More than 200 people from 14 countries attended the 54th Vernadsky-Brown Microsymposium on planetary science and exploration, held March 15-17, 2013, in Houston. The latest symposium was titled “The Lunar Farside and Poles: New Destinations for Exploration.” Along with presentations by lunar and planetary researchers from all over the world, Apollo 15 Commander David R. Scott talked about his exploration of the Hadley-Apennine region of the Moon in 1971. Space shuttle astronaut and MIT Professor Jeff Hoffman and his students discussed plans to go back to the Moon using existing Apollo architecture and new technology. The symposium series, which has been happening for nearly 30 consecutive years, is a partnership between Brown and Russia’s Vernadsky Institute for Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry. The aim is to bring together leaders in planetary science and exploration from all over the world to discuss major topics of interest. NASA’s Brown-MIT Lunar Science Institute Consortium, co-led by Brown Professor Carle Pieters and MIT Vice President for Research Maria Zuber, cosponsored the event.