First Gordon Research Conference on Atmospheric Reentry Physics

The first Gordon Research Conference on Atmospheric Reentry Physics will take place in 2013 (February 3rd-8th) in Ventura, California. The subtopic of this conference is “Fundamentals of Environment-Materials Interactions, Models and Design Approaches to meet Emerging Space Needs”: http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2013&program=atmosentry.

The”Atmospheric Reentry Physics” conference will provide a single focal point to allow for the better integration and advancement of a multidisciplinary research community of scientists and engineers, representing government agencies, the private sector, and University systems across the world. The primary objectives of the conference are to foster improved communication across national and discipline boundaries, and to expose the atmospheric reentry community to new ideas and techniques from adjacent disciplines in the hopes of bringing new experimental techniques to bear on the problem as well as brainstorm about challenges faced by expanding the range of application of existing techniques. The guiding principle of a Gordon Conference is the presentation of new, unpublished work and the free, unhampered discussion that follows. This tradition of freely sharing ideas is due in large part to GRC’s “off the record” policy which prohibits photography or tape recording of sessions or the publication of conference proceedings.

Under the auspices of the GRC, the current state of the art can be considerably advanced by bringing new ideas and methodologies to bear on the problem. This is a unique opportunity, an openminded environment where engineers at the forefront of Atmospheric Reentry come together with top scientists from critical research areas to discuss, prioritize and strategize in terms of advancements needed to enable development of modern, afordable reentry models and design tools as well as novel technologies to support Emerging Space and Exploration Needs and to ensure that valuable ideas, fundamental discoveries and concepts and technological advancements are put to good use towards human exploration. We encourage participation of:

1. Technical experts, leaders and visionaries in the field who drive technological concepts for the 21st century space exploration, especially in the reentry technology area.

2. Scientist who have an idea and possess the knowledge, tool or technology (not necessarily specifically developed for Atmospheric Reentry) that could enable a future breakthrough.

3. Students and research associates working in any of the areas relevant to the outlined program.

4. Engineers from commercial sector who are working in a very specific landscape (constrained environment) and on a schedule and do not have the resources and time to develop new technologies and tools. We are looking at them to share their expertise and wish list.