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68th Annual Meteoritical Society Meeting
Final Announcement Posted By LPI The Final Announcement for Metsoc2005 has been posted by LPI. It contains a wealth of information for those planning to attend the 68th Annual Meteoritical Society Meeting this September, including the Program with Abstracts. When & Where You are cordially invited to attend the 68th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society, to be held at Glenstone Lodge in Gatlinburg, Tennessee from Monday, September 12, through Friday, September 16, 2005. 
Gatlinburg is the popular gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the USA (10 million visitors annually). The Park offers 800 square miles of spectacular flora, 900 miles of hiking trails, and stunning mountain vistas. The Cherokee Indians moved into the Park area approximately 1000 years ago, and pioneer settlement began about 200 years ago. The Park biosphere contains more than 130 species of trees (more varieties than in all of Europe), 1500 varieties of flowering plants, and is one of the few places in the Eastern US where black bears and other large animals roam wild. The picturesque Smokies have the most complex topography in the Southern Appalachians, with elevations ranging from 840 to 6600 feet above sea level.
The town of Gatlinburg offers a peaceful, safe environment, with facilities within easy walking distance or accessible by trolley cars. There are more than 100 restaurants, as well as shops, arts and crafts activities, and numerous tourist attractions. The timeframe of our meeting - sandwiched between the summer season and peak fall tree colors - was selected for minimum tourist traffic and comfortable climate. Seasonal temperatures in Gatlinburg during September generally vary between 53 to 84 deg F (12-29 deg C). The venue is in the USA Eastern Time Zone. A car is highly recommended if you wish to take full advantage of the National Park and the many other attractions and facilities in the surrounding area. The National Park visitor center is accessible by trolley. Daily Tours Top of Page Participants who wish to see more of the region can join daily tours operated by commercial guides. During the meeting, Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park offer numerous opportunities for sightseeing and visiting other popular or historical attractions, such as Ripley's Aquarium, Cherokee Indian Reservation, Dollywood theme park, as well as golf courses, concerts, casino gambling, etc. Information will be provided in registration packets. The following daily tour will be arranged by a local travel agency. Those who wish to participate in these tours can sign up on Sunday and Monday (September 11& 12). Each tour will take 15 people minimum with first come first serve. Prices may change depending on the number of people going on each tour and escalating gas prices. Exception: We would like to have a approximate number of people who would like to go to Dollywood on Sunday, because we need to buy tickets ahead of time in order to get group rate and transportation from our Hotel Glenstone Lodge to Dollywood. Please e-mail us at metsoc2005@utk.edu to reserve your place for Dollywood on Sunday. Dollywood is only open on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during our meeting week.
Transportation Top of Page Gatlinburg is served by Knoxville's McGee-Tyson Airport (TYS), reached most easily through direct airline connections in Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis (see listings of airlines below). The airport is approximately 50 miles (80 km) from Gatlinburg. Rental cars (Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, National, and Thrifty) are also available in the terminal. The driving time to Gatlinburg is approximately 1 hour (see website map for directions). Complimentary rides from the airport to the conference (and back) will be available during the following schedule. From McGee-Tyson Airport to Glenstone Lodge: Saturday from noon to 9:00 pm Sunday from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm (note new hours) From Glenstone Lodge to McGee-Tyson Airport: Friday from noon to 6:00 pm For those arriving at odd times, taxi service is also available from the airport to Glenstone Lodge (and back). The current rate is $65.00 USD for the first passenger and $2.00 USD for each additional passenger. Most taxis can carry up to four passengers and their luggage. Airlines Serving Knoxville, TN Top of Page Ranked According to 2004 Passenger Load
METSOC 2005 Lapel Pin
Schedule Top of Page
Abstract Information Top of Page The deadline for abstract submission has past. The Program with Abstracts is now available online. Registration Top of Page To register, go to: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/metsoc2005/
Go to field Trip for those fees Accommodations Top of Page 
GLENSTONE LODGE - ROOMS ARE SOLD OUT NEW LIMITED BLOCK OF HOTEL ROOMS AVAILABLE We are sorry to inform you that all of the rooms in our conference hotel, the Glenstone Lodge, have been sold out. September is a busy month for tourism in Gatlinburg. However, we have made a special deal with a hotel of equal quality that adjoins the Glenstone Lodge, a matter of 20 meters further walk. The rooms are at a rate of $80/day (breakfast buffet included for up to 2 persons per room) from September 11-16. This is slightly less than at the Glenstone, in part to compensate for your inconvenience. A limited block of hotel rooms has been booked at this companion hotel, but due to high demand, we strongly recommend that you make reservations ASAP. We will initiate these reservations immediately when you contact us directly. You can use the same accommodation form to fax us or e-mail as an attachment. We will send you a confirmation immediately when we receive a request from you. Please e-mail dstaylor@utk.edu or FAX (865) 974-2368 or telephone (865) 235-5849. Accommodation Form (Printable PDF) Or Accommodation Form (Writable/Printable Word Document) Banquet, BBQ & Tourist Excursions Top of Page 
 The annual banquet will take place on Thursday evening (15th) at Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. Biltmore, often called "America's castle," was the home of George Vanderbilt, a railroad tycoon in the nineteenth century. Early Thursday afternoon, we will board buses for the beautiful one hour drive through the Great Smoky Mountains to Asheville. That afternoon, we will have opportunities to tour Biltmore House and Gardens, and taste local wines at the Biltmore Winery. The reception and banquet will be held at the Deer Park Restaurant on Biltmore Estate. Because of the afternoon tour, dress for the banquet will be informal.
Obtaining a Visa Top of Page As soon as travel to the United States is contemplated, foreign travelers should identify whether a visa is needed. If the traveler already has a U.S. visa, check the expiration date to make sure that the visa will not expire before the planned travel dates. If you do not know whether you can travel without a visa, review the Visa Waiver Program information at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html Citizens from the Visa Waiver countries will not need a visa, if they must have a machine-readable passport (MRP), otherwise they must apply for a visa. Currently, the following 27 countries are in the Visa Waiver Program: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. Information about visitor visas, and what a person needs to apply, is available on the Department of State's Visa Services website at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html After determining that a visa is needed, foreign travelers should contact the U.S. Embassy Consular Section in their country at least three months before the need to travel. For many non-immigrant visa applicants, a personal appearance interview is now required, and contact will need to made by the traveler with the embassy or consulate to schedule an appointment for an interview. All foreign visitors (including Visa Waiver Program travelers) will be fingerprinted and photographed upon arrival in the U.S. The METSOC 2005 meeting coordinators will send official letters of invitation to all foreign registrants, which should facilitate obtaining visas. If an applicant has not received a response or decision within 30 days after submitting a visa application, the applicant should visit the National academy of Sciences' visa website: http://nationalacademies.org/visas. Once there, the applicant should fill out the visa questionnaire. The NAS reviews the submitted questionnaires on a weekly basis and contacts the US State Department about visa applications that are still pending after 30 days. Maps Top of Page A map of the Eastern US and a regional map showing Gatlinburg, Tennessee. On the regional map, the airplane symbol (left center) marks the location of McGee-Tyson Airport. 
A map of Gatlinburg, Tennessee showing the location of the Glenstone Lodge. The Holiday Inn is right next door. Note that the traffic lights are numbered and that you turn at light number 8 to get to the Glenstone Lodge/Holiday Inn. 
A detailed map of Gatlinburg from MapQuest. The Glenstone Lodge and Holiday Inn are on Airport Road, which is also called the "Historic Nature Trail". (The airport is long gone!) 
Scientific Programs Top of Page On-site registration will begin on the afternoon of Sunday, September 11. A welcome party and outdoor barbeque will be held at Glenstone Lodge on Sunday evening at 6:00 pm. Oral and poster sessions will be held beginning Monday morning and ending Friday at noon. Thursday afternoon is reserved for an excursion prior to the banquet. Field Trip Top of Page A field trip is planned for September 16-18 (Friday-Sunday) to visit the Middlesboro, Kentucky and Flynn Creek, Tennessee impact craters. Middlesboro is a complex crater, 5 km in diameter, that is formed in sedimentary rock. Flynn Creek is also a complex crater, which is 3.6 km in diameter and is formed in limestone. Both craters are excellent sites for collecting samples. The trip is limited to a minimum of 10 participants and to a maximum of 30 participants. You must preregister for the field trip. For detailed information, please visit the MetSoc2005 Field Trip Home Page.
Wave Cave is formed on an anticline on the eastern rim of the Flynn Creek Impact Crater Sponsors Top of Page Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee Institute of Planetary Geosciences, University of Tennessee Barringer Crater Company CAMECA Instruments, Inc. Lunar and Planetary Institute National Aeronautics and Space Administration Oak Ridge National Laboratory Planetary Studies Foundation University of Tennessee Local Organizing Committee Top of Page Hap McSween, University of Tennessee Larry Taylor, University of Tennessee Drew Barringer, Barringer Crater Company Dan Britt, University of Central Florida Guy Consolmagno, Vatican Observatory Bill Deane, University of Tennessee Ted Labotka, University of Tennessee Tony Mezzacappa, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Jeff Moersch, University of Tennessee Herbert Palme, University of Koln Dawn Taylor, University of Tennessee Meeting Conveners Top of Page Harry Y. McSween and Lawrence A. Taylor Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN 37996-1410, USA Phone: 865-974-9805 (McSween) and 865-974-6013 (Taylor) Fax: 865-974-2368 Email: metsoc2005@utk.edu LPI Meeting Coordinator Top of Page Kimberly Taylor Publications and Program Services Department Lunar and Planetary Institute 3600 Bay Area Boulevard Houston, TX 77058-1113, USA Phone: 281-486-2151 Fax: 281-486-2160 Email: Kimberly Taylor (taylor@lpi.usra.edu) Useful Links Top of Page Lunar and Planetary Institute MetSoc 2005 Page MetSoc2006 Zürich, Switzerland August 6-11, 2006 (http://www.metsoc2006.ethz.ch/) Smoky Mountains National Park National Weather Service for East Tennessee Biltmore Estate Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee Meteoritical Society Home Page Annual Meetings of the Meteoritical Society The Great Smoky Mountains and Bear Cub pictures are copyright ©2003 by Bill Deane The line drawing of Biltmore House and the dining picture are courtesy of Biltmore House If you experience any problems with this web site, have comments, or have suggestions, please contact: Bill Deane (wdeane@utk.edu) |