Yesterday’s report by Charles Limoli showing that astronauts risk severe and lasting brain damage in deep space is sure to be a hot topic at the 2015 Humans to Mars summit this week in Washington, DC.

The conference will bring together current and former NASA officials, delegations from the Planetary Society and other organizations interested in space travel and members of the general public to discuss just about every conceivable issue related to Mars exploration.

Humans to Mars, or H2M “is a comprehensive Mars exploration conference that addresses the major technical, scientific, and policy challenges of getting humans to Mars, as well as how such missions can have positive impacts on STEM education, American Competitiveness and other important collateral issues,” according to Explore Mars, Inc., one of the organizations behind the conference.

Among the speakers at the conference will be NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin as well as Senator Bill Nelson (D-Fla), Earth’s third space tourist and president of GHO Ventures Greg Olsen, PBS Frontline journalist Miles O’Brien and author Andrew Weir.

The Planetary Society will also be in attendance to lay out the details of the Mars advocacy program which was originally announced last month.

The event will be hosted by the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University from May 5-7. Registration is currently still open online, however those who cannot attend can still watch for free. The event will be streamed online and people can follow along on social media with the hashtag #H2M2015.

In 2014, 600 people attended the event and more than 100,000 watched online according to George Washington University.

The research on cosmic radiation and brain damage is just the latest. Mars has been in the news on an almost weekly basis this year. Among the hi-lights were the discovery that Mars had, and lost, a vast ocean of water. The discovery a few weeks ago that small amounts of briny water still flow on the surface, the recent measurement of existing glaciers and the discovery that methane and other organic chemicals are present on the planet.

Mars One announced it’s latest round of candidates but came under fire from a variety of sources for an unrealistic plan. NASA told Congress that the plan is to land humans on Mars by the mid 2030s and the Planetary Society, led by Bill Nye, announced its new advocacy plan to support crewed missions to Mars.

Conference attendees should have plenty to talk about during the three day meeting.