Issue 15-26, June 26, 2015
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- MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
- NASA ARM FAST OPPORTUNITY
- SPITZER CYCLE 12 CALL FOR PROPOSALS
- SOFIA CYCLE 4 CALL FOR PROPOSALS
- JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES
- UPCOMING MEETINGS & WORKSHOPS
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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
The DPS Committee convened its annual meeting in sweltering Washington, DC on June 15.
On June 16, we had a very productive session at NASA Headquarters with Jonathan Rall, Jim Green
(dialing in), Max Bernstein, and about a dozen Program Officers. We also made several visits to
Senate and House offices on Capitol Hill. Makenzie Lystrup, our DPS Federal Relations Subcommittee
(FRS) Chair, will be reporting on those visits in an upcoming DPS Newsletter. Here are some highlights
from our Committee meeting and NASA visit:
Planning for the Fall DPS meeting at National Harbor is in full swing. The Local Organizing
Committee (LOC) and Science Organizing Committee (SOC) are putting together a tremendous
program, with a full slate of workshops on Sunday and the usual night events. I thank Neil Dello
Russo (SOC Chair) Andy Rivkin (LOC Chair) and their teams for the great job they are doing.
We will not have a banquet this year because the cost was too prohibitive ($100+ for just a
“heavy” reception). We hope to reinstate the banquet in future years if it can be done for a
reasonable price. Also this year we begin a standing history session. As with our education
session, historical session talks will not count against the one first-author-talk rule.
The abstract deadline is August 25, 2015.
Here are the main highlights from our NASA Headquarters visit: The program officers suggested
holding a peer-review training workshop at the DPS meeting; future ROSES calls will continue
using Step-1 proposals to assemble review panels before the Step 2 deadline; and the Solar System
Workings (SSW) Program in ROSES 2015 will have two,Step-2 due dates separated by 6 months
to spread the workload at Headquarters and will have a single due date in ROSES 2016. The
Committee reiterated its commitment to advocate for sustained NASA research funding.
We also mentioned the need to reinstate the Education & Public Outreach (E&PO) supplements
to individual investigator grants, and to preserve the careers of young investigators.
Finally, our DPS elections are now live. Make your voice heard! Please respond to the notice to vote.
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NASA ASTEROID REDIRECT MISSION (ARM) FORMULATION AND
ASSESSMENT TEAM (FAST) OPPORTUNITY
NASA anticipates releasing a “Dear Colleague Letter” that invites applications for membership on the
ARM FAST. The Letter will request that each application should be no more than two pages in length.
The application should describe the applicant’s current research and expertise in one or more of the four
areas identified above. In addition, a statement of how much time the applicant will have between
September and December of 2015 for activities related to the ARM FAST should also be included.
Input by members into the FAST process will be gratuitous, with no expectation of compensation.
NASA plans to offer invitational travel, at NASA’s expense, to members asked by NASA to travel to
FAST meetings. Additional details will be described in the “Dear Colleague Letter” and associated
FAST charter.
The following schedule describes the anticipated major milestones of NASA’s “Dear Colleague Letter”
for application to the ARM FAST. These dates are subject to change.
“Dear Colleague Letter” released: On or around July 7, 2015;
Application Due Date: Release + 1 month;
Selections Announced (target): Release + 2 months
The issuance of this Community Announcement does not obligate NASA to issue the “Dear Colleague
Letter” and solicit applications. Any costs incurred by prospective investigators in preparing submissions in response to this Community Announcement are incurred completely at the submitter’s own risk. The
ARM FAST “Dear Colleague Letter” may contain provisions that differ from this announcement, in which
case those in the Letter will take precedence. Questions or comments about this Community Announcement
on the ARM FAST “Dear Colleague Letter” may be addressed to: Dan Mazanek, NASA ARM Mission Investigator, NASA Langley Research Center, 1 N Dryden, Mail Stop 462, Hampton, VA 23681;
Email: [email protected]; Tel: 757-864-1739. E-mail correspondence is preferred.
Comments should be provided to Mr. Mazanek within 1 week of this announcement in order to be
considered in the Letter. The character string “ARM FAST” (without quotes) should be included in the
subject line of all transmissions.
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SPITZER CYCLE 12 CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Dear Planetary Community,
On behalf of NASA and the Spitzer Space Telescope Project, the
Spitzer Science Center (SSC) at Caltech is pleased to announce
the release of the Cycle-12 Call for Proposals (CP). Both the NASA
Astrophysics and the Planetary Science Divisions are providing
support for Spitzer operations. The Cycle-12 CP solicits ~1,000 hours
of General Observer (GO) and Snapshot proposals. Innovative investigations
with scientific high risk/gain are particularly encouraged. The Director plans
to select up to 250 hours of high risk/gain programs.
The maximum proposal size for Cycle-12 is 100 hours and
Cycle-12 programs will execute in the December 2015 – September 2016 timeframe.
Priority in the selection of Cycle-12 will be given to programs that highlight
— Astro2010 science themes
— Planetary science programs observing targets in our Solar System.
• — Investigations that concentrate on developing the scientific landscape that JWST
will explore, or will help maximize the JWST scientific return.
All programmatic and technical information for Cycle-12 is available electronically from
the Proposal Kit section of the Spitzer Science Center website at
http://ssc.spitzer.caltech.edu/warmmission/propkit/
Joint HST or Chandra observations can be proposed as part of a
Spitzer Cycle-12 proposal.
Proposal Deadline: 11 September 2015, 4:00 PM PDT
All proposals must be submitted electronically using Spot, the
SSC proposal planning and submission software. Spot is available
from the SSC proposal kit website and a new version is expected
to be available in late July. The required Cycle-12 proposal templates
are available now at theProposal Kit website. The proposal submission
system will open by August 1.
Any questions should be addressed to the Spitzer Helpdesk at
Spitzer Science User Support
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SOFIA CYCLE 4 CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Deadline for proposal submission: July 10, 2015
The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Cycle 4
observing Call for Proposals (CfP) was released on May 1, 2015.
The Call solicits observing proposals from the U.S. and international
astronomical community for up to 450 hours of science observing using
SOFIA, and is issued on behalf of NASA by the Universities Space
Research Association (USRA). The Cycle 4 observing period will be from
February 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017.
The deadline for proposal submission will be 04:00 UTC July 11, 2015
= 21:00 Pacific Daylight Time on Friday July 10. Proposal selections will
be announced in early October 2015.
The proposal process consists of two phases. Phase I requires the
preparation and submission of a scientific context, a scientific
justification, a feasibility analysis, and a high-level description of the
proposed targets and observations. Peer review and proposal selection will
be based on the Phase I submission. Proposers who are awarded time will be
required to submit detailed observation specifications during Phase II.
A formal update to the CfP on this website is scheduled for June 8, 2015.
However, no major changes in capabilities are expected relative to those
described in the current version of the Cycle 4 CfP document.
The SOFIA Cycle 4 Call for Proposals document, links to the Observer’s
Handbook for Cycle 4, and other details about preparing and submitting a
proposal can be found at the “Cycle 4: Phase I Information” link:
http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Science/proposals/cycle4/index.html
SOFIA is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
The aircraft is based at the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center’s
Facility in Palmdale, Calif. NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center manages the
program. NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., manages the
SOFIA science and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities
Space Research Association (USRA) headquartered in Columbia, Md., and the
German SOFIA Institute (DSI) at the University of Stuttgart.
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JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES
A) ESA RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP IN SPACE SCIENCE
content/esa-research-fellowship-space-science
The European Space Agency awards several postdoctoral fellowships each year.
The aim of these fellowships is to provide young scientists, holding a PhD
or the equivalent degree, with the means of performing space science
research in fields related to the ESA Science and Robotic Exploration
Programmes. Areas of research include planetary science, astronomy and
astrophysics, solar and solar-terrestrial science, plasma physics and
fundamental physics. The fellowships have a duration of two years and are
tenable at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in
Noordwijk, Netherlands, or at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) in
Villafranca del Castillo, near Madrid, Spain.
Applications are now solicited for fellowships in space science to begin in
the fall of 2016. Preference will be given to applications submitted by
candidates within five years of receiving their PhD. Candidates not holding
a PhD yet are encouraged to apply, but they must provide evidence of
receiving their degree before starting the fellowship.
ESA fellows are enrolled in ESA’s Social Security Scheme, which covers
medical expenses, invalidity and death benefits. A monthly deduction covers
these short-term and long-term risks.
The deadline for applications is 1 October 2015.
More information on the ESA Research Fellowship programme in Space Science,
on the conditions and eligibility, as well as the application form can retrieved from
http://cosmos.esa.int/fellowship
Questions on the scientific aspects of the
ESA Fellowship in Space Science not answered in the above pages can be sent
by e-mail to the fellowship coordinators, Dr.Oliver Jennrich or Dr.Bruno
Altieri at the address [email protected]
B) AGU SCIENCE WRITING INTERNSHIP
https://rew12.ultipro.com/AME1056/JobBoard/JobDetails.aspx?__ID=*12042D32220D97D6
C) DIRECTOR OF SOLAR SYSTEM EXPLORATION DIVISION,
GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/406373000
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UPCOMING MEETINGS & WORKSHOPS
A) 2ND ANNOUNCEMENT: FROM INTERSTELLAR ICES TO POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC
HYDROCARBONS: A SYMPOSIUM TO HONOR LOU ALLAMANDOLA’S CONTRIBUTIONS
TO THE MOLECULAR UNIVERSE
Annapolis – Maryland – USA
September 13-17, 2015
*Abstract submission and registration are now open*
**Deadline for abstract submission: 26 June 2015**
Dear colleagues,
This is the second announcement of the meeting “From interstellar ices to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons:
A symposium to honor Lou Allamandola’s contributions to the molecular Universe”.
Abstracts should be submitted by June 26 for consideration. Details on the meeting and registration
will be available on the website: http://ices2pahs.strw.leidenuniv.nl
Extensive advances in the field of Astrochemistry have been made thanks to simultaneous
efforts in astronomical infrared spectroscopy and to dedicated laboratory simulations and
theoretical studies aimed at reproducing observed spectra throughout the interstellar medium.
The molecular complexity, both organic and mineral, found in inter/proto-stellar and solar system
environments have been attributed to primarily grain-surface and bulk chemistry reactions.
This symposium will be composed of contributions from participants working on
dedicated laboratory experiments, theoretical calculations of basic processes and chemical reaction
networks, as well as astronomical observations of complex molecules and, more generally solid
state materials in space. This gathering is in honor of a major influence to this area of Astrochemistry,
Dr. Louis Allamandola, one of the leading spokespersons of the interstellar polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbon (PAH) model.
The scientific topics of this meeting include:
· Ices – Spectroscopy, Energetic Processing
· Surface Chemistry
· PAHs in Ices
· Identification, Observation, and models of PAHs
· Formation of complex species in Ices – Astrobiology
The format of the meeting will consist of invited talks, contributed talks, and posters.
A list of invited speakers can be found on the conference website.
The Symposium will be held at the Historic Inns of Annapolis (http://www.historicinnsofannapolis.com/) located in Annapolis, MD USA.
We are looking forward to an exciting meeting and hope to welcome you in Annapolis this fall.
From the Scientific Organizing Committee,
Stefanie Milam (NASA/GSFC), Alexander Tielens (Univ. Leiden), Jason Dworkin (NASA/GSFC), Doug Hudgins (NASA/HQ), Jamie Elsila (NASA/GSFC), Murthy Gudipati (NASA/JPL), Max Bernstein (NASA/HQ), Louis d’Hendecourt (Université Paris-Sud)
B) AGU SESSION P013 – JOVE YOU INSIDE OUT: GIANT PLANET INTERIORS, ATMOSPHERES, AURORAE, AND IONOSPHERES
We solicit new research findings about the magnetospheres, ionospheres, aurorae, neutral atmospheres
and deep interiors of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. We especially encourage presentations about
studies in anticipation of Juno’s arrival at Jupiter, and the final phase of Cassini mission to Saturn, as both spacecraft will begin a critical phase of their missions in 2016; Juno will enter its orbit around Jupiter, and
Cassini will go into the “Grand Finale” orbit which will take it inside the inner-most rings of Saturn.
Other sources of data to be covered in our session include the continuing observation of Saturn by the
Cassini spacecraft, and other recent space- and ground-based observation. We solicit results of long-term
monitoring of all giant planets using ground- and space-based telescopes. We also encourage reports of
recent activities at Uranus and Neptune. In addition, we solicit modeling and theoretical presentations
that address these observational findings.
Deadline to submit an abstract: 5 August 2015, 11:59 P.M. EDT
To submit abstracts to this session, visit:
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm15/preliminaryview.cgi/start.html
Conveners:
Kunio M Sayanagi, Hampton University
Ulyana Dyudina, Caltech
Scott G Edgington, JPL
Padma Yanamandra-Fisher, SSI
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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].
—
Anne J. Verbiscer
Research Associate Professor
Department of Astronomy
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4325