions, resources, mining technologies, robotics, automation, instrumentation, legal impediments, business risks, and ethical considerations. |
|
| 8-13 | 47th Annual DPS Meeting, National Harbor, Maryland | |
| 9-13 |
2nd Symposium of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR): Water and Life in the Universe “COSPAR 2015”,
Foz do Iguacu, Brazil
COSPAR has initiated a new series of scientific meetings, the Symposia, aimed at promoting space research at a regional level and to be organized in countries with medium or small size space infrastructures. In Brazil, as in many emerging countries, priority has in recent years been given to space research, and COSPAR will hold its Second Symposium, “Water and Life in the Universe,” in Foz do Iguaçu, after a first successful event held in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2013. The São Paulo State University, UNESP, and the National Institute of Space Research, INPE, will co-host the Symposium. |
|
| 9-13 |
Re-Conceptualizing the Origin of Life,
Washington, DC
Our goal is to host a workshop of broad scope but with targeted impact on key questions and core concepts about the origin of life on Earth, the organization of the biosphere, and the nature of the living state. |
|
| 11-13 |
Joint Meeting of the Paneth Kolloquium and DFG SPP 1385 "The First 10 Million Years of the Solar System",
Nördlingen, Germany
The meeting will be held in Nördlingen located in the center of the Nördlinger Ries meteorite impact site. The Paneth Kolloquium is a European meeting that brings together students and researchers from different fields of cosmochemistry, planetology and astrophysics. A field trip is optional. |
|
| 13 |
Brine Flows on Mars (Lujendra Ojha, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology),
Lecture Hall
Determining whether liquid water exists on the Martian surface is central to understanding the hydrologic cycle and potential for extant life on Mars. Brine flows (or seeps) have been proposed to explain the formation of some narrow streaks (termed recurring slope lineae (RSL)) observed on Mars, yet direct spectroscopic evidence was missing. Analysis of spectral data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars instrument onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provides the first spectral evidence that recurring slope lineae form as a result of contemporary water activity on Mars. In this talk, I will give a synopsis of RSL activity on Mars, and spectral detection of hydrated salts on the slopes where rsl form. |
|
| 16-18 |
Enabling Transiting Exoplanet Science with JWST,
Baltimore, Maryland
This workshop will provide a forum for the exoplanet community to learn about and discuss the capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to characterize transiting exoplanets. Talks will inform potential observers about the cutting edge science that JWST will enable. Discussion sessions will allow for community dialog on how best to enable exoplanet science with JWST. As JWST proposal opportunities approach, this workshop will serve as an important opportunity to understand how JWST will impact the field of exoplanet science |
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| 16-20 |
International Young Astronomers School on Large Ground-based 21st Century Radio Instruments: ALMA/NOEMA-SKA/LOFAR/NenuFAR,
Paris, France
Since the recent opening of ALMA to the astrophysical community, large ground based observational facilities in the radio centimeter and millimeter range are preparing a new era of radioastronomy for the coming century. In the (sub)millimeter range, ALMA has already provided exciting observations that chalenge our vision of, e.g., star and planetary systems formation processes. The NOEMA project upgrade of the Plateau de Bure interferometer will provide in the northern emisphere a welcomed complement to this world wide observatory. In the near future, LOFAR and the local facility NENUFAR at Nançay Observatory will offer a prefiguration of the major Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project that will open a new window to the distant Universe. All fields of Astrophysics are impacted, from planetary sciences to cosmology and including all scales of galactic studies. However, such large interferometer instruments are far from trivial to use, and getting the best scientific output from the time and ressources invested requires new skills from the coming generation of young astronomers. The goal of the present school is to introduce PhD students and Post-Doc researchers to these exciting developments. They will have the occasion to follow courses from some of the top scientists in the field. Ample time for discussions is scheduled, as well as various hands on sessions. |
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| 29-Dec 4 | Extreme Solar Systems III, Waikoloa Beach, Hawaii |
December 2015
| 3 |
Polar Regolith Workshop Without Walls,
Virtual meeting
NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) exists to integrate solar system science with the exploration needs of the human spaceflight program to explore space beyond low-Earth orbit. Those efforts may involve measurements that address strategic knowledge gaps, the development of mission concepts, and the identification of space resources that enhance exploration activities. A specific request for assistance has emerged from HEOMD that addresses plans to evaluate, and potentially exploit, ices and other volatile elements in the polar regions of the Moon. With that purpose in mind, SSERVI is organizing a 1-day virtual workshop that will bring together our current body of knowledge of the regolith properties in Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs) that might affect the trafficability of robotic rovers, such as NASA's Resource Prospector mission. A few keynote presentations will help frame the issues involved and summarize recent published results with contributed presentations and discussion periods rounding out the program. |
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| 14-18 | AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California | |
| 15-16 |
International Symposium on Moon 2020-2030: A New Era of Coordinated Human and Robotic Exploration,
ESTEC Noordwijk
The ESA space exploration strategy and the ISECG Global Exploration Roadmap underline the strategic significance of the Moon in a global space exploration endeavour. The international vision for lunar exploration calls for a new era of coordinated human and robotic missions enabled by broad international cooperation. The ISS program has demonstrated the importance of a robust international partnership for ISS development, assembly, operations, and effective utilization. Now is the time to build on this partnership and open it to new partners to continue the journey beyond low Earth orbit. The symposium "Moon 2020-2030" will be a key step in advancing the international approach for lunar exploration together with key players from agencies, academia, and industry. |
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| 28-Jan 8 |
Exoplanets: 33rd Winter School in Theoretical Physics,
Jerusalem, Israel
Through systematic lectures on the foundations of planetary origin, evolution and structure, this School will provide the background needed to explore and interpret the remarkable detection of thousands of exoplanets around other stars. This sets the stage for a more detailed understanding of their properties and system architecture in the coming decade. |
