Planetary Scientists Meet the Press http://www-sisn.jpl.nasa.gov/ISSUE51/lpi_conf.html The "Planetary Scientists Meet the Press" workshop kicked off the activities at the 30th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) held at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) in Houston, Texas, the week of March 14th. Because scientists and journalists are key partners in informing the public about scientific discoveries and technical innovations, the workshop's goal was to foster more effective communication of scientific information to the public. Following this initial workshop,the conference focused on various topics of interest, such as the new evidence regarding the possibility that an ocean once existed on Mars. The conference, which was chaired by Carl Agee and David Black, was held at Gilruth Center and the University of Houston - Clear Lake (UHCL). Technical sessions, held at Johnson Space Center's Gilruth Center, included oral presentations on continuing investigations of the Martian meteorites, results from the Mars Global Surveyor mission, discussions about astrobiology and origins of life in the Universe, findings about Jupiter's moon Europa, and goals for near-future Mars missions (the Mars Surveyor 2001 orbiter, lander and rover, and the European Space AgencyÌs Mars Express). A special plenary session featuring the Masursky Lectures highlighted the scientific and technical accomplishments made during the Galileo mission to the Jovian system. Scientists also previewed Cassini's exploration of the Saturnian system. Special sessions included the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) flyby of the asteroid Eros, new views of our Moon by the Clementine probe, and Lunar Prospector's mapping and measurements of the magnetic and gravity fields of the Moon's surface. New perspectives on Mars Global Surveyor results regarding Martian volcanism, possible lakes and oceans, the planet's polar regions and other terrain were discussed, as well as future missions to understand how Earth-like planets form and evolve to become habitable. Poster presentations were held Tuesday and Thursday evenings at UHCL's Bayou Building. Excerpted from NASA press release J99-6, written by Laura Rochon Johnson Space Center. Image courtesy of the LPI 30th web site. Return to Welcome Page