First Call for Papers

Dear Colleague,

This is the first call for abstracts for the 7th IAA International Conference on Low-Cost Planetary Missions (LCPM7). The 7th conference will be held on the campus of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, September 12-14, 2007. The deadline for abstract submission is June 29, 2007.

This IAA-sponsored series of conferences has become the premier venue for the international community to meet on the topic of low-cost robotic solar system exploration conducted by missions whose total cost fits within the cost caps of the US NASA Discovery and Mars Scout programs, or less than $0.5B US. The space agencies of Europe, Japan, Russia, India and China also have programs of planetary exploration with missions within this cost range. Significant advances in scientific knowledge have resulted from this class of mission and will continue to do so in the future.

LCPM7 is comprised of plenary sessions conducted in series, comprised of invited papers, and poster sessions comprised of contributed papers. Seven topic areas will provide the focus for the conference: (1) overviews of national and international programs, (2) recent science discoveries, (3) missions in operation, (4) learning from the past - lessons for the future, (5) missions in definition or development, a panel discussion, (6) science instruments for the future, and (7) advanced concepts for future low-cost planetary missions. Details can be found at the conference web site: http://lcpm7.jpl.nasa.gov/

We look forward to seeing you in Pasadena in September for a successful conference. Please forward this message to your colleagues.

Sincerely,

Gregg Vane
General Chairman
7th IAA International Conference on Low-Cost Planetary Missions (LCPM7)