COSPAR, with support from ESA and NASA, is pleased to announce the 2nd COSPAR workshop on refining the planetary protection requirements for human missions, “Closing Planetary Protection Knowledge Gaps for Future Human Missions,” to be held February 27-28, 2018, at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. This workshop is an interdisciplinary meeting seeking to align previously identified knowledge gaps in planetary protection with mission opportunities in the timeframe between now and the first crewed flight to the martian surface. This workshop will feed into subsequent working meetings that produce COSPAR reports assessing potential opportunities to address knowledge gaps in the areas of:

i) Microbial and human health monitoring
ii) Technology and operations for contamination control
iii) Natural transport of contamination on Mars.

Further information on agenda, logistics, registration and opportunities for remote participation, will be available shortly. The workshop seeks to ensure a balance of discipline specialty and nationality among the participants. Accordingly, in person attendance may be limited by the capacity of the facilities. Initial indications of interest in participation can be sent to [email protected].