PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER 
- SPECIAL PLANETARY DECADAL SURVEY EDITION
Volume 3, Number 31 (July 11, 2009)

PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org
Editor: Mark V. Sykes 
Co-Editor: Nic Richmond
Email: pen_editor at psi.edu

o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o

1. Primitive Bodies White Papers Sought for Decadal Survey
2. Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG) Solicitation of Venus 
   White Papers and Mission Concepts for next Decadal Study
3. Availability of Decadal Survey Presentations and Archived Webcasts
4. How to Submit a White Paper to the Planetary Science Decadal Survey

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


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PRIMITIVE BODIES WHITE PAPERS SOUGHT FOR DECADAL SURVEY

On behalf of the NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group, anyone interested 
in the future study of near-Earth objects, asteroids, comets, dwarf 
planets, centaurs and irregular TNOs, interplanetary dust and 
irregular satellites are invited to go to

http://www.psi.edu/decadal

and register to participate in community white papers covering these 
topics. Subdiscipline white papers must be completed by September 4 to 
accommodate the meeting schedule of the primitive bodies discipline 
panel of the decadal survey. This will be followed, over the following 
month, by an open discussion of priorities across these subdisciplines 
online and at special forums, including one at the DPS (schedule TBD). 
A non-anonymous poll open to all registrants and a report summarizing 
those results will conclude the primitive bodies community input to 
the survey. The report, polling data and discussion records will be
forwarded to the decadal panel before their second meeting in October.

You are also encouraged to go to the SBAG website 

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

and fill out the Indication of Interest Form to keep updated with the 
latest meetings and opportunities to input to NASA planning in the area 
of small bodies science.

Mark V. Sykes
Small Bodies Assessment Group


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VENUS EXPLORATION ANALYSIS GROUP (VEXAG) SOLITICATION OF VENUS WHITE
PAPERS AND MISSION CONCEPTS FOR THE NEXT DECADAL STUDY
 
The next Decadal Survey is underway (www.nas.edu/ssb). The committee is 
seeking input from the science community on key science questions for 
the next decade. Venus falls under the Inner Planets Panel, which will 
meet in August and October of this year. The panel reports are due in 
spring of 2010. 
 
VEXAG is soliciting two types of input to the Decadal Survey, white 
papers and mission concepts. These inputs will be bundled together and 
sent to the Inner Planets Panel as a single package, during the Inner 
Planets panel meeting in October and posted online on the VEXAG web 
site.

For more information, go to

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/decadal/vexag/index.shtml

The next VEXAG meeting will be held October 28-29 in conjunction with 
the 2nd Inner Planets Panel meeting in Irvine, CA.
 
Please send e-mail to Tommy Thompson (thomas.w.thompson@jpl.nasa.gov) 
stating your intention to develop a white paper discussing Venus 
science for the Decadal Survey. This information will be posted on 
the VEXAG website (www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag).


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AVAILABILITY OF DECADAL SURVEY PRESENTATIONS AND ARCHIVED WEBCASTS

Links to the presentations from and archived webcasts of the 6-8 July 
meeting of the Steering Group of the Planetary Science Decadal Survey 
have been posted on the decadal survey’s website at 

http://www7.nationalacademies.org/ssb/SSEdecadal2011.html.  

The decadal survey thanks Spacepolicyonline.com and the NASA 
Astrobiology Institute for providing this community service.


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HOW TO SUBMIT A WHITE PAPER TO THE PLANETARY SCIENCE DECADAL SURVEY

The decadal survey process depends heavily on white papers provided by 
the community.  White papers on any topic of relevance to the survey 
are strongly encouraged. Instructions on how to format a white paper 
and submit it for consideration by the decadal survey can be found at 
http://www7.nationalacademies.org/ssb/SSEdecadal_whitepapers.html.  
White papers will be accepted until 15 September, 2009.  Questions 
should be directed to planetary_decadal@nas.edu.


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