PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 14, Number 10 (March 8, 2020) PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org Editor: Georgiana Kramer Co-Editors: Mark V. Sykes, Elisabeth Adams Email: pen_editor@psi.edu Twitter: @pen2tweets o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. LPSC 51 Cancelled 2. LPSC 51: E-Posters and Abstracts 3. MEPAG Virtual Meeting #8 Presentations Are Now Online 4. Decision About April MEPAG Meeting Plans to Be Made by March 13 5. SBAG Early Career Opportunities 6. Laboratory Astrophysics Division Meeting Abstract Deadline 7. 2020B NASA Infrared Telescope Facility Observing Call for Proposals 8. Nominate Your Colleagues for DPS Prizes 9. Submitting a Call for Papers for a Focus Issue in PSJ 10. Ph.D. Students in Space Physics for Studies of Mars and Comets 11. Postdoctoral Scholar Position at Northern Arizona University in Planetary Science 12. Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month 13. 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 LPSC 51 CANCELLED We regret to inform you that LPSC 51 is cancelled due to concerns about COVID-19. Please note the following additional information: - We will reimburse all registration fees, minus a 10% processing fee to cover our costs. We only have a small staff to manage refunds to over 1,600 registrants, so we ask for your patience. - We plan to broadcast some of the key NASA and NRC peripheral meetings over the next few weeks; please stay tuned to the LPI & LPSC websites and social media (Twitter: @LPItoday and Facebook: @LunarandPlanetaryInstitute) for more information about scheduling. - We do not see any feasible way at this time to broadcast individual talks or posters; LPSC is simply too large, and we do not have the staff to support these types of activities. - If you have any further questions, please e-mail us at MeetingInfo@hou.usra.edu. We will respond as soon as we are able, but please be patient. Louise Prockter (USRA/LPI) and Eileen Stansbery (JSC/ARES) LPSC Conference Co-Chairs This is an edited version of the announcement to fit within PEN constraints. For the full announcement please go to: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2020/attendee/coronavirus-update. shtml 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 LPSC 51: E-POSTERS AND ABSTRACTS Even though the conference itself has been cancelled, LPSC poster presenters are encouraged to submit their e-posters to the meeting website using the instructions found at the bottom of the Poster Instructions page. Note that the file size limit has been increased to 10 MB, and e-posters can be submitted through April 2, 2020. E-posters are available for viewing at: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2020/eposterindex.cfm. All abstracts that were accepted for presentation, both oral and poster, will remain available electronically via the meeting website, are fully citable, and will be archived in both the LPI's searchable abstract database and NASA's Astrophysics Data System. 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 MEPAG VIRTUAL MEETING #8 PRESENTATIONS ARE NOW ONLINE MEPAGers, The presentations from the February 28th MEPAG Virtual Meeting #8 (VM8) are now online: https://mepag.jpl.nasa.gov/meetings.cfm?expand=m38 We apologize to those who had difficulties connecting when calling in to the meeting. When the 1st Information Circular was created for VM8, the correct URL for the WebEx meeting connection was included but an old (VM7) meeting number was retained. This disconnect was propagated through all VM8 advertisements and was not discovered until the meeting (VM8) had started; as it occurred on a JPL RDO we were unable to send out a correction at that time. We hope that no one was completely prevented from attending VM8, but in light of the issue, we have striven to expeditiously post the presentations from VM8. -- Serina Diniega & Rich Zurek, Mars Program Office 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 DECISION ABOUT APRIL MEPAG MEETING PLANS TO BE MADE BY MARCH 13 In light of the cancellation of the 2020 LPSC meeting and general concerns about exposure to the coronavirus, MEPAG continues to monitor the situation for the April 15-17 MEPAG face-to-face meeting in Arlington, VA. We will make a decision on or before March 13 on whether to keep the in-person meeting (with remote attendance options) or to convert to a fully virtual meeting. We suggest waiting to make or change travel arrangements until this announcement. Depending on how the situation and institutional travel policies develop during the next week, a decision may be made sooner. If you wish to discuss a white paper topic (whether in-person or remotely), it is important that you provide the information requested in the 2nd information circular by March 19. Additionally, please note that the Early Career travel grant deadline remains March 6, although this opportunity will obviously be cancelled if there is no travel. Suggestions for methods of improving virtual attendance at the MEPAG meeting (whether it is in-person or moved to fully virtual) are welcome and can be sent to mepagmeetingqs@jpl.nasa.gov. [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 SBAG EARLY CAREER OPPORTUNITIES The next SBAG meeting will be June 1-2 in Laurel, MD. We have two opportunities at specifically aimed at the early-career small body community: Early-career travel support: With funding from NASA, we are planning to offer limited U.S. travel support for early career scientists to participate in the SBAG 23 meeting. Interested undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, and other early career scientists (within 5 years of PhD/MS/BS) should submit a letter and a CV to SBAG early-career secretary Terik Daly (terik.daly@jhuapl.edu) by COB (5 pm Eastern time) April 3, 2020. Further application information can be found on the SBAG website: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/ Lightning Talks: We are providing time on the agenda for early-career scientists and engineers present at the meeting to introduce themselves and their research to the community. The talks will be 3 minutes each. If you are interested in giving a lightning talk, please contact the Terik Daly (terik.daly@jhuapl.edu) two weeks before the meeting. 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 LABORATORY ASTROPHYSICS DIVISION MEETING ABSTRACT DEADLINE We are working on enhancing the exchange and collaboration between DPS and LAD and we invite you to submit abstracts to the LAD meeting in Madison, WI. Deadline is March 10, 2020. Abstracts related to any area of planetary science (observational, modeling, laboratory) and astrophysics that need, utilize, or provide laboratory data are welcome. Laboratory Astrophysics Division (LAD) is one of the divisions of the AAS, just like DPS. LAD focuses on facilitating collaboration among laboratory astrophysicists and planetary scientists and their observational/modeling counterparts. Our goal is to bring LAD and DPS communities together. This year's LAD meeting has several invited talks that cover both astrophysics and planetary science research areas. Plenty of room has been left in the schedule for several contributed talks and posters! Please plan to attend and present your latest results at what will be one of top meetings for Laboratory Astrophysics in 2020! We invite you to submit abstracts (deadline March 10, 2020). For abstract submission, registration, etc. please go to: https://aas.org/meetings/aas236 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 2020B NASA INFRARED TELESCOPE FACILITY OBSERVING CALL FOR PROPOSALS The due date for the 2020B semester (August 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021) is Wednesday, April 1, 2020. See our online submission form: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/observing/applicationForms.php Information on available facility and visitor instruments and performance can be found at: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/instruments Observing on-site or remote observing is available with SpeX, MORIS, and iSHELL; please see the instrument pages for more information, including the exposure time calculators for SpeX and iSHELL. For more information visit: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/observing/callForProposals.php 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 NOMINATE YOUR COLLEAGUES FOR DPS PRIZES The community relies on YOU to submit nominations - please don't expect that others will take care of this important task. While nominators must be DPS members, we encourage members from all career stages and areas of expertise to nominate colleagues. We would like to have a large, diverse pool of nominees for each prize! The updated DPS Prize descriptions include the prize requirements that will be used by the DPS prize subcommittee and DPS committee to award the prizes. When preparing nomination letters, you are strongly encouraged to provide examples and evidence to support your statements for the nominee. The eligibility windows may have shifted for some individuals. Please email the DPS Prize subcommittee at dpsprize@aas.org if there are any mitigating circumstances concerning eligibility for a given prize, and they will be taken into consideration as part of the transition to the new prize requirements this year. Also, any active prize nomination package can be updated if needed in light of the new requirements. Detailed information can be found at: https://dps.aas.org/prizes/ Please remember to submit your DPS prize nominations by April 1. [Edited for length] 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 SUBMITTING A CALL FOR PAPERS FOR A FOCUS ISSUE IN PSJ Announcing a call for papers to a Focus Issue in the Planetary Science Journal dedicated to papers highlighting Landed Lunar Mission Concepts and High-Priority Landing Sites. Submission Deadline: August 1, 2020. Direct questions to the Special Issue Coordinators: Barbara Cohen (Barbara.A.Cohen@nasa.gov) and Maria Banks (maria.e.banks@nasa.gov). Submission Instructions: Planetary Science Journal submission site: https://journals.aas.org/planetary-science-journal When submitting, please indicate the special issue: "Lunar Mission Concepts and High-Priority Landing Sites" Description of focus for special issue: This special issue will be dedicated to papers highlighting lunar surface mission concepts and high-priority landing sites. Submitted manuscripts should contain both a science justification for a robotic (or human-assisted) mission, along with a detailed analysis of one or more candidate landing sites to show the existence of a safe and interesting potential site for the mission. A successful paper should bring together some elements of landing site analysis for at least one candidate site, along with a lunar mission or payload concept (science, instrumentation, etc). [Edited for length] 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 PH.D. STUDENTS IN SPACE PHYSICS FOR STUDIES OF MARS AND COMETS The Solar System Physics and Space Technology research programme at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics in Kiruna invites applications for PhD positions to study how the solar wind interacts with bodies in the Solar System. We are looking for two students in the following science topic areas: 1. Mars-solar wind interaction, related to the ESA Mars Express mission, with a focus on computer models. 2. Comet-solar wind interactions, related to the ESA Rosetta mission to comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko, with a focus on data analysis. The scientific investigations will use ion observations by our instruments on Mars Express and Rosetta, respectively. Starting date, latest in the second half of 2020. Total of four years. The Swedish National Space Agency and Umea University fund the positions. Contact: Associate Professor Mats Holmstrom, matsh@irf.se Associate Professor Hans Nilsson, hane@irf.se Closing date applications: 30 April 2020. https://www.irf.se/en/news/2020/03/04/phd-students-in-space-physics-for -studies-of-mars-and-comets-ref-2-2-1-70-20/ 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11 POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR POSITION AT NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY IN PLANETARY SCIENCE The Edwards Research Group in the Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science at Northern Arizona University seeks a postdoctoral scholar to join the research team. The Edwards Group works primarily on characterizing the surfaces of rocky planets and instrument development. Specifically, we seek candidates to help determine the surface roughness of Bennu from the OSIRIS-Rex Thermal Emission Spectrometer and develop a thermal correction utilizing this roughness model to correct longer wavelength (greater than ~2.6um) OSIRIS-REX Visible and InfraRed Spectrometer data. The successful candidate is expected to publish scientific papers and, as appropriate, submit proposals for external funding. Minimum Qualifications: - A Ph.D. in geoscience/remote sensing/planetary science or a related field - Experience with investigations of planetary surfaces, especially the Moon, Mars or Bennu - Experience with thermal modeling or spectral modeling of planetary surfaces Preferred Qualifications: - Experience using laboratory/field instruments to address outstanding problems in geoscience/planetary science - A strong working knowledge of laboratory and spacecraft spectroscopic methods Applications must include a curriculum vitae, statement of research interests and contact information for three professional references. For questions, please contact: Christopher.Edwards@nau.edu http://bit.ly/NAUOREX 12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12 PLANETARY GEOMORPHOLOGY IMAGE OF THE MONTH The March image of the month is now available at the IAG's Planetary Geomorphology web page: http://planetarygeomorphology.wordpress.com This month's topic is "Impact Crater Degradation on Mercury". Contributed by Mallory Kinczyk, PhD candidate, Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State 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) 13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html June 25-26, 2020 The Planetary CubeSats/SmallSats Symposium https://cubesats.gsfc.nasa.gov/symposium.html Greenbelt, MD July 8-10, 2020 NASA Exploration Science Forum https://lunarscience.arc.nasa.gov/nesf2020/ Boulder, CO November 9-14, 2020 36th International Geological Congress (IGC) https://www.36igc.org Dehli, India [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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