PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 5, Number 27 (June 12, 2011) PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org Editor: Mark V. Sykes Co-Editors: Melissa Lane, Susan Benecchi Email: pen_editor at psi.edu o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. PEN Unsubscribe Attack 2. [NASA] Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Data Release 17 3. [NASA] Lunar Science Forum - Final Announcement 4. Second Annual LunaGradCon 2011 5. 2011 Next Generation Lunar Scientists & Engineers Workshop 6. Application Deadline for the NASA Postdoctoral Program 7. [NASA] NOIs for PIDD and ASTID are due 7/1/2011 8. Fall AGU Session P05: Coordinated Mineralogy and Morphology Studies of Martian Aqueous Deposits 9. Comet Elenin Will Not Mean the End of the World in September (Students Will Have to Go Back to School in the Fall!) 10. 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 PEN UNSUBSCRIBE ATTACK A robotic attack managed to unsubscribe more than 20 PEN subscribers this morning - the clue being that it was nearly simultaneous. These were all resubscribed. The unsubscribe page will be disabled. Those who would like to unsubscribe, please send an email to pen_editor@psi.edu. Thank you! The Editors 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] MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER DATA RELEASE 17 The NASA 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, SPIC. In general, MRO Release 17 includes data collected between August 9, 2010 and November 8, 2010. To access the above data, please visit the following link: http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-20110601.html 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] LUNAR SCIENCE FORUM - FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT The 4th annual NASA Lunar Science Forum will be held July 19-21, 2011 at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA. Registration for the Forum is FREE and will remain open until June 30th - Please register early. International visitors MUST have registered by June 5th, 2011 in order to process your NASA visitor information. This year's Forum will feature sessions on in-depth scientific results from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, a dedicated side-conference for graduate students and young lunar professionals, as well as the annual recognition of scientific accomplishments and associated keynote lecture. As in past years, science sessions are structured to report on both recent results and future opportunities for lunar science, exploration, education and outreach. We also look forward to news on the upcoming lunar missions GRAIL and LADEE, and welcome abstracts across the many fields of lunar science. For more details, please visit: http://lunarscience2011.arc.nasa.gov We look forward to another exciting meeting focusing on science of, on and from the Moon! 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 SECOND ANNUAL LUNAGRADCON 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 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 2011 NEXT GENERATION LUNAR SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS WORKSHOP The 3rd annual Next Generation Lunar Scientists & Engineers (NGLSE) Workshop will be help on Monday, July 19, 2011 at the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), preceding the NASA Lunar Science Forum. This one-day workshop for graduate students and early career professionals offers the opportunity for participants to network with other students/ early career professionals, and will specifically include a media training workshop. The purpose of this group is to engage and develop the next generation of lunar scientists and engineers, and to enable their successful involvement in current planning for the exploration of the Moon. For more details, visit: http://nextgenlunar.arc.nasa.gov/?q=lsf2011 or email any questions to: Lora.V.Bleacher@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 APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR THE NASA POSTDOCTORAL PROGRAM The next deadline to apply for a NASA Postdoctoral Program fellowship is July 1, 2011. These competitive one- to three-year fellowship appointments advance NASA's missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems and astrobiology. Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in hand before beginning the fellowship, but may apply while completing the dissertation. U. S. citizens and foreign nationals who hold Lawful Permanent Resident status or who are eligible for J-1 status as a Research Scholar may apply. An H-1B Visa status is not acceptable because the NPP is not an employment program. Stipend rates for Postdoctoral Fellows start at $50,000 per year, with small supplements added for high cost-of-living areas. Funds are available for relocation expenses, up to a specified limit. Fellows also receive $8,000 per appointment year to support travel to conferences, meetings, and other activities that directly support their research projects. Applications for the NASA Postdoctoral Program are accepted three times each year: March 1, July 1, and November 1. For further information about this opportunity and to apply online, visit: http://nasa.orau.org/postdoc/description/index.htm Questions regarding this opportunity may be submitted by e-mail to nasapostdoc@orau.org 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] NOIS FOR PIDD AND ASTID ARE DUE 7/1/2011 The Planetary Instrument Definition and Development Program (PIDDP) supports the advancement of spacecraft-based instrument technology that shows promise for use in scientific investigations on future planetary missions. The goal of the program is not to develop flight-qualified hardware, but rather to define and develop scientific instruments/components to the point where the instruments may be proposed in response to future announcements of flight opportunity without additional extensive technology development. The Astrobiology Science and Technology for Instrument Development (ASTID) program element requests proposals to develop instrumentation capabilities to help meet Astrobiology science requirements on future space flight missions, as well as unique Astrobiology science objectives on Earth. Selected activities are expected to advance the development of scientific instruments/components to the point where the instruments could credibly be proposed in response to future flight opportunity announcements. The development of instruments for use in future field campaigns is solicited under the Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets (ASTEP) program. Go to: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ select "Solicitations" then "Open Solicitations" then "NNH11ZDA001N". Questions concerning PIDD proposals may be addressed to: Janice Buckner 202-358-0183 HQ-PIDDP@mail.nasa.gov Questions concerning ASTID proposals may be addressed to: Michael New 202-358-1766 HQ-ASTID@mail.nasa.gov [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 FALL AGU SESSION P05: COORDINATED MINERALOGY AND MORPHOLOGY STUDIES OF MARTIAN AQUEOUS DEPOSITS We hope you will consider submitting an abstract to session P05: Coordinated Mineralogy and Morphology Studies of Martian Aqueous Deposits at the AGU Fall Meeting 2011. This session focuses on coordinated investigations of mineralogy and morphology, including surface and orbital data, in order to gain new insights into aqueous outcrops on Mars and the geochemical environments of their formation. Further details on this session are available at: http://sites.agu.org/fallmeeting/scientific-program/session-search/639 Conveners: Janice Bishop, SETI Institute & NASA-ARC Catherine Weitz, Planetary Sciences Institute James Wray, Cornell University & Georgia Tech. The meeting is December 5-9, 2011 in San Francisco. The abstract deadline is August 4, 2011. 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 COMET ELENIN WILL NOT MEAN THE END OF THE WORLD IN SEPTEMBER (STUDENTS WILL HAVE TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL IN THE FALL!) As part of a rash of conspiracy theories about the end of the world that seem to be popular these days, some web commentators are now suggesting that Comet Elenin - which will pass closest to the Earth on Oct. 16th, 2011 - was connected somehow to the recent earthquake in Japan and will cause major destruction to our planet in months to come. Astronomer David Morrison, writing for the "Astronomy Beat" column of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, has examined these claims and finds them all without foundation. As a public service, the Society is making the updated column available free to all readers at: http://www.astrosociety.org/elenin/ 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html July 19, 2011 3rd Annual Lunar Scientists & Engineers Workshop http://nextgenlunar.arc.nasa.gov/?q=lsf2011 Moffett Field, CA [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, or * send a request to pen_editor at psi.edu * * To unsubscribe, send an email to pen_editor at psi.edu * * 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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