PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 18, Number 20 (May 12, 2024) PEN Website: https://planetarynews.org Editor: Matthew R. Perry Co-Editors: Alex Morgan, Mark V. Sykes Email: pen_editor@psi.edu Twitter: @pen2tweets o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. [Correction] Save the Date: OpenPlanetary Virtual Lunch Talk on Hyperspectral Python Tools Via Zoom 2. [Correction] Professional Development for Scientists: Effective Mentoring Practices 3. EPSC 2024 Session OPS5: Exploration of Titan 4. EPSC 2024 Session SB3: Small Body Surfaces - Windows into Geological Space and Time 5. EPSC 2024 Session SB8: Advances in Photopolarimetry of Solar System Small Bodies 6. EPSC 2024 Session SB11: Exploring the Links Between Comets and Protoplanetary Disks 7. Ice Giant Systems Seminar Series: May 14, Dr. Conor Nixon (NASA Goddard) 8. Mercury Science and Exploration May 2024 Newsletter Released 9. OPUS Tool Now Supports PDS4 Data 10. Planetary Cross-AG EDIA Working Group 11. [NASA] Town Hall for Planetary Research Programs 12. [NASA] SMD: An Updated Planning List for NASA Headquarters Science Mission Directorate Solicitations Dated May 6, 2024 Released 13. [NASA] SMD: NASA's OTPS Lunar Non-Interference Questionnaire Invites Responses from Members of the Lunar Community 14. [NASA] SMD: C.26 Rapid Mission Design Studies for Mars Sample Return Correction 15. Planetary Meeting Calendar Additions 16. Planetary Science Journal - New Papers Commercial Announcements: C1. Commercial: Zero-G Flight from Houston-Ellington Field 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 [CORRECTION] SAVE THE DATE: OPENPLANETARY VIRTUAL LUNCH TALK ON HYPERSPECTRAL PYTHON TOOLS VIA ZOOM Speaker: Michael Phillips (Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Arizona) Title: "HyPyRameter and SCAT: New Python Tools for Working with Hyperspectral Data" Date and Time: Thursday May 16 at 12:00 EDT (09:00 PDT / 16:00 UTC / 18:00 CEST / 21:30 IST) Corrected link: https://tinyurl.com/4mh3p3b8 Michael Phillips (Lunar and Planetary Laboratory) will talk about two new tools that he has developed for specific use-cases that arose in his own research and that he hopes others may find useful. These tools are HyPyRameter and the Spectral Cube Analysis Tool (SCAT). He developed HyPyRameter in 2022 (a time when PyHAT was not being maintained) to calculate CRISM-like spectral parameters for mission simulation field work. The Spectral Cube Analysis Tool was an attempt to create a GUI environment to interact with hyperspectral image data. SCAT offers some basic but useful functionalities that will be detailed in the talk. For tool Information go to: https://github.com/Michael-S-Phillips/HyPyRameter https://github.com/Michael-S-Phillips/SCAT Invite your colleagues - If they are interested, they can find more information and subscribe to our newsletter from the OP Virtual Lunches web page at: https://www.openplanetary.org/vlunch 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 [CORRECTION] PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR SCIENTISTS: EFFECTIVE MENTORING PRACTICES Corrected link: https://tinyurl.com/5xxndesa Join the Lunar and Planetary Institute for a professional development seminar on Monday, May 20, at 2:00 p.m. CDT. In this 60-minute virtual seminar, we are joined by Dr. Sarah Hokanson and Dr. Bene Gnangnon of Boston University and the Postdoc Academy. We will share evidence-based practices for building an effective mentoring relationship, provide resources, and answer questions. Whether you are a first-time mentor, an experienced mentor, or just interested in learning more, this session will prepare you to make the most of your next mentoring interaction. 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 EPSC 2024 SESSION OPS5: EXPLORATION OF TITAN We are organizing a session "Exploration of Titan" at EPSC 2024. We hope it will be a time of great discussion on the latest discoveries and plans to explore Titan. Saturn's moon Titan, despite its satellite status, has nothing to envy the planets: it has planetary dimensions, a substantial and dynamic atmosphere, a carbon cycle, a variety of geological features (dunes, lakes, rivers, mountains and more), seasons, and a hidden ocean. It even now has its own mission: Dragonfly, selected by NASA in the frame of the New Frontiers program. In this session, scientific presentations are solicited to cover all aspects of current research on Titan: from its interior to its upper atmosphere, using data collected from the Cassini-Huygens mission (2004-2017) and/or from telescopes (e.g., ALMA, JWST) and/or based on modelling and experimental efforts to support the interpretation of past and future observations of this unique world. We encourage you to submit an abstract here: https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC2024/session/51264 Abstracts are due 15 May 2024, 13:00 CEST. We look forward to seeing you in Berlin and online! Audrey Chatain, Sandrine Vinatier, Anezina Solomonidou, Thomas Gautier, Jani Radebaugh, Tetsuya Tokano, Federico Tosi 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 EPSC 2024 SESSION SB3: SMALL BODY SURFACES - WINDOWS INTO GEOLOGICAL SPACE AND TIME Dear community, with the EPSC abstract deadline approaching within the next few days, we would like to draw your attention to our session, which invites presentations of small body surface-related research, including but not limited to geological and geomorphological observations, spectral analyses, mappings, models as well as statistics and their combined interpretations. We furthermore support comparative analyses between planet/moon surfaces and small body surfaces. We welcome both data of past and ongoing space missions. Please submit your abstract here: https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC2024/session/51280 Abstracts are due 15 May 2024, 13:00 CEST. We look forward to seeing you in Berlin and online! The Conveners Tanja Michalik, Katharina Otto, Rutu Parekh and Ottaviano Ruesch 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 EPSC 2024 SESSION SB8: ADVANCES IN PHOTOPOLARIMETRY OF SOLAR SYSTEM SMALL BODIES The section aims to showcase recent developments and breakthroughs in photopolarimetry applied to small bodies within our Solar System and beyond. Photopolarimetry serves as a robust tool for uncovering the physical, structural, and compositional, properties of small bodies, such as asteroids, comets, and moons. We encourage discussions on the latest findings and methodologies to foster collaboration and push the boundaries of our understanding in characterizing small body surfaces and atmospheres, as well as dust in the Solar System, through the lens of photopolarimetry. We invite abstract submissions on advancements in observational, numerical, and laboratory methods for extracting relevant information from imagery, photometry, and polarimetry. Topics may include reference laboratory databases, photometric and polarimetric modeling, software, and web service applications. Please submit your abstract by May 15, 2024, 13:00 CEST to: https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC2024/abstractsubmission/ Conveners: Oleksandra Ivanova, Ludmilla Kolokolova, Stefano Bagnulo, Olga Munoz, Irina Belskaya, Karri Muinonen, Yuna Kwon, Johannes Markkanen, Antti Penttila 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 EPSC 2024 SESSION SB11: EXPLORING THE LINKS BETWEEN COMETS AND PROTOPLANETARY DISKS Our understanding of the composition of comets has recently boosted thanks to the development of cutting-edge instrumentation for ground- and space-based observations (e.g., iSHELL/IRTF, CRIRES+/VLT, ALMA, NIRSPEC/JWST), dedicated space missions (e.g., ESA-Rosetta), and increasing complexity in theoretical modelling, all providing important insights into the nature of these bodies. Similarly, our knowledge of the ice and gas composition in planet-forming regions has advanced significantly thanks to the advent of interferometers and telescopes such as ALMA and JWST, revealing previously unknown aspects of the chemistry of protoplanetary discs and the planet formation process. In this session, we welcome contributions on current theoretical and observational findings for comets, protoplanetary disks, and their potential connections, with the objective of sparking a multidisciplinary discussion about the origins and evolution of our and other planetary systems. Please submit your abstract here: https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC2024/session/51328 Abstracts are due 15 May 2024, 13:00 CEST. We look forward to welcoming you in Berlin in September and online! with best regards, M. Lippi, L. Podio, C. Snodgrass, C. Walsh, M. Cordiner, R. Marschall and C. Opitom 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 ICE GIANT SYSTEMS SEMINAR SERIES: MAY 14, DR. CONOR NIXON (NASA GODDARD) Date/Time: May 14, 11am EDT Speaker: Dr. Conor Nixon (NASA Goddard) Topic: Cool Joules - Remote Sensing of the Ice Giants in the Thermal Infrared The Ice Giant Systems Seminar Series showcases recent developments in scientific topics covering all aspects of the ice giant systems, including atmospheres, satellites, rings, magnetic fields, interior structures, and science related to formation and evolution. To access the virtual seminar, view the seminar schedule, and "Stay Informed", visit the series website here: https://icegiantsseminar.jhuapl.edu. Mallory Kinczyk & Jodi Berdis 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 MERCURY SCIENCE AND EXPLORATION MAY 2024 NEWSLETTER RELEASED The Mercury Exploration Assessment Group (MExAG) is circulating Issue 15 of "The Mercury Newsletter". The quarterly community newsletter can be accessed online at: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/mexag/newsletter/ This edition highlights openings on the MExAG Steering Committee (applications due May 17), shares Mercury science and exploration news, spotlights early career members, features upcoming meetings, and includes recent publications. All quarterly newsletters can be found online at: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/mexag/newsletter/ Please send your Mercury community announcements and calendar items for inclusion in the newsletter to the MExAG Steering Committee at mexag.sc@gmail.com. 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 OPUS TOOL NOW SUPPORTS PDS4 DATA We're pleased to announce that the Outer Planets Unified Search (OPUS) tool, run by the PDS Ring-Moons System Node, now supports PDS4. We have imported our first PDS4 bundles, the ground-based occultations of Uranus from Richard French et al. Like all data in OPUS, these bundles have been unified with our other data sets to enable multi-mission/multi-instrument search, including full metadata, browseable thumbnails, and selectable download products. Another related change involves how ring longitude is defined. Previously, our definition of ring longitude was referenced to the First Point of Aries (Right Ascension = 0), which was inconsistent with the definition used by many ring researchers, leading to confusion. Now, in addition to the existing longitude fields, we provide new fields based on the Ascending Node of the ring plane. Full details of these and other changes can be found on the OPUS blog at: https://ringsnodesearchtool.blogspot.com/ You can also select "Recent Announcements" from the top navigation bar of OPUS. 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 PLANETARY CROSS-AG EDIA WORKING GROUP The Planetary Cross-AG Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA) Working Group is having a general meeting on Wednesday, May 29 at 1pm EDT. All members of the planetary science community are welcome! We will recap and discuss the NASEM study on Advancing Diversity in the Leadership of Competed Space Missions. To join our listserv to get meeting details and updates, send an email to planetaryedi+subscribe@psi.edu For more information, please visit our website at: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/idea/working-group/ 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11 [NASA] TOWN HALL FOR PLANETARY RESEARCH PROGRAMS On May 21, 2024 at 1 PM Eastern, NASA's Planetary Science Division (PSD) will host a webinar to discuss the Planetary Research Program, including upcoming changes, some data on programs to date, and plans to reduce the barrier to proposing for the planetary research community. A large focus of this Town Hall will be to discuss requirements for proposals submitted under the Dual Anonymous Peer Review (DAPR) process, which will be the default for all proposals submitted to the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) under ROSES-2025 (with rare exceptions). Additionally, we will discuss some analytics for our Planetary Research programs and potential future ways of soliciting proposals for Planetary Research, with the goal of increasing accessibility and decreasing unnecessary barriers for proposing to Planetary Research programs. In advance of the webinar, questions may be submitted and upvoted on at: https://nasa.cnf.io/sessions/z18d/#!/dashboard Join from the webinar link: https://tinyurl.com/28cj4bp3 Webinar number: 2821 584 9322 General Webinar password: 3VzCbJ69Rj@ (38922569 from phones and video systems) Join by phone: +1-929-251-9612 United States Toll (New York City) +1-415-527-5035 United States Toll Access code: 282 158 49322 12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12 [NASA] SMD: AN UPDATED PLANNING LIST FOR NASA HEADQUARTERS SCIENCE MISSION DIRECTORATE SOLICITATIONS DATED MAY 6, 2024 RELEASED The NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) in Washington DC has posted an update to the website for the Science Office for Mission Assessments (SOMA) at the Langley Research Center (LaRC) that lists solicitation titles with actual or expected release dates. The updated list includes 1) SMD plans to release as Broad Agency Announcements, including NASA Research Announcements (NRAs), Announcements of Opportunity (AOs), and Cooperative Agreement Notices (CANs) through Fiscal Year (FY) 2029, and 2) some updates to FY 2017 to the present solicitations. To locate the updated file in PDF format, please visit the "About SOMA" webpage at: https://soma.larc.nasa.gov/index.html and scroll to the section of the page entitled "Planning List for SMD Solicitations". [Edited for length] 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] SMD: NASA'S OTPS LUNAR NON-INTERFERENCE QUESTIONNAIRE INVITES RESPONSES FROM MEMBERS OF THE LUNAR COMMUNITY NASA's Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS) is asking members of the lunar community to respond to a new Lunar Non-Interference Questionnaire that will inform the development of a framework for further work on non-interference of lunar activities. Please see the Questionnaire at: https://tinyurl.com/34k5nszt Direct any questions to the PoC at NASA HQ (Therese Jones, HQ-OTPS-Applications@mail.nasa.gov). Answers to the questionnaire are due Friday, June 7, 2024. [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 [NASA] SMD: C.26 RAPID MISSION DESIGN STUDIES FOR MARS SAMPLE RETURN CORRECTION C.26 Rapid Mission Design Studies for Mars Sample Return (RASMSR) solicits industry proposals to carry out rapid studies of mission designs and mission elements capable of delivering samples collected by the Mars Perseverance rover from the surface of Mars to Earth. This is a notice to potential proposers of a correction to C.26 RASMSR: On or about May 6, 2024, the requirement for a "Proposal Adequacy Checklist" has been removed, see Section 4.5 "Proposal Content". New text is in bold and deleted text is struck through. The due date remains unchanged: Proposals are still due May 17, 2024. Solicitation is available at: https://tinyurl.com/4f3mk5z9 Also, a FAQ and an MSR Element Specifications document have been posted under "Other Documents" on the NSPIRES Page C.26 RASMSR. Questions concerning C.26 RASMSR may be directed to Lindsay Hays and Paul Hertz at HQ-RASMSR@mail.nasa.gov. 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 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 May 29, 2024 Planetary Cross-AG EDIA Working Group General Meeting https://www.lpi.usra.edu/idea/working-group/ Online September 16-20, 2024 Summer School "Planet Formation and Populations" https://exoplanets2024.ut.ee/ Tartu Observatory, Estonia [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.] 16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16 PLANETARY SCIENCE JOURNAL - NEW PAPERS Direct Links to Open Access Papers Editor, Faith Vilas https://psj.aas.org Pwyll and Manannan Craters as a Laboratory for Constraining Irradiation Timescales on Europa M. Ryleigh Davis and Michael E. Brown 2024 PSJ 5:107 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad3944 Comparative Mid-infrared Spectroscopy of Dark, Primitive Asteroids: Does Shared Taxonomic Class Indicate Shared Silicate Composition? Oriel A. Humes et al. 2024 PSJ 5:108 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad3a69 Probing the Rock Mass Fraction and Transport Efficiency inside Uranus Using 40Ar Measurements Francis Nimmo et al. 2024 PSJ 5:109 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad3b93 Accretion and Uneven Depletion of the Main Asteroid Belt Rogerio Deienno et al. 2024 PSJ 5:110 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad3a68 Thermal Oxidation Reaction between NH3 and O3: Low-temperature Formation of an NH4+ -bearing Salt Patrick D. Tribbett and Mark J. Loeffler 2024 PSJ 5:111 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad394a Increasing the Usability and Accessibility of Voyager 2 Images of Triton Michael T. Bland et al. 2024 PSJ 5:112 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad33ca *********************************************************************** 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 COMMERCIAL: ZERO-G FLIGHT FROM HOUSTON-ELLINGTON FIELD Experience Lunar (and Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, and Titan) gravity and zero (small bodies) gravity on a parabolic flight on a June 1, 2024 out of Houston's Ellington Field, the same runway used by NASA astronauts in their T-38 supersonic trainer jet. As a fellow planetary scientist, I'll be on this flight with you! Save 5% on the $9,900 ticket price with my promo code, KirbyPlanex when you register at: https://www.gozerog.com/reservations/houston-tx-hou/ Questions? Email kirby@planex.space. Don't just study planetary bodies; experience them! 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