PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 11, Number 11 (March 12, 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. In Memoriam: Tobias C. Owen (1936-2017) 2. Europlanet Grants for Field Work in Danakil (Ethiopia) and at Ibn Battuta Centre (Morocco) 3. Call for Dwornik Judges at LPSC 4. 2017 NASA Fundamental Physics Workshop 5. Postdoc in Giant Planet Atmospheres, University of Leicester 6. Europa Lander Town Hall at LPSC and ABSCICON 7. Young Scientists for Planetary Exploration at LPSC 8. 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 IN MEMORIAM: TOBIAS C. OWEN (1936-2017) It is with real sadness that we report the loss of Tobias (Toby) C. Owen, who died on March 4, 2017. To quote Dale Cruikshank: "Toby was a professor at SUNY Stony Brook for many years, and then at the University of Hawaii, where he was affiliated until his passing. He will be remembered as a man of the world, unfailingly generous and modest, and a great scientist. He inspired all of his many colleagues with his enthusiasm for all aspects of planetary science, including the big questions of the origin of the Solar System and of life in the Universe. Toby received a number of honors in the US and in Europe, and in 2009, he was awarded the Gerard P. Kuiper Prize of the DPS." Dale's full obituary with more details of Toby's life may be found at: https://aas.org/obituaries/tobias-c-owen-1936-2017 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 EUROPLANET GRANTS FOR FIELD WORK IN DANAKIL (ETHIOPIA) AND AT IBN BATTUTA CENTRE (MOROCCO) A call of the Europlanet Research Infrastructure for field work in Ethiopia and Morocco is currently active and the proposal must be received by March 30th at 12:00 CEST. The Europlanet partners IRSPS (Italy) and Ibn Battuta Centre (Morocco) are organising the activities in Ethiopia with major objectives the hydrothermal site of Dallol and other features such as fan-deltas, lakes, salt flats. In Morocco several sites are available including the ones described in the Ibn Battuta web page (see below). Other field sites and laboratories for simulation and samples data are available under this scheme. The activities in Danakil will be concentrated in a single expedition scheduled for January 2018, the ones in Morocco can be carried anytime. Europlanet RI will cover travel, and field work costs. The call is open to scientists of any nationality. For more information contact ggori@irsps.unich.it or visit: http://www.ibnbattutacentre.org/europlanet.html Danakil and some Moroccan field sites are described at: http://www.ibnbattutacentre.org Call and application forms are available here: https://e-forms.esf.org/europlanetcall/ 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 CALL FOR DWORNIK JUDGES AT LPSC We need more judges! Please assist in the important task of supporting excellence in our younger scientists through judging student presentations at the 48th LPSC, March 20-24, in The Woodlands, Texas. Contact Sharon Wilson Purdy at purdys@si.edu to sign up. About the Award: The Dwornik Award was started in 1991 with a generous endowment by Dr. Stephen E. Dwornik, who wished to encourage U.S. students to become involved with NASA and planetary science. The Award consists of a plaque and a monetary award given for outstanding student presentations (in both poster and oral categories) or a plaque for honorable mentions (poster and oral) at the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) hosted by the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI). The awards are managed and judged by the Planetary Geology Division of the Geological Society of America. More information here: http://rock.geosociety.org/pgd/dwornik.html. 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 2017 NASA FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS WORKSHOP Date: May 31-June 2, 2017 Location: Santa Barbara, CA Abstract Deadline: April 30, 2017 The workshop will provide a forum for NASA fundamental physics investigators to present results and discuss research ideas for future space experimentation with interested international and US colleagues in the areas of Atomic and Molecular Physics (DAMOP community), Fundamental Forces and Symmetries, Dusty Plasma Physics, and Condensed Matter Physics. Specific sessions will be organized to discuss status and planned science capabilities of the Cold Atom Laboratory slated for launch in 2017, the Bose-Einstein Condensate Cold Atom Laboratory (BECCAL) follow-on activity under joint development with Germany (DLR), including results from the recent DLR MAIUS rocket flight, and investigation plans by scientists using ESA's Plasma Kristall-4 ISS facility and CNES' DECLIC-ALI-R ISS facility insert. During the workshop, NASA/JPL will discuss plans for engaging the BECCAL U.S. science community through a regular investigator solicitation and also through the selection of Science Definition Team members during the BECCAL early formulation activities. Also, discussions will be held regarding collaborations with NSF and CASIS, the ISS US National Laboratory manager. Detailed registration, program, and venue information at: http://icpi.nasaprs.com/fpw2017 [Edited for length] 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 POSTDOC IN GIANT PLANET ATMOSPHERES, UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER The Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Leicester wishes to appoint a postdoctoral researcher to undertake a programme of original research in the field of giant planet atmospheric science, utilising remote sensing data from a range of space- and ground-based observatories. You will join a planetary science team addressing the aims of a grant awarded by the European Research Council (ERC) to Dr. Leigh Fletcher. The appointment will initially be for a period of up to four years. The "GIANTCLIMES" programme seeks to study the climates of the four giant planets over large spans of time, allowing us to investigate cycles of meteorology, circulation, and chemical processes shaping the environments on these worlds. Inversions of planetary spectra, from the ultraviolet to the microwave, will be used to reconstruct these atmospheres in three dimensions to explore their temporal variability and the processes coupling different atmospheric regimes. You will analyse subsets of data from Juno, Cassini, Spitzer and the James Webb Space Telescope (among others), complemented by observations from Earth-based facilities. We are therefore particularly interested in candidates with a background in planetary atmospheres and spectroscopic modelling techniques, but all applicants with a strong background in planetary science are encouraged to apply. Closing date: 5 April 2017 Full details at: http://goo.gl/DVpnWe Informal enquiries welcome: Dr. Leigh Fletcher, leigh.fletcher@le.ac.uk [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 EUROPA LANDER TOWN HALL AT LPSC AND ABSCICON As a reminder, NASA will host a town hall at LPSC to discuss the Europa lander SDT report. The town hall is intended to provide an extended opportunity to communicate the science content of the report to the scientific community and, equally importantly, to engage in constructive discussion with the scientific community. The event will be held in the Waterway I ballroom at LPSC and will begin at 12:30 pm central time. Webex information for the town hall is given below. A second town hall will take place on the afternoon of Sunday, April 23, at AbSciCon. For questions please contact Dr. Curt Niebur at curt.niebur@nasa.gov. The SDT report for the pre-Phase A study of a Europa lander mission is available at: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/docs/Europa_Lander_SDT_Report_2016.pdf Webex Meeting Link: https://nasa.webex.com/nasa/ j.php?MTID=m31e862c897360f988eeac3638de24470 Meeting number: 994 439 406 Meeting password: W@lc0m31 Audio connection: USA Toll Free #: 1-844-467-4685 USA Local/Toll #: 1-720-259-7012 Participant Passcode #: 6993403394 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 YOUNG SCIENTISTS FOR PLANETARY EXPLORATION AT LPSC Mark your LPSC agendas! Thursday (March 23) during lunch (12:00 to 1:15), the Young Scientists for Planetary Exploration will hold an open forum to discuss issues affecting early career scientists: upcoming opportunities for research and mission involvement, job prospects and networking, and ways to improve the future of planetary exploration. A supportive and inclusive environment is paramount to this future. Although priority will be given to issues concerning younger/early career scientists, this forum is open to all members of the community. Bring your lunch and good ideas! Thursday, 12:00 to 1:15 PM, Waterway 4 Contact: Paul Hayne (Paul.O.Hayne@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 MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS June 19-23, 2017 Comet Formation Paradigm After Rosetta http://www.astro.bas.bg/comets2017 Sofia, Bulgaria August 13-16, 2017 2017 International Symposium on Planetary Remote Sensing and Mapping http://event.lsgi.polyu.edu.hk/prsm2017/ Hong Kong, China September 19-22, 2017 The 3rd Beijing International Forum on Lunar and Deep Space Exploration http://ldse2017.csp.escience.cn Beijing, China 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. 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