PEN Website: https://planetarynews.org Editor: Mark V. Sykes Co-Editors: Matthew R Perry, Alex Morgan Email: pen_editor@psi.edu X: @pen2tweets Bluesky: @planetarynews.bsky.social o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. MEPAG Goals Document Community Feedback Due September 17 2. 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellowship at Purdue University 3. AbSciCon 2026: Call for Session & Town Hall Proposals 4. Navigating Uncertainty in Astrobiology: A Two-Part Virtual Panel Series 5. PhD Position in Lunar Science at the University of Hong Kong 6. NASA Budget Update Briefing on September 17, 2025 7. Applications for the 2026 Schweickart Prize Open on September 15 8. Planetary Meeting Calendar Additions 9. Planetary Science Journal - New Papers 10. 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 MEPAG GOALS DOCUMENT COMMUNITY FEEDBACK DUE SEPTEMBER 17 The latest draft of the MEPAG Goals Document (Work and PDF) is available at: https://planetarynews.org/MEPAG This is the result of extensive work by the MEPAG Goals committee, after input received from the community over the last year and in particular after our first call for input in 2024. We do have a tight timeline for completing this document, so we only have a short window to receive final commentary on this draft through next Wednesday, September 17. The MEPAG Goals committee will then use this feedback to ensure this document best reflects the community consensus of how the MEPAG Goals should be expressed, with a final version completed by the end of this month. Please read this draft document and send back constructive, specific feedback for where things can be improved to: mepag_goals_input@jpl.nasa.gov. Feel free to make specific edits in the Word file, or markups in the PDF, or send Goal/Objective/Sub-Objective/Investigation callouts to the specific changes you think the Goals Committee should consider. Thanks for your help in making this living document best reflect our community’s consensus views! Don Banfield MEPAG Goals Committee Chair, for the MEPAG Goals Committee [Edited for length] 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 51 PEGASI B POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP AT PURDUE UNIVERSITY The Heising-Simons Foundation is accepting applications for the 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellowship program in Planetary Astronomy now through October 3, 2025. Purdue University has recently been added as a host institution. We have a wide range of professors across Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences and Physics and Astronomy who can act at fellowship mentors. Research areas include (but are not limited to): Geophysics, geochemistry, surface processes, clouds and climate, thermochronology, in-situ instrumentation and planetary missions, habitability, biosignatures, origins of life, paleomagnetism, surface processes, and circumstellar disks. More information on our research and the resources available to fellows can be found at: https://www.eaps.purdue.edu/research/51pegbfellowship.html Applicants should apply directly to the Heising-Simons Foundation, are encouraged to reach out to and work with mentors to craft a strong application. Go to: https://www.51pegasib.org 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 ABSCICON 2026: CALL FOR SESSION & TOWN HALL PROPOSALS The Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) brings the astrobiology community together every two years to share research, collaborate, and plan for the future. In 2026, the meeting will occur May 17-22, 2026 in beautiful Madison, WI. You are invited to submit a session or town hall proposal for next year's meeting! Session and Town Hall Submission Deadline: September 17, 2025 Go to: https://agu.confex.com/agu/abscicon26/prelim.cgi/Home/0 AbSciCon is a community-organized conference that provides a forum for reporting on new discoveries, sharing data and insights, advancing collaborative efforts and initiating new ones, planning new projects, and educating the next generation of astrobiologists. We welcome a diverse community of scientists, students, journalists, policymakers, educators and organizations who are working toward a world where our global collaborations and partnerships can carry us into a sustainable future. Check the Dates & Deadlines page and other information on the AbSciCon website to keep track of calls and announcements at: https://www.agu.org/abscicon/about#dates https://www.agu.org/abscicon 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 NAVIGATING UNCERTAINTY IN ASTROBIOLOGY: A TWO-PART VIRTUAL PANEL SERIES Join us for a two-part virtual panel series featuring speakers who will share their experiences navigating astrobiology careers in academia (part one) and industry (part two). The discussion will explore how they got their start in their respective fields and how changes at NASA and within the astrobiology community have shaped their perspective on the future for early-career researchers. The panel is designed for students, postdocs, and junior researchers, but all are welcome to attend. These panels are hosted by the early career groups associated with the NASA Astrobiology RCNs: NOW-FLOW, PCE3, LIFE, and NfoLD, as well as the Scientific Society for Astrobiology. Distinguished Panelists for the Academia panel include: Jack Kiraly (The Planetary Society), Krista Soderlund (University of Texas at Austin), Britney Schmidt (Cornell University), Brook Nunn (University of Washington), and James Holden (University of Massachusetts Amherst). The panelists for the Industry Panel will be announced. Dates and Registration Links: Part One (Academia): Wednesday, September 24 at 2 pm ET, at: https://forms.gle/YV6Nxik6Kv7rJBVNA Part Two (Industry): Monday, October 20 at 2 pm ET, at: https://forms.gle/hVUTKkLiPvoqQLYv9 Please register ahead of the events in order to receive the virtual connection information. 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 PHD POSITION IN LUNAR SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG We are looking for 2026/27 intake PhD students to work with Dr. Yuqi Qian at the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of Hong Kong to explore the Moon. Students who have a BSc/MSc degree in geology, geochemistry, geophysics, remote sensing, geographical information science, geomatics, physics, or computer science will have the opportunity to conduct projects to link lunar sample studies, in situ investigations, remote sensing observations, and numerical simulations together. The 2026/27 main round admission will open on September 1 and close on December 1, 2025. Admitted students will be fully funded by the Postgraduate Scholarships (2500 USD per month). Exceptional students are welcomed to apply for the HKU Presidential PhD Scholar Programme and the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (3600 USD per month). More details and requirements: https://yuqiqian.com/positions/ 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 NASA BUDGET UPDATE BRIEFING ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2025 The Planetary Society is hosting a public briefing on the status of NASA's FY 2026 budget and likely scenarios facing government funding for space science as the fiscal year draws to a close. Speakers include Casey Dreier (Chief of Space Policy) and Jack Kiraly (Director of Government Relations). NASA Budget Update Briefing Wednesday, September 17, 2025 Starts at 4:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM PT Register at: https://planet.ly/sept17briefing The briefing will be recorded and made available afterwards. Please share with friends and colleagues. Questions? Submit them during the event or to advocacy@planetary.org. 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 APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2026 SCHWEICKART PRIZE OPEN ON SEPTEMBER 15 Are you a graduate student or recent postgraduate fellow interested in building bold ideas related to Planetary Defense? The Schweickart Prize invites you to submit an innovative proposal for tackling challenges like asteroid detection, impact mitigation, space law, or public education. The winner will receive a $10,000 USD cash award, a museum-quality prize, public recognition through a press campaign, and mentorship from the Prize Selection Committee, including Apollo 9 Astronaut Rusty Schweickart. To help applicants prepare, two information webinars with Q&A will be held on October 15 and 16 at 9am PDT / 12pm EDT / 6pm CEST. Interested participants are encouraged to RSVP to receive the webinar details: https://bit.ly/4mymwht Key Dates: - Applications open: September 15, 2025 - Information webinars: October 15 & 16 at 9am PDT/12pm EDT/6pm CEST - Proposal deadline: February 4, 2026 Learn more about the prize at: https://schweickartprize.org. Sign up for prize updates: https://bit.ly/3PKJvqJ 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 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 No new meetings. 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 SCIENCE JOURNAL - NEW PAPERS Direct Links to Open Access Papers Editor, Faith Vilas https://psj.aas.org The Visibility of the Otautahi-Oxford Interstellar Object Population Model in LSST Rosemary C. Dorsey et al. 2025 PSJ 6:214 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adf8ca Survivability of Amino Acids in Lunar Soil Li Hsia Yeo et al. 2025 PSJ 6:215 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adfedb Absorption Coefficients of Condensed O2>: Application to Ganymede Wendy M. Calvin 2025 PSJ 6:216 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adfc63 Topographic Relaxation of Complex Impact Craters in a Clathrate Crust on Titan Gwendolyn Brouwer et al. 2025 PSJ 6:217 https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adf642 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 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 Numerical Modeling of Tidally Driven Fractures Interacting With Meltwater Lenses on the Surface of Europa John C. N. W. Walding, Adriana Paluszny, Robert W. Zimmerman https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JE008762 A Statistical Study of Local Dust Storm Occurrences on Mars Using the 2.77 um CO2 Band Observed by OMEGA/Mars Express Akira Kazama et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JE008987 Northwest Africa 16788: The Largest Known Individual Martian Meteorite - A New Olivine Microgabbroic Shergottite and Its Implications for Martian Magmatism Xhonatan Shehaj et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JE008885 Multiple Episodes of Fluid Alteration in Jezero Crater Indicated by MIST Mineral Identifications in PIXL XRF Data From the First 1100 Sols of the Mars 2020 Mission Eleanor L. Moreland et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JE008797 Strain Localization Along Aphrodite Terra's Chasmata System, Venus: The Role of Frictional Melting and Fault-Melt Interaction Thomas Kenkmann, Oguzcan Karagoz, Monika Gurau https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JE008964 Venusian Planetary-Scale Waves Observed by Akatsuki Longwave Infrared Camera: Coupled Rossby-Kelvin Waves and Long-Term Variation Hiroyuki Koyama et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JE009108 Depth to Diameter Relationships for <50 m Diameter Martian Craters C. Millot et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JE008844 *********************************************************************** * 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. 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