Editor: Matthew R Perry
Co-Editors: Alex Morgan, Mark V. Sykes
Email: pen_editor@psi.edu
X: @pen2tweets
Bluesky: @planetarynews.bsky.social

o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o

1. Call to Action: Engage Congress on NASA Planetary R&A Funding
2. MEPAG September Letter from the Chair
3. Gerald A. Soffen Memorial Travel Grant Opportunity
4. Request for Remembrances of Robert Sullivan
5. Four Postdoctoral Fellowships at CEFCA, Teruel, Spain
6. Visiting Researcher in Space Physics - Swedish Institute of Space
   Physics (IRF), Uppsala, Sweden
7. Reminder: First SkyFall Landing Site Workshop and FAQ
8. Moon Joy: Solar System Speaker Series
9. [NASA] PDS: Aperiodic PDS Data Releases in 2026.09
10. [NASA] PDS: Odyssey Data Release 97
11. Planetary Meeting Calendar Additions
12. Planetary Science Journal - New Papers
13. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets - New Papers
14. Planetary Research - New Papers

o---------------------------------------------------------------------o

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CALL TO ACTION: ENGAGE CONGRESS ON NASA PLANETARY R&A FUNDING

A briefing memo regarding historical and recent NASA planetary research
and analysis funding shortfalls and a request for Congress to take
action may be seen at:

https://tinyurl.com/mckran5j

Use it as you wish.

I recommend that everyone convey your perspectives on the impacts of
this to your Congressional representatives. The Planetary Society's
Advocacy Center's "Tell Congress: NASA Planetary Research and Analysis
Matters" is at:

https://www.votervoice.net/PlanetarySoc/Campaigns/140001/Respond

Mark V. Sykes
Senior Scientist and Former CEO
Planetary Science Institute

NOTE: All opinions are those of the author and not the Planetary
Science Institute.


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MEPAG SEPTEMBER LETTER FROM THE CHAIR

At the link below, please find the MEPAG September Letter from the
Chair. Note the announcement that our next MEPAG meeting will be held
virtually on November 9-10, we look forward to seeing you there!

Link:

https://tinyurl.com/MEPAG-Sep26-Letter


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GERALD A. SOFFEN MEMORIAL TRAVEL GRANT OPPORTUNITY

The Gerald A. Soffen Memorial Fund is pleased to announce the Fall 2026
Travel Grant application opportunity for undergraduate and graduate
students pursuing studies in fields of space science and engineering.

The Travel Grants enable student recipients to attend professional
conferences to present their research. Recipients may use the Grant for
either virtual or in-person conferences. The Soffen Fund will award up
to $2000 in total, with no individual award greater than $1000, to
cover expenses related to presenting research at either a virtual or
in-person conference.

The Fall 2026 Travel Grant application deadline is October 9, 2026.
Jerry Soffen, a biologist by training, led a distinguished career in
NASA, including serving as the Project Scientist for Viking and as an
architect for the NASA Astrobiology Institute. The Travel Grant
continues Jerry's dedication to educating and involving future
generations in space science and engineering pursuits. The electronic
application materials and instructions are located on the Soffen Fund
website:

https://soffenfund.org

Questions regarding the application or application process may be sent
to:

ec@nasa-academy.org


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REQUEST FOR REMEMBRANCES OF ROBERT SULLIVAN

"A Symposium on Planetary Regolith and Aeolian Processes: A tribute to
the life and career of Rob Sullivan" will take place at Cornell
University on October 12-13, 2026:

https://tinyurl.com/5bkxfu7m

If you knew Rob in any capacity, please consider submitting a short
15-30 second video clip with a quick remembrance/tribute to Rob by
October 8, 2026:

https://cornell.app.box.com/f/404648923baa402fbe2b9568024b12c8

We will compile the submissions into a montage that will be shown ahead
of the public talk on Monday evening.


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FOUR POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS AT CEFCA, TERUEL, SPAIN

Centro de Estudios de Fisica del Cosmos de Aragon (CEFCA) is looking
for four postdoctoral researchers to join J-TRAIN, an MSCA COFUND
programme co-funded by the EU (GA 101261714).

Fellows will develop research projects, which should be at least partly
aligned with CEFCA's flagship surveys (J-PAS, J-PLUS and J-VAR).
Projects on small Solar System bodies are welcome across a range of
topics, including planetary defence, an area CEFCA is keen to
strengthen. Fellows will have full access to CEFCA's observatory, data
centre and outreach facilities.

Each fellowship is a 48-month, full-time position.

Applicants must hold a PhD in astrophysics or a related field by the
application deadline and meet the MSCA mobility rule: they must not
have resided or worked in Spain for more than 12 months during the 36
months preceding the deadline. Applications are welcome from all
nationalities.

Salary and benefits: A gross annual salary of approximately 42,695
euros (minimum net salary of approximately 31,248 euros), full Spanish
social security coverage, a 500 euros/month travel and networking
allowance, and a dedicated training allowance.

The application deadline is November 15, 2026.

Additional information and application instructions can be found at:

https://jtrain.cefca.es/


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VISITING RESEARCHER IN SPACE PHYSICS - SWEDISH INSTITUTE OF SPACE
PHYSICS (IRF), UPPSALA, SWEDEN

The Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) invites applications for a
one-year Visiting Researcher position in Space Physics within the Space
Plasma Physics programme at IRF Uppsala, Sweden.

The successful candidate will conduct research on
magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling, focusing on how energy and momentum
are transferred through the coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere-ground
system. The research will investigate the role of field-aligned
currents, plasma density and temperature, and how dynamic
magnetospheric processes are manifested in the ionosphere and on the
ground.

The project will combine in situ observations from Cluster, MMS and
THEMIS, ionospheric observations from Swarm, and ground-based
measurements from magnetometers, radars and all-sky cameras.

Applicants must hold a PhD in space physics or a closely related field.
Experience in analysing relevant satellite data and/or ground-based
observations is highly desirable. Experience with magnetospheric or
ionospheric modelling is an advantage.

The position is based at IRF Uppsala, Sweden. The starting date is
flexible, preferably no later than spring 2027.

Application deadline: 31 October 2026.
Full details and application procedure:

https://www.irf.se/karriar/971633/


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REMINDER: FIRST SKYFALL LANDING SITE WORKSHOP AND FAQ

This is a friendly reminder of the virtual Landing Site Workshop (LSW)
for the SkyFall Mission slated for February 9-10, 2027. This will serve
as the first of two science-focused workshops to identify potential
landing sites and adjacent exploration zones of high scientific value,
and that satisfy the engineering constraints imposed by the project and
spacecraft design. We wanted to remind you of the SkyFall information
package and alert you to a recently-added list of Frequently Asked
Questions, which will be updated periodically as we move towards the
December 1, 2026 deadline to propose sites. Those materials can be
found on the SkyFall LSW webpage:

https://tinyurl.com/ywyx7mjd

Please direct any questions to skyfall_lsw_input@jpl.nasa.gov.


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MOON JOY: SOLAR SYSTEM SPEAKER SERIES

SSERVI is starting a new series of webinars for the public, given by
SSERVI scientists highlighting their areas of science and exploration
of the Moon. The first of these will be titled "From Apollo to Artemis:
The Science Driving Our Return to the Moon." Bill Bottke from the CLOE
SSERVI node will speak on October 20, 2026 at 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT.

Register at this link:

https://tinyurl.com/59wv7dza


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[NASA] PDS: APERIODIC PDS DATA RELEASES IN 2026.09

In September 2026, PDS ingested and made available the following data,
none of which were regularly released with an ongoing mission:

- 2026.09.29 Voyager 1 Interplanetary Cruise Trajectory Data
- 2026.09.29 Voyager 2 Magnetometer Solar Wind Interplanetary Cruise
  Data
- 2026.09.28 MEX EXT2 SPICAM MARS CLEANED UV RDR V2.0
- 2026.09.28 MEX EXT3 SPICAM MARS CLEANED UV RDR V2.0
- 2026.09.28 MEX EXT4 SPICAM MARS CLEANED UV RDR V2.0
- 2026.09.28 MEX HRSC RADIOMETRIC RDR EXTENSION9 V4.0
- 2026.09.24 Cassini RPWS LP Continuous Current Data
- 2026.09.23 CLPS TO2-IM ROLSES
- 2026.09.18 MEX EXT1 SPICAM MARS CLEANED UV RDR V2.0
- 2026.09.16 MEX SPICE Release 17
- 2026.09.14 MARS EXPRESS MARS MRS 5 OCCULTATION 9103 V1.0
- 2026.09.10 Voyager PWS VLISM Electron Density
- 2026.09.09 Psyche SPICE Release 5

To access those data:

https://pds.nasa.gov/datasearch/subscription-service/SS-20260930.shtml

To access all data archived in PDS:

https://pds.nasa.gov


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[NASA] PDS: ODYSSEY DATA RELEASE 97

The NASA Planetary Data System announces Release 97 of data from the
Mars Odyssey Orbiter. This release contains raw, calibrated, and
derived data products nominally covering the time period January 1,
2026, through March 31, 2026, for the GRS/HEND/NS suite, and November
30, 2025 through March 1, 2026, for THEMIS.

The GRS data will actually be released October 8.

Since the previous Mars Odyssey release, one raw Radio Science data
volume has been released, with data covering the period May 1, 2026 to
June 30, 2026.

GRS/HEND/NS and Radio Science data are archived at the PDS Geosciences
Node, THEMIS data at the THEMIS Data Node, and SPICE data at the PDS
NAIF Node.

The data may be accessed from:

https://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/odyssey/

For a more dataset-oriented view:

https://pds.nasa.gov/datasearch/subscription-service/SS-20261001.shtml

Odyssey releases occur every three months. The next release is
scheduled for January 4, 2027.

All available PDS data may be found at:

https://pds.nasa.gov/datasearch/data-search/

To access the latest PDS Data Releases, please visit the following
link:

https://pds.nasa.gov/datasearch/subscription-service/SS-Release.shtml

For further information, see the PDS Home Page:

https://pds.nasa.gov/


11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11

PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS

Note: Many face-to-face meetings going forward will have online
components. Check their websites for details.

Posted at https://planetarynews.org/meetings.html

October 21-22, 2026
International Lunar Sample Research Symposium 2026
https://www.bagevent.com/event/9224894
Hong Kong, China

November 10-13, 2026
ngVLA International Science Conference 2026
https://ngvla.nao.ac.jp/ngVLA_Sendai/
Sendai, Japan

March 16-18, 2027
Young Planets in Urbs Vetus: Detection, Characterization, and Evolution
at the Dawn of Comparative Demographics
https://indico.ict.inaf.it/event/3626/
Orvieto, Italy

June 14-17, 2027
Planetary Data Workshop 2027
https://planetarydataworkshop.org
Ithaca, NY


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PLANETARY SCIENCE JOURNAL - NEW PAPERS

Direct Links to Open Access Papers

Editor, Brian Jackson
https://psj.aas.org

Didymos's Reshaping Scale Revealed by Detection of Its Spin Slow-down
Masatoshi Hirabayashi et al. 2026 PSJ 7:221
https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/aea089

Updated In-flight Calibration of the Hayabusa2/NIRS3 Spectrometer: New
Global Near-infrared Photometric Properties of Asteroid (162173) Ryugu
Antonin Wargnier et al. 2026 PSJ 7:222
https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ae9fe7

Global Distribution of Atmospheric Formaldehyde Deposition Correlated
with Water Vapor on a Warm Early Mars
Shungo Koyama et al. 2026 PSJ 7:223
https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ae9942

Investigating the Role of Magnetic Cohesion in Avalanching on
16-Psyche: A Discrete Element Modeling Approach
Anmol Sikka and Christine M. Hartzell 2026 PSJ 7:224
https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/aea4b0

PROSERPINA: An Automated Pipeline for Martian Ionospheric Radio-
occultation Retrievals with Probabilistic Uncertainty and Spherical-
symmetry Bias Quantification
Marianna Felici et al. 2026 PSJ 7:225
https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/aea408

IFU Observations of Comet 3I/ATLAS = C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) Using the
Hobby-Eberly Telescope with the VIRUS Instrument*
Anita L. Cochran et al. 2026 PSJ 7:226
https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/aea086

A Cross-laboratory Comparison Study of Titan Haze Analogs: Surface
Energy II
Eric C. Austin et al. 2026 PSJ 7:227
https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/aea60b

Efficient Detection-level Linking of Trans-Neptunian Objects via a
Spherical-orbit Basis
Thomas R. Ruch et al. 2026 PSJ 7:228
https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/aea3f4

Magnetotail Flapping Event at Mars: A Simultaneous View from MAVEN and
InSight
Kyle Webster et al. 2026 PSJ 7:229
https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/aea140


13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13

JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS - NEW PAPERS

Direct Links to Open Access (OA) Papers

Editors-in-Chief, Amanda Hendrix & Debra Buczkowski
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/21699100

Coupled Effects of Grain Size and Metallic Iron on Spectral and
Polarimetric Properties of Lunar Simulants
Eunjin Cho et al.
https://doi.org/10.1029/2026JE009905

3D Architecture of Kodiak Butte as Evidence of Fluvial or Shoal-Water
Environments in Jezero Crater, Mars
O. A. Kanine et al.
https://doi.org/10.1029/2026JE009882

Stratigraphic Partitioning of Evaporites Through the Clay-Sulfate
Transition in Gale Crater, Mars
W. Rapin et al.
https://doi.org/10.1029/2026JE009783


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 RESEARCH - NEW PAPERS

Direct Links to Diamond Open Access Papers

Editor-in-Chief, Mark A. Wieczorek
https://planetary-research.org

How long could volcanic plumes persist in the Venus atmosphere?
M. Cohen et al.
https://doi.org/10.53480/1cyc-mm09


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