PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 5, Number 22 (May 15, 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. EPSC-DPS EPO Sessions 2. EPSC-DPS Session: GP1. Giant Planet Atmospheres and Interiors 3. EPSC-DPS Session: GP3. Titan's Interior, Surface, and Atmosphere and (Ex)Changes Therein 4. EPSC-DPS Session: GP4/AB6. Titan as a Prebiotic Chemical System 5. Magnetospheres of the Outer Planets - Abstracts Now Open 6. USGS Shoemaker Fellowship Announcement 7. "Connecting People to Science" Conference 8. [NASA] AIST Potential Bidders Conference 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 EPSC-DPS EPO SESSIONS Education & Public Outreach Sessions at the Joint EPSC/DPS Conference in Nantes, France October 3-7, 2011 Abstract Submission Deadline: May 31, 2011 Planetary scientists with interests in Education and Public Outreach are invited to submit an abstract for presentation of your work at the joint European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) / AAS Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) meeting, which will take place at La Cite Internationale des Congres Nantes Metropole in Nantes, France, 3-7 October 2011. There will be 10 OEA Sessions (Outreach, Education, and Amateur Astronomy) this year. Session details can be viewed at: http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2011/sessionprogramme/OA You are invited to submit abstracts for either an oral or a poster presentation. *** Submitting an abstract for an OEA session does not preclude you from submitting a science abstract as well.*** Questions about the OEA sessions can be directed to Lou Mayo (Louis.A.Mayo@nasa.gov). 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 EPSC-DPS SESSION: GP1. GIANT PLANET ATMOSPHERES AND INTERIORS Dear colleagues, We would like to invite you to contribute to the Giant Planets sessions of the European Planetary Science Congress and Division of Planetary Sciences (EPSC-DPS) Joint Meeting 2011 to be held in Nantes, France, October 3rd-7th 2011 - Deadline: May 31st. Recent observations of the gas and ice giants have revealed complex evolving atmospheric systems, from short term variability (impacts on Jupiter, mid-latitude storms on Saturn, discrete features on Uranus and Neptune), medium-term changes (the life cycle of Jupiter's South Equatorial Belt, seasonal storms on Saturn) and seasonally-induced hemispheric asymmetries and equator-to-pole contrasts on Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Temporal variability within the weather layer may provide key diagnostics of processes occurring in regions inaccessible to remote sensing, within the deep troposphere and planetary interior. Abstracts concerning the present state of the neutral atmospheres (dynamics, chemistry and vertical structure); their temporal evolution and coupling to the planetary interior (internal structure, convection and interaction with the atmosphere) are particularly welcome, along with a discussion of future priorities for the exploration of giant planet atmospheres from ground- and space-based facilities. For general information on the conference and online abstract submission (deadline May 31, 2011), please visit the web site: http://meetings.copernicus.org/epsc-dps2011/home.html Please forward this email to any colleagues who may be interested in contributing to this session, and we look forward to seeing you in Nantes! Leigh Fletcher, Glenn Orton, Patrick Irwin and Tristan Guillot 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 EPSC-DPS SESSION: GP3. TITAN'S INTERIOR, SURFACE, AND ATMOSPHERE AND (EX)CHANGES THEREIN Titan is the only moon in the solar system with a dense atmosphere and the only place besides Earth with stable liquids at its surface. This session focuses on the exchange processes between the interior and the atmosphere and how these processes have shaped Titan's surface. The session welcomes abstracts describing observations, laboratory experiments and numerical simulations. Conveners: A. Coustenis, C. Sotin, E. Turtle 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 EPSC-DPS SESSION: GP4/AB6. TITAN AS A PREBIOTIC CHEMICAL SYSTEM The scope of this session is the past, present and future of Titan. This session will examine Titan as a system with the goal of trying to better understand the chemistry and potential for a prebiotic world. There are many questions to address. How did Titan form? What was the origin of its atmosphere? What is the source of methane and what is the timing of its outgassing to the surface? How much methane is present today in the surface-atmosphere system of Titan? How thick are the deposits of organic materials, where are they in the Titan crust, and what is the extent of their further chemistry beyond stratospheric photochemistry toward complex organics of prebiotic interest? How has organic chemistry evolved over time on the surface of Titan, and is the evolution progressive or cyclic? Was Titan's surface much warmer in the past and what will conditions be like when the Sun becomes a red giant? What are the next appropriate steps in the exploration of Titan in terms of mission design and instrument techniques? Conveners: P. Beauchamp, A. Coustenis, J. I. Lunine 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 MAGNETOSPHERES OF THE OUTER PLANETS - ABSTRACTS NOW OPEN July 11-15 at Boston University http://www.bu.edu/csp/mop2011/ Originally planned for Sendai, Japan, this year's MOP meeting has moved to BU (original dates), courtesy of John Clarke stepping in at short notice. Abstract submission is now open at: http://pat.gp.tohoku.ac.jp/MOP/abstract.html 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 USGS SHOEMAKER FELLOWSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT The U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona, has a two-year full-time research position now posted online. The position is at the GS-12 grade level (comparable to a post-doctoral researcher in academia). Funded by the NASA Planetary Geology and Geophysics (PGG) Program, this position is generally known as the NASA 'Shoemaker Fellow' at USGS in honor of Dr. Eugene Shoemaker. The selected Fellow will work at the Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff on a variety of research projects in planetary science. The position is managed and supervised by the Astrogeology Science Center. The application opportunity will be open from 5/11/11 to 6/06/11. To learn more or to apply, go to USAJOBS: http://www.usajobs.gov and view Job Announcement Number PAC-2011-0413 for a position as Geologist, Geophysicist, or Physical Scientist. Applicants must apply online by the closing date of the announcement (midnight Eastern Time on 6/06/2011). Please note the new requirement for college transcripts. The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability and genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factor. 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 "CONNECTING PEOPLE TO SCIENCE" CONFERENCE The Astronomical Society of the Pacific's Conference on Science Education and Outreach July 30 - Aug. 3, 2011 Baltimore, Maryland Plenary speakers include: * Best selling author and commentator on "science wars," Chris Mooney * NASA's Chief Scientist, Waleed Abdalati, discussing how a space-based perspective can give us a new understanding of planet Earth * Neil deGrasse Tyson, America's favorite public astronomer, on his adventures with social media * Randi Korn, one of the most creative of science education program evaluators, on how best to plan and evaluate your projects For more information and to register, please go to: http://www.astrosociety.org/events/meeting.html While the regular deadline for submitting abstracts has now passed, late abstracts for both oral presentations and posters are still welcome and will be included in the program as space allows. The deadline for late abstracts for workshops, special interest groups, and 10-minute oral papers is May 20, 2011. The deadline for late abstracts for poster papers is June 13. [Note: Edited for 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] AIST POTENTIAL BIDDERS CONFERENCE The Advanced Information System Technology (AIST) program is designed to bring information system technologies to a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) that allows integration into existing or future technology/ science research and development programs, or infusion into existing or planned subsystems/systems to enable timely and affordable delivery of information to users. The AIST Capabilities and Needs Matrix is documented at: http://esto.nasa.gov/AIST-ROSES along with the TRL definitions and information about former AIST solicitations for technology. For ROSES-2011, the AIST solicitation features a new collaboration initiative with the NASA Applied Sciences Program (ASP) to promote the integration of technical capabilities enabled by AIST development for use by selected decision support or end user applications. Section 1.4 describes the technology infusion option for Earth science applications. The text of the AIST solicitation can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/43j7e2l A Potential Bidders Conference for AIST will be held on Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 13:00 EDT / 10:00 PDT to address questions regarding the solicitation. Inquiries in advance, send email to aistquestions@nasaprs.com. The conference will be entirely virtual, conducted via WebEx connectivity. Instructions for participating in the conference will be posted on the ESTO web site: http://esto.nasa.gov on or before May 26. Questions: Michael Seablom Michael.S.Seablom@nasa.gov (202) 358-0442 [Note: Edited for length.] 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 June 19-22, 2011 2nd Joint Planetary & Terrestrial Mining Sciences Symposium (PTMSS) and Space Resources Roundtable (SRR) http://www.isruinfo.com/ Ottowa, Canada October 23-28, 2011 Special session on Planetary dunes at Minerva Gentner Symposium on Aeolian Processes http://cmsprod.bgu.ac.il/Eng/humsos/departments/geog/AProc Eilat, Israel October 25-28, 2011 First International Planetary Caves Workshop: Implications for Astrobiology, Climate, Detection, and Exploration http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/caves2011/ Carlsbad, NM December 5-9, 2011 AGU Fall Meeting http://www.agu.org/meetings/ San Francisco, CA Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html [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. Title plus text is limited to 200 words. Go to * http://planetarynews.org/submission.html for complete submission * directions. * * PEN is a service provided by the Planetary Science Institute * (http://www.psi.edu). ***********************************************************************