PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 14, Number 8 (February 23, 2020) 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. COSPAR 2020: Call for abstracts in the Planetary Protection Sessions 2. COSPAR Session PPP.1: Planetary Protection Policy 3. COSPAR Session PPP.2: Planetary Protection Mission Implementation and Status 4. COSPAR Session PPP.3: Planetary Protection Research and Development 5. Postdoctoral Research Position at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Planetary Radar 6. [NASA] Dual-Anonymous Peer Review Virtual Town Hall - March 3, 2020 7. [NASA] PDS: MRO SHARAD RDRs for Releases 36-47 8. [NASA] PDS: Mercury MESSENGER Derived Gravity Model 9. 2020 Astrobiology Graduate Conference 10. Technical Assistant in Photogrammetry for Martian Geomorphology 11. Stars and Planets in the Ultraviolet: A Cross-Community Symposium 12. MER Data Catalog Survey 13. ISIS Request For Comment 5 Posted 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 COSPAR: CALL FOR ABSTRACTS IN THE PLANETARY PROTECTION SESSIONS Please note the following sessions at the 43d COSPAR Scientific Assembly in Sydney, Australia, 15-22 August 2020. Go to: http://www.cospar2020.org http://https://cosparhq.cnes.fr Abstract deadline: February 23, 2020 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 COSPAR SESSION PPP.1: PLANETARY PROTECTION POLICY We invite reports on planetary protection studies, colloquia, workshops and agency activities related to the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy and implementation guidelines. Also adaptations and updates of the Policy proposed by the COSPAR Panel on Planetary protection and validated by the Bureau, based on documented studies and revisions proposed by the current international space exploration context or new scientific discoveries. Organizers: A. Coustenis and A. Yamagishi 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 COSPAR SESSION PPP.2: PLANETARY PROTECTION MISSION IMPLEMENTATION AND STATUS We invite reports on the planetary protection implementation and status of launched, ongoing and planned missions with focus on techniques, measures and procedures applied to spacecrafts, payloads and ground facilities to meet and verify the respective planetary protection requirements. Organizers: G. Kminek and L. Pratt 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 COSPAR SESSION PPP.3: PLANETARY PROTECTION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT This session will report on planetary protection research and development activities, including in preparation for new mission concepts and, taking into account challenging scientific endeavors, on life detection. Organizers: N. Hedman and P. Rettberg 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 POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH POSITION AT THE LUNAR AND PLANETARY INSTITUTE IN PLANETARY RADAR The Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow in Planetary Radar Studies to work with Drs. Patrick A. Taylor and Edgard Rivera-Valentin to conduct detailed studies of near-Earth objects and planetary surfaces via radar observations, data analysis, and modeling. Additionally, the successful candidate is expected to carry out an independent research program and contribute to public engagement events at the LPI. Required expertise includes: a recent Ph.D. in planetary science, astronomy, physics, geoscience, electrical engineering, or a related field, experience in numerical and statistical techniques, proficiency in a common astronomy programming language (e.g., IDL, MATLAB, Python), and demonstrated knowledge of planetary radar studies. Direct experience with radar observations and techniques is strongly desired, but not required. Complementary experience with astronomical or Solar System observations (e.g., optical or infrared), small-body geophysics, or astronomical instrumentation is preferred, but not required. Applications must include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, statement of research interests, and contact information for at least three professional references. Application deadline: February 24, 2020 or until filled Questions: ptaylor@lpi.usra.edu To apply: https://usra-openhire.silkroad.com/epostings/index.cfm?fuseaction =app.jobinfo&jobid=993 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] DUAL-ANONYMOUS PEER REVIEW VIRTUAL TOWN HALL - MARCH 3, 2020 On March 3, 2020 at 12:30pm Eastern Time, join leadership and division representatives from NASA's Science Mission Directorate for a virtual community Town Hall. The Town Hall will discuss a pilot study to implement dual-anonymous peer review for four programs in ROSES-2020. Under this system, not only are proposers unaware of the identity of reviewers, but the reviewers do not have explicit knowledge of the proposing teams and institutions during the scientific evaluation of the proposal. The four ROSES-2020 programs that will be evaluated using dual-anonymous peer review are: A.30 Earth Science U.S. Participating Investigator B.4 Heliophysics Guest Investigators-Open (Step-1 and Step-2 proposals will be anonymized) D.2 Astrophysics Data Analysis (ADAP) E.4 Habitable Worlds (only Step-2 proposals will be anonymized) In advance of the SMD Town Hall, questions may be submitted and upvoted on at: https://arc.cnf.io/sessions/qg98/#!/dashboard The Town Hall will be broadcast live via WebEx. Connection details follow: https://nasaenterprise.webex.com/nasaenterprise/j.php?MTID =m1dee6af29711d54dce8e7c250f66c4e7 Meeting password: Smddapr2020! Audio-only participation is available by calling +1-415-527-5035 and providing access code 901 604 462. For more information on dual-anonymous peer review, please visit: https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/dual-anonymous-peer-review 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: MRO SHARAD RDRS FOR RELEASES 36-47 MRO SHARAD derived data from the ASI (Italian Space Agency) SHARAD Ground Operations Center have been released covering the period May 17, 2015 to April 20, 2018. These time periods correspond to previous MRO releases 36-47. The SHARAD team is recovering data from deliveries that were missed due to a hiatus in ground operations between June 2012 and March 2013. For details, see the file ERRATA.TXT on the archive volume at: https://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/mro/mro-m-sharad-4-rdr-v1/mrosh_1004 Data are available here: https://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/mro/sharad.htm For overall information regarding 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 [NASA] PDS: MERCURY MESSENGER DERIVED GRAVITY MODEL A new Mercury gravity model derived from MESSENGER radio science data has been released to PDS by the JPL Gravity Science Team. The data product contains the covariance matrix and related data for the JPL Mercury gravity field MESS160A, a 160th degree and order spherical harmonic model. It is the first archived JPL gravity field that includes MESSENGER tracking data. Two versions are provided, one with the full covariance matrix and one with the covariance matrix truncated to degree 50. The data are available from: https://pds.nasa.gov/datasearch/subscription-service/SS-20200219.shtml Or more directly from: https://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/messenger/rs.htm For overall information regarding 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 2020 ASTROBIOLOGY GRADUATE CONFERENCE On September 14-18, 2020, the NASA Astrobiology Graduate Conference (AbGradCon) will be hosted at ELSI (Earth-Life Science Institute) in Tokyo, Japan. AbGradCon is an annual conference specifically for graduate students and early-career postdocs, organized and executed by graduate students and early-career postdocs, who study the diverse topics encompassing the field of astrobiology. The application deadline is March 15, 2020 and we also expect to secure some travel funds for young researchers around the world. If you are interested, the website and application can be found at: http://abgradcon.org This year is the first time AbGradCo will be held in Asia, and the conference's main theme will be international collaboration. We hope to have representation from all regions of the world, but especially from Asia and Oceania We plan to have career development events such as a science communication workshop, a career panel, keynote speakers by leaders in the field, and field excursions to various related research centers around the Tokyo area. 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 TECHNICAL ASSISTANT IN PHOTOGRAMMETRY FOR MARTIAN GEOMORPHOLOGY We have an opening for technical assistant (ingenieur d'etudes) at Masters or PhD level to produce digital elevation models of Mars at high resolution using stereo-photogrammetry (from HiRISE). The post is full-time for one year and is based at the University of Nantes in France, salary is based on experience. The post is part of a project studying the geomorphology of gullies on Mars and the recruited person would be encouraged to take part in the scientific exploitation of the data they produce. More details here: https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/CDD/UMR6112-SUSCON-001/Default.aspx If you have GIS or photogrammetry capable students who have just finished their masters or their PhD, please can you pass this message along to them. For more information contact Susan Conway (susan.conway@univ-nantes.fr) 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11 STARS AND PLANETS IN THE ULTRAVIOLET: A CROSS-COMMUNITY SYMPOSIUM Symposium Rationale: Ultraviolet (UV) photons are diagnostic of many stellar and planetary processes, including system formation, planet atmospheres, habitability, stellar activity, and star-planet interactions. With very limited access to UV observations of exoplanetary systems, it is time to bring the exoplanet, stellar and solar-system communities together to discuss the state of knowledge, identify the missing information, and plan the instrumentation needed for future space-based UV observatories. Symposium Dates: May 4-6, 2020 Location: Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona Registration and Abstract Deadline: March 10, 2020 https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ultraviolet Check back for updates on registration, lodging, and schedule. Questions can be sent to UltravioletASU@gmail.com. Topics: Exoplanet UV transits Photoevaporation Photochemistry Solar & stellar UV emission Variability & flares Star and planet formation Solar System planets Future UV instrumentation Confirmed Invited Speakers: Dave Brain (CU) Catherine Espaillat (BU) Kevin France (CU) Cynthia Froning (UT-Austin) Walt Harris (UA) Amanda Hendrix (PSI) R. Parke Loyd (ASU) Victoria Meadows (UW) Ruth Murray-Clay (UCSC) Shouleh Nikzad (JPL) Antonija Oklopcic (Harvard) James Owen (ICL) Paul Scowen (ASU) 12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12 MER DATA CATALOG SURVEY The goal of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) Data Catalog Project is to make it easy and simple for researchers who were not members of the MER team (as well as the general public) to discover and use Spirit and Opportunity data. We are conducting a survey to find out what features potential users would like to see in the catalog. We would appreciate it if you would take the survey, which should take ~5-10 minutes, by going to: http://www.merdatacatalog.com/survey In addition to completing the survey yourself, please pass the link on to anyone who might want to use MER data. We're hoping to hear from Mars-focused and non-Mars-focused planetary scientists, Earth scientists, high school teachers, undergraduates, engineers, museum workers, and anyone at all who might be interested in working with MER data. Conducting a survey constitutes experimenting on humans, so we have sought and received approval for the survey from Cornell University's Institutional Review Board (IRB) Office. The survey does not collect any identifying information, and all data will be presented in aggregate. It will be open through April 2020; we will present interim results collected by February 29th 2020 at LPSC. 13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13 ISIS REQUEST FOR COMMENT 5 POSTED Request for Comment 5 (RFC5) concerning the removal of outdated LOLAGRAIL SPK kernels from the ISIS data area has been posted at: http://bit.ly/isisrfc5 Users working with lunar data in ISIS are likely impacted by the proposed change. Please see the linked RFC and associated GitHub post to participate in the discussion and learn about the potential impact. Links to other open RFCs are available via the ISIS GitHub homepage at: https://github.com/USGS-Astrogeology/ISIS3 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 Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html May 4-6, 2020 Stars and Planets in the Ultraviolet: A Cross-Community Symposium https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ultraviolet Tempe, AZ June 1-2, 2020 23rd Meeting of the Small Bodies Assessment Group https://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings Laurel, MD July 20-31, 2020 Data Analysis for Planetary Science (DAPS-CBW 2020) http://cospar.das.uchile.cl Antofagasta, Chile September 14-18, 2020 NASA Astrobiology Graduate Conference (AbGradCon) http://abgradcon.org Tokyo, Japan [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.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. 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