PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 3, Number 61 (December 20, 2009) PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org Editor: Mark V. Sykes Co-Editors: Melissa Lane, Nic Richmond Email: pen_editor at psi.edu o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET) Commencing Blog 2. Cosmic Dust Lab Announcement 3. Titan Through Time: Formation, Evolution and Fate 4. Exploration Fellowship Program 5. [NASA] MGS Mars Thermal Inertia Maps data release 6. [NASA] Kepler Guest Observer – Cycle 2 7. [NASA] Information Notice: Change in Comment Period for Discovery 2010 Draft Announcement of Opportunity (NNH10ZDA003J) 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 ANTARCTIC SEARCH FOR METEORITES (ANSMET) COMMENCING BLOG The ANtarctic Search for METeorites (ANSMET) team is ready to be deployed to the Miller Range to carry out this year's meteorite search. We have been at the McMurdo Station for nearly 2 weeks, having the last week basically been waiting for a flight to the field. We should be going tomorrow morning, Tuesday (Dec 15), New Zealand time. The weblog is in operation, and we should be able to carry out blogging to the community and the rest of the world once in the field. Our weblog is http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/ansmet0910/ Thank you for your interest in the 33rd season of ANSMET ! Vera Assis Fernandes v.fernandes@man.ac.uk 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 COSMIC DUST LAB ANNOUNCEMENT The Cosmic Dust Lab will be reopened for a limited time in the Spring of 2010 for sample allocation work. Requests for cosmic Dust will be accepted by the curator from now until March 30, 2010. Please visit the Cosmic Dust webpage for more information on sample availability and sample request requirements. http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/dust/index.cfm Michael Zolensky, Stardust and Cosmic Dust Curator 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 TITAN THROUGH TIME: FORMATION, EVOLUTION AND FATE Titan Through Time will be a 2 1/2 day workshop, April 6-8, 2010, hosted at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, aimed at bringing together the planetary research community to share recent topical results and to debate about Titan's formation, evolution and fate. This workshop is open to everyone who has an interest in Titan, including those studying it experimentally through spacecraft missions and telescope facilities, researchers of solar system formation, history of Mars and Venus, comets, physical chemistry, laboratory spectroscopy and other fields with important intersections with Titan research. The event will mix both invited reviews, as well as topical contributed talks and posters. Deadlines: Abstracts - February 1st Registration - February 15th (to allow time for badging.) Registration is limited to 50 participants due to available conference facilities. For more information please visit our website and check regularly for updates: http://titanworkshop.hostcell.net/ Hope to see you in April, Conor Nixon Ralph Lorenz [Co-chairs, Titan Through Titan science program] 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 EXPLORATION FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM The School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) at Arizona State University invites applications for the Exploration Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. SESE’s core mission is to integrate science and engineering to provide a better understanding of our world and beyond. Research areas within SESE encompass astrophysics, cosmology, Earth science, climate science, planetary science, exploration systems engineering, and science education. The Exploration Fellowship Program aims to provide opportunities for conducting research on cutting-edge topics and to foster interdisciplinary collaboration. Applications must include a brief research proposal. Preference will be given to proposals including multiple focus areas within SESE and that will involve new collaborations among our faculty. Potential research topics span the full range of research interests of our faculty (http://sese.asu.edu/focus_areas), including key initiatives in the origin, evolution, and fate of the Universe, planetary bodies, Earth's surface environment, and life; and lifelong science and engineering education. Evaluation of applications begins February 15, 2010; applications will be accepted until positions are filled. Up to 5 fellowships will be awarded this year. Details of the application process are available online: http://sese.asu.edu/opportunities ASU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer that actively seeks diversity among applicants and promotes a diverse workforce. 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 [NASA] MGS MARS THERMAL INERTIA MAPS DATA RELEASE The NASA Planetary Data System announces the release of a new data set, Mars Thermal Inertia Maps derived from MGS TES data. The data are provided by Nathaniel E. Putzig, Southwest Research Institute, and Michael T. Mellon, University of Colorado - Boulder. The data are online at http://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/mgs/tes-timap.html. For access to all data archived in the PDS, see http://pds.nasa.gov. 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] KEPLER GUEST OBSERVER - CYCLE 2 The Guest Observer target policy has been amended. Guest Observers may propose science using any target within the Kepler field of view, subject to the caveats and restrictions provided in the announcement. Proposals are due January 15, 2010. Go to http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ and select "Solicitations" then "Open Solicitations" then "NNH09ZDA001N". You can now subscribe to an RSS feed for amendments, clarifications and corrections to ROSES at http://nasascience.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/grant-solicitations/ roses-2009/RSS [Editor: URL wrapped around] Questions concerning the Kepler Guest Observer program may be addressed to Dr. Padi Boyd Astrophysics Division Science Mission Directorate NASA Headquarters Washington, DC 20546-0001 202-358-2368 padi.boyd@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 [NASA] INFORMATION NOTICE: CHANGE IN COMMENT PERIOD FOR DISCOVERY 2010 DRAFT ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY (NNH10ZDA003J) Comments Due (extended date): January 15, 2010 The full text of the Discovery 2010 Draft AO and all appendices is available at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ A Potential Bidders Conference will be held in January 2010 in the Washington, DC, area. Information is found in the Discovery 2010 Draft AO, Secti on 6.1.1, and will be made available on the Discovery Acquisition Additional Information Page at http://discovery.larc.nasa.gov/ The issuance of this Discovery 2010 Draft AO does not obligate NASA to issue the Discovery 2010 AO and solicit proposals. Any costs incurred by prospective investigators in preparing submissions in response to this Discovery 2010 Draft AO are incurred completely at the submitter's own risk. Send comments to Dr. Michael New MS 3X63 Science Mission Directorate National Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington, DC 20546-0001 202-358-1766 michael.h.new@nasa.gov Comments are preferred in writing and may be sent by E-mail; the character string "Discovery 2010 Draft AO" (without quotes) should be included in the subject line of all transmissions. The identity of those submitting comments will be held in confidence. Answers to questions about this Discovery 2010 Draft AO will be made available at: http://discovery.larc.nasa.gov/ 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 April 6-8, 2010 Titan Through Time http://titanworkshop.hostcell.net/ Greenbelt, MD August 11-14, 2010 Planetary Systems beyond the Main Sequence http://www.sternwarte.uni-erlangen.de/conf2010-1st.pdf Bamberg, Germany September 20-24, 2010 The 10th European VLBI Network Symposium and EVN Users Meeting: VLBI and the New Generation of Radio Arrays http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/meetings/evn2010/ Manchester, UK [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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