PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 11, Number 5 (January 29, 2017) PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org Editor: Elisabeth Adams Co-Editors: Mark V. Sykes, Karen R. Stockstill-Cahill, Susan Benecchi Email: pen_editor at psi.edu o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. [NASA] SMD Seeking Volunteer Reviewers 2. Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Lowell Observatory 3. NASA Postdoctoral Fellowships 4. Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Washington 5. Lunar Goldschmidt Session 6. JWST Early Release Science Program: Pre-proposal Webinar 7. 3rd Landing Site Workshop For The Mars 2020 Rover 8. Annual Europlanet/VESPA Call for Planetary Science VO Data Services 9. ESA M5 CASTAway Mission and Cubesats at Asteroids Workshop 10. Update on International Conference on Mars Aeronomy 11. AOGS2017 SESSION PS-11: Exploring the Solar System Primitive Bodies 12. GSA Annual Meeting Session Proposals Due Feb 1 13. HST Europa Advisory Committee 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 [NASA] SMD SEEKING VOLUNTEER REVIEWERS NASA SMD is seeking volunteer reviewers for Solar System Workings, Habitable Worlds and NESSF NASA's Science Mission Directorate is seeking volunteer reviewers for Solar System Workings, Habitable Worlds and for the NESSF graduate student fellowship program, as well as a couple programs in Earth Science. Volunteers may sign up after following the links at: http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/volunteer-review-panels/ or by following the direct links below from the names of the forms We are currently seeking reviewers for: ROSES-2016 C.3 Solar System Workings ROSES-2016 C.4 Habitable Worlds 2017 NASA Space Science Fellowship Proposals 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 POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, LOWELL OBSERVATORY Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position at Lowell Observatory to work on the physical characterization of near-Earth objects. This position will be supervised by Dr. Nicholas Moskovitz. The position is to be split with 80% of the time dedicated to the main program and 20% for any other research of the postdoctoral associate's choosing. The start date is negotiable, but the preference would be for late Summer or early Fall 2017. The postdoctoral associate will work in collaboration with Dr. Moskovitz and other project team members on an ongoing physical characterization survey of near-Earth objects. This survey is working to build a comprehensive dataset of astrometry, rotational light curves, and spectra for hundreds of newly discovered NEOs. In addition to assisting with target management and conducting regular (1-2 nights per month) observing runs, the postdoctoral associate will be expected to take a leading role in the survey's spectroscopic observations, reductions, and analysis. Review of applications will begin on 15 March 2017. For a complete Job Description and Instructions on how to apply, please visit: https://lowell.edu/about/employment/ 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 NASA POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS The NASA Postdoctoral Program offers US and international scientists the opportunity to advance their research while contributing to NASA's scientific goals. The NPP supports fundamental science; explores the undiscovered; promotes intellectual growth; and encourages scientific connections. 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. Current research opportunities in planetary science can be viewed here: https://npp.usra.edu/opportunities/?filter_keywords=&filter_fields=145 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. For further information and to apply, visit: https://npp.usra.edu/ Questions: npphelp@usra.edu 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 POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, SEATTLE Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position in the Dept. of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, to work on numerical simulations and data analysis to understand the environment in which life originated on the early Earth and potentially on other planets. The position will be supervised by Prof. David Catling. The postdoctoral associate will collaborate with a project group to do research involving a variety of biogeochemical data analyses, physical-chemical models, and Bayesian inverse models of the Earth System and atmosphere. Models to constrain environmental conditions during the origin of life and the spread of early life will also be considered in the context of Earth-like planets elsewhere. Applicants must hold a PhD in Earth and Space Sciences, or an appropriately related field such as Astronomy, Planetary Sciences, or Geophysics. The candidate should have an aptitude for numerical modeling and have appropriate associated skills. The successful candidate will also be encouraged to cooperate with researchers and students in the university's cross-campus Astrobiology Program. For further details, please see: http://faculty.washington.edu/dcatling/Postdoctoral_Ad.html 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 LUNAR GOLDSCHMIDT SESSION The Moon-session at the 27th Goldschmidt Conference that will take place in Paris, France, between the 13th and the 18th August, 2017 (the week after MetSoc). This session is version II of the very successful Moon-session at the meeting held at Yokohama in the past summer We would like to encourage all angles of research (geochemistry, modelling, remote, sensing, chronology) to participate in the session "Heterogeneous Moon: Endogenous and Exogenous Processes in Lunar Evolution." The aim of this session is to combine lunar geochemistry, geochronology, geophysics, and impact cratering on the Moon. Linking chemical and physical models for the lunar evolution to temporal constraints allows defining times and rates for its evolution. We invite studies on the chemical and thermal evolution of the Moon from geochemical and geophysical models and sample analyses in an effort to converge efforts for an interdisciplinary approach to the research. Processes such as impact cratering not only caused chemical heterogeneities but also modified the surface morphology. Contributions to challenge the current calibration of the lunar cratering rate are welcome. Session 2c under: https://www.goldschmidt.info/2017/program/programViewThemes Abstract submission opened on 1st January 2017 and runs until the 1st April 2017. [Edited for length.] 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 JWST EARLY RELEASE SCIENCE PROGRAM: PRE-PROPOSAL WEBINAR Pre-proposal Webinar: Feb. 7, 11a - 1p Eastern Time (US) Notice of Intent Deadline: Mar 3, 2017 (Mandatory) Call for Proposals Finalized: May 2017 Proposal Deadline: Aug 18, 2017 The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is pleased to announce the Call for Proposals for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Director's Discretionary Early Release Science (DD ERS) program. The initial DD ERS Call for Proposals and details of the program are available at: http://j.tinyurl.com/hjt3u7e The JWST project encourages submission of DD ERS proposals for all science themes, including Solar System science. Proposals should address a broad range of applications and observing modes relevant to their relevant theme. Participation in the program is open to all categories of organizations, both domestic and foreign, including educational institutions, profit and nonprofit organizations, NASA Centers, and other Government agencies. STScI will host an initial webinar to help inform the community about the goals and requirements of the DD ERS program and JWST capabilities, and encourage submission of proposals. Webex connection information for the webinar can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/zzo3gqe Additional webinars will be scheduled as needed depending on interest expressed at the first. 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 3RD LANDING SITE WORKSHOP FOR THE MARS 2020 ROVER The program for the 3rd Landing Site Workshop for the Mars 2020 Rover is now posted at: http://marsnext.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm The Workshop will be held at the Doubletree Hotel, Monrovia, CA, and will begin at 8:30 am on Wednesday, February 8th, 2017. The meeting will end at noon on Friday, February 10th, 2017. Additional information about the objectives of the workshop, how to remotely join the meeting, logistical information about the hotel, and an informal registration form (to anticipate attendance) can also be found at: http://marsnext.jpl.nasa.gov There will also be a teleconference to summarize the engineering aspects and analyses of the eight remaining sites on January 31st, 2017 from 10:00 to 12:00 PST. Information on how to dial into that meeting is posted at: http://marsnext.jpl.nasa.gov/workshops/wkshp_2017_02.cfm The associated presentations will also be available by the 31st at this web address. Please note that only those participants in attendance at the February Workshop will be able to vote on the criteria summarizing the merits of the sites. 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 ANNUAL EUROPLANET/VESPA CALL FOR PLANETARY SCIENCE VO DATA SERVICES The annual Europlanet/VESPA call for Planetary Science VO data services is now open (dead line for application: 19 February 2017). Via this 2nd VESPA Call of Data Services, between 4 and 5 projects will be selected to enlarge the data content accessible via the VESPA interface. A common workshop will be organized with the selected participants to help them design and set up their project, and to open it to the users community. The workshop will take place in Graz, Austria, from March 27 to 31, 2017, at IWF-OeAW. Details and application form are available here: http://www.europlanet-vespa.eu/call2017.shtml More info on Europlanet/VESPA: http://www.europlanet-vespa.eu 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 ESA M5 CASTAWAY MISSION AND CUBESATS AT ASTEROIDS WORKSHOP 8 MARCH 2017 The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK We invite the community to learn more about the CASTAway mission, an asteroid belt survey and tour proposed to the ESA M5 call. This mission combines a spectroscopic survey of >10,000 asteroids with close flybys of 10-20. We will present details on the plans and opportunities for community involvement. We invite contributions on either additional uses of a telescope located in the asteroid belt or on ideas for potential cubesat investigations in the asteroid belt, using CASTAway as a launcher and communications relay (i.e. for probes released at flybys). The meeting will take place at the Open University in Milton Keynes, on Wednesday 8th March 2017. More details, and a registration link, are available at: http://bit.ly/2k2gJEW Please register by February 15th if planning on attending. For more details contact Colin Snodgrass (colin.snodgrass@open.ac.uk) 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 UPDATE ON INTERNATION24 March 2017 Web site: http://lasp.colorado.edu/meetings/marsaeronomy2017 The conference will focus on the Mars upper atmosphere, ionosphere, magnetosphere, and solar-wind interactions, their effects on loss of atmospheric gas to space, and their dynamical and compositional interactions with the lower atmosphere. Recent spacecraft missions have provided tremendous new data sets that allow us to describe the behavior of the upper atmosphere and plasma environment, understand the underlying physical processes, and extrapolate atmospheric loss to past epochs. This conference will bring together all of these aspects, including pertinent observations, analyses, theoretical models, and results. 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11 AOGS2017 SESSION PS-11: EXPLORING THE SOLAR SYSTEM PRIMITIVE BODIES August 6-11, Singapore http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2017/public.asp?page=home.htm Abstract deadline: February 15, 2017 This session welcomes abstracts about the studies of solar system small bodies, using data from exploration missions, ground- and space-based observatories, laboratory facilities, and theoretical studies. It also welcomes abstracts about new concepts for future missions, observing and laboratory facilities, and ideas for future studies. Abstracts reporting the recent results from Dawn, New Horizons, and Rosetta missions are especially welcome. Solar system small bodies are considered the best-preserved fossils from the early era of planetary systems formation. Small bodies could also have played an important role in delivering water and organics to the inner solar system, relevant to the origin of habitable worlds and life. With the context of a big wave of recent small body missions, this session is designed to promote the research of solar system primitive bodies from multiple approaches and multiple disciplines, and to help develop concepts for future studies and exploration missions. Conveners: Dr. Jian-Yang Li (PSI, USA), Dr. Makoto Yoshikawa (JAXA, Japan), Dr. Eleonora Ammannito (UCLA, USA), Dr. Bin Yang (YNO, China) 12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12 GSA ANNUAL MEETING SESSION PROPOSALS DUE FEB 1 The 2017 Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America will be on October 22-25 in Seattle, WA. GSA is always an excellent forum for planetary scientists to interact with terrestrial geologists, and especially with the AGU Fall Meeting moving eastward this year and next, GSA's meeting in the Pacific Northwest promises to attract a large, international group of attendees. Please consider proposing a topical session for this year's meeting! You can see what others have already proposed here: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2017AM/listsessions.cgi and then submit your session proposal (by 12:59 PM on Wednesday, February 1st) at: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2017AM/cfs.cgi GSA's Planetary Geology Division is eager to help promote your session via (co)sponsorship! Please contact James Wray, 2016-2017 PGD Chair (jwray@gatech.edu), with any questions about sponsorship. Thank you for helping to ensure that all of our exciting science is represented again this year 13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13 HST EUROPA ADVISORY COMMITTEE Jupiter's satellite Europa is a priority target for a NASA Flagship Mission. Observations with Hubble show evidence for gaseous plumes suggestive of outgassing from the sub-crustal ocean. There is high scientific importance in learning more about potential Europa plumes, their properties and locations. At the same time, HST observing time is a precious resource, and in prior observations the duty cycle of detections has been low. The STScI Director has constituted a committee to provide advice on how Hubble can best support planning for a future mission. One task of the committee is to recommend an approach that appropriately balances the science priorities against the resource requirements. Further details can be found here: https://confluence.stsci.edu/display/STUCP /HST+Europa+Advisory+Committee At this time, the Advisory Committee is soliciting input from the community with regard to optimising Hubble observations of Europa. That input may be relevant to any aspect of planning, scheduling and executing observations, including suggestions for coordinating Hubble programs with observations that might use other facilities. Contributors should indicate whether their submission can be made available to the broader community. The committee will maintain full confidentiality if such is requested. Input should be submitted by e-mail to europa@stsci.edu. The deadline for receiving materials is February 10, 2017. 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 June 18-22, 2017 Robotic Telescopes Student Research and Education Conference http://rtsre.org San Diego, CA August 13-16, 2017 2017 International Symposium on Planetary Remote Sensing and Mapping http://event.lsgi.polyu.edu.hk/prsm2017/ Hong Kong, China October 22-25, 2017 2017 GSA Annual Meeting https://www.geosociety.org/GSA/Events/Annual_Meeting/GSA/Events /gsa2017.aspx Seattle, WA December 18-20, 2017 Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference http://nsrc.swri.org Broomfield, CO Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html [Editor Note: If there is a planetary-related meeting, conference or workshop that you think your colleagues should be aware of, 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. ***********************************************************************