CONVENERS
Hugh Kieffer — Viking Mission
Matthew Golombek — Mars Pathfinder Mission
Arden Albee — Mars Global Surveyor Mission
Jeffrey Plaut — Odyssey Mission
Joy Crisp — MER Mission
Richard Zurek — MRO Mission
Daniel McCleese — Mars Program
James Garvin — Mars Program

CONTACTS
Scientific Meeting Organizer

Arden Albee
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences
Mail Stop 150-21, California Institute of Technology
Pasadena CA 91125
Phone: 626-395-6367   Fax: 626-585-1917
E-mail: [email protected]

LPI Meeting Coordinator
Mary Cloud
Publications and Program Services Department
Lunar and Planetary Institute
3600 Bay Area Boulevard
Houston TX 77058-1113
Phone: 281-486-2143
Fax: 281-486-2125
E-mail: cloud@lpi.usra.edu



The Sixth International Conference on Mars will be held at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), July 20–25, 2003. At that time a flotilla of new missions either will be sending new data back from Mars or will be on their way to Mars. The first such conference was held in 1973 as data were being returned from Mariner 9. Conferences were convened in 1979 and 1981 as data were returned from the Viking missions. The fourth conference, in 1989, reviewed ten years of analysis of the Viking data and resulted in the publication of the classic 1498-page volume entitled Mars. The fifth conference was held in 1999 as Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor data became widely available.

This conference will provide an opportunity to review and debate some of the key questions and controversies that have matured during the flood of MGS and Odyssey data. Abstracts should address, with provocative syntheses, such key topics as the following (listed in no particular order):


The program committee will establish the conference program on the basis of the abstract submittals. Each of the half-day sessions will include invited longer papers as well as shorter contributions, short comments, and posters. Contributors should assume that all attendees are quite familiar with the published data and ideas on Mars. Oral sessions will be held in Ramo Auditorium on the Caltech campus, and poster sessions will be held in the adjacent gardens. Coffee breaks and box lunches will be available in the same area. Some alternative arrangements may be necessary if there is an excessive number of registrants.


Researchers in appropriate scientific disciplines are invited to submit extended abstracts that may not exceed FOUR pages, including graphics, tables, and references. File sizes are restricted to 1.5 MB. Abstracts should address topics of broad interest to the Mars community; poster contributions on potential missions or instruments, as well as print-only abstracts, may be accepted.

The abstracts and preliminary program should be available by May 23, 2003. These files will be in PDF format, viewable with version 4.0 or higher of Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded free of charge from the Adobe Web site. Abstract volumes in CD-ROM format will be available at the time of registration; they can be referenced like the LPSC volumes.

Deadline
The electronic abstract deadline is 5:00 p.m. U.S. Central Daylight Time (i.e., local time in Houston, Texas) on Wednesday, April 16, 2003. No exceptions will be made for late abstracts. Whether the problem is loss of electricity, a computer crash, or anything else beyond your control, your abstract must be RECEIVED at the LPI by the deadline in order to be considered by the program committee. If you discover that you are having difficulty submitting your abstract on the Web site, please e-mail or call the LPI staff immediately (publish@lpi.usra.edu or 281- 486-2142/-2188) so that they 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, WordPerfect for the PC (versions 7 and 8 ONLY), and rich text format (RTF). Templates and detailed instructions are provided. After you prepare your abstract file, you must 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.

Provision for Hard-Copy Submission
If for some reason you will be unable to submit your abstract electronically, you must contact the LPI to request the necessary forms and instructions for submitting by hard copy (publish@lpi.usra.edu; 281-486-2142/-2188).


Details on hotels, registration, and social events will be included in the final announcement, to be posted on this Web site on or around May 23 (see schedule below). For special questions or suggestions, contact the scientific meeting organizer, Arden Albee.


April 16, 2003Deadline for electronic submission
of abstracts to LPI
May 23, 2003Final announcement and program
with abstracts on Web site
June 15, 2003Preregistration deadline
July 20, 2003Registration and reception
at Caltech Athenaeum
July 20–25, 2003Sixth International Conference on Mars


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