Author: cviewadmin

Issue 16-18, May 29, 2016

 

+————————————CONTENTS—————————————-+

1. THIRD COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING NEW FRONTIERS PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY
2. NASA APPROVAL TO EXCEED PER DIEM LODGING FOR DPS 48/ EPSC 11
3. EARLY CAREER PARTICIPANT SUPPORT AVAILABLE FOR NASA OPAG MEETING
4. STUDENT AND EARLY CAREER TRAVEL GRANTS FOR VEXAG MEETING #14 IN WASHINGTON, DC
5. NOTICE OF INTENT TO INITIATE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW FOR ARECIBO OBSERVATORY
6. JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES
7. UPCOMING MEETINGS

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THIRD COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING NEW FRONTIERS

 

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY

 

This third community announcement about the fourth New Frontiers

 

Announcement of Opportunity (AO) provides the agenda for Technology

 

Workshop being held June 1, 2016, at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel

 

and Conference Center in Bethesda, MD. The goal of this workshop is to

 

educate the potential proposing community on technologies being offered

 

by NASA and other organizations and inform how each technology will be

 

supported to the proposal team.

 

The workshop agenda is posted on the New Frontiers Acquisition website at

 

http://newfrontiers.larc.nasa.gov/. The workshop will be broadcast via 

WebEx

 

using the following information:

 

Meeting Link: 

https://nasa.webex.com/nasa/j.php?MTID=m4ea7385a798ab6e9bdea3a039688643a

 

Meeting number: 996 367 002

 

Meeting password: W@lc0m31

 

Audio connection:

 

Free phone/Toll Free: USA callers: 888-989-9772

 

International callers 1-203-827-7011

 

Participant Passcode: 7270833

 

A poster session will be held in parallel with and after the oral 

presentations

 

are complete to encourage interaction between technology providers and

 

potential proposers.  In addition, attendees may request a one-on-one 

meeting

 

for more in depth discussions with any technology provider(s) listed on the

 

agenda.  To request such a meeting, please contact Dr. Curt Niebur via 

E-mail

 

([email protected] <http://newfrontiers.larc.nasa.gov/ as it becomes available. 

Questions

 

may be addressed to Dr. Curt Niebur, New Frontiers Program Lead Scientist,

 

Planetary Science Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA,

 

Washington, DC 20546; Tel.: (202) 358-0390; E-mail: 

[email protected] <[email protected] <http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/

 

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EARLY CAREER PARTICIPANT SUPPORT AVAILABLE FOR NASA

 

OUTER PLANETS ASSESSMENT GROUP (OPAG) MEETING

 

NASA’s Outer Planets Assessment Group will provide travel grants for a

 

limited number of interested Early Career participants to attend the OPAG

 

meeting August 11-12 in Flagstaff, AZ.These individuals may also attend

 

the Roadmap for Ocean Worlds meeting on August 10.OPAG plays a key

 

role in sculpting the planetary science community’s input into NASA 

activities

 

for outer planets science and exploration.Thus it is critical for Early 

Career

 

scientists to attend these meetings both to learn how NASA and Planetary

 

Science programs operate and to represent the community that will work on

 

OPAG-relevant projects in the coming decade.Interested graduate students,

 

postdocs, and other Early Career scientists (within 5 years of PhD/MS/BS)

 

should submit a one page letter of interest and a CV to 

[email protected] <[email protected] containing:

 

1. A one-page description of how your participation in this meeting

    will benefit you professionally and contribute to NASA’s

    explorations of Venus.

2. An abstract for a 5-10 minute presentation

3. Your resume

4. An endorsement from a faculty member.

 

For logistical reasons, also provide:

 

– Legal Full Name

– Date of Birth

– City/State of Birth

– Preferred Email Address and Phone Numbers

– Home Address

– Emergency Contact – Name, Relationship, and Phone Number

– Your Affiliation with Full Address and Phone Number

– Gender

 

If you are a foreign national or permanent resident alien, also provide:

 

– Country of Citizenship

– Birth Date and Birth City, State/Region and Country

– Passport Number, with Expiration Date

– Visa Type, with Effective and Expiration Dates

– Alien Registration # (if applicable)

 

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NOTICE OF INTENT TO INITIATE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW

 

FOR ARECIBO OBSERVATORY

 

The National Science Foundation has issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to

 

Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Initiate Section 106

 

Consultation for Proposed Changes to Arecibo Observatory Operations,

 

Arecibo, Puerto Rico and Notice of Public Scoping Meetings and Comment

 

Period.  As indicated in the NOI, scoping comments may be submitted to the

 

National Science Foundation during the public comment period, which

 

extends through June 23, 2016, via email ([email protected]) or via

 

mail to Ms. Elizabeth Pentecost, National Science Foundation Division of

 

Astronomical Sciences, Suite 1045, 4201 Wilson Blvd, Arlington VA 22230.

 

Comments may also be provided during the two public scoping meetings

 

scheduled for June 7, 2016 in Puerto Rico, at locations listed in the 

Federal

 

Register notice linked below.

 

Federal Register:

 

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR=2016-05-23/pdf/2016-12036.pdf

 

Information will be posted throughout the process at: www.nsf.gov/AST.

 

Please note that comments must be submitted via the mechanisms described

 

above in order to be considered.

 

James S. Ulvestad, Division Director, Division of Astronomical Sciences

 

Paul B. Shepson, Division Director, Division of Atmospheric and Geospace 

Sciences

 

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JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES

 

A) RESEARCH SCIENTIST IN PLANETARY RADAR

 

Arecibo, Puerto Rico

 

The Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is seeking applicants

 

for a Research Scientist position in the Planetary Radar group at the 

Arecibo

 

Observatory in Puerto Rico. The research emphasis of the group is the study

 

and characterization of near-Earth objects and other Solar System bodies.

 

Experience and interest in astronomical observations of Solar System 

objects,

 

small-bodies geophysics, astronomical instrumentation, and/or numerical

 

inverse modeling are desirable. Experience with radar observations and

 

techniques, programming languages, and Linux systems is preferred, but

 

not required. Applications from members of underrepresented groups are

 

particularly encouraged.

 

The incumbent should hold a Ph.D. in planetary science, astronomy, physics

 

or a related field. Postdoctoral experience is preferred, but not 

required. The

 

successful candidate should demonstrate the ability to perform independent

 

research, have a track record of scientific publications in planetary 

science,

 

and would be encouraged to apply for partial funding. The incumbent would

 

be expected to participate in radar observations, data processing, 

archiving,

 

and modeling of near-Earth asteroids and other Solar System bodies with the

 

Arecibo Planetary radar system.

 

A complete application must include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a

 

research plan, which is limited to three (3) pages, and contact information

 

for three (3) references. Review of applications will begin August 29, 2016

 

and continue until the position is filled.

 

The Arecibo Observatory is managed for the NSF by a consortium comprising

 

SRI International, USRA, and Universidad Metropolitana. It is home to the

 

largest radio telescope in the world and conducts research programs in 

Radio

 

Astronomy, Planetary Radar, and Atmospheric Sciences. All appointments

 

are contingent upon the continuation of the cooperative agreement with the

 

NSF for the operation of Arecibo Observatory.

 

The successful applicant will be a resident in Arecibo, Puerto Rico and 

will

 

be an employee of USRA. All interested candidates must apply directly on

 

our website at ** 

<http://www.elsi.jp/en/about/recruitment/public-offering-positions/2016/0…

 

 

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UPCOMING MEETINGS

 

A) U.S. RADIO-MM-SUBMM FUTURES II MEETING

 

August 3-5, 2016

 

Baltimore, MD

 

http://go.nrao.edu/Futures2

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

Registration is now open for the second of three conferences for the

 

astronomical community to broadly discuss potential futures for

 

radio-millimeter-submillimeter (RMS) science in the U.S. Funded

 

by Associated Universities, Inc. and the Kavli Foundation, Futures II

 

will take place 3-5 August in Baltimore, Maryland, and will focus on

 

the four broad areas of RMS community interest and opportunity that

 

emerged from the Futures I conference held in Chicago in December

 

2015.

 

Each Futures II focus area will explore the Flagship and Small/Midscale

 

instrument initiatives required for transformational scientific progress at

 

RMS wavelengths. Flagship initiatives are major investments with broad

 

community benefit and support that require funding by or on a scale

 

comparable to the National Science Foundation (NSF) – Major Research

 

Equipment and Facility Construction program. Small/Midscale initiatives

 

are significant investments that might be funded via the NSF Mid-Scale

 

Initiative Program, such as experiments emerging from smaller groups

 

and collaborations.

 

All Futures II conference events will take place at the Renaissance

 

Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. The $150 registration fee includes:

 

– 3-day conference

 

– plenary and breakout sessions

 

– all meeting materials

 

– breaks

 

– opening reception Wednesday evening

 

– conference dinner Thursday night

 

– $50 discount on rooms at Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel

 

(some restrictions apply).

 

Some funding is available to assist attendees who may need travel

 

support. If you need financial assistance to attend Futures II, please

 

email Local Organizing Committee Chair Karen Ransom

 

([email protected] <http://go.nrao.edu/Futures2

 

I hope you will join us 3-5 August 2016 for this important and

 

continuing discussion of the future of U.S. radio-millimeter-submillimeter

 

science.

 

Tony Beasley (NRAO Director)

 

on behalf of the Kavli/AUI Meetings Organizing Committee.

 

B) SBAG 15 MEETING

 

Dear SBAG community,

 

Just a reminder that the SBAG 15 meeting is roughly one month away:

 

June 28-30, 2016

 

Laurel, MD

 

A few logistical details, including a list of nearby hotels, is available

 

on the SBAG website:

 

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings/

 

An agenda for the meeting is also available from this website.

 

I’m looking forward to a productive meeting at the end of June, and I

 

hope to see many of you there!

 

Best wishes,

 

Nancy Chabot

 

SBAG Chair

 

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Send submissions to:

 

Anne Verbiscer, DPS Secretary ([email protected] <http://aas.org/unsubscribe or email 

[email protected] <[email protected] <

Newsletter 16-17

I wanted to relay to you a brief note on the budget situation.  The NASA Planetary Science budget has recovered from the hard times in 2013 and 2014 when we suffered a 20% cut in the President’s proposed budget. But even though Earth Science and Planetary Science had nearly the same enacted budget back in 2006, this past year PSD got $1.631B and Earth Science was up at $1.931. We want to grow the Planetary budget by increasing the topline numbers, not by cannibalizing other science programs. 

And with our strong support from Congress, continued Planetary budget increases are entirely within the realm of possiblility. The new House language mandates a 2022 Europa Clipper launch and a 2024 launch of a Europa Lander, and puts its money where its mouth is by allocating $260M for Europa. But the disconnect between the legislative branch and the executive branch is making for an inefficient way forward.

Congress has consistently supported Planetary Science over and above Presidential budget requests in recent years.  But the disconnect between enacted budgets and executive future budget runouts leads to a less than optimal use of money from an efficiency standpoint.  To illustrate the issue, we’ve put together this graph of requested and projected versus enacted budgets (real-year dollars, not inflation adjusted) since 2013: http://tinyurl.com/PSDbudget. These projections force NASA to plan assuming that it will get less money in the future, when its nearly certain that Congress will pass higher numbers.  These low projections make it hard to, for instance, plan for Europa Clipper’s development or choose a healthy number of competed missions. 

This administration has made it clear that Planetary Science is not their priority.But a new administration will come into the picture for the next budget cycle.  Hopefully their outlook will be more in tune with that of Congress and supportive for us, whoever it is that ends up in the White House in 2017.

Jason W. Barnes
DPS Chair

Issue 16-16, May 10, 2016

 

+————————————CONTENTS—————————————-+

1. AAS DIVISION FOR PLANETARY SCIENCES ANNOUNCES 2016 PRIZE WINNERS
2. ABSTRACT SUBMISSION OPENS FOR 48th DPS/11th EPSC JOINT MEETING IN PASADENA, CALIFORNIA

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AAS DIVISION FOR PLANETARY SCIENCES ANNOUNCES 2016 PRIZE WINNERS

 

The Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) is pleased to announce its 2016 prize winners.

 

Gerard P. Kuiper Prize for outstanding contributions to the field of planetary science is awarded posthumously to the late Dr. Stanton J. Peale (University of California at Santa Barbara) for his substantial and broad contributions to planetary science, particularly in the areas of planetary dynamics, planetary interiors, and the search for extrasolar planetary systems.  His application of rigorous mathematical modeling to understanding the interiors of planets and moons led to the prediction that Io, one of the moons of Jupiter discovered by Galileo, would exhibit active volcanic eruptions. Soon after this prediction, the Voyager 1 spacecraft discovered the first example of active volcanism outside the Earth.  He devised an ingenious procedure to determine whether Mercury’s core is molten, a procedure that was successfully implemented using radar observations.. His other significant contributions included studies of the Laplace resonance, a celestial dance linking Io to other Galilean moons, and the spin-orbit behaviors of several planets and satellites. Toward the end of his career, Dr. Peale turned his attention towards the search for and dynamical characteristics of extrasolar planets. Before his death on May 14, 2015, Dr. Peale was an emeritus professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2009, and was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the American Geophysical Union. He holds a NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal and asteroid 3612 Peale was named after him in recognitions of his achievements. He received his doctoral degree from Cornell University in 1965.

The Harold C. Urey Prize for outstanding achievement in planetary research by a young scientist goes to Dr. Leigh Fletcher (University of Leicester, United Kingdom) in recognition of his ground-breaking work in understanding physical and chemical processes in the atmospheres of the outer planets. His research has resulted in insights into such phenomena as the distribution of temperatures, chemicals, and clouds in Jupiter’s Great Red Spot; the chemical make-up of Saturn’s atmosphere, which reveals clues about its origin; the identification of the cloud levels responsible for the brightening of a planetary-scale region on Jupiter; the discovery of a major hot vortex in Saturn’s stratosphere; the implications of changes of Saturn’s temperatures and gaseous constituents for variability in its dynamics; and the distribution of Neptune’s stratospheric temperatures and minor constituents. Dr. Fletcher is currently a Royal Society University Research Fellow. He received his PhD in planetary sciences from the University of Oxford in 2007.

 

 

Harold Masursky Award for outstanding service to planetary science and exploration goes to Dr. Mark V. Sykes (Planetary Science Institute) for his significant contributions to fostering a positive research environment for planetary scientists.  Examples of his advocacy for planetary sciences include authorship of NASA’s first spacecraft data rights policy; providing groundwork for the first decadal survey for Solar System studies and organizing, editing and publishing the first collection of community white papers on all aspects of planetary science, which is now a standard practice; establishing and for nine years editing the weekly Planetary Exploration Newsletter (PEN), which now has over 3000 subscribers; and successfully rallying astronomers around the world against an effort to build a development near Mt. Hopkins in Arizona that would have led to substantial light pollution near major telescope facilities. He was a founding member of the NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group and served both on the steering committee and as chair. He has been a tireless advocate of planetary research and data analysis programs, fairness and integrity in the peer-review process, and NASA budget transparency.  He has been an advocate in Congress for competed planetary missions and research. Dr. Sykes served the DPS in many capacities, including a term as Chair. He established the Division’s Federal Relations subcommittee, began annual meetings between DPS leadership and NASA officials, and established regular outreach between DPS leadership and early career planetary scientists.  Finally, over the past twelve years he greatly expanded the Planetary Science Institute, where he is the Director, to be the largest non-government employer of planetary scientists today. Dr. Sykes received his PhD from the University of Arizona in Planetary Sciences in 1986.  He holds a Juris Doctor from the same institution and is a member of the Arizona Bar.  He is also a professional opera chorister.

 

The Carl Sagan Medal for outstanding public communication by an active planetary scientist goes to Dr. Yong-Chun Zheng (National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences) for his tireless promotion of planetary sciences to the Chinese public and for his explanations of Chinese science to the western world. As an investigator on Chang’E-1 and Chang’E-2 with expertise in lunar geochemistry and geology, he has delivered scores of talks at planetariums and science museums. He is a columnist for the Xinhua News Agency, and he is a frequent contributor to print and online publications that have millions of readers, such as China Science and Technology Daily. Dr. Zheng blogs several times each day on the sites of the China Science Daily and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with an emphasis in his writings about why the average person should care about topics in planetary science and astronomy. His blog at http://www.sciencenet.cn has been visited more than 340,000 times, and he has written several books and book chapters for a general audience. His more than 100 popular articles have been published in The People’s Daily, Space Exploration, Military Digest, Newton Science World, and other publications. He often posts about NASA’s missions, including most recently about New Horizons and the recurrent seasonal gullies on Mars. Dr. Zheng earned his doctoral degree in geochemistry and cosmochemistry from the Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 2005. He currently serves as an associate professor at the National Astronomical Observatories. He is also an adjunct associate professor at the Macau University of Science and Technology in Macau, China.

 

The Jonathan Eberhart Planetary Sciences Journalism Award recognizes and stimulates distinguished popular writing on planetary sciences. This year’s recipient is Nadia Drake, a freelance science journalist and contributing writer for National Geographic’s Phenomena website. She has a PhD in genetics from Cornell University on the topic of genomic imprinting, which was gained while simultaneously being principal dancer for the Ithaca Ballet. Since studying science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz, she has been an intern at Nature, an astronomy reporter at Science News, and a reporter for Wired Science covering life sciences. Dr. Drake has written about rogue planets, human ancestors, and giant spiders. She has a particular fondness for Iapetus, exomoons, words, and champagne. In her winning entry, “Scientists in Flying Telescope Race to Intercept Pluto’s Shadow” (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/07/150702-pluto-occultation-shadow-nasa-science), Dr. Drake gives a highly engaging personal account of how astronomers are keeping tabs on Pluto’s puzzling atmosphere by chasing the planet’s shadow with the SOFIA airborne observatory. The article can be found at http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/07/150702-pluto-occultation-shadow-nasa-science/

 

The 2016 DPS prizes will be presented at the joint 48th meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) and 11th European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) in Pasadena, California, 16-21 October 2016 (https://aas.org/meetings/dps48).

 

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ABSTRACT SUBMISSION OPENS FOR 48th DPS/11th EPSC JOINT MEETING IN PASADENA, CALIFORNIA

 

The 48th Division for Planetary Sciences and 11th European Planetary 

Science Congress meeting will be held in Pasadena, California, 

16-21 October 2016 at the Pasadena Convention Center, 300 East Green

Street, Pasadena, CA 91101. We anticipate an exciting program that 

captures the breadth of international planetary science by combining the 

scientific results of the participants in the DPS and EPSC research 

communities at one single joint meeting.

Registration will open soon. Visit the meeting website for more
information. We hope to see you in Pasadena!

https://aas.org/meetings/dps48

KEY DATES
3 May         Abstract Submission Opens
23 May        Workshop Proposal Deadline (to be included in the 
               meeting registration form)
23 June          ABSTRACT DEADLINE
5 July        Exhibit Deadline
2 August      Late Abstract Deadline (poster submissions only)
14 September  Hotel Reservation Deadline
16 September  Dependent Care Grant Application Deadline

 

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Send submissions to:

Anne Verbiscer, DPS Secretary ([email protected]) 

 

To unsubscribe visit http://aas.org/unsubscribe or email [email protected].

To change your address email [email protected].

 

 

Issue 16-15, May 7, 2016

 

+————————————–CONTENTS————————————–+

1. ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW HORIZONS KUIPER BELT EXTENDED MISSION SCIENCE PLANNING OPPORTUNITY
2. SOFIA CYCLE 5 CALL FOR OBSERVING PROPOSALS RELEASED
3. FEEDBACK TO OPAG ON NASA R&A RESTRUCTURING
4. FEEDBACK TO MEPAG ON NASA R&A RESTRUCTURING
5. JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES
6. UPCOMING MEETINGS & WORKSHOPS

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ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW HORIZONS KUIPER BELT EXTENDED 

MISSION SCIENCE PLANNING OPPORTUNITY

 

The centerpiece of the proposed New Horizons Kuiper Belt Extended 

Mission (NH-KEM) is the very close flyby of the 20-40 km wide KBO 

2014 MU69 on 1 January 2019. NH-KEM will also observe ~20 other 

KBOs at phase angles and/or at resolutions not otherwise possible, 

producing a unique database of KBO phase curves, satellite searches, 

and ring searches. 

 

If NH-KEM is approved, mission schedules require that both distant 

KBO observations and MU69 close flyby planning must begin almost 

immediately. 

 

The New Horizons team plans to use a portion of its September Science 

Team Meeting the week of Sep 19 to gather community input to NH-KEM 

observation plans.

 

Those are interested in listening to or potentially presenting at this 

activity should complete the indication of interest form at

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/kem-workshop-1/index.php

 

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SOFIA CYCLE 5 CALL FOR OBSERVING PROPOSALS RELEASED

 

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Science 

Center is pleased to announce the Call for Proposals for SOFIA Cycle 5 

observing time. The Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is 

issuing this call on behalf of NASA.
 
The SOFIA Cycle 5 call solicits proposals for approximately 476 hours 

of observing time.  Cycle 5 observations will be scheduled during the time 

period between February 1, 2017 and January 31, 2018. A Southern 

Hemisphere deployment that may include up to 3 instrument campaigns is 

planned during Cycle 5, nominally around mid-2017.
 
The deadline for Cycle 5 proposal submission is July 1, 2016, 9 p.m. PDT.
 
A formal update of this Call for Proposals that will incorporate any late 

changes in the observatory’s status will be posted publicly on June 10, 2016.
 
Seven instruments will be available during SOFIA Cycle 5: EXES, FIFI-LS, 

FLITECAM, FORCAST, FPI+, GREAT (or upGREAT), and HAWC+. 

The HAWC+ instrument and the upGREAT High Frequency Array mode 

will be commissioned after the proposal deadline for Cycle 5, and are offered 

for General Investigator observing in Cycle 5 on a shared risk basis, contingent 

on successful commissioning.
 
This call is open to all qualified astronomers, world wide, in the U.S. and 

outside the U.S., except for those currently affiliated with German institutions. 

Astronomers with a German professional affiliation can participate through 

the parallel German Cycle 5 call issued by the German SOFIA Institute (DSI) 

on behalf of the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
 
Total General Investigator funding available through the Cycle 5 call is 

expected to be approximately $5M, contingent on budget confirmation and 

NASA approval.
 
Information regarding preparation and submission of observing proposals 

is available on the Cycle 5 webpage:
 

https://www.sofia.usra.edu/researchers/proposing-and-observing/proposal-calls/cycle-5
 
We look forward to your participation in this exciting new research opportunity.
 
Erick Young
Director of SOFIA Science Mission Operations

 

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FEEDBACK TO OPAG ON NASA R&A RESTRUCTURING

 

Dear Outer Planets Community:

 

Your feedback is requested! The AG Chairs have been asked by the Space 

Studies Board (SSB) for each community’s perspective on the efficacy of 

NASA’s Planetary Science Division (PSD) Research and Analysis (R&A) 

programs, following the 2014 restructuring. The OPAG community feedback 

will comprise a portion of Alfred’s OPAG presentation to an SSB R&A 

Review Committee on May 13. 

 

The R&A Committee has been tasked to address the following questions:

 

1.                  Are the PSD R&A program elements appropriately linked to, 

and do they encompass the range and scope of, activities needed to support 

the NASA Strategic Objective for Planetary Science and the Planetary Science 

Division Science Goals, as articulated in the 2014 NASA Science Plan?

 

2.                  Are the PSD R&A program elements appropriately structured to 

develop the broad base of knowledge and broad range of activities needed both 

to enable new spaceflight missions and to interpret and maximize the scientific 

return from existing missions?

 

The SSB Review Committee guidelines include:

 

– Will conduct its review in the context of current budgetary realities that 

have differed from projections assumed prior to the release of the most recent 

planetary science decadal survey;

– Will not examine the PSD R&A programs as they were prior to the 

restructuring; and
– Will not comment on the strategic science goals and objectives of 

PSD, SMD, or NASA.

 

Please send comments you would like to see presented to 

[email protected] by May 9.  All responses will be confidential, 

and any included in Alfred’s presentation will be without attribution. 

 

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FEEDBACK TO MEPAG ON R&A RESTRUCTURING

 

Dear Mars Community:

 

Your feedback is requested! Jeff Johnson, MEPAG Chair, has been 
asked by the Space Studies Board (SSB) for the Mars community’s 
perspective on the efficacy of NASA’s Planetary Science Division 
(PSD) Research and Analysis (R&A) programs. The Mars community 
feedback will comprise a portion of Jeff’s presentation to an SSB 
R&A Review Committee. The committee will hold its first meeting at 
the National Academy of Sciences on May 12-13, and has invited 
representatives from all of the PSD analysis groups.
 
In particular, the committee has been tasked to address the following 
questions:

1. Are the PSD R&A program elements appropriately linked to, and do 
they encompass the range and scope of activities needed to support 
the NASA Strategic Objective for Planetary Science and the Planetary 
Science Division Science Goals, as articulated in the 2014 NASA 
Science Plan?

2. Are the PSD R&A program elements appropriately structured to 
develop the broad base of knowledge and broad range of activities 
needed both to enable new spaceflight missions and to interpret 
and maximize the scientific return from existing missions?

Please answer the survey questions by May 9 at: 
 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1jlek-3IeOfBXe6juOx-hqT3iLhiGEsm1bjS7Y3A2PgM/viewform
 

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JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES
 

A) POSTDOCTORAL POSITION IN MARS SCIENCE

 

The Department of Planetology and Habitability at the Centro de 

Astrobiología (CAB) invites applications for a postdoctoral position 

to support investigations on the nature of the early Mars environments. 

The successful candidate will work with Dr. Alberto Fairén in the 

ERC-funded Project “icyMARS”.

 

Applicants should have a recent Ph.D. in the field of Planetary Science 

or related discipline, and a background in Mars research. Expertise in 

Geochemistry or Microbiology would be helpful, but not required.

 

The position, placed in Madrid, would be for two years, with possible 

extension to a third year contingent upon funding availability and 

satisfactory performance. Benefits include working in a young enthusiastic 

team at one of the leading Planetary Sciences institutions in Europe, full 

social benefits according to the Spanish social care system, and a very 

competitive salary.

 

Applicants should send a letter of interest, a curriculum with a list of 

publications, a brief (maximum two pages) statement of research interests, 

and a list of three references, no later than July 1 2016, to Alberto Fairén

([email protected]).

 

The starting date is negotiable, but should be no later than Jan 1, 2017.  

B) PLANETARY INTERIOR STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS SCIENTIST

 

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a Federally-Funded Research and 

Development Center operated by the California Institute of Technology 

for NASA, invites applications for a full-time position in interior structure 

and dynamics of planets and satellites. The scientific scope of interest for 

this position is broad, but candidates should have demonstrated expertise 

in one of the following areas: Modeling of signal propagation in solid 

bodies and atmospheres, with applications, for example, to icy satellites, Mars, 

Venus, and giant planets; Processing of geophysical data, in particular seismic 

signals, over a broad range of frequencies; Material mechanical properties and 

their dependence on several parameters including pressure, temperature and 

forcing frequency; and/or Modelling of planetary internal processes. The 

selected applicant is expected to participate in or lead science definition and 

advancement of new science, technology, and mission proposals.

 

The applicant must have a PhD in Geology, Geophysics, Physics, or a related 

technical discipline.  The applicant shall have an established reputation along with

a broad knowledge of planetary measurement approaches and expertise in modeling 

and interpretation of the data for planetary science applications.

 

JPL/Caltech offers a competitive salary and impressive benefits, and provides 

research opportunities at the leading edge of Planetary Science. To view the 

full job description and apply, visit: http://Careerlaunch.jpl.nasa.gov/ (Job 

ID #2016-6584). Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and should

include a curriculum vitae, a career statement with research objectives, and 

contact information for three professional references. JPL/Caltech is an equal 

opportunity/affirmative action employer.

 

C) POSTDOCTORAL POSITION REACTION DYNAMICS & 

PLANETARY SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA, USA 

The Reaction Dynamics Group, Department of Chemistry, University of 

Hawai’i at Manoa, invites applications for one postdoctoral position. The 

appointment period is initially for one year, but can be renewed annually 

based on avail­a­b­ility of funds and satisfactory progress. The salary is 

competitive and commensurate with experience. Successful applicants 

should have a strong background in experimental reaction dynamics, UHV 

tech­nology, and pulsed laser systems. The goal of the experiments is to 

probe the formation of alkylphosphonic acids via interaction of ionizing 

radiation with low temperature interstellar and cometary analog ices. Reaction 

products will be probed via tunable vacuum ultraviolet photoionization of 

the subliming molecules. 

Solid communication skills in English (written, oral), a publication record 

in internationally circulated, peer-reviewed journals, and willingness to work 

in a team are man­da­to­ry. Only self-motivated and energetic candidates are 

encouraged to apply. Please send a letter of interest, three letters of 

recommendation, CV, and publication list to Prof. Ralf I. Kaiser, De­partment 

of Chemistry, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822-2275, USA

[[email protected] ].

 

Applicants must demonstrate their capability to prepare manuscripts 

for publications independently. The review of applications will start 

May 30, 2016, and continues until the position is filled. A description of 

our current research group can be found at 

http://www.chem.hawaii.edu/Bil301/welcome.html.

 

6———6———6———6———6———6———6———6———6———6

UPCOMING MEETINGS & WORKSHOPS

 

A) ENCELADUS AND THE ICY MOONS OF SATURN

     Boulder, Colorado July 26-29, 2016

 

ABSTRACT DEADLINE : May 12, 2016

 

http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/enceladus2016/

 

B) LUNAR AND SMALL BODIES GRADUATE CONFERENCE 2016 – 

     ANNOUNCEMENTAND ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE: JUNE 3

 

Registration is now open for the 7th Annual Lunar and Small Bodies Graduate

Conference (LunGradCon 2016) to be held on Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at the

NASA Ames Research Center, preceding the NASA Exploration Science Forum

(ESF). With the expanded interests of the Solar System Exploration Research 

Virtual Institute (SSERVI), the scope of this year’s LunGradCon includes 

both lunar and small bodies science. LunGradCon provides an opportunity 

for grad students and early-career postdocs to present their research on lunar 

and small body science in a low-stress, friendly environment, being critiqued 

only by their peers. In addition to oral presentations, the conference presents 

opportunities for professional development and networking with fellow grad 

students and postdocs, as well as senior members of SSERVI. A limited 

amount of funding will be provided for travel and lodging costs. 

 

The deadline for registration and abstract submission is June 3rd 2016, 11:59 PM PDT.

For more details, please visit:

http://impact.colorado.edu/lungradcon/2016/

or email any questions to: [email protected] 

 

C)  SUMMER SCHOOL IN SOFTWARE SYSTEMS FOR ASTRONOMY

 

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Physics and Astronomy Department offers 

the two week course (July 25 – August 5).  The course covers software design 

and implementation of telescope and instrument control systems, observation 

planning tools, and software for analyzing and archiving astronomical data.  

A full course description and instructions for enrollment are given at:

http://phys.uhh.hawaii.edu/Summer2016/summer2016.php

 

D) ASTEROIDS, COMETS, METEORS 2017 – 1ST CIRCULAR

10-14 April 2017
Montevideo, Uruguay

www.acm2017.uy

The series of conferences “Asteroids, Comets, Meteors” focuses on the 
research of small Solar System bodies. The series constitutes the 
leading international meeting in this field. The first three 
conferences took place in Uppsala, Sweden in the 1980’s, and 
afterwards they were organized every ~3 years all over the world. 

Next year’s meeting will be held in the Edificio Polifuncional Jose 
Luis Massera that belongs to the Universidad de la Republica and is 
located beside the Faculty of Engineering. The building is 
located near the sea coast in a beautiful green area called Parque 
Rodo. There are several hotels and restaurants in the surroundings 
within walking distances. Furthermore, Montevideo downtown is 
only a ten minute drive away. There are several bus lines connecting 
downtown with Parque Rodo. 

For those interested in attending, please, fill the form with your 
personal data. Provide us a tentative title of your contribution 
and/or the subject you are working on:

http://acm2017.uy/x/pre-registration/

Funds are very limited, so we expect to cover some accommodation 
expenses for graduate students and recent PhDs; and it will be 
possible to waive the registration fee for some people needing 
some assistance.

———————————+

Send submissions to: 

Anne Verbiscer, DPS Secretary ([email protected])  

To unsubscribe visit http://aas.org/unsubscribe or email [email protected]. 

To change your address email [email protected]. 

 

 

+————————————-CONTENTS—————————————+

1. SPECIAL EDITION: 2015 CARL SAGAN MEDAL LECTURE

+——————————————————————————————–+

 

 

1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1

SPECIAL EDITION: 2015 CARL SAGAN MEDAL LECTURE

 

Dr. Daniel D. Durda, recipient of the DPS 2015 Carl Sagan Medal, will present

his Sagan Medal lecture “All These Worlds: The Exoplanet Revolution” at the

Griffith Observatory tomorrow night, Friday, May 6, 2016 at 8:30pm PDT/

11:30pm EDT.  The Griffith Observatory will make the lecture available

worldwide through its Livestream channel:

 

http://livestream.com/GriffithObservatoryTV/SaganMedalLecture

 

———————————+

Send submissions to: 

Anne Verbiscer, DPS Secretary ([email protected])  

To unsubscribe visit http://aas.org/unsubscribe or email [email protected]. 

To change your address email [email protected]. 

The DPS Nominating Committee has identified the following candidates for the 2016 DPS elections for Vice-Chair and Committee:

Vice-Chair (1 to be elected):

• Cathy Olkin, Southwest Research Institute
• Harold Reitsema, Retired

Committee (2 to be elected):

• Ashley Davies, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Karl Hibbitts, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
• Britney Schmidt, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Maria Womack, University of South Florida

Additional candidates, supported by a petition of at least 20 DPS members, may be nominated by May 30th. Please send any nominations to the DPS Secretary, Anne Verbiscer.

Issue 16-13, April 30, 2016

 

+—————————–CONTENTS——————————–+

1. DPS ELECTIONS 2016: CANDIDATE SLATE
2. ADVANCE NOTICE OF COLDTECH ROSES 2016 PROGRAM ELEMENT
3. JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES
4. UPCOMING MEETINGS & WORKSHOPS

+—————————————————————————–+

 

 

1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1

DPS ELECTIONS 2016: CANDIDATE SLATE

 

The DPS Nominating Committee has identified the following candidates

for the 2016 DPS elections for Vice-Chair and Committee: 

 

Vice-Chair (1 to be elected):

o Cathy Olkin, Southwest Research Institute

o Harold Reitsema, Retired

 

Committee (2 to be elected):

o Ashley Davies, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

o Karl Hibbitts, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

o Britney Schmidt, Georgia Institute of Technology

o Maria Womack, University of South Florida

 

Additional candidates, supported by a petition of at least 20 DPS members,

may be nominated by May 30th. Please send any nominations to the

DPS Secretary, Anne Verbiscer, at [email protected].

 

2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2

ADVANCE NOTICE OF COLDTECH ROSES 2016 PROGRAM ELEMENT

 

This community announcement is an advance notice of the Science Mission 

Directorate (SMD) plan to release a new program element in Appendix C of 

the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences-2016 (ROSES-2016) 

NASA Research Announcement. This new program element,

Concepts for Ocean worlds Life Detection Technology (COLDTech), will 

support the development of technology beneficial for surface and subsurface 

missions to explore ocean worlds such as Europa and Enceladus. Specifically, 

COLDTech will seek to advance the maturity of science instruments and sample 

acquisition and delivery systems for such missions. While instruments focused 

on the detection of extant life in the ocean worlds of the outer Solar System are 

especially of interest, COLDTech will not be limited to such instruments.

 

The Planetary Science Division expects to release COLDTech as program 

element C.20 of ROSES-2016 within the next month, and proposals will be 

due approximately 90 days after release.  

 

Questions may be addressed to Dr. Curt Niebur, Lead Program Scientist, 

Planetary Science Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA, 

Washington, DC 20546; Tel.: (202) 358-0390;  E-mail: [email protected].

 

3———3———3———3———3———3———3———3———3———3

JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES

 

 

A) PLANETARY SCIENTIST CIVIL SERVANT – MSFC

 

The Heliophysics and Planetary Science Office at NASA Marshall Space

Flight Center is filling a Planetary Scientist civil service position. The

candidate will be the project scientist for the Space Launch System (SLS),

providing relevant expertise on Solar System destinations for human and

robotic exploration. The candidate will also become a part of the MSFC

Planetary Science group (http://planetary.msfc.nasa.gov). We are especially

interested in adding capability in remote sensing of solid surfaces to

complement our existing expertise in geochronology and geophysics. The

candidate is expected to bring or build a strong independent scientific

research program through peer-reviewed proposals to NASA programs

and/or through involvement in NASA planetary missions.

 

All candidates must use the USAJobs.gov website to prepare and submit

applications. The position is now open, and accessible here:
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/436419800/ 

 

United States citizenship is required to be eligible for this civil service

position. The listing will close on May 3, 2016. 

 

Please direct questions to: Dr. Barbara Cohen, MSFC Planetary Sciences,
[email protected], 256-961-7566, or Michael Goodman, MSFC

Science Research Office deputy manager, [email protected],

256-961-7890. A how-to guide for preparing responsive applications using

the USAJobs.gov site will be provided upon request.

 

4———4———4———4———4———4———4———4———4———4

UPCOMING MEETINGS & WORKSHOPS

 

A) NEW FRONTIERS PROGRAM JUNE TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP

 

The New Frontiers Program encourages the infusion of new technologies 

where beneficial into proposals responding to the fourth Announcement of 

Opportunity (AO). For NASA-developed technology, this infusion will take 

the form of a) providing certain technologies as Government-Furnished 

Equipment (GFE), b) increasing the Principal Investigator (PI)-Managed 

Mission Cost cap for investigations using specified NASA-developed technologies, 

and c) possibly limiting the risk assessment of certain NASA-developed 

technologies to only their accommodation on the spacecraft and the mission 

environment. In preparation for the AO, the Science Mission Directorate is 

hosting a Technology Workshop. The goal of this event is to educate the 

potential proposing community on technologies being offered and inform 

how each technology will be supported to the proposal team. Technology 

providers other than NASA are welcome to participate in this workshop and 

will be accommodated as space permits. 

 

All interested parties may attend the Technology Workshop. All expenses 

and arrangements for attending this meeting are the responsibility of the 

attendees. Note that travel and associated costs of attendance are not allowable 

as direct costs under another Federal Government award, e.g., a contract, 

grant, or cooperative agreement. Government employees may attend and be 

authorized travel and associated costs as a matter of official business. 

 

This one-day workshop is targeted for either June 1 or 2. It will be divided 

into two sections: briefings on each technology offering in the morning and 

the opportunity for small-group meetings in the afternoon. A poster session 

will be organized if all interested parties cannot be accommodated on the 

agenda. In order to reach the widest audience possible, all briefings will also 

be webcast. Webcast and telecom details are to be determined, but will be 

announced when available. Information will also be posted in the New 

Frontiers Acquisition website (http://newfrontiers.larc.nasa.gov/).

 

Please contact Dr. Curt Niebur, Lead Program Scientist for New Frontiers, 

via E-mail at [email protected] if you are interested in providing 

information on your technology to potential proposers at this workshop. 

 

B) 7TH PLANETARY CRATER CONSORTIUM MEETING 

     August 17-19, 2016 

 

The 7th Planetary Crater Consortium meeting will be held August 17-19, 2016, 

at Brown University in Providence, RI. The Planetary Crater Consortium is 

open to planetary scientists interested in any aspect of impact cratering on 

solar system bodies, including observational, theoretical, experimental, and 

numerical studies. The meeting is a combination of invited talks, contributed 

talks, and open discussion. 

 

Abstract deadline is Friday, August 5, 2016. For more information, 

see www.planetarycraterconsortium.nau.edu/ or contact 

Nadine Barlow ([email protected]).

 

———————————+

Send submissions to:

Anne Verbiscer, DPS Secretary ([email protected]) 

 

To unsubscribe visit http://aas.org/unsubscribe or email [email protected].

To change your address email [email protected].