PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 8, Number 1 (January 5, 2014) 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. Titan Through Time Workshop 3 2. iCubeSat 2014 3. MSL/CHEMCAM/LIBS Recalibrated Data in PDS MSL Release 4; User Workshop 4. Announcement of Availability of Dawn Data Over the Web 5. NASA Postdoctoral Fellowships 6. 2014 NASA Planetary Science Summer School Applications Open 7. Session on Planetary Chemistry at Goldschmidt 2014 8. Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month 9. Student Summer Internships at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory 10. SBAG Meeting: January 8-9 11. [NASA] PDS - Cassini Data Release 36 12. [NASA] PDS - Odyssey Data Release 46 13. Latest Discovery and New Frontiers Newsletter Now Online 14. 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 TITAN THROUGH TIME WORKSHOP 3 A workshop on Titan's Past, Present and Future, 8-10 April, 2014 Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA Abstracts, student support applications, and registration (no cost, but required for limited-size facility) are due February 2nd, 2014. Go to: http://www.jhuapl.edu/titanthroughtime3 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 ICUBESAT 2014 27-28 May 2014, Pasadena, USA iCubeSat 2014, the 3rd Interplanetary CubeSat Workshop, will address the technical challenges, opportunities, and practicalities of interplanetary space exploration with CubeSats. The workshop provides a unique environment for open wide ranging practical collaboration between academic researchers, industry professionals, policy makers and students developing this new and rapidly growing field. Details and registration: www.iCubeSat.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 MSL/CHEMCAM/LIBS RECALIBRATED DATA IN PDS MSL RELEASE 4; USER WORKSHOP The recently available PDS MSL/ChemCam Release 4 includes recalibrated laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) compositional data from 75,210 spectra representing 2,256 observation points in 258 targets in Gale crater. The recalibration gives more representative elemental compositions from the entire mission. The data set includes active spectra on soils and rocks, including laser depth profiles; passive spectra on soils, rocks, and atmosphere; and Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) high resolution images. The data volume delivered in Release 4, including recalibrated files, is 7.7 GB. Potential LIBS data users should read the caveats carefully and consult recent publications, as this is a new technique. Further refinement of the data is possible. To help familiarize potential new users a short MSL LIBS Data Users Workshop is being planned in conjunction with the Lunar & Planetary Science Conference in Houston in March. The contact is Roger Wiens (rwiens@lanl.gov). More information and announcements will be available closer to the time of the meeting. The ChemCam data can be found at: http://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/msl/chemcam.htm 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 ANNOUNCEMENT OF AVAILABILITY OF DAWN DATA OVER THE WEB The Dawn project is pleased to announce that it has created a website where the public can freely access and download data and documentation http://dawndata.igpp.ucla.edu Most of the data provided here are identical to the products provided by the Planetary Data System (PDS). However, the meta-data provided has been augmented to include geometry information in both the Dawn Claudia and the Claudia Double Prime coordinate systems. All of the Dawn publications cite the Dawn Claudia system while the PDS site only provides metadata in the Claudia Double Prime system. This site is a work in progress. Many of the data sets that have been certified by the PDS but still have liens against the metadata are not yet available here. These data will be accessible from this site once the data are fully archived by the PDS. 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 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 research opportunities 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/18GSlHK For further information and to apply, visit: http://nasa.orau.org/postdoc/description/index.htm Questions: nasapostdoc@orau.org 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 2014 NASA PLANETARY SCIENCE SUMMER SCHOOL APPLICATIONS OPEN NASA is accepting applications from science and engineering post-docs, recent PhDs, and doctoral students for its 26th Annual Planetary Science Summer School, which will be held in three separate sessions in summer 2014 (June 16-20, July 14-18, and August 11-15) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. During the program and pre-session webinars, student teams will carry out the equivalent of an early mission concept study, prepare a proposal authorization review presentation, present it to a review board, and receive feedback. By the end of the session, students will have a clearer understanding of the life cycle of a space mission; relationships between mission design, cost, and schedule; and the tradeoffs necessary to stay within cost and schedule while preserving the quality of science. The 2014 sessions will address planetary exploration missions needing power system trade-offs, including the use of solar electric vs. Multi-mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (MMRTG). The session in August will have a targeted focus on spacecraft power systems. Applications are due April 1, 2014. Partial financial support is available for a limited number of individuals. Further information is available at: http://pscischool.jpl.nasa.gov 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 SESSION ON PLANETARY CHEMISTRY AT GOLDSCHMIDT 2014 There will be a theme dedicated to Planetary Chemistry at the upcoming Goldschmidt 2014 meeting taking place June 8-13 in Sacramento, CA. Theme sub-topics include: a) Building Blocks of the Planets b) Processes and Timescales of Planetary Differentiation c) Compositions of the Interiors of the Terrestrial Planets d) Chemistry of Planetary Atmospheres e) Oxidation State of the Planets f) Crust Formation on Extra-Terrestrial Bodies and Its Importance for Planetary Chemistry g) Lunar Materials, a Window into the Origin and Evolution of the Moon Abstract Submission is now open until 23:59 (GMT) on 8 February 2014. More information and descriptions of Planetary Chemistry sub-topics are available at: http://goldschmidt.info/2014/program/programViewThemes#theme02 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 PLANETARY GEOMORPHOLOGY IMAGE OF THE MONTH The January 'Image of the Month' is now available at the IAG's Planetary Geomorphology web page: http://planetarygeomorphology.wordpress.com/ This month's topic is on "Fluvial channels in Central Pit Craters". Image and caption contributed by Samantha Peel, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, USA. Mary Bourke IAG Working Group on Planetary Geomorphology 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 STUDENT SUMMER INTERNSHIPS AT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is offering summer projects for students interested in working on NASA missions or space-related research opportunities at APL. Students will receive a stipend for the 10-week program, and housing will be provided. Visit the website for more information and to apply: https://www.aplapp.com/ Applications are due January 27, 2014. 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 SBAG MEETING: JANUARY 8-9 The 10th meeting of the NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) will be held Wednesday, January 8, to Thursday, January 9, in Washington, DC. Information about the meeting is available on the website: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings/ Additionally, details to participate remotely are available on this website: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings/jan2014/webex/ 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11 [NASA] PDS - CASSINI DATA RELEASE 36 The Planetary Data System (PDS) is pleased to announce a new delivery of Cassini data, Release 36, January to March 2013, for instruments: CIRS ISS RADAR RSS SPICE VIMS CDA, HRD, INMS, MAG, MIMI, UVIS data will soon be available. RPWS's previous delivery covered the period in this release. Please note that while the data products from this release are available online now through the links below, they may not be immediately accessible through PDS web services such as the Planetary Image Data Atlas. Large data sets may take as long as a few days beyond the formal release date to be incorporated into these services. Check each service's web site to see the status of the latest release. To access the above data, please visit: http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-20140102.html To access the latest PDS Data Releases, please visit: http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-Release.html All available PDS data may be found at: http://pds.nasa.gov/tools/data-search/ For further information, see the PDS Home Page: http://pds.nasa.gov/ The PDS Team pds_operator@jpl.nasa.gov (818)393-7165 12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12 [NASA] PDS - ODYSSEY DATA RELEASE 46 The Planetary Data System (PDS) is pleased to announce a new delivery of Odyssey Data, Release 46, for the following instruments: GRS THEMIS RADIO SCIENCE (Releases 136-138) SPICE The gamma sensor component of the GRS instrument suite no longer returns data. The HEND and neutron spectrometer components continue to operate. To access the above data, please visit the following link: http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-20140103.html To access the latest PDS Data Releases, please visit: http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-Release.html All available PDS data may be found at: http://pds.nasa.gov/tools/data-search/ For further information, see the PDS Home Page: http://pds.nasa.gov/ The PDS Team pds_operator@jpl.nasa.gov (818) 393-7165 13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13 LATEST DISCOVERY AND NEW FRONTIERS NEWSLETTER NOW ONLINE The December 2013 issue of the Discovery and New Frontiers News is on the website at: http://discovery.nasa.gov/newsletter/newsletter.cfml Contents: - InSight Reaches Key Milestone - MESSENGER Passes 1,000 Days in Orbit - On the Path to Pluto - Dawn's Newest Findings Revealed - Earth Says "Hi" to Juno - Tribute to Deep Impact - OSIRIS-REx Countdown Begins - ASPERA-3 and Strofio Updates To subscribe, send an email to: shari.e.asplund@jpl.nasa.gov Happy New Year! Shari 14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html April 8-10, 2014 Titan Through TIme Workshop 3 https://dnnpro.outer.jhuapl.edu/titanthroughtime3/Home.aspx Laurel, MD May 27-28, 2014 3rd Interplanetary CubeSat Workshop (iCubeSat 2014) http://icubesat.org/ Pasadena, 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.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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