********************************************************************** NETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 14, Number 30 (July 19, 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. AGU Session P002: Aquaplanetology - Aqueous Environments and Habitability in the Solar System 2. AGU Session P008: Comparative Planetology - Large Planetesimals and Dwarf Planets Throughout the Solar System 3. AGU Session P012: Enceladus - A Habitable World Beckons 4. AGU Session P021: Machine Learning for Planetary Science 5. AGU Session P022: Mars Climate and Even More Water - Late Hesperian to Amazonian Surface and Ground Water Features on Mars 6. AGU Session P037: Small Bodies - Physical Properties and Regolith Behaviors Under Microgravity 7. AGU Session SH011: Interstellar Probe - Pushing the Boundaries of Space Exploration 8. AGU Session SM017: Magnetospheres in the Outer Solar System 9. 51 Pegasus b Fellowship in Planetary Astronomy 10. White Paper on Plasma and Magnetic Instruments in Small Body Missions 11. Physical Scientist term position at USGS Astrogeology 12. Next SBAG Meeting 13. [NASA] Lunar Surface Technology Research Opportunities Solicitation Released 14. Planetary Meeting Calendar Additions 15. Planetary Science Journal - New Papers 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 AGU SESSION P002: AQUAPLANETOLOGY - AQUEOUS ENVIRONMENTS AND HABTIABILITY IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM Conveners: Y. Sekine*, G. Tobie, B. L. Ehlmann, M. Cable (* primary) https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm20/prelim.cgi/Session/102100 We welcome contributions to advance our understanding of the formation and evolution of aqueous environments on Solar System bodies. Recent advances in spacecraft explorations have revealed the presence of liquid water on multiple Solar System bodies, including Mars, icy satellites, and volatile-rich dwarf planets. To further understand the formation, evolution, and habitability of these "aquaplanets" in the Solar System, knowledge of physico-chemical processes that characterize aqueous environments becomes critical. These processes include water-rock reactions, hydrological and geochemical cycles, photochemistry, and tectonics. These processes generate both oxidants and reductants and transport them in hydrospheres, creating bioavailable chemical disequilibria. This session covers topics relevant to physico-chemical processes on aquaplanets (including Earth, Mars, water-altered asteroids, and ocean worlds), e.g., geochemical processes on terrestrial planets and icy bodies, planetary hydrology, icy tectonics, and planetary organic chemistry. This session also welcomes observational studies of geochemical signatures of aqueous environments on Solar System bodies using spacecraft, rovers, and telescopes. 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 AGU SESSION P008: COMPARATIVE PLANETOLOGY - LARGE PLANETESIMALS AND DWARF PLANETS THROUGHOUT THE SOLAR SYSTEM Observations returned by space missions (e.g., Dawn, New Horizons, Cassini) and large Earth-bound telescopic surveys (e.g., NEOWISE, Adaptive optics observations) over the past decade offer a broad encompassing view of the population of large planetesimals and dwarf planets that formed shortly after Solar System formation. Most of these bodies have retained information on their accretional environments while others have undergone significant internal evolution. The Psyche and Lucy missions now prepare to continue deciphering the Solar System's early history with the exploration of 16 Psyche and Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, while instruments on the extremely large telescopes available in the next decade will provide observations with unprecedented details of many large planetesimals. This session welcomes abstracts that address new observations and models of large planetesimals found across the Solar System, compare and contrast the properties of planetesimals found in various small body reservoirs, and address their possible genetic relationships. Conveners: Julie Castillo-Rogez, Franck Marchis, Carol Raymond 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 AGU SESSION P012: ENCELADUS - A HABITABLE WORLD BECKONS Saturn's small yet active icy moon remains one of the most scientifically compelling worlds in the Solar System. In this long-running special session, now in its 15th year, we seek to sustain a highly multidisciplinary and stimulating atmosphere that enables a deeper understanding of the nature and causes of Enceladus' activity. We encourage submissions that specifically provide insights into the moon's interior, biological potential, surface morphology, south polar plume, and space environment from diverse disciplines: e.g., planetary geology, comparative planetology of relevant icy satellites, terrestrial studies, hydrothermal systems, oceanography, geodynamics, tectonics, volcanology, space physics, organic chemistry, geochemistry, astrobiology, origins of life, microbiology, and biosignatures. Field, laboratory, and theoretical studies are all welcome. We also welcome contributions on Cassini data analysis and modeling, as well as instrument and mission concept developments that will lay the groundwork for a new generation of explorers to Enceladus. Abstract submission deadline: July 29, 2020 Abstract submission link: https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm20/prelim.cgi/Session/101707 Conveners: Chris Glein (Southwest Research Institute) Bill McKinnon (Washington University in St. Louis) 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 AGU SESSION P021: MACHINE LEARNING FOR PLANETARY SCIENCE As increasingly large, complex datasets are acquired, autonomy and machine intelligence will have a critical role in interpreting data from planetary exploration missions. There is a need for frameworks that can rapidly and intelligently extract information from these datasets in a manner useful for scientific analysis. Such innovations will largely be driven by machine learning (ML), which describes methods in which computers learn from data rather than explicit programming.This session will explore research leveraging ML methods to enhance our scientific understanding and increase the scientific return from planetary data and missions. Topics may encompass data analysis on the ground or onboard spacecraft for existing and future missions and instruments. Submissions are welcome for ML applications across science and engineering for planetary science, including but not limited to: spacecraft operations and mission planning; surface, atmosphere, and space environment characterization; object detection; and other studies that apply ML to planetary science. The conveners invite abstracts to be submitted through July 29 at: https://www.agu.org/Fall-Meeting/2020/Present/Abstracts Conveners: Hannah Kerner, Michael Aye, Mario D'Amore, Joern Helbert 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 AGU SESSION P022: MARS CLIMATE AND EVEN MORE WATER - LATE-HESPERIAN TO AMAZONIAN SURFACE AND GROUND WATER FEATURES ON MARS Until recently, the era with significant surface and groundwater activity on Mars was assumed to end at ~3.0 Ga, before the Amazonian. Recent data from in situ and orbital datasets suggest the early Amazonian may have been wetter than previously thought, and that more recent glacio-fluvial events may have occurred. This evidence includes inverted channels, eskers, groundwater seepage depressions, and narrow channels on units dating to the Late Hesperian and perhaps younger. Furthermore, the Mars rovers, especially Curiosity, have found evidence of multiple diagenetic events indicating a variety of groundwater chemistries that altered rock units and fossil sand dunes. In Gale Crater, these events appear to significantly post-date deposition and erosion of presumed Hesperian Gale lake deposits. In this session, we welcome abstracts that discuss likely late- or post-Hesperian glacio-fluvial features from in situ, orbital, and martian meteorite datasets, that aid our understanding of post-Hesperian water and climate on Mars. https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm20/prelim.cgi/Session/103244 Convenors: Patrick Gasda, Los Alamos National Laboratory Megan Hoffman, University of New Mexico Horton Newsom, University of New Mexico Louis A. Scuderi, University of New Mexico 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 AGU SESSION P037: SMALL BODIES - PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND REGOLITH BEHAVIORS UNDER MICROGRAVITY We would like to invite the community to consider submitting an abstract to the following session for the AGU Fall Meeting 2020. Small bodies (asteroids, comets, and many moons) are processed leftovers from the formation stage of the Solar System. On these bodies, gravity plays a smaller role than many other forces, and thus the materials may behave differently from those on terrestrial planets. Such behavior is highly dependent on the physical properties of these objects, and especially on the granular materials and regolith that shape their surfaces and interiors. However, these features are not well understood, and there are unsolved issues regarding connections between processes happening on these bodies and their physical properties. Efforts in characterizing the nature of regolith on small bodies and the relevant evolution of the bodies themselves, have been made in the areas of modeling, experiments, and remote-sensing observations. This session invites papers from these techniques to better understand the complex environments of small bodies, as well as their physical properties and regolith behavior. https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm20/prelim.cgi/Session/103937 Conveners: Adrienne Dove (University of Central Florida) Masatoshi Hirabayashi (Auburn University) 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 AGU SESSION SH001: INTERSTELLAR PROBE - PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF SPACE EXPLORATION Abstract Deadline: July 29, 23:59 EDT https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm20/prelim.cgi/Session/103634 An Interstellar Probe through the heliospheric boundary, into the Interstellar Medium, opens a new regime of space physics to understand the global nature of our habitable astrosphere and to explore the Interstellar Cloud. Kuiper Belt and dust disk observations provide unique insights into the evolution of our Solar System. Outside the zodiacal cloud, the unobscured infrared sky reveals new information on early galaxy formation. The recent interest in an Interstellar Probe launching in the 2030's is fueled by the mysteries uncovered by the aging Voyager mission, the unexpected IBEX and Cassini discoveries, and conventional propulsion improvements that enable delivering a probe to the heliospheric boundary in ~10 years. This session seeks presentations on the unique science observations that an Interstellar Probe enables across the physics of the heliosphere and beyond, and also planetary science, and astrophysics. Status of enabling technologies in propulsion, communication, power, instrumentation, and programmatic aspects are encouraged. [Edited for length] 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 AGU SESSION SM017: MAGNETOSPHERES IN THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM Conveners: Xianzhe Jia (Univ. of Michigan), Chris Paranicas (JHU/APL) and George Hospodarsky (Univ. of Iowa) This session invites submissions covering the structure and dynamics of the magnetospheres of the giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) as well as Ganymede. Papers on magnetospheric and auroral processes including magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling, plasma transport, tail dynamics, rotational modulations, magnetospheric boundaries, and the role of the solar wind are consistent with our session themes. We particularly encourage submissions that compare the giant planet magnetospheres to one another, or compare them to those of terrestrial planets. The session will be an ideal forum for the discussion of recent advances in our understanding of all these systems enabled by in situ and remote observations as well as theoretical and numerical modeling, and relevant to a number of ongoing and future planetary missions to the outer Solar System. For full session description, please visit: https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm20/prelim.cgi/Session/101021 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 51 PEGASUS B FELLOWSHIP IN PLANETARY ASTRONOMY Planetary astronomy brings together research efforts of two fields—planetary science and astronomy - to characterize planetary systems. The fellowship supports postdoctoral fellows to advance our fundamental understanding of exoplanets, Solar System science, planet formation and evolution, planetary atmospheres, protoplanetary disks, or other closely related topics. The fellowship recognizes early-career investigators of significant potential and provides them with the opportunity to conduct independent research. Each recipient will receive a three-year grant of up to $375,000 to cover salary, benefits, highly-flexible discretionary spending (e.g., travel, family care, moving expenses, research equipment, personal computers, etc.), and indirect costs. The Foundation anticipates awarding six to eight fellowships this year, based on the quality of submissions. The Heising-Simons Foundation is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Thus, we particularly welcome applications from individuals who belong to groups that have been historically underrepresented in planetary sciences and astronomy such as women, persons with disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, and others who may contribute to diversification of the field. The 2020-2021 Fellowship cycle is now open. Applications will be accepted until 11:59PM Eastern Time on Friday October 2, 2020. Go to: https://www.hsfoundation.org/programs/science/51-pegasi-b-fellowship/guidelines-and-application 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 WHITE PAPER ON PLASMA AND MAGNETIC INSTRUMENTS IN SMALL BODY MISSIONS We invite co-signers for our paper, "The Importance of Plasma and Magnetic Investigations in Small Body Missions." The paper highlights the small body science that can be conducted with this instrumentation (internal layering/composition, remanent magnetism, space weathering, and outgassing detection) and proposes a ride-along program be created which would allow for continuous heliospheric monitoring en route and upon arrival at the target body using these missions. The paper can be accessed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Le3c5b04Dh0jf8oyGThTSlhZsh5Ivj8f/view?usp=sharing Please email mickey.n.villarreal@jpl.nasa.gov if you would like to endorse. The paper will be submitted by August 15. 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11 PHYSICAL SCIENTIST TERM POSITION AT USGS ASTROGEOLOGY The USGS Astrogeology Science Center is accepting applications for a Research Physical Scientist term position. The position requires a combination of expertise in machine learning and multivariate statistics, as well as in spectroscopy and planetary science. The researcher would work on software development and data analysis for ChemCam, SuperCam, and similar instruments. This position is equivalent to a post-doc, although a PhD is not necessarily required if the applicant has an appropriate combination of education and experience. Applications will be accepted through July 22, or until 65 applications have been received. Only US citizens are eligible for this position. Start date is flexible but would be no earlier than mid-August. Please refer to the job posting for more details: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/573169300 Contact Ryan Anderson (rbanderson@usgs.gov) with any questions. 12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12 NEXT SBAG MEETING The next SBAG meeting will be January 26-27, virtually. Go to: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings 13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13 [NASA] LUNAR SURFACE TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES SOLICITATION RESEASED NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) has released the LuSTR Opportunities at: https://tinyurl.com/NASA-2020LuSTR Only accredited U.S. universities are eligible to submit proposals. Teaming is permitted. The goal of LuSTR is to accelerate the development of groundbreaking technologies that support and enable lunar surface activities to be conducted under Artemis - the core of NASA's exploration and human spaceflight plans for the next decade. The starting Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the efforts to be funded as a result of the LuSTR Appendix will be TRL 2 - TRL 4; TRL advancement is required. LuSTR solicits proposals that are responsive to two Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative focus areas: In-Situ Resource Utilization and Sustainable Power. Notices of Intent due: August 12, 2020 Proposal due: September 9, 2020, 5 pm Eastern Time Comments and questions may be addressed to hq-LuSTR@mail.nasa.gov. Responses will be answered by email and may also be included in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the LuSTR NSPIRES page. Anonymity of persons/institutions who submit questions will be preserved. [Edited for length] 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 No New Meetings 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@psi.edu.] 15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15 PLANETARY SCIENCE JOURNAL - NEW PAPERS Editor, Faith Vilas http://psj.aas.org Stratification Dynamics of Titan's Lakes via Methane Evaporation Jordan K. Steckloff et al. 2020 PSJ 1:26 http://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ab974e Possible Evidence of p-modes in Cassini Measurements of Saturn's Gravity Field Steve Markham et al. 2020 PSJ 1:27 http://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ab9f21 Testing the Isotropy of the Dark Energy Survey's Extreme Trans-Neptunian Objects Pedro H. Bernardinelli et al. 2020 PSJ 1:28 http://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ab9d80 *********************************************************************** * 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. All PEN * submissions will be tweeted @pen2tweets. Please submit a 234 (or * fewer) character tweet to accommodate the PEN tag. Alternatively, * the editorial staff will create one for you. 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