PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 2, Number 26 (May 18, 2008) PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org Editor: Nic Richmond Co-Editors: Mark V. Sykes, Matt Balme Email: pen_editor at psi.edu o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. [NASA] New Frontiers Program Community Announcement 2. [NASA] SPICE Training Class 3. The Great Planet Debate: A Scientific Conference and Educator's Workshop 4. First Announcement - Spitzer 2008 Conference "New Light on Young Stars" 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] NEW FRONTIERS PROGRAM COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT May 12, 2008 The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) plans to release for community comment a draft Announcement of Opportunity (AO) for the third New Frontiers mission (NF-3) in September 2008. Approximately two weeks after the draft is released, SMD will hold a community workshop in the Washington, D.C., area. The final AO will be released in December 2008 with proposals due approximately 90 days later. In August 2009, up to three missions will be selected for a 9 to 11 month Phase A that will be funded up to $2.5M each. Downselection to a single mission for flight will occur in fall (September to November) 2010. Launch is to occur no earlier than 2015 and no later than 2018. This NF-3 AO will solicit only missions that do not require nuclear sources for power generation or propulsion, although Radioisotope Heating Units (RHUs) and calibration sources will be allowed. The Principal Investigator (PI) Mission Cost for all phases of the mission will not include the launch vehicle and will be capped at $650M in FY09 dollars. Questions may be addressed to Dr. Adriana C. Ocampo, New Frontiers Program Executive, Science Mission Directorate, NASA, Washington, DC 20546; Tel.: (202) 358-2152; Email: aco@nasa.gov [Editor Note: Full details of this announcement can be found at: http://newfrontiers.larc.nasa.gov/CommAnnouncement05122008.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 [NASA] SPICE TRAINING CLASS NASA's Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility (NAIF) has tentatively scheduled the next SPICE training class, to be held near Pasadena CA on October 21-24 (to be confirmed). Details may be found from a link on the NAIF home page: http://naif.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 THE GREAT PLANET DEBATE: A SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE AND EDUCATOR's WORKSHOP August 14 - 16, 2008 Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Laurel, Maryland, USA Online registration for the above meeting is now available at: http://gpd.jhuapl.edu/ The deadline for abstracts and early registration is June 27, 2008. During the first two days of the conference, speakers will present what we have learned about planetary bodies after more than 40 years of robotic exploration of the Solar System and what we are learning about planets around other stars. The characteristics and criteria used to define and categorize planets, including the IAU's dynamical-based definition and alternative geophysical-based definitions, will be discussed and debated. The invited speakers are leading researchers in the field of planetary system formation and evolution. The schedule of talks can be found at: http://gpd.jhuapl.edu/schedule/ The third day of the meeting will be an Educator's Workshop to discuss how the question of "The Great Planet Debate" should be treated in schools and how that can be used as a springboard to discuss science as a process, as well as other topics in planetary science. Meeting Organizers: Mark Sykes, Hal Weaver, and Keith Noll 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 FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT - SPITZER 2008 CONFERENCE "NEW LIGHT ON YOUNG STARS" October 26-30 2008, Hilton Hotel, Pasadena CA You are cordially invited to participate in the 2008 Spitzer Science Center Conference on circumstellar disks. The unprecedented infrared sensitivity of the Spitzer Space Telescope has enabled major advances in the study of protostellar, protoplanetary, and debris disks. Now, as Spitzer nears the transition from cryogenic to warm mission, it is an opportune time to assess and synthesize recent progress in our understanding of circumstellar disks and focus on the outstanding science questions for future work. At the meeting, results from Spitzer's surveys of circumstellar matter in the Milky Way will be considered in the context of work at other wavelengths and underlying theory in the following topic areas: - Surveys of star-formation regions - Effects of environment and central object on disk properties - Structure of protostellar/protoplanetary disks and envelopes - Spectroscopic diagnostics of circumstellar gas and dust - Transition disks, disk evolution, and planet formation - Frequency, structure, and theory of debris disks Full details about registration, lodgings and agenda can be found here: http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/spitzer2008 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 August 10-14, 2008 The N-Body Problem: Numerical Methods and Applications http://www.astro.utu.fi/conf/NBody2008/ Turku, Finland September 15-17, 2008 Thermal Models for Planetary Science http://www.oca.eu/thermops/ Beaulieu sur Mer, France [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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