Issue 14-18, July 29, 2014
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1) LAST CHANCE TO VOTE AT THE 2014 DPS ELECTIONS
2) 46TH DPS MEETING IN TUCSON REMINDERS
3) REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: EUROPA CUBESAT CONCEPT STUDY
4) EUROPA PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE
5) ISSUE WITH INTERRUPTIONS OF ICARUS SUBSCRIPTIONS
6) UPCOMING MEETINGS
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LAST CHANCE TO VOTE IN THE 2014 DPS ELECTIONS
DEADLINE FAST APPROACHING: FEW MORE DAYS LEFT !
Please remember to vote ! The 2014 election for DPS Vice-Chair and Committee will close soon after July 31st 2014.
Go to http://aas.org/vote/
You will need your AAS member login ID (which defaults to your membership number), and your password.
If you have trouble voting on line, the AAS can do a proxy vote and vote on your behalf (send an e-mail to [email protected]). You will still get an automated email confirmation and a separate manual email, both with who you voted for and a confirmation number.
You should vote for one of the two candidates for Vice-Chair:
o Jason W. Barnes, University of Idaho
o Stephen J. Mackwell, LPI, Universities Space Research Association
The elected Vice-Chair will take his/her functions in October 2014 and will become the DPS Chair in October 2015.
You should also vote for two of the four candidates for DPS Committee:
o Maria Antonietta Barucci, LESIA, Paris Observatory
o Joshua Emery, Dept of Earth & Planet. Sci., University of Tennessee
o Amy Lovell, Dept of Physics & Astronomy, Agnes Scott College
o Gerald Wesley Patterson, APL, Johns Hopkins University
The successful candidates will serve on the committee for three years after October 2014.
The detailed vitae and position statements for each of the candidates can be found on the main election page,
http://aas.org/vote/
It is very important for all of us to participate to these elections, so please take a moment to vote !
Thank you !
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46TH DPS MEETING IN TUCSON REMINDERS
Tucson, AZ, 9-14 November 2014 at the JW Marriott Starr Pass
http://aas.org/meetings/dps46
DPS members you are invited to attend the 46th Annual DPS meeting!
* Important dates
21 August 2014 : Regular Abstract deadline
See http://aas.org/dps-46th-meeting/46th-dps-meeting-abstract-and-presentation-information and go to: http://abstracts.aas.org/abstract_pass/dps
Other important dates:
– 26 August 2014
DPS 46 Early Registration Deadline
– 11 September 2014
DPS 46 Regular Registration Deadline
– 24 September 2014
46th DPS Late Abstract Submission Deadline – 9:00pm ET
– 10 October 2014
46th DPS Hotel Reservations Deadline
– August 29, 2014 11:59 PM
Hartmann travel grants applications deadline
– 6 August 2014
DPS 46 Exhibitor Regular Deadline
– 22 August 2014
DPS 46 Exhibitor Final Deadline
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* Historical Session at DPS
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With the deadline of August 21 for abstracts approaching, the DPS has agreed to have an oral historical session, cosponsored by the AAS’s Historical Astronomy Division (HAD), on the Monday morning, November 10, in Tucson. Last year’s Monday morning DPS/HAD session attracted over 100 people.
DPS or HAD members are invited to submit abstracts for the session by the August 21 deadline. Depending on how many submissions we have, we will then apportion time as well as oral/poster acceptances.
Note that a historical abstract does not count against a member’s quota of one research abstract.
Anyone with questions is invited to contact me.
Jay Pasachoff
Chair of HAD
[email protected]
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: EUROPA CUBESAT CONCEPT STUDY
JPL invites proposals with the intent to provide a study to address a mission concept for a small CubeSat spacecraft up to 3U in size that would be carried aboard the potential Europa Clipper spacecraft, released in the Jovian system and would make measurements at Europa. This request is open to U.S. Higher Educational Institutions. It is anticipated that up to 10 proposals will be selected, each not to exceed $25K. The performance period is approximately 8 months.
The proposal due date is Aug. 18, 2014, 3:00 p.m. PDT.
This effort may lead to additional tasks in the future, however, there is no commitment at this time to fly CubeSats on the potential Europa Clipper mission.
Any communication in reference to this RFP should be via email to the attention of Patrick Thompson [email protected] .
Complete information is available at: https://acquisition.jpl.nasa.gov/RFP/SS-06-30-14
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EUROPA PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE
The Europa Pre-Proposal Conference has been scheduled for Monday, August 4, 2014. Potential proposers to the Europa Instrument Investigation PEA soliciting Principal Investigator (PI)-led science investigations for a Europa mission are encouraged to attend this pre-proposal conference. Information will be presented by NASA officials, and participants will have the opportunity to pose questions regarding the opportunity.
The pre-proposal conference has been scheduled from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm EDT. The conference will be virtual and participation will be facilitated via Webex and teleconference line. Travel to the pre-proposal conference is not necessary and attendance in person is not supported. The agenda and instructions will soon be posted at:
http://soma.larc.nasa.gov/europa/
Dr. Curt Niebur
NASA Headquarters
(202)358-0390
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ISSUE WITH INTERRUPTIONS OF ICARUS SUBSCRIPTIONS
The DPS Committee has become aware that several DPS members with personal member subscriptions to Icarus have experienced interruptions in their on-line access. This seems to be related to Elsevier failing to update their records following renewal of DPS membership and Icarus subscription.
Elsevier is now aware of the problem and has taken steps to rectify it. They have now also assigned a specific Society Liaison to oversee DPS member subscriptions.
If you experience a problem with on-line access to your personal Icarus subscription, please contact Mitchell Ross at: <[email protected]>. Further information regarding DPS member subscriptions to Icarus can be found at: <content/publications>.
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UPCOMING MEETINGS
A) 2014 AGU FALL MEETING
December 15-19, 2014
San Francisco, CA, USA
The abstract deadline for all submissions is 6 August 23:59 EDT/03:59 +1 GMT and no abstracts will be accepted after this date. See hereafter for some planetary-related sessions.
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SESSION B3387 : LOOKING FOR LIFE: FORMATION, PRESERVATION AND
DETECTION OF BIOSIGNATURES IN TERRESTRIAL ANALOGUE ENVIRONMENTS
Interpreting in situ enigmatic features (body or trace fossils,
isotopic or molecular signatures, chemical disequilibria, or
conspicuous mineralization) as indicators of biological activity is a
notoriously difficult task. The goal of characterizing biosignatures
is not only to identify attributes as uniquely produced by biological
processes, but also to recognize these attributes as unambiguous
indicators of life. Understanding and recognizing the biogeochemical
process that result in biosignatures, both in the lab and in field-
based studies of terrestrial analogues of potentially habitable
environments beyond Earth, will provide valuable information for
future life detection missions. Emphasis will be placed on
interdisciplinary studies that advance our understanding of
biosignature formation mechanisms and detection methods.
Conveners: Alexandra Pontefract (University of Western Ontario) and
Haley M. Sapers (University of Western Ontario)
– SESSION P1671 : THE SCIENCE OF EXPLORATION AS ENABLED BY THE MOON,
NEAR EARTH ASTEROIDS AND THE MOONS OF MARS
A close collaboration between science, technology and exploration will
enable deeper understanding of the Moon and other airless bodies as we
move further out of low-Earth orbit. The new Solar System Exploration
Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) will focus on the scientific
aspects of exploration as they pertain to the Moon, Near Earth
Asteroids (NEAs) and the moons of Mars. This session will feature
interdisciplinary, exploration-related science centered around all
airless bodies targeted as potential human destinations. Areas of
study reported here will represent the broad spectrum of lunar, NEA,
and Martian moon sciences encompassing investigations of the surface,
interior, exosphere, and near-space environments as well as science
uniquely enabled from these bodies.
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/
Session1671.html
Conveners:
Brad Bailey ([email protected])
David Morrison ([email protected])
Yvonne J Pendleton ([email protected])
Gregory Schmidt ([email protected])
– SESSION P2116 – MERCURY: RESULTS FROM MESSENGER’S LOW-ALTITUDE CAMPAIGN
We invite contributions to a special session on Mercury at the 2014
AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, CA, December 15–19, 2014.
NASA’s MESSENGER mission, now nearing the fourth and final year of
orbital operations at Mercury, is well into a low-altitude campaign
that is returning images and measurements of the planetary surface
and near-surface that are unprecedented in their resolution. This
session will highlight the latest results from MESSENGER observations
and their implications for Mercury’s geological evolution, the
interaction of the planet’s exosphere and magnetosphere with the
solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field, and the planet’s
geophysical and geochemical characteristics. We also welcome
contributed papers on future mission opportunities, complementary
ground-based observations, laboratory measurements, and theoretical
developments relevant to planetary processes at Mercury.
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/Session2116.html
Conveners:
Paul Byrne (Lunar and Planetary Institute)
Larry Nittler (Carnegie Institution of Washington)
Sean Solomon (Columbia University)
– SESSION P2314 : PLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS, INTERIOR DYNAMICS, AND MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES
Planetary magnetic fields open a window to a planet’s interior and may
also play a role in the retention of a planet’s atmosphere from the
effects of stellar wind, providing an opportunity for life to exist
and flourish at the surface of terrestrial planets. This session
invites papers regarding theories, numerical simulations, and
observations of the nature of magnetic fields in solar system planets
or extrasolar planets. Further, the session aims to bring together
scientists from different communities for an up-to-date overview of
the nature of planetary magnetic fields and interior dynamics in the
Solar system planets and exoplanets. Contributions dealing with
magnetic field generation and Solar wind interaction with planetary
magnetic fields are welcome. Observational methods of interest are
low frequency radio, UV, and other remote sensing techniques that may
provide evidence for the presence of extrasolar planetary magnetic
fields.
http://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/p/papers/index.cgi?sessionid=2314
Conveners:
Walid Majid, (JPL)
Daniel Winterhalter (JPL)
Leslie Rogers (Caltech)
– EVOLUTIONS, INTERACTIONS AND ORIGINS OF OUTER PLANET SATELLITES
Session ID#: 2526
This session explores current and past planetary processes that lead to unique present day conditions on outer planet satellites. The session will consist of invited and contributed talks that highlight geological and geophysical modeling and interpretation of both remote-sensed and in-situ data. Presentations on interaction of planetary field and plasma with the surfaces and interiors of the moons and theoretical models of the origin and evolution of surfaces and interiors of the moons are also welcome. Contributions that investigate processes on multiple moons to uncover underlying trends are especially welcome.
– CASSINI AT SATURN: SCIENCE TODAY AND IN THE FINAL THREE YEARS
Session ID#: 3530
This session will focus on recent findings in the Saturn system and unique science investigations planned for Cassini’s final three years. It will highlight both theoretical and observational studies, including their significance for astrobiology, exoplanets, and giant planet formation and evolution.
After ten years at Saturn, Cassini’s final three years extend its observational baseline by 30%, studying the Saturn system in a seasonal setting never before seen by any spacecraft, and visiting unexplored regions between the innermost ring and top of Saturn’s atmosphere. Outstanding opportunities include: observing seasonal processes on Saturn, Titan, icy satellites, rings, and magnetosphere as summer arrives at Saturn’s northern hemisphere; studying time variability of many phenomena, including Enceladus plume activity and ring system variations; determining Saturn’s internal structure using gravitational and magnetic field measurements; determining ring mass and its radial distribution; and sampling the composition of ring particles and upper atmosphere during the unique end-of-mission phase.
– TITAN’S ENIGMATIC ATMOSPHERE AND IONOSPHERE
Session ID#: 3235
The processes that control Titan’s atmosphere and ionosphere remain in many ways enigmatic even after ten years of observations and study from the Cassini mission and the Huygens probe. The instruments onboard Cassini-Huygens have studied in-situ and remotely many aspects of Titan’s atmosphere and coupled ionosphere. In the mesosphere, stratosphere, thermosphere, ionosphere, and exosphere studies of atmospheric composition, structure, and chemistry have recently produced breakthroughs in our understanding of this complex system. In this session, we focus on recent and ongoing studies of Titan’s atmosphere and ionosphere. Papers focusing on atmospheric observations, modeling, and laboratory studies are welcomed.
– ENCELADUS: A HABITABLE WORLD
Session ID#: 1492
Geysers of icy particles and vapor, with trace amounts of organic compounds, erupting from warm fractures and deriving from a salty, subsurface sea make the Saturnian moon Enceladus the most accessible extraterrestrial habitable zone in our solar system. In this special session, now in its 9th year, we continue our focus on those topics relating to the origin and state of the moon’s geologically active south polar terrain (SPT). These include observational, theoretical and modeling investigations of the composition, state, and dynamics of Enceladus’ jets and plume, its thermal and interior state and evolution, and the geomorphology of the SPT and similar provinces. We also welcome studies addressing future spaceflight missions and the moon’s potential for biological activity.
– THE RITE OF SPRING: THE CHANGING SEASONS ON TITAN
Session ID#: 2347
Intense scrutiny by the Cassini Saturn Orbiter (celebrating its 10th anniversary in orbit), combined with extensive ground based observing campaigns, has established Titan’s seasonal weather pattern over more than a third of a Saturn orbital period. Many of the changes seen in the atmosphere are associated with changes on the surface. These changes are the product of atmospheric processes such as evaporation, rainfall and/or infiltration and fluvial activity most probably in combination with dynamic processes ongoing in Titan’s interior. The relative contribution of each of these processes to Titan’s state at a given point in time is gradually being understood. The session will present recent spacecraft and ground-based results and test the veracity of the current models.
– PLANETARY RINGS: THEORY AND OBSERVATION
Session ID#: 3091
This session will focus on theoretical and observational studies of planetary rings. Subjects to be covered include the structure, dynamics and composition of the rings; the interaction of the rings with the ionosphere, magnetosphere and interplanetary meteoroids; and the origin and evolution of the rings. Cassini observations obtained in the last decade will be highlighted, along with Earth and HST observations, theoretical models and laboratory results.
– SOLAR SYSTEM DUSTY PLASMA
Session ID#: 3403
Dust has been identified as an important component in space plasma environments in the Solar System. Through various charging processes, the plasma properties can be significantly altered due to the presence of macroscopic charge carriers (dust). Dust dynamics, on the other hand, can be strongly, or even collectively, decided by ambient plasma conditions. This session seeks contributions on general dust science but with special focus on dusty-plasma studies in various environments, including: laboratory experiments, Noctilucent clouds and polar mesospheric summer echoes, the plume of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, planetary rings, surfaces of airless objects, and cometary environments. The goal of the session is to compare dusty-plasma phenomena under various conditions to improve our understanding of the processes responsible for dust charging, altering the properties of the plasma, and the emergence of dust collective behavior.
– IN AND OUT OF JOVE: GIANT PLANET INTERIORS, ATMOSPHERES, AURORAE, AND IONOSPHERES
Session ID#: 2819
We solicit new research findings about the ionospheres, atmospheres and deep interiors of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. A special focus of our session is on the processes that reflect the interior rotation rate of Saturn. The sources of data to be covered in our session include the continuing observation by the Cassini spacecraft, now in its 10th year in orbit around Saturn. We also cover results of the recent Saturn Aurora Campaigns that coordinated observations by Cassini, the Hubble Space Telescope, and ground-based observatories. For Jupiter, we solicit long-term monitoring using ground- and space-based telescopes, and studies in anticipation of the Juno spacecraft’s arrival in August 2016. Observations of Uranus and Neptune are also within in our session’s scope. In addition, we solicit modeling and theoretical presentations that address these observational findings.
– MOON-PLASMA INTERACTIONS THROUGHOUT THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Session ID#: 1450
This session will focus on new observational and theoretical studies of the interaction between the moons of our solar system and the magnetized plasmas incident upon them. This includes plasma interactions with the solid surfaces, atmospheres, and intrinsic and induced magnetic fields of the moons, both inside and outside of their parent planets’ magnetospheres. Of special interest are results related to plasma and magnetic field observations near the terrestrial moon and from Cassini’s flybys of Saturn’s icy satellites Enceladus, Rhea and Dione. Studies deepening our understanding of the interconnection between Titan’s ionosphere and its highly dynamic magnetospheric environment are also very welcome. The interaction of Jupiter’s moons with the ambient magnetospheric plasma will be especially addressed with a view to provide support to the ongoing Juno Mission and the planning of synergistic measurements for the upcoming JUICE Mission. Comparative studies of the various moon-plasma interaction scenarios are particularly welcome.
– BOW SHOCK, MAGNETOSHEATH, AND MAGNETOPAUSE PROCESSES
Session ID#: 2157
This session focuses on observations and modeling of the coupling of plasma from the bow shock, through the magnetosheath, and to the magnetopause at the Earth and other planets. In recent years a significant number of spacecraft and ground-based instruments have sampled these regions both in situ (THEMIS, Cluster, Double Star, Geotail, Cassini, MESSENGER) and remotely (IBEX, SuperDARN, magnetometers). These measurements coupled with modeling efforts have advanced our knowledge of a number of processes within these regions. Understanding coupling between these regions includes bow shock physics, plasma flow and magnetic environment in the magnetosheath, as well as plasma entry through reconnection, wave instabilities, and other magnetopause dynamics.
– MAGNETIC RECONNECTION AND ITS UNIVERSAL CONSEQUENCES IN MAGNETOSPHERIC AND SOLAR PLASMAS
Session ID#: 3111
Magnetic reconnection occurs in a vast range of different plasma conditions, but yet may have similar critical consequences for plasma transport and heating. At Earth and Mercury, the balance between dayside and magnetotail reconnection, sets up the conditions for spontaneous reconnection in the collisionless magnetotail, leading to fast inward flows and heating. At Jupiter and Saturn, there is strong evidence for tail reconnection and similar fast inward flows, but rotational centrifugal forces are likely to be the more important driver triggering reconnection on closed field lines. At high altitudes in the solar corona, reconnection appears to take place with subsequent phenomena such as Supra-Arcade Downflows (SAD) and other instabilities with intriguing similarities to those occurring in planetary magnetotails. This session invites contributions on experimental and theoretical work that addresses reconnection and its consequence in the context of the wide range of plasma environments throughout the heliosphere.
– SURFACE BOUNDARY EXOSPHERES: COMPARING THE MOON, MERCURY, AND MUCH MORE
Session ID#: 3480
Surface boundary exospheres are thin collisionless planetary atmospheres in which gas and dust constituents only collide with the surface. This class of atmosphere may be the most common among solar system objects. Mercury, the Moon, several outer planets moons, and Saturn’s rings are known to host such atmospheres, and it is likely that other moons and the larger asteroids do also, including trojans and centaurs. These bodies should also host tenuous shrouds of dust, whether from actively vented plume materials or ejecta from ongoing micrometeoroid bombardment of the surfaces and ring systems of such bodies. The purpose of this session is to report results from recent missions, including MESSENGER at Mercury, LADEE and LRO at the Moon, Cassini at Saturn/Enceladus, Hubble and Galileo at Europa and Io, and Earth-based occultations of Chariklo. Comparison of observations with modeling results of source, transport and loss processes are very welcome.
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Send submissions to:
Athena Coustenis, DPS Secretary ([email protected])
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