EUROPEAN PLANETARY SCIENCE CONGRESS 2009
13-18 September 2009
Kongresshotel am Templiner See, Potsdam, Germany

1ST MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

More than 500 planetary and space scientists from around the world will gather for the fourth European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) at the Kongresshotel am Templiner See, Potsdam, Germany from Sunday 13 September to Friday 18 September 2009.

The EPSC is the major meeting in Europe for planetary scientists. The programme comprises more than 30 sessions covering a wide range of planetary topics, including new results from Venus, Mars, Mercury, Saturn, Titan and the Moon, planetary protection, astrobiology and habitability of other worlds. There will be special sessions and workshops on science and technological objectives for exploring Ganymede and Europa, in preparation for the future ESA/NASA Europa Jupiter System Mission.

On Monday 14 September, Professor Steve Squyres, chair of the steering committee for the US Planetary Science Decadal Survey, will lead a consultation session with the European planetary community on the roadmap for Solar System exploration.

This year’s EPSC programme also features the first in a series of Technology Foresight workshops organised by Europlanet, which will provide a forum where European instrument capabilities can be compared with the requirements for planetary robotic exploration.

Details of the congress can be found at the official website:
http://meetings.copernicus.org/epsc2009/

The EPSC has a distinctively interactive style, with a mix of talks, workshops and posters, intended to provide a stimulating environment for discussion. A full schedule of EPSC 2009 scientific sessions and events will be released in July. Further information will be circulated a few weeks before the meeting, including press notices on presentations that may be of special interest (subject to embargo).

EPSC 2009 is organised by Europlanet, a Research Infrastructure funded under the European Commission’s Framework 7 Programme, in association with the European Geosciences Union.

MEDIA REGISTRATION

Media representatives are cordially invited to attend. Press room facilities will be available for the duration of the conference – from 9 am on Monday 14 September through to 3 pm on Friday 18 September. The venue has a wireless network. Media registration is free. Any bona fide media delegates can pre-register online or by e-mailing Anita Heward at anitaheward@btinternet.com . (Advance registration is not essential but encouraged).

FURTHER INFORMATION

EUROPLANET

The Europlanet Research Infrastructure is a major (€6 million) programme co-funded by the European Union under the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission.

The Europlanet Research Infrastructure brings together the European planetary science community through a range of Networking Activities, aimed at fostering a culture of cooperation in the field of planetary sciences, Transnational Access Activities, providing European researchers with access to a range of laboratory and field site facilities tailored to the needs of planetary research, as well as on-line access to the available planetary science data, information and software tools, through the Integrated and Distributed Information Service. These programmes are underpinned by Joint Research Activities, which are developing and improving the facilities, models, software tools and services offered by Europlanet

Europlanet Project website: http://www.europlanet-ri.eu/