19/01/2021
ACM in Flagstaff postponed to 2023
Dear ACMers
The ACM Steering Committee deeply appreciated the large amount of answers to the poll.
Over 250 colleagues participated in the poll and we received almost 100 comments.
The results of the poll are clear. Voters prefer the in-person meeting in Flagstaff in 2023 with a large margin with respect to the other options.
We have been asked why a meeting in summer of 2022 was not included as an option. Several meetings are already planned for 2022. In August 2022 there will be the IAU General Assembly in Busan, South Korea; and in June 2022 the Meteroids meeting in the USA.
Those of us with limited travel opportunities would be forced to choose between those meetings and the ACM. During the IAU GA there will be several meetings related to the ACM topics, and it will be the first chance to meet the new IAU Commission "Asteroids, Comets and TNOs".
In addition, we would like to keep ACM on its original long-term schedule to avoid conflicts with other periodic meetings, and we feel that meetings in both 2022 and 2023 would be a burden on the community.
In view of the latest developments in the vaccination schemes in the different countries, the uncertainties in the immune response and the challenges to organize a conference that might be postponed again, it might still be risky to plan for a meeting 2022.
As a result of these considerations, we prefer avoiding those conflicts and postponing to 2023. We will be back to our 3yr period, skipping the forgettable 2020.
Finally, 2023 will be a perfect time to hear about the exciting results of the DART impact in October 2022.
Our colleagues in Flagstaff will keep you informed about the next steps.
Thanks again for your support
On behalf the ACM Steering Committee:
Gonzalo Tancredi (Chair of ACM2017)
Karri Muinonen (Chair of ACM2014)
Junichi Watanabe (Chair of ACM2012)
Andy Rivkin (Chair of ACM2008)
David Trilling (Chair of ACM2023)
