PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 8, Number 56 (December 7, 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. EGU 2015 Call for Abstracts: Session PS5.1 2. Postdoctoral Fellowship in Lunar & Asteroid Exploration Science - Petrology and Geochemistry 3. Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month 4. [NASA] PDS - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Data Release 31 5. iCubeSat 2015 Call for Papers and Registration 6. ISSI Call for Proposals 2015 for Johannes Geiss Fellowship 7. Mars Exploration Science Monthly Newsletter: December 2014 8. Planetary GIS Workshop 9. Job Opening: Research Associate in Space Physics, Imperial College London, UK 10. Jovian Magnetic Field and Magnetosphere Postdoctoral Researcher 11. [NASA] New Lunar Volunteer Reviewer Form Posted 12. NASA Postdoctoral Fellowships 13. Community Input on Spitzer Observations Prior to JWST 14. [NASA] SBAG 12 Meeting - Upcoming Hotel Deadline 15. [NASA] PDS - Mars Science Laboratory Release 7 16. Job Opportunity: STScI Research and Instrument Analysts 17. 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 EGU 2015 CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: SESSION PS5.1 We invite you to submit an abstract to EGU session PS5.1/ST4.4: "Planetary Plasma Physics and Interactions in the Solar System" Deadline: 7 January 2015 The emphasis of the session is on all aspects of planetary plasma physics and interactions in the Solar System, including: (a) Magnetospheres, ionospheres, auroras (b) The solar wind interaction with planets, moons, asteroids and comets (c) Plasma interactions with exospheres, dust and surfaces (e.g. at Mercury, Europa, Ganymede, our Moon, etc.) (d) Intercomparisons of planetary environments Contributions are welcome which address previous (e.g. CHANDRAYAAN-1, KAGUYA), present (e.g. CASSINI, MARS EXPRESS, MAVEN, VENUS EXPRESS, ROSETTA, MESSENGER, CHANG'E 2), forthcoming (e.g. BEPI COLOMBO) and planned (e.g. JUICE) observations from space. Analyses of ground-based observations of neutral and ionized environments are welcome. Theoretical modelling and simulations are also strongly encouraged, both in themselves and as a basis for intercomparisons and interpretation of measurements. Laboratory studies on planetary analogues aiming to simulate the surface-plasma interaction are considered as well. Participants will be later invited to submit an article in a forthcoming dedicated special issue in Planetary and Space Science. See more details at: http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2015/session/17359 Conveners: P. Garnier, A. Milillo, A. Radioti [Edited for length.] 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 POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP IN LUNAR & ASTEROID EXPLORATION SCIENCE - PETROLOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY The Universities Space Research Association's Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), invites applications for a postdoctoral fellowship in lunar and asteroid exploration science for a full-time exempt position in the Houston, Texas area. The successful candidate will join Dr. David A. Kring and over two dozen other scientists in the Center for Lunar Science and Exploration, which is one of nine national centers of excellence supported by NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute. The main goals of the Center's activities are to address NASA's highest lunar and asteroid exploration science objectives, including activities in preparation of robotic and crewed landings. Applications from those with recent Ph.D.s in the fields of petrology and geochemistry are encouraged to apply. Previous experience with lunar samples, chondritic meteorites, and/or impact lithologies will be advantageous, but is not required. Interested applicants should apply to the posting at: https://usracareers.silkroad.com/ and must submit a curriculum vita with list of publications, a two to three page statement of research interests, and a list of three references. Additional details are available at: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/exploration/ USRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Disabled. 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 PLANETARY GEOMORPHOLOGY IMAGE OF THE MONTH December's post is now available at: http://planetarygeomorphology.wordpress.com This month's post was contributed by Dr John Grindrod, and is on "Diverted Landslides in Valles Marineris." Mary Bourke 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 RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER DATA RELEASE 31 The Planetary Data System (PDS) is pleased to announce a new delivery of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) data for the following instruments: CRISM CTX HiRISE MARCI MCS RSS SPICE There will be no SHARAD data and no derived gravity data for this release. In general, MRO Release 31 includes data collected from February 9, 2014, through May 8, 2014. The release includes HiRISE data for August 4 to November 5, 2014. To access the above data: http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-20141201.html To access the latest PDS Data Releases: 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 ICUBESAT 2015 CALL FOR PAPERS AND REGISTRATION iCubeSat 2015, the 4th 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. The workshop will be held at Imperial College London, United Kingdom on May 26-27th, 2015. Talks and round tables will focus on three themes: technology, science, and open collaboration. Talks on astrodynamics, attitude control and determination systems, citizen science, communications, landers, launch opportunities, open source approaches, outreach, payloads, policy, power systems, propulsion, reentry systems, ride-shares, science missions, software, standardization, structures, systems engineering and other related topics are all welcome. A lively social program in and around summertime London will be arranged for participants and their guests. December 2014 - Registration open 1st April 2015 - Abstract upload deadline 15th April 2015 - Notification of abstract acceptance 22nd May 2015 - Presentation (and optional paper) upload deadline Please confirm your interest in attending as soon as possible (to assist us size the venue) by completing the registration form here: http://www.iCubeSat.org/registration Download the conference poster: https://icubesat.files.wordpress.com/2014/05 /20140530_icubesat2015poster.pdf 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 ISSI CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR JOHANNES GEISS FELLOWSHIP ISSI has approved the introduction of the Johannes Geiss Fellowships (JGF). The JGF is established to attract to ISSI - for limited duration visits - international scientists of stature, who can make demonstrable contributions to the ISSI mission and increase ISSI's stature by their presence and by doing so will honour Johannes Geiss for his founding of ISSI and his contributions to ISSI, and for his many contributions to a broad range of space science disciplines. Please find the complete Call for Proposals 2015 for Johannes Geiss Fellowship at: http://www.issibern.ch/spotlight /CallforProposalsJohannesGeissFellowship.pdf International Space Science Institute Hallerstrasse 6 CH-3012 Bern Switzerland Tel. +41-31-631 48 96 Fax +41-31-631 48 97 http://www.issibern.ch 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 MARS EXPLORATION SCIENCE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER: DECEMBER 2014 On behalf of Lisa Pratt (MEPAG Chair), Dave Beaty, Rich Zurek, and Serina Diniega of the Mars Program Science Office, December 2014 edition of the Mars Exploration Science Monthly Newsletter can be found on the web at: http://mepag.jpl.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 PLANETARY GIS WORKSHOP MAY 5-7, 2015, ESAC (MADRID) ESA and its Planetary Science Archive (PSA) User Group are pleased to announce a Planetary GIS Workshop that will be held on May 5-7, 2015 at ESAC (Madrid, Spain). The following broad areas will be presented and discussed: - Scientific needs and uses (existing, new, cross-disciplinary) - Existing technical solutions - Open problems and areas suitable to improvement The workshop aims at targeting geospatial data users and producers in broad sense. An informal combination of presentation, hands-on and discussion sessions is envisaged. For more details, visit the workshop's web page: http://www.rssd.esa.int/index.php?project=PSA&page=gisws To better prepare the content and structure of the workshop, please indicate your interest in attending using the website above. A second announcement and call for abstracts will be made in mid-January. Organizing committee: Angelo Pio Rossi (convener) Nicolas Manaud (convener) Stephan van Gasselt Trent Hare Baptiste Cecconi Dave Heather Santa Martinez Jonathan McAuliffe Juan Gonzalez Alba Alcol (secretary) and the PSA User Group 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 JOB OPENING: RESEARCH ASSOCIATE IN SPACE PHYSICS, IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON, UK http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/spat/jobs - Title: Research Associate - Topic: Modelling of cometary plasma in the context of Rosetta - Location: Space and Atmospheric Physics group, Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London, UK - Duration: until March 31, 2016 - Closing date for application: 5 January 2015 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 JOVIAN MAGNETIC FIELD AND MAGNETOSPHERE POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER (NASA-GSFC/CRESST/University of Maryland) Applications are now being accepted for a Postdoctoral Research Associate, funded through the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) and the Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology (CRESST), to work in the Planetary Magnetospheres Laboratory of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in the area of Jupiter's magnetic field and magnetosphere, using data from the Juno (New Frontier) mission. Additional details are available at: http://www.astro.umd.edu/employment/index.html#Juno Candidates for this position should have a Ph.D. in a relevant scientific discipline with prior experience conducting scientific research. Experience with magnetometer instrumentation and data, disciplined programming skills (primarily Fortran and IDL), and scientific writing experience are desired. The University of Maryland is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. 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] NEW LUNAR VOLUNTEER REVIEWER FORM POSTED The Planetary Science Division is seeking subject matter experts to serve as mail-in and/or panel meeting reviewers of ROSES 2014 proposals. We have posted a new volunteer reviewer form for: ROSES 2014 C.8 Lunar Data Analysis. Either follow the link embedded above, or start at: http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/volunteer-review-panels/ choose ROSES 2014 C.8 Lunar Data Analysis and indicate the Missions and or areas of expertise by clicking the boxes. If your skills match our needs for this review we will contact you to discuss scheduling. 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 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/18715 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/1tI5M9x For further information and to apply, visit: http://nasa.orau.org/postdoc/description/index.htm Questions: nasapostdoc@orau.org 13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13 COMMUNITY INPUT ON SPITZER OBSERVATIONS PRIOR TO JWST A Committee comprising science community representatives has convened under the auspices of the Cosmic Origins Program Analysis Group (COPAG) to draft a report on Science Enabled by Spitzer Space Telescope Observations Prior to JWST. This Science Analysis Group (SAG) 9 activity is described here: http://cor.gsfc.nasa.gov/sags/sag9.php A draft version of the report will be available soon for comment by any interested member of the science community, via email to copag.sag9@gmail.com. The Committee is committed to conveying the community's interests through the Astrophysics Subcommittee, to which the report will be submitted in March 2015 14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14 [NASA] SBAG 12 MEETING - UPCOMING HOTEL DEADLINE The 12th NASA SBAG (Small Bodies Assessment Group) meeting will be held January 6-7, 2015, in Tempe, AZ: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings/ The hotel deadline is Friday, Dec. 12. Also, registration is free but still important for planning purposes, so please register. A final meeting agenda is also now posted on the website. The SBAG 12 dates and location were selected in coordination with the Conference on Spacecraft Reconnaissance of Asteroid and Comet Interiors, AstroRecon, which will be held January 8-10, 2015, in Tempe, AZ: http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/astrorecon2015/ 15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15 [NASA] PDS - MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY RELEASE 7 The NASA Planetary Data System announces the seventh release of data from the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, covering data acquired from Sol 584 through Sol 707 (March 28, 2014, through August 3, 2014). This release consists of raw and derived data sets from the following instruments: APXS ChemCam CheMin DAN Hazcam MAHLI MARDI Mastcam Navcam RAD REMS SAM SPICE To access the above data for this release: http://pds.nasa.gov/subscription_service/SS-20141205.html Links to all MSL data sets may be found on the PDS Geosciences Node web site: http://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/msl/ The data may also be reached from the main PDS home page: http://pds.nasa.gov/ MSL data are archived at the PDS Atmospheres, Planetary Plasma Interactions (PPI), Geosciences, Imaging, and Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility (NAIF) Nodes. PDS offers two services for searching the MSL archives: The Planetary Image Atlas at the Imaging Node allows selection of MSL image data by specific search criteria: http://pds-imaging.jpl.nasa.gov/search The MSL Analyst's Notebook at the Geosciences Node allows searching and downloading of all MSL data in the context of mission events: http://an.rsl.wustl.edu/msl 16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16 JOB OPPORTUNITY: STSCI RESEARCH AND INSTRUMENT ANALYSTS The Space Telescope Science Institute has openings for Research and Instrument Analysts (RIA) in our Instruments Division. RIAs will assist Instrument Scientists in the reduction and analysis of Hubble Space Telescope calibration data. Analysts will also assist in the development and testing of the scientific instruments and optical systems for the James Webb Space Telescope. They will provide user support to HST General Observers and Archival Researchers in various aspects of observation planning and data reduction. Additionally, analysts may become involved in cutting-edge astronomical research by providing support for scientific programs of staff scientists. Such support can involve calibrating data, photometry, spectroscopy, image drizzling, coding, and laboratory work in astronomical instrumentation. Successful applicants typically have a Bachelor's, Master's or a recent PhD degree in Astronomy, Physics, Astrophysics, Planetary Science, or related fields. The starting position (RIA I, II, Senior) and salary are commensurate with education and experience. Experience with astronomical research, instrumentation or optics, scientific computing, data analysis, and IRAF or other astronomical software packages, is also desired. Additional mathematical, statistical, and programming skills (e.g. IDL, python) are a plus. Applications due: January 31, 2015 For details see: http://www.stsci.edu/institute/employment https://rn11.ultipro.com/SPA1004 /JobBoard/JobDetails.aspx?__ID=*088F3D93BAC898AD 17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html May 5-7, 2015 Planetary GIS Workshop http://www.rssd.esa.int/index.php?project=PSA&page=gisws Madrid, Spain September 14-18, 2015 Annual Meeting of the Astronomische Gesellschaft: From the First Quasars to Life-Bearing Planets, From Accretion Physics to Astrobiology http://ag15.astrophysik.uni-kiel.de Kiel, Germany [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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