ExoPAG 1: Initial Meeting of the Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG)
January 7-8, 2010 (Thursday 1:00-5:15pm and Friday 8:30am-12:00noon)
Marriott Wardman Park, Washington DC
Scientists interested in exoplanet exploration from space-based platforms are encouraged to attend the upcoming meeting of the Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG). You can review the agenda from the Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) website listed below. Note that you do not need to register for the AAS in order to attend; it’s at the same location, but is a separate meeting.
The kickoff meeting for NASA’s ExoPAG will be held Thursday afternoon/Friday morning, Jan. 7-8, directly following the 215th American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington DC. The ExoPAG is established to provide a conduit for community input into the development and execution of NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program. It is designed to serve as a community-based, interdisciplinary forum for analysis in support of Exoplanet exploration objectives and of their implications for architecture planning and activity prioritization and for future exploration. The ExoPAG will provide its inputs and the results of its analyses to NASA through regular reports to the Astrophysics Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council. ExoPAG membership is free and open to all members of the scientific community with an interest in the detection and characterization of planets and planetary systems around other stars.
Topics for discussion include: 1) What information do we need to know in order to characterize an exoplanet, and what can be done from the ground? 2) What is the impact of zodiacal and exozodiacal dust on direct exoplanet observations, and what can be done to improve our knowledge of exozodis? 3) What do we need to know about planetary system architectures, and how can we obtain this information? 4) What can be learned about exoplanets from the ground using proposed extremely large telescopes? Time will also be reserved for a general discussion of future priorities for extrasolar planets research. All ExoPAG meetings are open to the community. The meeting will end around midday on Friday, Jan. 8.
Information about ExoPAG 1 and the ExoPAG in general is available on the web at http://exep.jpl.nasa.gov/ExoPAG. Questions and comments can be sent by email to [email protected].
