Planetary Sciences Community Meetings Calendar
Organized by LPI/USRA *
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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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”. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
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| 27-31 | 78th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society *, Berkeley, California | |
| 29-Aug 3 | 20th Humans in Space Symposium, Prague, Czech Republic |
