PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 2, Number 15 (March 16, 2008) 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. Europa - Jupiter International Workshop, Frascati, Italy, April 21-22, 2008 2. National Research Council Request for Information (RFI): Opportunities Enabled by NASA's Constellation System 3. [NASA] Request for Information (RFI): New Science Investigations Using Existing NASA Spacecraft 4. [NASA] Draft Stand Alone Missions of Opportunity Notice (SALMON) Announcement of Opportunity 5. [NASA] Town Hall Meeting: Heliophysics Missions 2009-2034 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 EUROPA - JUPITER INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP, FRASCATI, ITALY, APRIL 21-22, 2008 Europa - Jupiter International Workshop Frascati (Rome), Italy April 21-22, 2008 http://www.ifsi.rm.cnr.it/index.php?categoryid=68 This is to announce a Workshop in association with studies for an international Europa/Jupiter System Mission in collaboration between NASA, ESA, JAXA and possibly other international partners. This mission would carry out an in-depth study of Europa and the Jupiter system, with special emphasis on studying Europa's habitability in the global context of the Jupiter system. This Workshop will provide a venue for the international science community interested in the exploration of Europa and the Jupiter system to discuss the scientific and measurement objectives in the current plans by the space agencies that are now engaged in studying this very exciting and challenging mission to Europa and the Jupiter system. All contributions from the community are welcome, to address in particular the following three aspects of the mission design: Science objectives, Mission profile definition, Design of necessary payload elements. The Workshop is organised by INAF-IFSI and CESR with the support of ESA and NASA. Proposals for contributions can be sent to the members of the Organizing Committee. Registration is required at the website above by April 3. Federico Tosi Michel Blanc Ron Greeley 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 NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): OPPORTUNITIES ENABLED BY NASA'S CONSTELLATION SYSTEM The Space Studies Board and the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board of the National Research Council (NRC) have begun a study of science opportunities enabled by NASA's Constellation system of launch vehicles and spacecraft. The Committee on Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA's Constellation System will first analyze a set of "Vision Mission" concepts provided by NASA. The results of this analysis will be included in an interim report to be completed by the end of April 2008. The mission concepts that the committee is analyzing for its interim report are listed on the committee's website: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/ssb/constellation2008.html In order to obtain the greatest possible input of ideas from the community about potential mission concepts addressing space science research, we are soliciting input from the broad community concerning ideas for missions or programs that are uniquely enabled by NASA's Constellation system. [Editor's note: For the full announcement please go to the above URL.] 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] REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): NEW SCIENCE INVESTIGATIONS USING EXISTING NASA SPACECRAFT Science Mission Directorate, NASA Solicitation Number: NNH08ZDA005L Release Date: March 14, 2008 Response Date: April 9, 2008 NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) currently sponsors approximately 85 flight missions, involving over 90 spacecraft, divided between missions in development and missions in operations. One of SMD's programmatic objectives is to maximize the science return for the Nation within the available budget. This Request for Information (RFI) solicits input from the broad space science community that would contribute to NASA's study of possible new uses for current NASA spacecraft beyond their current missions. Responses to this RFI (NNH08ZDA005L) will be used to inform NASA's program planning. [Editor's Note: The complete RFI including background, requested information, and instructions for responding may be found at http://procurement.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/synopsis.cgi?acqid=129129 ] 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 [NASA] DRAFT STAND ALONE MISSIONS OF OPPORTUNITY NOTICE (SALMON) ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY NASA is releasing a DRAFT of the SALMON AO for community review and comment. The five Program Element Appendices included in this DRAFT solicit: Lunar and Planetary Science Partner Missions of Opportunity, Lunar and Planetary Science U.S. Participating Investigators, Small Complete Missions of Opportunity in Astrobiology and Fundamental Space Biology, Earth Science U.S. Participating Investigators, and Astrophysics U.S. Participating Investigators. Participation in this AO will be open to all categories of organizations (U.S. and non-U.S.), including educational institutions, industry, not-for-profit organizations, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), NASA Centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and other Government agencies. NASA welcomes critical review and comment of this DRAFT, which will be available from March 14, 2008, through April 4, 2008. [Editor's Note: The complete announcement can be accessed at http://procurement.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/synopsis.cgi?acqid=129125 and the draft is available at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument/ cmdocumentid=131990/Draft_SALMON_AO.pdf ] 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 [NASA] TOWN HALL MEETING: HELIOPHYSICS MISSIONS 2009-2034 NASA's Heliophysics Division has begun the process of developing a Strategic Plan to chart the division's course over the coming decades. A major input will be the strategic scientific research plan developed by the newly formed Mission Planning Working Group (MiPWG). The focus of the Division is to investigate the coupled Sun-Geospace system and the impact of solar variability on planets and the space environment. The Working Group solicits input from the scientific community to develop this plan and invites you to participate in a Town Hall Meeting to be held at the Holiday Inn College Park (I-95), 10000 Baltimore Avenue, College Park, MD 20740 on May 19 and 20, 2008. The purpose of this two-day forum is to give all those interested in Heliophysics science the opportunity to provide direct input into the plan. The meeting will continue the popular tradition of poster sessions for presentation of ingenious strategies, creative tactics, and innovative mission concepts. Special focus will be placed on the connected issues of launch vehicle availability and mission cost growth in a constrained budget environment. For more information see access http://heliophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/Townhall08.htm or contact NASA/HQ coordinator Arik Posner (arik.posner@nasa.gov). 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 31 - April 4, 2008 Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) National Astronomy Meeting 2008 (NAM08) http://nam2008.qub.ac.uk/ Belfast, Northern Ireland May 29-30, 2008 Exoplanet Forum 2008 http://exoplanets.jpl.nasa.gov Pasadena, CA CORRECTED URL September 15-17, 2008 Workshop on the Early Solar System Impact Bombardment http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/bombardment2008/ Houston, TX October 10-15, 2008 AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) Annual Meeting http://dps08.astro.cornell.edu Ithaca, NY [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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