Attending a conference this large (15,000 abstracts) is an interesting experience. Boarding the plane last night, I saw a few dozen poster tubes, a clear sign of a scientist on the way to a meeting. The person in the seat in front of me was working on a table of atmospheric isotope ratios in a tattered notebook, and next to me was a friend from Cornell (now at Brown) who also studies Mars.

The shuttle from the airport to the hotels was filled with scientists and poster tubes too, and this morning, as I was finding my way to the conference, all I had to do was follow the flood of poster tubes. It is very strange to walk through a huge city and have the sneaking suspicion that everyone around you is a scientist.

I’ve been attending Titan sessions all morning and later today I’m looking forward to hearing about Enceladus and the Phoenix mission, and a session with the tantalizing title of “Super Earths”. Stay tuned, I already have lots to tell you about!