PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 1, Number 24 (September 30, 2007) PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org Editor: Matt Balme Co-Editors: Mark V. Sykes, Nic Richmond Email: pen_editor at psi.edu o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. [NASA] NSPIRES Proposal Submission Process Being Enhanced 2. NASA Dawn Mission Successfully Launched 3. SOFIA Early Science Opportunities Workshop 4. Comet Surface Sample Return Outreach Session at DPS Conference 5. US Science Agency Budgets Under Continuing Resolution 6. Embracing Exoplanets within DPS 7. Planetary Meeting Calendar Additions o---------------------------------------------------------------------o 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1 [NASA] NSPIRES PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PROCESS BEING ENHANCED NASA is making a change to the NSPIRES proposal submission process to ensure that a minimum set of required proposal cover page fields have been completed. Effective Friday, September 28, 2007 at approximately 8am ET, provision of the proposal summary and business data elements of the cover page will be necessary in order for the AOR to submit the proposal to NASA. If either of these two proposal elements are not completed, the "View Proposal/ Check Elements" function of NSPIRES will display red "error" flags and messages to alert the user to the information that is required but missing, and the "Submit Proposal" button will not be available. The proposal cannot be submitted to NASA until these required fields are complete. Any additional information that is missing will be identified by yellow "warning" flags. In addition, please check the solicitation instructions to ensure that you comply with all instructions, as adherence to these two element validation checks alone is insufficient to guarantee a compliant proposal. http://nspires.nasaprs.com 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2 NASA DAWN MISSION SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED Dawn, the NASA Discovery Program's latest mission, was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral at 7:34 AM EDT on September 27. Dawn will be using ion propulsion to rendezvous with the large asteroid Vesta in 2011, followed by a second rendezvous with the small planet Ceres in 2015. A gravity assist in 2009 from Mars will help to sling Dawn into the asteroid belt. For more information about the Dawn mission, including images from the launch,go to: http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov 3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3 SOFIA EARLY SCIENCE OPPORTUNITIES WORKSHOP AAS WORKSHOP I, JANUARY 8, 2008, AUSTIN, TX The first in a series of workshops regarding early science opportunities with SOFIA (the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) will be held during the AAS meeting in Austin, TX, 1-5 PM Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008. There will be updates on the status of the SOFIA program including its 9 instruments (3 cameras, 5 spectrometers, and a high-speed occultation photometer),followed by a charge to working groups that will meet in splinter sessions to consider the early SOFIA General Observer science plan and update SOFIA's scientific cases. This work will provide input to a SOFIA Science Opportunities document to be reviewed at the SOFIA AAS Workshop II during the June 2008 AAS in St. Louis. EVERYONE IS WELCOME. This is your chance to help define the ways that SOFIA will best serve the science community. We specifically encourage attendance by astronomers who have never had airborne astronomy experience. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, please see: http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Science/08Jan_TaskForce/taskforce.html or contact: Bob Gehrz, U. Minnesota, gehrz@astro.umn.edu 612-624-7806; Tom Roellig, NASA-Ames, troellig@mail.arc.nasa.gov 650-604-6426 4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4 COMET SURFACE SAMPLE RETURN OUTREACH SESSION AT DPS CONFERENCE NASA is investigating the feasibility of a Comet Surface Sample Return (CSSR) mission in advance of the next New Frontiers Announcement of Opportunity (AO), which could be released as early as the fall of 2008. NASA has tasked The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) to lead a detailed study to determine whether a CSSR mission is indeed a viable candidate for New Frontiers. NASA has also formed a CSSR Science Definition Team (SDT) to define the scientific objectives of a CSSR mission and work with the APL technical team to design a mission concept that can achieve those objectives. In order to collect ideas, advice, and comments from the broader planetary community, the SDT is hosting an outreach session on October 11th (Thursday), during the Division of Planetary Science (DPS) meeting. The meeting will be held from 5:30pm to 7pm in Salon 17 of the Rosen Center. Please bring your ideas to this meeting, so that we can help pave the way to a NASA mission that will return to Earth for laboratory investigation some of the solar system's most primitive material. 5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5 US SCIENCE AGENCY BUDGETS UNDER CONTINUING RESOLUTION On September 29, 2007, the President signed into law a continuing resolution passed by Congress the previous day that extends federal funding through November 16. The 2008 federal fiscal year begins October 1, 2007. The NASA budget may be tracked at http://thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app08.html under Commerce/Justice/Science. Budgets have been passed by both the House and Senate, with the House version specifically restoring funds to NASA Research and Analysis programs. However, there is as yet no resolution by a House/Senate Conference Committee. 6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6 EMBRACING EXOPLANETS WITHIN DPS At the 2007 October 7 meeting of the DPS Committee, amendments to the DPS bylaws and prize statements will be considered that formally include the study of exoplanets within DPS. The sponsors of these amendments present them and our reasoning, and solicit statements of support, here: http://physics.ucf.edu/astro/exodps/ 7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDER ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html January 8, 2008 Sofia: Early Science Opportunities (AAS Workshop I) http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Science/08Jan_TaskForce/taskforce.html Austin, TX *********************************************************************** * * The Planetary Exploration Newsletter is issued approximately weekly. * Current and back issues are available at * * http://planetarynews.org * * To subscribe, go to http://planetarynews.org/pen_subscribe.html * * To unsubscribe, go to http://planetarynews.org/pen_unsubscribe.html * * Please send all replies and submissions to pen_editor at psi.edu. * Announcements and other messages should be brief with links to URLs * for extended information, including detailed descriptions for job * announcements. 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