8th Mars Crater Consortium Meeting
October 3-4, 2004
US Geological Survey, 2255 N. Gemini Drive, Flagstaff, AZ
Venue:
The 8th Mars Crater Consortium Meeting will be held in the Building 6 (Shoemaker Center for Astrogeology) conference room at the US Geological Survey in Flagstaff, AZ, October 3-4, 2004. The meeting will run from 8:30 AM to 5 PM both days. The meeting will include time for contributed oral and poster presentations and sufficient time for general discussion topics. You do not have to present an oral or poster presentation in order to attend the meeting.
We strive to keep the MCC meetings rather informal and set aside much of the time for general discussion. Dress is casual (as it is throughout Flagstaff), so leave the neckties and nylons at home. As noted below, temperatures can be on the cool side in Flagstaff in October, so plan accordingly.
An optional field trip to Meteor Crater may be arranged on Sunday, October 2, if there is sufficient interest. Please contact Nadine Barlow if you are interested.
Registration:
There is no registration fee for the MCC meeting. However, please email Nadine Barlow by September 15 to let us know if you will be attending so we can plan accordingly for refreshments, etc.
Abstracts:
All participants are strongly encouraged to submit an abstract to the meeting. ABSTRACT DEADLINE IS MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2005. Abstracts should be 2-page, single-spaced, LPSC style format. Please submit your abstract in PDF (preferred) or Microsoft Word format to Nadine Barlow. Please indicate whether you are requesting an oral or a poster presentation. Abstracts will be posted on the MCC website by Wednesday, September 28, 2005.
Student Travel Grants:
The Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) is providing travel support for 3-4 students to attend the 8th Mars Crater Consortium meeting. Students must be US citizens and must be presenting either an oral or poster presentation at the meeting. APPLICATION DEADLINE IS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2005. Applications can be obtained here or through the MEPAG web site.
Transportation:
Flagstaff's Pulliam Airport is serviced by America West Airlines (which may be called US Airways by October) with small propeller planes out of Phoenix. Many people coming to Flagstaff elect to fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (which is serviced by all major airlines), rent a car, and make the ~2 hour drive up to Flagstaff, or use the Open Road Tours shuttle service between Sky Harbor Airport and Flagstaff (928-226-8060; toll-free 877-226-8060. Even if you fly into Flagstaff, you will probably want to rent a car since there are no hotels within easy walking distance of the USGS. Most major car rental companies can be found at Pulliam Airport or provide shuttle service to downtown offices.
Flagstaff is also served by Amtrak and Greyhound Bus.
Hotels:
Flagstaff is a major tourist destination and as such has a large selection of hotels to choose from. One of the biggest considerations when choosing a hotel in Flagstaff is how close it is to the train tracks, which run through the middle of town. Flagstaff has ~90 trains passing through town each day (and night) and all of them sound their horns at the many street-RR crossings. So unless you want to be awakened several times during the night, we locals recommend staying away from hotels along Route 66 (sometimes still called Santa Fe Avenue), where unfortunately most of the hotels are located.
Flagstaff lies at the intersection of Interstate 17 (north-south artery between Flagstaff and Phoenix) and Interstate 40 (one of the main east-west routes across the country). Flagstaff's Pulliam Airport lies off of I17, just south of the intersection with I40. To reach the hotels along Butler Avenue, take I40 east (towards Albuquerque) and exit at Butler Avenue (exit 198). The rest of the hotels are located along or a block or two off of Milton Road, which is what I17 turns into when you enter Flagstaff. The first stoplight as you come into Flagstaff is at Forest Meadows Street. Turn left there for any of the hotels along Forest Meadows, Beulah Blvd (the next light you come to once you have turned onto Forest Meadows), or Woodlands Village Blvd (turn left onto Beulah from Forest Meadows; pass the Walmart on your right and turn right at the next stoplight onto Woodlands Village).
Hotels Along Butler Avenue, near I40 (still prone to railroad noise, but not as bad as along Route 66):
Little America, 2515 E Butler. 928-779-7900 or 1-800-352-4386 (www.flagstaff.littleamerica.com)
Econo Lodge Lucky Lane, 2480 E Lucky Lane, 928-774-7701
Quality Inn I40 East, 2500 E Lucky Lane, 928-226-7111
Ramada Limited, 2350 E Lucky Lane, 928-779-3614
Travelodge Hotel, 2200 E Butler, 928-779-6944
Hotels Along South Milton Road (not as much railroad noise, but lots of traffic noise from Milton):
Econo Lodge University, 914 S Milton Road, 928-774-7326
Embassy Suites Hotel of Flagstaff, 706 S Milton Road, 928-774-4333 or 1-800-362-2779 (www.embassysuites.com)
Fairfield Inn by Marriott, 2005 S Milton Road, 928-773-1300
Quality Suites, 2000 S Milton Road, 928-774-8771 or 1-800-228-5151
Hotels a block or two off of South Milton Road (these are the quietest):
Amerisuites Flagstaff, 2455 S Beulah Blvd, 928-774-8042
Comfort Inn, 2355 S Beulah Blvd. 1-800-490-6562 or 928-774-9613 (Nadine's personal recommendation)
Hampton Inn and Suites, 2400 S Beulah Blvd., 928-913-0900
Hilton Garden Inn Flagstaff, 350 W Forest Meadows St., 928-226-8888
La Quinta Inn and Suites, 2015 S Beulah Blvd., 928-556-8666
Ramada Limited West, 2755 S Woodlands Village Blvd., 928-773-1111
Sleep Inn Flagstaff, 2765 S Woodlands Village Blvd., 928-556-3000
Directions to USGS from the Hotels:
From Hotels Along Butler: Turn right from Butler onto Enterprise Road. Cross over the railroad tracks and turn left onto Route 66. Follow Route 66 into downtown Flagstaff. Turn right onto San Francisco Street. Stay in the right lane on San Francisco until you see Flagstaff Medical Center on your left. Turn right onto Forest Avenue at the next stoplight. Follow Forest up the hill and around the curve (where it turns into Cedar Avenue). You will see a brown sign for Buffalo Park and the USGS; turn left onto Gemini Drive. The USGS is the set of buildings on the left. Turn left into the 2nd driveway and park in any open parking space.
From Hotels Along/Near South Milton: Follow Milton into downtown Flagstaff, following the road as it curves to the right just past the railroad overpass. You are now on Route 66. The third stoplight after the curve is at San Francisco Street. Turn left onto San Francisco and stay in the right lane until you see Flagstaff Medical Center on your left. Turn right onto Forest Avenue at the next stoplight. Follow Forest up the hill and around the curve (where it turns into Cedar Avenue). You will see a brown sign for Buffalo Park and the USGS; turn left onto Gemini Drive. The USGS is the set of buildings on the left. Turn left into the 2nd driveway and park in any open parking space.
You will not need parking permits. A map of the USGS campus can be obtained here.
Flagstaff:
Flagstaff lies at an elevation of 7000 ft (2134 m) on the south side of the San Francisco Mountains, the remnants of a stratovolcano which blew its top about 400,000 years ago. These mountains, commonly just called "The Peaks" by locals, include Humphrey's Peak, which at 12,633 ft (3850 m), is the highest mountain in Arizona. Cinder cones are common in the area, including Sunset Crater which last erupted in 1064 AD. Flagstaff is bordered by the Coconino National Forest, which means you will see lots of pine trees and none of the saguaro cacti for which Arizona is famous. Because of its high elevation, Flagstaff does experience four seasons, including snow during the winter. In early October, you will likely see colorful leaves on the aspen trees and perhaps some snow on the Peaks. Average daytime high in October is 63F (17C) while the average nighttime low is 31F (-0.5C). Wind is also common during the fall. We recommend you bring a warm jacket.
There are many things to see and do in the Flagstaff area, so we encourage you to spend extra time before or after the meeting to see what this area offers. The historic downtown area (bordered by Route 66 to the south, Cherry Avenue on the north, Humphrey's Street on the west, and Agassiz Street on the east) offers numerous unique shops and restaurants, as well as many red sandstone buildings dating from the late 1800's and early 1900's. Northern Arizona University (south of Butler, north of Pine Knoll, east of Milton, and west of San Francisco) is home to the High Altitude Sports Facility (where many Olympic athletes train), Cline Library, Clifford White Theater, Ardrey Auditorium and Music Hall, and NAU Skydome (athletic and other events). The NAU campus observatory, containing the first telescope (24") used for infrared observations, is open for free public viewing on Friday nights, weather permitting. Also within Flagstaff city limits are Lowell Observatory (where Pluto and the expansion of the universe were discovered, not to mention the center of the Martian canal controversy), the Museum of Northern Arizona, the Pioneer Historical Museum, and the Riordan Mansion State Historic Park. Within an hour's drive of Flagstaff are Grand Canyon National Park, Sunset Crater National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Meteor Crater, the red rock country of Sedona, and Oak Creek Canyon. Flagstaff is crisscrossed with a multitude of hiking trails--Nadine will be happy to recommend her favorites.
More information about Flagstaff and the surroundings can be obtained from the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce.
For More Information About the Meeting, Contact:
Nadine Barlow, Dept. Physics and Astronomy, Northern Arizona University, Box 6010, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-6010 928-523-5452; FAX: 928-523-1317; Nadine.Barlow@nau.edu.
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