NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI)

August 25-26, 2010 NAI Executive Council in-person Meeting Agenda

Kilauea Military Camp, Crater Rim Drive, Hawaii National Park, HI, 96718
http://www.kmc-volcano.com/ • KMC phone #: 808-967-8333
On site NAI Central POC: Marco Boldt

Wednesday, August 25

08:00–08:30 Breakfast

08:30–08:45 Opening remarks (Carl Pilcher)

08:45–09:45 Update from HQ (Mary Voytek)

09:45–10:00 BREAK

10:00–11:00 Proposal for International Partnership with Colombia (Chris House/John Peters)

11:00–11:30 NAI website (login feature + 2010 annual report) (Shige Abe)

11:30–01:00 LUNCH / PI in camera session

01:00–01:30 Report from PI in camera session

01:30–02:00 Kamchatka expedition

02:00–02:30 BREAK

02:30–04:00 U. Hawaii science presentations

• Karen Meech: Origin of Water on Earth and a Mission to the Asteroid Belt
• Steve Freeland: Understanding Life’s Choice of Amino Acids
• Kim Binsted: The Computational Astrobiology Summer School, Current and Future
• Jeff Taylor: Highly Volatile Elements and Water in Mars, Earth, and the Moon

04:00–04:30 Discussion of the following (Carl Pilcher, all)

• International Astrobiology Newsletter
• Request for Information for Earth Science/Astrobiology

04:30–05:00 3-D data visualization system (Marco Boldt/Mark Friedenbach)
05:00 Adjourn

Thursday, August 26

08:00–08:30 Breakfast

08:30–10:00 Focus group proposals (Ed Goolish, Melissa Kirven-Brooks)

• Thermodynamics, Disequilibrium, and Evolution (TDE)
• Astrobiology and Society

10:00–10:30 BREAK

10:30–11:00 Set dates/locations for next year’s EC in person meetings + Other business

11:00–12:00 Overview of the Kilauea Volcanic System (Jeff Taylor and Ken Hon)

12:00 Adjourn

Optional Volcanoes Park Excursion

After the meeting adjourns on Thursday, 8/26, there will be an optional Volcanoes Park Excursion, described below. Transportation and box lunches will be provided. Bring sturdy, comfortable walking shoes, a hat, and sunscreen.

Stop 1: Jagger Museum, which gives a nice overview of Kilauea caldera. Most importantly, we will look into Halema`uma`u crater and view sulfur/sulfate deposits. A lot of toxic gas is escaping from the vent on the side of Halema`uma`u.

Stop 2: Sulfur banks, in an accessible location not far from Park Headquarters. Lots of elemental sulfur has been deposited by a reaction of hydrogen sulfide gas with SO2 gas to make sulfur and water. Places like this are likely on Mars.

Stop 3: Mauna Ulu fissures, where we will look down a crack and see deposits there, plus look at different types of lava flows and explosive deposits. We can also look at Mauna Ulu (formed between 1969 and 1973), which is highly altered (brownish) near the top and from which steam escapes. It is too far to walk to Mauna Ulu itself in a reasonable amount of time, but the fissures and related features are five minutes from a parking lot.

Stop 4: Back of Thurston lava tube. Many people have been through the lighted part of the tube, but further on is more interesting. Everyone will be issued a flashlight for this part of the excursion. Slimy stuff lives on the walls, and there are excellent volcanic features. The tube environment is interesting volcanologically. You haven’t really visited a lava tube until you visit one with a volcanolgist!