PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 8, Number 13 (March 16, 2014) 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. Editorial - Mark V. Sykes, Planetary Science Institute 2. LPSC: Update on Venus Town-Hall Meeting and Early Career Scholars Mixer 3. LPSC: Budget 2015 - Planetary Community Town Hall 4. [NASA] PDS - Mars Exploration Rovers Data Release 39 5. [NASA] PDS - Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Data Release 17 6. [NASA] PDS - Venus Express Radio Science Data Release 7. [NASA] ROSES-14 Final Text for Habitable Worlds 8. [NASA] Update on Asteroid Initiative Opportunity Forum 9. Planetary GIS/Data Specialist 10. Mars Exploration Science Monthly Newsletter 11. Call for Abstracts: ASCE Earth and Space 2014 Conference 12. Death Valley MarsFest-14: Linking Extremes of Earth and Space 13. NASA Postdoctoral Fellowships 14. Call for Proposals for the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) 15. Student Travel Grants for Upcoming Mars Conferences 16. Change in HST SNAP Policy for Objects Interior to Jupiter 17. JAXA International Top Young Fellowship 2014 18. [NASA] Technology Workshop for the Discovery 2014 AO First Announcement 19. Solar Wind Interaction with Pluto Workshop 20. 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 EDITORIAL Mark V. Sykes Planetary Science Institute Significant concern has been consistently voiced by the community over the restructuring of the planetary research programs in ROSES-14. In particular, when the tentative due date of late February 2015 was announced for Solar System Workings (SSW, to which 1/3 of all proposals to PSD research and data analysis programs are expected to be submitted), it was pointed out that scientists across many major existing programs would face a gap of ~20 months between proposal calls in their areas, with negative impacts if not loss of personnel to the profession. In response, the due date was moved forward seven months to late July 2014. It appears this was a sham. Final text for SSW in ROSES-14 says that proposers should plan on ~1 year for their proposals to be funded. All other planetary programs (except one) plan funding ~6 months after proposal submission. One of the stated goals of the restructuring was to decrease the time between proposal submission and selection. At the recent Planetary Science Subcommittee meeting, one NASA official made the remarkable statement that the ~6 months for other programs is not meant to be taken seriously. A one year gap for SSW funding (which could be longer) gives renewed weight to a previous accusation that PSD management wished to have the option of cutting research funds in FY15 by funding SSW awards in FY16 (without regard to the consequences to researchers). Such a funding shift was admitted as an option by NASA Planetary Science Division Director Jim Green at the first R&A Town Hall in December. PSD management needs to reduce the planned funding date for SSW proposals to 6 months after proposals are due and adhere to their own standards. [Length exception] 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 LPSC: UPDATE ON VENUS TOWN-HALL MEETING AND EARLY CAREER SCHOLARS MIXER Thursday - March 20, 2014 You are invited to participate in a lunchtime Venus Town-Hall Meeting during the LPSC on Thursday, March 20, 2014, in the Indian Springs Room, hosted by the Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG). The objective of this Town Hall meeting is to encourage a community discussion and receive feedback on the nearly complete updates to the Goals, Objectives, and Investigations for Venus Exploration, Roadmap for Venus Exploration and Venus Technology Plan documents. Current updates to these documents and a request for community comments are on the VEXAG web site: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/ For those unable to attend in person, the call-in number for an audio hook-up is Toll-Free: 866-328-8761 / 818-354-3434 / Meeting ID 0293 Join the VEXAG Early Career Scholars Focus Group for an informal meet and greet at the Acqua Lounge immediately following the oral sessions on Thursday afternoon. Please check the VEXAG - Early Career Scholars Facebook page for more information: https://www.facebook.com/groups/432478660134856 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 LPSC: BUDGET 2015 - PLANETARY COMMUNITY TOWN HALL Wednesday, March 19, Noon-1:15pm, Waterway 4 With the release of the 2015 budget this month, attendees will have an opportunity to hear from the Societies that serve the Planetary Science community, discuss the impact of the proposed budget on the future of planetary science, and review options for mitigating the cuts to our valued programs. 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] PDS - MARS EXPLORATION ROVERS DATA RELEASE 39 The Planetary Data System (PDS) is pleased to announce Release 39 of Mars Exploration Rover data. This release includes data primarily from Sols 3331 through 3420, rover Opportunity (MER1/B), instruments: APXS Atmospheric Opacity HAZCAM NAVCAM MI PANCAM RAT Rover Motion Counter 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-20140306.html The following special services are provided for accessing MER data: MER Analyst's Notebook: http://an.rsl.wustl.edu/mer 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.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 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] PDS - LUNAR RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER DATA RELEASE 17 The NASA Planetary Data System is pleased to announce a new delivery of Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) data for the following instruments: CRaTER DLRE LAMP LEND LOLA LROC RSS In general, LRO Release 17 includes data collected between September 15, 2013 and December 14, 2013. To access the above data, please visit the following link: http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-20140314.html PDS offers two services for searching the LRO archives: The Planetary Image Atlas at the Imaging Node allows selection of LRO data by specific search criteria: http://pds-imaging.jpl.nasa.gov/search/lro/ The Lunar Orbital Data Explorer at the Geosciences Node allows searching and downloading of LRO data and other lunar orbital data sets (Clementine and Lunar Prospector). http://ode.rsl.wustl.edu/moon/ 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 [NASA] PDS - VENUS EXPRESS RADIO SCIENCE DATA RELEASE The Planetary Data System (PDS) is pleased to announce the release of Volumes 1-4 of Venus Express radio science data. These contain archival raw, partially processed, and ancillary/supporting radio science data acquired during the Extended Operations phase of the Venus Express mission using ground facilities of the NASA Deep Space Network. These data and other data collected using antennas of the European Space Agency (ESA) and submitted to the ESA Planetary Science Archive comprise the Venus Express radio science data available in the PSA/ESA and the PDS/NASA. To access these data directly from the PDS Atmospheres node, go to: http://atmos.nmsu.edu/PDS/data/VXRS_1101/ http://atmos.nmsu.edu/PDS/data/VXRS_1102/ http://atmos.nmsu.edu/PDS/data/VXRS_1103/ http://atmos.nmsu.edu/PDS/data/VXRS_1104/ Or within the context of the Venus Express mission: http://pds-atmospheres.nmsu.edu/ve/ (scan down through the VeRa listing) The data is also accessible via: http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-20140318.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/ The PDS Team pds_operator@jpl.nasa.gov 818-393-7165 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] ROSES-14 FINAL TEXT FOR HABITABLE WORLDS The goal of the Habitable Worlds program is to use knowledge of the history of the Earth and the life upon it as a guide for determining the processes and conditions that create and maintain habitable environments and to search for ancient and contemporary habitable environments and explore the possibility of extant life beyond the Earth. Proposals to this program will be taken by a two-step process, in which the Notice of Intent is replaced by a required Step-1 proposal submitted by an Authorized Organizational Representative. Only proposers who submit a Step-1 proposal are eligible to submit a Step-2 (full) proposal. Step-1 proposals are due November 24, 2014, and Step-2 proposals are due January 23, 2015. Go to: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ Questions may be addressed to: Mitch Schulte 202-358-2127 mitchell.d.schulte@nasa.gov 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 [NASA] UPDATE ON ASTEROID INITIATIVE OPPORTUNITY FORUM The Asteroid Initiative Opportunities Forum is just two weeks away on Wednesday, March 26 in Washington D.C. We look forward to sharing with you our planning updates, new opportunities for engagement, and gaining your feedback on this initiative. Please see the Forum program outline at: http://www.nasa.gov/asteroidforum Part of the discussion will be dedicated to the Broad Agency Announcement scheduled to release on March 21 - see the synopsis posted here: https://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgibin/eps/synopsis.cgi?acqid=159813 We've reached capacity for onsite attendees, but will be providing virtual participation details to those who register as virtual attendees: http://socialforms.nasa.gov/asteroidforum-virtual If you would like to be placed on the waitlist for onsite attendance, please e-mail HQ-Asteroid-Initiative@mail.nasa.gov. 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 PLANETARY GIS/DATA SPECIALIST University of Chicago Department of Geophysical Sciences The planetary GIS/data specialist will work in a new Planetary Science research group led by Edwin Kite in the University of Chicago's Department of Geophysical Sciences. The central objective of the research group is to use geologic data to reconstruct the past climate history of Mars and understand the physical mechanisms responsible for the loss of Mars habitability. The primary job responsibilities are (1) to assemble planetary data into "research ready" ArcGIS projected mosaics, and (2) to generate, evaluate and analyze planetary digital terrain models that incorporate stereo data. Prior experience, ability and agility with ArcGIS is a must, and scripting/programming experience is strongly preferred. Funding is secure for 2 years, and it is possible that the activities of the group will bring sufficient success to sustain renewed engagement. Salary will be commensurate with the experience and qualifications of the successful candidate. A start date in the range 1/1/2015 - 3/31/2015 is preferred. Later start dates may be negotiated. To apply, go to: https://jobopportunities.uchicago.edu/ Requisition Number: 094770 Informal inquiries should be directed to kite@uchicago.edu [Edited for length] 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 MARS EXPLORATION SCIENCE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER The March 2014 edition of the Mars Exploration Science Monthly Newsletter may be found at: http://mepag.jpl.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 CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: ACSE EARTH AND SPACE 2014 CONFERENCE Abstracts are due April 14th, 2014. Symposia of interest to the planetary community include: Symposium 1: Granular Materials in Space Exploration Symposium 2: Exploration and Utilization of Extraterrestrial Bodies http://earthspaceconf2014.mst.edu/conferencetopics/ St. Louis, MO 27-29 October 2014 12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12 DEATH VALLEY MARSFEST-14: LINKING EXTREMES OF EARTH AND SPACE We are organizing the 3rd Annual MarsFest event in Death Valley National Park, CA, on March 28-March 30th 2014. The public event is in partnership with, and hosted by, the Death Valley National Park Service and will feature speakers from NASA Ames, the SETI Institute, JPL, and the MSL/SAM EPO Team from NASA Goddard. Everyone is welcome. Further information and event schedule, etc: http://www.seti.org/seti-institute/marsfest-2014 http://www.nasa.gov/ames/events/marsfest-2014-linking-extremes-of -earth-and-space/ For previous events, please see: http://www.seti.org/mars-mojave-festival-2012 http://www.seti-inst.edu/marsfest2013 13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13 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/18624 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/1fuCwZG For further information and to apply, visit: http://nasa.orau.org/postdoc/description/index.htm Questions: nasapostdoc@orau.org 14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14 CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE NASA INFRARED TELESCOPE FACILITY (IRTF) Deadline: April 1, 2014 Use the ONLINE application form. NASA Infrared Telescope Facility observing proposals for the 2014B semester (August 1, 2014 to January 31, 2015) are due Tuesday, April 1, 2014. See our online submission form. Available instruments include: (1) SpeX, a 0.8 - 5.3 micron cross-dispersed medium-resolution spectrograph (up to R=2,500) and imager; (2) MORIS, a 512x512 pixel Andor CCD camera mounted at the side-facing, dichroic-fed window of the SpeX cryostat (60"x60" field-of-view); MORIS can be used simultaneously with SpeX; (3) CSHELL, a 1-5 micron high-resolution spectrograph (up to R=40,000) (4) PI-instruments including a low-resolution 3-14 micron spectrograph and high-resolution spectrographs for 8-25 microns. Information on available instruments and performance can be found at: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/Facility/ Note: Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring will make a very close approach to Mars in 2014B and observations of this comet are of interest to NASA. Further information can be found here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12111886/Comet_Siding_Spring.pdf 15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15 STUDENT TRAVEL GRANTS FOR UPCOMING MARS CONFERENCES Student travel grants are available for: (1) the First Landing Site Workshop for the 2020 Mars Rover Mission (May 14-16 in the Washington DC area; due March 19) and (2) the 8th International Mars Conference (July 14-18, Pasadena, CA; due April 11). These opportunities are open to undergraduate and graduate students with Mars-related research interests, who are US citizens or legal residents. Information and the applications are posted on the MEPAG site: http://mepag.nasa.gov/student.cfm?expand=student. Questions should be directed to Serina Diniega, serina.diniega@jpl.nasa.gov 16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16 CHANGE IN HST SNAP POLICY FOR OBJECTS INTERIOR TO JUPITER STScI has revised the policy regarding SNAP observations of Solar System bodies that lie interior to the orbit of Jupiter. Previously such observations were not allowed since scheduling guide-stars requires a significant allocation of resources. The policy has been changed to allow observations of a subset of these targets provided that the observations are undertaken under gyro control. Full details are given here: http://www.stsci.edu/hst/proposing/docs/late-breaking-news#snaps This change in policy is in effect for Cycle 22 (proposal deadline April 11 2014). 17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17 JAXA INTERNATIONAL TOP YOUNG FELLOWSHIP 2014 JAXA has commenced the International Top Young Fellowship (ITYF) 2014 for top-notch young researchers from all over the world. For further information, go to the ITYF website: http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/ityf/ For questions, please contact: Management and Integration Department Takashi Iwai, Mr. Phone: +81-50-3362-2316 18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18 [NASA] TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP FOR THE DISCOVERY 2014 AO FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT In the up-coming Discovery 2014 Announcement of Opportunity, NASA is considering offering as Government-Furnished Equipment a number of NASA-developed technologies. In preparation for this, NASA's Science Mission Directorate and Space Technology Mission Directorate are co-hosting a "Technology Workshop." The goal of this event is to educate the potential proposing community on each technology being offered and inform how each technology will be supported. Details of the workshop are being finalized for the week of April 7, with a target date of Wednesday, April 9, from 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM. The workshop will be divided into two sections: briefings on each technology offering in the morning and the opportunity for small-group meetings in the afternoon. In order to reach the widest audience possible, each briefing will also be webcast. An invitation will be sent once the details are finalized. Thank you in advance for helping to support the 2014 Discovery Announcement of Opportunity and advance the use of new technologies for space science. Sincerely, Leonard A. Dudzinski Planetary Science Division Chief Technologist Michael H. New Discovery Program Lead Scientist Ryan Stephan SPTMD Program Executive, Game Changing Development Program 19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19 SOLAR WIND INTERACTION WITH PLUTO WORKSHOP Wed-Thur August 20-21, 2014 LASP, Boulder CO In preparation for New Horizons flyby of Pluto around July 2015, the above workshop on the solar wind interaction with Pluto's atmosphere will focus on current ideas and models of the upstream solar wind conditions, the interaction of the surrounding plasma with Pluto's escaping atmosphere, and perturbations of the solar wind propagating downstream. The workshop will include presentations on plans for observations that will be made by and datasets collected by the New Horizons Alice (UVS), REX (Radio Science), SWAP (KeV plasma), PEPSSI (MeV particles), and SDC (dust counter) instruments. http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/mop/resources/hosted-meetings/swpluto/ Please contact me bagenal-at-colorado.edu if you intend to attend. 20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20-20 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html May 12-13, 2014 Bringing Fundamental Astrophysical Processes Into Focus: A Community Workshop to Plan the Future of Far-Infrared Space Astrophysics http://asd.gsfc.nasa.gov/conferences/FIR/ Greenbelt, MD June 16-20, 2014 Annual Planetary Science Summer School, Session 1 http://pscischool.jpl.nasa.gov Pasadena, CA July 14-18, 2014 Annual Planetary Science Summer School, Session 2 http://pscischool.jpl.nasa.gov Pasadena, CA August 6-8, 2014 5th Annual Planetary Crater Consortium Meeting http://www.planetarycraterconsortium.nau.edu Flagstaff, AZ August 11-15, 2014 Annual Planetary Science Summer School, Session 3 http://pscischool.jpl.nasa.gov Pasadena, CA August 20-21, 2014 Solar Wind Interaction with Pluto Workshop http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/mop/resources/hosted-meetings/swpluto/ Boulder, CO October 27-29, 2014 ACSE Earth and Space 2014 http://earthspaceconf2014.mst.edu/ St. Louis, MO October 27-31, 2014 19th International Workshop on Laser Ranging http://ilrs.gsfc.nasa.gov/ilrw19/ Greenbelt, MD [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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