It is with pleasure that I invite you to submit papers for the 11th Australian Mars Exploration Conference, to be held in Perth on 23th - 24th July, 2011.

This conference aims to expand the breadth and depth of scientific, technological and cultural development in support of the human exploration of Mars.

Three of the world's space agencies, ESA, NASA and Roskosmos, now have plans for human flight to the red planet between now and 2030.

To succeed, such missions will depend not only a great deal of scientific and technological know-how, but also on a new kind of spacefaring society - one able to bridge the gulf between worlds: a two-planet culture. To this end, in addition to scientists and technologists, I extend our invitation to the social experts, managers, writers and artists who will be instrumental in forging such a culture.

Since 2001, the AMEC conferences have been an international forum for Mars exploration. Past AMEC guests have included speakers such as Apollo 17 geologist Dr. Harrison Schmidt, space simulation expert Dr. Vadim Gushin of the Moscow Institute of Biomedical Problems and Dr. Steven Squires, Principle Investigator of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover team.
AMEC conferences are run by the Mars Society Australia, an incorporated, non-profit research body that does practical research in support of an eventual human mission to Mars. MSA is the Australian branch of the worldwide Mars Society which has about 6,000 members.

ACTIVITIES:

MSA funds and manages three major technical projects:

• the Starchaser Marsupial analogue rover,
• the MarsSkin analogue spacesuit
• and the Mars-Oz analogue research station, as well as a number of smaller experiments.

MSA members publish widely in peer-reviewed international journals and papers, and conduct numerous public seminars and lectures.
The organisation has conducted several expeditions to Central Australia. It has a high media profile, logging tens of impressions on radio, television, the Internet and the print media each year.
It is certified by CSIRO as an Approved Research Institute. Its internet records are being archived by the National Library in Canberra as documents of historical importance.
MSA also participates in international collaborative projects with organisations such as NASA and ESA, including the Spaceward Bound educational initiative and a month-long simulation at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah.

All papers submitted to AMEC 2011 will be peer-reviewed in accordance with DEEWR guidelines for conference publications. Papers should be practical in orientation and address the following topics:

• Preparing for the first human mission to Mars
• Advances in space suit technology
• Use of robots in surface operations
• Strategies and technologies for surface exploration
• Field science for exploration
• Educational needs for a spacefaring culture
• Recruiting the next generation of explorers, astronauts, scientists and engineers
• The Mars Society as a culture
• New concepts in technical program management
• Future trends in project funding
• Remote-area engineering
• Colonization of Mars
• Mars as an inspiration to artists

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRESENTERS

This page details information for presenters of accepted papers at the conferance. Oral Presentations:

• Presentations are scheduled to last 35 minutes: 30 minutes for the talk and 5 minutes for questions and change-over.
• Powerpoint or PDF slides are recommended.
• The presentation room will contain:
  • A computer running Windows XP with Microsoft Office and Acrobat Reader.
  • An LCD video projector.
• Presenters will be able to upload their presentation files onto the presentation computer on the morning of their presentation from 08:15 hrs onwards or during the breaks. An assistant will be in the room to help.
• Presenters are encouraged to bring their presentation files stored on a CD-ROM or USB thumb drive (flash disk).
• Alternatively, presenters can use their own computer if absolutely required. Note that the connection from the LCD projector to the computer is limited to a standard VGA (D-sub 15 pin) connection. Poster Presentations:
• Posters will be displayed during the welcome and poster reception scheduled for the first morning break on the Saturday of the Conferance.
• Presenters are expected to be present at their poster for as long as possible during the welcome and poster reception.
• Available space: 880mm wide x 1200mm high.
• That is, the maximum size of a poster is A0 portrait or A1 landscape (poster boards will accommodate posters of size A0 portrait or A1 landscape, but not necessarily A0 landscape).
• Poster boards and mounting material will be provided.
• Presenters are required to put up their posters before the start of the welcome and poster reception.
• Presenters are responsible for the dismantling of their posters. Posters left after the conclusion of the welcome and poster reception will be disposed of.

Full papers of no more than 7 pages in length should be emailed to the conference chair g.mann@murdoch.edu.au by 30th April, 2011.

Authors should include a brief cover note including their name and contact details.

Notification of the review results will be distributed by 12th June, 2011. Registration and presentation at the conference is a requirement for publication. Looking forward to seeing you at the conference,

Dr. Graham Mann,
Program Chair,
AMEC 2011