The last 30 October, a specific meeting related with the White Paper compiling session, renamed to “Societal and Ethical Aspects of Astrobiology in Europe – White Paper Compilation meeting” was held in the Konkoly Astronomical Institute (also known as Konkoly Observatory).
Geoethics, Planetary Protection and other planetary and astrobiology issues were presented by Prof. Jesús Martínez-Frías, Director of the Spanish Planetology and Astrobiology Network (REDESPA) and President of the International Association for Geoethics (IAGETH).
The IAGETH is the only geosciences-related international organization, which is affiliated to two ICSU GeoUnions (IUGS and IUGG), and which integrates the subjects of Earth and Space Sciences and Astrobiology
This session was related to the COST project LIFE-Origins meeting which was held in Budapest entitled “Missions to habitable Worlds” to oversee astrobiology relevant aspects of next generation space missions, including Solar System exploration and space telescopes for exoplanet characterization, mainly coordinated by ESA.
The meeting was coordinated by Profs. Akos Kereszturi and Muriel Gargaud
“The Konkoly Obervatory, located in Budapest (Hungary), was founded in 1871 as the private observatory of Miklós Konkoly-Thege. Together with the Heliophysical Observatory in Debrecen, today it is the main astrophysical institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.Research includes observations with our 0.5-1 m class optical telescopes in Budapest and in the Piszkéstetõ Mountain Station, theoretical work on stellar pulsation, and involvement in several space projects of the ESA. Konkoly Observatory issues the bulletin series Communications of the Konkoly Observatory, and edits the Information Bulletin on Variable Stars of the International Astronomical Union.” Source: http://www.konkoly.hu/simpleversion/simple.html
