PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 7, Number 21 (May 12, 2013) 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. JPL Issues RFP for InSight Surface and Atmosphere Characterization 2. Second Announcement: Planet Mars 4 3. Origins of Life Postdoctoral Fellowship 4. IPEWG 2013: Registration Deadline Postponed 5. Pierazzo International Student Travel Award 6. 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 JPL ISSUES RFP FOR INSIGHT SURFACE AND ATMOSPHERE CHARACTERIZATION Colleagues: The Jet Propulsion Laboratory has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for landing site surface and atmosphere characterization for the InSight mission to Mars. The RFP can be accessed at: https://acquisition.jpl.nasa.gov/rfp/GO-2691-022113/default.htm Regards, Matt Golombek InSight Co-I: Geology and Landing Site Lead 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 SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT: PLANET MARS 4 Les Houches, 20-25 October 2013 On behalf of the organizing committee, it is my pleasure to release the second announcement and welcome you all in joining us at the 4th workshop "Planet Mars", to be held in les Houches (France), on 20-25 October 2013. The goals of the workshop are to integrate the main results of both the recent Earth-based observations and the missions to Mars into a new global picture of Mars evolution. With the same spirit of the previous workshops, discussions among scientists of different disciplines will be encouraged and it is foreseen that they will help refine the scientific goals of the future missions to Mars. Please see: http://www.sciops.esa.int/mars4 Including the program: http://www.sciops.esa.int/SYS/CONF2012/include/MARS4/images/ LesHouches2013_Programme.pdf Deadline for registration: 31 May 2013 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 ORIGINS OF LIFE POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP The Simons Foundation, a private nonprofit based in New York City, has established the Simons Collaboration on the Origins of Life. This collaboration will support research on topics such as the astrophysical and planetary context of the origins of life, the development of prebiotic chemistry, the assembly of the first cells, the advent of Darwinian evolution, and the earliest signs of life on the young Earth. The collaboration invites applications for Postdoctoral Fellowships to support independent research on the origins of life at laboratories or research institutions in any country. For more information about the institution, see: https://simonsfoundation.org/funding/funding-opportunities/life- sciences/simons-collaboration-on-the-origins-of-life/ For more information about the fellowship, see: https://simonsfoundation.org/funding/funding-opportunities/life- sciences/simons-collaboration-on-the-origins-of-life/simons- collaboration-on-the-origins-of-life-postdoctoral-fellowship-request- for-applications/ [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 IPEWG 2013: REGISTRATION DEADLINE POSTPONED Dear Colleagues: The deadline for registration to the third Meeting of the International Primitive Body Exploration Working Group (IPEWG 2013) on May 29-31, 2013, in Nice, France, has been moved from May 10th to May 17th, 2013 (12:00 East US time). Information regarding how to register, the program (based on solicited speakers only), the meeting goals, the logistics are indicated on the following web site (click on the Registration Menu for explanations on how to register): http://www.oca.eu/michel/IPEWG2013/ Discussions held at IPEWG 2013 are expected to impact and improve international collaboration activities for primitive body space exploration. We hope you will be interested in participating to this workshop and to the discussions that will encourage efficient international coordinations and efforts to improve our knowledge of these fascinating primitive bodies. We encourage interested persons to register (and book their Hotel; see the web site for information) as soon as possible as the workshop is limited to a maximum of 100 participants. Please contact Patrick Michel, LOC Chair (michelp@oca.eu) with any questions. We look forward to welcoming you on the "Nice" Côte d'Azur! Sincerely, Patrick Michel 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 PIERAZZO INTERNATIONAL STUDENT TRAVEL AWARD The Planetary Science Institute is pleased to announce an annual award to support and encourage graduate students in building international collaborations and relationships in planetary science. The Pierazzo International Student Travel Award is established in memory of PSI Senior Scientist Betty Pierazzo, an expert in the area of impact modeling and the astrobiological and environmental effects of impacts on Earth and Mars. Betty was also passionate about education, teaching and public outreach, and believed in the strength of broad collaborations. This award memorializes the scope of how she lived her life and the good she sought to bring to our profession and communities. Two awards will be made each year to graduate students working on their PhDs, contingent upon there being meritorious applications. One will be for a student at a U.S. institution to support travel to a planetary science related meeting outside of the U.S. The second will be to a student at an institution outside of the U.S. for a meeting within the U.S. Any area of planetary science is acceptable. Each award will consist of a certificate and up to $2,000. For more information about the award and application process, go to: http://www.psi.edu/pista 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 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html June 24-27, 2013 Herschel Data Processing for Newcomers http://herschel.esac.esa.int/DPforNewcomers2013.shtml Villanueva de la Canada, Spain August 26-30, 2013 Exploiting the Herschel Science Archive: A Data Processing Workshop https://nhscsci.ipac.caltech.edu/sc/index.php/Workshops/ArchiveDPAug2013 Pasadena, CA October 7-11, 2013 ESO/NUVA/IAG Workshop on Challenges in UV Astronomy http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2013/UVAstro2013/rationale.html Garching, Germany February 3-5, 2014 Vesta in the Light of Dawn http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/vesta2014/ Houston, TX [Editor Note: If there is a planetary-related meeting, conference or workshop of which you think 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.php, 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. 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). ***********************************************************************