The Third International Conference on the Exploration of Phobos and Deimos, or PhD-3 Conference, will be held in sunny California at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, on 18-19 July 2016.
The PhD-3 Conference will be held immediately before the NASA 2016 Exploration Science Forum (ESF-2016) convened by NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) at the same venue on 20-22 July 2016.
The PhD-3 Conference is intended primarily for space scientists, engineers, space exploration professionals, and students, but will be open to the public. Registration will be free, but is required to attend technical sessions. Abstracts are solicited in any one of three themes relating to the exploration of Phobos and Deimos:
Submissions pertaining to the exploration of other small bodies will also be considered, as long as their relevance to the exploration of Phobos and Deimos is clearly described. Accepted abstracts will be published online and in a Conference Abstracts booklet. The PhD-3 Conference will comprise a single-track plenary venue for oral presentations (invited talks and selected oral contributions), and a poster gallery in which posters may remain on display for the entire duration of the PhD-3 Conference and throughout the following NASA SSERVI ESF-2016 meeting as well. Four plenary technical sessions for oral presentations are planned. The first three technical sessions will each be dedicated to one of the following themes:
The fourth plenary technical session will be dedicated to formulating a Synthesis & Recommendations for Next Steps. Each technical session will include a combination of invited talks, selected oral presentations, time for brief questions and answers after each presentation, and additional time for an open plenary discussion at the end of the session.
The PhD-3 Conference will also feature special events, including a Space Art Exhibition titled “Near-Earth Worlds” presented by the International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA) and co-sponsored by the Mars Institute, the SETI Institute, and NASA, and a ceremony to present the Mars Institute’s “Asaph Hall Best Student Paper Award” to an undergraduate or graduate student presenting an original paper at the conference.