May 1st, 2002        II announcement

      ================================================
           Monte Rosa International Conference
       "GAIA spectroscopy, science and technology"
       Sept. 9-12 2002, Gressoney St. Jean (Aosta)

           http://ulisse.oapd.inaf.it/GAIA2002/
      ================================================

This is the second announcement and remainder for the "GAIA Spectroscopy,
Science and Technology" conference. The first announcement with details can
be viewed at http://ulisse.oapd.inaf.it/GAIA2002/first_ann.html and it is
attached for your convenience.

* The conference program is rapidly shaping-up. A preliminary Conference
  schedule is attached too, or can be viewed at
  http://ulisse.oapd.inaf.it/GAIA2002/prel_prog_May1.html 
  Given the large number of already confirmed attendees it is possible that
  the Conference duration will be extended to a fifth day (Friday 13). The
  proceedings will be published by Astron.Soc.Pacific in its Conf.Series.

* Coming key dates:
   May 15: deadline for registration at reduced fee (200 Euro)
  June 15: deadline for late registration (250 Euro fee)
  July 15: deadline for submission of titles, abstracts and author names
           (+affiliations and e-mail addresses) in final form (for
           preparation of the abstract book)

GAIA (http://astro.estec.esa.nl/GAIA/) has been selected as a coming ESA
Cornerstone mission and it is designed to obtain extremely precise
astrometry (in the micro-arcsec regime), multi-band photometry and
medium/high resolution spectroscopy for a large sample of stars.  The goals
call for astrometry and broad band photometry to be collected for all stars
down to V~20 mag over the entire sky (a billion stars), with somewhat
brighter magnitude limits for spectroscopy and intermediate band photometry.
Each target star should be measured around a hundred times during the five
year mission life-time, in a fashion similar to the highly successful
Hipparcos operational mode. To quickly learn more about GAIA see
Perryman et al. 2001 A&A 369, 339.
 
   contact e-mail:  GAIA2002@pd.astro.it
         web page:  http://ulisse.oapd.inaf.it/GAIA2002/