General Information

Space-Based Ionosphere-Thermosphere Research Conference

The Next Steps

October 17 - 19, 2007

Manhattan Beach Marriott, Manhattan Beach, CA

Join us Wednesday, October 18, from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Manhattan Beach Marriott
Parkview Room, South Foyer

The Aerospace Corporation will host a conference to discuss the state of ionosphere-thermosphere (I/T) research in the context of the coupled sun-Earth system. This conference will provide a venue for the presentation and discussion of the current state of the art of upper atmosphere (thermosphere and ionosphere) research. The focus of the conference will be on space missions and investigations that advance knowledge and enable exploration of this region. We will produce, with community consensus, a plan for future I/T missions and delineate the investment areas that we believe must be addressed. The product of the conference will be a volume of papers describing our understanding, as well as the challenges that must be addressed in the near term (1 to 15 years) in order to continue the exploration and understanding of this critical region.

The conference will consist of solicited and contributed talks, focused panel discussions, and reports from ad hoc working groups. On the final day, a panel will review the results of the conference. This précis of the conference will be captured as an Executive Summary that will be distributed to the national and international agencies concerned with the outcomes of I/T investigations. Interested scientists and members of the space weather users community, as well as industry and national agency executives, are encouraged to register.

The format of the three-day conference is a sequence of oral presentations. Participation is open to all, subject to a 100-person attendance limit, and contributed presentations are highly desired. Titles and abstracts for talks or suggestions for focus panels or ad hoc working groups can be submitted by e-mail to SBITR@aero.org

Topics

• Open issues from the operational community
• Outstanding scientific problems
• Research tools
• Concepts for new missions
• Panel discussion of mission priorities

Organizers

• J. Clemmons, The Aerospace Corporation, Chair
• G. Crowley, ASTRA
• K. Hand, The Aerospace Corporation
• R. Heelis, University of Texas at Dallas
• P. Kintner, Cornell University
• J. Kozyra, University of Michigan
• A. Mannucci, JPL
• L. Paxton, JHU/APL
• R. Pfaff, NASA/GSFC
• R. Robinson, NSF
• J. Spann, NASA/MSFC
• J. Thayer, University of Colorado