Issue 25-05, Mar 12, 2025
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- IN MEMORIAM: JOE A. BURNS, FORMER DPS CHAIR AND DDA CHAIR
- AAS ISSUES PUBLIC POLICY GUIDANCE AND ACTION ALERTS FOR AAS MEMBERS
- PLEASE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY AFFECTED BY THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FIRE DISASTER
- 2024 DPS PRIZE NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN
- ANNOUNCING THE 2025 DPS-NSBP SPEAKER AWARDEE: PATRICE SMITH, STUDYING THE MOON AT UTSA
- 2025 DPS TRAVEL GRANT APPLICATION FORM IS OPEN
- ADVISEMENT FOR DPS SMALL EDUCATION AND OUTREACH GRANT DRAFT
- DPS COMMITTEE SEEKS PRESS OFFICER APPLICANTS TO BEGIN TERM IN SEPTEMBER 2025
- 2025 NASA PLANETARY SCIENCE SUMMER SCHOOL APPLICATIONS DUE MARCH 18, 2025
- POST-BACCALAUREATE POSITIONS IN ASTROPHYSICS SCIENCE AND SOLAR SYSTEM EXPLORATION DIVISIONS AT NASA/GSFC DUE MARCH 31, 2025
- SAVE THE DATE FOR CHEOPS GUEST OBSERVERS 6TH ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY
- 2025 PLANETARY DEFENSE CONFERENCE (PDC) COMING UP MAY 5-9, 2025
- 2025B NASA IRTF CALL FOR PROPOSALS
- 2025 PI LAUNCHPAD: FROM SCIENCE IDEA TO NASA MISSION IN PERSON WORKSHOP
- PLANETARY RESEARCH: OPEN CALL FOR EDITORS
- SAVE THE DATE: JUICE SCHOOL AT LES HOUCHES, FRANCE
- FIRST SOCIALIZED ANNOUNCEMENT: PROGRESS IN UNDERSTANDING THE PLUTO SYSTEM: 10 YEARS AFTER FLYBY
- CURRENT TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR ICARUS AND THE PLANETARY SCIENCE JOURNAL
- JOBS, POSITIONS, AND OPPORTUNITIES
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IN MEMORIAM: JOE A. BURNS, FORMER DPS CHAIR AND DDA CHAIR
We share the sad news that Joe Burns recently passed away at the age of 83. Joe was a longtime professor at Cornell University, editor-in-chief of the journal Icarus, and a pioneer in the study of non-gravitational forces in solar system orbital dynamics.
Joe was a longtime citizen of the AAS Division on Dynamical Astronomy (DDA) and served as the chair of the Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) from (1983-84). He was an excellent scientist and also an excellent mentor. He received the Brouwer Award in 2014. He served on the DDA Committee and as DDA Chair (2000–01) and on several other committees. Additionally, five of his students and mentees have served as DDA Chair, and another two have served as DDA Secretary. Further information is in the obituaries linked below.
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AAS ISSUES PUBLIC POLICY GUIDANCE AND ACTION ALERTS FOR AAS MEMBERS
AAS Public Policy staff are closely monitoring the political situation and providing guidance to AAS members on how they can support astronomical science and education. Here are various updates and action items released in the past week.
AAS has updated the community of its alarm regarding rumored deep cuts to NASA and National Science Foundation (7 March). Colin Hamill, AAS Bahcall Public Policy Fellow, writes in his 4 March Policy Update on the state of agency layoffs and related policy news. Register for a webinar on 19 March (1:00–2:00pm ET) to learn about how you can take action to support the astronomical sciences. If you have been impacted (or could be impacted) by federal changes, please share your story with AAS. Take action today to advocate for the astronomical community. Learn how to submit an appropriation request. If you’d like to meet with AAS Policy and Education staff, join our upcoming Office Hours (AAS member login required) on Thursday 13 March, 3-4pm ET.
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PLEASE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY AFFECTED BY THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FIRE DISASTER
While the fires may be out, our community is still dealing with the devastating aftermath of the destruction caused by the California wildfires. Hundreds of people in the Caltech/JPL community have lost all their possessions and their homes. Many of our colleagues, most especially within the JPL/Caltech/Carnegie communities but also others, live and work in the affected areas and have suffered immensely from the wildfires and lost so much. This includes students, postdocs, researchers, staff members and professors, many with children.
The community response has been amazing so far, but the need is still great. In a spirit of solidarity, may you consider donating to one of the following relief funds to help those in our community who have been impacted by this disaster. Please consider that community support is very helpful to the mental health of those affected as they face the grim task of rebuilding their lives. It continues to be a long road.
Please consider donating if you can to one of these relief funds:
- The Caltech-JPL Community: NASA JPL is untouched by fire due to the brave dedication of our first responders. But that community has been very seriously impacted with over 150 employees having lost their homes and many more displaced. Please consider donating to the Caltech and JPL Disaster Relief Fund. The Caltech and JPL Disaster Relief Fund – Advancement and Alumni Relations
- The Eaton Fire Relief and Recover Fund provides resources to community-based nonprofit agencies in support of families and individuals in Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre directly impacted by the Eaton Fire. https://pasadenacf.org/eaton-fire-fund/
- JPL, ROMAN, and HabWorlds gofundme campaign.. Donate to Support NASA JPL HabWorlds teammates in the Pasadena fires, organized by Jason Tumlinson [gofund.me]
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2024 DPS PRIZE NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN
Every year the DPS recognizes exceptional achievement in our field. Please consider nominating a respected colleague for one of the annual DPS prizes. The 2024 Prize Nominations are due by April 15, 2025.
The DPS sponsors six prizes:
- The Gerard P. Kuiper Prize [https://dps.aas.org/prizes/kuiper] recognizes and honors outstanding contributors to the field of planetary science.
- The Claudia J. Alexander Prize [https://dps.aas.org/prizes/alexander] recognizes excellence and achievements by a mid-career scientist.
- The Harold C. Urey Prize [https://dps.aas.org/prizes/urey] recognizes and encourages outstanding achievements in planetary research by an early-career scientist.
- The Harold Masursky Award [https://dps.aas.org/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 [https://dps.aas.org/prizes/sagan] recognizes and honors outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist to the general public.
- The Jonathan Eberhart Planetary Sciences Journalism Award [https://dps.aas.org/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 [https://dps.aas.org/prizes/nomination-form], 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 [https://dps.aas.org/prizes/eberhart-nomination-form] for more information.
Scroll to the bottom of https://dps.aas.org/prizes for rules and procedures.
Questions: Email [email protected]
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ANNOUNCING THE 2025 DPS-NSBP SPEAKER AWARDEE: PATRICE SMITH, STUDYING THE MOON AT UTSA
We congratulate Patrice Smith as the newest DPS-NSBP Speaker Awardee, which is a part of the DPS partnership with the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP)/Earth and Planetary Systems Sciences (EPSS) section, and DPS looks forward to supporting her attendance and presentation at the 2025 DPS-EPSC meeting. Patrice is a PhD student in physics at the University of Texas at San Antonio, working with Dr. Kurt Retherford on compositional analyses of the Moon using far-ultraviolet (FUV) measurements acquired by the Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) instrument on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Her work identifies the composition and abundances of atoms and molecules in the tenuous lunar atmosphere, which is needed to characterize the present lunar environment and also to generate key constraints for potential in situ resource utilization. For full details, please see the press release https://dps.aas.org/2025-dps-nsbp-speaker-awardee-patrice-smith/
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2025 DPS TRAVEL GRANT APPLICATION FORM IS OPEN
The DPS Travel Grant application form is open to support participation in the joint meeting of the Europlanet Science Congress and DPS (EPSC-DPS 2025) in Helsinki, Finland 7-12 September 2025, or the National Society of Black Physicists- National Society of Hispanics Physicists annual meeting, via Hartmann and the Under-Represented Minority (URM) Travel grants.
The Hartmann Student Travel Grant supports student presentations at the annual DPS-EPSC meeting. (Postdoctoral scholars may also be eligible, but students are prioritized.)
The Underrepresented Minority (URM) Communities in Planetary Science Travel Grant supports attendance by students and professionals who are members of historically underrepresented groups—such as racial minorities, veterans, and scientists at small colleges—to support in-person or virtual attendance at the joint DPS-EPSC or NSBP-NSHP meeting.
Apply here to both/either type of DPS grant: https://dps.aas.org/news/dps-travel-grants-application/ The deadline is July 3.
Note: Members of Europlanet should apply for Europlanet awards through the abstract submission form.
Community donations are critical for the health of these awards. Instructions to donate are linked at https://dps.aas.org/news/dps-travel-grants-application/
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ADVISEMENT FOR DPS SMALL EDUCATION AND OUTREACH GRANT DRAFT
The DPS Committee invites DPS members to apply for DPS Education and Outreach Grants – with a first review on July 1st and a final review on August 1st.
The DPS Committee is offering small grants (average amounts of $200 to $500) to support DPS members to engage in local and virtual education and public engagement activities. These grants are intended to support DPS member efforts to engage other members, students, teachers, and the public and can be used for materials, consumables, equipment but not for salary or travel to DPS meetings. Proposals are being accepted for programs that will occur by June 1, 2026. We encourage creative solutions for engagement efforts that also conform to social-distancing requirements. If you have a question about what is an acceptable cost, please contact the DPS Education Deputy Chair, Sanlyn Buxner, [email protected].
Applications will be accepted in two review cycles – the first deadline is July 1st (11:59pm in proposers’ local time), and awardees will be contacted by July 15th. The second deadline will be August 1st, and awardees will be contacted by August 15th. All proposals will be reviewed by members of the DPS education committee and the executive committee (see rubric below). Awards will be issued as a check mailed to the lead proposer.
Each grant awardee is expected to
- Allow their name, institution, and program description to be posted on the DPS website.
- Share a one-page summary of the event(s) with the DPS that includes at least one visual (you must have permission to have identifiable pictures of others), preferably a picture of you, and a summary of the event and participants. This will be shared on the DPS website.
- Present their program as a talk or poster at the next DPS meeting they attend – please note that there is an additional abstract slot reserved for education and outreach in addition to science talks/posters at the DPS meeting.
Applications should be no more than two pages and include the following:
- Name, title, institution (if applicable), and contact information of the DPS member(s) applying. Emails for all are required, a phone number, and mailing address should be provided for the lead of the mini grant.
- Short – 1 paragraph bios of the individual or team members proposing.
- An overview of the program, including a timeline (subject to change due to ongoing worldwide events), and at least one outcome measure, articulating what the program is intended to achieve (this will be shared on the DPS website).
- A list of any partners (e.g. museum, school), if applicable.
- A budget of what the funding will be used for.
- Identified audience and any arrangements that have been made with that audience or to reach that audience.
- An acknowledgment of the DPS expectations listed above.
- Optional, you may include pictures or other images.
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DPS COMMITTEE SEEKS PRESS OFFICER APPLICANTS TO BEGIN TERM IN SEPTEMBER 2025
The Press Officer will serve a three-year term starting at the EPSC-DPS meeting in September 2025 but will start shadowing the current Press Officer imminently. The Press Officer will coordinate the DPS press conferences at the annual meetings as well as prize press releases. Candidates should be a full DPS member as of September 2025. Any questions about the position can be sent to [email protected]
If you’re interested, please send a CV and a brief statement of interest to [email protected]
Officer responsibilities are listed here: https://dps.aas.org/leadership/officer-responsibilities
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2025 NASA PLANETARY SCIENCE SUMMER SCHOOL APPLICATIONS DUE MARCH 18, 2025
Now through March 18, 2025, NASA is encouraging applications for its 37th Annual Planetary Science Summer School. Offered by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, PSSS is a 3-month long early career development experience to help prepare the next generation of planetary science and engineering mission leaders. Participants learn the process of developing a science hypothesis-driven robotic space mission in a concurrent engineering environment while getting an in-depth, first-hand look at mission design, mission life cycle, costs, schedule and the trade-offs inherent in each.
Applicants with the following education and career experience are eligible: Science and engineering Doctoral candidates (advancement to candidacy required), recent Ph.D.’s (up to three years beyond their Ph.D.), Postdocs, Junior Faculty with a Ph.D., and non-research Engineering Master-level students within six to nine months of graduation will be considered on a space-available basis.
There is no charge to attend. Open to U.S. Citizens and legal permanent residents and a limited number of Foreign Nationals from non-designated countries living within the U.S at the time of application and during the full session. We strive to create a welcoming environment where participants’ contributions and unique perspectives are valued.
Session 1: Preparatory Sessions May 8 – July 24.
Culminating Week with JPL’s Team X July 28 – August 1.
Session 2: Preparatory Sessions May 22 – August 7.
Culminating Week with JPL’s Team X August 11 – 15.
PSSS is roughly equivalent in workload to a rigorous 3-credit graduate-level course, requiring an average effort of 10-12 hours per week. Participants spend the majority of the first 10 weeks in preparatory webinars acting as a science mission team, prior to spending the final culminating week being mentored by JPL’s Advance Project Design Team, or “Team X” to refine their mission concept design, then present it to a mock review board of NASA Center experts.
To apply and learn more about the NASA Science Mission Design Schools:
http://go.nasa.gov/missiondesignschools
Joyce Armijo
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POST-BACCALAUREATE POSITIONS IN ASTROPHYSICS SCIENCE AND SOLAR SYSTEM EXPLORATION DIVISIONS AT NASA/GSFC DUE MARCH 31, 2025
Applications are now being accepted for short-term postbaccalaureate research positions to support the Astrophysics Science and Solar System Exploration Divisions at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA/GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD.
The position is funded by the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) through the Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology II (CRESST II). The Astrophysics Science Division conducts a broad program of research in astronomy, astrophysics, and fundamental physics. Individual investigations address issues such as the nature of dark matter and dark energy, which planets outside our solar system may harbor life, and the nature of space, time, and matter at the edges of black holes. The Solar System Exploration Division conducts theoretical and experimental research to explore the solar system and understand the formation and evolution of planetary systems. Laboratories within the division investigate areas as diverse as astrochemistry, planetary atmospheres, geochemistry, geophysics, geodynamics, space geodesy, extrasolar planetary systems, and comparative planetary studies. Positions available within the Astrophysics Science and Solar System Exploration Divisions span a variety of research areas. Successful candidates will be chosen to work on one of the research projects listed here:
To apply, each applicant should submit a cover letter describing personal background and interest in the applicants’ chosen project, Curriculum Vitae, unofficial transcript, and contact information for two references to each project of interest through the CRESST II Breezy application platform. After sponsors review applications, additional support materials may be requested which may include a work sample in the form of a report, poster, journal article, writing sample, or coding examples.
The deadline to apply is Monday, March 31st, 2025, at 11:59pm EDT.
More information on the CRESST-II Post-bac Program can be found here: https://cresst2.umd.edu/opportunities/Postbac_program_Opp.html
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SAVE THE DATE FOR CHEOPS GUEST OBSERVERS 6TH ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY
The European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Characterising Exoplanet Satellite (CHEOPS) mission foresees its 6th Announcement of Opportunity (AO-6). This Call will invite the submission of research proposals to the Guest Observers (GO) Programme.
Key Dates: The AO-6 Call is foreseen to open on the 18th of March 2025 (12:00 CET) and close on the 8 May 2025 (12:00 CEST).
Observing Cycle: The selected proposals will be part of the observing cycle from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. This period marks the last year of the first mission extension of CHEOPS.
Scientific Opportunities: CHEOPS provides observers with access to space-based pointed ultra-high precision photometry. Research areas include the observations of exoplanet transits, eclipses, occultations, and phase curves. Furthermore, the scientific scope may extend to phenomena such as exomoons, ring structures, stellar activity, trans-Neptunian objects or more.
Collaborative Synergies: The timely overlap of several space- and ground-based missions may provide exciting opportunities for synergies with NASA/ESA/CSA JWST, NASA/ESA HST, NASA TESS, ESO ground-based facilities, and more.
Novelties in cycle 6:
- More targets: only 50 GTO reserved targets, with all the rest being open to the entire community
- More time: up to 30% science observing time (around 1500 orbits) dedicated to the GO Programme
- Double-anonymous peer-review of proposals
- Zero-installation tools: cloud-based visibility and ETC web tools
Live hands-on tutorials: We foresee to run hands-on tutorials in March and April 2025 at various time-zones to guide you through the proposal preparation and submission process and answer all your questions. Please register at the link below if you would like to attend or watch the recordings:
Find out more about the CHEOPS mission via https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/cheops, stay up-to-date about this opportunity via https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/cheops-guest-observers-programme, and feel free to email us with any questions. We look forward to receiving your observing proposals and advancing our understanding of exoplanetary and stellar systems.
Happy proposing!
Contact: [email protected]
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2025 PLANETARY DEFENSE CONFERENCE (PDC) COMING UP MAY 5-9, 2025
The International Academy of Astronautics will hold its 9th Planetary Defense Conference (PDC) May 5–9, 2025 in Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa. The bi-annual conference brings together world experts to discuss the threats to Earth posed by asteroids and comets, and actions that might be taken to become better prepared to respond to and mitigate those threats. For more information and to register, please visit: https://iaaspace.org/event/9th-iaa-planetary-defense-conference-2025/
Conference topics will include:
- Ongoing and Upcoming Mission Highlights
- Hypothetical Asteroid Threat Exercise
- Key International and Policy Developments
- Near-Earth Object (NEO) Discovery
- Near-Earth Object (NEO) Characterization
- Deflection / Disruption Modeling & Testing
- Space Mission & Campaign Design
- Impact Effects & Consequences
- Disaster Management & Impact Response
- Public Education and Communication
- The Decision to Act: Political, Legal, Social and Economic Aspects
A hypothetical asteroid impact threat scenario will also be exercised at the conference:
https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/pd/cs/pdc25
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2025B NASA IRTF CALL FOR PROPOSALS
The due date for the 2025B semester IRTF proposals (August 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026) is Tuesday, April 1, 2025. See our online submission form Submitting the Observing Time Application Form to the IRTF, which is available for proposal submission from 12:00 AM on March 01, 2025 until 5:00 PM on April 01, 2025 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) 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; (3) iSHELL, a 1.06 – 5.3 micron cross-dispersed echelle spectrograph (up to R=80,000) and imager; (4) MIRSI/MOC, a 5-20 micron camera and grism spectrograph, and optical imager; (5) ‘Opihi, a wide-angle finder mounted to and aligned with IRTF. Information on available facility and visitor instruments and performance can be found at: https://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/instruments. Exposure time calculators for SpeX and iSHELL are available on the respective instrument webpages.
Please see https://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/observing/callforproposals/index.php for the full text.
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2025 PI LAUNCHPAD: FROM SCIENCE IDEA TO NASA MISSION IN PERSON WORKSHOP
Important Dates:
Applications due: April 7, 2025 11:59 PM Eastern Time
Application Instructions and Submission URL: https://go.nasa.gov/ApplyPILP25
Application Number: NNH25ZDA009L
Pre-application Virtual Information Session: February 20, 2025 2 PM Eastern Time
Workshop Dates: August 11-14, 2025
Workshop Location: Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA
Are you thinking about developing your first flight mission proposal in the next few years but have no idea where to start? Are you working or studying in any NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) discipline? If you are a scientist who would like to submit a NASA space mission proposal in the next few years but don’t know where to start, this August workshop is for you! We are interested in expanding the pool of potential NASA space mission Principal Investigators (PIs). There is no fee to attend the in-person workshop.
PI Launchpad applications and instructions on eligibility and how to apply are available on the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) https://nspires.nasaprs.com. All applications must be submitted via NSPIRES. To submit an application, an NSPIRES account is required. To create an NSPIRES account, visit https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/registration/createuser!init.do.
Please email questions to the 2025 NASA PI Launch Pad Organizers at this shared address [email protected]. Do NOT submit ANY applications or other attachments to this email address. Emails with attachments will be deleted.
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PLANETARY RESEARCH: OPEN CALL FOR EDITORS
Planetary Research is a diamond open access journal that is being developed by the planetary science community. The journal will have no article processing fees for authors and all articles will be free to access without a subscription. The journal, run as part of a non-profit organization, will operate with a transparent governance and will promote the work it publishes to the scientific community and the general public alike. Manuscript submissions are expected to open in January 2026.
The journal seeks candidates for the editorial board, including the editor-in-chief, editors, and associate editors. Interested candidates should provide a CV, a publication list, and a short letter motivating their interest in the position to the chair of the search committee ([email protected]) before July 1, 2025. Additional information about the journal and the open positions can be found on our website : https://planetary-research.org/.
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SAVE THE DATE: JUICE SCHOOL AT LES HOUCHES, FRANCE
This school is targeted (but not limited) to early career scientists. It will cover the main science topics of the JUICE mission with the goal to best prepare the future exploitation and interpretation of its data. Key topics include Jupiter, its atmosphere and magnetosphere, the icy Galilean moons (with an emphasis on Ganymede), minor moons and the dust and ring system. Ground- and space- based observations recently obtained on the Jupiter system, as well as links with exoplanet science, will also be presented. The format of the school includes tutorials, seminar-like presentations, inspirational evening talks, a poster session, a workshop on science planning and archive, and a roundtable on future missions to outer planets. Deadline for
registration and request for grants: August 15, 2025
Contact: [email protected]
https://www.houches-school-physics.com/the-school
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice
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FIRST SOCIALIZED ANNOUNCEMENT: PROGRESS IN UNDERSTANDING THE PLUTO SYSTEM: 10 YEARS AFTER FLYBY
The “Progress in Understanding the Pluto System: 10 Years after Flyby” meeting will be held July 14–18, 2025 at the Kossiakoff Conference Center of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.
NASA’s New Horizons mission conducted the first and only exploration flyby of the Pluto system, culminating at the closest approach on July 14, 2015. This meeting will assess advances made since then using New Horizons and all other data (ground-based, JWST, HST, etc.), as well as theory and modeling regarding all aspects of the Pluto system and the dwarf planets of the Kuiper Belt. Session topics will include: Pluto, Charon, Pluto’s Small Satellites, Kuiper Belt Dwarf Planets, Pluto and Satellite System Origins, and Past and Future Exploration of Pluto, the Kuiper Belt, and the Outer Solar System.
To be added to the mailing list to receive information about this meeting, submit an indication of interest at https://www.hou.usra.edu/meeting_portal/) by Wednesday February 19th. Registration and abstract submission will open on Thursday February 20th. The deadline for abstract submission is Friday April 18th.
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CURRENT TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR ICARUS AND THE PLANETARY SCIENCE JOURNAL
The current issues for both DPS-affiliated journals are here:
Icarus:
Icarus | Vol 429, In progress (15 March 2025) | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier
The Planetary Science Journal:
Issue 3 – Volume 6 – The Planetary Science Journal – IOPscience
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JOBS, POSITIONS, AND OPPORTUNITIES
Job seekers and employers are encouraged to browse DPS’s job listings and advertise open positions **for free** on the DPS job board.
Full details for several new positions can be found on the DPS job board.
A summary of recent job announcements and postdoc opportunities are listed below.
- ESA Archival Research Visitor Programme – Due Apr 30, 2025
To increase the scientific return from its space science missions, the European Space Agency (ESA) welcomes applications from scientists interested in pursuing research projects based on data publicly available in the ESA Space Science Archives (https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/esdc).
The ESA Archival Research Visitor Programme is open to scientists, at all career levels, affiliated with institutes in ESA Member States and Collaborating States, although we will also consider strong applications from outside those states. Early-career scientists (within 10 years of the PhD) and PhD students are particularly encouraged to apply. We encourage applications from women and minorities. The peer-review evaluation process is anonymised to ensure equal opportunities for all applicants.
Applications received before 1 May 2025 will be considered for visits in autumn and winter 2025/2026.
For further details, including areas of research and contact information, please refer to:
https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/esdc/visitor-programme or write to the programme coordinators at [email protected]
- Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor Survey Scientist – Due Mar 29, 2025
NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor is a planned mission (launch: September 2027) with a goal of finding, identifying, and characterizing potentially hazardous asteroids in our Solar System. The Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences is an academic unit within the UCLA Division of Physical Sciences.
The NEO Surveyor survey scientist’s high-level responsibilities include:
- Assist the Principal Investigator and Science Team in developing the NEO Surveyor survey plan, which determines where the Observatory points as a function of time.
- Interface with the NEO Surveyor Science Data System (NSDS) archive to access NEO Surveyor image and catalog data, and work with the NSDS team to maximize the ability to link individual NEO Surveyor detections of small body candidates.
- Interface with the NEO Surveyor mission system team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Astrophysics and Space Physics (LASP), and ensure that the teams at JPL and LASP produce uplink sequences that match the desired survey plan.
- Interface with the Minor Planet Center to ensure that the survey plan produces the best possible orbits for small body candidates detected by NEO Surveyor.
More information on the position, including qualifications, compensation range, benefits and how to apply are provided in the full position description: https://jobs.ucla.edu/jobs/6856
- Postdoctoral Research Associate: (Exo)planetary Atmospheres – University of Arizona Lunar & Planetary Laboratory – Due Mar 24, 2025
The Lunar & Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona has an opening for a Postdoctoral Research Associate I in the field of modeling of planetary atmospheres. Research areas of interest include atmospheric escape from rocky planets, chemical kinetics of early Earth, Venus, Mars, and analogous exoplanets, and interior-atmosphere interactions on rocky worlds; candidates are encouraged to reach out to Prof. Ranjan in advance of their application to cooperatively identify specific research topics of mutual interest. Applicants should have previous experience modeling the atmospheres of planets or exoplanets, although a variety of backgrounds may be relevant. Candidates with expertise in 1D hydrodynamic escape of rocky planet atmospheres are especially encouraged to apply. The position is for a period of up to three years, renewable annually contingent on satisfactory performance reviews.
Position is opened until filled, and first review of applications will begin 03/24/2025. UA LPL is a world-class department and a very stimulating environment. We have strong connections to missions and the next generation of telescopes, as well as to our colleagues in Astronomy and Geoscience. Tucson is a great place to live, with excellent hiking, great food, and a low cost of living. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Prof. Ranjan with any questions!
Link to position description and application: https://arizona.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/4/home/requisition/21927
- Supervisors, Astrobiology Section and Asteroids and Rocky Small Bodies Section, JHUAPL
The Small Bodies and Ocean Worlds group in the Space Exploration Sector of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL) seeks supervisors for its Astrobiology Section and its Asteroids and Rocky Small Bodies Section. The Astrobiology Section focuses on potentially habitable environments beyond Earth, laboratory studies of Earth analogs, development of instrumentation for detection of extraterrestrial biosignatures, and missions including Europa Clipper and Dragonfly that investigate environments of astrobiological interest. The Asteroids and Rocky Small Bodies Section focuses on the chemistry, physics, and geology of rocky small bodies, physical processes that affect their surfaces, development of spaceflight instrumentation to study them, and the study of meteorites that sample them.
The desired candidates will have: a doctorate in a physical or biological science relevant to the work in their section; an accomplished research program; excellent people skills; and excellent written and oral communications skills. They will be expected to provide leadership and mentorship to the half-dozen members of the section, and participate in a variety of strategic efforts. The positions will be open until filled, and first review of applications will be completed by March 24, 2025.
Applications for the Astrobiology Section may be submitted at https://careers.jhuapl.edu/jobs/56619?lang=en-us and for the Asteroids and Rocky Small Bodies Section at https://careers.jhuapl.edu/jobs/56655?lang=en-us
- Senior Application Developer Caltech/IPAC – Application Deadline Mar 31, 2025
PAC at Caltech has an opening for a Senior Applications Developer with a strong background in Unix software development to lead the Data Systems development team at the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA). As lead of IRSA’s Data Systems Team, you will manage the activities of a group of IRSA scientists and developers who share the overarching goal of supporting community science with archival IRSA and other NASA data sets. Your development work may involve processing astrophysics space mission data, containerization & cloud technologies, large scale databases, and petabyte-scale storage. You will also work with scientists and other developers to help interpret and implement project requirements and document the work that you’ve accomplished.
Link to the full job description: https://dps.aas.org/senior-application-developer/
- Full-time staff scientist to work with Roman team at IPAC
IPAC, part of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy Division at Caltech, provides science operations, user support, data and archive services, and scientific vision to enhance discovery with observatories both in space and on the ground. IPAC invites applications from highly qualified individuals for a full-time position at the junior scientist level to work with the Roman team at IPAC.
The Roman Space Telescope is a NASA observatory designed to address key questions in the areas of dark energy, exoplanets, and infrared astrophysics. It is slated for launch in late 2026. The Roman Science Support Center (SSC) at IPAC is part of the Roman Ground Data System, providing algorithm and software development and data processing for the Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey and all Roman spectroscopic data. In addition, the SSC will support the operations of the Coronagraph Instrument, manage the Roman General Investigator Program proposal solicitations and related data analysis funding, and provide community support for exoplanet and wide-field spectroscopy science with Roman.
For more details, see: https://roman.ipac.caltech.edu
Link to the full job description: https://dps.aas.org/7526/
- Postdoctoral Scholar: Asteroid Radar – University of Central Florida
The incumbent will be expected to participate in data analysis, physical and dynamical characterization of near-Earth asteroids using radar and optical data, and support archiving asteroid shape models in the Planetary Data System (PDS). This position is open until filled.
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