PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 12, Number 31 (July 29, 2018) PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org Editor: Karen R. Stockstill-Cahill Co-Editors: Mark V. Sykes, Elisabeth Adams Email: pen_editor@psi.edu o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. Geosciences Special Issue: Recent Advances in Lunar Studies 2. AGU Session DI019: The Archean Earth and its Venusian Analog 3. AGU Session P006: Carbon Across the Solar System 4. AGU Session P009: Chasing Life with a Sample Size of One - From Understanding the Signs of Life in Earth's Atmosphere Through Time to Detecting Biosignatures on Exoplanets 5. AGU Session P016: Enceladus - A World Awaiting 6. AGU Session P020: From the Earth to the Moons 7. AGU Session P033: Planet Mercury - Present Understanding and Promise for Future Discovery 8. AGU Session P040: Saturn's Seasonally Evolving Atmosphere During the Cassini Era and Beyond 9. Call for Expressions of Interest to Organise Symposia, Special Sessions, and Lunch Sessions at EWASS 2019 10. ROSES-18 Amendment 21: New Opportunity in Mars 2020 Returned Sample Science Participating Scientist Program 11. ESA Call for Mission Proposals 12. WFIRST Solar System Working Group Findings in Press 13. Ice Giants and KBOs White Paper 14. MAPSIT Special Action Team Solicits Feedback on ISIS 15. On the Insensitive Use of the Term "Planet 9" for Objects Beyond Pluto 16. Thematic School - Fluid-Rock Interactions in the Solar System 17. 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 GEOSCIENCES SPECIAL ISSUE: RECENT ADVANCES IN LUNAR STUDIES Dear Colleagues, The journal Geosciences is accepting papers for a Special Issue related to recent advances in studies of the Moon. The deadline has been extended until the end of September 2018. Since the Apollo era, sample studies, remote analyses, and dynamical models continue to tease out details related to the Moon's formation and evolution. Additionally, the international lunar science community is eager to continue its presence on the Moon, as evidenced by recent, upcoming, and future lunar missions. All of these topics are of great interest to the broader geoscience community. The Special Issue welcomes papers that describe studies related to any of the above topics and will be an outlet for rapid, accessible, and peer-reviewed publications. The editors especially welcome papers from young investigators. Additional details are available at: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/geosciences/special_issues/lunar_studies Dr. Nicolle E. B. Zellner Dr. Karen R. Stockstill-Cahill Guest Editors 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 DI019: THE ARCHEAN EARTH AND ITS VENUSIAN ANALOG Is Venus a once and future Earth? You are invited to submit abstracts on interior evolution, subduction, continental curst formation, and the parameters needed for plate tectonics. Plate tectonics, continents, the oxygen atmosphere - the beginnings of Earth as we know it today - began to take shape in the Archean. What caused Earth to transition to plate tectonics? How was the first step, subduction, initiated? How is continent formation related? How did the formation of crust differ? Venus' lithosphere today is hot due to the greenhouse atmosphere, potentially providing a good analog to lithospheric conditions on early Earth. Plume-induced subduction appears to be operating today, yet plate tectonics is absent. Large, highly deformed plateaus could be analogs of continents. What caused these twin planets to evolve to such different end members? Is the interior of Venus dry, and is that the reason it lacks plate tectonics? Or is temperature the key factor? Studies of planetary evolution, convection, crust formation, geologic processes, and links between interior, surface and atmosphere on Venus and Earth are invited. https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm18/prelim.cgi/Session/52448 Conveners: Sue Smrekar, Anne Davaille, Brad Foley Abstracts deadline: August 1. 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 P006: CARBON ACROSS THE SOLAR SYSTEM We invite you to submit an abstract to our session on carbon in the Solar System at the 2018 AGU Fall Meeting in Washington, DC, December 10-14, 2018. Recent results ranging from the Pluto system, the Saturn system, other locations beyond 5 AU, all the way to Mercury in the inner Solar System, and nearly all points in between, raise questions abut the state of carbon in the Solar System: how do carbonaceous compounds become weathered in response to thermal processes and irradiation? How do we recognize carbon compounds and their various weathering products? The synthesis of these results improves our scientific understanding of the role of carbon in the Solar System, how it evolves and how to recognize it. The carbonaceous near-Earth asteroids 162173 Ryugu and 101955 Bennu will be sampled in the next few years; the analyses of these samples will provide context for the presence of carbon. In this session, abstracts covering observational, laboratory and modeling work related to carbon and carbonaceous species on Solar System bodies are welcome. Please see: https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm18/prelim.cgi/Session/52635 Conveners: Faith Vilas Amanda Hendrix 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 P009: CHASING LIFE WITH A SAMPLE SIZE OF ONE - FROM UNDERSTANDING THE SIGNS OF LIFE IN EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE THROUGH TIME TO DETECTING BIOSIGNATURES ON EXOPLANETS Please consider submitting an abstract to our AGU session on exoplanet habitability: Because Earth is the only planet known to harbor life, the search should start here. From Earth, we can continue to identify potential biosignatures and ponder the challenges that exist for detecting these conditions on exoplanets. Using Earth as a first-approximation, atmospheric climate models of exoplanets are being developed, and researchers are imagining how those models would be different under various conditions by incorporating data from exoplanet observations. We solicit new research in: using remote sensing datasets for Earth as a reference case, studying the evolution of life's detectability on Earth, mitigating observational and biosignature detectability challenges, and assessing how the Earth-model may be expected to change for a planet formed under different circumstances around another star (e.g., how increased stellar activity and extreme events may impact climate, habitability, and the detectability of biosignatures, especially work that uses Earth-Sun interactions as an analog, for the present day and early Earth). Conveners: Cindy Young and Guillaume Gronoff (NASA LaRC) Vladimir Airapetian and William Danchi (NASA Goddard) 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 P016: ENCELADUS - A WORLD AWAITING Section/Focus Group: Planetary Sciences Though the Cassini mission at Saturn is now over, this long-standing special session on Saturn's geysering moon, Enceladus - 13 years in the running - continues. Our goal is to bring together researchers studying topics in planetary science, microbiology, oceanography, organic chemistry, astrobiology, and origin of life that are relevant in understanding the nature of the moon's subsurface ocean and its extensive south polar plume, and in assessing its biological potential and the best means to examine it. As in years past, we will focus on the most recent Enceladus-specific observational, theoretical and modeling efforts and we encourage submissions in the above-mentioned areas. Presentations on concepts for future missions back to Enceladus will also be considered. Join us! Abstract submission: https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm18/prelim.cgi/Session/43922 The Enceladus keyword is 6282. The deadline for all submissions is Wednesday, 1 August 23:59 EDT. Conveners: Carolyn Porco, UC Berkeley; Space Science Institute Julie Huber, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Looking forward to seeing you at the Fall AGU in December! 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 P020: FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOONS Hi everyone, just a reminder that AGU abstracts are due August 1! We'd like to remind you about our session and invite you to consider submitting your work. It's cross-listed in Planetary Sciences, Cryosphere, and Ocean Sciences. Session P020, "From the Earth to the Moons: Unraveling the Geologic, Oceanographic and Chemical Mysteries of Ice and Ocean Worlds" brings together studies of ice and ocean worlds (including Earth!) and the associated geological, geochemical and oceanographic processes that might contribute to the evolution (habitability included) of ices, oceans and their interactions. Link for more info: https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm18/prelim.cgi/Session/45706 We have exciting invited talks planned from Peter Girguis (Harvard) and Krista Soderlund (UT-Austin), and we hope to see you there in Washington, DC! Catherine Walker (JPL), Chris German (WHOI), Steve Vance (JPL), Britney Schmidt (Georgia Tech) 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 P033: PLANET MERCURY - PRESENT UNDERSTANDING AND PROMISE FOR FUTURE DISCOVERY Please consider submitting an abstract to the Mercury session at the 2018 AGU Fall Meeting in Washington, DC, December 10-14, 2018. Our understanding of Mercury's surface, interior, exosphere, and magnetosphere has been revolutionized by data returned by NASA's MESSENGER mission. With the launch of the ESA-JAXA BepiColombo dual spacecraft mission to Mercury in October this year, that understanding will take another substantial step forward. We solicit contributed papers on data analysis, laboratory measurements, ground-based observations, and theoretical developments that build on the current state of knowledge of Mercury. We also welcome papers on how questions raised by MESSENGER findings can be addressed by future observations expected from BepiColombo. For more information,visit: https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm18/prelim.cgi/Session/43603 The submission deadline is this coming Wednesday, August 1, 2018. Conveners: Paul Byrne (North Carolina State University) Johannes Benkhoff (European Space Agency) Sean Solomon (Columbia University) We look forward to seeing you in December! 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 P040: SATURN'S SEASONALLY EVOLVING ATMOSPHERE DURING THE CASSINI ERA AND BEYOND We solicit new research findings about the troposphere and stratosphere of Saturn. A special focus of our session is the seasonal evolution of Saturn's atmosphere observed during Cassini's thirteen years in orbit, up-close observations obtained during Cassini's final orbits, and new features observed after the end of Cassini. We especially encourage submissions of Earth-based observations that extend the valuable temporal coverage beyond Cassini to study the dynamic seasonal evolution after the solstice of 2017. In addition, we solicit long-term monitoring using ground- and space-based telescopes as well as modeling and theoretical presentations that address these observational findings. Lastly, we solicit surveys that identify paths to carry the legacy of the Cassini mission into the future by advocating for new missions as well as observational and theoretical investigations in preparation for the next Planetary Science Decadal Survey. Submit here before August 1, 2018, 11:59 PM EDT: https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm18/prelim.cgi/Session/52869 Conveners: Scott Edgington, Kunio Sayanagi, Rohini Giles, John Blalock 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 CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST TO ORGANISE SYMPOSIA, SPECIAL SESSIONS, AND LUNCH SESSIONS AT EWASS 2019 The European Week of Astronomy and Space Science will take place in Lyon, France, on 24-28 June 2019. The meeting is organized by the European Astronomical Society (EAS) and Societe Francaise d'Astronomie et d'Astrophysique. The venue, Manufacture des Tabacs, is located in the city center near the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Old Lyon. The Astronomical Society of India is an invited participant to shed light on collaborations between India and Europe. We invite proposals from colleagues who are interested in organizing a Symposium, a Special Session, or a Lunch Session. Planetary science sessions are encouraged. A broad range of parallel sessions can be accommodated as: - Symposia (which normally consist of up to 6 blocks of 1.5 hours, stretching over 2 days, although exceptionally and in well-justified cases these symposia can be longer) - Special Sessions (consisting of up to 3 blocks of 1.5 hours on the same day) - Lunch Sessions (taking place during the lunch break for 1-1.5 hours on one day) The deadline for submitting Expressions of Interest is Sunday, 9 September 2018. Details and information: http://eas.unige.ch/EWASS2019/call.jsp (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 ROSES-18 AMENDMENT 21: NEW OPPORTUNITY IN MARS 2020 RETURNED SAMPLE SCIENCE PARTICIPATING SCIENTIST PROGRAM The preparation of a cache of Martian rock and regolith samples for possible return to Earth via a future mission is a central objective of the Mars 2020 mission. The Returned Sample Science Participating Scientist (RSS PS) program seeks individuals whose addition to the mission's science team will enhance the value of the samples to be selected, characterized, and cached by the Mars 2020 Rover. The selected investigators should anticipate the needs of future investigators who may analyze these samples for a very diverse range of studies in Earth-based laboratories. Selected RSSPSs will become members of the Mars 2020 Science Team and are expected to contribute collaboratively to any and all aspects of the surface science mission. Mandatory NOIs due by August 24, 2018, and proposals are due by October 24, 2018. See announcement NNH18ZDA001N at: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ Questions concerning this program element may be directed to Mitch Schulte at Mitchell.D.Schulte@nasa.gov. [Edited for length.] 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11 ESA CALL FOR MISSION PROPOSALS The ESA Director of Science solicits proposals from the scientific community in ESA Member States for a Fast (F) mission to be launched in the 2026-2028 timeframe. This Call for a Fast mission aims at defining a mission of modest size (wet mass less than 1000 kg) to be launched towards the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point as a co-passenger to the ARIEL M mission, or possibly the PLATO M mission. From L2 the mission should reach its target orbit or destination with its own propulsion system. The Call is open to all areas of space science. Any scientific goal and spacecraft technical configuration will be considered, including missions aiming at multi-point scientific measurements, for example, Near-Earth Objects or Main Belt comets, considered in the studies performed by ESA following the Call for New Science Ideas issued in 2016. Full details of this Call, including all documentation, are on the dedicated web page at: http://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/call-for-fast-mission-2018 12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12 WFIRST SOLAR SYSTEM WORKING GROUP FINDINGS IN PRESS The WFIRST Solar System Working Group would like to bring your attention to a paper of general interest that was recently accepted for publication in the Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instrumentation, and Systems. This paper presents a wide range of solar system science cases for WFIRST, NASA's next-generation space telescope, including the detection of the first objects orbiting in the Inner Oort Cloud, efficient searches for irregular satellites around the giant planets, and identification of additional Ida/Dactyl-like asteroid binary systems, among others. A preprint can be found at: https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.02763 -Bryan Holler, on behalf of the WFIRST SSWG 13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13 ICE GIANTS AND KBOS WHITE PAPER Ice giants and KBOs are high priority science targets for future missions. A white paper (http://arxiv.org/abs/1807.08769) has been prepared which presents an integrated strategy for their exploration. This two-spacecraft plan is proposed for inclusion in the next Planetary Science Decadal Survey as a practical way to achieve high-priority science objectives across the outer solar system. Those wishing to be added as co-signers should contact the authors. 14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14 MAPSIT SPECIAL ACTION TEAM SOLICITS FEEDBACK ON ISIS NASA has chartered the Mapping and Planetary Spatial Infrastructure Team (MAPSIT) to create a special action team to execute a review of the present state of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS's) Integrated Software for Imagers and Spectrometers (ISIS) capabilities and development to provide findings relevant to future development of those capabilities and others funded by NASA at the USGS's Astrogeology Science Center. This form is a way for you to provide input into that process: https://goo.gl/forms/iLJSRKu4sivLSqmu1 You may enter questions for which you think the special action team should get answers, comments about your previous experience with ISIS, and suggestions for future NASA-funded software development in this area. 15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15 ON THE INSENSITIVE USE OF THE TERM "PLANET 9" FOR OBJECTS BEYOND PLUTO We the undersigned wish to remind our colleagues that the IAU planet definition adopted in 2006 has been controversial and is far from universally accepted. Given this, and given the incredible accomplishment of the discovery of Pluto, the harbinger of the solar system's third zone - the Kuiper Belt - by planetary astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh in 1930, we the undersigned believe the use of the term "Planet 9" for objects beyond Pluto is insensitive to Professor Tombaugh's legacy. We further believe the use of this term should be discontinued in favor of culturally and taxonomically neutral terms for such planets, such as Planet X, Planet Next, or Giant Planet Five. Paul Abell Michael Allison Nadine Barlow James Bauer Gordon Bjoraker Paul Byrne Eric Christiansen Rajani Dhingra Timothy Dowling David Dunham Tony L. Farnham Harold Geller Alvero Gonzalez David Grinspoon Will Grundy George Hindman Kampalayya M. Hiremath Brian Holler Stephanie Jarmak Martin Knapmeyer Rosaly Lopes Amy Lovell Ralph McNutt Phil Metzger Sripada Murty Michael Paul Kirby Runyon Ray Russell John Stansberry Alan Stern Mike Summers Henry Throop Hal Weaver Larry Wasserman Sloane Wiktorowicz 16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16 THEMATIC SCHOOL - FLUID-ROCK INTERACTIONS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM The Laboratoire de Planetologie et Geodynamique organises the second GeoPlaNet thematic school on Fluid-Rock Interactions in the Solar System. The event will take place in Nantes (France) from this November 12th to 16th. This school in Planetary Geosciences will present to participants various techniques for observing, analysing, experimenting and modelling the compositional and morphological aspects of fluid-rock interactions in rocky and icy bodies of all sizes of the Solar System. The school will include lectures and practicals, as well as poster presentations by attendees. It will be organised along two themes: 1) Fluid-rock interactions on planetary surfaces - Fluid-related rock deformation, rock weathering, sedimentation, hydrothermalism - Spectroscopy of rocks and minerals, field excursion, experimental modelling, laboratory analyses 2) Fluid-rock interactions in planetary interiors - Icy ocean worlds, mantle dynamics, volatile cycle, metasomatism, deep magmatic source - Petrology, geochemistry, geophysics, laboratory analyses, experimentation, numerical modelling This high-level training program is open to 80 international Master students, PhD students and young researchers with a background in geosciences and/or in planetary science. https://lpg-umr6112.fr/TS-GeoPlaNet O. Bourgeois, O. Verhoeven and S. Lheritier Laboratoire de Planetologie et Geodynamique UMR CNRS 6112 - University of Nantes 17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html November 13, 2018 Survive and Operate Through the Lunar Night Workshop https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/survivethenight2018/ Columbia, MD January 29-February 1, 2019 Mars Extant Life: What’s Next? https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lifeonmars2019/ Carlsbad, NM March 10-13, 2019 Large Surveys with Small Telescopes: Past, Present, and Future https://www.sternwarte.uni-erlangen.de/large-surveys-2019 Bamberg, Germany June 17-20, 2019 From Stars to Planets II http://cosmicorigins.space/fstpii Gothenburg, Sweden December 9-12, 2019 The First International Orbital Debris Conference (IOC) https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/orbitaldebris2019/ Houston, TX July 27-31, 2020 Exoplanets III http://mpia.de Heidelberg, Germany 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. *********************************************************************** * 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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