PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 2, Number 18 (March 30, 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. Letter to the Community from Yvonne Pendleton (NASA Senior Advisor for Research and Analysis) Regarding the Sudden Departure of Associate Administrator Alan Stern 2. Women in Planetary Science 3. Request for Information (RFI): Payload Flight Opportunity for Odyssey Moon Limited M-1 Lunar Lander Mission 4. NASA's 20th Annual Planetary Science Summer School 5. Cosmic Cataclysms and Life, ESRIN (Frascati, Italy), 10-14 November 2008 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 LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY FROM YVONNE PENDLETON (NASA SENIOR ADVISOR FOR RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS) REGARDING THE SUDDEN DEPARTURE OF ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR ALAN STERN http://science.hq.nasa.gov/research/sara_letters.html 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 WOMEN IN PLANETARY SCIENCE The women behind WomeninPlanetaryScience.org invite you to visit our blog, leave a comment, and join us in writing and talking about the issues that women may disproportionately face as they work in the field of planetary science. Major topics will include the recruitment and retention of women in planetary science, the two-body problem, the addition of babies and kids, work-life balance, flight mission experience, grant flexibility, laboratory environments, and any relevant studies that have appeared in the major journals or around the web. We will also post interesting tidbits of experience that may help readers improve grant proposals or research life, and occasionally feature women in planetary science who have just announced important discoveries. We welcome your participation and comments at http://womeninplanetaryscience.org or the associated email list, which may be joined by sending a message to: womeninplanetaryscience-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. 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 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): PAYLOAD FLIGHT OPPORTUNITY FOR ODYSSEY MOON LIMITED M-1 LUNAR LANDER MISSION Release Date: March 11, 2008 Response Date: April 12, 2008 On March 11th, 2008, at the 39th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Odyssey Moon Limited released a Request for Information (RFI) for a Payload Flight Opportunity aboard its inaugural M-1 lunar lander mission. Odyssey Moon is conducting this request for information (RFI) to survey interest in the international lunar community for this payload flight opportunity. Odyssey Moon seeks to identify potential payloads and Principal Investigators (PIs) who wish to explore rapid, low-cost lunar flight opportunities and will work with PI's to identify how such flight opportunities could be supported by national space agencies and other sources. Responses are requested by April 12th, 2008. The RFI can be downloaded at: http://www.odysseymoon.com/PDF/Odyssey_Moon_RFI_11Mar08.pdf Questions and responses can be emailed to: PFO-M1@odysseymoon.com Odyssey Moon Limited http://www.odysseymoon.com/ 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'S 20TH ANNUAL PLANETARY SCIENCE SUMMER SCHOOL Location: JPL, Pasadena CA Dates: July 21-25 and August 4-8 Applications due: May 1, 2008 http://pscischool.jpl.nasa.gov Science and engineering recent PhDs, post-doctoral and doctoral students with a strong interest in careers in planetary exploration are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or resident aliens ("green card" holders) and must be living within the U.S. at the time of application. The student teams will develop the equivalent of an early concept study responsive to a typical NASA Announcement of Opportunity for robotic missions, prepare a presentation for a proposal authorization review, present it to a review board, and receive feedback. At the end of the week, students will have a clearer understanding of the relationships among mission design, cost, and schedule, and the trade-offs necessary to stay within cost and schedule while preserving the opportunity to acquire high-quality science. They will also understand the lifecycle of a robotic space mission. Partial financial support is available to a limited number of individuals to help defray the expense of travel and lodging only. Contact: Ms. Anita M. Sohus (JPL) 818-354-6613 Anita.M.Sohus@jpl.nasa.gov 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 COSMIC CATACLYSMS AND LIFE, ESRIN (FRASCATI, ITALY), 10-14 NOVEMBER Abstract Deadline: 17 June 2008 A number of cataclysms have occurred in the history of the universe and the Solar System. The Symposium will review those that had a critical influence on the evolution of habitable worlds and on the emergence and survival of life on Earth, and possibly elsewhere. The sessions will discuss the following topics: - Big Bang and the formation of light elements, element nucleosynthesis in stars and Supernovae - Violent processes in star formation, interstellar/circumstellar shocks and the synthesis of molecules - Collisions and planetary formation - Formation of the Moon and its influence on Earth - Late heavy bombardment and the emergence of life - The role of impacts in inhibiting, transporting or threatening life - Hazards from stellar flares and space weather - Hazards from black holes and gamma ray bursts - Cosmic habitability, prevalence of Earth-like planets, the fate of the Earth - Historical, outreach and education aspects of cataclysms (e.g. Tunguska 1908) Updated information about the Workshop will be made on the web site: http://www.congrex.nl/08C16 Information on The European Space Agency site at Frascati can be found at: http:// http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ESRIN_SITE/GGG8UIPZ0GC_0.html 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 November 10-14, 2008 Cosmic Cataclysms and life http://www.congrex.nl/08C16 Frascati, Italy [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. Go to the PEN website for submission directions. ************************************************************************