Newsletter 15-7

Issue 15-07, February 10, 2015

 

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  1. MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR: THE 2016 PRESIDENT’S BUDGET REQUEST
  2. FOCUS MEETING “DYNAMICAL PROBLEMS IN EXTRASOLAR PLANETS SCIENCE” FM1 AT IAU-GA
  3. LPSC LODGING RATES APPROVED BY NASA
  4. JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES

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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR : THE 2016 PRESIDENT’S BUDGET REQUEST

 

The President’s 2016 budget request raises NASA’s overall budget by 2.7%, but it cuts the Planetary Science Program from the $1.44 level of FY 2015 to $1.36 billion. Implementation of the Planetary Science Decadal Study program “Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013 – 2022” requires a yearly budget of $1.5 billion.

Some highlights:

A Europa Mission finally received a new start and is funded as a line-item at $30 million, although the level may not be enough to meet a 2020-2022 launch.  Mars 2020 and the NEO program also received increased funding.

Discovery is funded at a level to support a 2-year cadence, as recommended in the Decadal Report.

Funding is not sufficient for a 5-year cadence for the New Frontiers program, as recommended by the Decadal. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and MER Opportunity are also slated for deletion in FY2016.

Research received an uptick, but we’re concerned that the recent Solar Systems Workings program announced only “selectable” proposals rather than selections.

The President’s budget request is the start of the fiscal process and bargaining that goes on in Congress.  The DPS leadership under the guidance of our Federal Relations Subcommittee (FRS) and its Chair Makenzie Lystrup will be working with the leadership of AAS, AGU, GSA, and the Planetary Society to educate Congress about the balanced program set forth in the Decadal study. This program lays out a balanced plan that encompasses the continued leadership of the US in space and on the Earth to benefit our nation and the world.

The FRS has Hill visits planned at the end of February to discuss the budget with the relevant congressional committees.

Bonnie Buratti,

DPS Chair

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FOCUS MEETING “DYNAMICAL PROBLEMS IN EXTRASOLAR PLANETS SCIENCE” FM1 AT NEXT IAU-GENERAL ASSEMBLY, HONOLULU, AUG 12-14, 2015 

Topics: 

  • Dynamical evolution of planetary systems, 
  • Origin of “hot” planets, origin of large eccentricities and orbital obliquities, 
  • tidal and resonant effects

Invited Speakers

  • C. Mordasini (MPA Heidelberg): Formation Models and Links to Subsequent Evolutions
  • A. Crida (OCA): Migration Theories
  • K. Batygin (Caltech): Mean Motion Resonances
  • C. Van Laheroven (University of Arizona): Orbital Secular Evolution
  • H. Sclichting (MIT): Dynamics of Compact Planetary Systems
  • D. Nesvorny (SWRI): Transity Time Variations
  • J. Winn (MIT): Orbital Obliquities
  • C. Beague (University of Cordoba): Planet Instabilities
  • S. Naoz (SAO): Dynamical Effects of Stellar Companions

For more information, please visit:
http://astronomy2015.org/focus_meeting_1

The Organising Committee: Alessandro Morbidelli, Alain Levavalier des Etains, Jacques Laskar, Nader Haghighipour

 

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LPSC LODGING RATES APPROVED BY NASA

LPSC participants staying in The Woodlands area, who are not staying at the conference hotel, are authorized to spend up to $250/night, excluding taxes, on their hotel. The federal per diem rate for this area is $132/night excluding taxes, hence the authorization requirement. Go to:
 

http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/letters-from-sara/2015/2/2/approval-exceed-gsa-lodging-lpsc-2015/

 

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JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES

A) FACULTY POSITION IN ENGINEERING PHYSICS

content/faculty-position-engineering-physics

B) POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST : PLANETARY CLIMATE MODELING

content/postdoctoral-research-scientist-planetary-climate-modeling

 


Anne J. Verbiscer
Research Associate Professor
Department of Astronomy
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4325