EVOLUTION AND EXPLORATION OF SOLAR SYSTEMS

Organized by David J. Stevenson and Maria Zuber, this colloquium was held January 5-6, 2007 at the Beckman Center in Irvine, CA. 

Meeting Overview
The past decade has been a remarkable period in solar system exploration and the emerging appreciation of other solar systems. We have come to recognize the extraordinary character of "planetary systems" (satellites and Kuiper belt bodies) within our own solar system, the diverse environments affected by water and other fluids, the nature of planetary materials and processes that shape formation and evolution, and the bridging of a previously large gap between planetary science and astronomy. 

This colloquium brought together the planetary and astronomical community and provide a forum for discussion and assessment of our current understanding of the nature of our solar system and a comparison with other planetary systems. This included a synthesis of what we have learned from planetary exploration so far, as well as astronomical data and comparisons with Earth. This interdisciplinary meeting showcased the latest results including discussions of the new Mars results (MRO),well digested Spitzer and Cassini results, Stardust results, other missions activity and many interesting ground-based results as well as a number of interesting theoretical and modeling developments.

Session I: Planetary Exploration
Opening Remarks - David Stevenson (California Institute of Technology)
 
Carolyn Porco (Space Science Institute) Cassini and the Rings of Saturn

Jonathan Lunine (University of Arizona) Titan:  Where does the methane come from and where does it go?

Torrence Johnson (Jet Propulsion Lab) Small Icy Moons

Don Brownlee (University of Washington) Stardust and the Nature of Comets

Session II:  Astronomical Window on Planets
Deborah Fisher (San Francisco State University) Astrometry and the Search for Extrasolar Planets

David Charbonneau (Harvard University) Transit Detection of Planets 

Michael R. Meyer (The University of Arizona) Spitzer and Planet-Forming Disks

David Jewitt (University of Hawaii) Kuiper Belt

Keynote Lecture
Andrew Knoll (Harvard University) Planets and Life

Saturday, January 6, 2007
Session III:  Water in the Solar System
Laurie Leshin (Goddard Space Flight Center) Meteorites and Volatile reservoirs

Steven Squyres (Cornell University) Water and Early Mars

Maria Zuber (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Water and Mars Evolution

Robert Pappalardo (University of Colorado) Europa and Oceans in Icy Satellites
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Session IV:  Putting It All Together
John Chambers (Carnegie Institution of Washington) Terrestrial Planet Formation

Alex Halliday (University of Oxford) Geochemical Perspective on Planet Formation

David Stevenson (California Institute of Technology) Giant Planet Formation

Robin Canup (Southwest Research Institute) Making Moons

Closing Remarks - Maria Zuber (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

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