26th LPSC

The 26th Annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference will be held March 13-17 in Houston, Texas. The conference will begin with a reception and registration Sunday, March 12, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Registration will continue beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Monday morning, March 13, at the NASA Johnson Space Center. Sessions will be held at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) and the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, March 13, and ending Friday, March 17, at noon.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Technical Sessions

Technical sessions will be held at the Gilruth Center. Parallel sessions will be held in Room A (Room 104), Room B (the old gym), Room C (the new gym), and Room D (Room 206 upstairs). A Guide to Technical Sessions is included in this mailing. The preliminary program and first paragraph of the abstracts accepted for the conference are available on line; instructions for accessing the online system are included in this article.

Poster Presentations

Poster sessions have been scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 9:30 at the LPI. Authors of papers selected for poster presentation will be available to display and discuss their results in the poster area during the assigned time period. Additionally, posters may be viewed at LPI each day of the conference. Shuttle transportation between the Gilruth Center and LPI will be available throughout the week. Each poster will have a space 40" x 40" for display. Requests for tables, computers, or video equipment, etc., cannot be honored due to the limited space available for poster displays.

Visual Aids

Standard support for dual-screen projection of slides and overheads will be provided in all technical sessions. A slide preview area will be available at the Gilruth Center. VCR images can be projected in Conference Rooms A, B, and C. In Conference Room D, a large-screen video monitor will be available. VCR tapes must be 1/2" VHS or 3/4" U/matic.

Authors presenting by poster who want to show VCR tapes may sign up for one-hour slots on a first-come, first-served basis in Room 204 of the Gilruth Center. A tape player and monitor will be available in that room for video presentations. You may want to advertise the times your video will be presented on your poster board during the Tuesday or Thursday evening session.

SPECIAL SESSIONS

Harold Masursky Lecture

The Harold Masursky Lecture Series will continue this year in a special plenary session to begin at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, March 13, 1995. The Masursky Lecturer is Dr. Michael J. Drake, who will present The Moon: What We (Think We) Know About It, How We Know It, and What We Don't Know! A special session devoted to the Clementine Mission will follow Dr. Drake's lecture.

Clementine Special Session

The Defense Department's Clementine Mission mapped the entire Moon in 11 wavelengths in the visible and near-infrared, in addition to obtaining global altimetry and selected high-resolution and thermal images. Data from this mission promise to revolutionize our knowledge and understanding of lunar processes and history. This session will consist of both invited and contributed talks from the Clementine Science and Flight teams that will give an overview of the scientific richness and potential of the Clementine data, as well as some of the exciting, initial scientific results. The Clementine Special Session will be held on Monday, March 13, 1995, at 2:30 p.m. following the Masursky Lecture.

Discovery Special Session

Because of the intense interest in the Discovery Missions, a special session on these and similar-scale missions is scheduled for Wednesday, March 15, 1995, in the afternoon. The session will consist of a brief overview of the Discovery Program status, followed by summary talks on Mars Pathfinder, NEAR, and the missions selected during the recently completed competition (these are expected to be announced in February). Similar mission concepts from ESA and elsewhere will also be discussed. The detailed schedule for this session will be available at the conference.

Special Poster/Display Sessions on Education

Two special poster/display sessions on education will be held at LPI on Tuesday and Thursday evenings during the regular technical poster sessions instead of an oral session at Gilruth. The education special sessions, "Planetary Science Educational Activities and Technology," will be located in and around the LPI library. Participants who request them will be provided with tables, electrical outlets, and equipment, as well as poster space to display and demonstrate the programs and products they have developed. This format provides much more interactivity, which is lacking in an oral session; it allows participants to demonstrate some of the projects "hands-on" rather than simply describing them. Computer software, videos, handouts, etc., may be included as part of the presentations. Participants who will require tables, electrical outlets, computers, audio-visual equipment, Internet connections, or any other special equipment must submit a written request by fax (713-486-2186) or e-mail (hager@lpi.jsc.nasa.gov) no later than February 24, 1995.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Chili Cookoff and Tex-Mex Fiesta

The cookoff and Tex-Mex Fiesta will be held on Wednesday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Landolt Pavilion. Out-of-town teams are encouraged to enter. Because the conference staff can no longer provide cooking equipment, the "preparation on site" rule common to most cookoffs will be waived to encourage more team participation. The goal of this event is fun, not serious cooking competition. Guest tickets may be purchased for $10.

Chili Cookoff Teams should complete an entry form (provided with the Third Announcement mailing) and return it to LPI by February 17 to enter a chili in the cookoff. The judges are hoping for a few good cooks, so organize your teams and enter now!

Reception for Award Winners

A reception will be hosted by GSA on Monday at 6:00 p.m. in Conference Room A. The 1994 winners of the Stephen E. Dwornik Student Paper Awards will be honored.

Computer Demonstrations and E-Mail Stations

All computer stations for demonstrations, displays, exhibits, and e-mail will be located at the LPI. The main displays will be located in the Center for Information and Research Services (library). Several stations will be available to participants for checking e-mail. The conference shuttle buses will make regular stops at LPI during the week of the conference.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM ONLINE

The program and first paragraph of abstracts for the 26th LPSC will be placed on line on or around February 1, 1995.

HOW TO GET THERE

World-Wide Web (WWW) Access

If you are using an Internet information browser like NCSA Mosaic, the URL for LPI is

http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/lpi.html

Internet Access

At your system's prompt, type

telnet cass.jsc.nasa.gov

or

telnet 192.101.147.17

The username prompt should be displayed. Use only lower-case characters for logging onto this account.

USERNAME: cass

PASSWORD: online

Modem Access

For modem access (at 14.4K/9600 bps), DEC VT series terminal emulation (100 and above) is required.

(713) 244-2089

(713) 244-2090

Press < ENTER> until you receive the username prompt. Use only lower-case characters for logging onto this account.

If you have questions concerning the online abstracts or program, contact Sarah Enticknap (e-mail: enticknap@lpi.jsc.nasa.gov; phone: 713-486-2164). For questions about accessing the LPI computer or navigating the online system, contact Eleta Malewitz (e-mail: malewitz@lpi.jsc.nasa.gov; phone: 713-486-2197). Telephone assistance is available from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.

REGISTRATION

Preregistration

A fee of $50 ($30 for students) will be assessed each participant to cover various conference services. You must preregister and prepay by February 20, 1995, to avoid the $10 late fee. Foreign participants who state on the registration form that they have a currency exchange problem may pay in cash at the meeting and avoid the $10 late fee if they return the form by February 20. A preregistration form is enclosed. Requests for cancellation and a refunded fee will be accepted through March 10.

Those who fail to attend and do not notify the LPI Publications and Program Services Department prior to March 10 will forfeit their full fee.

Sunday Night Registration

The Sunday night reception and registration will take place at the LPI at 3600 Bay Area Boulevard from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Shuttle buses will operate from selected hotels to the LPI on Sunday night. For those driving rental cars, see the information on overflow parking provided in this article under the heading "Conference Shuttle Services."

Registration will continue beginning at 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Monday morning, March 13, at the JSC Gilruth Center. The registration desk will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 8:00 a.m. to noon on Friday.

CONFERENCE SHUTTLE SERVICES

Conference shuttle buses will provide service between selected hotels (Nassau Bay Hilton, Days Inn, Holiday Inn, Ramada Kings Inn, Quality Inn, Motel 6, and Best Western NASA Inn), the JSC Gilruth Center, and LPI. No shuttle service is available from the Residence Inn by Marriott or the South Shore Harbour Resort. There will be rotational runs in the morning, during lunch, at the close of sessions, and to and from these hotels during special events. Your conference badge will serve as your bus ticket.

The conference shuttle will also make hourly stops at LPI during the week. Computer displays, exhibits, poster sessions, and other conference-related events will be located at the LPI throughout conference week.

In addition, for those driving rental cars, we will provide a "park and ride" service for anyone arriving at LPI for the reception and registration on Sunday evening or the poster sessions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. If you arrive after the LPI parking lot has been filled, additional parking has been acquired in a lot at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (next door to LPI). Shuttle buses will pick you up at this lot and deliver you to the front door of LPI.

LOCAL GROUND TRANSPORTATION

Ground transportation from Houston Intercontinental and Houston Hobby Airports to the local area hotels at a reasonable cost is available through two shuttle services.

AAA Shuttle charges $10 one way from Hobby Airport and $15 one way from Houston Intercontinental Airport. Service is limited to three trips per day from each airport. The scheduled departures from Intercontinental are at 7:40 a.m., 11:15 a.m., and 2:45 p.m. Scheduled departures from Hobby are at 8:20 a.m., 11:50 a.m. and 3:20 p.m. The telephone number for AAA Shuttle is 713-338-7133.

Service from both airports is also available through Galveston Limousine Service (vans and small buses are used for the airport shuttle). This service offers trips from Intercontinental Airport from 7:00 a.m. through 10:00 p.m. every one and one-half hours. The scheduled trips from Hobby Airport are from 8:00 a.m. through 11:00 p.m. every one and one-half hours. The rate from either airport for a one-way trip is $15. The telephone numbers for Galveston Limousine Service are 713-223-2256 (Houston line) or 409-765-5288 (Galveston line).

No public transportation is available from the airports to the local area, or within the local area surrounding NASA Johnson Space Center. Taxi service is available from the airports and in the local area. Taxi service rates are approximately $20-25 from Hobby Airport or $50-60 from Intercontinental Airport.

MESSAGES AND FAXES

A message center will be in the conference registration area at the Gilruth Center during the technical sessions. People who need to contact attendees during the conference may call 713-483-0321, Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on Friday from 8:00 a.m. until noon. A fax machine will be located at the staff desk for incoming messages only. Faxes should be sent to 713-483-8737. Telephone messages and faxes will be posted on a bulletin board near the Registration Desk.

FORMS AND INFORMATION

Please contact the LPI Publications and Program Services Department at 713-486-2166 for further information.

26th LPSC: GUIDE TO SESSIONS AND ACTIVITIES

March 13-17, 1995

(Letter designates Gilruth Center room.)

Monday Morning, 8:30 a.m.

A Basaltic Meteorites: Real and Virtual

B Mars Exploration: Pathfinder and Beyond

10:15 a.m. Lunar Exploration Strategies and Resources

C Origins of Planetary Systems

D Mercury

9:15 a.m. Remote Sensing

Monday Afternoon, 1:30 p.m.

C Special Plenary Session

Presentations to the 1994 Stephen E. Dwornik Student Paper Award Winners followed by

Harold Masursky Lecture by Michael J. Drake

The Moon: What We (Think We) Know About It, How We Know It, and What We Don't Know!

Monday Afternoon, 2:30 p.m.

A Presolar Grains

B Mars Surface Mineralogy and Remote Sensing

C Special Session: Clementine Explores the Moon

D Outer Planets/Satellites

Monday Evening, 6:00 p.m.

A Reception hosted by GSA to honor the 1994 Stephen E. Dwornik Student Paper Award Winners

Tuesday Morning, 8:30 a.m.

A Chondrule Formation

B Mars Geophysics

C Lunar Highlands Rocks and Geology

Tuesday Afternoon, 1:30 p.m.

A Calcium-Aluminum-rich Inclusions and Their Formation Processes

B Mars Geology

C Lunar Mantle Processes and Mare Basalts

D Tektites and Impact Studies

Tuesday Evening, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

LPI Poster Session I and Education Special Session Displays Planetary Science Educational Activities and Technology

Wednesday Morning, 8:30 a.m.

A Chondrites

B Meteorites and Mars I: Surface, Volatiles, and Atmosphere

C Meteorites from the Moon

9:45 a.m. Lunar Surface Processes

D Craters on the Earth with Diamonds

Wednesday Afternoon, 1:30 p.m.

A Meteorites and Mars II: Focus on ALH84001

B The Chicxulub Syndrome

C Special Session: Discovery

Wednesday Afternoon, 5:30 p.m.

C NASA Program Managers' Meeting

Wednesday Evening, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Conference Social Event, Landolt Pavilion

Thursday Morning, 8:30 a.m.

A Differentiated Meteorite Melange

B Venus Resurfacing and Lithospheric Properties

C The NEAR Mission and the Nature of S-class Asteroids

Thursday Afternoon, 1:30 p.m.

A Interplanetary Dust

B Venus Geology and Surface Properties

C Planetary Interior Processes

D Asteroids, Too

Thursday Evening, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

LPI Poster Session II

and

Education Special Session Displays Planetary Science Educational Activities and Technology

Friday Morning, 8:30 a.m.

A Carbonaceous Chondrites

B Volcanism and Lava Flows

C Shoemaker-Levy 9 Impacts