Keynote theme for Powder & Bulk Solids Conference/Exhibition is out of this world!
Dr. Thomas Meloy, the principal investigator of the Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA) Instrumentation Package on NASA's Mars 2001 Launch, will discuss the technologies used to evaluate surface soil from Mars and the Moon in an address that is free to all Powder & Bulk Solids attendees. Complimentary samples of simulated Martian and Lunar dust will be distributed to the first thousand attendees at the keynote.
"Powder & Bulk Solids highlights the most advanced technologies for dry processing and powder technology," explained Christopher McCabe, industry vice president for <%=company%>. "The MECA instrument is one of the most exciting and unusual applications of this technology. Dr. Meloy's presentation will illustrate how advanced instrumentation is enabling us to conduct remote testing for particle characterization, moisture, and more on the surface of Mars. The data from MECA will provide critical information on the Martian environment that will eventually make it possible for us to send astronauts to our nearest neighbor planet."
The Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA) is an instrument package that will launch in April, 2001 and land on Mars in January, 2002. Its goal is to evaluate potential geochemical and environmental hazards that may confront future Martian explorers. The MECA payload consists of four instruments: a microscopy station, a wet chemistry laboratory, an electrometer and a set of external material test plates.
The instrument will acquire soil samples with a robotic arm equipped with a camera. MECA will examine surface and subsurface soil and dust to determine distributions of particle size, shape and hardness. MECA will characterize soil/water mixtures with respect to pH, redox potential, total dissolved ions and trace toxins. MECA will also determine the nature of electrostatic charging associated with excavation of soil and the influence of ionizing radiation on material properties. Additionally, MECA will observe natural dust accumulation on engineering materials. MECA is allocated a mass of 10 kg within an enclosure of 35 x 25 x 15 cm. The MECA design goal is an operational lifetime of 100 Martian sols (days).
In addition to being the Principal Investigator on the Mars 2001 Launch, Thomas Meloy is a Benedum Professor at West Virginia University and a faculty member of Petroleum Engineering, Mineral Engineering and Safety and Environmental Engineering.
Prior to joining West Virginia University in 1977, Meloy was the head of EPA Industrial Research and head of the National Science Foundation's Engineering Directorate. Before that he co-founded Meloy Laboratories where he was vice president of Research; he was director of Westinghouse Air Brake's intra-corporate R&D; and he was Senior Staff Scientist at Allis Chalmers. Meloy was also an assistant professor and Ford Foundation Fellow at MIT, a National Science Foundation Fellow at MIT and a Divisional Specialist at General Electric.
Meloy received his Ph.D. in Material Sciences from MIT and an AB in Physics from Harvard. He is a theoretician in powder behavior with interest in powder and particle behavior, planetary surface characterization, particle shape and separation and particle health hazards.
Powder & Bulk Solids '99 will take place May 10-13, 1999 at the Rosemont Convention Center in Rosemont (Chicago), IL. The event is sponsored by PEMA, the Process Equipment Manufacturers' Association, and endorsed by the Association of Powder Process Industry & Engineering (APPIE), the Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container Association (FIBCA), the Centre for Industrial Bulk Solids Handling at Glasgow Caledonian University, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London (I Mech E)and the Solids Handling & Processing Association (SHAPA).
Powder & Bulk Solids Conference/Exhibition is produced and managed by <%=company%> (REC), the world's leading organizer of trade and public shows with a portfolio of 336 events servicing 52 industry segments in 23 countries. Over 98,000 exhibiting companies take advantage of REC's marketing opportunities, which attract over 7 million qualified buyers globally. REC is part of Reed Elsevier plc group, a Fortune 500 company and world leading publisher and information provider.
Powder & Bulk Solids Conference/Exhibition is part of Reed's family of processing events which includes Powder & Bulk Solids Europe, POWDEX/InterFlow Expo, The Atlantic Food Development and Processing Exhibition (AFD&PE), INTERPHEX, INTERPHEXWest; INTERPHEX South America, INTERPHEX Japan and INTERPHEX Europe.