PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 3, Number 22 (May 10, 2009) 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. Planetary Photogrammetry Guest Facility at the USGS in Flagstaff 2. PDS Imaging Node - CASSINI ISS Calibration Update 3. Planetary Science Decadal Survey Steering Group Appointed 4. Accessing Level-4 Archival HRSC Images-DTMs Via HRSCView Website 5. New Website for Mars Express SRC Mosaics 6. 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 PLANETARY PHOTOGRAMMETRY GUEST FACILITY AT THE USGS IN FLAGSTAFF NASA and the US Geological Survey have established a Planetary Photogrammetry Guest Facility at the USGS in Flagstaff, Arizona. This is a specialized computer workstation of the same type used by the USGS for stereo topographic mapping of the Moon and planets that will be available up to 50% of the time for qualified researchers to use to make products ranging from simple spot height measurements to fully edited digital topographic models (DTMs) from a wide variety of stereo images. USGS staff will provide training and supervision, but travel expenses are the responsibility of the selected investigator. To apply, send a short (1 page) informal application to rkirk@usgs.gov. The two key pieces of information required are the research goals (to allow us to evaluate whether images to achieve these goals are available) and the researcher's schedule of availability for group training and subsequent use of the facility. Applications for the current fiscal year must be transmitted by 31 May 2009. Applications received after that date will be considered for FY 2010. For more information about the capabilities of the stereo workstation and the application process, see the 2009 LPSC abstract: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2009/pdf/1414.pdf 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 PDS IMAGING NODE - CASSINI ISS CALIBRATION UPDATE Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) has delivered a new version (Version 2.0) of their calibration software to the Planetary Data System Imaging Node. The new version of volume (COISS_0011) contains both the CISSCAL IDL software package and associated calibration support files. Of particular interest is the update to the absolute flux calibration, and the addition of a command-line mode enabling image calibration without the CISSCAL graphical interface. The new version also provides an updated CISSCAL User Guide. A full list of software modifications is given in the CISSCAL aareadme.txt file. For detailed instructions, see the updated users manual in the COISS_0011 archive 'document' directory. This volume is available on the PDS Imaging Node website: http://pds-imaging.jpl.nasa.gov/data/cassini/cassini_orbiter/ coiss_0011_v2/ [Editor Note: Please note that the web address extends over two lines] 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 PLANETARY SCIENCE DECADAL SURVEY STEERING GROUP APPOINTED The Chair of the National Research Council has approved the selection of the following individuals as members of the Steering Group for the Planetary Science Decadal Survey: Wendy M. Calvin, University of Nevada, Reno; Dale Cruikshank, NASA Ames Research Center; Pascale Ehrenfreund, George Washington University and Leiden Institute of Chemistry; G. Scott Hubbard, Stanford University; Wesley T. Huntress, Jr., Carnegie Institution of Washington; Margaret G. Kivelson, University of California, Los Angeles; B. Gentry Lee, Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Jane Luu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lincoln Laboratory; Stephen Mackwell, Lunar and Planetary Institute; Ralph L. McNutt, Jr., Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory; Harry Y. McSween, Jr., University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Amy Simon-Miller, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; David J. Stevenson, California Institute of Technology; and A. Thomas Young, Lockheed Martin Corporation [Retired]. The appointment of Steven W. Squyres, Cornell University, and Laurence A. Soderblom, U.S. Geological Survey, as, respectively, the chair and vice chair of the Steering Group was announced in March. 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 ACCESSING LEVEL-4 ARCHIVAL HRSC IMAGES-DTMs VIA HRSCVIEW WEBSITE Level-4 archival HRSC images and digital terrain models (DTMs) are freely available from the HRSCview website at the Free University Berlin. Go to this URL: http://hrscview.fu-berlin.de/cgi-bin/ion-p?page=entry.ion Use the image search function on the main page to determine which orbits' data cover your region of interest. Then, select "Direct data access - Level 4" on the main page, and you will be taken to a page of folders by orbit number to download the appropriate images and DTMs. For more information on the HRSC Experiment on Mars Express, go to this URL: http://src.la.asu.edu/pdf/HRSC_Fact_Sheet.pdf The HRSC Team 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 NEW WEBSITE FOR MARS EXPRESS SRC MOSAICS A new web page has been created at Arizona State University to access and download the Mars Express Super Resolution Camera (SRC) mosaics produced during the mission, in both VICAR and TIFF formats. A Google based map shows the locations of the 339 mosaics produced thus far. To access these images go to this URL: http://src.la.asu.edu/ The HRSC Team 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 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html November 9-10, 2009 The First Arab Impact Cratering and Astrogeology Conference http://aicac.jga.org.jo/main1/ Amman, Jordan November 23-27, 2009 Mathematics and Astronomy: A Joint Long Journey http://www.astromath2009.com/ Madrid, Spain June 27-July 2, 2010 SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 2010 http://spie.org/astronomical-instrumentation.xml?WT.mc_id=Cal-AS San Diego, CA [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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