Monday, February 11, 2013

NASA Lunar Science Forum, July 16-18, 2013

When NASA's Lunar Science Institute was commissioned in 2008, the goal of establishing extended human activity on the Moon as a foundation for exploring Mars and beyond, was still official U.S. policy. The Vision for Space Exploration, borne out of the aftermath of the Columbia accident, was scrapped but much of the momentum set into motion a decade ago continues to pay huge dividends [Frassanito/NASA].
The NASA Lunar Science Institute has formally announced the 6th Annual NASA Lunar Science Forum will be held July 16-18, 2013 at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA.  This year's forum will feature sessions on in-depth scientific results from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun (ARTEMIS), and Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL), as well as a status update on the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission scheduled for launch in August 2013.  

Dedicated side-conferences for graduate students and young lunar professionals (LunGradCon and Next Generation Lunar Scientists and Engineers, NGLSE) will precede the LSF on July 13 and 14. Science sessions will focus on recent mission results and in-depth analyses of lunar science and exploration studies.  Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) program results will be interwoven among science topics as well.

Multiple meetings result in unfortunate overlaps, and this year’s LSF is occurring over the same time frame as the Eighth International Mars Conference in Pasadena.  Given the scientific and exploration synergies between the Moon and Mars, we recognize there may be individuals who would like to attend both meetings.  SOC chairs from both meetings will consult with this in mind, attempting to minimize the overlap in time of subjects that pertain to both the Moon and Mars. 

Additionally, the LSF will be broadcast in real time and archived on the lunarscience.nasa.gov website.

Abstracts will be accepted February 25 through midnight PDT April 26, 2013 HERE.

NLSI Forum 2013 logistical concerns will be addressed in the next formal announcement in March.

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