Microsymposium 61: Planets Underground will take place March 14-15, 2020 (just prior to the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference) at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott, 1601 Lake Robbins Drive, The Woodlands, Texas, USA. Jack Mustard (Brown University) and Vlada Stamenković (JPL) are the co-organizers.

The third dimension of planetary bodies remains largely unexplored. Pioneering and revealing geophysical measurements have shown some aspects of the interior structure of planets. But the subsurface presents many opportunities to expand our knowledge of habitability. For example, the surprising discovering of 12-14% porosity kilometers into the Moon by the GRAIL mission is transformative for understanding subsurface habitability of Mars and early Earth as well as other planets. While the cold, dry surface of Mars with its harsh radiation environments is widely considered to be uninhabitable, the subsurface has been hypothesized to be the longest-lived habitable environment, protected from the harsh surface conditions and a place where water could be stable. Similarly, for Europa the surface temperature and radiation conditions would not support life, yet the promise of subsurface habitability is huge. And we are learning more and more of the vast world of life underground on Earth from the diverse yet largely unexplored biology to the prospects of billion-year old groundwater. The field of Planets Underground poses many exciting science puzzles and questions, and technological challenges to gain access to measurements relevant to these questions.  

The 61st Microsymposium will frame and address several of these questions as we consider exploration strategies for this new frontier in the coming decades. What are the major outstanding scientific questions for the subsurface exploration for geology, 3-D architecture of crusts, and biology? What are the optimum landing sites for robotic exploration to access the subsurface? Has impact cratering done the work of exposing all the mysteries of the subsurface?

The workshop will be focused on 1) keynote presentations for identifying fundamental questions in these broad areas of investigation, followed by 2) reports and discussion on current and future plans for accessing and characterizing the subsurface. Invitations are extended to, and participation is expected from, representatives from Russia, China, ESA, India, Japan, the United States, Korea, and other space-faring nations and commercial enterprises.  

The program will be a mix of invited and contributed papers and will convene on Saturday, March 14 (1:00 pm-6:00 pm) and Sunday, March 15 (8:30 am-12:00 noon). The Microsymposium will emphasize an open-discussion format and will be anchored by invited overviews, commentaries and posters. If you are interested in participating in Micro 61, please save these dates and be alert for our next announcements.

Register for Microsymposium 61 at http://www.planetary.brown.edu/html_pages/micro61_reg.htm.

If you are interested in presenting contact co-organizers Jack Mustard, Brown University ([email protected]) and Vlada Stamenkovic, JPL ([email protected]).

Indications of interest and to be added to the Micro 61 email list contact Melissa DeAugustinis ([email protected]).

Send any inquiries of questions to [email protected].