Registration for this event is now closed Organisers:  Susan Anderson - Nottingham  Owen Green - Oxford  An international conference organised by the Royal Microscopical Society as part of the annual MICROSCIENCE Technology Forum takes place on November 12th 2008 at the UK National Space Centre, Leicester. This meeting will discuss the wide range of applications of light, scanning and laser microscopy related to research associated with the Space Industry. Speakers from the UK, Europe and the USA have been invited to talk on topics as diverse as the problems low gravity environments on bone and muscle development, the problems of lunar dust in the development of space suits, the study of extremophile organisms (bacterial organisms that inhabit extreme environments – the first organisms on ancient Earth, and possibly Mars or Europa!), meteorite impacts, the composition of comet debris (stardust!).    To see details of the last MICROSCIENCE Technology Forum, click here We will be accepting papers for poster presentations. Abstracts should be emailed to victoria@rms.org.uk  Please submit your abstract as a Word document, 200-300 words. Confirmed speakers include:     Dr Andrew Steele (Carnegie Institution Washington)  Life detection on early earth and Mars, a perspective from high resolution Confocal Raman mapping    Dr Randall Perry (Imperial College, London)  Searching for the first evidence of life on Earth    Professor Mike Rennie (Nottingham University)  The effects of microgravity on muscle maintenance - a basis for countermeasures    Dr Anton Kearsley (Natural History Museum)  Impact in space: accidental or intentional capture of dust; characterisation by analytical scanning electron microscopy Dr Carolyn van der Bogert (Munster)  Stardust cometary samples:   The journey from outer space   to electron microscope    Dr Milton Wainwright (Sheffield)  The High Cold Biosphere-Microscope Studies on the Microbiology of the Stratosphere    Professor Augusto Cogoli (Zurich)  Cell biology in microgravity: basic research and potential applications    Ken Amor (Oxford University)  The microscopic signature of large meteorite impacts: the discovery of a primordial asteroid strike in Britain Ken was recently cited on the BBC News website in connection with the discovery of a meteorite. Click on Ken's picture to view the article.  Dr Stephen Bowden (Aberdeen University)  Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) as a tool for detecting molecular evidence of life in sediments and rocks on Earth and beyond    Dr John Bridges(Univeristy of Leicester)  Analysis of the Stardust mission cometary grains The Royal Microscopical Society regret to report that Dr John Lindsay (Lunar Planetary Institute, Houston), has passed away. Everyone at the RMS sends their condolences to his family. Trade Exhibition The following companies are exhibiting at this meeting. Agar Scientific Ltd Carl Zeiss SMT Ltd CEMMNT FEI UK Ltd Hitachi Imaging Associates Ltd Leica Microsystems Olympus UK Optimax Imaging Inspection and Measurement Ltd Oxford Instruments Nanoanalysis If you are interested in exhibiting at this meeting, please contact Allison Winton        If you will requiring accommodation when you attend this event, the National Space Centre website has information on local hotels.    Please visit National Space Centre