PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 5, Number 13 (March 13, 2011) PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org Editor: Susan Benecchi Co-Editors: Mark V. Sykes, Melissa Lane Email: pen_editor at psi.edu o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. Status At Sendai (Tohoku University) Japan 2. NASA Center for Lunar Dust and Atmospheric Studies (NLSI/CCLDAS) 3. Magnetosphere for Outer Planets Conference 2011 (2nd announcement) 4. [NASA] Unique and Innovative Space Technology Broad Agency Announcement 5. [NASA] Innovative Advanced Concepts Research Announcement 6. [NASA] Technology Demonstration Missions Program Broad Agency Announcement 7. Job Announcement: Senior Director, Google Lunar X PRIZE (Playa Vista, CA) 8. Request for Input on USGS/Isis Software Support for Additional Planetary Imaging Instruments 9. A National Conference on Science Education and Public Outreach 10. Deadline Alert for AOGS Session: Outer Planets & Icy Worlds (PS.06) 11. Deadline Alert for AOGS Session: Astrobiology - Life in the Universe (PS 14) 12. First Announcement for the Enceladus Focus Group Meeting 13. ESA training workshops: Venus Express and Mars Express 14. OPAG Meeting 17-18 March, 2011, Alexandria, VA 15. Planetary Calendar Meeting 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 STATUS AT SENDAI (TOHOKU UNIVERSITY) JAPAN From: Yasumasa Kasaba Department of Geophysics, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University Current Email: kasabaya888@dk2.so-net.ne.jp [Normal email, kasaba@pat.gp.tohoku.ac.jp is not available because of loss of power at Tohoku University] I am unfortunately at Uppsala, Sweden now. Not at Sendai. Based on emails with my colleagues and web information, the current status of the Tohoku University Group at Sendai is as follows. I confirmed that all our members I could catch were safe. Center of Sendai (including Tohoku University): It has relatively stronger ground. It has partially recovered from water, but there is no power. There is rare fire. East area: Worse. Worst at the coast area by Tsunami. Guests staying at Sendai for the International Symposium on Planetary Science: There were numerous guests in this week for a large workshop. If you need to confirm and contact, please let me know. I will try to search. I try to be back tomorrow. It seems possible to reach Tokyo (or Osaka) in the morning on 13 March. But at the moment, I do not find a route to my home. [Edited/reformatted by Editor M.V. Sykes, who assumes responsibility for any errors.] 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 CENTER FOR LUNAR DUST AND ATMOSPHERIC STUDIES (NLSI/CCLDAS) NASA Lunar Science Institute's Colorado Center for Lunar Dust and Atmospheric Studies (NLSI/CCLDAS) has completed the construction of a 3 MV electrostatic dust accelerator. The device is capable of accelerating ~ 0.01 - 10-micron radius dust particles to velocities in the approximate range of 1-60 km/s. The experimental goals of CCLDAS include the effects of hypervelocity dust impacts on: a) optical devices b) secondary dust ejecta, neutral gas, and plasma production c) electrical signals from antennas d) the testing and calibration of dedicated dust instrumentation The facility is available for use by the lunar and space physics communities. Please contact Mihaly Horanyi (horanyi@colorado.edu) if you are interested in using this facility. 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 MAGNETOSPHERE FOR OUTER PLANETS CONFERENCE 2011 (2ND ANNOUNCEMENT) July 11-15, 2011 (the week following IUGG) Tohoku University Sendai, Japan Topics of the conference include all aspects of the magnetospheres of the outer planets, including aurorae, ionospheres, satellites, torus, and any comparative studies of these including exoplanets. Planned Schedule (fixed) * Abstract submission deadline: May 13 (Fri), 2011 * Registration: May 27 (Fri), 2011 Website includes: * Invited speakers (20) * Special WS for Modeling Study (evening of 2nd day) http://mop2011.jimdo.com/ For Logistics see: http://pat.gp.tohoku.ac.jp/MOP/MOP2011-Tour.pdf Abstract submission / Registration / Meeting Location / Hotels / Transportation / Excursion (incl. several TBD items) * Travel support for young scientists & students: see P.2 in the document above. [Submission is not opened yet, but pre-contact to the LOC is OK as of now.] You can also subscribe to the MOP mailing list, Mop@ion.le.ac.uk at: https://mail.ion.le.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/mop/ Questions, please contact: MOP2011 LOC mop2011 at pat.gp.tohoku.ac.jp [Edited for length.] 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] UNIQUE AND INNOVATIVE SPACE TECHNOLOGY BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT The Game Changing Technology Division, within NASA's Office Of Chief Technologist (OCT) is soliciting executive summaries, white papers, and proposals for research and development for technology that is innovative and unique and promises to enable revolutionary (game-changing) improvements to the efficiency and effectiveness of our country's space capability. Novel (unique) capabilities are sought in any of the NASA Space Technology Grand Challenges or the NASA draft Space Technology Roadmaps. Responses may be submitted at any time while this solicitation is open. Responses will be reviewed and award decisions made throughout the year. Final due dates are: Executive Summary: October 1, 2011 White Paper: November 1, 2011 Proposal: January 3, 2012. This solicitation may be found at: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ (choose "Solicitations" to "Open Solicitations") 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] INNOVATIVE ADVANCED CONCEPTS RESEARCH ANNOUNCEMENT This announcement solicits multiple studies, each of which will investigate an architecture, mission, or system concept that has the potential to change the possible in aeronautics or space. NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) is part of the Office Of Chief Technologist (OCT). Concepts proposed for NIAC Phase I studies must be innovative and visionary, technically substantiated, and very early in development (10+ years out; Technology Readiness Level 1, 2, or early 3). Focused technology maturation and incremental improvement are explicitly not of interest in this program. Finally, while NIAC encourages great leaps and accepts the accompanying risk, all proposals must be technically credible, based on sound scientific principles. NOIs are strongly encouraged by March 29, 2011. Final proposals are due May 2, 2011. This solicitation may be found at: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ (choose "Solicitations" to "Open Solicitations") 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] TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION MISSIONS PROGRAM BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT This announcement solicits proposals for the demonstration of space technologies that provide new system-level technological capabilities. The Office Of Chief Technologist's (OCT) Technology Demonstration Missions Program is seeking to identify candidate crosscutting, system-level technologies to be demonstrated in the relevant environment such as ground, air, suborbital, or orbital regimes. A key requirement in this program is that the technology under consideration must clearly be crosscutting. Crosscutting is defined as a technology with potential to benefit more than one customer, where a customer can be a NASA Mission Directorate, another government agency, academia, or the aerospace industry. Proposals will be due on or before May 31, 2011. This solicitation may be found at: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ (choose "Solicitations" to "Open Solicitations") 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 JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: SENIOR DIRECTOR, GOOGLE LUNAR X PRIZE (PLAYA VISTA, CA) The X PRIZE Foundation is looking for a Senior Director of the Google Lunar X PRIZE to lead the competition's operations and act as a spokesperson for the competition. The Senior Director must be a personable, driven self-starter, team player, and able communicator with a deep belief in the mission of the Google Lunar X PRIZE. Primary Responsibilities: * Provide leadership and managerial direction to the Google Lunar X PRIZE team. * Lead the development and execution of the marketing, online, education, and public outreach strategy. * Create and execute against business, project, marketing and fundraising plans. * Manage the competition, judging, and events. * Retain and promote teams registered to compete for the Google Lunar X PRIZE. * Liaise with the space industry and relevant government agencies. Required Qualifications: * Undergraduate degree (business administration, marketing, communications, science, or engineering preferred). * Deep understanding of the growing commercial space industry. * Seven to ten years of senior level program management with experience successfully leading large, complex programs. * Experience creating and implementing marketing, education, and outreach programs with the general public and students. Apply at: http://hiring.accolo.com/job.htm?id=270808268 Heather Carter, Director, HR 310-741-4896 heather.carter@xprize.org 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 REQUEST FOR INPUT ON USGS/ISIS SOFTWARE SUPPORT FOR ADDITIONAL PLANETARY IMAGING INSTRUMENTS We request your vote on which additional instruments should be supported by USGS/ISIS 3 software. The results will help us to prioritize planetary imaging instruments for development of ISIS 3 camera models. Such models allow ingestion and map projection of image data in ISIS 3 and facilitate the use of other ISIS 3 software for calibration, photometric correction, mosaicking and other cartographic data processing. Please respond by April 8, 2011. To provide input, please first register at the ISIS Support site: https://isis.astrogeology.usgs.gov/IsisSupport/ index.php?action=register If you already have an ISIS Support account the direct link is: https://isis.astrogeology.usgs.gov/IsisSupport/index.php/ topic,3066.0.html For more information on ISIS 3 (including which instruments are already supported), see: http://isis.astrogeology.usgs.gov/index.html 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 A NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SCIENCE EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH Baltimore, Maryland, July 31 - Aug. 3, 2011 The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), in partnership with the American Geophysical Union and the Space Telescope Science Institute, is pleased to announce the 2011 national conference, "Connecting People to Science." Visit the web site: http://www.astrosociety.org/2011meeting Everyone working in education, public outreach, and science communication -- in space, earth, or physical science -- is cordially invited. We will consider how best to share the results of our work with each other and the public, how to improve our practice, and how to make connections across science disciplines. People working in formal education, at informal settings, at government agencies and labs, at non-profit organizations, on the web, and in the media will be participating. There will also be a weekend workshop on teaching hands-on astronomy on July 30, 31, for teachers in grades 3-12, and those who work with them. Abstracts are welcome for poster papers, 10-minute oral presentations, one-hour hands-on workshops, and one-hour special-interest group discussions. Abstract deadline: April 22. There is a substantial discount for early registration and for ASP members. Conference location: the beautiful Tremont Plaza Hotel near the Baltimore Inner Harbor. 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 DEADLINE ALERT FOR AOGS SESSION: OUTER PLANETS AND ICY WORLDS (PS.06) Annual Meeting of the AOGS (Asia-Oceania Geosciences Society) Taipei, Taiwan August 8-12, 2011 Abstract deadline: March 15, 2011 http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2011/public.asp?page=home.htm This session will be devoted to outer planet satellites, including Io and icy worlds large (e.g. Titan) and small (e.g. Enceladus), rings and icy dwarf planets. The session will include solicited, contributed, and poster presentations addressing observational, laboratory, and theoretical studies relevant to past, ongoing, and future missions. Relevant topics include: (1) interior structure, composition and thermal evolution, (2) surface geology and composition, (3) composition and dynamics of neutral atmospheres (4) orbital dynamics and satellite interactions, (5) structure and dynamics of planetary rings, (6) physical properties of ring particles and small satellites of outer planet satellites. Contact: Dr. Steve Vance (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, United States) svance@jpl.nasa.gov 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11 DEADLINE ALERT FOR AOGS SESSION: ASTROBIOLOGY - LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE (PS 14) Annual Meeting of the AOGS (Asia-Oceania Geosciences Society) Taipei, Taiwan August 8-12, 2011 Abstract deadline: March 15, 2011 http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2011/public.asp?page=home.htm This session invites solicited, contributed, and poster presentations addressing: (1) conditions on the early Earth that may have been necessary for the origin of life. (2) subsequent events and conditions that may have contributed to the evolution of organisms and the development of Earth's climate. (3) biological & geochemical characterization of extreme environments. (4) habitability of extraterrestrial atmospheres, surfaces & interiors. (5) methods or technological approaches for detecting biosignatures. Contact: Dr. Louise Prockter (Johns Hopkins University, United States) louise.prockter@jhuapl.edu 12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12 FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE ENCELADUS FOCUS GROUP MEETING This meeting will be held at SETI Institute in Mountain View, California on May 23/24, 2011. The meeting's focus is on the current activity discovered at the south pole of Enceladus, and on the significance and implications of this discovery for the presence of liquid water and a habitable zone beneath the south polar terrain and for astrobiology. We request presentations falling within four broad areas: 1. Energy/Mechanisms: The jetting activity at Enceladus' south pole, and related geological and geophysical investigations; the moon's energy budget and thermal/geological history. 2. Habitability: Is there a liquid water reservoir beneath the surface of Enceladus? 3. Biomarkers/Astrobiology: Biomarkers in the plume: What has been, or can be, observed from Cassini; What should be sought in the future; Relevant astrobiological considerations. 4. Future Missions: Mission requirements and concepts for future exploration of Enceladus The meeting is sponsored by: The Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPS) at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado SETI Institute in Mountain View, California The Center for Integrative Planetary Science (CIPS) at UC Berkeley Organizers: Carolyn Porco and Chris McKay Local organization contact: Franck Marchis (fmarchis@berkeley.edu) Meeting registration: http://encfg.ciclops.org/meeting_registration.php [Edited for length.] 13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13 ESA TRAINING WORKSHOPS: VENUS EXPRESS AND MARS EXPRESS ESA is organizing training workshops on their Venus Express and Mars Express science data holdings, targeted to the science community at large. Data Workshops are intended to provide users of the Planetary Science Archive (PSA): http://www.rssd.esa.int/PSA and scientists interested in exploring and using ESA planetary science data the possibility to meet experts from the Instrument Teams and get some direct hands-on experience with basic data handling, processing and integration. Joint Mars Express / Venus Express Workshop will be held 27th June to 1st July at ESAC. Workshop focus: 1) PFS data: spectroscopic analyses of the Martian atmosphere from ~1 to 50 microns 2) SOIR data: infrared spectrometer using solar occultation to study the composition of the Venus atmosphere Required: knowledge of IDL and Matlab. Information and updates available at: http://www.rssd.esa.int/mexdataworkshops/ The attendance for any workshop is limited to about 25 persons and is decided on a first come, first served basis. If you are interested in attending this workshop, please email us (dataworkshops@rssd.esa.int) with the following information: - Name - Institution - Level: student, PhD, Post doc, ... - Interest for which data: PFS, SPICAV-SOIR *Deadline: 22nd April 2011* [Edited for length.] 14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14 OPAG MEETING 17-18 MARCH, 2011, ALEXANDRIA, VA OPAG will meet this week at the Westin Alexandria. Those wishing to attend should go to: http://icpi.nasaprs.com/opag2011 to register and for information. The Planetary Science Decadal Survey has been released, with important consequences for the future of Outer Planets exploration. This meeting of OPAG will be focused on assessing these consequences, and beginning the important work of charting a path forward. The AGENDA can be found at: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/mar2011/Agenda.pdf For those who cannot attend in person, information for participation by phone or webex will be made available. Bill McKinnon OPAG Chair 15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html March 17-18, 2011 NASA Outer Planets Assessment Group Meeting http://icpi.nasaprs.com/opag2011 Alexandria, VA April 11-14, 2011 27th National Space Symposium http://www.nationalspacesymposium.org/ Colorado Springs, CO May 23-24, 2011 Enceladus Focus Group Meeting http://encfg.ciclops.org/meeting_registration.php Mountain View, CA June 8-10, 2011 Space Cryogenics Workshop http://www.spacecryogenicsworkshop.org/ Coeur D'Alene, ID June 16-17, 2011 24th Meeting of the NASA Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group http://mepag.jpl.nasa.gov/meeting/jun-11/index.html Lisbon, Portugal June 27 - July 1, 2011 Joint Mars Express/Venus Express Workshop http://www.rssd.esa.int/mexdataworkshops/ Villanueva de la Canada, Spain August 25-26, 2011 Fifth Meeting of the NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/ Pasadena, CA November 5-9, 2011 2011 PERC Planetary Geology Field Symposium and Field Trip http://www.perc.it-chiba.ac.jp/meetings/pgfs2011/ Kitakyushu City, Japan [Editor Note: If there is a planetary-related meeting, conference or workshop of which your colleagues should be aware, 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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