Over the past twenty years, our understanding of the current state of Mars and its past evolution has made considerable progress. This was made possible through the successful operations of many space missions, either in orbit or at the surface of Mars (e.g. the MEX, TGO, MRO, MAVEN, HOPE and Tianwen-1 orbiters, the Phoenix and Insight landers, the Mars Exploration, Curiosity and Perseverance rovers). Thanks to these new datasets, we are now in a position to address the main questions regarding our sibling planet Mars.

This wealth of datasets, from the subsurface to the exosphere of Mars, pose a new challenge: how do we reconcile them into an understanding of Mars as a system ? How can this help us answer the big questions such as the fate of water and other volatiles at Mars, its past potential to have been habitable, or the nature of its interior ?

The workshop “Planet Mars VI” (30/03-04/04) will be the sixth edition of a series which has taken place in the Center of Physics in Les Houches since 2003. These workshops are organized to bring together senior scientists, junior scientists, postdocs and students in order to optimize the analysis and interpretation of space data, and to prepare the community for the best exploitation of forthcoming missions. As in the case of the previous editions, the format of the workshop will encourage discussions. Leading scientists in the interpretation of data and in modelling processes will present their views on key topics, such as (1) internal structure and magnetism; (2) volcanism, geomorphology, geology, mineralogy and petrology; (3) atmospheric cycles, water history and atmospheric escape (4) exobiology. Special attention will be given to the prospect of future planetary missions to Mars.

The deadline for registration is 29 November, 2024 (register here). PhDs and postdocs are especially encouraged to register and to submit a poster. As the number of participants is limited to 70, a selection may have to be made by the organising committee. The notification will be sent by mid December 2024.