Issue 20-16, April 13, 2020
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- DPS 2020 ELECTION: CANDIDATE SLATE
- SEEING STARS IN 3D: THE NEW HORIZONS PARALLAX PROGRAM
- PLANETARY SCIENCE JOURNAL FOCUS ISSUE CALL FOR PAPERS: LANDED LUNAR MISSION CONCEPTS AND HIGH-PRIORITY LANDING SITES
- DECADAL SURVEY NOW ACCEPTING WHITEPAPERS AND NOMINATIONS
- NASA SMD SEEKS EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE VOLUNTEER REVIEWERS
- JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES
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DPS 2020 ELECTION: CANDIDATE SLATE
The DPS Nominating Subcommittee has identified the following candidates for the
2020 DPS elections for Vice Chair, Committee, and Student Representative.
Note that following the changes made to the DPS Bylaws in 2019, this year we will
be electing one Student Representative to the DPS Committee:
Vice-Chair (1 to be elected):
o Diana Blaney, JPL
o Nader Haghighipour, University of Hawaii
Committee (2 to be elected):
o Jessie Christiansen, IPAC
o Edgard Rivera-Valentin, LPI
o Kelsi Singer, SwRI
o Matt Tiscareno, SETI
Student Representative to the DPS Committee (1 to be elected):
o Malena Rice, Yale
o Maya Yanez, USC
According to the DPS Bylaws, the Student Representative shall be a Full Member,
Graduate Student Member, Undergraduate Student Member, International Member,
or an Affiliate Member. The Student Representative shall be enrolled in a degree
program at the start of the term of office. The Student Representative term of office
is two years; therefore, the next Student Representative election will be in 2022.
Per the DPS Bylaws, additional candidates for Vice Chair, Committee and Student
Representative, supported by a petition of at least 20 DPS members, may be nominated
by May 15th. Please send any nominations to the DPS Secretary, Anne Verbiscer, at [email protected].
The DPS Committee thanks the members of the Nominating Subcommittee for
their dedicated service to the DPS:
Carrie Nugent (Chair)
Desiree Cotto Figueroa
Matthew Knight
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SEEING STARS IN 3D: NEW HORIZONS PARALLAX PROGRAM
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is now almost 50 AU away from us as it leaves
the Solar System. At its location, the nearest stars have noticeably shifted from where
they are seen on Earth. On 22-23 April 2020, New Horizons will image the fields
around Proxima Centauri and Wolf 359 to demonstrate the two stars’ relative shifts or
“parallaxes” between the Earth and spacecraft vantage points. This is being done as
a public engagement project.
The New Horizons science team had engaged several observatories to obtain simultaneous
Earth-based imaging of the star fields, as well as alerting the community of amateur
astronomers to the opportunity to compare their own images with those obtained by
New Horizons. However, with the closing of many professional observatories in
response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we would like to more broadly encourage
interested observers who can safely observe within their own self-isolation guidelines
to consider imaging the fields around Wolf 359 and Proxima Centauri on 22-23 April 2020.
Both stars can be observed with electronic cameras on 6” or larger telescopes. The New
Horizons project will combine spacecraft and Earth-based images into stereo pairs to
demonstrate the large parallaxes of the targeted stars. The public release of the stereo
images and the results of the demonstration will be in May.
The public announcement of the New Horizons Parallax program is available along with
We thank those who are able to become involved, and ask you to reach out to the
New Horizons Parallax Project science team coordinator, Tod R. Lauer, [email protected].
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PLANETARY SCIENCE JOURNAL FOCUS ISSUE CALL FOR PAPERS:
LANDED LUNAR MISSION CONCEPTS AND HIGH-PRIORITY LANDING SITES
Due date for submissions is August 1, 2020.
Journal: Planetary Science Journal
Contact: Please direct questions to the Special Issue Coordinators: Barbara Cohen
([email protected]) and Maria Banks ([email protected]).
Submission Instructions: Authors should submit their paper through the normal
Planetary Science Journal submission site (https://journals.aas.org/planetary-science-journal).
When submitting, please indicate the special issue: “Lunar Mission Concepts
and High-Priority Landing Sites” in the comments section.
Description of focus for the special issue:
In the last several years, the lunar community has submitted multiple detailed mission
proposals for amazing science we’d like to at the Moon, via Discovery, New Frontiers,
CLPS, and most recently, Planetary Mission Concepts for the Decadal Survey. We also
continue to collect high-quality lunar data via the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)
and partner assets, illuminating new places where such missions could be safely and
productively deployed. This special issue will be dedicated to papers highlighting lunar
mission concepts, lunar data analysis, and high-priority landing sites. A successful paper
should bring together elements of lunar data analysis (e.g. geology, site selection, new
analyses, etc.), along with a lunar mission or instrument/payload concept (science,
instrumentation, mission design, etc). Surface mission concepts should contain both a
science justification for a robotic (or human-assisted) mission, along with a detailed
analysis of one or more candidate landing sites to show the existence of a safe and
interesting potential site for the mission (e.g. geologic setting, slopes, hazards, rock
abundance, maturity, etc.). Orbital mission concepts should include new or updated
lunar data analysis or interpretation that supports the mission concept along with its
science justification. Mission concepts need not be highly mature, but should clearly
describe the science case.
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DECADAL SURVEY NOW ACCEPTING WHITEPAPERS AND NOMINATIONS
The Decadal Survey on Planetary Science and Astrobiology was formally initiated
by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on 20 March.
Websites for the submission of whitepapers and nominations have been established
and can both be accessed via the main decadal survey website at:
http://nas.edu/planetarydecadal
The deadlines for the submission of nominations and white papers are 1 May and 4 July, respectively.
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NASA SMD SEEKS EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE VOLUNTEER REVIEWERS
NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is seeking subject matter experts to serve as
external (email) and/or virtual panel reviewers of proposals to ROSES. All of the
forms may be accessed on the main landing page at:
https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/volunteer-review-panels
or just follow the links to the volunteer review forms and click the boxes to indicate
the topics in which you consider yourself to be a subject matter expert. If your skills
match our needs for that review and there are not too many organizational conflicts
of interest, we will contact you to discuss scheduling.
The following new volunteer reviewer forms have been (re)posted recently:
Modeling Analysis and Prediction (ROSES A.16)
Exoplanet Research Program (ROSES E.3)
Future Investigators in NASA Earth Science and Technology (FINESST Earth)
Future Investigators in Space Science and Technology (FINESST Space)
Heliophysics Living With a Star Science (ROSES B.6)
Solar System Observations (ROSES C.6)
Lunar Data Analysis (ROSES C.8)
Cassini Data Analysis Program (ROSES C.10)
Maturation of Instruments for Solar System Exploration (ROSES C.13)
Theoretical and Computational Astrophysics Networks (ROSES D.14)
as well as the ever present:
The Physical Oceanography Program (PO)
Earth Surface and Interior and Space Geodesy Programs and
Astrophysics Data Analysis Program (Appendix D.2 of the annual ROSES NRA)
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JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES
A) POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW POSITION AT THE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
UPDATED link: https://jpl.jobs/jobs/2020-11715-Understanding-lunar-surface-processes-using-LRO-Diviner
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow
to work with Dr. Catherine Elder to study lunar surface processes using a combination
of thermal modeling and observations by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)
Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment (Diviner). Diviner observations can constrain
the material properties of the lunar surface and shallow subsurface which leads to a
better understanding of the geologic history of the Moon. Topics of particular interest
include volcanism, regolith formation and evolution, and impact processes.
Candidates should have a recent PhD in planetary science, physics, geology, or a related
field. Candidates should have experience with numerical modeling and a strong background
in physics. Experience using remote sensing data is preferred but not required. Candidates
who have received their PhD within the past five years since the date of their application
are eligible.
Applications are due by April 25, 2020 or until filled.
For more information contact [email protected]
B) OPEN POSITION AT NASA AMES: DIRECTOR OF SCIENCE
From: James L. Green, NASA Chief Scientist
It is my pleasure to let you know that NASA is now advertising for the
Director of Science at NASA’s Ames Research Center. The Ames Science
Directorate conducts basic and applied research, and technology
development, in support of NASA astrobiology, astrophysics, planetary
sciences, biological sciences and Earth sciences and has developed
critical systems for NASA such as the Mars Climate Modeling Center and
the Earth Exchange.
To find a detailed description of this position and additional
information on qualifications and application procedures, please click
on the USAjobs link below:
http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/565004700
Current NASA SES candidates can apply through NASA’s Talent
Marketplace, Opportunity #7993. This vacancy is open until May 8, 2020.
C) RESEARCH SCIENTIST II AT THE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory invites applications for a Scientist who
will bring new expertise to and ensure continuity of existing
capabilities at JPL in planetary science. The successful candidate will
develop an independently funded research program, provide scientific
leadership and support research conducted within the laboratory studies
group. The candidate will publish in peer reviewed scientific journals,
and present papers at scientific conferences.
Qualifications:
* Ph.D. degree in experimental chemistry or physics.
* Demonstrated working knowledge at the forefront of experimental
laboratory studies with direct planetary science applications (i.e,
relevance to icy moons, Kuiper Belt Objects, dwarf planets,
asteroids, comets, and Solar System evolution).
* Demonstrated experience with a range of relevant experimental
techniques (e.g., matrix isolation, UV an IR spectroscopy, mass
spectroscopy, temperature programmed desorption) and apparatus (e.g.,
cryogenic systems, UHV systems).
* Demonstrated reputation as a productive researcher with a track record
of publications in peer-reviewed journals.
The following qualifications are preferred:
* 3-5 years of related post-doc experience.
* History of writing successful external research funding proposals.
* Demonstrated working knowledge of planning, execution, and analysis of
astronomical observations.
Applications are due by May 3, 2020 or until filled and should be
submitted at:
https://jpl.jobs/jobs/2020-11716-Research-Scientist-II-Laboratory-Studies
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Send submissions to:
Anne Verbiscer, DPS Secretary ([email protected])
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