Every year, Icarus provides 30 free subscriptions to DPS members. If you are in need of a subscription, please send a request to the Chair of the Publications Subcommittee, Catherine Neish (cneish [at] uwo.ca). In that request, please include one paragraph explaining why you need access to Icarus, emphasizing any financial hardships that act as a barrier to access. We anticipate putting out a call for requests every year, but applications will be accepted at any time.
31 Jan 2021
Issue 21-02, January 31, 2021
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DPS AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIPS
A reminder that individuals who are not members of the American Astronomical Society are eligible to join the DPS as an affiliate member if they belong to other professional societies; see the list at membership. Also, if you are a member of one of these other societies, the DPS Committee encourages you to publicize the DPS Affiliate Membership program within your professional society. The cross-pollination provided by members of our affiliate societies provides exciting opportunities for scientific collaboration.
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FREE ICARUS SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR DPS MEMBERS
Every year, Icarus provides 30 free subscriptions to DPS members. If you are in need of a subscription, please send a request to the Chair of the Publications Subcommittee, Catherine Neish ([email protected]). In that request, please include one paragraph explaining why you need access to Icarus, emphasizing any financial hardships that act as a barrier to access. We anticipate putting out a call for requests every year, but applications will be accepted at any time.
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CALL FOR DPS PRIZE NOMINATIONS
Deadline: April 1, 2021
Every year the DPS recognizes exceptional achievement in our field. Please consider nominating a respected colleague for one of the annual DPS prizes.
The DPS sponsors five prizes:
The Gerard P. Kuiper Prize [prizes/kuiper] recognizes and honors outstanding contributors to the field of planetary science.
The Claudia J. Alexander Prize [prizes/alexander] recognizes excellence and achievements by a mid-career scientist.
The Harold C. Urey Prize [prizes/urey] recognizes and encourages outstanding achievements in planetary research by an early-career scientist.
The Harold Masursky Award [prizes/masursky] recognizes and honors individuals who have rendered outstanding service to planetary science and exploration through – but not limited to – engineering, managerial, programmatic, editorial, or public service activities.
The Carl Sagan Medal [prizes/sagan] recognizes and honors outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist to the general public.
The Jonathan Eberhart Planetary Sciences Journalism Award [prizes/eberhart] recognizes and stimulates distinguished popular writing on planetary sciences.
DPS members and the planetary science community-at-large are encouraged to submit nominations for DPS prizes.
A complete nomination submitted by the deadline will be considered by the DPS Prize subcommittee for 3 years (i.e. for this year’s award, next year’s award, and the year after that), or for the duration of a candidate’s eligibility, whichever is less. Please fill out the nomination form [prizes/eberhart#Nomination], and it will be submitted to the prize subcommittee. The Eberhart Award has different rules and procedures than the other DPS Prizes, please see its page [prizes/eberhart-nomination-form] for more information.
Scroll to the bottom of prizes for rules and procedures.
Questions: Email [email protected]
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JWST USER COMMITTEE: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
The JWST User Committee (JSTUC) is responsible for advising STScI and the JWST Project on all aspects of observatory operations. Membership is drawn from the U.S, Canadian and ESA communities, and includes representatives from the JWST instrument teams. Further information can be found here https://www.stsci.edu/jwst/science-planning/user-committees/jwst-users-committee
A number of members are rotating off the committee in the coming year, and STScI is calling for expressions of interest from community members who would like to serve as JSTUC members. Self-nomination is welcome. Submissions should include a cover letter and a one-page curriculum vitae summarizing the nominee’s relevant background and JWST-related interests, and should be submitted by e-mail to [email protected]. There is no restriction on citizenship. Nominations will be considered through April 7, 2021.
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SOFIA SCIENCE CENTER: ROCK, ICE AND DUST: INTERPRETING PLANETARY DATA WORKSHOP
March 23-26, 2021
The SOFIA Science center and the SOC are excited to invite you to the “Rock, Ice and Dust: interpreting planetary data” workshop, which will happen online on March 23, 24, 25, 26 of this year (8-11 am Pacific Time). The objective of this workshop is to bring together observers, modelers and laboratory astronomers to discuss the interpretation of observations of rocks, ices and dust on and around Solar System objects (see description below). The last day will be a moderated discussion on the current tools and needs for this community.
We solicit contributions for posters and short talks (abstract submission deadline: March 9th 2021), and we welcome attendance from scientists at any career level, especially early career scientists. Registration is free but necessary to attend.
Description
How can we leverage multi-wavelength observations, radiative transfer theory and laboratory work to characterize planetary solids? This 4-day virtual workshop will bring together observers, modelers and laboratory astronomers to discuss the interpretation of observations of rocks, ices and dust on and around Solar System objects. A large variety of complementary observational techniques will be featured, via invited and contributed presentations, as well as different methods to constrain solids’ fundamental properties such as composition, porosity, thermal inertia and grain size distribution. The workshop is organized by the SOFIA Science Center, and a special emphasis will be put on mid- and far-IR data. Each daily 3-h session will include ample time for moderated interdisciplinary discussions. The fourth day will be dedicated to a moderated discussion on databases, archives and public codes.
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CELEBRATE THE PERSEVERANCE LANDING WITH NASA JPL FEB 18
Educators and their students are invited to join the celebration of the landing on February 18, 2021 of the next NASA rover on Mars, named “Perseverance”! There are many ways to be involved, including our “Mars Student Challenge” with hands-on STEM enrichment activities, the Mars Photo Booth to picture yourself on Mars, and ways to watch the landing live [https://mars.nasa.gov].
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OUTER PLANETS ASSESSMENT GROUP (OPAG) FEB 9-11
Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG) February 9–11, 2021 Virtual held 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. PST (12:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. EST).
Meeting Agenda: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/meetings/OPAG2021Feb/
The meeting will focus on aspects of the Decadal Survey that are relevant to OPAG. Status reports will be requested from the Decadal Survey co-chairs and panel chairs.
Registration deadline — February 4, 2021
Registered attendees will receive an e-mail prior to the meeting from Houston Meeting Info with virtual connection information.
https://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/meetings/OPAG2021Feb/
For more information, contact Meeting and Publication Services USRA/Lunar and Planetary Institute [email protected]
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JPGU: OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM EXPLORATION TODAY AND TOMORROW
Please consider submitting an abstract to the”Outer Solar System Exploration Today, and Tomorrow” online session at the Japan Geoscience Union (JpGU) Meeting 2021 held on 4 June, 2021: http://www.jpgu.org/meeting_e2021/sessionlist_en/detail/P-PS01.html
Our session will discuss a wide range of topics encompassing the giant planets and their moons, including their origins, interiors, atmospheres, compositions, surface features, and electromagnetic fields. To advocate for current and future outer planets exploration (Juno, New Horizons, JUICE, Europa Clipper, Dragonfly and beyond), we also call for discussions on future missions to explore giant planet systems, including how to develop better international cooperation. Discussion in this latter category will include progress in developing a solar sail mission concept for observing the Jupiter system and its Trojan asteroids.
Abstracts can be submitted at the following link:
http://www.jpgu.org/meeting_e2021/presentation.php
– Early submission deadline: 4 Feb (Tue), 23:59 JST
– Final submission deadline: 18 Feb (Tue), 17:00 JST
Conveners:
– Jun Kimura, Osaka Univ.
– Kunio Sayanagi, Hampton Univ.
– Cindy Young, NASA Langley Research Center
– Fuminori Tsuchiya, Tohoku Univ.
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PLANETARY CULTURE AND CLIMATE SUBCOMMITTEE
The Planetary Culture and Climate Subcommittee would like to draw members’ attention to URGE (Unlearning Racism in Geoscience), a community-wide network, focused on journal reading and policy design.
URGE is an assembly of local “pods” which will follow URGE’s curriculum based on eight two-week units that incorporate readings, interviews, and discussions among pod members. This goals of this collective effort are 1) deepening the community’s understanding of the effects on racism in the geosciences, 2) the development of anti-racist strategies through an examination of existing literature, expert opinions and personal experiences and 3) a review of anti-racist policies and strategies in a community framework.
Local URGE pods have already been formed at a multitude of institutions. The deadline for signing up for your local pod is Friday, February 5th.
PCCS also invites the DPS membership to review the American Institute for Physics’ summary of the 2020 survey of the planetary science workforce. Links to the survey can be found at
Also available are the full results, raw data and summary slides prepared by PCCS members. The goal of the survey was to gather information on the demographics, education, background employment experience of the current planetary science workforce, both generally and specifically among the DPS membership.
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UPDATE ON NASA R&A STATUS
NASA has presented new data on its research and analysis programs at the recent Planetary Advisory Committee meeting. The presentation slides are publicly available at:
https://www.lpi.usra.edu/pac/presentations/1120/
The DPS Committee encourages review of the materials. We would like to collect feedback on them so that we may refine our strategies for advocacy within the Federal Relations Subcommittee (FRS). Please send comments to the DPS Committee by Feb 15, 2021. If you are interested in working with the FRS to help work on advocacy, please contact the FRS Subcommittee Officer, Kurt Retherford. You can find contact information for the DPS officers here: leadership/officers
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JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES
A) Postdoctoral Research Associate in Planetary Sciences
The Small Bodies Group in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Maryland, College Park invites applications for up to two Postdoctoral Research Associate positions to work with Tony Farnham and Jessica Sunshine on studies involving the composition and evolution of small bodies in the Solar System.
For more information:
[email protected])
You are receiving this email because you are a DPS member. To unsubscribe or update your information, please send your request to [email protected]. The more general AAS privacy policy is available online at https://aas.org/about/policies/privacy-policy. Current and back issues of the DPS Newsletter can be found at newsletters
Deadline: April 15, 2021
Every year the DPS recognizes exceptional achievement in our field. Please consider nominating a respected colleague for one of the annual DPS prizes.
The DPS sponsors five prizes:
The Gerard P. Kuiper Prize [prizes/kuiper] recognizes and honors outstanding contributors to the field of planetary science.
The Claudia J. Alexander Prize [prizes/alexander] recognizes excellence and achievements by a mid-career scientist.
The Harold C. Urey Prize [prizes/urey] recognizes and encourages outstanding achievements in planetary research by an early-career scientist.
The Harold Masursky Award [prizes/masursky] recognizes and honors individuals who have rendered outstanding service to planetary science and exploration through – but not limited to – engineering, managerial, programmatic, editorial, or public service activities.
The Carl Sagan Medal [prizes/sagan] recognizes and honors outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist to the general public.
The Jonathan Eberhart Planetary Sciences Journalism Award [prizes/eberhart] recognizes and stimulates distinguished popular writing on planetary sciences.
DPS members and the planetary science community-at-large are encouraged to submit nominations for DPS prizes.
A complete nomination submitted by the deadline will be considered by the DPS Prize subcommittee for 3 years (i.e. for this year’s award, next year’s award, and the year after that), or for the duration of a candidate’s eligibility, whichever is less. Please fill out the nomination form [prizes/eberhart#Nomination], and it will be submitted to the prize subcommittee. The Eberhart Award has different rules and procedures than the other DPS Prizes, please see its page [prizes/eberhart-nomination-form] for more information.
Scroll to the bottom of prizes for rules and procedures.
Questions: Email [email protected]
Note: Deadline was extended from 1 April to 15 April
Issue 21-01, January 11, 2021
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CALL FOR DPS 2021 PRIZE NOMINATIONS
Deadline: April 1, 2021
Every year the DPS recognizes exceptional achievement in our field. Please consider nominating a respected colleague for one of the annual DPS prizes.
The DPS sponsors five prizes:
The Gerard P. Kuiper Prize [prizes/kuiper] recognizes and honors outstanding contributors to the field of planetary science.
The Claudia J. Alexander Prize [prizes/alexander] recognizes excellence and achievements by a mid-career scientist.
The Harold C. Urey Prize [prizes/urey] recognizes and encourages outstanding achievements in planetary research by an early-career scientist.
The Harold Masursky Award [prizes/masursky] recognizes and honors individuals who have rendered outstanding service to planetary science and exploration through – but not limited to – engineering, managerial, programmatic, editorial, or public service activities.
The Carl Sagan Medal [prizes/sagan] recognizes and honors outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist to the general public.
The Jonathan Eberhart Planetary Sciences Journalism Award [prizes/eberhart] recognizes and stimulates distinguished popular writing on planetary sciences.
DPS members and the planetary science community-at-large are encouraged to submit nominations for DPS prizes.
A complete nomination submitted by the deadline will be considered by the DPS Prize subcommittee for 3 years (i.e. for this year’s award, next year’s award, and the year after that), or for the duration of a candidate’s eligibility, whichever is less. Please fill out the nomination form [prizes/eberhart#Nomination], and it will be submitted to the prize subcommittee. The Eberhart Award has different rules and procedures than the other DPS Prizes, please see its page [prizes/eberhart-nomination-form] for more information.
Scroll to the bottom of prizes for rules and procedures.
Questions: Email [email protected]
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ICARUS NEWS: NEW EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
We are pleased to announce two new Editorial Board members of Icarus, David Nesvorny and Julie Brisset. We thank our former Editorial Board members Athena Coustenis and Kevin Hand for their service.
David Nesvorny is an Institute Scientist at the Department of Space Studies of the Southwest Research Institute. Dr. Nesvorny conducts research in planetary science by building theoretical models for the formation and early evolution of planets and planetesimals. He has developed methods for the exoplanet detection from transit timing variations.
Julie Brisset is a research scientist at the Florida Space Institute (FSI) of the University of Central Florida (UCF), where she works on dust behavior under microgravity conditions for the study of planet formation and regolith. She earned her Master degrees in Aerospace Engineering in 2005 from the ISAE in Toulouse, France and the Technical University of Munich, Germany. After working for several years as an aerospace engineer on ESA ISS payload operations, she started graduate studies in astrophysics at the University of Braunschweig, Germany and received her Ph.D. in 2014. Until 2016, she was a PostDoc researcher at UCF’s Center for Microgravity Research.
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NASA TOWN HALL FOR ‘NO DUE DATE’ POLICY
NASA’s Planetary Science Division will hold a virtual Town Hall meeting on Thursday January 21, 2021 at 1:00 pm ET to discuss the rollout plan for the elimination of due dates for seven R&A programs (SSO, SSW, EW, PICASSO, PDART, LARS, and Exobiology). These programs will be run under a new No Due Date (NoDD) model, which has been successfully demonstrated by multiple groups at the National Science Foundation.
More information including how to participate is available at:
https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/NoDD
https://nasaenterprise.webex.com/nasaenterprise/j.php?MTID=m7b38428f5d8cbba9877dd28055ec460c
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IN MEMORIAM: GEORGE CARRUTHERS (1939 – 2020)
Dr. George Carruthers was an accomplished astrophysicist and engineer, with many contributions to astrophysics and planetary science, and one of only a few African Americans working in the early U.S. space program. He was the principal designer of an ultraviolet camera/spectrograph that went to the moon as part of NASA’s Apollo 16 mission in 1972, in an effort to examine Earth’s atmosphere and the composition of interstellar space, for which he was awarded NASA’s Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal. He continued his instrument development and science research at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory through 2002, when he became a professor at Howard University. His accomplishments included development of an instrument with two far-UV cameras used on the STS-39 space shuttle mission, in 1991, and the first detection of molecular hydrogen in space, via a sounding rocket in 1970. Dr. Carruthers earned many awards for his work, including a National Medal of Technology and Innovation awarded by President Obama. Dr. Carruthers will be remembered as an amazing scientist, engineer, professor and mentor. In particular, he was highly engaged with the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP). He passed on December 26, 2020, at the age of 81.
Notice of Dr. Carruther’s passing from NSBP: https://nsbp.org/news/545345/Dr.-George-Carruthers-Passed-Away.htm
Notice of Dr. Carruther’s passing from NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/looking-back-dr-george-carruthers-and-apollo-16-far-ultraviolet-cameraspectrograph
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JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES
A) Postdoctoral Scholar Position, Exoplanet Habitability with Aomawa Shields, UC Irvine
planets.ucf.edu or contact the group member closest to your interests.
UCF offers a research-intensive PhD. Students join research groups upon admission, and a submitted lead-author paper is a candidacy requirement. UCF has laboratory facilities for regolith, microgravity, and meteorite studies as well as cubesat and ground-based instrumentation. UCF research instruments have flown on numerous suborbital rockets and the ISS. Our scientific staff in Puerto Rico leads the effort to rebuild Arecibo and operate its LIDAR and other instruments. We have strong academic and research mentoring programs, participate in the APS Bridge program, and have strong research ties with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Application review begins 15 January and continues until positions are filled. We are strongly committed to inclusion and diversity.
C) Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Planetary Sciences
The DPS maintains a website with information for REU Sites that provide summer opportunities in the planetary sciences for undergraduate students. Deadlines for these programs are typically in early February. The website is found here: education/reu-programs
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Send submissions to:
Maria Womack, DPS Secretary ([email protected])
You are receiving this email because you are a DPS member. To unsubscribe or update your information, please send your request to [email protected]. The more general AAS privacy policy is available online at https://aas.org/about/policies/privacy-policy. Current and back issues of the DPS Newsletter can be found at newsletters
Dr. George Carruthers was an accomplished astrophysicist and engineer, with many contributions to astrophysics and planetary science, and one of only a few African Americans working in the early U.S. space program. He was the principal designer of an ultraviolet camera/spectrograph that went to the moon as part of NASA’s Apollo 16 mission in 1972, in an effort to examine Earth’s atmosphere and the composition of interstellar space, for which he was awarded NASA’s Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal. He continued his instrument development and science research at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory through 2002, when he became a professor at Howard University. His accomplishments included development of an instrument with two far-UV cameras used on the STS-39 space shuttle mission, in 1991, and the first detection of molecular hydrogen in space, via a sounding rocket in 1970. Dr. Carruthers earned many awards for his work, including a National Medal of Technology and Innovation awarded by President Obama. Dr. Carruthers will be remembered as an amazing scientist, engineer, professor and mentor. In particular, he was highly engaged with the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP). He passed on December 26, 2020, at the age of 81.
Notice of Dr. Carruther’s passing from NSBP: https://nsbp.org/news/545345/Dr.-George-Carruthers-Passed-Away.htm
Notice of Dr. Carruther’s passing from NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/looking-back-dr-george-carruthers-and-apollo-16-far-ultraviolet-cameraspectrograph
In Memoriam
From Masato Nakamura/ISAS:
Professor Koichiro Tsuruda passed away on the morning of December 3, 2020, at the age of 83. After conducting VLF observations and research, Dr. Tsuruda created a new method of electric field measurement and installed it on the S-520-9 sounding rocket, the Akebono satellite, and the Geotail satellite, which was a major break-through in solar system plasma science research. He also served as the Director of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) from 2003 to 2005 and guided the Institute through the difficult period just after it was integrated into the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Dr. Tsuruda had both a gentle personality and a strong resilience in his spirit, and many people loved him. He suffered from Parkinson’s disease in his later years, but he passed away peacefully at home with his family watching over him.
From Jim Green/NASA:
As a young NASA researcher who was the deputy Project Scientist on the Global Geospace Science set of satellites I had the pleasure of traveling to ISAS and working with the Geotail scientists where I met Dr. Tsuruda. I was already very familiar with his seminal Akebono wave papers. He was an outstanding scientist who took time to explain a number of key plasma wave concepts to me that I will never forget. We again met when he headed ISAS guiding that nation’s robotic space program with extensive knowledge and skill and forming long lasting relationships with NASA. He is one of our original space pioneers and will be missed.
As we approach the end of 2020, it’s a good time to reflect and look ahead. 2020 has demonstrated unequivocally the importance of science in all aspects of society. As scientists, we play a key role in advocating for science-based decision-making in our communities. The connections you make with friends, neighbors, and leaders to help them understand the scientific enterprise are vital. It’s not just about sharing our love of planetary science, it’s about sharing the tools of science – critical thinking, impartial evaluation of evidence – that allow people to dispel conspiracy theories and make logical decisions. Thank you for all that you do to bring science to your communities: it matters.
The DPS membership’s strength and resilience are apparent in the breadth and scope of planetary science being accomplished in spite of truly challenging circumstances, and in the care people in our community are taking for one another. The highs have been very high, including the first fresh sample from a low-albedo near-Earth object brought safely back to Earth by the Hayabusa2 team, the OSIRIS-REx team’s sample collection from asteroid Bennu, the daring Chang’E lunar sample return mission, the launch of Mars 2020, and many others.
The lows have been very low indeed, revealing the cracks in our society caused by inequities along many axes, such as economic and racial injustice and violence. Science is a human process, and the scientific community is not immune from these problems. Efforts to recover from the pandemic must involve addressing these issues, and as a professional society, DPS can and should play an important role in this work.
It’s heartening to see DPS members rallying to help each other out in countless ways big and small. As we leave 2020 behind (thankfully) and look ahead to 2021, let’s stay connected and keep checking in with our friends and colleagues to lend a supportive virtual shoulder and ask for theirs in return. Exercise more kindness for yourself and others. Our community is our strength.
Stay safe and keep well.
Amy Mainzer
20 Dec 2020
Issue 20-52, December 20, 2020
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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
As we approach the end of 2020, it’s a good time to reflect and look ahead. 2020 has demonstrated unequivocally the importance of science in all aspects of society. As scientists, we play a key role in advocating for science-based decision-making in our communities. The connections you make with friends, neighbors, and leaders to help them understand the scientific enterprise are vital. It’s not just about sharing our love of planetary science, it’s about sharing the tools of science – critical thinking, impartial evaluation of evidence – that allow people to dispel conspiracy theories and make logical decisions. Thank you for all that you do to bring science to your communities: it matters.
The DPS membership’s strength and resilience are apparent in the breadth and scope of planetary science being accomplished in spite of truly challenging circumstances, and in the care people in our community are taking for one another. The highs have been very high, including the first fresh sample from a low-albedo near-Earth object brought safely back to Earth by the Hayabusa2 team, the OSIRIS-REx team’s sample collection from asteroid Bennu, the daring Chang’E lunar sample return mission, the launch of Mars 2020, and many others.
The lows have been very low indeed, revealing the cracks in our society caused by inequities along many axes, such as economic and racial injustice and violence. Science is a human process, and the scientific community is not immune from these problems. Efforts to recover from the pandemic must involve addressing these issues, and as a professional society, DPS can and should play an important role in this work.
It’s heartening to see DPS members rallying to help each other out in countless ways big and small. As we leave 2020 behind (thankfully) and look ahead to 2021, let’s stay connected and keep checking in with our friends and colleagues to lend a supportive virtual shoulder and ask for theirs in return. Exercise more kindness for yourself and others. Our community is our strength.
Stay safe and keep well.
Amy Mainzer
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UPDATE ON NASA R&A STATUS
NASA has presented new data on its research and analysis programs at the recent Planetary Advisory Committee meeting. The presentation slides are publicly available at:
https://www.lpi.usra.edu/pac/presentations/1120/
The DPS Committee encourages review of the materials. We would like to collect feedback on them so that we may refine our strategies for advocacy within the Federal Relations Subcommittee (FRS). Please send comments to the DPS Committee by January 15, 2021. If you are interested in working with the FRS to help work on advocacy, please contact the FRS Subcommittee Officer, Kurt Retherford. You can find contact information for the DPS officers here:
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SBAG SECOND CALL FOR EARLY CAREER LIGHTNING TALKS
The 24th Meeting of the NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) is scheduled for January 26-27, 2021.
https://urldefense.us/v3/__https:/www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings/
The meeting includes time for early-career scientists and engineers attending the meeting to introduce themselves and their research to the community. The talks will be 3 minutes each. If you are interested in giving a lightning talk, please email the early-career secretary, Terik Daly ([email protected]), by COB on January 12. Attach a single slide, in PDF format, with your name, affiliation, and a figure or two that highlight your research. We encourage presenters from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences.
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ACS SYMPOSIUM ANNOUNCEMENT: ASTROCHEMICAL COMPLEXITY IN PLANETARY SYSTEMS
We are delighted to announce that the American Chemical Society symposium: “Astrochemical Complexity in Planetary Systems” is back on, and will be held online during April 5th-16th 2021. The aim is to bring together laboratory, theoretical and observational astrochemists with planetary scientists, to generate insights into the origins of chemical complexity in planetary systems. To submit an abstract for a talk or poster, please visit https://callforabstracts.acs.org/acsspring2021/PHYS before January 19th.
Session topics include:
* Chemical Complexity in the Interstellar Medium
* Experimental Techniques for Astrochemistry
* Chemistry of Protoplanetary Disks and Comets
* Complex Chemistry in the Saturnian System
* The Inner Solar System, Asteroids & Meteorites
* Astrobiology & The Prebiotic Earth
* Emerging Techniques for Sample Analysis
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IN MEMORIAM: KOICHIRO TSURUDA (1937-2020)
From Masato Nakamura/ISAS:
Professor Koichiro Tsuruda passed away on the morning of December 3, 2020, at the age of 83. After conducting VLF observations and research, Dr. Tsuruda created a new method of electric field measurement and installed it on the S-520-9 sounding rocket, the Akebono satellite, and the Geotail satellite, which was a major break-through in solar system plasma science research. He also served as the Director of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) from 2003 to 2005 and guided the Institute through the difficult period just after it was integrated into the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Dr. Tsuruda had both a gentle personality and a strong resilience in his spirit, and many people loved him. He suffered from Parkinson’s disease in his later years, but he passed away peacefully at home with his family watching over him.
From Jim Green/NASA:
As a young NASA researcher who was the deputy Project Scientist on the Global Geospace Science set of satellites I had the pleasure of traveling to ISAS and working with the Geotail scientists where I met Dr. Tsuruda. I was already very familiar with his seminal Akebono wave papers. He was an outstanding scientist who took time to explain a number of key plasma wave concepts to me that I will never forget. We again met when he headed ISAS guiding that nation’s robotic space program with extensive knowledge and skill and forming long lasting relationships with NASA. He is one of our original space pioneers and will be missed.
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JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES, OPPORTUNITIES
A) POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR
Work on Vera Rubin Observatory solar system discovery pipelines and system commissioning. Job opening extended to 5pm PST on Dec. 24th. https://jobregister.aas.org/ad/cd75520f
B) POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE AT LOWELL OBSERVATORY
Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona is currently seeking applications for a Postdoctoral Associate in Near-Earth Objects Studies.
https://lowell.edu/about/employment/
Inquiries may be sent to Catie Blazek at [email protected]
C) [NASA] GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH: FUTURE INVESTIGATORS IN NASA EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (FINESST) UPDATE & REMINDERS
1. A summary document from the optional, pre-proposal teleconference held November 17, 2020, is now available on NSPIRES under “Other Documents.” NOTE: The teleconference summary is not a verbatim transcript. For the reader’s convenience, images of the slides (charts) are added to make it unnecessary to open a separate file. Clarifying annotations have been added along with an appendix with questions and answers (Q&A) received during and in the days following the call through December 14, 2020.
2. Reminder: Proposals to FINESST are due by February 4, 2021.
Through FINESST, the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) solicits proposals from accredited U.S. universities and other eligible organizations for graduate student-designed and performed research projects that contribute to SMD’s science, technology, and exploration goals funded by the Astrophysics, Earth Science, Heliophysics andPlanetary Science Divisions. Not all SMD Divisions participate in FINESST. The teleconference summary is posted at the FINESST research opportunity homepage at:
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Send submissions to:
Maria Womack, DPS Secretary ([email protected])
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Roger Jay Phillips, American geophysicist, planetary scientist and professor emeritus at the Washington University in St. Louis, passed away on November 19, 2020. Phillips served as the Director of the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) from 1979 to 1982.
Phillips received his Ph.D. in 1968 from the University of California, Berkeley. Following graduate school he worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), before joining the staff of the LPI in 1979. In 1982, Phillips accepted a faculty position at Southern Methodist University, and in 1992 he moved to Washington University in St. Louis, where he served as a Professor and as Director of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences. After retiring from Washington University, Phillips moved to Colorado, where he was affiliated with the Southwest Research Institute.
Over a career that spanned more than five decades, Phillips contributed broadly to our understanding of the geophysical structure and evolution of the Moon, Mars, Venus, and Mercury. He was the team leader for the Apollo Lunar Sounder Experiment, which flew on Apollo 17 and produced the first radar imaging of the lunar subsurface. Much later, he was team co-leader for the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) experiment on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter that imaged the internal stratigraphy of martian polar layered deposits. He also played key roles on the science teams for the Magellan mission to Venus, the Mars Global Surveyor mission, the MESSENGER mission to orbit Mercury, and the GRAIL mission to the Moon.
Phillips is well known for his contributions to understanding the impact crater distribution and resurfacing history of Venus, as well as the geodynamical evolution of that planet’s mantle and crust. He demonstrated that growth of the huge Tharsis volcanic province on Mars shaped the entire planet and influenced the distribution and direction of martian valley networks. From radar sounding and laser altimetry, he showed that the lithosphere of the martian polar regions is minimally deflected by the substantial load of the polar deposits, a condition indicative of a large lithosphere thickness or a long-term transient mantle response to loading.
A fellow of the American Geophysical Union, Phillips received the 2003 G. K. Gilbert Award from the Geological Society of America. He was also honored with the Whipple Award from the American Geophysical Union in 2008. Among his many contributions to the scientific literature, Phillips served as an editor of Geophysical Research Letters and co-edited the books: Basaltic Volcanism on the Terrestrial Planets, Origin of the Moon, and Venus II.
One of the giants of planetary science, H. J. Melosh, died unexpectedly on 11 September 2020 at age 73. Through his students, postdocs and collaborators, he brought a high level of physical rigour to the growing field of planetary geology.
Jay Melosh was in many ways a maverick. Born Henry J. Melosh IV in New Jersey, Jay would have none of it, and was always simply ‘Jay’ to everyone. He did follow family tradition in being a ‘Princeton man’, but majored in physics (graduating in 1969), which led to a PhD under Murray Gell-Mann at Caltech only three years later. His 1974 thesis publication on the relation between current and constituent quarks1 is still cited in terms of the ‘Melosh transformation’. But his next publication, in 1975, concerned mass concentrations (mascons) and the orientation of the Moon2, for Jay’s true passion turned out to be geology, and planetary geology in particular. He was immersed in the planetary science discipline that was emerging at Caltech, and returned there after postdoctoral stints at CERN (the European Centre for Particle Physics) and the University of Chicago, rising to the rank of associate professor. After three years on the faculty at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, in 1982 Jay settled in for a long and productive middle career at the University of Arizona where he held joint appointments in the Planetary Sciences and Geosciences departments, becoming an Arizona Regents Professor in 2004.
For full obituary, please go to: H.J. Melosh