PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 18, Number 2 (January 14, 2023) PEN Website: https://planetarynews.org Editor: Mark V. Sykes Co-Editors: Matthew R. Perry, Alex Morgan Email: pen_editor@psi.edu Twitter: @pen2tweets o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. [NASA] MSR IRB Response Team (MIRT) Update Town Hall Deferred 2. [NASA] Input Solicited for Review of NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) 3. Abstract Submission for "TNO2024: The Trans-Neptunian Solar System" is Now Open 4. Planetary Meeting Calendar Additions 5. Planetary Science Journal - New Papers Commercial Announcements: C1. Planetary Analog Field Trip 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 [NASA] MSR IRB RESPONSE TEAM (MIRT) UPDATE TOWN HALL DEFERRED The NASA Mars Sample Return (MSR) Independent Review Board (IRB) Response Team (MIRT) town hall, previously scheduled for January 17, 2024, has been deferred until a later date. NASA will send out a community announcement regarding the rescheduled town hall as soon as details are available. Kirsten Petree kirsten.petree@nasa.gov 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 [NASA] INPUT SOLICITED FOR REVIEW OF NASA POSTDOCTORAL PROGRAM (NPP) After more than 50 years, NASA is conducting the first ever review of the NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP): https://npp.orau.org The purpose of this review is to identify ways the NPP may be enhanced in its effectiveness and to assess the merit of its current objectives. The review team is seeking comments on the NPP from the entire SMD community, including: - Current and former NPP Fellows - Current and former NPP mentors - People who have hired former NPP Fellows - People who chose not to apply for a NPP Fellowship - People who chose not to accept a NPP Fellowship - Anyone with an opinion on the NPP program An online form has been populated with questions whose answers will be particularly helpful to the panel: https://forms.gle/AA8joLvd4hkFjxcN6 Free response input on items that we have not included is of course welcome as well (contact panel leadership below). Your answers will be anonymous as the responder information is not stored. Thanks, and best wishes for a happy new year. Steve Cummer, Duke University, Study Co-Chair, cummer@duke.edu Stefanie Milam, NASA GSFC, Study Co-Chair, stefanie.n.milam@nasa.gov Paul Hertz, NASA HQ, Study Director, paul.hertz@nasa.gov [Edited for length] 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 ABSTRACT SUBMISSION FOR "TNO2024: THE TRANS-NEPTUNIAN SOLAR SYSTEM" IS NOW OPEN Abstracts can be submitted at the conference website: https://tno2024.org The conference will focus on a number of topics, including: - Physical and dynamical properties - Dwarf planets - Binaries and multiple systems - Relationships with other small body populations (Centaurs, Trojans, comets, inner Oort Cloud objects, interstellar objects) - Distant TNOs - Formation and evolutionary processes - Current and future surveys - Laboratory studies - Current and future space missions - Occultations The conference will take place at the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics in Taipei, Taiwan, 24-28 June 2024. 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 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS Note: Most face-to-face meetings going forward will have online components. Check their websites for details. Posted at https://planetarynews.org/meetings.html July 8-9, 2024 REBOUND Conference 2024 https://hannorein.github.io/rebound24/ Online July 14-19, 2024 National Astronomy Meeting 2024 - Royal Astronomical Society https://nam2024.wordpress.hull.ac.uk Hull, United Kingdom [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.] 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 PLANETARY SCIENCE JOURNAL - NEW PAPERS Direct Links to Open Access Papers Editor, Faith Vilas https://psj.aas.org Morphological and Spectral Characterization of Lunar Regolith Breakdown Due to Water Ice A. Shackelford et al. 2024 PSJ 5:1 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad0041 A New 2D Energy Balance Model for Simulating the Climates of Rapidly and Slowly Rotating Terrestrial Planets Ramses M. Ramirez 2024 PSJ 5:2 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad0729 *********************************************************************** COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS *********************************************************************** C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1-C1 PLANETARY ANALOG FIELD TRIP Do you wish you had more of a field geologist's perspective for the Moon, Mars, and other planets? Do you need to improve your intuition for landforms, geologic processes, and exploration architecture? If so, come to New Mexico March 14-18 with me for "Astrogeology for Educators" (that includes students! We'll also take the occasional engineer or manager). We'll explore the lunar and planetary analogs of Carrizozo lava flow, White Sands, Kilbourne Hole, and more. We'll also include stops at the New Mexico Museum of Space History (with a small but impressive Apollo collection) and Spaceport America, home to Virgin Galactic's suborbital launch site. I'm partnering with education consultant Dr. Mark Wagner to also include pedagogical ideas for teaching Earth and Space Science. Register with Ares Learning at: https://www.areslearning.com/astrogeology It's a quick, 1.5 hour flight from Houston where many will be gathered for LPSC immediately before. Questions? email me (Kirby Runyon) at kirby@planex.space. *********************************************************************** * The Planetary Exploration Newsletter is issued approximately weekly. * Current and back issues are available at https://planetarynews.org * * To subscribe, go to https://planetarynews.org and click on Subscribe. * * An unsubscribe option is available at the end of every PEN email. Or * 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. Alternatively, the editorial staff will * create one for you. Go to https://planetarynews.org/submission.html * for complete submission directions. * * PEN is a service provided by the Planetary Science Institute * (https://www.psi.edu) using no NASA funds. All editorial work is * volunteer. ***********************************************************************