14th Brazil Remote Sensing Symposium This Week

Brazil is one of the world's leading countries in Earth Observation (EO), delivering over 100,000 remote sensing images each year freely over the internet. Since the mid 1960s, when Brazil cooperated with NASA in a remote sensing project for an aerial survey of areas to be used as lunar analogues, remote sensing has been a primary focus of Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE). On Apr 25-30, INPE will be hosting the '14th Brazilian Remote Sensing Symposium (SBSR),' in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. The objective of the symposium is to congregate experts in remote sensing and related areas, and to promote a continuous improvement of the general level of scientific and technical production generated. 1,013 papers, from experts representing all states of Brazil and several other countries, were selected for presentation and published in the proceedings. The symposium will include discussions on an exhaustive list of remote sensing topics including: deforestation assessment and management, urban planning, agricultural production, climate change and environmental assessment, and severe weather monitoring. SBSR is held itinerantly in each region of the country with the goal of promoting regional increases of knowledge in the remote sensing field. As part of this goal, ten 16-hour courses given by Brazilian and foreign lecturers, will precede the symposium. (Credit: INPE)

As of today, at least 344 planets, mostly gas giants, have been identified orbiting neighboring stars. With more and more scientists now focusing on exoplanet research, the next decade promises to bring exciting new discoveries that could provide convincing evidence that Earth is not the sole life-harboring planet in this vast Universe. On April 21-23, experts in this field will gather in Pasadena CA for NASA JPL's 'Missions for Exoplanets: 2010-2020.' The purpose of the meeting is to provide a forum where advocates of NASA-funded and independently developed concepts can present the goals, needs and details of their proposed missions. NASA JPL Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) will also use the material presented at the meeting to inform the Program's planning for future technology development and science investigation opportunities. Oral-presentation sessions will be organized into the main exoplanet observing techniques: astrometry, microlensing, transits, optical imaging, infrared imaging and additional concepts. NASA will give an update on the series of missions they have underway to search for Earth-like worlds. These missions include the Keck Interferometer (B), Kepler mission (CR), SIM PlanetQuest and the Terrestrial Planet Finder. ESA will give an update on their COROT (TL) mission and other exoplanet plans, while JAXA will present its work with Subaru telescope, SPICA and an overview of its future space missions. (Credit: NASA, ESA)