[meteorite-list] 37th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference - March 13-17, 2006

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun Nov 20 22:47:54 2005
Message-ID: <200511200605.jAK65o716877_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

LPSC 2006 First Annoucement
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2006/lpsc2006.1st.html

WHEN AND WHERE
          
The 37th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference will be held March
13-17, 2006. All technical sessions, both oral and poster, will be
held at the South Shore Harbour Resort & Conference Center, 2500 South
Shore Boulevard, League City, Texas 77573 (phone: 281-334-1000 or
800-442-5005).

MEETING FORMAT
          
The five-day conference will be organized by topical symposia and
problem-oriented sessions. The program committee reserves the right to
make all decisions on the mode of presentation to ensure a balance of
as many important new research results as possible. Selection criteria
will be based on the relevance of the subject matter to the conference
and the quality of the science. All decisions made by the program
committee will be final. Requests to present papers that are not
supported by informative abstracts will be denied.

Oral presentations will be scheduled during the conference to allow 10
minutes for speaking and 5 minutes for discussion and speaker
transition. Audio-visual equipment available for oral presentations
will include laptop PCs and Macs and an LCD projector. There will NOT
be an option for dual-screen presentations.

Please note that, at the 36th LPSC, 97% of the speakers utilized
electronic presentations. Because of the additional costs and
personnel associated with continuing to support presentation methods
that are no longer a critical requirement, speakers at the 37th LPSC
who wish to use overhead transparencies to support their talks MUST
notify us in advance, and we will make every effort to accommodate
these requests.

Speakers should be aware, however, that the 37th LPSC will be the last
conference at which we will offer to accommodate requests for the use
of overhead projectors. Beginning with the 38th LPSC in 2007,
electronic presentations will be the only audio-visual support allowed
for oral presentations.

Please read carefully the instructions for electronic presentations.

Poster presentations will be highlighted on Tuesday and Thursday
evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Authors of papers selected and
scheduled for poster presentations must be available to display and
discuss their results in the poster area from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Each
poster will have a space 44" ? 44" for display. Requests for tables,
computers, video equipment, etc., cannot be honored due to the limited
space available for poster displays.

  
SPECIAL SESSIONS
          
All abstracts for special sessions, whether invited or contributed,
must be submitted by the advertised deadlines for consideration by the
program committee. Remember, in accordance with the abstract
submission policies described below, abstracts CONTRIBUTED to a
special session will be counted against first authors as one of the
two abstracts they can submit. Exceptions to this policy will be made
only for INVITED abstracts. Authors submitting abstracts for special
sessions should select the appropriate "Special session:" topic on the
abstract submission form.

Masursky Lecture

The Masursky Lecture will be given during a special plenary session
that will be held Monday afternoon from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. The speaker
and topic will be included in the final announcement.

Special Session on the Hayabusa Asteroid Mission

In September 2005, the Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft began to
rendezvous with near-Earth asteroid (25143) Itokawa, a
600-meter-sized, potato-shaped asteroid. Although the primary
objectives of the Hayabusa mission, the first asteroid sample return
mission, are to test new technologies, the mission will also provide a
wealth of scientific returns. For the three-month period from
September through November 2005, the science instruments onboard the
Hayabusa spacecraft undertook an intensive study of Itokawa. This
session will feature the first results obtained from these observations.

Special Session on the Deep Impact Mission

On July 4, 2005, Deep Impact's copper-headed impactor spacecraft made
history when it successfully impacted the surface of Comet Tempel 1,
blasting material into space. The data from the mission is expected to
provide invaluable information on the composition and history of
comets, where the materials from the formation of the solar system may
remain relatively unchanged since the formation of our planet. Current
results from the data analyses performed so far will be presented in
this session.

Special Session on the Bosumtwi Meteorite Impact Crater Drilling Project

The Bosumtwi meteorite impact crater in Ghana, West Africa, is the
youngest and best-preserved large complex impact crater on Earth and
was the subject of an international and multidisciplinary research
drilling project in 2004, funded mostly by the International
Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP). The crater is also the
source of the Ivory Coast tektite strewn field. The drilling project
was aimed mainly at solving questions related to impact crater
studies, tektite origin, astrobiology, and paleoclimatology. After
about one year of intense studies on the drill cores, this special
session will provide the opportunity to present the first scientific
results to the planetary science community.

SPECIAL EVENING SESSIONS

2007 Mars Exploration Program Phoenix Lander Mission Site Selection
In June 2008, the Mars Exploration Program Phoenix Lander will touch
down on the northern plains of Mars (between 65? and 72? latitude) and
begin experiments focused on detailed characterization of soil and ice
deposits, surveying the terrain using color stereo imaging systems,
and making a suite of atmospheric measurements. Landing site selection
has focused on finding safe and scientifically interesting locations.
Three broad regions are under study, with a downselect to one region
to be done during the summer of 2006. A special session to describe
the mission and site selection results will be held in the Marina
Plaza Ballroom on Tuesday, March 14, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and will
be chaired by Dr. Ray Arvidson (Washington University). The community
is invited to provide input on site selection results to date during
the oral session and by submission of poster papers that would be
presented during the Tuesday evening poster session.

Planetary Cartography and Its Importance to the Planetary Researcher
Planetary cartography is an essential tool for the planetary science
research community. No serious extraterrestrial geology can be
accomplished in the absence of good cartography, because a geologist
simply must know where they are on a planetary body for the rocks (or
surfaces) they are studying to have a context. Yet the planetary
community as a whole does not have a comprehensive recognition of what
cartography is or what the science of cartography does for the
planetary researcher. An interactive session discussing the importance
of planetary cartography will be held on Thursday, March 16, from 5:30
to 6:30 p.m. in the Marina Plaza Ballroom and will be chaired by Dr.
Tracy Gregg (University at Buffalo, State University of New York).

SPECIAL EVENTS
          
Education/Public Outreach Workshop

An Education/Public Outreach workshop will be held at the LPI on
Sunday, March 12. The topic and additional information will be
included in the final announcement.

Open House Displays of Outreach Programs and Activities
On Sunday evening, March 12, in conjunction with LPSC's open house and
registration, the LPI will host displays of educational outreach
activities and programs. The displays are intended to showcase
programs that have an interactive component and/or associated
products. Because of limited space in the Tuesday and Thursday evening
poster sessions, programs proposed for both the Sunday display and the
poster session may only be included in one. Displays will be set up at
4:00 p.m. and will be on display from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

NASA Headquarters Session

The NASA Headquarters briefing will be held on Monday, March 13, at
5:30 p.m. in Crystal Ballroom A of the South Shore Harbour Resort and
Conference Center.

Student/Scientist Reception

A special reception will be held on Monday, March 13, to honor the
Masursky Lecturer, the winners of the GSA Stephen E. Dwornik Student
Awards for 2005, and all students who are making presentations at the
37th LPSC. The reception, to be held at the South Shore Harbour Resort
and Conference Center at 6:30 p.m., will provide opportunities for
students to meet and interact with scientists.

Wednesday Night Social Event

Tickets for the Wednesday evening social event are NOT included in the
registration fee. The conference social event will be held at South
Shore Harbour on Wednesday, March 15, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

A cash bar with cocktails will be available starting at 6:30 p.m. at
poolside, to be followed by a gourmet buffet dinner with wine and beer
from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Buffet tickets (including two drink tickets for
wine, beer, or soft drinks) are $20, and can be purchased using the
registration form.Vegan plates will be available by special order
only. To reserve a vegan plate, send a mail message to cloud_at_lpi.usra.edu.

Combined Publishers' Exhibit

A Combined Publishers' Exhibit will be held in conjunction with the
37th LPSC. This conference exhibit provides an opportunity for LPSC
participants to review new publications in the fields of lunar and
planetary sciences, astronomy, astrophysics, geology, geophysics,
atmospheric sciences, mathematics, computer science applications,
remote sensing, and image processing applications. Publishers and
authors are invited to submit materials related to these fields for
display at this exhibit. Previous exhibits have featured books,
journals, maps, globes, posters, images, slide sets, videos, DVDs, and
CD-ROMs, along with advertising materials, catalogs, and order forms.
A comprehensive exhibit catalog listing all participating publishers,
all items on display, and contact information will be made available
to conference participants at the exhibit.

There is no charge to display items at the exhibit; however, materials
sent for the exhibit will not be returned. All materials submitted for
display should be sent by February 17, 2006. For more information
about the exhibit, contact Linda Chappell, Combined Publishers Exhibit
Coordinator, at 281-486-2103 or chappell_at_lpi.usra.edu.

Please note that this is NOT a book sale.
All submitted exhibit items are for DISPLAY ONLY and become property
of the Lunar and Planetary Institute.

GSA STEPHEN E. DWORNIK STUDENT AWARDS (Open to U.S. Citizens Only)
          
The Stephen E. Dwornik Planetary Student Paper Awards are given for
the best student research presentations at the Lunar and Planetary
Science Conference. The purpose of these awards is to provide
encouragement, motivation, and recognition to our most outstanding
future planetary scientists. The awards are administered through the
Planetary Geology Division of the Geological Society of America.

Two awards are given annually: one for an oral presentation and one
for a poster presentation. The awards are open to U.S. citizens who
are currently enrolled as students at any degree level in the field of
planetary geosciences. Only one abstract per student will be
considered for the award. The student must be the senior author of the
abstract and the material should not have been previously presented at
another meeting. Judging will be based on both the written abstract
and the presentation. Recent graduates, pre-college students, and
postdoctoral fellows are not eligible. To apply for the award,
students MUST complete the student award application form and MUST
send the original application, with an original signature by their
advisor, to LPI on or before the deadline of January 10, 2006.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

The LPSC program committee will establish the conference program on
the basis of submitted abstracts. Researchers in all appropriate
scientific disciplines are invited to submit abstracts that may not
exceed TWO pages, including graphics, tables, and references. The
abstracts and preliminary program should be available on line no later
than February 3, 2006. (Author notification letters will not be
mailed.) These files will be in PDF format, viewable with version 6.0
or higher of the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded free of
charge from the Adobe home page. Abstract volumes in CD-ROM format
will be provided to paid registrants at the conference.

Abstract Submission Policies

There will be a limit of TWO abstracts per first author for oral or
poster presentation requests. Authors submitting two abstracts will be
asked to rank them in order of preference.

Authors may request any combination of two ? but no more than two ?
oral and poster presentation formats (i.e., two orals, two posters, or
one oral and one poster).

In an effort to promote the dissemination of research from members of
the community who may not be able to attend the meeting, print-only
abstracts will still be allowed, but ONLY from those authors who are
NOT submitting an abstract for oral or poster presentation. In other
words, if you're requesting a print-only abstract, you cannot submit
an abstract for any other type of presentation. Authors are limited to
ONE print-only request.

The program committee will strictly enforce the above policies.
Abstracts submitted in violation of these policies will be rejected.
The only exception will be for those who are invited to give a talk at
a special session (e.g., the Masursky Lecture, or an invited speaker
for a special session). Those abstracts will not be counted against
authors as one of the two abstracts they are allowed to submit.

Use of Meteorite Names

Please read carefully the information about the use of meteorite names
contained in the detailed instructions for authors. A representative
of the Meteorite Nomenclature Committee will be reviewing the LPSC
abstracts to make certain that all authors are in compliance with
these policies. The program committee reserves the right to reject any
abstract found to be in violation of these rules.

Policy Regarding File Sizes

The number and complexity of abstract files submitted to this meeting
have exhausted the resources available on a single CD-ROM. All
abstracts, regardless of file type, must be NO LARGER THAN 1 MB. We
sincerely appreciate your cooperation in this matter. If you attempt
to submit a larger file, you will receive an error message, and your
attempted submission will be rejected by the system.

Deadline

The electronic abstract deadline for NON-PDF files is 5:00 p.m. CST
(local time in Houston), Tuesday, January 3, 2006. Abstracts that are
not in PDF format will not be accepted after this date. The electronic
deadline for abstracts submitted in PDF format is 5:00 p.m. CST (local
time in Houston) Tuesday, January 10, 2006. No exceptions will be made
for late abstracts. If you discover that you are having difficulty
submitting your abstract on the Web site, please call us immediately
(281-486-2142 or -2188) so that we will have time to assist you.

Preparation of Abstracts

Abstracts can be submitted in any of the following formats: PDF
(preferred), PostScript, Microsoft Word for the PC and Mac, and rich
text format (RTF). Templates and detailed instructions are provided.
After you prepare your abstract file, you will have to fill out the
electronic abstract submission form and upload the file containing
your abstract (instructions are provided on the form). Abstracts sent
by e-mail will NOT be considered.

Remember that electronic transmission of files is not always
instantaneous; gateways can temporarily be shut down, local routers
can fail, network traffic can be very heavy, etc. Because your
abstract file must be RECEIVED at the LPI by 5:00 p.m., it's in your
best interest to submit early to allow for possible delays in
transmission. Because of the number of abstracts received and the time
required to process them, exceptions cannot be made for anyone,
regardless of the reason.

* * Please start early so we'll have time to assist you should you run
into technical difficulties. * *

Provision for Hard-Copy Submission

If for some reason you will be unable to submit your abstract
electronically, you must contact the LPI by fax (281-486-2125) to
request the necessary forms and instructions for submitting by hard
copy. These requests must be accompanied by a valid fax number, phone
number, and e-mail address (we often have technical problems trying to
reach fax numbers, particularly those outside the U.S.). The deadline
for hard-copy submissions is January 3, 2006. Hard-copy submissions
received after that date will be automatically returned to the author.

REGISTRATION

Preregistration

A fee of $65.00 ($40.00 for students) will be assessed each
participant to cover conference services. You must preregister and
prepay by February 10, 2006, to avoid the $25.00 late fee. Foreign
participants who state on the registration form that they have a
currency exchange problem may pay in cash at the meeting and avoid the
$25.00 late fee if they return the form by February 10, 2006.

Participants registering by credit card MUST use the secure electronic
registration form; those registering using any other method of payment
(check, money order, or traveler's check) MUST use the downloadable
registration form. Requests for cancellation with a fee refund (less a
$10.00 processing fee) will only be accepted through February 24, 2006.

NOTE: Those who fail to attend and do not notify the LPI Publications
and Program Services Department prior to the February 24 deadline will
forfeit their full fee.

Advance tickets for the Wednesday evening social event ($20.00) may be
purchased via the registration form.

Sunday Night Registration and Reception
Sunday evening, March 12, 2006, registration and a reception will be
held at the LPI from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. The location of the LPI is
shown on the area map. Shuttle buses will operate from selected hotels
to LPI on Sunday night. Participants arriving after Sunday night will
be able to register on site at South Shore Harbour.

ACCOMMODATIONS
          
South Shore Harbour Resort & Conference Center is an award-winning
hotel on the shores of Clear Lake (phone: 281-334-1000; fax:
281-334-1157), approximately a 20-minute drive from the LPI. The LPI
has negotiated with the hotel to offer standard rooms (single or
double occupancy) for $104.00 per night. While this rate is higher
than the GSA rate for this area, it is substantially less than the
normal corporate rate for this hotel. To qualify for these rates, you
must identify yourself as an LPSC participant. The numbers of rooms
are limited, so we encourage participants to make their reservations
early. Participants looking for a roommate to share housing expenses
may use the roommate search form.

Registered guests will have access to the following amenities:
complimentary covered parking, marina with rentals for water sports, a
185-foot tropical pool with heated jacuzzi, 70,000-square-foot fitness
center, and golfing privileges at South Shore Harbour Country Club
(green fees extra). There are also a number of area babysitting
services that will provide childcare at the hotel for a fee; a list of
these services is available upon request from the hotel.

There are a number of other hotels in the area, and we have negotiated
special rates at most of them. Remember to ask for the LPSC rate when
you make your reservations. The local area map shows the locations of
the LPI, South Shore Harbour, and other local hotels.

Participants should be aware that the ONLY hotels that are on the LPSC
shuttle route are listed below. Participants staying at any of the
other hotels will have to provide their own transporation.

    * South Shore Harbour
    * Best Western-Webster
    * Brentwood Inn
    * Days Inn and Suites
    * Extended Stay America
    * Hilton Houston NASA/Clear Lake
    * Microtel Inn
    * Motel 6
    * Oxford Inn and Suites
    * Quality Inn
    * Super 8

  
AIRPORT SHUTTLE SERVICE
          
Galveston Limousine Service provides continuous shuttle service
from both George Bush Intercontinental Airport ($60.00 round trip per
person) and Hobby Airport ($50.00 round trip per person). Reservations
for Galveston Limousine may be made via their Web site at
www.galvestonlimo.com or by calling 1-800-640-4826.

Clear Lake Shuttle (281-334-3873), located in the lobby of South Shore
Harbour Resort and Conference Center, is available to provide
transportation to or from George Bush Intercontinental Airport and
Hobby Airport. Contact them directly for current rate information.

CONTACT INFORMATION
          
For further information regarding conference logistics, contact
Mary Cloud
phone: 281-486-2143;
fax: 281-486-2125;
e-mail: cloud_at_lpi.usra.edu.

For further information regarding abstract submission and
registration, contact
Linda Tanner
phone: 281-486-2142;
fax: 281-486-2125;
e-mail: tanner_at_lpi.usra.edu.

SCHEDULE
TUESDAY, January 3, 2006,
5:00 p.m. (CST) Deadline for hard-copy submission and
non-PDF electronic abstract submissions
TUESDAY, January 10, 2006,
5:00 p.m. (CST) Deadline for electronic abstract
submissions in PDF format
Deadline for student award application forms
(with original signature of advisor)
February 3, 2006 Final announcement with program
and abstracts posted on this Web site
February 10, 2006 Pre-registration deadline at reduced rate
March 12, 2006 Reception and registration at LPI
from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
March 13-17, 2006 37th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
Received on Sun 20 Nov 2005 01:05:50 AM PST