S T A R  &  P L A N E T

                         TERRESTRIAL PLANET FINDER NEWSLETTER

                                 Number 6, February 12, 2004


1.   Second TPF/Darwin Conference - announcement
2.   TPF Science Working Group news

1.   Second Terrestrial Planet Finder/Darwin International Conference

                  "Dust Disks and the Formation, Evolution
                     and Detection of Habitable Planets"

                     Mission Bay, San Diego, California

                              July 26-29, 2004

               http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/TPFDarwinConf/

Now is the time to mark your calendar, and plan to attend this exciting
conference!   Registration and abstract submission are now open.  Abstract
deadline is April 30.

This will be the second annual joint-TPF/Darwin conference.  It follows the very
successful Heidelberg meeting in April 2003.  The main purpose of this
conference series is to help develop the field of extra-solar planet research.
The conference is hosted by the TPF and Darwin Projects, the Michelson Science
Center, and the Spitzer Science Center.

We plan three major science themes:  1. Recent results on exo-zodiacal disks
from Spitzer and other space and ground observations. We expect exciting new
results from Spitzer, and space and ground instruments on structure,
composition, and frequency of debris disks.  2. The link between the physical
conditions in the early solar nebula and astrobiology.  Spitzer will provide new
information on the properties of zodiacal disks in the first 500 million years
of a planetary system's existence.  3. Discussion of TPF/Darwin designs, science
requirements and technology advances.

We have selected an excellent location!  San Diego is a wonderful resort
destination, and its summer weather is normally very predictable: dry, sunny,
and warm, but not too hot.  The meeting hotel is the Hyatt Regency Islandia,
Mission Bay, close to the ocean and the famous Sea World marine wildlife park.

More information, including a draft agenda, is available on the conference web
site listed above.  You can sign up on the web site to receive e-mail news and
announcements about the conference.  We will add more information as it becomes
available, so please check back frequently.

If you would like a full-color poster to help us advertise the Conference,
please send us an e-mail at TPFDarwinConf@jpl.nasa.gov, and we will send you
some copies to post in your department.

We hope to see you in San Diego!

    Chas Beichman, SOC Chair, TPF Project Scientist
    Steve Unwin,   LOC Chair, TPF Deputy Project Scientist


2.   TPF SCIENCE WORKING GROUP NEWS

The TPF Science Working Group (SWG) will hold its fifth meeting in Pasadena,
February 24-25, 2004.  The Group's main focus continues to be the science
requirements for TPF.  As well as recommending the top-level requirements, the
Group helps the Project study the implications of these requirements by
translating them into performance and efficiency requirements, etc.  This step
is critical for evaluating instrument and mission concepts which are designed to
meet those goals.

One of the Group's roles is provide a point of contact for the members of the
wider science community.  Here is the list of Group members:

http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/news/tpf_free.cfm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Unwin, Editor                              stephen.unwin@jpl.nasa.gov

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