ESA Science & Technology - 1st Mars Express Science Conference

First Announcement

Following a successful launch, Mars orbit insertion and the first year of operation of the Mars Express mission, ESA is organising a Mars Express Science Conference devoted to the presentation and discussion of the scientific results obtained during the first year of the nominal mission.

Mars Express is the first flexible mission of the revised long-term ESA Science Programme Horizons 2000 and was launched towards the red planet from Baikonur (Kazakhstan) on 2 June 2003. Mars Express is a 3-axis stabilized orbiter with a fixed high-gain antenna and body-mounted instruments, dedicated to the orbital and in-situ study of the surface, subsurface, atmosphere and environment of the planet. The broad scientific objectives of the mission are:

• global colour and stereo high-resolution imaging of the surface and its geological interpretation
• global mineralogical mapping of the surface
• radar sounding of the subsurface structure down to the permafrost
• global atmospheric circulation and composition
• interaction of the atmosphere with the surface and with the interplanetary medium
• radio science to infer critical information on the atmosphere, ionosphere, surface and interior.

This conference is the first Mars Express science event that will serve as a focal point for the scientific community involved in Mars Express to review the progress made in the understanding of Mars, and put the results in the wider context of the latest scientific interpretations derived from the current NASA orbiter and lander missions (Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, MER).

Details of the conference can be found at the Congrex website

Abstract Submission

The deadline for submissions of abstracts is being extended by two weeks to 29 November. This new deadline, however, will be a non-flexible one. The abstracts should have a length comprised between half and one page (including illustrations).
 
To guide your submissions, please, find below a tentative breakdown of sessions:

Most Mars Express PIs and IDS will be assigned invited talks, in addition to other key speakers. Comparative results between Mars Express and MGS/Mars Odyssey are encouraged. Several poster sessions and social activities are being planned.

The online abstract submission form is available at the conference website.