PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 8, Number 15 (March 30, 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. Updated Resource Guide to Science Fiction with Good Astronomy on the ASP Website 2. Student Opportunity: Deadline for Applications for Barringer Family Fund for Meteorite Impact Research 3. Post-doctoral and Post-graduate Opportunities in Switzerland 4. Planetary Habitability at the University of Chicago 5. [NASA] Due Date Clarification for Exobiology and MatISSE 6. 2014 NASA Planetary Science Summer School Applications Open 7. Postdoctoral Fellow at Naval Research Laboratory 8. NASA Postdoctoral Fellowships 9. Hotel Info for MEPAG Meeting and Mars 2020 Landing Site Workshop 10. [NASA] Pre-Proposal Workshop for EONS Educator Professional Development 11. 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 UPDATED RESOURCE GUIDE TO SCIENCE FICTION WITH GOOD ASTRONOMY ON THE ASP WEBSITE A revised and updated resource guide to science fiction stories with good astronomy and physics is now available at the educational website of the non-profit Astronomical Society of the Pacific: http://www.astrosociety.org/education/resources/scifi.html This edition of the guide includes over 270 stories organized into more than 40 topical categories. For the first time, it gives the URLs for a number of stories that are available free on the Web. All the listed stories could be used for class supplements or recommending to interested audiences. 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 STUDENT OPPORTUNITY: DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS FOR BARRINGER FAMILY FUND FOR METEORITE IMPACT RESEARCH A reminder: Applications for the Barringer Family Fund for Meteorite Impact Research are due April 4, 2014. The Barringer Family Fund for Meteorite Impact Research will provide a small number (3 to 5) of competitive grants each year in the range of $2,500 to $5,000 USD for support of field research at known or suspected impact sites worldwide. Grant funds may be used to assist with travel and subsistence costs, as well as laboratory and computer analysis of research samples and findings. Masters, doctoral, and post-doctoral students enrolled in formal university programs are eligible. Other 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/Barringer_Fund/ 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 POST-DOCTORAL AND POST-GRADUATE OPPORTUNITIES IN SWITZERLAND As part of its long-term strategic interest in exoplanet science, the government of Switzerland has awarded funding to a network of universities and research groups to create a Swiss-wide research framework known as "PlanetS". The new programme has a large number of Post-Doctoral and Post-Graduate positions available at several institutes from 1 June 2014 in both exoplanet and Solar System research. A draft of the advertisement is now on-line at: http://space.unibe.ch/pig/open-positions.html Additional clarification can be obtained from: Nicolas Thomas Space Research and Planetology Division Sidlerstrasse 5 CH-3012 Bern Switzerland. nicolas.thomas (at) space.unibe.ch +41 31 631 4406 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 PLANETARY HABITABILITY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO New research group starting Jan 2015 - Opportunities http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~kite/opportunities/ Research will be directed towards understanding the processes that sustain habitable planets. Areas of particular interest are: Early Mars - geologic proxies for paleoclimate (geology, stratigraphy, paleohydrology, geomorphology), climate modeling; rocky exoplanets; and Europa and Enceladus. Funding has been secured to hire a planetary GIS / data specialist, one or more postdocs, and graduate students. For more information, please email Edwin Kite (PI), kite@uchicago.edu. More details about the planetary GIS / data specialist position are posted at: https://jobopportunities.uchicago.edu (Requisition Number: 094770) Prospective graduate students should apply through the Department of Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago. Existing planetary science research at the University of Chicago includes the Abbot group (climate theory), the Bean group (exoplanet observations), the Campbell group (planetary interiors), the Ciesla group (formation and early evolution of planetary systems), the Dauphas group (origins/cosmochemistry), the Davis group (stardust), the Fabrycky group (orbital dynamics, planet formation and dynamical evolution), the Grossman group (cosmochemistry), the Konigl group (exoplanets), and the Pierrehumbert group (physics of planetary climate). Summarized at: http://geosci.uchicago.edu/planetary-science-planetary-atmospheres- and-exoplanets 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] DUE DATE CLARIFICATION FOR EXOBIOLOGY AND MATISSE In February most of the Planetary Science ROSES calls had bold notices added to the top reminding proposers that proposals would be submitted via the two step process. Sadly, two of these contained errors. The bold notice statement at the top of C.5 Exobiology and C.13, MatISSE gave erroneous due dates, although Tables 2 and 3 were always correct. The dates given in the bold notices at the top of C.5 and C.13 have been corrected to match the due dates given in Tables 2 and 3. 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, Calif. 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 POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW AT NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY A postdoctoral fellowship position supported by the RIS4E team of NASA's Solar System Exploration Virtual Institute is available now at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC, for the study of the mineralogy and petrology of meteorites and returned samples. The successful candidate will use transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) for mineralogical studies, including oxidation state analysis. The postdoc will coordinate the TEM studies with synchrotron-based studies conducted by team members at the partnering RIS4E institutions, for the analysis of analog materials, meteorites and returned lunar, Stardust and/or Hayabusa samples. Expertise in transmission electron microscopy is required, and familiarity with EELS and advanced sample preparation methods is preferred. Instrumentation at NRL for these studies includes a Nion UltraSTEM 200 (to be delivered June 2014), and a JEOL 2200FS. The salary for this position is set at the NRL/NRC/ASEE fellow rate of $74,872. Interested candidates may send inquiries to rhonda.stroud@nrl.navy.mil. Please include a CV and publication list. Due to security regulations at NRL, this position requires US citizenship or permanent residency. 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 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. A sample research opportunity is: https://www3.orau.gov/NPDoc/Catalog/17721 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 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 HOTEL INFO FOR MEPAG MEETING AND MARS 2020 LANDING SITE WORKSHOP Members of the Martian Community: The hotel block for the upcoming MEPAG meeting and Mars 2020 Landing Site Workshop is finally live and open for use. To make a reservation, please either call the Crystal City Marriott at (800) 228.9290 and refer to block MEPAG Face to Face or mffmffa, or reserve online at: http://www.marriott.com/meeting-event-hotels/group-corporate-travel/ groupCorp.mi?resLinkData=MEPAG%20Face%20to%20Face^wascc%60mffmffa% 60224%60USD%60false%605/12/14%605/16/14%604/21/14&app=resvlink& stop_mobi=yes Crystal City Marriott at Reagan National Airport 1999 Jefferson Davis Highway Arlington, Virginia 22202 USA (703) 413-5500 Thank you again for your patience on this issue, Amy Snyder Hale, Ph.D Instrument Operations Systems Engineer, Juno 818-393-1186 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] PRE-PROPOSAL WORKSHOP FOR EONS EDUCATOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NASA's Office of Education is accepting new proposals under the Education Opportunities in NASA STEM (EONS) 2014 Omnibus NASA Research Announcement for Educator Professional Development (EPD). A pre-proposal workshop will be held on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at 3:00pm EST. To participate in the workshop follow the instructions below. To join the web conference: https://meet.nasa.gov/gregory.b.cutler/RH6L5J31 To join the conference call: Dial 877-449-9072, and enter 8125991 for the participant passcode. If you have questions about the solicitation or process you can send them to EducProfDevFAQ@nasaprs.com. Depending on the subject matter, questions received might be addressed during the conference call. It is important that you check back prior to the workshop for additional or updated information. Thank you for your interest in EPD. 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html ADD MEETINGS HERE. [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. 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) using no NASA funds. All editorial work is * volunteer. ***********************************************************************