PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER
Volume 3, Number 1 (January 4, 2009)

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] Planetary Science Subcommittee Meeting January 9 to Discuss
   Cost Impacts of MSL Launch Slip
2. Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month
3. [NASA PDS] Mars Phoenix Lander Data Release
4. Planetary Meeting Calendar Additions

o---------------------------------------------------------------------o


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[NASA] PLANETARY SCIENCE SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING JANUARY 9 TO DISCUSS COST
IMPACTS OF MSL LAUNCH SLIP

The Planetary Science Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Counsil will be
meeting on January 9 at NASA HQ in room MIC-5. The major topic of the
meeting will be the cost impacts of the MSL launch slip.

This meeting is open to the public, limited only by the capacity of the
room. There is also a period for public comment. Since this 
announcement of this important meeting is so soon before the actual 
event, a dial-in number has been reserved for interested parties unable
to attend in person.  The teleconference number is 866-880-0098 and 
the attendee passcode is 2122674.  Listeners who wish to ask questions
should email the question to Michael New (michael.h.new@nasa.gov) who
will ask it at the meeting. Please include "[PSS]" in the subject line.

The agenda and security requirements for participation on-site can be
found at the unofficial PSS site, 

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/pss


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PLANETARY GEOMORPHOLOGY IMAGE OF THE MONTH

Happy New Year!

The January 2009 'Image of the month' is now available at the IAG's 
Planetary Geomorphology web page:

http://www.psi.edu/pgwg/images/jan09image.html

This month's topic is Stratigraphy of the Martian North Polar Ice Cap.

Past images and captions are available at:

http://www.psi.edu/pgwg/images/index.html 

Mary Bourke
Co-ordinator of the IAG Working Group on Planetary Geomorphology


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[NASA PDS] MARS PHOENIX LANDER DATA RELEASE

The NASA Planetary Data System announces the first release of data 
from the Mars Phoenix Lander mission. This release includes raw and
derived data products from Sols 0 through 30 of the landed mission, 
May 25 - June 25, 2008.

Data sets from the following experiments are included in this release.

    *    Atmospheric Structure Experiment (ASE)
    *    Meteorology Station (MET) LIDAR and Pressure-Temperature 
         Sensors
    *    Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer
         (MECA), including:
             o   Thermal and Electrical Conductivity Probe (TECP)
             o   Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)
             o   Optical Microscope (OM)
             o   Wet Chemistry Laboratory (WCL)
    *    Robotic Arm Camera (RAC)
    *    Surface Stereo Imager (SSI)
    *    Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA)
    *    Telltale Anemometer

Phoenix data are archived at the PDS Atmospheres, Geosciences, and 
Imaging Nodes. The data may be accessed from these nodes' web sites 
and from the main PDS home page: 

http://pds.nasa.gov/ or 
http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-20081223.html

Two more Phoenix data releases are scheduled. Release 2 will occur 
February 20, 2009, and will include data acquired through Sol 90. 

Release 3 is set for April 29, 2009, and will include data acquired 
through Sol 152, the last day of Phoenix communication with Earth.

[Editors' Note: This item has been shortened to meet PEN's 200 word 
limit]


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PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS

Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html

August 3-7, 2009
IAU Symposium 263 - Icy Bodies in the Solar System
http://www.astronomia.edu.uy/congresos/symp263
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

September 13-19, 2009
European Planetary Science Congress 2009
http://meetings.copernicus.org/epsc2009/
Potsdam, Germany

[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.]


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