PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 7, Number 37 (August 25, 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. Postdoctoral Fellow, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks 2. NASA Postdoctoral Fellowships 3. [NASA] Tutorial for Proposal Submission to the NSPIRES System 4. Call for Observations: Earth-based Observing Campaign in Support of the New Horizons Mission to Pluto 5. Ames Research Center Job Announcement AR13B0014, Research Space Scientist, AST, Planetary Studies, GS-1330-12/13 6. Register for International Scientific Workshop at LPI on Golden Spike Human Lunar Expeditions 7. [NASA] Request for Information Regarding Extreme Environments 8. Mars Critical Data Products Program (Round VIII) - Comet Siding Spring Modeling 9. Application for the GSA Planetary Science Division's Eugene M. Shoemaker Impact Cratering Award 10. [NASA] PDS - Mars Exploration Rovers Data Release 37 11. Comet ISON Global Coma Morphology Campaign 12. Planetary Meeting Calendar Additions Commercial Announcements C1. Pocket Spacecraft: Mission to the Moon Kickstarter 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 POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW, GEOPHYSICAL INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS The Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, is seeking a geoscientist to develop expertise for stereo photogrammetry with a range of Alaska and planetary data sets. The scientist will then use some of those data sets to conduct analyses of terrestrial and planetary volcanic and impact-melt features. Position is funded for three years, and it is common for postdocs to transition to permanent faculty positions at UAF. Applicants should have a PhD in a relevant field (successful dissertation defense in Fall semester, 2013, is acceptable). Experience in fluid mechanics, photogeology, volcanology, impact cratering mechanics, stereo photogrammetry, and using SOCET SET software are desired, but not required, job skills. See the YouTube recruiting video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BYleBbjjHc Further inquiries can be directed to Robert Herrick (rherrick@gi.alaska.edu). Apply for position at: http://www.uakjobs.com, posting 0067258 Review of applications will begin September 23, 2013, and applications will be considered until the position is filled. 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 POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) provides opportunities for scientists and engineers to conduct research largely of their own choosing, yet compatible with the research opportunities posted on the NPP Web site. Selected by a competitive peer-review process, NPP Fellows complete one- to three-year Fellowship appointments that advance NASA's missions in earth science, heliophysics, planetary science, astrophysics, space bioscience, aeronautics and engineering, human exploration and space operations, and astrobiology. An example of one of the research opportunities in planetary science is: https://www3.orau.gov/NPDoc/Catalog/18395 Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in hand before beginning the fellowship, but may apply while completing the degree requirements. U. S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, and foreign nationals eligible for J-1 status as a Research Scholar may apply. Stipends start at $53,500 per year, with supplements for high cost- of-living areas and for certain academic specialties. Financial assistance is available for relocation and health insurance, and $8,000 per year is provided for professional travel. Applications are accepted three times each year: March 1, July 1, and November 1. The latest NPP Newsletter: http://bit.ly/14cNpfH For further information and to apply, visit: http://nasa.orau.org/postdoc/description/index.htm Questions: nasapostdoc@orau.org 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] TUTORIAL FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION TO THE NSPIRES SYSTEM NASA's Office of Education, Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) along with NASA Research and Education Support Services (NRESS) will conduct an overview of the NSPIRES application submission process on September 12, 2013 at 3:00 PM EST. MUREP engages underrepresented populations through a wide variety of opportunities. Multiyear grants are awarded to assist Minority Serving Institution (MSI) faculty and students in research pertinent to NASA missions. The project focuses on recruiting underrepresented and underserved students in STEM disciplines through completion of undergraduate or graduate degrees to enable their entry into the scientific and technical workforce. Submitting a proposal in NSPIRES is not a difficult process, however a tutorial of the process will assist with successful submission of your proposal. If you are interested in participating in the webinar, please register by sending your name, email address and phone number to NSPIRESWebexRSVP@nasaprs.com. Any questions you may have can be included with your registration, or sent separately to NSPIRESWebexRSVP@nasaprs.com, no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on September 11, 2013. Live questions will be answered during the session, however questions received in advance will allow the call leaders to prepare a more focalized discussion. 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 CALL FOR OBSERVATIONS: EARTH-BASED OBSERVING CAMPAIGN IN SUPPORT OF THE NEW HORIZONS MISSION TO PLUTO The July 2015 New Horizons encounter with Pluto presents a once-in-a -lifetime opportunity to directly link our Earth-based view of the Pluto system with 'ground truth' provided by in situ measurements. With the encouragement of Dr. James L. Green, Director of Planetary Science, NASA Headquarters, a call for observations is being made in support of the New Horizons mission. Observers throughout the international community are invited to participate. The goal of the observing campaign is to establish an extensive Earth-based measurement context for the state of the Pluto system at the time of the flyby, including evolving trends in the system for at least one year prior- and post-flyby. Further details on the campaign are available here: http://www.boulder.swri.edu/nh-support-obs/ Please register your interest by sending an email to: nhobs "at" boulder.swri.edu In addition, informal workshops (information sessions) are being planned during the European Planetary Science Conference (EPSC) in London 8-13 September and during the Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting (DPS) in Denver 6-11 October. The DPS workshop will be on Tuesday, 8 October at 12:00noon-1:00pm in the Plaza Ballroom E at the Sheraton Denver Downtown. 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 AMES RESEARCH CENTER JOB ANNOUNCEMENT AR13B0014, RESEARCH SPACE SCIENTIST, AST, PLANETARY STUDIES, GS-1330-12/13 https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/349635800 NASA, the world's leader in space and aeronautics is always seeking outstanding scientists, engineers, and other talented professionals to carry forward the great discovery process that its mission demands. The Exobiology Branch (Code SSX) at NASA Ames Research Center is currently seeking interested applicants for the position of Research Space Scientist. The incumbent is responsible for conducting microbiological and/or geologic research to identify biosignatures that characterize past/present life in environments related to astrobiology. He/she studies the origin, composition, structure, and evolution of the solar system, including planets and satellites; the Earth and Moon; and meteorites, asteroids, comets and dust. As a Research Space Scientist, the incumbent is responsible for conducting research involving modern field samples, ancient terrestrial rocks, meteorites, extraterrestrial materials, ices, Mars analog rocks, and returned data from spaceflight missions. He/she conducts research that emphasizes on the elucidation and characterization of modern, ancient, or extraterrestrial habitable zones and mineral biosignature. This includes the evaluation of preservation potential related to biosignatures; primary/secondary mineral phases associated with habitable zones; and the development of databases, microbial specimens, and geological collections for planetary studies and spacecraft missions. 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 REGISTER FOR INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC WORKSHOP AT LPI ON GOLDEN SPIKE HUMAN LUNAR EXPEDITIONS The Golden Spike Company and the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) will be holding a two-day workshop (3-4 October 2013) for the US and international scientific community to explore the planned capabilities of Golden Spike human lunar expeditions planned to begin in 2020. The workshop will be held at the Lunar and Planetary Science Institute (LPI) in Houston, Texas. The program focuses on landing site selection, surface experiment package desires, sample return capabilities, and surface traverse planning. Almost 70 presentations and posters, and significant discussion time, are planned during the 1.5 day workshop. The program is available at: http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/gs2013/pdf/program.pdf The workshop's program committee includes Dr. Alan Stern/CEO and President of Golden Spike, Dr. James Carpenter/European Space Agency, Dr. Steve Mackwell/Director of the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Dr. Amand Mahesh/The Open University in the UK, Dr. William McKinnon/ Washington University at St. Louis, and Dr. Clive Neal/Notre Dame University. To register and learn more, go to: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/gs2013/ Discounted registration ends September 6th. 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] REQUEST FOR INFORMATION REGARDING EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS NASA released a Centennial Challenge for Extreme Environments Request for Information (RFI) soliciting feedback as it considers a challenge to foster technology maturation for subsystems operating in extreme environments, such as the surface of Venus. The challenge under consideration is a phased series of demonstrations focused on electronics/mechanisms, thermal management, power, and eventually a simple system/probe. The purposes of this RFI are: (1) gather feedback on the competition, (2) determine the level of interest in competing and, (3) understand the applicability to terrestrial applications. A NASA challenge to draw out creative and innovative solutions to our technology problems is an exciting opportunity for the planetary community. This challenge may be another way to leverage scarce resources to eventually allow scientists to "probe" the more difficult destinations in our solar system. The planetary science and the technology and engineering communities are encouraged to respond to the RFI and provide inputs by September 10, 2013. Details of the Challenge conditions and prize award can be found at: http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/synopsis.cgi?acqid=157076 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 MARS CRITICAL DATA PRODUCTS PROGRAM (ROUND VIII) - COMET SIDING SPRING MODELING The Mars Exploration Program has issued, in August 2013, a Request for Proposal (RFP) for round VIII of the Mars Critical Data Products program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This RFP provides support of the modeling the dust and particle environment of Comet 2013 A1 (Siding Spring) during its encounter with Mars in October 2014. The intent is to provide data products useful for risk assessment and mitigation strategy development for the Mars orbiter missions, due to possible impacts from dust and ion tail particles as this comet encounters Mars. Proposals are due on Wednesday, September 11, 2013. Details of the RFPs are posted at: https://acquisition.jpl.nasa.gov/RFP/MJ-2692-072413/default.htm or https://acquisition.jpl.nasa.gov/bizops/ 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 APPLICATION FOR THE GSA PLANETARY SCIENCE DIVISION'S EUGENE M. SHOEMAKER IMPACT CRATERING AWARD Applications for the GSA Planetary Science Division's Eugene M. Shoemaker Impact Cratering Award are due September 11, 2013. The Eugene M. Shoemaker Impact Cratering Award is for undergraduate or graduate students, of any nationality, working in any country, in the disciplines of geology, geophysics, geochemistry, astronomy, or biology. The award, which will include $2500, is to be applied for the study of impact craters, either on Earth or on the other solid bodies in the solar system. Areas of study may include but shall not necessarily be limited to impact cratering processes; the bodies (asteroidal or cometary) that make the impacts; or the geological, chemical, or biological results of impact cratering. Details about the award as well as an application form for interested students can be found at: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/science/kring/Awards/Shoemaker_Award/ 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 [NASA]PDS - MARS EXPLORATION ROVERS DATA RELEASE 37 The Planetary Data System (PDS) is pleased to announce Release 37 of Mars Exploration Rover data. This release includes primarily data from Sols 3151 through 3240 and includes data only from Opportunity, MER1/B. It includes data from the following instruments: APXS, Atmospheric Opacity, HAZCAM, NAVCAM, MI, PANCAM, RAT, Rover Motion Counter, and SPICE There are no Mini-TES, Moessbauer, or Radio Science data in this release. To access the above data, please visit the following link: http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-20130823.html The following special services are provided for accessing MER data: 1. MER Analyst's Notebook: http://an.rsl.wustl.edu/mer/ 2. Planetary Image Atlas: http://pds-imaging.jpl.nasa.gov/search/mer/ To access the latest PDS Data Releases, please visit the following link: http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-Release.html All available PDS data may be found at: http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/data-search/ For further information, see the PDS Home Page: http://pds.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 COMET ISON GLOBAL COMA MORPHOLOGY CAMPAIGN We are requesting images of comet ISON as part of the Comet ISON Coma Morphology Campaign. We request images from both professional as well as amateur astronomers. The rationale for the global campaign as well as the suggested guidelines can be found at: http://www.psi.edu/ison If you could contribute to this effort, please contact us at ison at psi.edu and we will get in touch with you. Thank You. Nalin Samarasinha Beatrice Mueller Matthew Knight Tony Farnham 12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html October 23-25, 2013 Joint Workshop on High Pressure, Planetary, and Plasma Physics http://indico.desy.de/conferenceDisplay.py?ovw=True&confId=8221 Berlin, Germany July 14-18, 2014 The Eighth International Conference on Mars http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/8thmars2014/ Pasadena, CA [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.] *********************************************************************** COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS *********************************************************************** C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1 POCKET SPACECRAFT: MISSION TO THE MOON KICKSTARTER A Kickstarter campaign is running at the moment to give thousands of amateurs and professionals the opportunity to send their own small custom scientific spacecraft to the moon. http://kck.st/14zOnAA Backers can support the project at different levels including loading custom flight software and custom instruments onto their spacecraft to run their own experiments. Pledges to back the project are being accepted until 26th August 2013. Please do not hesitate to email support@pocketspacecraft.com if you have any questions. *********************************************************************** * 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. 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