PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 19, Number 21 (May 25, 2025) PEN Website: https://planetarynews.org Editor: Alex Morgan Co-Editors: Mark V. Sykes, Matthew R Perry Email: pen_editor@psi.edu Twitter: @pen2tweets o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. USRA Statement on DEI Content Removal from LPI Websites 2. Global Petition to Save NASA Science 3. Announcing the Planetary Research Cooperative 4. Postdoc Opportunity to Work on the SHERLOC Instrument on Perseverance at JPL 5. STFC Funded PDRA Position at the University of Kent 6. South Pole-Aitken Basin Focus Issue in Planetary Science Journal 7. The Solar System in Context - Call for Abstracts 8. Survey From NASA IRTF and Keck Users Group 9. Planetary Meeting Calendar Additions 10. Planetary Science Journal - New Papers 11. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets - 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 USRA STATEMENT ON DEI CONTENT REMOVAL FROM LPI WEBSITES Dear Colleagues, We have heard from many of you and understand that there is significant concern among the planetary science community regarding the removal of DEI content from USRA/LPI websites. Please know that we did not make that decision lightly. We were doing our best to comply with our understanding of the Administration's directives (specifically, Executive Order 14173) and the deadline it set for compliance. Much of the feedback we have received is based on misunderstandings and inaccurate information, so we thought it would be best to address this by explaining the facts, including the process we used to identify and remove DEI-related content. To this end, we have prepared some detailed questions and answers that we hope will address and allay your concerns and help you understand our perspective. Please understand that our staff, whom you know from LPSCs, AG meetings, and other community meetings, has been working diligently on this effort. As always, we are committed to serving both NASA and the entire planetary science community with the utmost professionalism and integrity. https://tinyurl.com/3tkkz2m7 Sincerely, Elsayed Talaat President and CEO, USRA 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 GLOBAL PETITION TO SAVE NASA SCIENCE The Planetary Society has launched a new petition that is open to anyone, from anywhere around the world, to sign. The petition calls on Congress to reject the proposed 'extinction-level' cuts and restore funding for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The petition will go to the House and Senate appropriations committee as an official part of the FY 2026 budget process. If you haven't yet taken action to Save NASA Science, this is your chance to do so. Add your name here and share with your friends, neighbors, and colleagues: https://planet.ly/petition The more names on the petition, the more impact it will have in showing Congress the immense public support for space science. 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 ANNOUNCING THE PLANETARY RESEARCH COOPERATIVE The Planetary Research Cooperative is a new community-run non-profit organization that will serve the interests of the planetary science community. The primary mission of the association is to publish the journal Planetary Research, which will be the first diamond open access journal devoted to our field. Diamond open access means that there will be no fees for authors and all content will be free to access. The journal will launch at the end of this year. The association will also run the Planetary Research Blog, which will be a separate website that publishes short summaries of cutting-edge planetary science research that are accessible to both the broad scientific community and non-experts alike. The association provides several open-source internet services that aim to foster interactions among planetary scientists and that will allow researchers to share their work with the public. We currently run a Mattermost server and a Mastodon instance, and we will launch a Peertube video server later this year. All of our services are free to use for association members, so sign up and become a member today. Membership is free! https://coop.planetary-research.org 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 POSTDOC OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ON THE SHERLOC INSTRUMENT ON PERSEVERANCE AT JPL The SHERLOC investigation on the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission seeks qualified postdoc applicants, to be based at JPL, working as part of the SHERLOC team on the following research tasks: - Participate in mission operations, specifically those associated with operations of the SHERLOC instrument on Mars. - Laboratory studies of Mars analog mineral and organic samples, with specific application to interpretation of SHERLOC spectroscopy data from Mars. - Hyperspectral visualization and analysis software development. - Assist with flight system test bed activities. - Conduct and lead original research based on SHERLOC data, and publish manuscripts reporting results. Required Qualifications: - PhD in planetary science, engineering, or related discipline. - Programming experience in Python or related programming languages. - Hands on laboratory experience, ideally with spectrometers and instrumentation. - Proven record of leadership on peer-reviewed scientific publications. More information is available here: https://tinyurl.com/bd7z7296 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 STFC FUNDED PDRA POSITION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENT The Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science at the University of Kent is pleased to announce an STFC funded PDRA position within the Impact Group. The project 'Exploring fundamentals of impact capture to maximize future dust collections' will utilise the Impact Group's two-stage light gas gun facility to explore optimal methods to collect cosmic dust for three scenarios relating to space mission/experiment concepts currently in development. These are: - Collection of dust from the volcanic plumes of Io, - Collection of dust from icy plumes of Enceladus, - Opportunistic collection of dust in the Near-Earth environment by space hardware. The successful candidate will work with an interdisciplinary team led by Dr Penny Wozniakiewicz, covering physics, planetary science, chemistry and biosciences. They will use various analytical instrumentation including optical/electron microscopes, GC-MS, MP-AES and Raman spectroscopy to assess the performance of different capture media. External collaborations with members of Io and Enceladus dust sampling mission concept teams will provide key underpinning data for these, and future, mission concepts. Applications close on Monday, 9 June, with interviews held the week of the 16 June. https://jobs.kent.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx?ref=EMP-001-25-R For any questions, please contact Penny Wozniakiewicz at pjw@kent.ac.uk [Edited for length] 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 SOUTH POLE-AITKEN BASIN FOCUS ISSUE IN PLANETARY SCIENCE JOURNAL We are organizing a focus issue in the Planetary Science Journal (PSJ; https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/2632-3338) and soliciting papers related to South Pole - Aitken Basin (SPA) science. SPA is central to a diverse range of outstanding questions in lunar geologic history and to planetary science. These include the early impact history of the inner Solar System, initial differentiation and thermal evolution of the lunar interior, and the nature of the lunar dichotomy. The goal of this Focus Issue is to inspire and compile a diverse set of new analyses of the basin, leveraging modern data and updated analysis techniques. The collection of scientific work in this focus issue will provide essential context for identifying and interpreting SPA samples and will help to inform future sample return strategies. Feel free to reach out to Jenny Whitten (whittenjl@si.edu) or Dan Moriarty (daniel.p.moriarty@nasa.gov) (focus issue editors) with any questions. PSJ Focus Issues accept and publish papers as they are submitted and reviewed; there is no wait for one manuscript upon another, and submissions are accepted at any time. 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 THE SOLAR SYSTEM IN CONTEXT - CALL FOR ABSTRACTS We are happy to announce the 2025 NOIRLab Science Conference: The Solar System in Context, which will take place on 29 September - 2 October in Tucson, Arizona. The conference will be focused on the interdisciplinarity of the formation and evolution of the Solar System, exoplanetary systems, and their stars. Main topics include: disks; stellar evolution; planet-star connections; (exo)planets; planetary demographics; habitability; planet formation, migration, & evolution; rocky small bodies & (exo)moons; active asteroids & (exo)comets; interstellar objects; instrumentation & software tools, and more. We welcome abstracts submitted using the abstract submission form or through the conference website: https://noirlab.edu/solar-system-in-context The deadline for submitting abstracts is 11 July 2025. Important Dates: 21 May: Abstract Submission Opens 2 June: Registration Opens (in-person and virtual options) 11 July: Abstract Submission Closes 15 September: Registration Deadline Contact: solarsystemcontext2025@noirlab.edu 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 SURVEY FROM NASA IRTF AND KECK USERS GROUP The NASA IRTF and Keck Users Group (NIKUG) reviews all aspects of the operations of Keck and IRTF, including budgets, observing proposal review, visitor support, telescope performance, maintenance, instrumentation, operational procedures, scientific results, and future plans. We are currently conducting a survey to better understand which Keck capabilities matter most to you and your science. NASA is a one-sixth partner in the W. M. Keck Observatory (WMKO), which allows all U.S.-based astronomers to apply for NASA time on the Keck telescopes. The WMKO team invites both current and potential NASA-Keck users to share their input on the scientific capabilities - present and future - that are most critical to their research. Preliminary survey results suggest that the needs and priorities of the NASA-Keck community may differ from those of the other Keck partners. It is therefore vital that we gather broad input from NASA-Keck users and potential users to help WMKO align future planning with our community's goals. https://nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5o5Wmg8nVBHEvTE If you completed our earlier survey, thank you - your responses highlighted the need for this follow-up. We hope you'll take a few more minutes to complete this one as well. [Edited for length] 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 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 September 29 - October 2, 2025 The Solar System in Context https://noirlab.edu/solar-system-in-context Tucson, AZ [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.] 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 SCIENCE JOURNAL - NEW PAPERS Direct Links to Open Access Papers Editor, Faith Vilas https://psj.aas.org Continental Orientation and the Climate of Land-dominated, Arid Planets Donald M. Glaser et al. 2025 PSJ 6:111 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adccb6 Architecture and Field Operation of a Portable Digital Holographic Microscope for In Situ Measurements of Bacterial Motility J. Kent Wallace et al. 2025 PSJ 6:112 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adceec A Catalytic Pathway for the Formation of Cyanobenzene in Nitrogen-rich Environments and the Spectroscopy of the Reactive Intermediates Vincent J. Esposito et al. 2025 PSJ 6:113 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adcf17 Seasonal Evolution of Titan's Stratospheric Tilt and Temperature Field at High Resolution from Cassini/CIRS Lucy Wright et al. 2025 PSJ 6:114 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adcab3 Multiwavelength JWST Observations of (3200) Phaethon Show a Dehydrated Object with an Aqueously Altered Origin Cristina A. Thomas et al. 2025 PSJ 6:115 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adceba A Complex Systems Approach to Exoplanet Atmospheric Chemistry: New Prospects for Ruling Out the Possibility of Alien Life As We Know It Theresa Fisher et al. 2025 PSJ 6:116 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adcc27 Effects of the 2018 Martian Global Dust Storm on Boundary Positions in the Induced Magnetosphere Catherine E. Regan et al. 2025 PSJ 6:117 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/add2f8 Origin of Phobos and Deimos: Orbital Evolution Shortly after Formation from a Potential Dislocation Ryan Dahoumane et al. 2025 PSJ 6:118 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adcab2 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11 JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS - NEW PAPERS Direct Links to Open Access (OA) Papers Editor-in-Chief, Amanda Hendrix https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/21699100 The Sporadic Fluvial Regime of Pliva Vallis, the Outlet Valley of Jezero Crater Lake, Mars J. Villette et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JE008862 Thermal Infrared Spectra of the Moon: Results From the Lucy Thermal Emission Spectrometer Observations Philip R. Christensen et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JE008493 Inferring Fireball Velocity Profiles and Characteristic Parameters of Meteoroids From Incomplete Data Sets Eloy Pena-Asensio & Maria Gritsevich https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JE008382 *********************************************************************** * 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. 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