According to NASA: "An internationally recognized cadre of researchers from diverse scientific disciplines will present their latest findings demonstrating the novel, multidisciplinary nature of astrobiology during the First Astrobiology Science Conference.
Mission opportunities and technology requirements for astrobiology research - the study of the origin, evolution, distribution and destiny of life in the universe
- will also be discussed. The conference is organized into six provocative themes that relate to the fundamental questions and research areas within
Astrobiology: Water--the Sine Qua Non of Life; The Environment; Astrobiology Programs and Mars; Transfer; Detection; and Simplicity and Complexity.
The themes will be discussed during oral presentations and in numerous scientific and technical posters."
Dr. Lynn Rothschild, an evolutionary biologist at Ames and chairperson of the meeting's local organizing committee says "this conference is our first opportunity to assess the science, discuss the mission opportunities available, and really ignite the field."
We have been exploring the universe for millennia (albeit from here on Earth) - all the while speculating about life elsewhere.
Where do we stand in this quest? We've performed an initial, but still incomplete reconnaissance of our solar system and
have begun to identify other planetary systems. We have peered backward in time across great distances to the earliest
days of our Universe while simulating the events of those early times in laboratories here on Earth. We
know how to live in space for years at a time, and understand both the norms and extremes wherein life
thrives on Earth.