PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 2, Number 35 (July 20, 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. PEN Submission Requirements Reminder 2. [NASA] FY 2008 NRA Competitive Program for Science Museums and Planetariums Released 3. [NASA] New Proposal Opportunity for Kepler Guest Observer Cycle 1 4. [NASA] FY 2008 NRA K-12 Competitive Grants Opportunity 5. [NASA] PDS Releases Messenger Data 6. [NASA] SARA (Senior Advisor for Research and Analysis) Update 7. New Deadline for Submission to HiRISE Special Issue of Icarus 8. Job Opportunities: 2 Postdoc Positions in Planetary Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Laboratory of Atomic and Surface Physics at the University of Virginia 9. Announcement: Mars Climate Modeling Center Workshop 10. 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 PEN SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS REMINDER WORD LIMIT: All announcements are limited to a maximum of 200 words (title plus text). Extended information should be provided by URLs within the text. DEADLINE: Send announcements to pen_editor at psi.edu by 5pm PST Friday for inclusion in the Sunday issue (late items will be included the following Sunday). FORMAT: Please submit all announcements in plain text. No images or attachments are distributed through PEN. EDITORIALS AND COMMENTARIES: Those pertaining to planetary science and solar system exploration are welcome. Please provide the title with 'EDITORIAL:' at the beginning, along with your name, affiliation, and URL to the full text. A short summary is allowed (50 words including title). If needed, we can post your editorial at planetarypolicy.org and provide the link in the PEN announcement. JOB ANNOUNCEMENTES: These should include position title, institution, and a brief description of the job (conforming to the 200 word limit above). A URL link within the text should be included for an extended job description and application procedure. NO ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS OR SERVICES ARE ALLOWED. MEETING CALENDAR: To add a meeting to the PEN Meeting Calendar send the title, date, location and URL to pen_editor at psi.edu. 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: FY 2008 NRA COMPETITIVE PROGRAM FOR SCIENCE MUSEUMS AND PLANETARIUMS RELEASED The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released the FY 2008 NASA Research Announcement (NRA) Competitive Program for Science Museums and Planetariums (CP4SMP). Each funded CP4SMP proposal is expected to establish informal education projects or exhibits led by museums, science centers, or planetariums that feature eligible NASA missions, science, engineering, explorations, or technologies. This NRA seeks proposals featuring NASA-themed content in space exploration, aeronautics, space science, Earth science, or microgravity, or a combination of these Congressionally-directed topics to support NASA education outcomes. Leadership of the proposed projects must reside at institutions of informal education; partnership relationships are highly encouraged. The solicitation, Announcement Number NNH08ZNE006N, may be accessed through the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) at: http://nspires.nasaprs.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 NASA: NEW PROPOSAL OPPORTUNITY FOR KEPLER GUEST OBSERVER CYCLE 1 ROSES-08 Amendment 18 This amendment announces a new proposal opportunity in Appendix D.9 entitled Kepler Guest Observer Cycle 1. This program element solicits proposals for the acquisition and analysis of new scientific data from the Kepler mission, which will be the tenth NASA Discovery Programï mission. Observations associated with the Kepler Guest Observer - Cycle 1 solicitation will begin immediately following the successful scientific commissioning of the spacecraft. During its 3.5-year prime mission, Kepler will continuously monitor a ~100 square degree field-of-view in the Cygnus region, with the objective of photometrically detecting transits of Earth-size planets in the habitable zone. Proposals submitted to this program should be for new observations only and should address areas of astrophysics outside the exoplanet transit survey Key Project already planned by the mission. Notices of Intent (NOIs) due September 5, 2008. Proposals due October 24, 2008. On or about July 17, 2008, this Amendment to the NASA Research Announcement "Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2008" (NNH08ZDA001N) will be posted on the NASA research opportunity homepage at: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ (select Solicitations then Open Solicitations then NNH08ZDA001N). For more information contact: Dr. Pamela M. Marcum, (202) 358-0377; pamela.m.marcum@nasa.gov Dr. Padi Boyd, (202) 358-2368; padi.boyd@nasa.gov. [Editor's note: This item has been edited from its orginal form so as to meet PEN's 200-word limit] 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 RELEASES FY 2008 NRA K-12 COMPETITIVE GRANTS OPPORTUNITY The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released the FY 2008 NASA Research Announcement for the NASA K-12 Competitive Grants (K12CG). NASA solicits proposals using NASA-themed content in support of secondary level teaching and learning, with a particular emphasis on high school education. Each funded proposal is expected to leverage NASA's unique contributions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to enhance students' academic experiences and/or to improve educators' abilities to engage and stimulate their students. Proposed work must be grounded in education research and/or best practices, and incorporate formative, summative, and other evaluations, as appropriate. This solicitation may be accessed through the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) at: http://nspires.nasaprs.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 [NASA] PDS RELEASES MESSENGER DATA The Planetary Data System announces the third release of data from the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission. This release includes EDR (raw) data from the first Mercury flyby (M1) from all of the instruments. In addition, in accordance with the project archive plan, CDR (calibrated) data from the MDIS, MAG, and MASCS instruments from the Mercury 1, Venus 2, and Earth flybys are included in this release. The remaining instruments will provide calibrated data for all of the flybys to date in release 5, scheduled for 15 March 2010. Data sets from the following experiments are now available: EPPS (Energetic Particle and Plasma Spectrometer) GRNS (Gamma Ray and Neutron Spectrometer) MAG (Magnetometer) MASCS (Mercury Atmosphere and Surface Composition Spectrometer) MDIS(Mercury Dual Imaging System) MLA (Mercury Laser Altimeter) XRS (X-Ray Spectrometer) RS (Radio Science) SPICE data for the mission to date are also included. The data can be accessed from: http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-20080715.html To access all data archived in the PDS, go to: http://pds.nasa.gov. The PDS Team Mailto: pds_operator@jpl.nasa.gov Phone: (818) 393-7165. 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 [NASA] SARA (SENIOR ADVISOR FOR RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS) UPDATE The SARA website has been updated: http://science.hq.nasa.gov/research/sara.html. please see the "What's New" page: http://nasascience.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/whats-new which has the latest letter from SARA, and lists a description of the changes to the website and direct links to them. Please check the website for updates as Max Bernstein takes over the reins. He will continue to reply to your emails through the sara@nasa.gov address. Warm Wishes, Yvonne Pendleton [Editor's note: This item has been edited from its orginal form so as to meet PEN's 200-word limit] 7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7 NEW DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION TO HIRISE SPECIAL ISSUE OF ICARUS A special issue of Icarus is planned, to highlight the results of analyses of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE images. The deadline for submission of manuscripts has been moved to October 20, 2008, with online publication planned for spring 2009 and print publication in fall 2009. Icarus will be transitioning to a new online submission system, so please do not submit manuscripts to this special issue before August 15, 2008. Information regarding submission of manuscripts to Icarus may be found at: http://icarus.cornell.edu/information/authors.html Questions and indication of interest regarding contributions to the HiRISE special issue should be addressed to the guest editors, Laz Keszthelyi and Ken Herkenhoff: laz@usgs.gov kherkenhoff@usgs.gov 8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8 JOB OPPORTUNITIES: 2 POSTDOC POSITIONS IN PLANETARY ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS AT THE LABORATORY OF ATOMIC AND SURFACE PHYSICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA The Laboratory of Atomic and Surface Physics at the University of Virginia http://www.virginia.edu/ep/LASP/LASP.html has 2 openings for Post-Doctoral Research positions in the study of the interaction of energetic ions, electrons, and photons (including laser beams) with condensed gases, minerals and other solids, for applications in planetary astronomy and astrophysics. Ample possibilities of professional development are allowed by a highly productive environment with a wide array of experimental techniques, including particle and photon beams, ultrahigh vacuum, infrared and UV-VIS spectroscopy, cryogenics, and surface analysis (XPS, AES, EELS, SIMS).The appointment is initially for one year term and renewable. The annual salary is competitive and depends on qualifications. Requirements: a) Ph.D. in physics, chemistry or related discipline. b) Demonstrable hands-on experience in laboratory studies of particle- solid interactions, thin films, surface analysis, or optical spectroscopy, c) Strong experimental abilities, particularly in UHV, electronics and computer interfacing, d) Good communication abilities and command of the English language. Prof. Raul A. Baragiola Laboratory Director Applicants should send, before July 31th, 2008, a CV with list of publications, and a narrative describing abilities and experience related to the present position by e-mail to: maf7e@virginia.edu (Attn. Dr. Marcelo Fama) 9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9 ANNOUNCEMENT: MARS CLIMATE MODELING CENTER WORKSHOP 30 September through 2 October 2008 NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California The Space Science and Astrobiology Division of NASA Ames Research Center, and the Planetary Science Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, wish to cordially invite your participation in a planning and purposes workshop for the establishment of a Mars Climate Modeling Center (MCMC) at the NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California. The theme of this workshop is to openly discuss the needs of the Agency regarding a national center for Mars climate modeling and research in support of its Mars Exploration Program, and further, to establish an efficient resource for the Mars science and mission engineering communities. We encourage participation in the MCMC workshop from Mars atmospheric and climate scientists; Mars mission, engineering and support personnel; NASA High-End Computing members; and, others broadly interested in Mars climate research. The workshop webpage: http://mcmcworkshop.arc.nasa.gov) will "go live" on 29 July 2008. We hope you will be able to attend and participate in the MCMC workshop this autumn. Jeffery Hollingsworth (jeffery.l.hollingsworth@nasa.gov) Planetary Systems Branch NASA/Ames Timothy Lee, Chief Space Science and Astrobiology Division NASA/Ames James Green, Director Planetary Science Division NASA/HQ 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html September 15-17, 2008 Measuring the Atmospheric Spectra of Extra-Solar Planets http://www.astro.ex.ac.uk/esp08/ Exeter, United Kingdom September 22-24, 2008 Journees 2008 Systemes de reference spatio-temporels and Lohrmann- Kolloquium on Astrometry, Geodynamics and Astronomical Reference Systems http://astro.geo.tu-dresden.de/journees2008/ Dresden, Germany September 26-28, 2008 >From the Antikythera Mechanism to Herschel and Planck: 2500 Years of Observational Astronomy http://astro.ic.ac.uk/outreach/obs_astro.shtml Thessaloniki, Greece September 30-October 2, 2008 Mars Climate Modeling Center Workshop http://mcmcworkshop.arc.nasa.gov Moffett Field, CA October 8-10, 2008 2008 ROE Workshop: Habitability in Our Galaxy http://www.roe.ac.uk/roe/workshop/2008/ Edinburgh, United Kingdom October 13-17, 2008 I-science workshop on data mining, distributed computing and visualization for astronomy http://www.lorentzcenter.nl/lc/web/2008/321/application.php3?wsid=321 Leiden, The Netherlands January 4-8, 2009 213th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society http://www.aas.org/meetings/aas213/ Long Beach, CA March 2-6, 2009 Planet Formation and Evolution: The Solar System and Extrasolar Planets http://www.tat.physik.uni-tuebingen.de/~fgp/Conf09/ Tuebingen, Germany May 10-15, 2009 Bolides and Meteorite Falls http://www.bolides09.com/ Prague, Czech Republic June 13-14, 2009 7th International Planetary Probe Short Course http://www.planetaryprobe.eu/ Barcelona, Spain June 15-19, 2009 7th International Planetary Probe Workshop http://www.planetaryprobe.eu/ Barcelona, 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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