PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 2, Number 21 (April 13, 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. [NASA] Final text and due dates for Opportunities in SMD Education and Public Outreach 2. Outer Planets Flagship Mission (OPAG) Instrument Workshop 3. Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG) Update 4. Request for Information (RFI): Payload Flight Opportunity for Odyssey Moon Limited M-1 Lunar Lander Mission - Deadline Extended 5. 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] FINAL TEXT AND DUE DATES FOR OPPORTUNITIES IN SMD EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH This solicitation is for investigations or projects utilizing SMD content supporting NASA education and public outreach objectives. It solicits proposals that address substantial and substantive educational needs or problems and offer solutions of significant impact. Projects are expected to be relevant to the NASA SMD Education portfolio. This relevance should be clearly demonstrated in the proposal. Given the many accomplishments in NASA Earth and space science education and public outreach in recent years, the program places particular emphasis on systemic and/or sustainable educational impact from SMD investments. Projects must have a clear linkage to the needs of the formal or informal educational systems. Notices of Intent to propose (NOIs) are due May 15, 2008, and proposals are due July 15, 2008. Go to: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ (select "Solicitations" then "Open Solicitations" then "NNH08ZDA001N"). For further information contact Dr. Larry Cooper, Science Mission Directorate, NASA; larry.p.cooper@nasa.gov. 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 OUTER PLANETS FLAGSHIP MISSION (OPAG) INSTRUMENT WORKSHOP Monrovia, California June 3-5, 2008 This is to announce a workshop to prepare instrument providers for an upcoming opportunity to propose instruments for an international Outer Planet Flagship Mission that is planned for a new start in fiscal 2009. NASA and ESA are planning towards opportunity announcements for scientific experiments to fly on the mission. Currently, NASA and ESA are studying two mission options- a Europa/Jupiter System Mission (EJSM) and a Titan/Saturn System Mission (TSSM). A decision by NASA/ESA is expected in November 2008 on whether EJSM or TSSM will go forward. This workshop will provide overviews of both missions as well as overviews of the serious payload constraints that potential instrument providers will want to understand and incorporate into their future proposals. In addition, the workshop solicits contributed papers from instrument providers to be presented in an extended poster session and summarized during the oral sessions. There is no registration fee for workshop participants. The following URL will go live April 17 to accept registration and abstracts: http://opfm.jpl.nasa.gov/InstrumentWorkshop/ The deadline for online abstract submission is May 16. For further information, contact Paula Grunthaner (paula.grunthaner@jpl.nasa.gov) Paula Grunthaner Pat Beauchamp James Cutts 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 VENUS EXPLORATION ANALYSIS GROUP (VEXAG) UPDATE The Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG) recently published the "Venus Exploration Goals, Objectives, Investigations, and Priorities 2007": http://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/vexag_goals_2007.pdf. In the next update of this report, VEXAG wishes to add a section that identifies critical laboratory measurements needed to fulfill the identified goals, objectives, and investigations. Please visit the VEXAG webpage: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/matrixInput.html for further information on how to provide input. 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 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): PAYLOAD FLIGHT OPPORTUNITY FOR ODYSSEY MOON LIMITED M-1 LUNAR LANDER MISSION - DEADLINE EXTENDED Release Date: March 11, 2008 Extended Response Date: April 21, 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 were originally requested by April 12th, 2008. By popular demand the deadline has been extended to April 21, 2008. Input from the international lunar science community is a vital part of our efforts and we very much appreciate the high level of community interest in our Commercial Mission of Opportunity. The RFI can be downloaded at: http://www.odysseymoon.com/PDF/Odyssey_Moon_RFI_11Mar08.pdf Questions and responses should be emailed to: PFO-M1@odysseymoon.com Odyssey Moon Payload Flight Team http://www.odysseymoon.com/ 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 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html May 9-13, 2008 27. Planeten- und Kometentagung (27th Planetary and Cometary Conference) http://violau.istcool.de Violau, Germany May 27-28, 2008 A Glimpse into the Future of Astronomy http://www.on.br/glimpse/index.html Rio de Janeiro, Brazil June 3-5, 2008 Outer Planets Flagship Mission Instrument Workshop Contact: Paula Grunthaner (paula.grunthaner@jpl.nasa.gov) Monrovia, California June 8-12, 2008 RASC-AL (Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts Academic Linkage) http://www.lpi.usra.edu/rascal/ Cape Canaveral, FL June 9-11, 2008 MARSIS & MaRS Workshop http://www.rssd.esa.int/mexdataworkshops Madrid, Spain [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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