Press Information
LPSC Media Contact:
Kécia Mallette
Lunar and Planetary Institute
Office: 281-486-2183
Mobile: 713-557-6123
E-mail: kmallette@hou.usra.edu
Members of the working press and news media are invited to attend the 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference at the The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, The Woodlands, Texas, on March 18–22, 2013.
This five-day annual conference brings together nearly 2000 international specialists in petrology, geochemistry, geophysics, geology, and astronomy to present the latest results of research in planetary science. This is the premiere conference for planetary scientists, and has been a significant focal point for planetary science research since its beginning in 1970, when it was known as the Apollo 11 Lunar Science Conference.
News Media Registration Information
Media representatives providing press credentials will receive a complimentary badge allowing access to all conference sessions. Press credentials will be checked at the registration help desk, where your press badge will be issued. Advance registration is open through March 16, 2013. Check-in will be on Sunday, March 17, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., and Monday through Friday beginning at 8:00 a.m.
Note: You will be prompted to create an account allowing you to access the Meeting Portal. Once logged in to the Meeting Portal, media representatives should select “Working Press” as the registration type to receive your press badge at no charge.
Press Briefings
Two press briefings will be held during LPSC:
Curiosity Rover Science Team Press Briefing
Monday, March 18, 12:00 noon CDT (1:00 p.m. EDT, GMT –5) to 1:15 p.m. CDT (2:15 p.m. EDT, GMT –5)
Montgomery Ballroom A
Panelists: Jim Bell (Arizona State University, Tempe), co-investigator for the Mast Camera, Mars Hand Lens Imager, and Mars Descent Imager investigations; Maxim Litvak (Science Research Institute, Moscow, Russia), deputy principal investigator for the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons investigation; Melissa Rice (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena), science team collaborator; Mariek Schmidt (Brock University, Saint Catherines, Ontario, Canada), participating scientist
GRAIL/LRO Press Briefing
Tuesday, March 19, 12:00 noon CDT (1:00 p.m. EDT, GMT –5) to 1:15 p.m. CDT (2:15 p.m. EDT, GMT –5)
The Woodlands Room
Panelists: Maria Zuber (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge), GRAIL principal investigator; Kurt Retherford (Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio), principal investigator, Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP); Mark Robinson (Arizona State University, Tempe), principal investigator, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC)
Both briefings will be covered via Livestream.
Highlighted Events
Media representatives are also invited to attend Highlighted Events, most notably the NASA Headquarters Briefing on Monday, March 18, at 5:30 p.m.
There is also a Plenary Session featuring the Masursky Lecture, which will be presented by Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton. The plenary session will be held on Monday, March 18, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
For more information about these and other events, visit the Highlighted Events page.
Special Sessions
Special sessions will include the initial scientific results from the first few months of surface operations of the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, on Mars; a session covering the recent GRAIL mission’s contributions to lunar science; sessions showing how mapping of Vesta by the Dawn mission is providing data that will be a key link to understanding the formation, provenance, and delivery of the HED meteorites to Earth; and a session on early differentiation of planetary bodies across the solar system.
For scheduling information, see the listing of Special Sessions.
Highlighted Abstracts
The technical program and abstracts of 1945 presentations (574 oral; 1371 posters) are now available.
A schedule of Highlighted Abstracts of special interest to the news media is also available.
Organizers
The 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference is organized by the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI)/Universities Space Research Association (USRA).
The LPI is a nonprofit organization whose focus is on academic participation in studies of the current state, evolution, and formation of the solar system. The Institute is managed by USRA under Award No. NNX08AC28A from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. USRA/LPI seeks to foster scientific discovery while inspiring the next generation.
