PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 2, Number 47 (September 28, 2008) PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org Editor: Mark V. Sykes Co-Editors: Nic Richmond, Matt Balme Email: pen_editor at psi.edu o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. Postdoctoral Opportunities in Planetary Science at GSFC 2. Student Opportunities in Planetary Science at GSFC and/or JPL 3. Fellowship programs reminder 4. Planetary Geomorphology Sessions at 7th IAG Conference 5. Workshop on Observing with SOFIA 6. [NASA] Revised objectives and new due date for LASER 7. [NASA] Request for Information for the Scientist Participant Suborbital Research Program 8. 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 POSTDOCTORAL OPPORTUNITIES IN PLANETARY SCIENCE AT GSFC Preferred Deadline: November 1st 2008 The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Planetary Systems Lab (Code 693) is seeking qualified applicants for the NASA Postdoctoral Program. Personnel in our group study many of the bodies in the solar system and extra-solar planets. We particularly seek applicants interested in the study of the atmospheres of the outer planets, especially atmospheric dynamics and cloud structure. Experience in radiative transfer or dynamical modeling (including wave propagation) is a plus. Researchers will have access to data from Galileo, Cassini, New Horizons, the Hubble Space Telescope and other facilities. To apply, see http://university.gsfc.nasa.gov/programs/npp.jsp, and also contact Amy Simon-Miller (Amy.Simon@nasa.gov, or at the DPS meeting, October 10-15, Ithaca NY) for more information and to develop a research focus. 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 STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES IN PLANETARY SCIENCE AT GSFC AND/OR JPL A collaborative planetary group with members at Goddard Space Flight Center and JPL seek students interested in the decomposition of multivariate data sets to understand the atmosphere of Jupiter and other planets. Applicants can be hosted at either location (GSFC in Greenbelt, MD, or JPL in Pasadena, CA), through our undergraduate and graduate student programs, especially the Co-op, USRP and GSRP programs: At GSFC: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/education/coop.html http://university.gsfc.nasa.gov/programs/usrp.jsp http://university.gsfc.nasa.gov/programs/gsrp.jsp At JPL: http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/higher_ed/undergrad.html http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/higher_ed/graduate.html Contact: Amy Simon-Miller at GSFC (Amy.Simon@nasa.gov) or Padma Yanamandra-Fisher at JPL (padma@scn.jpl.nasa.gov). They will also be at the DPS meeting, October 10-15, Ithaca NY. 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 FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS REMINDER We want to remind any graduate students and postdocs who were planning to apply for a Spitzer Fellowship, with general information at http://ssc.spitzer.caltech.edu/geninfo/fellows/ that they should be applying for Hubble Fellowships, with information at http://www.stsci.edu/institute/org/spd/hubble-fellowship /hubble-fellow-overview/ Einstein Fellowships, at http://cxc.harvard.edu/fellows/ or the new Sagan Fellowships, at http://nexsci.caltech.edu/sagan/ The Sagan Fellowship program, in particular, supports exoplanet research, a very active field of Spitzer research. Spitzer Science User Support 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 PLANETARY GEOMORPHOLOGY SESSIONS AT 7TH IAG CONFERENCE Abstract submission deadline: Wednesday 3 December 2008 (Australia time). Please consider presenting your work in the special sessions on Planetary Geomorphology to be held at the Seventh IAG Conference on Geomorphology, Melbourne, July 2009. http://www.geomorphology2009.com/default.asp We welcome submissions for oral and poster presentations on topics relevant to the geomorphology of terrestrial planets and bodies, including studies of Earth analogs. Session description and the complete scientific program at http://www.geomorphology2009.com/program.asp Mary Bourke Coordinator: IAG Working Group on Planetary Geomorphology http://www.psi.edu/pgwg/ 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 WORKSHOP ON OBSERVING WITH SOFIA 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., Monday, October 13, 2008 During the Ithaca DPS meeting Location: Taylor A/B A brief workshop will be offered to the planetary science community regarding SOFIA, NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, Monday October 13, 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. during the Ithaca DPS meeting, in room Taylor A/B. SOFIA's first scientific observing flights are expected in mid-2009. Presentations will be made during the workshop about status of the SOFIA program, capabilities of the observatory and its 9 scientific instruments spanning the wavelength range from UV to sub-mm, and the mission E&PO program. Upcoming opportunities to apply for SOFIA observing time will be described. A draft "white paper" on planetary science possibilities with SOFIA will be summarized, for discussion by attendees. 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] REVISED OBJECTIVES AND NEW DUE DATE FOR LASER LASER will not be co-sponsored by the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) this year; LASER is sponsored only by the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) this year. Objectives that support only lunar exploration without supporting lunar science are not being solicited this year. In order to allow sufficient time for proposals to be prepared in response to this change, the proposal due date has been deferred to November 7, 2008. LASER awards in response to the ROSES 2007 call were jointly supported by SMD and ESMD. These awards will continue to be jointly supported until conclusion of the award term. Proposers who have already submitted proposals may use the NSPIRES "withdraw" function to withdraw their proposal, revise it, and resubmit it if they desire. Questions about this NSPIRES function may be directed to the NSPIRES help desk. Further information about this program element is available from Dr. Robert A. Fogel, Planetary Science Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546-0001; Telephone: 202-358-2289; E-mail: Robert.a.fogel@nasa.gov. [EDITOR NOTE: Modified for length.] 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 [NASA] REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FOR THE SCIENTIST PARTICIPANT SUBORBITAL RESEARCH PROGRAM Deadline: December 5, 2008 NASA is soliciting ideas and comments from the science, research, and technology communities on potential suborbital investigations with the option of, but not limited to, a "human in the loop" that support any of NASA's goals. With input from responses to this RFI, NASA intends to (i) consider acquiring commercial suborbital seats and/or flights for NASA-funded researchers to conduct suborbital investigations and (ii) consider an additional solicitation for proposals for suborbital investigation concept studies that address NASA's research needs, especially those in science disciplines beyond those included in the current ROSES-08 solicitation. For an overview of NASA’s strategic goals and objectives refer to The 2006 NASA Strategic Plan (2006), available at http://www.nasa.gov/about/budget The complete RFI including background, requested information, and instructions for responding may be found at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ Select "Solicitations" then "Open Solicitations" then "Request for Information (NNH08ZDA011L) Scientist Participant Suborbital Research Program. For further information on the Science Participant Suborbital Research Program, please contact Dr Yvonne Cagle, Mail Code VP, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA 94035; phone at 281-244-8628; email at Yvonne.D.Cagle@nasa.gov. [EDITOR NOTE: Modified for length.] 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 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html November 12, 2008 Microscience Technology Forum: Space Technology http://www.rms.org.uk/event_space.shtml Leicester, United Kingdom November 20-22, 2008 Great Surveys of Astronomy http://t8web.lanl.gov/people/salman/grsurveys Santa Fe, NM June 22-26, 2009 Adaptive Optics for Extremely Large Telescopes http://ao4elt.lesia.obspm.fr/ Paris, France July 6-11, 2009 7th International Conference on Geomorphology (ANZIAG) http://www.geomorphology2009.com/ Melbourne, Australia [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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