PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 7, Number 52 (October 27, 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. [NASA] Mars 2020 Due Dates Amended 2. [NASA] Mars 2020 AO Preproposal Conference 10/28 11:30 a.m. EDT 3. [NASA] New Due Dates for NASA Science Mission Directorate Calls for Proposals 4. NASA Postdoctoral Fellowships 5. Tenure-track Assistant Professor Faculty Position (Geochemistry) 6. There's No Shutting Down the Astrobiology Strategy Process! 7. VEXAG Meeting #11 Update - Preliminary Agenda is Available at the VEXAG Web-Site 8. Workshop on the Habitability of Icy Worlds 9. Comet ISON Observing Campaign 10. New Dates for the Asteroid Initiative Idea Synthesis Workshop 11. 10th Meeting of the NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) 12. 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 [NASA] MARS 2020 DUE DATES AMENDED The Mars 2020 Investigations AO solicits flight investigations for which each Principal Investigator is responsible for a complete space flight investigation, including instrument hardware, mission operations, and data analysis. Investigations comprised of individual instruments or multiple instruments (suites) may respond to the overall Mars 2020 objectives to explore and quantitatively assess Mars as a potential habitat for life, to search for signs of past life, to collect carefully selected samples for possible future return to Earth, and to prepare for future human exploration of Mars. This amendment changes the date for the Pre-Proposal Conference (PPC) to October 28, 2013, the due date for required Notices of Intent (NOIs) to November 4, 2013, the due date for proposals to January 15, 2014, the due date for letters of commitment to January 15, 2014, the deadline for receipt of proposals on CD-ROM to January 21, 2014, the target date for selection announcements to April 2014 and the target date for instrument Phase A contracts to May 2014. http://solicitation.nasaprs.com/Mars2020 Questions concerning this amendment and the Mars 2020 AO, may be directed to Mitchell Schulte (mars2020-ao@lists.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 [NASA] MARS 2020 AO PREPROPOSAL CONFERENCE 10/28 11:30 A.M. EDT Potential proposers to the Mars 2020 Announcement of Opportunity are encouraged to attend a pre proposal conference at which information will be presented by NASA officials, and participants will have the opportunity to pose questions regarding the opportunity. The Preproposal Conference has been scheduled from 11:30 AM to 3 PM EDT on Monday, October 28. 2013. The conference will be virtual and participation will be facilitated by Adobe Connect (video and audio) and teleconference; travel to attend the conference in person will not be necessary. The agenda, participation information, and legal notices can be found at: http://soma.larc.nasa.gov/mars2020/prepropwkshop.html Adobe Connect (Adobe Flash Player required) 1. Go to http://connect.arc.nasa.gov/m2020ao/ 2. Enter Room as a Guest Teleconference Teleconference number: US and Canada 1-866-692-4538 / other countries Passcode: 7496560 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] NEW DUE DATES FOR NASA SCIENCE MISSION DIRECTORATE CALLS FOR PROPOSALS Dear Colleagues, This letter summarizes the new due dates for NASA Science Mission Directorate Research program because of the time lost to the shutdown. All of the official documents associated with our solicitations are posted on: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ but, for your convenience, all of the changes to our due dates (with links to the official NSPIRES program pages) are posted in one place on the SARA web page at: http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/grant-solicitations/ Appendix C.11 of ROSES 13, Planetary Mission Analysis Program, proposals are now due Monday, October 28, 2013 Appendix B.5 of ROSES 13, Heliophysics Grand Challenges Step-2 proposals are now due Thursday, October 31, 2013 Appendix C.7 of ROSES 13, Outer Planets Research proposals are now due Friday, November 15, 2013 Appendix A.11 of ROSES 13, Ocean Vector Winds Science Team, proposals are now due Friday, November 15, 2013 NASA Astrobiology Institute CAN Step-1 proposals are now due Monday, November 18, 2013 NASA Astrobiology Institute CAN Step-2 proposals are now due Wednesday, February 19, 2014 Earth Venture Instrument-2 (Appendix M of SALMON-2) proposals are now due November 25, 2013 Mars 2020 Pre-Proposal Conference is now Monday, October 28, 2013 Mars 2020 NOI are now due Monday, November 4, 2013 Mars 2020 proposals are now due Wednesday, January 15, 2014 Responses to the RFIs on Sustainable Land Imaging Architecture Study and also Lessons Learned from Recent Planetary Science Division AOs are now both due by November 1, 2013. [Length exemption] 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 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/17688 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. However, because many of the NPP advisors were not available during the government shutdown, the next application deadline has been extended to Friday, November 15, 2013. 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 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 TENURE-TRACK ASSISTANT PROFESSOR FACULTY POSITION (GEOCHEMISTRY) Tenure-track Assistant Professor Faculty position within any specialty of the general field of Geochemistry. Details may be found at: http://www.stonybrook.edu/geosciences/ Must have a Ph.D. in the geosciences or closely related field at the time of appointment. Must have the clear potential to establish an internationally recognized, externally funded research program that would include mentoring of graduate and undergraduate students. Applicants should apply by January 10, 2014 through: http://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/3305 Include cover letter, CV, research and teaching statements and the names and contact information of three references. Or mail applications can be submitted to: Geochemistry Search Committee, Department of Geosciences, Earth and Space Sciences, Room 255, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2100. For a description and/or application procedures, visit: www.stonybrook.edu/jobs (Ref. # F-8201-13-10) Stony Brook University is an AA/EO employer and educator. For disability-related accommodation, please call the University Human Resources Services Department at (631) 632-6161 or the University Hospital Human Resources Department at (631) 444-4700. In accordance with the Title II Crime Awareness and Security Act, a copy of our crime statistics is available upon request by calling (631) 632-7786. It can also be viewed on-line at the University Police website at: http://www.stonybrook.edu/police 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 THERE'S NO SHUTTING DOWN THE ASTROBIOLOGY STRATEGY PROCESS! Betcha didn't know that the unofficial motto of NASA's Astrobiology Program was "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of Congressional paralysis stays these scientists from the swift completion of their appointed webinars" ;-) Although NASA was shutdown, the Astrobiology Strategy webinars continued through the great work of Andy Burnett and the folks at KnowInnovation! Thanks so much for keeping us from losing too much momentum. The webinars that occurred during the shutdown were recorded and we encourage you to view them via: http://astrobiologyfuture.org The schedule of up-coming webinars is also posted there. We realize that other civil servants may not have been able to participate and that the altered scheduled and format may have excluded others. However, the webinars are only intended as a kick-off to open discussion on a concept paper and to give the community a sense of the thought processes that led to the current form of the document. For those of you that missed the webinars it's not too late to add your voice to our conversation about the future directions of astrobiology research. We encourage everyone to review the concept documents, comment on them, and participate in the discussion about them. Once again, thanks to KnowInnovation and all the webinar attendees and participants who kept the astrobiology fires burning while we civil servants were restrained from working. Onward! Michael New NASA Headquarters [Length exemption] 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 VEXAG MEETING #11 UPDATE - PRELIMINARY AGENDA IS AVAILABLE AT THE VEXAG WEB-SITE A preliminary agenda for VEXAG Meeting #11, Tuesday-Thursday - November 19-21, 2013 at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC is available at VEXAG Web-Site: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/ Click on "Registration and Logistics Information" and then pull down the "Agenda". Also, if you plan on attending, please RSVP at "Registration and Logistics Information". Tuesday, November 19, 2013 will be a daylong Venus Exploration Technology Forum. Posters on Instrumentation for Venus missions are invited for a Venus Technology Poster Session at the end of the Forum. Key items for Wednesday-Thursday, November 20-21, 2013 will be a community review of VEXAG's Venus Exploration documents - Goals, Objectives, and Investigations; Roadmap; and Technologies. In addition, there will be progress reports on NASA Headquarters activities as well as progress reports on Venus Express, Akatsuki, and other opportunities for international collaboration. Future VEXAG sponsored Venus Exploration Workshops and Meetings will be discussed. 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 WORKSHOP ON THE HABITABILITY OF ICY WORLDS February 5–7, 2014, Pasadena, Calif http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/icyworlds2014 The primary objective of this workshop will be to focus on the astrobiological potential of icy worlds in the outer solar system– including Europa, Ganymede, Enceladus, Titan and beyond–with discussion on future research directions and spacecraft missions that can best assess that potential. The agenda for the workshop will be organized around thematic sessions that address the potential habitability of the unique planetary environments of the outer solar system. Presentations on research involving terrestrial analogs for icy world environments are also encouraged. The workshop will be divided into thematic sessions on: water and exotic solvents; chemical energy for life; organics and their detection; ocean physics and chemistry; icy world activity and habitability over time; continuing and future outer solar system exploration. Abstract Deadline: November 21, 2013. 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 ISON OBSERVING CAMPAIGN Dear Comet Community, Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) is upon us and the Comet ISON Observing Campaign is here to help. To that end, we are collecting observing plans, observing logs, and links to refereed papers (URLS below). Visit our observation calendar and table (first URL below) to find who else is observing the comet, and how your own observations fit into the larger campaign. Submit your own observation plans or a summary of executed observations to help facilitate important cross-team connections. After observing comet ISON, please send the committee a brief summary of your experience to help other observers obtain data during this rapidly evolving perihelion passage (second URL). Finally, papers concerning comet ISON accepted for publication in peer-reviewed journals, or notes published in IAU Circulars and CBATs are welcome to be listed on our ISON publication page (final URL). Good luck observing comet ISON! Mike Kelley for the Comet ISON Observing Campaign Team URLs: http://isoncampaign.org/observation-plans http://isoncampaign.org/observation-logs http://isoncampaign.org/Publications 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 NEW DATES FOR THE ASTEROID INITIATIVE IDEA SYNTHESIS WORKSHOP Dear Colleague, NASA has selected new dates to resume the Asteroid Initiative Idea Synthesis Workshop, which was postponed due to the recent government shutdown. We look forward to resuming the workshop and continuing to examine the many good ideas that were submitted in response to the Asteroid Initiative Request for Information in June. As before, the workshop will be conducted at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. Seating capacity is limited, so the invitation list to attend onsite will remain restricted. Virtual participation options will again be available, and we will provide those options on the workshop web page as the event nears: http://www.nasa.gov/asteroidworkshop Invitations to the same invited RFI responders and presenters will be issued starting Monday, Oct. 28. The new workshop dates are November 20-22, 2013. The program can be found on the web site. 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11 10TH MEETING OF THE NASA SMALL BODIES ASSESSMENT GROUP (SBAG) The next Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) meeting will be held Wed. January 8, 2014, to Thurs. January 9, 2014, in the Washington, DC area. Participation will be possible both in person and virtually. Additional details will be posted on the SBAG website as they become available: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/ 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 November 5, 2013 NASA Planetary Science Subcommittee Meeting https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/10/25/2013-25179/ nasa-advisory-council-science-committee-planetary-science- subcommittee-meeting Online November 20-22, 2013 Asteroid Initiative Idea Synthesis Workshop (New Date) http://www.nasa.gov/asteroidworkshop Houston, TX January 8-9, 2014 10th Meeting of the NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/ Washington, DC February 18-19, 2014 Science and Challenges of Lunar Sample Return Workshop http://congrexprojects.com/2014-events/14c05/ Noordwijk, The Netherlands [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. 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