PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 13, Number 1 (January 6, 2019) PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org Editor: Elisabeth Adams Co-Editors: Karen R. Stockstill-Cahill, Mark V. Sykes Email: pen_editor@psi.edu o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month 2. Postdoctoral Research Associate in Planetary Atmospheric Science, University of Leicester 3. ABSCICON 2019 Session: Alive or Not? 4. ABSCICON 2019 Session: Salty Goodness: Understanding Life, Biosignature Preservation, and Brines in the Solar System 5. IAS 2019 Session on Planetary Sedimentary Geology: Mars and Titan 6. [NASA] PDS Odyssey Data Release 66 7. [NASA] PDS DAWN FC2 Ceres Shape Model 8. Last Call EGU 2019: Atmospheres and Exospheres of Terrestrial Planets, Satellites, and Exoplanets 9. Request for Community Comments on VEXAG's Venus Exploration Documents: Part II 10. 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 PLANETARY GEOMORPHOLOGY IMAGE OF THE MONTH The January image of the month is now available at the IAG's Planetary Geomorphology web page: http://planetarygeomorphology.wordpress.com This month's topic is "Phobos Grooves from Rolling Boulders". Contributed by Kenneth Ramsley, Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University. You can follow IAG Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PlanetaryGeomorphology or Twitter: @PlanetGeomorpho Tjalling de Haas (Chair, IAG Planetary Geomorphology working group) 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 RESEARCH ASSOCIATE IN PLANETARY ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER Full Details: https://jobs.le.ac.uk/vacancies/718/research-associate-in-planetary- atmospheric-science.html Salary Grade 7 - 34,189 to 39,609 pounds per annum Available from 1 March 2019 to 31 March 2022 Closing date: 14 January 2019 The Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Leicester invites applications for a Post-Doctoral Research Associate (PDRA) in Planetary Atmospheric Science. You will join a planetary science team funded by the European Research Council (ERC), specialising in the application of radiative transfer and spectral inversion to explore atmospheric processes on the giant planets of our Solar System. You will analyse and model spectroscopic datasets from world-leading ground- and space-based facilities (e.g., Juno, VLT, and ultimately JWST) to explore long-term atmospheric changes on the four giant planets. The ERC GIANTCLIMES project seeks to investigate the natural cycles of meteorology, circulation, and chemistry shaping the environments on the four giant planets. Inversions of planetary spectra will be used to reconstruct these atmospheres in three dimensions to understand their spatial and temporal variability. http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/207884_en.html Enquiries to Dr. Leigh Fletcher on leigh.fletcher@le.ac.uk. 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 ABSCICON 2019 SESSION: ALIVE OR NOT? Alive or not? New strategies and techniques for recognizing biological signatures from the abiotic noise. https://agu.confex.com/agu/abscicon19/prelim.cgi/Session/67151 Submission deadline: 23 January 2019 23:59 EST We would like to invite colleagues to submit abstracts to a session that concentrates on the search for life and the abiotic conditions that may favor its evolution (habitability). Despite significant scientific and technological progress, a significant obstacle in our search for life beyond Earth is that we still lack a clear understanding of how to recognize its presence beyond the terrestrial evolution context, nor do we fully know how to disentangle its signatures from the myriad of abiotic geochemical processes at play. This session will address constraining the formation of biosignatures across space and time, and will explore new strategies, techniques, and instruments for recognizing them from abiotic environmental noise. We welcome contributions on experiments where abiotic and biotic factors are considered, field studies in analogue environments and early Earth deposits, as well as flight technologies/instruments for detecting biosignatures from "life as we know it" and "life as we don't know it". See you in Seattle! Co-conveners: Dragos Zaharescu, Jorge Nunez, Kathleen Craft, Jennifer Glass, Rebecca Lybrand & Steffen Buessecker 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 ABSCICON 2019 SESSION: SALTY GOODNESS: UNDERSTANDING LIFE, BIOSIGNATURE PRESERVATION, AND BRINES IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM Submission Deadline: 23 January 2019 23:59 EST https://agu.confex.com/agu/abscicon19/prelim.cgi/Session/67232 Pure liquid water is only stable in a small fraction of the Solar System; however, salty aqueous solutions (i.e., brines) are more broadly stable. These brine systems however, prove to be some of the most challenging environments for microorganisms, where biology must overcome extreme osmotic stresses, low water activities, chemical toxicity, and depending on the location of the environment, temperature extremes, UV radiation, and intense pressure. This session is intended to encourage multidisciplinary and cross planetary discussions focused on the phase space of habitability within brines. We seek to discuss 1) the potential and stability of brines on host worlds through both laboratory and modeling experiments, 2) microbial ecology and adaptations to brines, 3) the effects of water activity and chaotropicity on habitability, 4) the ability of hypersaline systems to preserve biomolecules and 5) techniques and technology needed to detect biosignatures in these unique systems. Conveners: A. Pontefract, E. Rivera-Valentin, B. Schmidt, J. Bowman, V. Chevrier, J. Hanley, L. Quick, K. Lynch [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 IAS 2019 SESSION ON PLANETARY SEDIMENTARY GEOLOGY: MARS AND TITAN International Association of Sedimentologists Meeting Rome, Italy September 10-13, 2019 Abstracts: January 15 - March 30 http://iasroma2019.org Limited student travel grants: http://www.sedimentologists.org Session 7.14 Planetary Sedimentary Geology: Studies in Martian sedimentary geology have never been more active. Orbital imagery has revealed a vast, ancient stratigraphic record and rover missions have enabled detailed sedimentological studies combined with mineralogical and chemical analyses. A growing list of geomorphic landforms is also known from Titan, though it remains uncertain whether the moon has a more ancient stratigraphic record. As on Earth, extraterrestrial sedimentary rocks may archive information pertaining to ancient climate, tectonics and potentially, life. Considering ongoing and future exploration missions aim to find potentially habitable environments, sedimentary rock outcrops therefore make desirable targets. This session invites any contribution towards Martian and Titan sedimentary geology and geochemistry. In addition to the classic contributions, we particularly welcome presentations that utilise appropriate Earth analogues, both modern and ancient. As ongoing and upcoming rover missions are providing increased opportunity to study extraterrestrial sedimentary strata, understanding directly accessible Earth analogues from which to base comparisons has never been more essential. Conveners: Francesco Salese (f.salese@uu.nl), William McMahon, Maarten Kleinhans, Nicolas Mangold [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 [NASA] PDS ODYSSEY DATA RELEASE 66 The Planetary Data System (PDS) is pleased to announce a new delivery of Odyssey Data, Release 66, for the following instruments: GRS THEMIS RADIO SCIENCE (Releases 193,194) SPICE The gamma sensor component of the GRS instrument suite no longer returns data. The HEND and neutron spectrometer components continue to operate. To access the above data, please visit the following link: https://pds.nasa.gov/datasearch/subscription-service/SS-20190101.shtml To access the latest PDS Data Releases, please visit the following link: https://pds.nasa.gov/datasearch/subscription-service/SS-Release.shtml All available PDS data may be found at: https://pds.nasa.gov/datasearch/data-search/ For further information, see the PDS Home Page: https://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 DAWN FC2 CERES SHAPE MODEL The Planetary Data System is pleased to announce the first PDS-wide announcement of any DAWN data. The Ceres regional Digital Terrain Map of the Occator region has been constructed from the Framing Camera 2 instrument of the DAWN Mission to Ceres and Vesta. The data can be accessed from: https://pds.nasa.gov/datasearch/subscription-service/SS-20190102.shtml or more directly from https://sbn.psi.edu/pds/resource/dawn/dwncfcshape.html Future Dawn releases will include all of the 2nd extended mission at Ceres, expected to be archived during 2019. To receive email announcements of future releases of DAWN data, please subscribe at: https://pds.nasa.gov/datasearch/subscription-service/top.cfm To access all data archived in the PDS: https://pds.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 LAST CALL EGU 2019: ATMOSPHERES AND EXOSPHERES OF TERRESTRIAL PLANETS, SATELLITES, AND EXOPLANETS This is the last call for abstract submission to EGU 2019, held in Vienna on 7-12 April. Deadline: 10 Jan 13:00 CET I would like to draw your attention to our session PS1.8/AS4.58: Atmospheres and exospheres of terrestrial planets, satellites, and exoplanets This session primarily focuses on the neutral atmospheres of terrestrial bodies other than the Earth. This includes not only Venus and Mars, but also exoplanets with comparable envelopes and satellites carrying dense atmospheres such as Titan or exospheres such as Ganymede. We welcome contributions dealing with processes affecting the atmospheres of these bodies, from the surface to the exosphere. We invite abstracts concerning observations, both from Earth or from space, modeling and theoretical studies, or laboratory work. Comparative planetology abstracts will be particularly appreciated. If you consider submitting an abstract in this session, you can use the following link: https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2019/abstractsubmission /31969 Hope to see you in Vienna! Best regards, The conveners Francisco Gonzalez-Galindo, Arnaud Beth, Arianna Piccialli 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 REQUEST FOR COMMUNITY COMMENTS ON VEXAG'S VENUS EXPLORATION DOCUMENTS: PART II The VEXAG Venus Exploration Documents, which were last updated in 2014, are being revised in anticipation of the next Planetary Science Decadal Survey. Drafts of each of our updated Venus Exploration Documents are available for community assessment and comment via the VEXAG webpages. VEXAG strongly encourages the planetary science community interested in Venus exploration to read the draft documents and provide feedback, comments, or suggestions for the revisions. The second document released for public review comments is the Draft Venus Exploration Goals, Objectives, Investigations (GOI), at https://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/ Please send comments, suggestions, and feedback to noam.izenberg@jhuapl.edu including [VENUS GOI] in the email subject line. In addition, VEXAG will host Virtual and Face-to-Face Townhalls in February and March 2019 for community comments. These are: (1) A Virtual Townhall tentatively scheduled for Monday February 4, 2019 (time and details to be announced) (2) A Venus Document Townhall scheduled at the LPSC Venue (Woodland Waterways, Houston Texas) for Sunday March 17, 2019, before LPSC 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html April 7-12, 2019 EGU General Assembly 2019 https://www.egu2019.eu Vienna, Austria September 10-13, 2019 International Association of Sedimentologists Meeting http://www.sedimentologists.org Rome, Italy May 12-15, 2020 Sixth International Planetary Dunes Workshop https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/dunes2020/ Alamosa, Colorado [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@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@psi.edu * * To unsubscribe, send an email to pen_editor@psi.edu * * Please send all replies and submissions to pen_editor@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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