PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 8, Number 32 (July 6, 2014) 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. AGU Session PS1871 - Recent Solar System Discoveries Using the Deep Space Network 2. AGU Session PS2464 - Icy World Eruptions and Their Analogues 3. 2014 COSPAR Awards to be Bestowed at Forthcoming Scientific Assembly in Moscow 4. Impact Geology Research Opportunity of a Master of Science Degree 5. [NASA] Schedule for Hayabusa 2 Participating Scientist Program 6. [NASA] PDS - Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) Data Release 5 7. [NASA] PDS - Odyssey Data Release 48 8. [NASA] PDS - LADEE LDEX Data Release 1 9. [NASA] PDS - Cassini Data Release 38 10. NASA Postdoctoral Fellowships 11. Latest Venus Exploration Documents Now Posted on VEXAG Website 12. [NASA] Draft Discovery 2014 Announcement of Opportunity 13. ESO Workshop - Ground and Space Observatories: A Joint Venture to Planetary Science 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 AGU SESSION PS1871 - RECENT SOLAR SYSTEM DISCOVERIES USING THE DEEP SPACE NETWORK The Deep Space Network is well known for its role in commanding and communicating with planetary spacecraft that are producing a steady stream of new discoveries. The antennas within the Deep Space Network also can be used as science instruments in their own right to complement and extend the observations conducted with spacecraft. Using radio science techniques that link a spacecraft and ground antenna, the atmospheres and interiors of solar system objects ranging from asteroids to planets can be probed. Using radar transmissions, surface and sub-surface characteristics of asteroids, moons, and planets can be probed and orbits determined to high precision. This session invites papers that highlight recent discoveries or that illustrate the future potential for discoveries on the interiors, surfaces, and characteristics of solar system bodies obtained by using the Deep Space Network. Deadline for abstract submission: 6 August 23:59 EDT/03:59 +1 GMT For more information, visit: https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/Session1871.html Conveners: Joseph Lazio, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Sami W Asmar, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Lance Benner, Jet Propulsion Laboratory 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 AGU SESSION PS2464 - ICY WORLD ERUPTIONS AND THEIR ANALOGUES AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, CA, December 15-19, 2014. The potential existence of large plumes of water emitted from Europa's surface has exciting implications for assessing the habitability of this icy world. While the evidence from Hubble Space Telescope observations presently awaits confirmation, the analogy to active plumes at Enceladus motivates discussion of how to detect and characterize plumes, and how to understand eruptive features in the solar system in general. This session examines the mechanisms for plume formation and dispersal; geological signatures of eruptions; inorganic and organic composition of materials ejected from the surface and subsurface; and implications for habitability and life detection. Comparisons with eruptive features and activity on bodies such as Ceres, Enceladus, Io, Triton, Venus, and Earth are encouraged. Conveners: Steve Vance (svance@jpl.nasa.gov) Cynthia Phillips (phillips@seti.org) Abstract submission is now open, with a deadline of August 6: https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/Session2464.html 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 2014 COSPAR AWARDS TO BE BESTOWED AT FORTHCOMING SCIENTIFIC ASSEMBLY IN MOSCOW For a list of recipients and the complete citations, please see the press release at: https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/sites/default/files/press_release_2014.pdf 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 IMPACT GEOLOGY RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY OF A MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE Presently, there is an opening for a geology student holding a BS in geology to enter the Masters (M.S.) in geology program at Auburn University’s Department of Geology and Geography and study impact geology for his or her thesis research project. Auburn has a small impact and planetary geology program, where the emphasis is on marine impact craters and impact-related stratigraphy. The candidate must have a BS in geology or equivalent degree in hand by January 2015, must have gained admission to the Graduate School at Auburn, and must agree to move to Auburn, Alabama and take up an available teaching assistantship and impact-geology research project by the onset of the spring semester 2015 (i.e., January 14, 2015). Learn more about Auburn at: http://www.auburn.edu and about the G&G department at: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/cosam/departments/geology/index.htm For more information on this opportunity, please contact Prof. David King (kingdat@auburn.edu; 1 334 844 4882). 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] SCHEDULE FOR HAYABUSA 2 PARTICIPATING SCIENTIST PROGRAM NASA intends to release ROSES-2014 C.19, the call for Participating Scientist and Sample Scientist proposals to enhance the scientific return from the Hayabusa2 mission in December 2014. The purpose of this call is to broaden participation in the Hayabusa2 mission, augment the existing science team to include new investigations that enhance and/or complement the currently funded investigations, and maximize the contribution of the mission to the scientific understanding and future exploration of asteroids. Equally important this will increase the number of scientists supporting mission planning and execution. While a large fraction of the planned observations will be planned in advance, real-time response to a brand-new set of observations is expected to result in an ongoing requirement for significant replanning. The due date for Step-2 proposals will be no less than 90 days after the release of the call. NASA anticipates that instrument scientist awards from proposals submitted to C.19 will receive funding starting in FY 2016 and the Sample Scientist awards starting with a small amount in 2017. 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 - GRAVITY RECOVERY AND INTERIOR LABORATORY (GRAIL) DATA RELEASE 5 The Planetary Data System (PDS) announces the fifth release of GRAIL data: LGRS RDR - Derived lunar gravitational field data from the GRAIL mission, along with SPICE geometry and navigation kernels created by the GRAIL Science Data System (SDS). This release includes new spherical harmonic models comprising data from both the primary and extended missions. In addition, all SPK data products have been revised and now include data from both the primary and extended missions. To receive email announcements of future releases of GRAIL data, please use the PDS Subscription Service at: http://pds.nasa.gov/tools/subscription_service/top.cfm To access the above data, please visit: http://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/grail/ For information about this release, please visit: http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-20140630.html 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 downloaded from: http://pds.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 [NASA] PDS – ODYSSEY DATA RELEASE 48 The Planetary Data System (PDS) is pleased to announce a new delivery of Odyssey Data, Release 48, for the following instruments: GRS THEMIS RADIO SCIENCE (Releases 142-144) SPICE The gamma sensor component of the GRS instrument suite no longer returns data. The HEND and neutron spectrometer components continue to operate. Note that the VISGEO, IRPBT, and IRGEO datasets of THEMIS will be released at the end of July. To access the above data, please visit the following link: http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-20140701.html 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 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] PDS – LADEE LDEX DATA RELEASE 1 The Planetary Data System (PDS) is pleased to announce the availability of the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX) reduced and calibrated data from the first 100 days of the science phase of the mission. These data have been certified and released with minor liens. To access the LADEE LDEX data, please visit the following link: http://sbn.psi.edu/pds/resource/ldex.html Other LADEE data sets coming soon: Neutral Mass Spectrometer (NMS) UV-Vis Spectrometer (UVS) 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 [NASA] PDS – CASSINI DATA RELEASE 38 The Planetary Data System (PDS) is pleased to announce a new delivery of Cassini data, Release 38, July to September 2013, for instruments: CIRS HRD INMS ISS MAG MIMI RADAR RSS SPICE UVIS VIMS RPWS data for this period was delivered in release 37. CDA data will soon be available. 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-20140704.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/ Thank you for subscribing to the PDS Notification Service, The PDS Team pds_operator@jpl.nasa.gov (818)393-7165 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 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/17585 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/1iUrK4I For further information and to apply, visit: http://nasa.orau.org/postdoc/description/index.htm Questions: nasapostdoc@orau.org 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11 LATEST VENUS EXPLORATION DOCUMENTS NOW POSTED ON VEXAG WEBSITE At the Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG) meeting in November 2012, it was resolved to update the scientific priorities and strategies for Venus exploration. To achieve this goal, three major tasks were defined and resulted in the following three documents: (1) Update to the document prioritizing Goals, Objectives, and Investigations for Venus Exploration, (2) Develop a Roadmap for Venus Exploration that is consistent with VEXAG priorities as well as Planetary Decadal Survey priorities, and (3) Develop a white paper on technologies for Venus missions, a Venus Technology Plan. If you haven’t done so already, please visit the VEXAG Website: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/ and endorse these 3 documents. In addition, a Venus Exploration Themes document was prepared as an adjunct to these three VEXAG documents in order to preserve important extracts from previous versions of VEXAG’s Venus Exploration Goals and Objectives documents - Venus Exploration Themes. The latest versions of all four of these documents are available now at the VEXAG Website: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/ Lori Glaze, VEXAG Chair 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] DRAFT DISCOVERY 2014 ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is releasing draft text for an Announcement of Opportunity (AO) to solicit Principal Investigator (PI) led space science investigations for the Discovery Program. The draft text can be downloaded from the NSPIRES web page either by going to: https://nspires.nasaprs.com/ selecting "Solicitations", then "Open" under the "View Solicitations" heading and searching for Discovery 2014 or NNH14ZDA009J. Comments on this draft text are due to the point of contact below by July 16, 2014. It is anticipated that Step-1 proposals will be due late in calendar year 2014. The goal of NASA’s Discovery Program is to provide frequent flight opportunities for high quality, high value, focused, planetary science investigations that can be accomplished under a not to exceed cost cap. The AO Cost Cap for a Discovery mission is $450M in Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 dollars, not including the cost of the Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) or any contributions. Any selected mission will launch no later than December 31, 2021. Proposers should be aware of major changes in this AO from previous Discovery Program AOs. Dr. Michael H. New (202) 358-1766 michael.h.new@nasa.gov [Edited for length] 13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13 ESO WORKSHOP - GROUND AND SPACE OBSERVATORIES: A JOINT VENTURE TO PLANETARY SCIENCE We are pleased to announce that registration will soon open for an ESO workshop on "Ground and Space Observatories: A Joint Venture to Planetary Science" to be held March 2-5, 2015 in Santiago, Chile. For more information, please see: http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2015/Planets2015.html The goal of this workshop is to explore synergies between ground and space-based observatories with planetary missions for exploring the Solar System and planets, and to foster collaborations between the different communities by sharing scientific and technical knowledge, needs, requirements, and techniques. Scientific topics include, e.g., planetary atmospheres, surfaces and rings, moons, asteroids, TNOs and comets. 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 March 2-5, 2015 Ground and Space Observatories: A Joint Venture to Planetary Science http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2015/Planets2015.html Santiago, Chile [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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