http://webgis.wr.usgs.gov/mer/Jan_2003_4th_workshop_announce.htm

Dear Colleagues:

The fourth and final workshop on landing sites for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers will be held in the Pasadena, CA area, on January 8-10th, 2003. All interested parties are encouraged to attend and participate in the discussions.

Presentations will be solicited from the community in a subsequent e-mail (which will also contain logistical information), but only those that focus directly on the science and safety of the remaining 4 landing sites under consideration (Hematite, Gusev, Isidis and Elysium) will be considered. The evaluation of site safety will be directed towards understanding potential hazards at the landing sites. The evaluation of science will focus on the development of testable hypotheses relevant to mission science objectives and that can be addressed with measurements using the Athena Science payload will be considered.

The outcome of the workshop will comprise the community input into formulating the Project and Science Team recommendation to NASA Headquarters regarding the sites. It is anticipated that the outcome will be modeled after the more general site evaluations that emerged from the third landing site workshop that took place in March, 2002.

We look forward to your continued participation in the process of selecting landing sites for the Mars Exploration Rovers and hope to see you this January in Pasadena.

Regards,
John Grant and Matt Golombek
Co-Chairs, Mars Landing Site Steering Committee

John Grant
Center for Earth and Planetary Studies
National Air and Space Museum
Smithsonian Institution
Independence Avenue at 6th Street SW
Washington, DC 20560-0315
202-357-1494 (Voice)
202-786-2566 (Fax)