From a report submitted to the Endowment Committee by: Kuljeet Kaur Marhas, Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, India.
This work was supported by a Meteoritical Society Community Grant. Visit the Grants webpage for more information about the program and see previous news stories for information about other funded Meteoritical Society Endowment Grant efforts.
The Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, hosted the International Conference on "Meteoroids, Meteorites, and Messengers from Space" (MetMeSS-2024) from 20-22 November 2024. This in-person gathering convened international experts to present and discuss recent advancements in meteoritic and planetary science. The conference encompassed a broad spectrum of research areas, including meteor phenomena and space weathering, extraterrestrial organic molecules in the interstellar medium and meteorites, surface and subsurface processes on terrestrial planets and small bodies, astrochemistry, astrobiology, and terrestrial analogues. The conference commenced with a welcome address by Prof. Anil Bharadwaj, Director, PRL. Messages of support were conveyed by Shri A.S. Kirankumar, Chairman of the PRL Council of Management, followed by an inaugural video address presented by Dr S. Somanath, Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, ISRO, highlighting the significance of planetary sciences and future missions. Notably, the conference addressed the increasing importance of laboratory analyses of planetary materials, particularly in the context of upcoming sample return missions such as the proposed Chandrayaan-4 lunar mission. This focus aimed to inform India's future strategic direction in planetary science and space exploration within the global scientific community.
MetMeSS-2024 served as a vital platform for fostering interest and creating opportunities for emerging researchers in meteoritics. The conference facilitated interaction between PhD candidates, postdoctoral fellows, early-career scientists, and graduate students with established planetary scientists from India and abroad over its seven sessions. Approximately 90 scientific papers were presented at the conference, which was attended by 140 participants from diverse fields within planetary science. Keynote presentations included a plenary talk by Prof. Hisayoshi Yurimoto on asteroid sample return missions (Hayabusa 1 & 2) and sessions were dedicated to diverse topics such as stardust, astrochemistry and astrobiology, differentiated planetary bodies, meteor and space weathering, impact processes, planetary surface and subsurface characteristics, and analogue studies. These sessions, featuring invited talks and contributed presentations, stimulated extensive scientific discourse and promoted collaboration within the field. The conference successfully provided a crucial forum for disseminating cutting-edge research and fostering the next generation of planetary scientists. Several students were felicitated with young researcher awards in recognition of their scientific research presented in the form of an oral talk or poster presentation. A two-day (19–20 November) pre-conference workshop (Karyashala) was conducted as an outreach activity to introduce postgraduate and PhD students to laboratory analytical methods and instrumentation. The conference concluded with a post-conference field trip to the Kutch region of Gujarat, a terrestrial Martian analogue site, led by renowned scientists. This immersive experience gave young researchers valuable insights into field research methodologies and the practical application of planetary science concepts.
Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), The Meteoritical Society (MetSoc), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of science and technology, Govt. of India and Indian Planetary Science Association (IPSA) supported the conference by providing funding to students and early career researchers.