The First Landing Site/Exploration Zone Workshop for Human Missions to the Surface of Mars will be held October 27 to 30, 2015, at the Lunar Planetary Institute (LPI) in Houston, TX. The purpose of this workshop is to identify and discuss candidate locations where humans could land, live and work on the martian surface.

NASA hopes to engage scientists, technologists and experts in human exploration during the conference, fostering collaboration among the teams that will enable humans to explore Mars in the coming decades.

Potential “Exploration Zones” will need to offer compelling science research while also providing resources that our astronauts can take advantage of during their pioneering of the Red Planet. First explorers will be limited to about 60 miles (100 km) of travel from their landing site due to life support and exploration technology requirements.

For More Information: http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/first-landing-site-announcement.pdf