PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 3, Number 34 (July 19, 2009) PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org Editor: Nic Richmond Co-Editors: Mark V. Sykes Email: pen_editor at psi.edu o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. [NASA] Opening of Competitive Program for Science Museums and Planetariums Solicitation 2. [NASA] Administrative Change to New Frontiers 2009 AO 3. Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (EXOPAG) 4. UCF Winter School 6-8 January 2010: Exoplanets for Planetary Scientists 5. Venus Science and Technology Definition Team Final Report 6. Mars Exploration Science Monthly Newsletter - July 2009 7. AGU Special Session 8. 21st MEPAG Meeting, July 29-30, 2009 9. 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 [NASA] OPENING OF COMPETITIVE PROGRAM FOR SCIENCE MUSEUMS AND PLANETARIUMS SOLICITATION NASA has announced a competitive funding opportunity for informal education that could result in the award of grants or cooperative agreements to several of the nation's science centers, museums and planetariums. Approximately $6 million is available for new awards. Proposals for the Competitive Program for Science Museums and Planetariums are expected to use NASA resources to enhance informal education programs related to space exploration, aeronautics, space science, Earth science or microgravity. Full proposals are due Sept. 10. For detailed information about the opportunity, click on "Open Solicitations" and look for Competitive Program for Science Museums and Planetariums (CP4SMP) or solicitation number NNH09ZNE005N at: http://nspires.nasaprs.com 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] ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGE TO NEW FRONTIERS 2009 AO An administrative change is being made to the Announcement of Opportunity (AO) for New Frontiers 2009 (NNH09ZDA007O). 90 copies of the proposal are required to be submitted. The proposal due date and all other requirements remain unchanged. Requirement 86 on page 46 now reads: "Requirement 86. The original signed proposal and 90 paper copies, each of which contains an attached, clearly labeled CD-ROM that contains electronic proposal files (see Appendix B), shall be delivered to the following address by the proposal submittal deadline specified in Section 3." The New Frontiers 2009 AO (NNH09ZDA007O) is available on the NASA research opportunity homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ (select "Solicitations" then "Open Solicitations" then "NNH09ZDA007O"). Further information about the New Frontiers 2009 AO is available from Dr. Thomas H. Morgan, Tel.: (202) 358-0828; E-mail: Thoma.H.Morgan@nasa.gov (subject line to read "NEW FRONTIERS AO"). 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 EXOPLANET EXPLORATION PROGRAM ANALYSIS GROUP (EXOPAG) The Astrophysics Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate is pleased to announce the establishment an Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group, or ExoPAG. The ExoPAG will be an open, interdisciplinary forum for gathering community input into NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP), and for conducting analyses in support of ExEP science objectives and their implications for planning and prioritization of Program activities. The ExoPAG will communicate its findings and the results of its analyses to NASA through the Agency's formal advisory structure in the form of reports to the Astrophysics Subcommittee of the NAC (NASA Advisory Council) Science Committee. To carry out its role, the ExoPAG will: * Articulate the key scientific drivers for exoplanet research; * Evaluate the expected capabilities of potential ExEP missions for achieving the science goals of the Program; * Regularly evaluate ExEP goals, objectives, investigations and required measurements on the basis of the widest possible community outreach; * Articulate focus areas for needed mission technologies; and * Identify related activities that enhance the ExEP mission portfolio such as ground-based observing, theory and modeling programs, and community engagement. For further information and a request for Executive Committee nominations, go to http://exep.jpl.nasa.gov/exep_exoPAG.cfm 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 UCF WINTER SCHOOL 6-8 JANUARY 2010: EXOPLANETS FOR PLANETARY SCIENTISTS The University of Central Florida Planetary Sciences Group is pleased to announce: UCF Winter School 2010: Exoplanets for Planetary Scientists University of Central Florida Campus Orlando, Florida, USA 6-8 January 2010 http://planets.ucf.edu/winterschool2010 This warm winter workshop will bring together experts in exoplanet observation and planetary theory, delivering both the latest research results and school-style talks on applying planetary science to exoplanetary problems. We hope you will join us! Prof. Joseph Harrington, Program Chair Dr. Csaba Palotai, Local Arrangements Chair and the UCF Planetary Sciences Group Department of Physics University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida 32816-2385 USA 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 VENUS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEFINITION TEAM FINAL REPORT The Venus Science and Technology Definition Team has released its final report on a Flagship Mission to Venus. The study web site is at: http://vfm.jpl.nasa.gov The Venus STDT final report can be found under the Library link. 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 MARS EXPLORATION SCIENCE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - JULY 2009 The latest newsletter can be found on the web at: http://mepag.jpl.nasa.gov 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 AGU SPECIAL SESSION NH19: Natural Hazards Linked to Impact by Near-Earth Objects: From Data to Models Sponsor: Natural Hazards CoSponsor: Atmospheric Sciences Biogeosciences Earth and Planetary Surface Processes Global Environmental Change Planetary Sciences Conveners: Marie-Agnes M Courty IPHES (courty@mnhn.fr) Elisabetta Pierazzo PSI (betty@psi.edu) Jay Melosh LPL (jmelosh@lpl.arizona.edu) Description: This session is intended to explore the current debate about the natural hazards posed by meteorite impacts. We welcome process-oriented approaches that incorporate field and analytical data from known or suspected impact sites as well as numerical simulations of impact effects. Several investigators have recently claimed that an unexpectedly large number of impacts has occurred during the Quaternary, a debate that will be explored in this session. The climatic consequences of atmospheric and marine impacts needs further elucidation and possible links between human history and meteorite impacts is a subject of intense current interest. We seek contributions on observations, theoretical and numerical studies of chemical, physical, geochemical and biological processes specific to impacts. We solicit presentations that critically analyze the relevance of field and analytical data on impact hazards (thermal radiation, wildfires, tsunamis, storms, drought, rain acidification, contamination) in terms of timing, magnitude, regional extent and perceptions by human populations. http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm09/program/index.php 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 21ST MEPAG MEETING, JULY 29-30, 2009 Dear Colleagues, As the MEPAG meeting on July 29-30 approaches, I'm sending the revised agenda and also I want to highlight some important aspects of this meeting to you, the Mars community. 1) We will have an update on the MSL mission providing the most up to date information on its development. 2) There will be extensive discussion of the science goals and directions for the exploration of Mars through a combination of MEPAG-sponsored white papers and community-initiated white papers. This will provide a key foundation of input to the Decadal Survey deliberations that begin in earnest this fall. We have structured the meeting to allow for significant discussion of these and their importance to Mars science and mission priorities. It is important to note that this is the only opportunity that the MEPAG community can get together in an open forum and provide broad input and guidance. The next MEPAG meeting will be after the Mars panel for the decadal survey has completed its analysis. There will be representation from the Decadal Survey at this meeting and the directions and priorities presented will be noted and conveyed to the survey. See you in Providence. Jack Mustard MEPAG Chair P.S. from Joyce Pulliam. Please RSVP to me at: Joyce.N.Pulliam@jpl.nasa.gov 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 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html September 29-30, 2009 12th Mars Crater Consortium Meeting http://www.marscraterconsortium.nau.edu/MCCMeeting.htm Flagstaff, AZ [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. Go to the PEN website for submission directions. ************************************************************************