Landing Site Characterization and Selection for Future Exploration Missions

A EUROPLANET JRA1 workshop

January 17-21 2011, Leiden/Noordwijk, The Netherlands

Registration for Expression of Interest

Pre-register here to receive future information about the workshop and registration procedure.

Scientific case and motivation

Europe is currently in the process of defining its activities in solar system exploration through programs of the European Space Agency and the EU. Scientific research is a key-driver in solar system exploration and constitutes the essential foundation for future robotic planetary and lunar missions in the global exploration context. The process by which landing sites are selected for such missions typically involves collaboration between people with diverse expertise and background, both science and engineering. The European planetary science community has had limited exposure to the process of landing site selection. As part of Europlanet (EU FP7 Research Infrastructure Program), this workshop seeks to foster global collaboration and to empower the planetary community in areas related to landing site selection and terrain characterization for future missions.

Program

The workshop (3.5 days) will consist of lectures, discussion and hands-on interdisciplinary group-sessions, during which we will run simplified simulated landing site selection procedures to explore and test a variety of relevant tools. The workshop is limited to a maximum of 60 participants. The final conference at ESTEC will have a more formal character with key note lectures, presentation of the workshop results, and a panel discussion. Thursday evening we will organize a poster session. The maximum number of participants is 150 for the conference part.

To foster interdisciplinary networking and collaboration we encourage participation of people from a variety of disciplines, both scientists and engineers and junior to senior level.