Newsletter 16-07

Issue 16-07, March 8, 2016

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1)REMINDER: LAST CALL FOR 2016 DPS PRIZE NOMINATIONS

2)NASA ADVISORY COUNCIL PLANETARY SCIENCE SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING

3)NASA PDS ROADMAP TEAM NOMINATIONS

4)EIGHTH ANNUAL SUSAN NIEBUR WOMEN IN PLANETARY SCIENCE EVENT AT LPSC

5)SUMMER SCHOOL: BRAVE NEW WORLDS: UNDERSTANDING THE PLANETS OF OTHER STARS

6)2016B NASA IRTF CALL FOR PROPOSALS

7)OBSERVATION CAMPAIGN OF KBO TARGETS FOR PROPOSED NEW HORIZONS EXTENDED MISSION

8)UPCOMING MEETINGS

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REMINDER: LAST CALL FOR DPS 2016 PRIZE NOMINATIONS

DEADLINE MARCH 15, 2016

Every year the DPS recognizes exceptional achievement in our field.

It is time to consider nominating a respected colleague for one of the
annual

DPS prizes:

The Gerard P. Kuiper Prize honors outstanding contributions to the field of

planetary science.

The Harold C. Urey Prize recognizes outstanding achievement in planetary

research by a young scientist.

The Harold Masursky Award acknowledges outstanding service to planetary

science and exploration.

The Carl Sagan Medal recognizes and honors outstanding communication

by an active planetary scientist to the general public.

The Jonathan Eberhart Planetary Sciences Journalism Award recognizes

and stimulates distinguished popular writing on planetary sciences.

Detailed descriptions of each of the prizes and the criteria for
nominees for

each can be found at
prizes. The nomination
form and

instructions can also be retrieved from this website. The completed
nomination

form and supporting material should be emailed to [email protected]
.

Starting this year we are requiring that the nomination package with all

supporting material be submitted as a single document of less than 20
mbytes;

.pdf is highly preferred. If you have a nomination from a past year that is

being carried over, you do not need to resubmit unless you are including
new

material.

Anyone except current DPS Committee members may submit a nomination.

A completed nomination will be retained and considered by the Prize

Subcommittee for three years, or as long as the nominee is eligible,
whichever

is less. Past nominees may be re-nominated after the expiration of a prior

nomination. A posthumous nomination is allowed for a limited time after the

nominee’s death, except for the Sagan Medal. For specific details, see
the URL

noted above.

The deadline for nominations this year is March 15.

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NASA ADVISORY COUNCIL PLANETARY SCIENCE SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING

The Planetary Science Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council will

meet TOMORROW March 9 and Thursday March 10.The link to the agenda

appears below, as well as information on how to join the meeting via
telephone

and webex:

http://science.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2016/03/02/PSS_agenda_for_Mar…

Teleconference Information:

Toll free conference call number 1-888-603-9741

Pass code: 7275246

WebEx Link: https://nasa.webex.com/

Meeting number for March 9

998 136 809

Password: PSS@Mar9

Meeting number for March 10

999 111 391

Password: PSS@Mar10

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NASA PDS ROADMAP TEAM NOMINATIONS

Dear Colleague,

**

Be a part of the future of NASA’s Planetary Data System (PDS)! The PDS

is beginning the process of creating its next Roadmap and NASA is
soliciting

self-nominations for the PDS Roadmap Study Team. The goal of this activity

is to develop a practical, community-developed pathway to implement the new

long-term vision (see URL below) for the PDS, which continues to accomplish

NASA’s broad objective for the PDS; namely, preserving and making available

all data products from planetary exploration research and missions.

The PDS Chief Scientist, Dr. Ralph McNutt (Johns Hopkins University

Applied Physics Laboratory), will serve as the Chair of the Roadmap

Study Team. Ms. Emily Law (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory – JPL)

will serve as his Deputy.

Background

The Planetary Data System (PDS) archives electronic data products from

NASA planetary missions, sponsored by NASA’s Science Mission

Directorate. It actively manages the archive to maximize its usefulness.

All PDS-curated products are peer-reviewed, well documented, and

available online to scientists and to the public. More information on

The Roadmap is available from the PDS homepage at:

https://pds.nasa.gov/roadmap/index.shtml.

The PDS is one of four NASA organizations within the Planetary Science

Division which works to ensure that planetary science archived data and

curated samples remain accessible to current researchers; preserved for

future generations; and protected against corruption, contamination, and

loss. NASA expects to increase interoperability and searchability across

all archives.

It is expected that the PDS Roadmap Study Team will do much of its

work virtually, using tele- and web-conferences. However, there will be

up to three, two-day long face-to-face meeting.

To nominate yourself for membership on the PDS Roadmap Study team,

E-mail a single PDF-formatted file to the PDS Program Scientist, Dr.

Michael New, at [email protected]
and the PDS Program Executive,

Mr. William Knopf, at [email protected]
by 11:59 PM EDT on

March 28, 2016. The subject line should include the phrase “PDS Roadmap

Study Team Self-Nomination”.

The application material should consist of:

1. The reasons for the submitter’s interest in the PDS Roadmap.

2. The capabilities and experience that the submitter would bring

to the PDS Roadmap.

3. A short statement of commitment to perform the tasks assigned

to the PDS Roadmap.

4. A two-page resume or /curriculum vitae/, including relevant
publications.

Nominations are solicited from researchers at U.S.-based research and

academic institutions, Government laboratories, including NASA centers

and JPL, industry, and private individuals. Only U.S. persons (for the

purpose of U.S. export control regulations, i.e., U.S. citizens and

permanent residents; see
http://oiir.hq.nasa.gov/nasaecp/Webbrfg/tsld018.htm)

are eligible to serve on the PDS Roadmap Study Team.

NASA will select the PDS Roadmap members for balance of expertise in

relevant science and technology areas.

NASA reserves the right to cancel this road-mapping activity at any time,

should programmatic and/or other reasons warrant it.

Questions about the PDS Roadmap should be addressed to the NASA PDS

Project Manager, Dr. Thomas Morgan, [email protected] at

301-286-1743.

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EIGHTH ANNUAL SUSAN NIEBUR WOMEN IN PLANETARY

SCIENCE EVENT AT LPSC

Wednesday, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.,

Waterway 5, Woodlands Waterway Marroitt

(LPSC Conference Venue, Houston, TX)

Everyone has implicit or unconscious biases shaped by societal expectations

and past experiences. These biases can influence evaluation and judgement,

in either a positive or negative way. Studies have shown that unconscious

bias can negatively affect the careers of women and other minorities in

STEM fields. In addition to raising awareness about best practices, this

event is meant as a springboard for implementing positive change in our

community. We welcome everyone’s input on this important topic. RSVP

(not required, but requested so we will have an idea about attendance

numbers), and more information:
http://bit.ly/WIPS_2016

Note: The formal event will be 6:00-7:30 and light refreshments will be

provided thanks to generous support from the Division for Planetary
Sciences

(thank you!!!). We have the room until 8 for those who wish to continue

small group discussions.

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SUMMER SCHOOL: BRAVE NEW WORLDS:

UNDERSTANDING THE PLANETS OF OTHER STARS

May 29-June 03, 2016 – Lake Como School of Advanced Studies.

Only nine planets were known before 1995, the ones orbiting our favourite

star, the Sun, which then included Pluto. Twenty years later, we have
«lost»

Pluto but we have gained two thousands planets in orbit around other stars.

Current statistical estimates indicate that, on average, every star in
our Galaxy

hosts at least one planetary companion, i.e. our Milky Way is crowded with

one hundred billion planets! The most revolutionary aspect of this young

field is the discovery that the Solar System does not appear to
be the paradigm

in our Galaxy, but rather one of the many possible configurations we
are seeing

out there. These include planets completing a revolution in less than
one day,

as well as planets orbiting two stars or moving on trajectories so
eccentric as

to resemble comets. Some of them are freezing cold, some are so hot
that their

surface is molten. Finding out why are these new worlds as they are is
one of

the key challenges of modern astrophysics.

The school is directed to Ph.D. students and young researchers who are

interested in widening their knowledge in the field exoplanets, through an

integrated approach covering observations, data analysis and
interpretation.

More information is available at:

http://gatr.lakecomoschool.org

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2016B NASA IRTF CALL FOR PROPOSALS

The due date for the 2016B semester (August 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017)

is Friday, April 1, 2016. See our online submission form, which is
available

for proposal submission from 12:00AM on March 01, 2016 until 5:00PM

on April 01, 2016 HST. Available instruments include: (1) SpeX, a 0.7 – 5.3

micron cross-dispersed medium-resolution spectrograph (up to R=2,500) and

imager; (2) CSHELL, a 1-5 micron high-resolution spectrograph (up to

R=40,000), available until Sept. 30, 2016; (3) MORIS, a 512×512 pixel Andor

CCD camera (60″x60″ field-of-view) mounted at the side-facing window of the

SpeX cryostat that can be used simultaneously with SpeX; and (4) iSHELL, a

1.1 – 5.3 micron cross-dispersed echelle spectrograph (up to R=70,000) and

imager, is expected to be available starting Oct. 1, 2016 under shared
risk.

Information on available facility and visitor instruments and performance

can be found at:
http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/Facility.

Please see
http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/observing/callForProposals.php
for

the full text.

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OBSERVATION CAMPAIGN OF KBO TARGETS FOR PROPOSED

NEW HORIZONS EXTENDED MISSION

Having completed its successful flyby of the Pluto system, the New

Horizons spacecraft is on a trajectory to encounter Kuiper Belt Object

2014 MU69. Pending NASA approval for an extended mission, New

Horizons will also take advantage of being an observing platform in the

outer solar system to observe a select number of other KBOs having

favorable geometries for resolved or high signal-to-noise measurements.

Earth-based observations can support these pending New Horizons

measurements through calibrated photometry at low phase angle (Earth),

which will be complementary to the higher phase angle data from the

spacecraft. In particular for objects having the potential for resolved

imaging from the spacecraft, knowledge of the rotational phase at the time

of the New Horizons observations can help constrain the overall shape

of these distant objects. An Earth-based campaign website
in support of

the pending science from the New Horizons extended mission is

under construction.

Candidate KBO targets

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UPCOMING MEETINGS

A) Half a Decade of ALMA: Cosmic Dawns Transformed
September 20 – 23, 2016
Renaissance Indian Wells Resort & Spa
Indian Wells, CA, USA

Mid April 2016 Abstract submissions and Registration opens
Mid May 2016 Abstract submission closes

The sensitivity and spectral grasp of the Atacama Large

Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have revolutionized the

study of youngest structures in the Universe, from galaxy formation

through the formation of stars and planets. ALMA has produced over

300 refereed papers with over 3000 citations at its four-year mark,

reporting impressive and scientifically compelling results as the most

sensitive and highest resolution mm/submm interferometer in the world.

This international four-day conference will highlight ALMA results at

the threshold of the array’s fifth year of science operations and bring

together researchers from around the world to motivate collaborations

for ALMA Cycle 5. Science topics will include all fields of astronomy,

from the solar system and the Sun to exoplanets, circumstellar disks and

planet and star formation, astrochemisty, evolved stars, the interstellar

medium and star formation in our own Galaxy, to nearby galaxies and

beyond to the distant Universe.

The conference will feature invited and contributed talks as well as

poster sessions. Early career researchers and students are particularly

encouraged to attend.

Meeting website:

http://go.nrao.edu/ALMA5years

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Send submissions to:

Anne Verbiscer, DPS Secretary ([email protected] )

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