Planetary Sciences Community Meetings Calendar
Organized by LPI/USRA *
January 2014
5-9 | 223rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Washington, DC | |
8-9 | Small Bodies Assessment Group Meeting, Washington, DC | |
10 | Ionising Processes in Atmospheric Environments of Planets, Brown Dwarfs, and M-Dwarfs, London, United Kingdom | |
10 |
Spectroscopic Classification and Investigation of Terrain Units of Saturn's Icy Moons (Francesca Scipioni - Italian Space Agency),
Lecture Hall
In my PhD work, I have focused on the study of Saturn's icy satellites Dione and Rhea using data acquired in the infrared spectral range by the Cassini/VIMS imaging spectrometer. The surfaces of the main Saturnian icy moons are composed primarily by water ice, with a minor percentage of non-water-ice material whose composition is still debated and whose distribution is not uniform across the satellites’ surface. The differences in contaminants’ composition, water-ice abundance and regolith grain size are revealed by variations in spectral profiles, which are bounded both to exogenic (micrometeoroids and particles coming from rings or interplanetary dust) and endogenic (cry-volcanism, tectonic activity) processes. The only way to discern between them and, in turn, to understand how each satellite evolved, is to investigate the distribution of contaminants and water-ice on the moons’ surfaces. In order to identify different terrain units on the two satellites’ surface we applied the Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) classification technique to Dione’s and Rhea’s hyperspectral images acquired by VIMS in the infrared range. On a relatively limited portion of the surface of Dione and Rhea we first identified nine and eight spectral endmembers respectively, corresponding to as many terrain units, which mostly distinguish for water ice abundance and ice grain size. We then used these endmembers in SAM to achieve a comprehensive classification of the entire surface. The analysis of the infrared spectra returned by VIMS shows that different regions of Dione and Rhea have variations in water ice bands depths, in average ice grain size, and in the concentration of contaminants, such as CO2 and hydrocarbons, which are clearly connected to morphological and geological structures. Generally, the spectral units that classify optically dark terrains are those showing suppressed water ice bands, a finer ice grain size and a higher concentration of carbon dioxide. Conversely, spectral units labeling brighter regions have deeper water ice absorption bands, higher albedo and a smaller concentration of contaminants. Finally, we performed a comparison between Rhea and Dione, to highlight different magnitudes of space weathering effects in the icy satellites as a function of the distance. |
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13-14 | Outer Planets Analysis Group (OPAG) Meeting, Tucson, Arizona | |
13-16 |
Fifth International Workshop on the Mars Atmosphere: Modelling and Observations,
Oxford, United Kingdom
The scope of the workshop is to bring together experts in observations and modelling of the present and past Mars climate systems and discuss the nature of the atmospheric circulation and the photochemistry (up to the exobase), the dust cycle, the water cycle (vapor, clouds and frost) and the carbon dioxide cycle (polar caps). |
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19-22 | Science with the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX), Rottach-Egern, Germany | |
20-24 |
18th International Conference on Microlensing,
Santa Barbara, California
Topics will include: Microlensing Discoveries; Microlensing Results in the Wider Context, including planet frequency, free-floating planets, implications for planetary formation/evolution, galactic structure and stellar mass function; Observing Microlensing Phenomenon, including the status & developments of ground-based survey and follow-up teams, strategies, instrumentation, space-based missions and future opportunities; and Lensing Theory, Modeling and Computation. |
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24 |
The Big Picture for the Geologic History of Venus - Where Things Stand and Future Exploration (Robert Herrick, University of Alaska Fairbanks),
Lecture Hall
2014 marks 25 years since NASA last launched a mission to the planet Venus. Analysis of the geologic history of the planet has progressed since the initial post-Magellan flurry, and a couple of relatively mature world views of the planet's geologic history have developed. I will discuss a handful of key observations that constrain the big picture, and I will evaluate how compatible each observation is with the existing world views. I will argue that we cannot rule out either viewpoint with existing data, and I will discuss what new data would be most effective for distinguishing between existing hypotheses. |
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31 |
Provenance of Lunar Meteorites from Samples and Spectroscopy (Peter Isaacson, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology),
Lecture Hall
The returned Apollo and Luna sample collections present an incomplete view of lunar geology because of their restricted geographic coverage. Lunar meteorites are thus an important resource for lunar science, as they provide a more global sampling of the lunar crust than that available from the Apollo and Luna samples. In particular, they likely provide samples of the farside feldspathic highlands, which are not represented in the returned sample collections. However, the lunar meteorites are of limited utility due to their uncertain provenance and geologic context. In this talk, I will present results from laboratory studies of feldspathic lunar meteorite samples and from global remote sensing studies of the lunar surface. By combining these approaches, we place new constraints on the provenance of these samples. While this approach does not identify specific “source craters”, it provides regional-scale geologic context for these important samples. |
February 2014
3-4 | Vesta in the Light of Dawn: First Exploration of a Protoplanet in the Asteroid Belt *, Houston, Texas | |
3-6 | Exoplanet Observations with the E-ELT, Garching, Germany | |
5-7 |
Workshop on the Habitability of Icy Worlds *,
Pasadena, California
The primary objective of this workshop will be to focus on the astrobiological potential of icy worlds in the outer solar system — including Europa, Ganymede, Enceladus, Titan, and beyond — with discussion on future research directions and spacecraft missions that can best assess that potential. The agenda for the workshop will be organized around the unique planetary environments of the outer solar system. Presentations on research involving terrestrial analogs are also encouraged. The format of the workshop will be 2.5 to 3 days of presentations and discussion divided into thematic sessions that cover topics including (but not necessarily limited to) habitability in extreme environments; the Galilean satellites; the saturnian satellites; the icy worlds of Uranus and Neptune; the Kuiper belt and beyond; the Cassini solstice mission; the Europa Clipper study; the ESA JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE); and the future of outer solar system exploration. |
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9-14 |
AGU Chapman Conference on Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling in the Solar System,
Yosemite National Park, California
This cross-discipline AGU Chapman conference, will examine the details of the ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling processes using results from both measurements and modeling. Topics that will be discussed include the ionosphere as a source of magnetospheric plasma, the effects of the low energy ionospheric plasma on the stability of the more energetic plasmas in the magnetosphere, the role of currents and electric/magnetic fields in coupling the two regions, the unified global modeling of the ionosphere and magnetosphere, and the coupling of the ionosphere and magnetosphere at other planets and moons throughout the solar system. |
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9-14 |
Exoclimes III: The Diversity of Planetary Atmospheres,
Davos, Switzerland
Planetary atmospheres are complex and evolving entities, as mankind is rapidly coming to realize while attempting to understand, forecast, and mitigate human-induced climate change. In the solar system, our neighbors Venus and Mars provide striking examples of two endpoints of planetary evolution: runaway greenhouse and loss of atmosphere to space. The variety of extrasolar planets brings a wider angle to the issue: from scorching “hot Jupiters” to ocean worlds, exo-atmospheres explore many configurations unknown in the solar system, such as iron clouds, silicate rains, extreme plate tectonics, and steam volcanos. Exoplanetary atmospheres have recently become accessible to observations, starting with hot gas giants, and gradually moving toward more Earth-like planets. This meeting will bring together Earth, solar system, and exoplanet specialists to discuss recent results and the way ahead. |
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17-18 | First FISICA Workshop: Science Goals of a Sub-Arcsecond Far-Infrared Space Observatory, Rome, Italy | |
18-19 |
Science and Challenges of Lunar Sample Return Workshop,
Noordwijk, The Netherlands
The Moon is an important exploration destination for ESA and is considered to be the next destination for humans beyond Low Earth Orbit. European access to the lunar surface is most likely to be made through cooperation with international partners and opportunities for international cooperation in the broad area of lunar exploration are being investigated. Sample return missions are an important element in the future cooperative exploration scenarios under discussion, as a next step after surface missions. They are a means of building international partnerships, developing and demonstrating technologies and capabilities, and performing detailed analyses to answer fundamental scientific questions and address exploration enabling knowledge gaps through analyses which cannot be performed in situ. Such missions may be required to access extreme environments, perform complex surface operations, and handle uniquely demanding sample requirements. Such activities can result in major advances in planetary sciences, astrobiology and the future of exploration. A Lunar Polar Sample Return mission, envisaged in the early 2020s by Roscosmos, has been identified by ESA as an important cooperative mission opportunity, and as a logical follow-on from a possible European participation to the Luna-Resurs Lander mission planned by Roscosmos before the end of this decade. In addition a human tended deep space capability, as initiated with the Orion vehicle currently developed by NASA in cooperation with ESA, can be of benefit to a sample return mission and may lead to a future integration of robotic and human exploration. In preparation for these missions it is important to review our current knowledge and understanding of the Moon, establish the scientific and technical goals that should be targeted and the associated challenges that lie ahead. This workshop will explore the possible benefits and scientific return from Lunar Sample Return missions and investigate the implications for future mission systems. |
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28 |
The Early Magmatic and Tectonic History of the Moon as Revealed by GRAIL (Jeff Andrews-Hanna, Colorado School of Mines),
Lecture Hall
The geological record of the earliest history of the Moon is poorly preserved as a result of the heavy impact bombardment of the surface prior to 3.7 Ga. However, the signatures of early lunar evolution are preserved in the subsurface. Recent data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission is providing a view of the lunar subsurface at unprecedented resolution. Linear gravity anomalies reveal a population of ancient igneous intrusions that likely formed during an early period of thermal expansion of the Moon, providing an important constraint on lunar formation. Later intrusive activity was dominated by the formation of circular or arcuate dikes within the ring structures surrounding the major impact basins. In the absence of ring dikes, the gravitational signatures of tectonic offsets across the rings reveal the nature of the basin ring tectonics. The largest magmatic-tectonic structure revealed by GRAIL is a quasi-rectangular set of linear density anomalies ~2500 km in diameter, encompassing the Procellarum region on the lunar nearside. The gravitational signatures of the Procellarum border structures are consistent with volcanically flooded rift valleys, formed by extension driven by the gradual cooling and contraction of the Procellarum KREEP terrain. These and other observations from GRAIL are shedding new light on the early history of Earth's nearest neighbor. |
March 2014
1-8 |
IEEE Aerospace Conference,
Big Sky, Montana
The international IEEE Aerospace Conference, with AIAA and PHM Society as technical cosponsors, is organized to promote interdisciplinary understanding of aerospace systems, their underlying science and technology, and their applications to government and commercial endeavors. |
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4-5 |
SELENE Symposium 2014: International Symposium of Lunar Science and Exploration Using Data from Multi-Instruments,
Tokyo, Japan
Significant progress in lunar science and technology has been made in the last decade by orbiter missions including our SELENE (Kaguya). It is time to start new analyses, for instance using data from multi-instruments and/or lunar samples. For this purpose, we held an international symposium of lunar science, the SELENE SYMPOSIUM 2013, at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Sagamihara, Japan, last January. The symposium was very fruitful with more than 90 participants from 7 countries. Here, we are pleased to announce the 2nd symposium, the SELENE SYMPOSIUM 2014, in Japan again. The meeting will be held at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), Mitaka City, Tokyo. All scientists and engineers around the world who are interested in lunar science are invited to come together for beneficial discussions on the new views of the origin and evolution of the Moon. Presentation topics will be widely opened. |
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7 |
A New Volatility Scale for the Earth-Moon System and the Status of Water in the Moon (Francis Albarède, Ecole Nationale Supérieure, France),
Lecture Hall
The notion of a dry Moon has recently been challenged by the discovery of high water contents in lunar apatites and in melt inclusions within olivine crystals from two pyroclastic glasses. However, these water contents were determined on lithologies that are rare on the lunar surface. We measured the Zn content, a highly volatile element, of mineral and rock fragments in lunar soils collected during Apollo missions, which average over the surface of the Moon. We show here that the Moon is significantly more depleted in Zn than the Earth. Combining Zn with existing K and Rb data on similar rocks allows us to anchor a new volatility scale based on the bond energy of non-siderophile elements in their condensed phases. Extrapolating the volatility curve to H shows that the bulk of the lunar interior must be dry (≤1 ppm). This contrasts with the water content of the mantle sources of pyroclastic glasses, inferred to contain up to ~40 ppm water based on H2O/Ce ratios. These observations are best reconciled if pyroclastic glasses derive from localized water-rich heterogeneities in a dominantly dry lunar interior. |
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16 |
International Workshop on Scientific Opportunities in Cislunar Space (SOCS),
Houston, Texas
Cislunar space, from low Earth orbit to the Lunar far side halo orbit (LL2), is a uniquely accessible environment for planetary scientists and explorers providing physical analogs for many extreme conditions from Mercury to Pluto. Cislunar space provides two primary environments for in situ and prepared experimentation: Long duration cryogenic environments down to 25 Kelvin with natural or manmade volatile ices and hard vacuum deep space partials, and plasma and radiation environments. The SOCS workshops and challenges will focus on developing the technologies and techniques to illuminate the chemistry and physics of deep space targets such as the ice giants, icy moons, or the partials and plasmas around near Earth objects (NEOs). |
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16 | SHARAD/MARSIS Data Users' Workshop, The Woodlands, Texas | |
17-20 | Science with the Hubble Space Telescope IV: Looking to the Future, Rome, Italy | |
17-21 | 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (#LPSC2014) *, The Woodlands, Texas | |
17-21 |
Search for Life Beyond the Solar System — Exoplanets, Biomarkers and Instruments,
Tucson, Arizona
The goal of the conference is to bring together the interdisciplinary community required to address this multi-faceted challenge: experts on exoplanet observations, early and extreme life on earth, atmospheric biomarkers, and planet-finding telescopes. |
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18-21 | International Workshop on Scientific Use, Digitization and Preserving Astronomical Photographic Records, Prague, Czech Republic | |
20-22 | Meeting of the Astronomical Society of India 2014, Mohali, India | |
26-28 | First ExoMars 2018 Landing Site Selection Workshop, Madrid, Spain |
April 2014
1-3 |
International Cometary Workshop,
Toulouse, France
The workshop will cover topics ranging from the dynamical and chemical evolution of the solar nebula during formation, to the techniques for measuring the composition of comets. Invited speakers include some of the community leaders in cometary science, measurements and technology development. We will discuss the role that Rosetta measurements will play in understanding the origin of Solar System bodies, and what future missions to comets are being planned. |
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4 |
Properties of the Lunar Regolith Revealed by the Diviner Lunar Radiometer (Benjamin Greenhagen, Jet Propulsion Laboratory),
Hess Room
The Diviner Lunar Radiometer, onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, is the first multispectral thermal instrument to globally map the surface of the Moon. Diviner’s unprecedented and growing dataset is revealing the extreme nature of the lunar thermal environment, thermophysical properties, and surface composition. In this talk I will address each of these three topics, with emphasis on my contributions to the surface compositional and thermophysical investigations. Additionally, I will describe the legacy of Diviner for future opportunities to explore other airless solar system bodies using thermal emission techniques. |
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8-10 |
Titan Through Time Workshop 3,
Laurel, Maryland
We are pleased to announce a third workshop on "Titan Through Time" in 2014 at the Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, MD, following the success of the previous workshops in 2010 and 2012 at nearby Goddard Space Flight Center. The third meeting will have a similar format, with a 2 1/2 day science program comprised of themed sessions, and featuring a mixture of invited reviews, and contributed talks and posters. As in previous years, we welcome scientific reports and attendance from the widest possible cross-section of the scientific community, including both those studying Titan directly, but also those whose research interests have intersections with Titan science in areas such as laboratory chemistry and spectroscopy; modeling of planetary atmospheres, surfaces and interiors; terrestrial analogs and comparative planetology; and the formation and evolution of the solar system. |
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8-11 |
4th International Workshop on on Lunar and Planetary Compact and Cryogenic Science and Technology Applications (LSA 4),
Cocoa Beach, Florida
LSA 4 will be a crossroads for scientist, engineers, and entrepreneurs who are building and flying lunar missions now. After 30 years of neglect, the Moon is becoming a very active and crowded place. Russia, China, and the U.S. all plan to have active lander/rover missions on the lunar surface in 2017-2018. In addition, there will be many secondary payloads and LunarCube missions to the surface of the Moon and throughout Cislunar space with rides provided by smaller national and private programs such as the Google Lunar X Prize teams. In response, LSA 4 will bring together the best, the brightest and the most passionate to deliver progress updates, the latest discoveries and newest opportunities, technical presentations and discussions on lander rover technologies; ISRU, especially cryogenic volatiles deposits; and cryogenic planetary science and processes. The latest results from LRO, LCROSS, and LADEE will be presented, and Astrobotic, MoonExpress, Luna, and Resource Prospector will provide updates on the progress of their missions. LSA 4 is the anchor event for a week of activities in and around the Kennedy Space Center including the 43rd Space Congress sponsored by Canaveral Council of Technical Societies (CCTS), Yuri's Night and a banquet co-sponsored by the Missile, Space and Range Pioneers, a member of CCTS. |
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11 |
Planetary Volcanism: Environmental Effects on Eruption Style (Karl Mitchell, Jet Propulsion Laboratory),
Lecture Hall
Volcanism is a common occurrence on planetary bodies, including asteroids as well as rocky and icy planets and moons, and on some worlds is both the dominant mode of heat transport to planetary surfaces and the main resurfacing mechanism. Dr Mitchell will discuss the dynamics of volcanic eruptions, how planetary environments modulate the expression of volcanism, and how volcanic features can be used to give insights into the planetary interior. |
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22-24 | Humans to Mars Summit, Washington, DC | |
25 |
Constraints on the Formation Age and Evolution of the Moon from 142Nd-143Nd Systematics of Apollo 12 Basalts (Claire McLeod, University of Houston),
Lecture Hall
The Moon likely formed as a result of a giant impact between proto-Earth and another large body. The timing of this event and the subsequent lunar differentiation timescales are actively debated. New high-precision Nd isotope data for Apollo mare basalts are used to evaluate the Low-Ti, High-Ti and KREEP mantle source reservoirs within the context of lunar formation and evolution. The resulting models are assessed using both reported 146Sm half-lives (68 and 103 Myr). The linear relationship defined by 142Nd-143Nd systematics does not represent multi-component mixing and is interpreted as an isochron recording a mantle closure age for the Sm-Nd system in the Moon. Using a chondritic source model with present day μ142Nd of -7.3, the mare basalt mantle source reservoirs closed at 4.45+10-09 Ga (t½ 146Sm = 68 Myr) or 4.39+16-14 Ga (t½ 146Sm = 103 Myr). In a superchondritic, 2-stage evolution model with present day μ142Nd of 0, mantle source closure ages are constrained to 4.41+10-08 (t½ 146Sm = 68 Myr) or 4.34+15-14 Ga (t½ 146Sm = 103 Myr). The lunar mantle source reservoir closure ages <4.5 Ga may be reconciled in 3 potential scenarios. First, the Moon formed ca. 4.55 to 4.47 Ga and small amounts of residual melts were sustained within a crystallizing lunar magma ocean (LMO) for up to c. 200 Myr from tidal heating or asymmetric LMO evolution. Second, the LMO crystallized rapidly after early Moon formation. The later Sm-Nd mantle closure age represents resetting of isotope systematics. This may have resulted from a global wide remelting event. Third, the Moon formed later than currently favored models indicate, such that the lunar mantle closure age is near or at the time of lunar formation. While current Earth-Moon formation constraints cannot exclusively advocate or dismiss any of these models, the fact that U-Pb ages and Hf isotopes for Jack Hills zircons from Australia are best explained by an Earth that re-equilibrated at 4.4 Ga or earlier following the Moon-forming impact, does not favor a later forming Moon. If magma oceans crystallize in a few million years as currently advocated, then a global resetting, possibly by a large impact at 4.40 to 4.34 Ga, such as that which formed the South Pole Aitken Basin, best explains the late mantle closure age for the coupled Sm-Nd isotope systematics presented here. |
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27-May 2 | European Geosciences Union General Assembly, Vienna, Austria | |
28-29 | Interplanetary Small Satellite Conference, Pasadena, California | |
28-May 1 | 45th Annual Meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Division on Dynamical Astronomy (DDA 2014), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
28-May 1 | Habitable Worlds Across Time and Space, Baltimore, Maryland | |
28-May 3 | 21st Young Scientists' Conference on Astronomy and Space Physics, Kiev, Ukraine |
May 2014
5-9 | 13th International Conference on Space Operations (SpaceOps 2014), Pasadena, California | |
13 |
EnVision: M4 Venus Orbiter Workshop,
London, England
A meeting is to be held at Imperial College London on Tuesday 13 May 2014 in support of EnVision, an ESA Medium-class proposed Venus orbiter, in preparation for the anticipated M4 call. All are welcome; please confirm your interest by email to [email protected]. If you would like to put forward an idea for discussion, for example for science investigations to carry out with this mission, please also submit a short abstract (150-300 words) by the end of February. |
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13-14 | Mars Exploration Analysis Group (MEPAG) Meeting, Washington, DC | |
13-15 | The Formation of the Solar System Conference, Bonn, Germany | |
14-16 | First Landing Site Workshop for the 2020 Mars Rover Mission, Washington, DC | |
17-21 | 51st Annual Meeting of the Clay Minerals Society, College Station, Texas | |
19-21 | Venus Exploration Targets Workshop (#venus2014) *, Houston, Texas | |
20-22 | Biosignatures Across Space and Time, Bergen, Norway | |
26-31 |
Accretion and Early Differentiation of the Earth and Terrestrial Planets (ACCRETE),
Nice, France
This will be a small workshop with up to 120 participants, including a significant number of students and young scientists. The topics to be discussed include, but are not limited to, chemistry of small bodies in the early solar system; planetary accretion; core-mantle differentiation; delivery of volatile elements, including water; nature and timing of the "late veneer"; consequences of giant impacts; etc. The workshop will be held at La Maison du Seminaire, which is located on the sea front in downtown Nice. |
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27-28 | 3rd Interplanetary CubeSat Workshop (iCubeSat 2014), Pasadena, California | |
28-30 |
Workshop on Planetary Volcanism POSTPONED
(#planetlava) *,
Houston, Texas
Over the last few years we have had a revolution in our understanding of the surface of Mars, Mercury, and the Moon through a variety of robust orbital, landed in situ, and rover missions. Recent imagery has identified for perhaps the first time the existence of lavatubes, skylights, and pit craters on the surfaces of Mars, Mercury, and the Moon. Skylights, tubes, and pits are unique in that they are relevant to all aspects of the space initiative — exploration, potential habitability, resources, human ops, and habitation. Furthermore, the role of volatiles has been a major breakthrough in mare volcanism. The goal of this workshop is to summarize what we know as well as what we need to know about the origin, evolution, structure, and astrobiological significance of planetary volcanism — specifically as it relates to the newly discovered lavatubes, skylights, and pit craters. This is critical to understanding the role of mantle processes in shaping the planetary surface, as well as similarities and differences in evolutionary pathways that shaped the terrestrial planets. We hope to gain insights into future mission concepts and to stimulate cross-discipline interactions. |
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30 |
Elastic Models of Magma Reservoir Mechanics: A Key Tool for Investigating Planetary Volcanism (Eric Grosfils, Pomona College),
Lecture Hall
Understanding how shallow reservoirs store and redirect magma is critical for deciphering the relationship between surface and subsurface volcanic activity on the terrestrial planets. In this talk I will demonstrate how elastic models provide useful insight into the mechanics of magma reservoir inflation and rupture, and hence into related and commonly observed volcanic phenomena such as edifice growth, circumferential intrusion, radial dyke swarm emplacement and caldera formation. Based on finite element model results, the interplay between volcanic elements – including magma reservoir geometry, host rock environment, mechanical layering, and edifice loading – dictates the overpressure required for rupture, the location and orientation of initial fracturing and intrusion, and the associated surface uplift. Model results are either insensitive to, or can readily incorporate, material and parameter variations characterizing different planetary environments, and they also compare favorably with predictions derived from rheologically complex, time-dependent formulations for a surprisingly diverse array of volcanic scenarios. These characteristics indicate that elastic models are a powerful and useful tool for exploring many fundamental questions in planetary volcanology. |
June 2014
1-5 | Second Annual Meeting of the AAS Laboratory Astrophysics Division (LAD 2014), Boston, Massachusetts | |
3-5 |
International Symposium on Lunar and Planetary Science,
Macau, China
This international Symposium aims for the international academic exchange on the topics of processing, analysis, research, and application of lunar and planetary exploration data, especially related to Chang’e-3, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and other missions. |
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3-5 | Mars — Connecting Planetary Scientists in Europe (MPSE 2014), Warsaw, Poland | |
8-14 | Goldschmidt 2014, Sacramento, California | |
9-12 | Fifth Meeting of the Space Resources Roundtable and the Planetary and Terrestrial Mining Sciences Symposium, Golden, Colorado | |
10-14 |
International Venus Workshop,
Catania, Sicily, Italy
Following previous Venus conferences organised by the Venus Express team in 2007 and 2008 (La Thuile) and 2010 (Aussois), this fourth conference invites talks on all aspects of Venus science, whether related to Venus Express or not. The conference will include invited and contributed talks, and an opportunity to display posters. The scientific programme will be arranged thematically with topics including atmospheric dynamics; atmospheric structure; atmospheric chemistry & clouds; thermosphere, ionosphere & escape processes; surface & interior; supporting laboratory investigations; and planetary evolution. Interdisciplinary talks, and comparative planetology talks highlighting parallels with other planets in our solar system or beyond, are particularly encouraged. To emphasize the central role of volcanism in shaping the history of Venus and its climate, the conference will be held at the foot of Mount Etna, on the island of Sicily in the town of Catania. A half-day field trip to the summit of Etna is foreseen during the conference. |
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15-19 |
11th International GeoRaman Conference *,
St. Louis, Missouri
The 11th International GeoRaman conference in St. Louis will focus on two major aspects of laser Raman spectroscopy: (1) The most advanced technologies and instrumentation, from laboratories to a wide variety of field applications, e.g., industrial and security monitoring, geo-fields, deep ocean, and on other planets; (2) The newest applications in studying inorganic, organic, and bio-genetic materials in Earth Sciences, Planetary Sciences, Environmental Science, Forensic Science, Archaeology and Archaeometry, Gemmology, and Astrobiology. |
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16-20 | 11th International Planetary Probe Workshop (#IPPW11) *, Pasadena, California | |
16-20 |
48th ESLAB Symposium: New Insights into Volcanism Across the Solar System,
Noordwijk, The Netherlands
The aim of the 2014 ESLAB symposium is to review the different mechanisms, sources and surface expressions of volcanism, both effusive and explosive. Special, but not exclusive, emphasis will be put on moons and Mercury, target bodies of future ESA missions (BepiColombo to Mercury and the Jupiter icy moon explorer mission, JUICE). |
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16-20 | Annual Planetary Science Summer School, Session 1, Pasadena, California | |
23-26 | Science Results from Pan-STARRS1, Baltimore, Maryland | |
24-27 | 6th Workshop on Hyperspectral Image and Signal Processing: Evolution in Remote Sensing (WHISPERS), Lausanne, Switzerland | |
27 |
Deformation on Enceladus: Implications for Ice Shell Properties (Amanda Nahm, University of Idaho),
Lecture Hall
Despite its small size, the icy surface of Enceladus shows evidence for geologic and tectonic diversity that rivals its larger outer planet satellite companions. In this talk, I will present the wide array of tectonic structures observed on the surface, discuss the possible formation mechanisms, and the implications of the diverse tectonics for the geologic history of Enceladus. I will then focus on one structure in particular, revealed by topography to be a large (~200 km long) normal fault. Using forward mechanical modeling of fault-related topography, I determine important fault characteristics at depth. I then apply flexure modeling to estimate the elastic thickness of the ice shell at the time of fault formation. I will conclude with estimates of the local heat flux at the time of fault formation and what this implies about the tectonic history and ice shell properties of Enceladus. |
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30-Jul 4 |
Asteroids, Comets, Meteors (ACM),
Helsinki, Finland
The Asteroids, Comets, Meteors (ACM) meeting is the premier international gathering of scientists who study small bodies. The 2014 ACM meeting will be the twelfth in the series. |
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30-Jul 4 | The Outer Regions of Extrasolar Planetary Systems, Geneva, Switzerland | |
30-Aug 8 | ISIMA 2014: Gravitational Dynamics, Toronto, Canada |
July 2014
4-11 | 6th International Summer School on Radar/SAR Systems, Bonn, Germany | |
6-11 | CoRoT3-KASC7: The Space Photometry Revolution, Toulouse, France | |
6-11 |
Origins 2014,
Nara, Japan
This conference will provide an opportunity with chemists, biologists, geologists, astronomers, planetary scientists, and those from other research fields to meet and discuss on mutual research interests for addressing questions of the origin and evolution of life on this planet and elsewhere in the Universe. |
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7-11 | 6th Alfven Conference: Plasma Interactions with Solar System Objects, Anticipating Rosetta, MAVEN, and Mars Orbiter Mission, London, United Kingdom | |
7-11 | Complex Planetary Systems, Namur, Belgium | |
7-11 |
Nuclei in the Cosmos,
Debrecen, Hungary
Bi-annual conference of cosmochemists, nuclear physicists, astrophysicists; accompanied with a one week school for students. |
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9-11 | The Universe in the Light of Akari and Synergy with Future Large Space Telescopes, Oxford, United Kingdom | |
11 |
The MSL Rover Curiosity: What We’re Doing, and Quick View of How We Do It (Allan Treiman, Lunar and Planetary Institute),
Lecture Hall
The MSL rover Curiosity landed on Mars on August 6, 2013, just over a Mars year ago, on the floor of Gale Crater. Since then, Curiosity has traversed many kilometers and made significant scientific discoveries on its path toward Mt. Sharp, the central mound of Gale Crater. Allan Treiman, a co-I on the CheMin instrument on Curiosity, will give a summary of what Curiosity has been doing, its ultimate goals, and some of the human processes behind its daily planning. |
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14-18 | Annual Planetary Science Summer School, Session 2, Pasadena, California | |
14-18 |
Eighth International Mars Conference
(#8thMars) *,
Pasadena, California
Reschedule of conference originally planned for July 2013. |
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20 |
5th Annual Lunar and Small Bodies Graduate Conference (LunGradCon 2014),
Moffett Field, California
LunGradCon 2014 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 2014 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. |
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21-23 | NASA Exploration Science Forum (ESF), Moffett Field, California | |
21-25 | 2014 Sagan Exoplanet Summer Workshop: Imaging Planets and Disks, Pasadena, California | |
21-25 |
Eighth International Conference on Aeolian Research (ICAR VIII),
Lanzhou, China
The International Conferences for Aeolian Research (ICAR conferences) are sponsored by the International Society for Aeolian Research (ISAR). They attract aeolian geomorphologists, geologists, physical scientists, soil scientists, climatologists, ecologists and erosion specialists from around the world to discuss the latest challenges and discoveries of aeolian research. |
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23-24 | Outer Planets Analysis Group (OPAG) Meeting, Bethesda, Maryland | |
25 |
Impact Basins and the Moon: Understanding Very Large Crater Formation (Ross Potter, Lunar and Planetary Institute),
Lecture Hall
Impact basins are the largest type of impact structure in the Solar System, but also the rarest and least understood. The Moon's surface shows evidence of at least 40-50 of these basins (impact structures greater than 300 km in diameter), some of which are fairly well-preserved. Here, numerical modeling is used to investigate the formation and structure of these basins. The modeling constrains impact conditions for two of the largest basins, South Pole-Aitken and Orientale, highlights similarities between basin and smaller-scale crater formation, and demonstrates the great importance of target temperature on the basin formation process. |
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28-30 |
Workshop on the Study of the Ice Giant Planets
(#Icegiant) *,
Laurel, Maryland
The goal of this 2.5-day workshop is to raise awareness of the uniqueness/importance of ice giants in our solar system and others and lay out key science goals and a potential suite of investigations for New Frontiers-Flagship mission concepts. We will review the current state of knowledge of all aspects of the ice giant planetary systems (planets, satellites, rings, etc.), and how it relates to our knowledge of the gas giants, planetary formation models, and the study of exoplanets, incorporating outcomes of the 2013 Paris Uranus meeting. We will initiate a major effort to prioritize the science goals of future Uranus and Neptune missions and review studied architectures for these mission concepts. Contributed talks/posters are welcome, particularly those that focus on the state of knowledge and mission studies. Abstract submission will open in early May 2014. |
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28-Aug 1 | 11th Annual Meeting of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society, Sapporo, Japan | |
28-Aug 1 |
Characterizing Planetary Systems Across the HR Diagram,
Cambridge, England
The meeting will focus on the full lifetime of planetary systems, from pre- to post-main sequence host star stages, and the connections that can be made by viewing these evolutionary stages as parts of a whole. In this way, the program aims to provide an integrative approach rather than focusing on each stellar stage separately. |
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29-31 | 11th Meeting of the NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG), Washington, DC |
August 2014
2-10 | 40th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, Moscow, Russia | |
4 | Europa Pre-Proposal Conference, Virtual meeting | |
4-8 | Cosmic Dust VII, Osaka, Japan | |
4-8 | Saturn in the 21st Century, Madison, Wisconsin | |
6-8 |
5th Planetary Crater Consortium Meeting,
Flagstaff, Arizona
The Planetary Crater Consortium (PCC) formed in 2010 from the merger of the Mars Crater Consortium (MCC), Lunar Crater Consortium (LCC), and Outer Solar System Crater Consortium (OSSCC). The PCC is open to planetary scientists interested in any aspect of impact cratering on solar system bodies (planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, and/or comets), including observational, theoretical, experimental, and numerical modeling studies. |
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8 |
Effusive Volcanism on Mercury (Paul Byrne, Lunar and Planetary Institute),
Lecture Hall
In its flybys of Mercury in 1974–75, the Mariner 10 spacecraft identified smooth plains deposits across the ~45% of the planet it observed, raising the prospect that effusive volcanism had occurred on the innermost planet. The provenance of these deposits remained uncertain, however, until the three flybys of the MESSENGER spacecraft in 2008–09, during which almost the entire surface of Mercury was imaged. MESSENGER showed the smooth plains to be widespread and the majority to be volcanic in nature. The latter inference was based on superposition relations indicative of the sequential embayment of impact basins and ejecta, regional-scale spectral homogeneity but color variation, partially buried impact structures, and deposit thicknesses of hundreds to thousands of meters. Observations made after MESSENGER was inserted into orbit about Mercury in 2011 indicate that smooth plains occupy some 27% of the planetary surface. In this talk, I will review some of the most salient aspects of Mercury’s effusive volcanic character, including expansive northern plains, ghost craters, and lava channels, as well as its chemical composition, emplacement history, and what this volcanism can tell us of the planet’s thermal evolution. |
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11-14 | 1st LSST Observing Cadences Workshop, Phoenix, Arizona | |
11-15 | Annual Planetary Science Summer School, Session 3, Pasadena, California | |
13-15 |
Planetary Rings Workshop,
Boulder, Colorado
This workshop will be open to all interested parties and any observational of theoretical research on the properties, dynamics, origin or evolution of any planetary ring system is appropriate. This meeting will highlight the latest Cassini results. We plan on predominantly oral talks, but posters will be considered. Ample time will be allowed for discussion. Previous workshops were held in Ithaca (2011), Paris (2008) and Whitefish, MT (2006). Planned program includes an opening reception Tuesday evening, a workshop dinner on Wednesday, and working lunch on Friday. The meeting will end Friday evening. |
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18-22 | 19th International Sedimentological Congress of the International Association of Sedimentologists, Geneva, Switzerland | |
20-21 |
Solar Wind Interaction with Pluto Workshop,
Boulder, Colorado
In preparation for New Horizons flyby of Pluto on July 15, 2015, a workshop on the solar wind interaction with Pluto’s atmosphere will be hosted by the Magnetospheres of the Outer Planets group at LASP (Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics), Boulder, CO, Wednesday and Thursday August 20-21, 2014, in the SPSC building on East Campus. The workshop will focus on current ideas and models of the upstream solar wind conditions, the interaction of the surrounding plasma with Pluto’s escaping atmosphere, and perturbations of the solar wind propagating downstream. The workshop will include presentations on plans for observations that will be made by and datasets collected by the New Horizons Alice (UVS), REX (Radio Science), SWAP (KeV plasma), PEPSSI (MeV particles), and SDC (dust counter) instruments. |
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24-28 |
Small Bodies Dynamics 2014 (SBD14),
Ubatuba, Brazil
The SBD meeting intends to provide a new space for in-depth and stimulating discussions and talks on all aspects of minor bodies dynamics. Topics covered by this meeting will involve the dynamical evolution of asteroids, TNOs, satellites, rings, dust, and space probes. The SBD meeting will feature invited talks on a range of topics, contributed talks, and posters. |
September 2014
5-9 |
7th GEOSCIED Conference,
Hyderabad, India
The main objective of the conference is to bring together leading academicians, scientists, researchers, graduate students and others whose mandate/interest is to promote geoscience education at the school-, college- and university-levels and among the general public. |
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7 |
Workshop on Using Radar Imagery for Meteorite Fall Detection and Recovery,
Casablanca, Morocco
Weather radar imagery is a proven new means of locating fresh meteorite falls. In the United States, weather radars have assisted in the recovery of the Sutter's Mill and Battle Mountain meteorite falls, as well as two more falls in Alabama and California within the past two years. This presents an opportunity, because weather radars are operated by national weather bureaus worldwide, and usually make their radar imagery available to the public. It should be possible for researchers around the world to use their local weather radar networks to locate meteorite falls. This workshop has the goal of teaching researchers how to analyze weather radar imagery in their own country for real-time meteorite fall information, thereby greatly increasing the recovery rate for new large meteorite falls. |
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7-12 | European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC 2014), Cascais, Portugal | |
8-10 | Planet Formation and Evolution 2014, Kiel, Germany | |
8-11 | Electrification in Dusty Atmospheres Inside and Outside the Solar System, Pitlochry, United Kingdom | |
8-12 | First Astrobiology School at the Observatorio Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
8-12 | Living Together: Planets, Stellar Binaries and Stars with Planets, Litomysl, Czech Republic | |
8-12 | Thirty Years of Beta Pic and Debris Disk Studies, Paris, France | |
8-13 | 77th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society *, Casablanca, Morocco | |
10-12 |
Planet Formation and Evolution 2014,
Kiel, Germany
The aim of this workshop is to intensify the interaction between the research communities in the fields of planet formation, exoplanets, and the solar system. |
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12-14 |
45th Annual Binghamton Geomorphology Symposium,
Knoxville, Tennessee
During the past forty years of spacecraft exploration of the solar system, geomorphology has become an extraterrestrial science. Spacecraft missions to other planetary bodies continue to provide surface data at unprecedented resolutions, which in some cases are higher than the resolution of data for Earth. Several countries have recent, ongoing, or planned missions to investigate the surface of the moon. Cameras in orbit around Mars are providing images at a variety of wavelengths with coverage over significant proportions of the planet at resolutions down to meters per pixel. The MESSENGER mission in orbit at Mercury is returning data of novel tectonic and volcanic morphologies. And in the outer solar system, instruments on the Cassini spacecraft are showing that, despite their exotic materials, Titan and other Saturnian satellites have Earth-like surface morphologies. Myriad other missions to other terrestrial planetary bodies are also planned or ongoing. By providing for substantial investigation of and trenchant comparison among the landforms of geologic bodies in our solar system, these data represent a new era in geomorphology. The 2014 Binghamton Geomorphology Symposium (BGS) will support new scientific collaborations between and discoveries by the terrestrial and planetary geomorphology communities through presentation of planetary geomorphologic features and their terrestrial analogs. Investigations using spacecraft data, terrestrial field work, numerical modeling, and experimental results will be presented. The symposium will feature invited oral presentations highlighting comparisons between terrestrial and extraterrestrial processes and landscapes. Poster contributions are also welcome. |
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15-19 |
Towards Other Earths II: The Star-Planet Connection,
Porto, Portugal
This conference aims at reviewing the state of the art of star-planet connection, with some focus on the detection and characterization of Earth like planets orbiting other stars. We propose to debate how the field of extrasolar planets will evolve in respect to this and how it will face the challenges of the upcoming years. |
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18-21 | International Meteor Conference 2014, Giron, France | |
19 |
The Role of Fault Growth and Connectivity on Fluid and Volatile Transport in the Crust (Danielle Wyrick, Southwest Research Institute),
Lecture Hall
Crustal deformation such as faulting, fracturing, and folding has long been recognized as a major control on fluid and gas transport within earth’s crust, creating fast flow pathways for the migration of groundwater and potential contaminants in some cases, while becoming barriers and traps for oil and gas in others. Understanding how faults and fractures grow, link, and evolve is critical to understanding fault network connectivity pathways for fluid and volatile migration. However, the role of heterogeneity in the crust – which varies both laterally and within stratigraphic layers – in the growth and linkage of fracture networks is not well understood. Additionally, the role of pressurized fluids in creating and/or reactivating existing fractures, such as magmatic intrusion and hydraulic fracturing, is even less well characterized. This talk will focus on numerical models, laboratory experiments, and field investigations performed to characterized fault and fracture connectivity, with application to contaminant transport, magma intrusion, and hydraulic fracturing. These techniques, such as displacement versus length and fault connectivity analyses, have application to several solar system bodies, ranging from volcanic-tectonic interactions on Mars and Venus to geysering at Enceladus and Europa. |
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20-21 |
SpaceUp Toulouse,
Toulouse, France
SpaceUp is a space unconference, where participants decide the topics, schedule, and structure of the event. Everyone who attends SpaceUp is encouraged to give a talk, moderate a panel, or start a discussion. Sessions are proposed and scheduled on the day they’re given, which means the usual “hallway conversations” turn into full-fledged topics. |
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20-23 | International Conference of Young Astronomers, Torun, Poland | |
22-25 | Exoplanets with JWST–MIRI, Heidelberg, Germany | |
23-27 | National Conference of Astronomers of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia | |
24-26 | Joint Workshop on High Pressure, Planetary, and Plasma Physics, Rostock, Germany | |
24-Oct 2 |
Summer Course on Exoplanets,
La Palma, Spain
The aim of the course is to give participants a thorough multidisciplinary introduction into the field of exoplanets, their detection, types, characterization, and to explore the possibility of life on exoplanets. In addition, more general planetary subjects like formation of planetary systems, habitability of planets, and physical processes in planetary atmospheres will be covered. |
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29-Oct 3 | 65th International Astronautical Congress, Toronto, Canada | |
29-Oct 3 | Dynamical Astronomy in Latin-America, Santiago, Chile |
October 2014
3 |
The Use of In Situ Analytical Technology and Impactite Dating in Planetary Field Geology (Kelsey Young, University of Maryland/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center),
Lecture Hall
Impact cratering has played a crucial role in the surface development of the inner planets. Constraining the timing of this bombardment history is important in understanding the origins of life and our planet’s evolution. Plate tectonics, active volcanism, and vegetation hinder the preservation and identification of existing impact craters on Earth. Providing age constraints on these elusive structures will provide a deeper understanding of our planet’s development. To do this, (U-Th)/He thermochronology and in situ 40Ar/39Ar laser microprobe geochronology are used to provide ages for the Haughton and Mistastin Lake impact structures, both located in northern Canada. Planetary surface missions, like one designed to explore and sample an impact crater, require the integration of engineering constraints with scientific goals and traverse planning. The inclusion of in situ geochemical technology, such as the handheld X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (hXRF), into these missions will provide human crews with the ability to gain a clearer contextual picture of the landing site and aid with sample high-grading. The introduction of hXRF technology could be of crucial importance in identifying high priority sampling targets. In addition to enhancing planetary field geology efforts, hXRF deployment could also have real implications for enriching terrestrial field geology. Ongoing efforts in hXRF development, including a case study using results from the 2010 NASA Desert RATS (Research and Technology Studies) field test, will be discussed, as well as an overview of continuing fieldwork at the December 1974 flow at Kilauea Volcano, HI. |
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7-10 | 12th European VLBI Network Symposium and Users Meeting, Cagliari, Italy | |
7-10 |
Fourth International Workshop on LunarCubes
(LCW 4),
Mountain View, California
LCW 4 will bring together scientists, engineers, investors and entrepreneurs who want to be part of the fastest moving and most exciting missions in planetary science and the Lunar Frontier. The first three days of LCW 4 will focus on the science, technology, missions and systems involved in exploring and opening the Lunar Frontier. |
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13-16 | The 14th European Astrobiology Conference (EANA 2014), Edinburgh, Scotland | |
13-19 |
Moscow International Solar System Symposium (5M-S3),
Moscow, Russia
Main topics of these symposia include wide range of problems related to formation and evolution of Solar system, planetary systems of other stars; exploration of Solar system planets, their moons, small bodies; study of the Sun, interplanetary environment, exobiology problems. |
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15-17 |
First International Asteroid Impact Deflection Assessment (AIDA) Workshop,
Laurel, Maryland
We will discuss the science and planetary defense aspects of AIDA. |
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19-22 | GSA Annual Meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | |
22-24 |
Annual Meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (#leag2014) *,
Laurel, Maryland
Data from the recent suite of robotic missions to the Moon and analysis of lunar samples has shown that the Moon has an incredibly dynamic volatile system that is just beginning to be understood. The focus for this year's meeting is the topic of lunar volatiles — which species are present, their abundance on the surface and interior, their sources and formation processes, their mobility and temporary storage on the surface, and their ultimate fate (be it loss from the lunar environment or “permanent” sequestration in surface reservoirs). The presence of volatiles in and on the Moon has important implications for in situ resource utilization applications in support of extended human stays on the lunar surface and feed-forward to sending humans to Mars and beyond. Another focus area will be the Global Exploration Roadmap (GER). The GER has identified a number of possible targets for human exploration missions — the Moon, Asteroids, cis-lunar space. In part, the objectives include the characterization and utilization of volatiles. An important aspect for the Roadmap, with respect to the Moon and asteroids, is the scientific objectives of such human missions and how these relate to volatiles. Other topics of interest will be a discussion of future lunar robotic missions, be they government, international or private, their scientific potential and objectives, and how they can build towards a sustained lunar and solar system exploration program. |
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23-24 | Premier Atelier, Marseille, France | |
23-24 |
The Brown Dwarf to Exoplanet Connection Conference: Making sense of Atmospheres and Formation,
Newark, Delware
The goal is to bring together researchers with an expertise in the atmospheres and formation of both both brown dwarfs and exoplanets for a lively discussion of the current, future, and overlap status of the fields. |
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23-26 |
Solar Eclipse Conference 2014,
Alamagordo, New Mexico
Over the last few decades, there have been dramatic changes in solar eclipse traveling. Solar Eclipse specialists meet most of the time in the shadow of the Moon. Solar Eclipse meetings out of totality are rare, or are mainly focused on solar physics. Because there was no central eclipse in 2000 we had been presented with a perfect opportunity for an International Solar Eclipse Conference. The aim of the conference is to bring together professionals and amateurs, addicts, enthusiasts, and chasers, sharing information, knowledge, and experience. Two days of lectures are given in each of the disciplines: predictions, mathematics, solar physics, weather forecasting, eye safety, diameter measuring, edge and central, and ancient eclipse research. Of course the latest and forthcoming solar eclipses should be great topics of discussion, along with the once-in-a-lifetime Venus Transit. Friday evening is a social event with reception and informal meetings. And where possible the conference will be combined with a lunar eclipse, partial solar eclipse, and a visit to a solar observatory. |
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27-29 | 14th ASCE International Conference On Engineering, Science, Construction and Operations In Challenging Environments (Earth and Space 2014), St. Louis, Missouri | |
27-31 | 19th International Workshop on Laser Ranging, Greenbelt, Maryland | |
27-31 | Réunion des Sciences de la Terre, Pau, France | |
29-31 | International Conference on Space Exploration, Strasbourg, France |
November 2014
1 | Workshop on Analytical Methods Applied to Earth and Planetary Sciences I (#methods2014) *, Sopron, Hungary | |
3-4 |
Workshop on Volatiles in the Martian Interior (#volatiles2014) *,
Houston, Texas
This new workshop will gather together researchers working on volatiles in the martian interior to discuss the latest developments in the field, where data are lacking, and which observations, instruments, or experiments are needed to make progress on understanding the origin, roles, and evolution of volatiles in the interior of Mars. |
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4-6 |
PREDONx Workshop in Scientific Data Preservation,
Paris, France
PREDON project will publish a facts-finding review gathering the contributions to the workshop, as well as invited contributions relevant for scientific data preservation. In this session, concrete examples of scientific projects where data preservation is relevant will be discussed in order to emphasize the need for a coherent long-term perspective of scientific data preservation. |
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4-7 |
International Workshop on Instrumentation for Planetary Missions,
Washington, DC
The objective of this workshop is to have a broad canvas of instrumentation and technology available to 'Decadal Survey' missions, Mars 2020, Discovery, New Frontiers and those further out. It is also meant to be a forum of collaboration, exchange and discussions where science questions, and the technology needed to address them, are discussed. |
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6-7 |
Photonics for Planets,
Florence, Italy
This workshop aims to focus on the potential of photonic technologies to deliver high efficiency, small beam sizes without modal noise. These developments are likely to be crucial to the detection and characterization of nearby Earth analogs. |
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9-14 | 46th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS 2014), Tucson, Arizona | |
12-14 |
2014 Conference on Big Data from Space (BiDS '14),
Frascati, Italy
The focus is on the whole data lifecycle, ranging from data acquisition by spaceborne and ground-based sensors to data management, analysis and exploitation in the domains of Earth Observation, Space Science, Space Engineering, Space Weather, etc. |
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14 |
Preservation of Isotopic Heterogeneity in a Convecting Martian Mantle (Canceled ---- Walter S. 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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16-20 |
Wide-Field InfraRed Surveys: Science and Techniques,
Pasadena, California
The conference will expose the participants to the capabilities currently envisaged for WFIRST-AFTA. The conference will also assess the mission's promise in the context of the anticipated performance of JWST and other planned space missions such as Euclid and TESS, as well as ground-based projects, especially LSST. |
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16-21 | Triple Evolution and Dynamics in Stellar and Planetary Systems, Haifa, Israel | |
18-21 | Star-Planet Interactions and the Habitable Zone, Saclay, France | |
24-Dec 12 |
The 2014 International School for Young Astronomers (ISYA2014),
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Lectures will be provided on the following topics: the Sun and the Solar System; stellar physics and evolution; exoplanets; variable stars; stellar pulsation and asteroseismology; binary stars; stellar clusters; galaxies and cosmology; black holes; telescopes and instrumentation; high time resolution astronomy; space astronomy; and radio astronomy. |
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. |