PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 13, Number 6 (February 10, 2018) PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org Editor: Mark V. Sykes Co-Editors: Elisabeth Adams, Georgiana Kramer Email: pen_editor@psi.edu Twitter: @pen2tweets o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. Editor Karen Stockstill-Cahill Departing PEN 2. Director Sought for the Institution of Astronomy and Planetary Science of the Universidad de Atacama 3. Origins of Life Conference 4. Moon Minute Monday 5. AOGS Session PS03: Exploration of Mars - New Results, Current Missions and Future Plans 6. AOGS Session PS04-SE: Volcanism and Tectonism Across the Solar System 7. AOGS Session PS14: Small Body Explorations by Current and Future Missions 8. [NASA] PDS: Dawn Data Resease - VIR Ceres Global Mosaics 9. Postdoctoral Scholar, Planetary Science/Impact Processes, UC Davis 10. Vote for PGD Button Art 11. 70th International Astronautical Congress 12. [NASA] Outer Planets Assessment Group Meeting 13. Mars Exploration Science Monthly Newsletter for February 2019 14. Ph.D. Thesis and Postdoc Positions in Planetary Atmospheres at LATMOS, Paris 15. [NASA] ROSES-18: Planetary Protection Research 16. Cosmic Lab Workshop 17. VEXAG - New Chair, Deputy Chair and 2019 Activities 18. Summer School in Software Systems for Astronomy 19. Planetary Meeting Calendar Additions Commercial Announcements: C1. Mercury: The View after MESSENGER 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 EDITOR KAREN STOCKSTILL-CAHILL DEPARTING PEN PSI Senior Scientist Karen Stockstill-Cahill has been volunteering her time as a Planetary Exploration Newsletter editor since March 13, 2016. That is nearly three years of weekends during which she has diligently edited and co-edited 144 issues of PEN, helping and communicating with submitters, and making a lot of judgement calls. It has been a pleasure working closely with her over this time, and we will miss our regular interactions with her. We wish her the best of luck in all her new and continuing endeavors! We would also like to welcome PSI Senior Scientist Georgiana Kramer to our editorial team. 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 DIRECTOR SOUGHT FOR THE INSTITUTION OF ASTRONOMY AND PLANETARY SCIENCE OF THE UNIVERSIDAD DE ATACAMA Go to: http://www.uda.cl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id =2971&Itemid=107 Links are available in both Spanish and English languages. Please contact the Director of the Investigation, Dr. Cesar Echeverria (cesar.echeverria@uda.cl), for any questions. 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 ORIGINS OF LIFE CONFERENCE Save the date! The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on the Origins of Life will take place on January 18-19, 2020 (GRS) and January 19-24, 2020 (GRC) at Hotel Galvez in Galveston, TX, USA. Investigators who have interest in any areas related to the studies of the origins of life, including but not limited to astrochemistry, evolutionary biology, geology, physics, computational science, are welcome and encouraged to apply. Details about the conference and application information can be found at: https://www.grc.org/origins-of-life-conference/2020/ 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 MOON MINUTE MONDAY (M3) Fascinated by the Moon's geological diversity and inspired by NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD), Moon Minute Monday (M3) has been created. Go to: https://moonmonday.space/ Every Monday, M3 features an interesting lunar geological feature, its scientific importance and need to send a lunar landing mission to the site. It also shows a map of where on the Moon the feature lies. The site covers a variety of geological features, from craters to valleys and mountains to rilles. One can even browse features by categories and get started on lunar exploration. The aim of the website is to have people looking up to the Moon again in this New Space Age. The site name, "M3" (pronounced "M-cubed"), is an ode to the Chandrayaan-1 instrument, Moon Mineralogy Mapper. Jatan Mehta uncertainquark@gmail.com 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 AOGS SESSION PS03: EXPLORATION OF MARS - NEW RESULTS, CURRENT MISSIONS AND FUTURE PLANS The last 20 years of Mars exploration have completely changed our view of the red planet. What was once thought to be a lunar-like, cratered and geologically dead planet has now been revealed to be mineralogically diverse and geologically complex, with many active processes operating even today. Furthermore, while we do not know how life formed on Earth, it is now clear that habitable environments where life could have arisen were widespread on ancient Mars. The future is bright for Mars exploration as space agencies around the world plan to send a fleet of spacecraft to the planet in coming years. This session invites contributions from all elements of Mars sciences, including geology, geophysics, geomorphology, climate science, astrobiology and more. We are interested in projects focused on theory, experiment, observation and analog studies. Conveners: Dr Joseph Michalski (University of Hong Kong) Dr Jun Huang (China University of Geosciences, China) The abstract submission deadline is February 12, 2019 – Singapore time! Go to: http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2019/public.asp?page=home.htm 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 AOGS SESSION PS04-SE: VOLCANISM AND TECTONISM ACROSS THE SOLAR SYSTEM Abstract deadline: February 12, 2019 (SGT) The surfaces of the terrestrial planets and their satellites have been largely shaped through volcanic and tectonic processes. Extreme conditions on outer Solar System bodies, such as the Jovian and Saturnian satellites, result in different types of volcanism and tectonism. Fracturing and faulting processes mainly affect minor bodies such as asteroids and small moons, where volcanism and tectonism have not played an important role. We invite contributions that cover a wide range of topics including geomorphology and composition of volcanic deposits, edifices, and plumes, volcano-induced deformation and edifice growth and collapse to tectonic structures, faulting and fracturing processes, crustal stress and strain analysis, cryovolcanism, and any study related to planetary endogenic processes. Furthermore, studies that relay interactions between planetary interiors, surfaces, and atmospheres are welcomed. Comparative studies of volcanic or tectonic systems on Earth with a strong remote sensing component are encouraged. Go to: http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2019/public.asp?page=home.htm 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 AOGS SESSION PS14: SMALL BODY EXPLORATIONS BY CURRENT AND FUTURE MISSIONS Abstract deadline: February 12, 2019 (SGT) This session welcomes abstracts about the new results of Solar System small bodies from past and ongoing exploration missions, and about the development and concepts of future missions. We also welcome abstracts about the related ground-based observations, laboratory experiments, as well as theoretical studies. Abstracts reporting the new results from Dawn, New Horizons, Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx missions are especially welcome. In the context of the recent wave of small body exploration missions, as well as the future missions currently under development and/or consideration by NASA, ESA, JAXA, China, etc., this session is designed to promote the research of Solar System small bodies from the past and current missions and to help develop concepts for future missions. Conveners: Jian-Yang Li (PSI), Jiangchuan Huang (CAST), Yangting Lin (IGPP/CAS), Makoto Yoshikawa (JAXA) http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2019/public.asp?page=abstract.htm 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: DAWN DATA RELEASE - VIR CERES GLOBAL MOSAICS Global maps of Ceres built from data from the Dawn mission's VIR instrument are now available at: https://pds.nasa.gov/datasearch/subscription-service/SS-20190204.shtml or more directly from https://sbn.psi.edu/pds/resource/dawn/dwncvirmaps.html To access all data archived in the PDS: https://pds.nasa.gov 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 POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR, PLANETARY SCIENCE/IMPACT PROCESSES, UC DAVIS The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UC Davis seeks a postdoctoral scholar to study impact processes on rocky planets. Current research programs seek to understand the role of small and large collisions on the formation and habitability of rocky planets and the emergence of life. Applicants may pursue numerical simulations and/or experimental work in the department's Shock Compression Laboratory. The lab's primary research themes focus on understanding the role of material properties in governing the outcome of collisions, including the physical and chemical processes that shape planet formation and early Earth's habitability. The scholar may also participate in ongoing collaborations in the UC Center for Matter at Extreme Conditions, NASA's CLEVER Planets research team, and the Simons Collaboration on the Origins of Life. Further information about current research initiatives can be found at: http://sarahtstewart.net Minimum qualifications: A Ph.D. in physics, geology, chemistry, materials science or related field is required. Desired qualifications: Prior experience with numerical simulations of planetary collisions and/or experimental high-pressure techniques. Interested candidates should contact Prof. Sarah Stewart (sts@ucdavis.edu) with inquiries and apply by emailing a CV, contact information for three references, and a brief statement of research interests. 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 VOTE FOR PGD BUTTON ART Thank you to everyone who submitted a design to the Planetary Geology Division of GSA annual button art competition. The time has come to vote for the button you would like to wear at LSPC and GSA 2019. Please use the form (linked below) to vote only once for your preferred button design. Information about the artwork and artists is included alongside each design. Again, we thank our competitors for their effort and creativity. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PBF6BWN Best, Kelsey Crane, Senior Student Advisor, PGD 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11 70TH INTERNATIONAL ASTRONAUTICAL CONGRESS The NASA HQ Office of STEM Engagement wants to call attention of full-time US graduate students attending US universities to the abstract deadline of February 28, 2019 (11:59:00 ET) for the 70th International Astronautical Conference. Go to: http://www.iafastro.org If you plan to seek assistance from NASA, only abstracts selected by the IAF will be considered for selection by NASA. The upcoming IAC will be held October 21-25, 2019 in Washington, DC. NASA's participation in this event is an on-going effort to continue to bridge NASA with the astronautical and space international community. Abstracts must be original, unpublished papers that have not been submitted in any other forum. Abstracts must be 400 words or less, written in English and related to NASA's ongoing vision for space exploration. 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] OUTER PLANETS ASSESSMENT GROUP MEETING The Spring OPAG Meeting is scheduled and confirmed for April 23-24, 2019, in Washington, DC., NASA HQ, Webb Auditorium. Additional details will be provided on the website as they become available. Go to: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/meetings/upcoming/ 13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13 MARS EXPLORATION SCIENCE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR FEBRUARY 2019 On behalf of Jeff Johnson (MEPAG Chair), Dave Beaty, Rich Zurek, and Kelly Perry of the Mars Program Science Office, the February 2019 edition of the Mars Exploration Science Monthly Newsletter can be found on the web at: http://mepag.jpl.nasa.gov Please send your Mars community announcements and calendar items for inclusion in the newsletter to Barbara at: Barbara.A.Saltzberg@jpl.nasa.gov 14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14 PH.D. THESIS AND POSTDOC POSITIONS IN PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES AT LATMOS, PARIS Two open positions in modeling planetary atmospheres funded by the ANR at LATMOS, Paris: A Ph.D. thesis on modeling the Martian polar CO2 clouds with a mesoscale model. Details and applications: https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/Doctorant/UMR8190-ANNMAA-001 /Default.aspx?lang=EN Application deadline: March 28, 2019 Start date: October 1st, 2019 A two-year full-time postdoctoral fellowship on modeling the Martian mesospheric CO2 clouds with a global climate model. Details and applications: https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/CDD/UMR8190-ANNMAA-002 /Default.aspx?lang=EN Application deadline: March 28, 2019 Expected (but flexible) start date: September 1st, 2019 Contact: anni.maattanen@latmos.ipsl.fr 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] ROSES-18: PLANETARY PROTECTION RESEARCH This amendment solicits proposals to program element C.15 Planetary Protection Research, which had previously been listed as "Not solicited this year". Planetary Protection is the practice of protecting Solar System bodies from contamination by Earth life and protecting Earth from possible life forms that may be returned from other Solar System bodies. Numerous areas of research in astrobiology/exobiology are improving our understanding of the potential for survival of Earth microbes in extraterrestrial environments, relevant to preventing contamination of other bodies by Earth organisms carried on spacecraft. As we continue to bring extraterrestrial samples back to the Earth system for advanced research and analysis, there is an urgent need to understand and prevent biological contamination of the terrestrial environment. Mission-enabling and capability-driven research is required to improve NASA's understanding of the potential for both forward and backward contamination; and improve methods and technologies for accurate, efficient, and effective minimization of biological contamination for outbound spacecraft and return samples. Notices of Intent are requested by April 12, 2019 and proposals are due by May 10, 2019. Go to: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ Questions concerning this program element may be directed to HQ-PPR@mail.nasa.gov. 16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16 COSMIC LAB WORKSHOP The international workshop "Cosmic Lab" aims to share know-how, experience, and ideas to perform advanced research on extraterrestrial materials in space. The workshop offers a platform for knowledge sharing and brainstorming over various types of research in so-called cosmic environments (an ultra-high vacuum, microgravity, harsh radiation, etc.). Its main focus is space-borne in-situ measurements; balloon-, rocket-, and satellite-borne experiments; space-telescopic observations including, but not limited to, ground-based experiments for development and calibration of spacecraft instruments, and analysis of the data achieved in the outer space. Numerical simulations and theoretical predictions for the detection of extraterrestrial materials are also welcome. Go to: http://www.perc.it-chiba.ac.jp/meetings/labo/ Venue: Chiba Institute of Technology, Narashino, Chiba, Japan Date: Monday, March 25 - Tuesday, March 26, 2019 Registration: https://goo.gl/forms/Bzc5PzavI1NnLbMq1 Contact: Hiroshi Kimura 17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17 VEXAG - NEW CHAIR, DEPUTY CHAIR AND 2019 ACTIVITIES At the end of the annual Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG) meeting in November, the VEXAG Chair transitioned to Darby Dyar, Mount Holyoke College. Noam Izenberg, APL, became the Deputy VEXAG Chair. Thanks to Bob Grimm, Southwest Research Institute, and Marty Gilmore, Wesleyan University, for their service to the Venus science community. Key 2019 VEXAG Activities will be completing updates of key VEXAG Venus Exploration Documents (Goals, Objectives and Investigations (GOI); Roadmap; and Technology Plan) and conducting a Venus Flagship Mission Study. Current drafts of the key documents are posted on the VEXAG Web-Site at: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/ Community comments will be solicited at a Venus Town Hall meeting at LPSC on Wednesday, March 20, 2019. Another key 2019 VEXAG Activity will be soliciting White Papers as part of the pre-decadal process as described on the VEXAG web-page at: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/Venus-Decadal-Papers-12-18.pdf The next activity here will be a VEXAG Pre-Decadal Community Review, Sunday, March 17, 2019 at 1:00-5:00 PM, at LPSC. The annual VEXAG Meeting will be held during the week of November 4-8, 2019 at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), University of Colorado, Boulder. 18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18-18 SUMMER SCHOOL IN SOFTWARE SYSTEMS FOR ASTRONOMY Registration is now open for the 6th offering of Software Systems for Astronomy. The course covers software design and implementation of telescope and instrument control systems, observation planning tools, and software for analyzing and archiving astronomical data. SSfA-6 will be offered as a two week intensive course this summer, 29 Jul to 09 Aug, 2019, on the Big Island of Hawaii. The course number is ASTR385. For more information send email to aconrad@hawaii.edu or visit: http://astro.uhh.hawaii.edu/Summer/Summer-2019/ssfa19.php 19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19-19 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS January 18-24, 2020 Origins of Life Meeting https://www.grc.org/origins-of-life-conference/2020/ Galvelston, TX April 23-24, 2019 Outer Planets Assessment Group Meeting https://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/meetings/upcoming/ Washington, DC November 4-8, 2019 VEXAG Meeting https://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/ Boulder, CO Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html [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@psi.edu.] *********************************************************************** COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS *********************************************************************** C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1 MERCURY: THE VIEW AFTER MESSENGER Cambridge University Press is pleased to announce the publication of "Mercury: The View after MESSENGER". Topics treated in depth include Mercury's chemical composition; the structure of its crust, lithosphere, mantle, and core; Mercury's modern and ancient magnetic field; Mercury's geology, including the planet's major geological units and their surface chemistry and mineralogy, its spectral reflectance characteristics, its craters and cratering history, its tectonic features and deformational history, its volcanic features and magmatic history, its distinctive hollows, and the frozen ices in its polar deposits; Mercury's exosphere and magnetosphere and the processes that govern their dynamics and their interaction with the Solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field; the formation and large-scale evolution of the planet; and current plans and needed capabilities to explore Mercury further in the future. Printed in color throughout, this is the definitive resource about Mercury for planetary scientists, from students to senior researchers. For further information, see: http://www.cambridge.org/9781107154452 *********************************************************************** * 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@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. 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. 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