Maya Yanez (USC) and Peter Gao (Berkeley; now Carnegie).

Alex Akins (JPL) and Ryan McCabe (Hampton).

Peter Gao (Berkeley), Justin Garland (Hampton), and John Blalock (Hampton U).

Jacob Gunnarson (Hampton) presents a plan.

Jose Pena Zamudio (Chile).

Ryan McCabe (Hampton) and Stephanie Hamilton (Michigan).

Sanlyn Buxner (PSI), with DPS Junior member Alara, and Maya Yanez.

Nice job on the note-taking, Alara!

Yvonne Pendleton (Ames) and Dale Cruikshank (Ames)!

Dale Cruikshank

Sebastien Charnoz (IPGP, France) and Paul Steffes (GA Tech).

Alissa Earle (MIT).

Kurt Retherford (SwRI) and Eliot Young (SwRI). Eliot is excited to tell me about the double central peak they saw on some recent Pluto occultations. "We don't know quite what's happening, but we saw it in five tracks, so it's definitely real. I think there's different atmospheric structures over Sputnik Planum, vs. Cthulu."

John Noonan (Arizona).

Kelsi Singer, Simon Porter, and Tim Holt (all SwRI) share some tasty appetizers at the opening banquet.

Mike Evans (SETI).

Adriana Mitchell (Arizona/LPL; now MIT) loves Japan! "Just send me to Tokyo and I'll live there for the rest of me life, OK?"

Mattie Tigges (Arizona/LPL; now MIT), Xander Thelen (GSFC), and Adriana Mitchell (Arizona; now MIT).

Orkan Umurhan (Ames) and Kelly Fast (NASA HQ) tell me that they were astronomy undgrads together at UCLA!

Meagan Thompson (HQ) and Chrissy Richey (JPL).

Me to Megan: "Oh, you're at NASA HQ and Arctic Slope? Please tell me what you know!" Chrissy and I have also followed each other around at NASA HQ for many years, and I rejoined HQ shortly after this DPS.

Cristina Thomas (NAU), Meagan Thompson (HQ), Julie Rathbun (PSI), and Chrissy Richey (JPL).

So this is really cool. The DPS meeting this year was the 50th anniversary meeting. There were a lot of historic photos from through the eras posted -- many of them from Dale Cruikshank and David Morrison. Here, Mark Showalter (SETI), Imke de Pater (Berkeley), and Tracy Becker (SwRI) check out one decade's worth of photos.

Bonnie Meinke (STScI; now Ball) and Tracy Becker (SwRI).

Maui Balistreri (PSI).

"You know, it's funny. I took an astronomy class at U of A, since I really loved it. But then then I moved into the financial world. One of the clients we had was PSI, so I actually did one of their regular audits a long time ago. Fast-forward, and now I'm back at PSI, doing all the books for astronomers. It's great."

Mark Sykes, Amanda Hendrix, and Maui Balistreri (all PSI).

Josh Emery (UTK) -- yay! -- is one of the organizers of the entire DPS meeting this year. Here he is with with UTK student Noah Frere .

Nick Schneider (Colorado) talks about MAVEN's shockingly common auroral detections at Mars.

Jordan Steckloff (PSI), Amanda Bosh (MIT), and Taylor Safrit (MIT) all check out some great data during that opening banquet.

Let's do some science! Melissa McGrath (MSFC), Tony Roman (STScI), Rosaly Lopes (JPL), and Julie Rathbun (PSI) take the front row.

Shawn Brooks (JPL).

Alex Parker (SwRI)

Torrence Johnson (JPL), with Steve Tegler (NAU) and Dave Schleicher (Lowell) in the background.

Bryan Holler

Marc Buie (SwRI) talks occultations.

Simon Porter (SwRI) discusses New Horizons.

Anne Verbiscer (UVA) talks about the New Horizons KBO occultation campaign.

Estela Fernandez Valenzuela (UCF) gives a PhD talk about the ring systems of Chariklo and Chiron.

Andrew Prentice and Marc Buie debate in the shadow of a video projector.

Rodrigo Leiva (SwRI; now Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia, Spain) gives a talk about RECON -- a super-cool high-density network of occultations telescopes run by amaterurs. Alex Parker (SwRI) chairs the session.

Tom Seccull (Queen University Belfast) gives his PhD talk aboiut TNO + Centaur reflectance spectroscopy.

Shantanu Naidu (JPL) is the DPS's Press Officer.

Shantanu Naidu starts the press conference, with Julie Rathbun (PSI), Glenn Orton (JPL), and Pierre Vernazza (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille).

Julie Rathbun discusses volcanoes on Io, as seen from NASA's Juno spacecraft!

Glenn Orton (JPL) discusses recent observations of Jupiter at the DPS press conference.

Pierre Vernazza (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille) discusses observations of asteroids Lutetia and Iris from VLT and Rosetta.

Pierre Vernazza (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille) discusses observations of asteroids Lutetia and Iris from VLT and Rosetta.

Glenn Orton (JPL) takes some Jupiter questions.

Julie Rathbun discusses volcanoes on Io, as seen from NASA's Juno spacecraft!

Rick Fienberg was the AAS press officer from 2009 - 2021, and assisted the DPS press officers at meetings.

Nola Redd, freelance journalist, at the press conference.

Luca Maltagliati, from Nature Astronomy, at the press conference.

A new lineup of speakers for the week's second press conference: Masaki Fujimoto (ISAS / JAXA), Ralf Jaumann (DLR), Eri Tatsumi (U. Tokyo), Lucille Le Corre (PS), Deborah Domingue (PSI), and Hikaru Yabuta (Hiroshima U). The theme of the day is Hayabusa2, and its exploration of Ryugu!

Shantanu Naidu (DPS Press Officer) get the press conference going, as Hikaru Yabuta (Kiroshima University) and Masaki Fujimoto (JAXA) await their turns.

Shantu Naidu gets ready for the press conference to start.

Eri Tatsumi (U. Tokyo) shows a model of asteroid Ryugu.

Lucille Le Corre (PSI) and Deborah Domingue (PSI) wait their turns to discuss Ryugu at the press conference.

Lucille Le Corre (PSI) and Hikaru Yabuta (U. Tokyo) at the press conference.

Deborah Domingue Lorin (PSI) discusses Ryugu.

Previous DPS chairs start to gather for the historical session. Clark Chapman (SwRI), Tom McCord (Bear Fight), Faith Vilas (NSF), Bruce Hapke, and Carle Pieters (Brown).

Holy moly! It's the most-complete-ever amalgamation of DPS chairs! From left: Cathy Olkin, Melissa McGrath, Dan Britt, Rick Binzel, Rosaly Lopes, Faith Vilas, Bonnie Buratti, Clark Chapman, Lucy McFadden, Mark Sykes, Bob Nelson, Tom McCord, Bruce Hapke, Bill McKinnon, Bill Cochran, Linda Spilker, Anita Cochran, David Morrison, Carle Pieters, and Dale Cruikshank! There have been 50 different chairs, 21 of which made it to this photo shoot! (Several more were at the meeting.)

Holy moly! It's the most-complete-ever amalgamation of DPS chairs! From left: Jason Barnes, Dan Britt, David Morrison, Linda Spilker, Melissa McGrath, Chark Chapman, Bonnie Buratti, Bruce Hapke, Dale Cruikshank, Cathy Olkin, Carle Pieters, Tom McCord, Anita Cochran, Faith Vilas, Lucy McFadden, Mark Sykes, Bob Nelson, Bill Cochran, Rosaly Lopes, Bill McKinnon, and Rick Binzel. There have been 50 different chairs, 21 of which made it to this photo shoot! (Several more were at the meeting.)

Clark Chapman (1982 chair) starts off the historical session. "I was there!" says Clark's slide describing the December 1968 inaugural DPS meeting.

Clark Chapman discusses major issues during the first 15 years of DPS: "Political efforts to get Congress to approve Galileo and HST missions.... problematical relations with the parent society AAS."

Dale Cruikshank (1990 chair) and Clark Chapman (1982 chair) trade duties at the DPS historical session.

Dale Cruikshank (1990 chair) and Clark Chapman (1982 chair) trade duties at the DPS historical session.

Sanlyn Buxner (PSI)

Anne Verbiscer (UVA) starts the historical session.

Anita Cochran (U Texas) at the DPS historical session.

Anita Cochran (U Texas) at the DPS historical session.

Anita Cochran and Dale Cruikshank field questions from youngsters at the DPS historical session.

This was great! A panel discussion of the history of studies of each of several science topics: Dale Cruikshank on Planetary Spectroscopy; Carle Pieters (The Moon), Tom McCord (Mars), Fran Bagenal (Particles + Fields), David Morrison (Particles and Fields).

Fran Bagenal (Colorado) discusses the history of Particles and Fields studies, at the DPS historical session.

Fran Bagenal (Colorado) discusses the history of Particles and Fields studies, at the DPS historical session.

Carle Pieters is about to discuss the history of lunar observations.

Tom McCord looks forward to discussing the history of observations of Mars.

David Morrison (Ames).

Faith Vilas (NSF) received the Hal Masursky Award for Meritorious Service to Planetary Science from Cathy Olkin. No joke! Faith has done everything one can do in the field, from running observatories, to selecting missions, to chairing DPS, to managing agencies -- not to mention flying seaplanes in her spare time.

Freelance journalist Alexandra Witze just before receving the Jonathan Eberhardt Science Journalism Award, for her article "Next Stop, Mars."

Freelance journalist Alexandra Witze heads on stage to collect the Jonathan Eberhardt Science Journalism Award, for her article "Next Stop, Mars."

Freelance journalist Alexandra Witze heads on stage to collect the Jonathan Eberhardt Science Journalism Award, for her article "Next Stop, Mars."

Freelance journalist Alexandra Witze wins the Jonathan Eberhardt Science Journalism Award.

DPS Chair Cathy Olkin is about to give the Carl Sagan Medal to Bonnie Buratti (JPL).

DPS Chair Cathy Olkin with Carl Sagan Medal winner Bonnie Buratti (JPL).

DPS Chair Cathy Olkin With Urey Prize winner Francesca DeMeo (MIT), for her work on the spectral classification of asteroids, and the implications for solar system formation models.

Dale Cruikshank and Yvonne Pendleton in the audience.

Francesca DeMeo (MIT) gives the Urey lecture, about her work on asteroid spectral classification.

"This is Dave Tholen and Bobby Bus. And I can say: I have stood between the shoulders of giants." Francesca DeMeo (MIT) in her Urey Prize lecture.

Francesca DeMeo (MIT) gives the Urey lecture, about her work on asteroid spectral classification.

Francesca DeMeo (MIT) gives the Urey lecture, about her work on asteroid spectral classification.

Francesca DeMeo at her Urey Prize lecture Q+A.

Faith Vilas: So in your dream world, what do you want?

Francesca: A: Oh god. That's a really good question. It's funny -- I think I was asked that at my PhD defense. And let's see. I'd say, one million asteroid spectra. Down to... let's say, 0.3 to 5 microns.

Faith Vilas: Lower! Lower!

Francesca: OK, fine. One million spectra, 0.2 to 5 micron!

Francesca DeMeo at her Urey Prize lecture Q+A.

Faith Vilas: So in your dream world, what do you want?

Francesca: A: Oh god. That's a really good question. It's funny -- I think I was asked that at my PhD defense. And let's see. I'd say, one million asteroid spectra. Down to... let's say, 0.3 to 5 microns.

Faith Vilas: Lower! Lower!

Francesca: OK, fine. One million spectra, 0.2 to 5 micron!

Francesca DeMeo and Cathy Olkin during the Q&A.

Francesca DeMeo (MIT), latest Urey Prize winner.

Urey Prize winner Francesca DeMeo, with her advisor Rick Binzel (MIT).

Hang on -- who do we find wandering the hall? Francesca DeMeo (MIT) runs into a couple of other Urey Prize winners! Her advisor Rick Binzel (1991), then Doug Hamilton (1999), and on the right, Matija Cuk (2014). Woo-hoo!!

By popular convention, the Urey Prize winner hosts a fiesta later that evening. I'm not well-versed in asteroid types, but Francesca DeMeo is, so I can bet those are some spectral signature on the top row.

DPS Chair Cathy Olkin presents the Kuiper Prize to Julio Angel Fernandez Alves (URM, Uruguay), for his work on the origin of the solar system and the evolution of comets.

Julio Angel Fernandez Alves (URM, Uruguay) gives the Kuiper lecture for his work on the origin of the solar system and the evolution of comets.

Julio Angel Fernandez Alves (URM, Uruguay) gives the Kuiper lecture for his work on the origin of the solar system and the evolution of comets.

Julio Angel Fernandez Alves (URM, Uruguay) gives the Kuiper lecture for his work on the origin of the solar system and the evolution of comets.

Julio Angel Fernandez Alves (URM, Uruguay) gives the Kuiper lecture for his work on the origin of the solar system and the evolution of comets.

Josh Emery (UTK) and Devon Burr (UTK; both now at NAU) spent about a million hours putting the conference together.

Steve Desch (ASU) chats with Baylee Bordwell.

John Noonan (Arizona).

Francesca DeMeo (MIT) with some post-Urey Prize flowers.

Francesca DeMeo (MIT) with some post-Urey Prize flowers.

Tom Nordheim (JPL), Jordan Steckloff (PSI), and Tracy Becker (SwRI) talk about meeting Buzz Aldrin in a tall hotel in Beverly Hills one time ('it was kind of pathetic').

Shantanu Naidu (JPL) is the new DPS press officer. I hadn't met him before, but he comes from Bombay, where I had just spent the last three years. He was a previous organizer of a large student-run tech fest at his campus (VJTI), at which I'd given a talk when I lived in Bombay.

Geronimo Villanueva (GSFC), Dennis Bodewits (Auburn), Silvia Protopapa (SwRI), Manuela Lippi (AU), Lucas Paganini (NASA HQ/AU), Giuliano Liuzzi (GSFC/AU), Sara Faggi (GSFC/AU).

It's hard to get Scott Edgington to express shock, but someone has done it!

Nothing says 'great night at the bar!' like a nice display of asteroid shape models, here with David Nesvorny (SwRI) and Josef Hanus (Charles U, Prague).

Josef Hanus (Charles U, Prague).

David Nesvorny (SwRI).

Heather Kaluna (ASU; now U. Hawaii) and Steve Desch (ASU) get some ice cream at the amazing Cruze Farm shop in downtown Knoxville. Those ice cream cones were literally tossed across the room before landing in their hands.

Steve: Aloha! Heather!

Me: Oh! Is your name Aloha?

Heather: Hey.

Me: Oh, my sister's name is Heather. What's your name?

Heather: Heather.

Me: Oh! And you're from...

Heather: Aloha! Hawaii!

Steve: It's strange working your sister Heather [not pictured], Henry. It used to be that when I saw her, I thought, oh, she looks like Henry. But now it's the other way around!

Sanlyn Buxner (PSI) reports on behalf of the DPS Education Committee.

Kurt Retherford gives an update on the DPS Federal Relations Subcomittee.

Kurt Retherford (SwRI) helps collect ballots at the DPS Members' Meeting.

Tony Roman, Anne Verbiscer, and Tim Holt (SwRI / Swinburne) tally the votes!

A literal handing of the gavel, as the DPS chair-ship transfers from Cathy Olkin to Linda Spilker.

Cathy Olkin (SwRI) after passing the DPS Chair-ship to Linda Spilker (JPL).

Serina Diniega (JPL) asks a question.

Upcoming poster for the DPS 100th meeting, to be held on Phobos!

Bonnie Meinke (STScI).

Cathy Olkin (DPS Chair), Lori Glaze (NASA PSD), Linda French (NSF incoming), and Faith Vilas (NSF outgoing) at Agency Night.

Faith Vilas: "I have three weeks left at NSF, so I'm going to tell you exactly what I think!" When she leaves, Linda French will take her position, moving from the Astrophysics side of NSF, to the Planetary side.

As one person in the audience pointed out, it's about time that we had a panel with this makeup, with all these fantastic women running the show! It makes me really happy to be a member of the planetary community.

Lori Glaze (NASA) at Agency Night.

Faith Vilas (NSF) at Agency Night.

Faith Vilas (NSF)

Lori Glaze (NASA) at Agency Night.

Fran Bagenal (Colorado) asks a question.

Mike Wong

Ashlee Wilkins (AAS)

Sue Lederer (JSC).

Fran Bagenal (Colorado) and Mike Mumma (GSFC) at Agency Night, discussing the enrollment of women in undergraduate physics programs.

Rings Node Advisory Council (PDS - RNAC). Phil Nicholson, Matt Tiscareno, and Mitch Gordon.

Christina Richey (JPL) talks about EDI = Equity, Diversity, Inclusion.

"The E doesn't stand for Equality, but Equity. You don't need to make things equal. You do want to make things fair and open."

Christina Richey (JPL) with Julie Rathbun (PSI).

Christina Richey (JPL) talking EDI.

Christina Richey (JPL) talking equity.

Thomas Kruijer (Lawrence Livermore) give a plenary, "Early Solar System Dynamics Constrained Using Cosmochemistry."

Thomas Kruijer (Lawrence Livermore) give a plenary, "Early Solar System Dynamics Constrained Using Cosmochemistry."

Thomas Kruijer (Lawrence Livermore) give a plenary, "Early Solar System Dynamics Constrained Using Cosmochemistry."

Thomas Kruijer (Lawrence Livermore) give a plenary, "Early Solar System Dynamics Constrained Using Cosmochemistry."

Andre Izidoro (Sao Paulo State University) gives a plenary, "Dynamical Models of Solar System Formation."

Andre Izidoro (Sao Paulo State University) gives a plenary, "Dynamical Models of Solar System Formation."

Andre Izidoro (Sao Paulo State University) gives a plenary, "Dynamical Models of Solar System Formation."

Andre Izidoro (Sao Paulo State University) gives a plenary, "Dynamical Models of Solar System Formation."

Andre Izidoro (Sao Paulo State University) post-Plenary.

Andre Izidoro (Sao Paulo State University) is in the zone, watching the next plenary after his own.

Jennifer Eigenbrode (NASA GSFC) discusses "The History of the Search for Life on Mars," in a great plenary talk.

Jennifer Eigenbrode (NASA GSFC) discusses "The History of the Search for Life on Mars," in a great plenary talk.

Jennifer Eigenbrode (NASA GSFC) discusses "The History of the Search for Life on Mars," in a great plenary talk.

Jennifer Eigenbrode (NASA GSFC) discusses "The History of the Search for Life on Mars," in a great plenary talk.

Josh Emery doesn't know that he's posing with a great statistic!

Courtney Dressing (Berkeley) discusses the search for habitable exoplanets, in a plenary talk.

Courtney Dressing (Berkeley) discusses the search for habitable exoplanets, in a plenary talk.

Courtney Dressing (Berkeley) discusses the search for habitable exoplanets, in a plenary talk.

Courtney Dressing (Berkeley) discusses the search for habitable exoplanets, in a plenary talk.

Josh Emery makes sure the next speaker is set.

Hikaru Yabuta (Horishima University) gives a Hayabusa2 plenary talk, "Cosmochemical Significance of C-Type Asteroids in the Solar System Formation".

Hikaru Yabuta (Horishima University) gives a Hayabusa2 plenary talk, "Cosmochemical Significance of C-Type Asteroids in the Solar System Formation".

Hikaru Yabuta (Horishima University) gives a Hayabusa2 plenary talk.

Sebastien Charnoz (IPGP, France).

Faith Vilas (NSF) and Mark Sykes (PSI) compete for the mic!

Glenn Orton (JPL) asks a question, with Al Harris behind.

Paul Weissman (JPL) asks a question.

Courtney Dressing (Berkeley), Kathy Mandt (APL), and Toshi Hirabayashi (Auburn) take questions.

Peri Johnson (Colorado) and Leslie Young (SwRI) talk with Jamie Molaro (PSI) at the Art of Planetary Science show.

Jamie Molaro (PSI) is the organizer of the Art of Planetary Science show at DPS (TAPS@DPS 2018). Here she is with Planetary Music Box, her piece based on the orbital motions of the Galilean satellites.

Artist Caroline Bowen with 'Asterism' at the DPS's Art of Planetary Science show.

Artist Caroline Bowen with her 'Asterism' at the DPS art show.

"What's my favorite medium to work in? Oh, definitely Mylar! It's amazing. You can burnish that stuff. Make so many textures out of it. All those hydrogen atom things -- those -- all Mylar. Totally awesome. I'd marry Mylar if I could."

At The Art of Planetary Science show.

Jamie Molaro (PSI) with Moon Mirror. This is one in a series of glass pieces she has etched using altimetry data from the LRO LOLA instrument.

Jamie Molaro (PSI) with Moon Mirror. This is one in a series of glass pieces she has etched using altimetry data from the LRO LOLA instrument.

Alex Parker (SwRI), Jamie Molaro (PSI), and Sarah Horst (JHU), in front of a few pieces from the The Art of Planetary Science (TAPS@DPS).

Maggie McAdam (NAU) talks with Lou Mayo (GSFC) and Joel Green (STScI) about her research into gender biases during faculty hires.

Well OK! After I've taken thousands of pictures, someone asks to take mine. Here I am (Henry Throop, PSI; now NASA HQ) with my poster, describing astronomy outreach work I was doing in India for the past three yeras.

Brianna Galgano (Fisk-Vanderbilt) and Quadry Chance (Vanderbilt; now UF).

Doug Hamilton (UMD) and his student Thomas Rimlinger (UMD).

Doug: We drove out to to DPS this year. It was about 7 hours. Totally beautiful drive.

Thomas: Dude, you were asleep the whole time!

Doug: Oh, it was a really beautiful sleep!

Sondy Springmann (U of A) studies an Arecibo-derived asteroid shape model, and comments on fashion.

"Yeah, I love these shirts. I always conference in them. Banana Republic, blue. But they discontinued them last year. I went online and bought up all of them I could find!"

I fully understand -- I'm kind of the same way with my Dansko shoes.

Sondy Springmann (U of A) with an Arecibo-derived asteroid shape model.

Shawn Brooks (JPL).

Sanlyn Buxner (PSI) and Lucy McFadden (GSFC)

Al Harris

Julio Fernandez (Uruguay), Gonzalo Tancredi (Urugay), and Cesar Fuentes (Universidad de Chile)

Simon Porter (SwRI).

Rick Binzel (MIT) takes a critical eye to the research being presented at the poster session!

Murthy Gudipati (JPL): "Oh, I really like that photo you took of me -- I used it on this poster for the journal I'm editing. Here, take another!"

Bryana Henderson (JPL)

Eric Palmer (PSI) has spent DPS week 3D-printing a whole lot of asteroid models, which you are welcome to take with you.

Eric Palmer (PSI) has spent DPS week 3D-printing a whole lot of asteroid models, which you are welcome to take with you.

Eric Palmer (PSI) has spent DPS week 3D-printing a whole lot of asteroid models, which you are welcome to take with you.

Mahmuda Afrin Badhan (UMD), Fran Bagenal (Colorado), Kelsi Singer (SwRI), and Jonathan Weinberg (Ball) post-session.

Cathy Olkin (SwRI).

Padma Yanamandra-Fisher (SSI) at the poster session. Padma is working hard to get professional-amateur collaborations started in observing the solar system: eclipses, comets, anything!

Padma Yanamandra-Fisher (SSI) and Alex Gulubov (VN Karazin Kharkiv National University, Ukraine) at the poster session.

James Tuttle Keane (Caltech; now JPL) shows some sketches he made of my talk, regarding Jupiter's 'hula hoop' ring! He even Tweeted them out.

"It's pretty rare to see a talk on the Jupiter ring. I mean, exoplanets, there are thousands of those. But the Jupiter ring -- that's cool!"

James Tuttke Keane (Caltech; now JPL) and Henry Throop (PSI; now NASA HQ). James is showing off his notebook. "But this part is under embargo!"

Sue Lederer (NASA JSC), Linda French (NSF), and Faith Vilas (NSF; now PSI).

Here's a wild guess: Imke de Pater (Berkeley) and Mark Showalter (SETI) are discussing observations of ring systems of the outer planets.

Imke de Pater (Berkeley)

Trina Ray (JPL) bring an R2 unit along for the ride.

Little-known fact: Trina and I didn't know each other until we met at a conference, but we're both in the field because of the same amazing high school physics teacher: Pat Canan, Corvallis High School, Oregon.

Jonathan Weinberg (Ball Aerospace) and Jay Pasachoff (Williams College). They have been discussing the shared history of Ball canning jars, Ball aluminum cans, and Ball Aerospace.

Lauri Siltala (U. Helsinki) outside the Knoxville Convention Center. Behind him is the Sunsphere, a 266-foot high tower built for the 1982 World's Fair.

Bruce Jakosky (Colorado) and Shannon Curry (Berkeley) pose with what I assumed were their favorite planets. But no! That's Neptune and Jupiter, which are both fine planets, but I suspect not as popular as Mars amongst these two. As of late 2021, Bruce handed over PI-ship of the MAVEN mission to Shannon.

Bruce Jakosky (Colorado) and Shannon Curry (Berkeley) share a special moment with their planets.

Chris Parkinson (SSI).

David Morrison (NASA Ames). Along with Dale Cruikshank, David took many of the historic photos of the DPS that were presented this week.

Mark Bullock (STC), Carly Howett (SwRI), and Nick Teanby (U. Bristol).

Debbie Kovalsky (AAS) shows off that amazing Mars outfit!

I dig this shot of Bob Nelson (PSI)

Jay Pasachoff (Williams College) talks to me about -- can you guess? -- solar eclipses! Jay has probably seen more eclipses than anyone else alive. For what it's worth Jay, I'm about to see my second, so only 49 more to go before I pass you.

Darrin Ragozzine (BYU) and Benjamin Proudfoot (BYU).

Mark Sykes (PSI) moves fast.

Lou Mayo, GSFC. Lou was teaching a class at Marymount College the week of DPS.

"Well, I can't make it in, so I figured I'd call in. And I'm going to get a couple of experts to come and sit in on the Skype call with my class -- it's going to be great."

As of 2022, this would be a TOTALLY NORMAL thing to do! But in 2018, pre-pandemic, not so much. I thought it was a cool way teach the class.

Adriana Mitchell (Arizona/LPL; now MIT) and Lucille LeCorre (PSI).

Adriana Mitchell (Arizona/LPL; now MIT).

And the women at the AAS registration desk! Shout out to Joy, Cherrie, and Debbie.

Shantanu Naidu (JPL) after a press conference.

Maria Banks (GSFC, when not playing the harp on Broadway).

Apurva Oza (U. Bern; now JPL) and I strike the pose.

Apurva: "That photo you took of me and Tanguy from 'La Resonance de Laplace' at DPS17 is like my favorite photo ever. We were doing this interplanetary rap battle. It was so awesome. Tanguy and David DuBois -- none of them could come this week. But I've been teaching them some Punjabi Panga dance."

Apurva: "My family is from Gujarat. I love Indian folk dances and also Bollywood, like how the rickshaw drivers use it to relax for the weekend. I want to make a Bollywood Interstellar -- it would be so good with some Space Panga choreography."

Me: "I actually had a conversation with a rickshaw driver in Bombay, who insisted he wanted to do a Jurassic Park, Bollywood style."

Apurva: "I tell you, just one or two song and dances. Just one or two. It would be so good!"

Apurva Oza (U. Bern; now JPL) and I strike the pose.

Apurva: "That photo you took of me and Tanguy from 'La Resonance de Laplace' at DPS17 is like my favorite photo ever. We were doing this interplanetary rap battle. It was so awesome. Tanguy and David DuBois -- none of them could come this week. But I've been teaching them some Punjabi Panga dance."

Apurva: "My family is from Gujarat. I love Indian folk dances and also Bollywood, like how the rickshaw drivers use it to relax for the weekend. I want to make a Bollywood Interstellar -- it would be so good with some Space Panga choreography."

Me: "I actually had a conversation with a rickshaw driver in Bombay, who insisted he wanted to do a Jurassic Park, Bollywood style."

Apurva: "I tell you, just one or two song and dances. Just one or two. It would be so good!"

Noora Alsaeed (Colorado) talks about her trip from the UAE to Boulder. The Emirates Mars Mission was built with help from the University of Colorado -- it was based on the architecture of MAVEN. As part of the project, the UAE sent students to CU, including Noora.

Check out that planet-themed necklace too -- you can see Saturn's rings, and she's pointing to Neptune on the far right.

Vishnu Reddy (U of A).

Anicia Arredondo (UCF; currently SOFIA Science Center).

Andre Izidoro (Sao Paulo State University)

Mona Delitsky.

"I grew up in New York, and got my first job as a chemist in Pittsburgh. I went to grad school in the midwest, and DPS just seemed like the dream. So I paid my own way and went. Pittsburgh 1981 -- I was living and working there, so I went to the meeting. Then Ithaca 1983. Hawaii 1984. I even gave talks at DPS just as an amateur back then. And I was talking with those people from JPL who had seen my talks, and I asked them if I could work there. They said, OK, we'll see what we can do. And they created a job for me. So the Astrochemistry laboratory hired me. 19 years. That lasted until the big lab cutback. But you know -- 19 years isn't a bad run."

Julio Angel Fernandez Alves (URM, Uruguay).

Cathy Olkin (SwRI) with Estela Fernandez-Valenzuela (UCF).

Cesare Grava (SwRI).

Tara Tomlinson (Colorado; now Dartmouth).

Tyler Horvath (Colorado), Tara Tomlinson (Colorado); now Dartmouth, Bryan Holler (STScI), and Katie Murray (STScI).

Debanjan Sengupta (University of Delaware) enjoys the ice cream social at the end, as we chat about Kolkata, JPL, his upcoming NPP, and the challenges facing scientists in India.

Mona Delitsky loads up on free ice cream, as do 500 others.

This guy is Allen, and he runs The French Market Creperie, near the conference center in Knoxville. I went there a lot. And when I got back home, no joke: I bought myself a a commercial-grade crepe cooker so I could try to make crepes as good as his. It's 25 pounds of cast iron, and it's great.

Him: "So, what would you like?"

Me: "Salted Caramel"

Him: "Oh, you must be one of those astronomers!"

Me: "What does that mean? Ha ha"

Him: "Oh, we've been packed all week from them. And they all want that salted caramel crepe!"

Faith Vilas gets the Superwoman jacket donned, courtesy of Mark Sykes.

Al Harris and I are waiting for our flight out at the airport, as he demonstrates something amazing to me.

Nalin Samarasinha (PSI) and Mikael Granvik (U. Helsinki).

Mike Evans (SETI).

The banquet was held at the Knoxville Museum of Art. Being October, one activity of the evening was competitive planetary pumpkin decoration. Here, you can see Saturn's polar hexagon clearly visible on the left, along with Mars and its elevated ice cap on the right.

Rodrigo Leiva considers what else Carl Sagan would add to his pumpkin.

Carl Sagan in 'Made of Pumpkin Stuff' in this incarnation.

Devon Burr solicits votes for the best gourd decoration!

Maryame El Moutamid, Henry Throop, and Bob Jacobsen study pumpkins at the banquet.

Lance Benner (JPL) is crafting a nice set of impact craters on that planet in front of him!

It's Talent Show time at the DPS Banquet!

MC Jennifer Grier! Jennifer reads two poems The first is about science and love, set at a high school science fair. "She stands before the tri-fold cardboard display..."

And the second is about showing Neptune to some stumbling Greeks. "It's so photometric tonight..."

Matt Tiscareno (SETI) and Brian Jackson (Boise State).

Shannon MacKenzie (APL).

It's The Amanda Hendrix Experience, with Marc Buie!

Marc Buie (SwRI).

Marc Buie (SwRI).

Julia de Leon (Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, IAC), with Chad Melton (UTK) on drums.

It's The Amanda Hendrix Experience, featuring Joe Spitale (PSI), Marc Buie (SwRI), and Amanda Hendrix (PSI).

Joe Spitale (PSI) organized logistics for the evening. Afterwards, Sebastien Charnoz and I were chatting.

Sebastien: "And Joe Spitale! He was so so good! His voice. Joe, you sound like this guy from... Rage Against the Machine."

Joe: "Oh, actually, the guy who started that. Well, the drummer. Yeah, I played with their drummer for a long time."

MC Andy Rivkin (APL) and Julia de Leon (Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, IAC)

Larry Nittler (CIW).

"I'm going to play a couple of songs inspired by asteroid sample return missions. Right now, as we speak, the Hayabusa2 vehicle is descending to the surface for another rehearsal of its rendezvous. And then I have one for OSIRIS-Rex. If you want more, you should check out Dr. Nittler's Fantastic Sol-Tastic Planet on Spotify."

Andy Rivkin wraps up a tune he's written about everybody's favorite interstellar object, 'Oumuamua.

Tim Livengood (GSFC) tells an epic tale involving ethylene glycol, Mauna Kea, an ambulance, Nurse Dave, a Foley catheter, and Ken's House of Pancakes in downtown Hilo.

And what is this? Tim transitions to a new story, breaks into song, and who should appear but the Ghost of the Advisor, Dr. Kelly Fast (NASA HQ), telling Tim to 'COLLECT THE DATA!!'

The Ghost of the advisor, Dr. Kelly Fast (NASA HQ), telling Tim to 'COLLECT THE DATA!!'

Dave Tholen (Hawaii) and Andy Rivkin (APL) play out a scene from that well-known film, "A Few Good Astronomers."

"Did you issue this asteroid impact alert?"

"You're god-damned right I did! You're messing with the wrong astronomer!"

Anne Raugh (UMD).

E.P. Grondine (unaffiliated).

Jonathan Weinberg (Ball).

"I'm so lonely I wish I was the Moon tonight," sings Neko Case, in acapella.

Steve Desch (ASU) does some Hamilton-inspired speed-rapping.

Encore set with everyone up on stage.

Encore set with everyone up on stage.