PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 5, Number 12 (March 6, 2011) PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org Editor: Melissa Lane Co-Editors: Susan Benecchi, Mark V. Sykes Email: pen_editor at psi.edu o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. Passing of James L. Elliot (1943-2011) 2. Mars Exploration Science Monthly Newsletter - March 2011 3. [NASA] PDS Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Data Release 16 4. [NASA] Exploration of Near-Earth Objects: Open Community NEO Outbrief and NASA NEO Users Team (NUT) Summary 5. Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month 6. First Announcement - LunGradCon 2011 7. [NASA] Infrared Telescope Facility Observing Proposals 8. [NASA] February 2011 Discovery and New Frontiers Newsletter Released 9. [NASA] Planetary Decadal Survey Release 10. Venus Town-Hall Meeting at LPSC 11. Nitrogen in Planetary Systems: The Early Evolution of the Atmospheres of Terrestrial Planets (COST CM-0805) 12. Invitation to Luncheon Meeting between Industry and Science Communities on NEOs at LPSC 13. 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 PASSING OF JAMES L. ELLIOT (1943-2011) James L. Elliot, Professor of Planetary Astronomy and Physics and Director of the George R. Wallace, Jr. Astrophysical Observatory at MIT, passed away Wednesday night March 2, 2011. Jim was one of the pioneers in using stellar occultations to probe planetary atmospheres and the physical properties of small bodies in the outer solar system and beyond. Among his accomplishments are the discoveries of the ring system of Uranus and the atmosphere of Pluto. He received his undergraduate degree from MIT in 1965 and his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1972. Before returning to MIT in 1978, he was a postdoc and faculty member in the Astronomy Department of Cornell University. Jim was a wonderful mentor and teacher, and was especially supportive of women in astronomy. He was an avid gardener, hiker, and Ohio State football fan. His easy laughter and sense of humor will be deeply missed. An obituary has been posted at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n= james-l-elliot&pid=149089518 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 MARS EXPLORATION SCIENCE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2011 On behalf of Dave Des Marais, the MEPAG Chair, Dave Beaty, Rich Zurek, and Charles Budney of the Mars Program Science Office, the February 2011 edition of the Mars Exploration Science Monthly Newsletter can be found on the web at: http://mepag.jpl.nasa.gov 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 [NASA] PDS MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER DATA RELEASE 16 The Planetary Data System (PDS) is pleased to announce a new delivery of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) data for the following instruments: CRISM, CTX, HiRISE, MARCI, MCS, RSS, SHARAD, and SPICE. In general, MRO Release 16 includes data collected between May 9, 2010 and August 8, 2010. This release includes raw and reduced image data (EDR and RDR files) acquired by HiRISE between November 1, 2010 and January 15, 2011 (MRO Orbits 20,000 - 20,999). In addition, this release includes reprocessed HiRISE RDRs from May 12, 2008 - Sep 13, 2008 (MRO Orbits 8,400-9,999.) CTX data includes 60 volumes (mrox_1157 - mrox_1216) acquired in June 2010 - August 2010. MARCI data includes 21 volumes (mrom_0351 through 0371) with all images acquired in June 2010 - August 2010. To access the above data, please visit the following link: http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-20110301.html To access the latest PDS Data Releases, please visit the following link: http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-Release.html 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 [NASA] EXPLORATION OF NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS: OPEN COMMUNITY NEO OUTBRIEF AND NASA NEO USERS TEAM (NUT) SUMMARY A brief status report from the February 22 Open Community NEO Workshop will be held on Tuesday, March 8, from 5:15 to 6:00 p.m. in The Woodlands Room. Following this report (from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.), a summary of NASA's NEO Users TEAM (NUT) activities and products will be presented and will be open for discussion. All interested in robotic and human exploration of NEOs are welcome to attend. 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 PLANETARY GEOMORPHOLOGY IMAGE OF THE MONTH The March 'image of the month' is now available at the IAG's Planetary Geomorphology web page: http://www.psi.edu/pgwg/images/Mar11Image.html This Month's topic is on "Deformation of Sedimentary Rocks in Valles Marineris, Mars" Images and caption contributed by Dr. Joannah Metz, Shell Oil Company Past images and captions are available at: http://www.psi.edu/pgwg/images/index.html Mary Bourke Coordinator of the IAG Working Group on Planetary Geomorphology 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 FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT - LUNGRADCON 2011 The 2nd Annual Lunar Graduate Conference (LunGradCon 2011) will be held on Sunday, July 17, 2011 at the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), preceeding the NASA Lunar Science Forum. LunGradCon provides an opportunity for grad students and early-career postdocs to present their research on lunar science in a low-stress, friendly environment, being critiqued only by their peers. In addition to oral presentations, the conference presents opportunities for networking with fellow grad students and postdocs, as well as senior members of the NASA Lunar Science Institute. A limited amount of funding will be provided for travel and lodging costs. For more details, please visit: http://lasp.colorado.edu/ccldas/lgc2011 or email any questions to: lungradcon@gmail.com 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] INFRARED TELESCOPE FACILITY OBSERVING PROPOSALS Due date for August 1, 2011 to January 31, 2012 observing is Friday, April 1, 2011. For submission form see: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/observing/applicationForms.php Available instruments include: (1) SpeX, a 1-5 micron cross-dispersed medium-resolution spectrograph (up to R=2,500); (2) CSHELL, a 1-5 micron high-resolution spectrograph (up to R=40,000); (3) MIRSI, a 5 to 25 micron camera and low-resolution spectrometer (R=100 to 200), (4) NSFCAM2, a 2048x2048 pixel, 1-5 micron camera with a 0.04"/pixel scale (40"x40" field-of-view) and a circular variable filter; and (5) PI-instruments including a low-resolution 3-14 micron spectrograph and high-resolution spectrographs for 8-25 microns. Information can be found at: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/Facility/ Important: NSFCAM2 will be taken off line on Oct. 1, 2011, to install a new infrared array. We expect it to be available starting in Feb. 1, 2012 - July 31, 2012. Near-infrared imaging is suitable for some projects with the SpeX slit viewer which has 0.12"/pixel and a 60"x60" field-of-view. SpeX will be taken off line from Aug. 1, 2012 - Jan. 31, 2013. This is necessary to upgrade SpeX with new arrays and array controllers. We expect to accommodate key projects requiring large amounts of observing time using CSHELL, NSFCAM2, MIRSI, MORIS, and visitor instruments. [Editor: Reduced in length] 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 [NASA] FEBRUARY 2011 DISCOVERY AND NEW FRONTIERS NEWSLETTER RELEASED Comet Secrets Revealed! Mercury Orbit Almost Here Dawn Counts Down to Vesta New Horizons Halfway to Pluto In Memory of Rick Grammier Program Office News Juno Coming Together GRAIL Continues Assembly View and subscribe at: http://discovery.nasa.gov/newsletter/newsletter.cfml Also check out the redesigned Discovery Program website, with new features including Exo's Discovery, an interactive learning game, Image Impact! and Small Worlds. 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 DECADAL SURVEY RELEASE The Solar System Decadal Survey report for 2013-2022 is scheduled for public release in a presentation by Dr. Steve Squyres on March 7 at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston. In conjunction with this release, the AAS Division for Planetary Sciences is sponsoring a series of town hall events around the country (Boston, Boulder, St. Louis, Tucson, Orlando, New York, Chicago, Palo Alto, Pasadena, Washington DC) in March and April 2011. Links to the livestream of the rollout at LPSC, the Squyres charts, the NASA response (livestream and charts) by Jim Green, the Decadal document, and the schedule of town hall events and other supporting information can be found at: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/2013decadal 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 VENUS TOWN-HALL MEETING AT LPSC The Venus Exploration and Analysis Group (VEXAG) will hold a Town Meeting at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference to discuss the study and exploration of Venus in the next decade. Please attend this meeting to get updates on the items below and to express your interest in all aspects of the study and exploration of Venus. When: Thursday, March 10, lunchtime*: 12-1:15 PM Where: Grogan's Mill (room at the LPSC hotel) The agenda is as followed: (New) Venus Colloquium Series (New) Venus Student Group Announcement of the next VEXAG Meeting & Science Conference Update on Akatsuki Top 10 Venus Discoveries list Comments on Decadal Survey: Stofan/Mackwell Community reactions *Note, you are welcome to bring your lunch, but it must be purchased at the hotel. 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11 NITROGEN IN PLANETARY SYSTEMS: THE EARLY EVOLUTION OF THE ATMOSPHERES OF TERRESTRIAL PLANETS (COST CM-0805) Barcelona, Spain, 21st-23th September 2011 http://ulisse.busoc.be/cost/barcelona-meeting.php The meeting is organized with the collaboration, and sponsorship of the European COST programme and the Scientific Secretariat of the Institute for Catalan Studies (IEC). The workshop will take place from 21 to 23 September, 2011 in the Coromines conference room, inside the IEC historical building located in Carme street 47, nearby the famous Ramblas. A nice reception, and a poster session will take place at IEC historical cloister on Wednesday 21st. List of Topics * Early atmospheres of rocky and giant planets * The role of N2 and other N-bearing species in primeval atmospheres * Exoplanets: discovery and search of Earth-like candidates * Remote detection of chemical species in atmospheres * Early conditions for development of life on Earth and other planets * Thermodynamic equilibrium chemistry in planetary environments * Non-equilibrium chemistry: photochemistry and impacts Call for contributions: http://ulisse.busoc.be/cost/identification.php Registration fee is 150 Euros before June 30, 200 Euros after June 30. The maximum number of participants is 90. 12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12 INVITATION TO LUNCHEON MEETING BETWEEN INDUSTRY AND SCIENCE COMMUNITIES ON NEOS AT LPSC When: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 Noon-1:00 PM Central Time Where: The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center - Indian Springs conference room Format: roundtable dialogue, no presentations, moderated NEOs have continued to grow in interest within both the science and exploration communities as well as emerging industry interest. There have been some recent discussions on data-sets associated with different NEO/Asteroids missions. We discussed the survey vs characterization, leading to sub-dividing characterization into spectral vs physical. Several commercial groups have come forward with interest in commercially-provided data sets relative to the physical characterization by employing low-cost, min-sat visits to the objects; while others are most interested in the survey/cataloging sets. This luncheon is focused at providing a informal forum for discussions between the science community and industry relative to NEOs. 13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS July 17, 2011 2nd Annual Lunar Graduate Conference (LunGradCon 2011) http://lasp.colorado.edu/ccldas/lgc2011 Moffett Field, CA September 14-16, 2011 2nd Planetary Crater Consortium Meeting http://planetarycraterconsortium.nau.edu Flagstaff, AZ September 21-23, 2011 Nitrogen in Planetary Systems: The Early Evolution of the Atmospheres of Terrestrial Planets (COST CM-0805) http://ulisse.busoc.be/cost/barcelona-meeting.php Barcelona, Spain November 13-20, 2011 The Second Arab Impact Cratering and Astrogeology Conference (AICAC II) http://www.fsac.ac.ma/aicaii/index.html Casablanca, Morocco [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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