40th ESLAB Symposium

First International Conference on

Impact Cratering in the Solar System

08-12 May 2006, Noordwijk (NL)

When and where:

The First International Conference on Impact Cratering in the Solar System will be held on 08-12 May 2006, at the ESTEC establishment of ESA in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, E.U. This is the first conference with such broad range of topics, dealing with all impact cratering aspects on Earth and Solar System bodies.

Purpose:

Impact cratering is the most common geological process in the Solar System. In the framework of comparative planetology, to optimise the scientific return from the fleet of ESA missions to the terrestrial planets (Mars Express, Venus Express, Smart-1 and BepiColombo) and to foster collaborations between the Planetary and Earth Sciences communities, ESA is providing a forum for a timely discussion of scientific investigations in the diverse field of impact cratering in the Solar System.

Following the very successful series of international conferences focusing on catastrophes in the Earth's history ("Snowbird" series) and on large meteorite impacts ("Sudbury" series), together with dedicated sessions at major annual planetary geosciences events, such as the LPSC in Houston, the impact cratering community in Europe has repeatedly expressed the need for a different and complementary kind of meeting, including all aspects of impact cratering, to be held in Europe. ESA can thus help in this respect.

The proposed conference embraces numerous disciplines existing today related to the study of impact craters and addressing geological, geochemical, geophysical, astronomical and biological aspects of impact cratering processes, including results from space missions such as Deep Impact. Also, this new type of conference gives the opportunity to young European scientists to foster fruitful collaborations both within a European and a worldwide context.

Scope:

Sessions on the following topics will take place:

• • • • • • S01: Asteroids, comets and impact flux
          • S02: Planetary chronology and the late heavy bombardment
          • S03: Craters on Moon, Mercury and satellites
          • S04: Craters on Mars and Venus
          • S05: Terrestrial impact craters and impact petrology
          • S06: Drilling of terrestrial impact craters
          • S07: Chicxulub: new geophysical studies
          • S08: Physics and chemistry of impact cratering
          • S09: Computer simulations
          • S10: Laboratory experiments
          • S11: Space missions
          • S12: Catastrophes and extinctions
          • S13: Life survival and evolution
          • S14: Impacts and habitability of terrestrial planets

(click image to download poster)

Programme:

The oral session programme is available on this page. The poster session programme is available on this page. Abstracts will also be available on the same pages.

Scientific Committee:

The international Scientific Commitee of the conference is composed of:

• Nadine Barlow, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
• Agustin Chicarro, European Space Agency, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, EU
• Charles Cockell, Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, EU
• Marcello Coradini, European Space Agency, Paris, France, EU
• Kate Fishbaugh, ISSI, Bern, Switzerland
• Boris Ivanov, Institute for Dynamics Geospheres, Moscow, Russia
• Christian Koeberl, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, EU
• Takafumi Matsui, ,University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
• Alessandro Morbidelli, Observatory of Nice, Nice, France, EU
• Gerhard Neukum, Freie Universiteit, Berlin, Germany EU
• Gordon Osinski, Canadian Space Agency, Montreal, Canada
• Elisabetta Pierazzo, Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona, USA
• Jeff Plescia, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland USA
• Wolf Uwe Reimold, Berlin Museum for Natural History, Berlin, Germany, EU
• Rita Schulz, European Space Agency, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, EU
• Jan Smit, Vrij Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, EU
• Hakan Svedhem, European Space Agency, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, EU

Proceedings:

The conference proceedings will be published as ESA Special Publication No. 612 (on CD-ROM) quickly after the the conference.

In addition, a dedicated issue of an international scientific journal under full peer review will be arranged after the conference.

Schedule:

Local Organizing Committee:

• Clare Bingham
• Agustin Chicarro
• Angelo Pio Rossi
• Rita Schulz
• Gerhard Schwehm
• Hakan Svedhem
• Olivier Witasse