PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 2, Number 4 (January 13, 2008) PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org Editor: Nic Richmond Co-Editors: Matt Balme, Mark V. Sykes Email: pen_editor at psi.edu o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. [NASA] Offers Mission PI Training Course 2. [NASA] Astrobiology Institute Proposal Notice 3. [NASA] PDS Announces First Messenger Data Release 4. 2nd Annual Small Spacecraft Summer Study Program (S4P) 5. Application Deadline Extended for 2008 Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Internship Program 6. 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] OFFERS MISSION PI TRAINING COURSE NASA Science Mission Directorate to Sponsor NASA Academy of Program, Project, and Engineering Leadership (APPEL) Mission Principal Investigator Training Course. Beginning in 2008, the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) will be sponsoring a series of offerings of a one-week Mission Principal Investigator (PI) Training Course to help mission PIs lead NASA science missions more effectively. The Mission PI Training Course has been developed and will be delivered by the NASA Academy of Program, Project and Engineering Leadership (APPEL) under the direction of Dr. Edward Hoffman of the Office of the Chief Engineer. The course will cover material including the responsibilities of the PI, NASA policies and directives, project life cycles and reviews, project management and systems engineering, project assessment and control, NASA-provided services, and project-centered leadership fundamentals. The initial course offering is planned for June 15-20, 2008 at a soon to be announced location convenient to the Washington, DC area. The course will subsequently be offered three or more times per year. Mission PIs have full responsibility for the scientific integrity and all other aspects of their missions including the execution of the mission investigation within the committed cost and schedule. Due to this level of responsibility, existing mission PIs will have a mandatory requirement to complete the course within three years of the initial course offering date, and PIs of missions subsequently selected to enter Phase B will have a mandatory requirement to complete the course within one year from their selection. The Mission PI Training Course requirement is in addition to, and not a substitute for, the experience requirements for the PIs of all mission proposals submitted in response to SMD Announcements of Opportunity. Enrollment for the course will be limited to approximately 35 participants per class offering. NASA will cover the cost of the course including all food and lodging, but participants will be responsible for their own transportation to and from the course and for their salary during the weeklong course. To receive consideration for the initial course offering, please send an email message with your electronic contact coordinates to katherine.thomas@asrcms.com with "Register: Mission PI Training Course" in the title. Aspiring mission PIs should also include a one-page summary of their relevant experience and describe their interest in becoming a mission PI. The email message must be received by January 31, 2008 in order to receive consideration for the initial course offering, and participants for the initial class will be selected from among those responding. Please forward any questions about the course to katherine.thomas@asrcms.com with "Question: Mission PI Training Course" in the title. 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] ASTROBIOLOGY INSTITUTE PROPOSAL NOTICE On January 8, 2008, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is releasing a Cooperative Agreement Notice (NNH08ZDA002C) soliciting new institutional members to the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI). The NAI CAN (Cycle-5) is responsive to the recommendations of the recent NRC study (Assessment of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, 2007. Go to http://www7.nationalacademies.org/ssb/ for the report. Proposers will be required to clearly articulate an innovative, interdisciplinary, astrobiology research program, together with plans to advance the full scope of NAI objectives as defined in the Institute's Mission Statement. See NAI website: http://nai.nasa.gov/ Proposers may also choose to focus their research on preparing for strategic mission objectives in astrobiology. NASA anticipates making $10-12M per year available for this selection, leading to at least 7 and possibly several more awards (approximately one-third of which will be focused on preparing for strategic mission objectives), each of 5 years duration. Notices of Intent (NOIs) are due February 22, 2008, and proposals are due April 11, 2008. Obtain additional programmatic information from: Dr. Carl Pilcher, Director, NASA Astrobiology Insitute, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035; Tel: (650) 604-0022; email: can5@nasa.gov. [Editor Note: Upon its release date, this Cooperative Agreement Notice will be available electronically from http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ (select "Solicitations" then select "Open Solicitations" then select "NNH08ZDA002C").] 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 [NASA] PDS ANNOUNCES FIRST MESSENGER DATA RELEASE The Planetary Data System announces the first release of data from the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission. The release includes EDR level data acquired during cruise, the Earth flyby (Aug 2, 2005), and the 1st (Oct 24, 2006) and 2nd (June 5, 2007) Venus flybys. Not all instruments acquired data during each of these mission phases. Data sets from the following experiments are now available: EPPS (Energetic Particle and Plasma Spectrometer) - PPI GRNS (Gamma Ray and Neutron Spectrometer) - GEO MAG (Magnetometer) - PPI MASCS (Mercury Atmosphere and Surface Composition Spectrometer) - ATM, GEO MDIS(Mercury Dual Imaging System) - IMG MLA (Mercury Laser Altimeter) - GEO RS (Radio Science) - GEO XRS (X-Ray Spectrometer) - GEO SPICE kernels for all instruments are also available from the NAIF Node. MESSENGER data are archived at the PDS Atmospheres (ATM), Geosciences (GEO), Imaging (IMG), NAIF, and Planetary Plasma Interactions (PPI) Nodes. The data can be accessed from these nodes' web sites and from the main PDS home page: http://pds.nasa.gov. 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 2ND ANNUAL SMALL SPACECRAFT SUMMER STUDY PROGRAM (S4P) Summer 2008 The University Affiliated Research Center at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA, will host its 2nd annual Small Spacecraft Summer Study Program (S4P). Twelve students will be selected to participate in an in-depth 10-week mentorship program to develop and test ideas for small spacecraft exploration of Near Earth Objects ideas that will ultimately lead to a detailed mission proposal. The UARC Systems Teaching Institute seeks highly motivated graduate students in electrical, mechanical, aerospace, and systems engineering, astrophysics, planetary sciences, and project or business management. Advanced undergraduates with relevant experience will also be considered. Additional Information and Application Instructions at: http://uarc.ucsc.edu/sti/s4p_08.shtml Inquiries can be addressed to: Prof. Erik Asphaug: asphaug@mac.com Natalie Batalha, Director, UARC Systems Teaching Institute: Natalie.Batalha@sjsu.edu Application Deadlines: Feb 1, 2008 (foreign nationals) Friday, March 21, 2008 (US citizens) 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 APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR 2008 LLOYD V. BERKNER SPACE POLICY INTERNSHIP PROGRAM As part of its celebration of the 50th anniversary of its founding, the National Research Council's Space Studies Board (SSB) has expanded the scope of the Space Policy Intern program it has operated since 1992 by initiating the Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Internships. The goal of the program is to provide promising undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to work in the area of civil space research policy in the Nation's capital, under the aegis of the SSB. The Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Internships are offered twice annually. The summer program is restricted to undergraduates and the autumn program is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. The deadline for applications for the summer 2008 program has been extended to February 1, 2008. The deadline for applications to the autumn program is June 16, 2008. Additional details, including eligibility criteria and application procedures, can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/255p4q [Editor Note: The link above will automatically redirect you to the relevant website] 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 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html March 8-9, 2008 Vernadsky-Brown Microsymposium 47: Early Climate and Weathering on Mars http://www.planetary.brown.edu/html_pages/professional.htm Houston, TX June 8-11, 2008 The Fifth Annual Planetary and Terrestrial Mining Sciences Symposium (PTMSS) http://www.ptmss.com Montreal, Canada July 20-26, 2008 Topical Problems of Nonlinear Wave Physics-2008 http://www.nwp.sci-nnov.ru/ Nizhny Novgorod, Russia September 29 - October 3, 2008 59th International Astronautical Congress http://www.iafastro.com Glasgow, Scotland [Editor Note: If there is a planetary-related meeting, conference or workshop that you think your colleagues should be aware of, please send the date, title, URL and location to pen_editor at psi.edu.] *********************************************************************** * * 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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