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
nomineeâs 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 NASAâs 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
NASAâs 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 âPDS Roadmap
Study Team Self-Nominationâ.
The application material should consist of:
1. The reasons for the submitterâs 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 everyoneâs 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 â 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 â 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 â 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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.
On February 11, just four days short of her 101st birthday, Mildred Shapley Matthews passed away peacefully at her home in California with her family present. Mildred was the daughter of Harvard College Observatory Director Harlow Shapley and she held the interesting distinction of being “lost in the solar system” for 75 years. As a commemoration of his newborn daughter, Shapley bestowed the name Mildred to asteroid 878 discovered in 1916. Unfortunately the initial observations of the asteroid were limited, and the object was “lost” with highly uncertain orbital elements until recovered in 1991. Friends and colleagues seeing Mildred over the years would always ask, “are you found yet?” Matthews’ foundational contributions to planetary science began around the time of her nominal retirement age, when in the 1970s she began working as the production editor in the inaugural years of the Space Science Series created by Tom Gehrels. Her role became most prominently recognized as co-editor on more than a dozen volumes extending in to the 1990s. Overall for more than 20 Space Science Series volumes she edited, operating through friendly (then increasingly stern, but always polite) post cards and phone calls to delinquent authors, it was Matthews who brought the books into their final published form. Matthews leaves behind a legacy of books that have served as the gateway for countless planetary science careers and insights toward future advancements in our field. In 1993, Matthews received the DPS’ Harold Masursky Award for Meritorious Service to Planetary Science.