Kepler Science Conference Update

The following is being sent out by the Kepler SciCon organizers:  

“We have just learned that the efforts of NASA’s Ames Research Center to ensure that our Chinese astronomer colleagues will be able to attend the Second Kepler Science Conference have been halted by the fact these approvals must be entered into a computer system at NASA HQ in Washington DC. Because of the ongoing federal government shutdown, there is no one at NASA HQ who can complete the approval process. Of course, if the federal shutdown continues much longer, the conference will not be able to begin as scheduled on November 3, 2013. We fear that the meeting may have to be cancelled as a result, or delayed. The ability of scientists to attend an open scientific meeting about the spectacular results produced by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope is another likely fatality of the failure of the U.S. Congress to enact a federal budget for FY2014.

Alan Boss, SOC Co-Chair, KSC II”

Editor’s note: As I understand the situation all of the final arrangements for this meeting – including the processing of all foreign visitors (not just Chinese) – can only happen if the government is open. If the government does not open in time then there’s a chance that the meeting simply will not happen.