Newsletter 14-4

Issue 14-4, March 4, 2014

+—————————–CONTENTS——————————–+
1) REMINDER : CALL FOR DPS 2014 PRIZE NOMINATIONS
2) MARS CRITICAL DATA PRODUCTS PROGRAM (ROUND IX) – INITIAL LANDING SITE CHARACTERIZATION FOR THE MARS 2020 ROVER MISSION
3) 4TH “PAOLO FARINELLA” PRIZE, 2014
4) SPECIAL ISSUES
5) CFHT CALL FOR PROPOSALS – 2014B SEMESTER
6) JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES
7) UPCOMING MEETINGS
+———————————————————————+

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REMINDER : CALL FOR DPS 2014 PRIZE NOMINATIONS

DEADLINE APRIL 1, 2014

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. Please note the earlier deadline than last year’s.

·         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].

Anyone 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 April 1.

Consider for example the Carl Sagan Medal, which recognizes excellence in public communication in planetary science. Do you have a colleague that excels in reaching out to the public, who has a particularly effective way of communicating new findings in our field? We want to recognize those efforts that are so important to the health of our field!

The Masursky Award recognizes meritorious service to planetary science. Do you have a colleague whose efforts made a significant difference in the success of an endeavor you’ve been involved in through engineering, managerial, programmatic or public service activities? Consider nominating that individual!

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MARS CRITICAL DATA PRODUCTS PROGRAM (ROUND IX) – INITIAL LANDING SITE CHARACTERIZATION FOR THE MARS 2020 ROVER MISSION

The Mars Exploration Program has issued, in January 2014, a Request for Proposal for round IX of the Mars Critical Data Products program. This RFP provides support for initial landing site surface, atmosphere, and gravity characterization for the Mars 2020 rover mission. The intent is to convert mission data and numerical simulations into products focused on specific landing site targets (to be provided by the program) that will be useful for reducing the risk to the Mars 2020 rover mission. Proposals are due on Wednesday, March 5, 2014.

Details of the RFPs are posted at: https://acquisition.jpl.nasa.gov/rfp/WH-2691-120313/default.htm orhttps://acquisition.jpl.nasa.gov/bizops/.

Serina Diniega
Systems Engineer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Tel: (818) 393-1487
Cell: (626) 720-7293
MS 301-250D, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109

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4TH “PAOLO FARINELLA” PRIZE, 2014

To honor the memory and the outstanding figure of Paolo Farinella (1953-2000), an extraordinary scientist and person, a prize has been established in recognition of significant contributions given in the fields of interest of Paolo, which span from planetary sciences to space geodesy, fundamental physics, science popularization, security in space, weapons control and disarmament.

The prize has been proposed during the “International Workshop on Paolo Farinella the scientist and the man”, held in Pisa in 2010, and is supported by the University of Pisa and by IAPS-INAF (Rome).

The fourth Paolo Farinella Prize is devoted to planetary sciences and specifically to studies on the non gravitational forces in the Solar System, both in their application to small natural Solar System bodies (e.g. the Yarkovsky effect) and to artificial objects (e.g., the effect of solar radiation pressure on the LAGEOS satellite and on space debris), which were among the major research interests in Paolo’s career. The award ceremony will be hosted by the European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) meeting in Cascais, Portugal (7th to 12th of September 2014).

For the 4th “Paolo Farinella” Prize the terms and rules are as follows:
1. A competition is announced to award the “Paolo Farinella” Prize for the year
2014. The prize consists of a plate, a certificate and the sum of 1500 euro. The
winner is expected to give a Prize lecture at the EPSC awards special session.
2. The winner will be selected on the basis of his/her overall research results
in the field of “non gravitational forces in the Solar System”.
3. Nominations must be sent by email not later than April 30, 2014, at the
following addresses: [email protected], [email protected]
4. The nominations for the “Paolo Farinella” Prize can be made by any
researcher that works in the field of planetary sciences following the
indications in the attached form. Self nominations are acceptable. The
candidates should have international and interdisciplinary collaborations and
should be not older than 47 years, the age of Paolo when he passed away, at the
date of April 30, 2014.
5. The winner of the prize will be selected before June 30, 2014 by the “Paolo
Farinella” Prize Committee composed of outstanding scientists in planetary
sciences, with specific experience in the field.
6. The selection committee will consider all the nominations, but will be
entitled to consider autonomously other candidates.

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Alessandro Rossi                      Phone: +39 055 5226314
IFAC-CNR                              Fax:   +39 055 5226201
Area della Ricerca di Firenze
Via Madonna del Piano 10
50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), ITALY
e-mail:    [email protected]

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SPECIAL ISSUES

A) PLANETARY AND SPACE SCIENCE ON SOLAR WIND INTERACTION WITH THE TERRESTRIAL PLANETS

Dear colleague,

We would like to propose you to participate to a special issue in the
Planetary and Space Science journal, entitled “Solar wind interaction
with the terrestrial planets”. The covered topics will include all
aspects of planetary plasma physics and interactions in the inner Solar
System, e.g. :
(a) magnetospheres, ionospheres, auroras
(b) the solar wind interaction with planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth,
Mars) and their moons, or with asteroids / comets
(c) plasma interactions with exospheres, dust and surfaces
(d) intercomparisons of planetary environments
Contributions are welcome which address previous, present, forthcoming
and planned observations from space, as well as ground-based
observations, theoretical modelling or simulations. Laboratory studies
on planetary analogues aiming to simulate the surface-plasma interaction
will be considered as well.

The deadline for submission is the 1st of July 2014, leading to a
publication in end of 2014. Regular papers are expected, and the usual
refereeing process will be applied for publication in PSS. Please inform
us if a shifted deadline would be more convenient for you.

Could you please indicate your interest in contributing to the special
issue, together with a preliminary title of the intended paper, within
17th March ? An approximate abstract, if available, would also be
appreciated.

Best regards,
P. Garnier, A. Milillo, A. Radioti

B) ICARUS SPECIAL ISSUE: 2013 SATURN AURORAL CAMPAIGN
In April and May 2013 the Cassini spacecraft, the Hubble Space
Telescope, and a number of ground-based telescopes undertook an
unprecedented observing campaign to study the aurora of Saturn,
forming the most comprehensive set of remote and in-situ observations
of this spectacular interaction between the planet’s atmosphere,
magnetosphere, and solar wind. Auroral emissions were recorded in the
ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and radio, and a host of in-situ
Cassini instruments measured the magnetic field and plasma environment
inside the magnetosphere of Saturn, enabling unique synergistic studies
of every region of the magnetosphere and planetary atmosphere that form
part of this process. We’d like to publish the results of this campaign
in a special issue of Icarus.

Topics of interest include:
+ Characterizing the mechanisms that drive auroral processes at Saturn.
+ Comparing simultaneous auroral emission from the northern and
southern polar regions.
+ Comparisons between ultraviolet, visible, and infrared auroral
emissions, enabling direct comparisons between ionospheric and
magnetospheric emissions.
+ Monitoring long term trends in auroral intensity in both hemispheres
to isolate seasonal and intrinsic (magnetic field) dependences.

For more information, please contact the editorial office at
[email protected]

Paper submission Deadline: 14 March 2014

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CFHT CALL FOR PROPOSALS – 2014B SEMESTER

The call is now open for CFHT 2014B.
Information can be found at :
http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/en/science/Proposals/.

Tutorials and documents for instruments can be found at :
MegaCam : http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/en/science/QSO/ph1_MC.html
WIRCam : http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/en/science/QSO/ph1_WC.html
ESPaDOnS : http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/en/science/QSO/ph1_ESP.html
PUEO : http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/Instruments/Imaging/AOB/

Deadline is 20 March 23:59 UTC.

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JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES

For all Job opportunities, please visit jobs
and also consider posting a job by filling out the jobs submission form at:
node/add/job

You can send any comments, questions, or suggestions to the DPS Jobs Czar at: [email protected]

A) PLANETARY SCIENCES EXPLORATION FACULTY POSITION
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
The Department of Physics (physics.cos.ucf.edu) at the University of Central Florida invites applications for up to 2 tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level or higher beginning in August 2014. As part of the recently awarded Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science (CLASS) initiative with the NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) we are particularly interested in candidates with experience in exploration-related planetary science including, but not limited to, regolith processes, microgravity dynamics, impact physics, primitive asteroid mineralogy, and in-situ resource utilization.

Applicants must have a Ph.D. at the time of appointment in Planetary Sciences, Physics, or a closely related discipline, and a substantial record of independent, interdisciplinary research. The successful applicant is expected to establish a vigorous, externally funded research program and have a strong commitment to excellence in graduate and undergraduate education. UCF is a leading, fast growing, metropolitan research university with about 60,000 students. The Department of Physics currently has 40 faculty members, offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Physics and a Ph.D. track in Planetary Sciences ( www.planets.ucf.edu ), and has recently moved into a state-of-the-art research building. Departmental research programs include condensed matter physics, surface physics, nanoscience, soft condensed matter, planetary science, biological physics, atomic and optical physics, attosecond physics, quantum information processing, and physics education. There are opportunities to benefit from synergy with the UCF-based Florida Space Institute (fsi.ucf.edu), the Nanoscience and Technology Center, the Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center (AMPAC), the College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL), and the Biomolecular Sciences Center.

Interested individuals must complete an on-line application by going to: www.jobswithucf.com . The online application should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, summary of research and teaching portfolio, and a list of three references with contact information. Screening of applications will begin February 17, 2014 and will continue until the position is filled.

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UPCOMING MEETINGS

A) LPSC 2014 POSTERS
Attention 45th LPSC Poster Presenters:

We are again giving LPSC poster presenters the option of uploading an electronic file of their poster (e-poster). Our interactive e-poster system provides additional exposure for your poster by giving your fellow attendees, as well as others, the ability to view your poster online.

The deadline for uploading e-posters for LPSC is Tuesday, April 1, 2014. Poster presenters will only be allowed to submit a file ONCE, so make certain that all typos have been corrected before uploading the file.

Uploading an e-poster is as easy as uploading an abstract.

1. Login to the abstract submission page of the Meeting Portal (https://www.hou.usra.edu/meeting_portal/abstract_submission/)
2. Next to the listing for any of your LPSC abstracts that was assigned to a poster session, you’ll see an link in the ACTION column
3. Click on this link to go to the e-poster upload page
a. All e-posters must be submitted in PDF format
b. The maximum file size allowed is 4.0 MB
4. After using the browse button to locate the file containing your e-poster on your machine, and selecting an appropriate copyright statement, click the “Submit” button ONCE and WAIT for the confirmation screen
5. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with a direct link to your e-poster, or you can view any e-posters that have been submitted by:
a. Visiting the “View Program and Abstracts” section of the LPSC website (http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2014/programAbstracts/view/) and clicking on “View E-Posters”
b. Using our abstract search function to find a particular abstract; those with e-posters will have an additional link in the search result that allows you to view the associated e-poster

We strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to increase the visibility of the research you have been doing. See you in a couple of weeks!

B) TOWN HALL: OBSERVATIONS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM WITH HST AND JWST

Thursday, March 20, 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m., Waterway 1

Remote participation and other details can be found here: http://www.stsci.edu/jwst/science/solar-system

This Town Hall meeting is proposed to give the community an opportunity to provide input to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) solar system committee and a chance to hear the current status of the committee’s activities. Additionally, we will present the accomplishments and status of the recommendations provided to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) team last year regarding solar system observations and solicits the community for further input. It is envisaged that there would be a half hour of brief presentations from both projects followed by a science talk by Britney Schmidt (Georgia Tech) and discussion. Our goal is to fully engage the solar system community to provide them with the tools they need to propose for time on HST and begin planning their observations with JWST. A key output of the workshop will be capability objectives for the JWST team to consider for further pre-launch operational studies, so that a broad suite of solar system observations will be enabled.

C) AAS/DDA ANNUAL MEETING
The American Astronomical Society’s Division on Dynamical Astronomy (DDA) is pleased to announce that its annual meeting will take place at the College of Physicians in Philadelphia, PA, from April 28th to May 1st 2014. Registration and abstract submission are now open, and can be accessed through the meeting website http://dda.aas.org/meetings/2014/.

The deadline for early online registration and abstract submission is March 21st.

We would also like to encourage graduate students working in all branches of dynamical astronomy to apply for the Ray Duncombe Prize, which includes free registration and $600 in travel funds. The deadline for Duncombe Prize applications is February 28th. For more details, see http://dda.aas.org/students/letters/ddastip14.html.

D) OPEN QUESTIONS ON THE ORIGIN OF LIFE 2014
Open Questions on the Origin of Life 2014 (OQOL2014)
Kyoto-Nara, Japan
July 12-13, 2014
http://www.lifephys.dis.titech.ac.jp/oqol2014/

Call for abstract:
We are pleased to announce the Open Questions on the Origin of Life 2014 (OQOL2014), chaired by Prof. Dr. Pier Luigi Luisi from Universita degli Studi Roma Tre (Italy) and Prof. Dr. Kenichi Yoshikawa from Doshisha University and Kyoto University (Japan).

For the Open Questions on the Origin of Life 2014 (OQOL2014), we invite scholars from all over the world to present their current novel ideas and latest research on scientific question about the origin of life. This would be the fourth of such meetings. The first one took place in Erice, Sicily, in 2006; the second one in San Sebastian, Spain, 2009; the last one in 2012 in Leicester. This year, the fourth meeting will be held in Kyoto-Nara, Japan.

We are looking for experts and scholars who would like to share their knowledge, expertise and the most recent progress by joining this meeting which is, itself, a novel way of exchanging ideas with our community.

In the two days of OQOL 2014 in July, we have the time to discuss only about seven questions chosen by your votes. The selected open questions of OQOL 2014 is listed at
http://www.lifephys.dis.titech.ac.jp/oqol2014/?page_id=182

Please submit your abstract for one of the 7 selected open questions.
The DEAD LINE OF ABSTRACT SUBMISSION is March 31, 2014.
The submission information is below:
http://www.lifephys.dis.titech.ac.jp/oqol2014/?page_id=165

We hope you will be able to join this exciting event and support us in making it a success.

Important Dates
(1) March 31, 2014
Dead line: Submission of abstracts for the 7 open questions selected by your vote.
(2) April 14, 2014
Notification of selected abstracts and presenters of OQOL2014. The notification will appear in this web site.
(3) Early June, 2014
Dead line: Registration.
(4) July 12-13, 2014
OQOL meeting at Kyoto-Nara, Japan.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
[email protected]

For the Organizing committee:
Masahiro Takinoue, Ph.D. (Tokyo Tech.)

E) 6TH ALFVÉN CONFERENCE: PLASMA INTERACTIONS WITH SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS: ANTICIPATING ROSETTA, MAVEN AND MARS ORBITER MISSION
Location: University College London (UCL), UK
Conference dates: 7-11 July 2014
Conference website: http://bit.ly/alfven-2014

Second announcement and call for notification of interest
If you plan to attend this meeting, please fill out the notification of interest form: http://bit.ly/alfven-interest
The LOC would appreciate your response as soon as possible.

We are likely to offer a subsidised registration fee for students and a reduced early bird registration by 7 May. Regular and on site registration will be available after 7 May. Abstract deadline will be 7 May (submission details to follow)

Main topics: Comets, Mars, Venus, outer planet moons and Earth’s moon –
especially common processes with comets, and reviewing current knowledge
prior to the arrival of the new missions.

Meeting theme –
Within our solar system, the planets, moons, comets and asteroids all have plasma interactions. The interaction depends on the nature of the object, particularly the presence of an atmosphere and a magnetic field.
Even the size of the object matters through the finite gyroradius effect and the scale height of cold ions of exospheric origin. It also depends on the upstream conditions, including position within the solar wind or the presence within a planetary magnetosphere. In the year when ESA’s Rosetta will reach comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, NASA’s Maven and ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission will reach Mars, and ESA’s Venus Express mission is almost complete, this conference will explore our understanding of plasma interactions with comets, Mars, Venus, and inner and outer solar system moons. We will explore the processes which characterise the interactions such as ion pickup and field draping, and their effects such as plasma escape. Data from current and recent space missions, modelling and theory are all encouraged, as we explore our local part of the ‘plasma universe’.

Confirmed invited speakers so far include: Rickard Lundin, Christian Mazelle, Matt Taylor, David Andrews, Esa Kallio, Oleg Vaisberg, Xianzhe Jia, Jim Slavin, Yoshifumi Saito, Geraint Jones, Stas Barabash, Olivier Witasse, Chris Paranicas, Wing Ip, Martin Rubin and Tom Cravens.

Regards,
Andrew Coates (convener) and Anne Wellbrock (LOC co-chair),
on behalf of the LOC and SOC

F) WORKSHOP ON THE STUDY OF THE ICE GIANT PLANETS
July 28–30, 2014
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, Laurel, Maryland

The goal of this 2.5-day workshop is to raise awareness of the
uniqueness/importance of ice giants in our solar system and others and
lay out key science goals and a potential suite of investigations for
New Frontiers-Flagship mission concepts. We will review the current
state of knowledge of all aspects of the ice giant planetary systems
(planets, satellites, rings, etc.), and how it relates to our knowledge
of the gas giants, planetary formation models, and the study of
exoplanets, incorporating outcomes of the 2013 Paris Uranus meeting.
We will initiate a major effort to prioritize the science goals of
future Uranus and Neptune missions and review studied architectures
for these mission concepts. Contributed talks/posters are welcome,
particularly those that focus on the state of knowledge and mission
studies. Abstract submission will open in early May 2014.

To subscribe to a mailing list to receive future announcements and
updates, please complete the indication of interest form:
www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/icegiants2014/

G) SATURN SCIENCE CONFERENCE: SATURN IN THE 21ST CENTURY,
August 4-8, Madison, Wisconsin

In support of the new “Arizona Style” book, “Saturn in the 21st Century”, this conference will be held August 4-7 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The conference covers recent results on the planet Saturn and its magnetosphere from Cassini, Hubble, and ground-based observations, as well as new theoretical/analytical treatments of more historical data. Poster Talks are solicited. Abstracts due: June 1, 2014. Program, accommodations, registration and abstract information can be found at:

http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/meetings/21st_saturn/

Primary Contact: Kevin Baines, [email protected]

H) INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON INSTRUMENTATION FOR PLANETARY MISSIONS

Call for abstracts.

NASA/GSFC will host the International Workshop on Instrumentation
for Planetary Missions November 4-7, 2014, Greenbelt, Maryland
(Washington DC, USA).

The objective of the Workshop is to have a broad canvas of instrumentation and technology available to upcoming ‘Decadal Survey’ missions and those further out. It is also meant to be a forum of collaboration, exchange and discussions where science questions, and the technology needed to address them, are discussed.

Workshop details and abstract submission instructions can be found here:
http://ssed.gsfc.nasa.gov/IPM/

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Send submissions to:
Athena Coustenis, DPS Secretary ([email protected])

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

Newsletter 14-3

Issue 14-3, February 8, 2014

+—————————–CONTENTS——————————–+
1) NOTE FROM THE CHAIR
2) PARTICIPATION IN THE JWST SOLAR SYSTEM WORKING GROUPS
3) CALL FOR PARTICIPATION – TRAINING OPPORTUNITY PHOTOGRAMMETRIC PROCESSING OF PLANETARY STEREO IMAGERY
4) NASA’S SOLAR SYSTEM EXPLORATION RESEARCH VIRTUAL INSTITUTE’S EXPLORATION SCIENCE FORUM
5) NEW DRAFT VERSIONS OF ROSES-2014 SECTIONS
6) CALL FOR CHAPTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO “VENUS AND MERCURY: PROSPECTIVE ENERGY AND MATERIAL RESOURCES”
7) JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES
8) UPCOMING MEETINGS
+———————————————————————+

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NOTE FROM THE CHAIR

Dear Colleagues,

Most of the activity by the DPS leadership during the past few weeks has been devoted to regular behind-the-scenes work. We have discussed meeting support, Icarus, sponsorships for the up-coming DPS meeting, and more. The Tucson DPS Local Organizing Committee, ably led by Joe Spitale, conferenced on Friday with our AAS meeting support team, and things are on track for a successful meeting in November. With the AAS public policy personnel, the DPS Federal Relation Subcommittee Chair Makenzie Lystrup visited a number of staffers on the Hill she will provide more details in a future e-mail distribution.

Here in Washington, those who follow space news have been buzzing about a recent Slate essay by Charles Seife about the future of NASA, wherein the Agency is likened to a panda (http://slate.me/1nWoPc3). Casey Dreier of The Planetary Society took issue with some aspects of the article¹s tone and content, and has posted a response (bit.ly/1jj9MZw). Both are worth a perusal; perhaps give some thought to how you might have written either the main article or the response.

Another Slate essay to check out is the Pluto lovefest by Robert Irion (http://slate.me/1b23yur). It provides a succint and salient popular-level overview of our current knowledge of the Pluto system, and touches on why Pluto is relevant to the history of the Solar System and what the New Horizons spacecraft might find in July 2015. Now is a good time to create your own personal Pluto lecture! Share it widely to build excitement for next year¹s flyby.

Finally, the image of Earth taken last week by the Curiosity lander from the surface of Mars (http://1.usa.gov/1khPDmO) reminds me once again of the words of another DPS Chair: ³Like it or not, for the moment, the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known² (Carl Sagan, in Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space). As we continue to explore our Solar System and the planets beyond, let us all bear in mind the responsibility we share for our home planet and for each other.

Heidi Hammel
DPS Chair

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PARTICIPATION IN THE JWST SOLAR SYSTEM WORKING GROUPS

The JWST Solar System Working Group is looking for participants in Focus Groups to develop case studies for observations with JWST of Solar System bodies. These studies will be employed to help guide the project on specific needs or capabilities necessary for enabling science in a specific area. The project is actively developing and implementing the observatory capabilities and will finalize these in the next few years. Focus Group findings will be reported in the form of a white paper and/or publication and will (1) describe specific scientific questions (2) provide observation scenarios and data products needed (3) and evaluate JWST instruments and observatory performance to accomplish these goals (sensitivity, field of view, spectral coverage, pointing capabilities, etc) and (4) provide the project with key concerns regarding capabilities that may not be currently offered and should be considered. Subgroups and contacts so far include: Asteroids (A. Rivkin, JHU/APL), NEOs (C. Thomas, NASA GSFC/ORAU), Comets (C. Woodward, U. Minnesota), Gas/Ice Giants (J. Norwood, New Mexico State Univ.), TNOs (A. Parker, UC Berkeley) , Binaries (J. Stansberry, STScI), Occultations (J. Stansberry, STScI), Satellites and Rings (M. Tiscareno, Cornell), Mars (G. Villanueva, NASA GSFC/Catholic Univ.), and Titan (C. Nixon, NASA GSFC).

If you are interested in participating or would like to know more details about these groups, please contact either the lead listed above directly or Stefanie Milam at stefanie.n.milam (at) nasa.gov.

Deadline : 1 March 2014.

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CALL FOR PARTICIPATION – TRAINING OPPORTUNITY PHOTOGRAMMETRIC PROCESSING OF PLANETARY STEREO IMAGERY

The Planetary Photogrammetry Guest Facility at the Astrogeology Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey would like to announce a Call for Participation for a training opportunity on April 29 – May 1, 2014, on Photogrammetric Processing of Planetary Stereo Imagery using SOCET SET®. The training is free to participants, and will cover end-to-end, hands-on photogrammetric procedures for surface extraction from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE image pairs. The topics include

•       An introduction to photogrammetric procedures and surface generation techniques;
•       Overview of HiRISE imagery; and
•       Workflow and data exchange between ISIS and SOCET SET.

The hands-on training will include ISIS preprocessing, SOCET SET import of image and reference data, control point selection, orientation procedures, triangulation and bundle adjustment, manual and automated surface extraction of digital terrain models (DTM), editing, and data export.

If you are interested in participating in this opportunity, please send an email to Dr. Raad Saleh ([email protected]) with the following specific information: your name, title, affiliation, address, full contact information, and a short statement describing your interest in the training. Please note that seating for this session is very limited, so please express your interest as soon as possible.

Please note the following:
1.   Training will be 3 days, from Tuesday through Thursday, April 29 – May 1, 2014.
2.   The training will be based exclusively on a standard set of HiRISE stereo images.
3.   ISIS, SOCET SET and the Guest Facility support the use of images from several planetary cameras in addition to HiRISE. While this hands-on training will be based on HiRISE images, it would be our pleasure to advise participants on the suitability of other planetary cameras for their research projects. Furthermore, we can provide one-on-one support to producing DTMs at later days.
4.   The Guest Facility has a single workstation available year-round for users who need to generate their own products. If you would like to stay longer (after this training) or come at a later date to generate your own products using the Guest Facility, please let us know the kind of images you would be using and how many DTMs you hope to produce so that we can schedule your visit accordingly.
5.   For more information about the Guest Facility, and for Frequently Asked Questions, please visit: http://astrogeology.usgs.gov/geology/photogrammetry-guest-facility. Go to Downloads at the bottom of the page and follow the link “Planetary Photogrammetry Guest Facility FAQ”.
6.   If you are interested in ISIS training, please see: http://isis.astrogeology.usgs.gov/IsisWorkshop/index.php/IsisWorkshop

With your participation, we look forward to realizing another successful and productive training session. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me directly if you have any questions or require further information.

Contact: Dr. Raad Saleh
Training Coordinator, The Planetary Photogrammetry Guest Facility
United States Geological Survey
Email: [email protected]

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NASA’S SOLAR SYSTEM EXPLORATION RESEARCH VIRTUAL INSTITUTE’S EXPLORATION SCIENCE FORUM
(formerly the Lunar Science Forum):

First Announcement

The Solar System Exploration Research Institute (SSERVI) is pleased to announce the 1st annual NASA Exploration Science Forum (ESF), to be held in person July 21-23, 2014 at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA. This year’s forum will feature scientific discussions of exploration targets of interest (the Moon, near-Earth asteroids, and the moons of Mars). Science sessions will focus on recent mission results and in-depth analyses of science and exploration studies. Dedicated side-conferences for graduate students and young professionals (a graduate student conference and Next Generation Lunar Scientists and Engineers, NGLSE) will coincide with the ESF. Public engagement discussions will be interwoven among science topics as well. Additionally, a 1.5-day meeting discussing science and exploration in the Global Exploration Roadmap (GER) will immediately follow the ESF, where the scientific community is welcome to attend.

Abstracts will be accepted February 18 through midnight PDT April 26, 2014 at
http://sservi.nasa.gov/NESF2014/

We look forward to another exciting meeting focusing on the intersection of science and exploration!

Doris Daou
Associate Director
Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute
(202) 358-1686 (NASA-HQ)
(650) 604-2021 (ARC)
(650) 417-1485 (Mobile)

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NEW DRAFT VERSIONS OF ROSES-2014 SECTIONS

The Planetary Science Division (PSD) has posted at:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/PSD-RandA/

new draft versions of the following ROSES-2014 Appendices: C.1 The
Overview, C.2 Emerging Worlds, C.3 Solar System Workings, a table of
tentative proposal due dates, and a FAQ that addresses questions
concerning proposing after the reorganization. The posted versions of
Emerging Worlds and Solar System Workings incorporate clarifications
requested by the community following the open-comment period and the
January Planetary Science Subcommittee meeting. Appendix C.1, The
Overview, contains the descriptions of the Planetary Science Division
program elements and contains other information that is shared by
multiple program elements, such as the two-step proposal process.

If you have any comments or feedback on the posted documents, please
direct them to the Program Officer in charge of the relevant program
element or, if that is not clear, please feel free to send them to
Jonathan Rall, the PSD R&A Lead, at [email protected]

6———6———6———6———6———6———6———6———6———6
CALL FOR CHAPTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO “VENUS AND MERCURY: PROSPECTIVE ENERGY AND MATERIAL RESOURCES”

“Venus and Mercury: Prospective Energy and Material Resources” is
the 4th book in this series. Previous books focused on Mars, the Moon,
and Asteroids. We would like to invite chapter contributions related
to Venus and Mercury exploration, past-present-future missions, unique
technologies, resources, energy harvesting etc. The book will be
published in early 2015.

For reference, the first three books in the series are:

Mars: Prospective Energy and Material Resources
Moon: Prospective Energy and Material Resources
Asteroids: Prospective Energy and Material Resources

Please contact editors: Viorel Badescu ([email protected])
or Kris Zacny ([email protected])

[From PEN. Edited for length]

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JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES

For all Job opportunities, please visit jobs
and also consider posting a job by filling out the jobs submission form at:
node/add/job

You can send any comments, questions, or suggestions to the DPS Jobs Czar at: [email protected]

A) THREE INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH POSITIONS AT THE US GEOL. SURVEY ASTROGEOL. SCIENCE CENTER

The U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona, has up to three full-time permanent interdisciplinary (Geologist, Geophysicist, Physical Scientist, or Space Scientist) research positions now posted online. The soft-money positions are at the GS-13 grade level (comparable to associate professors in academia). Candidates with strong research credentials in planetary science or in remote sensing and geoscience applicable to planetary studies are sought. Experience with both obtaining NASA research grants and working on planetary space missions is especially important. The application opportunity will be open from February 3, 2014 to February 21, 2014.

Mission Statement: The USGS Astrogeology Science Center serves the Nation, the international planetary science community, and the general public’s pursuit of new knowledge of our Solar System by:
•       Conducting innovative, fundamental research that advances the fields of planetary cartography, geoscience, and remote sensing
•       Developing state-of-the-art software and techniques for the scientific and cartographic analysis of planetary remote sensing data
•       Participating in the collaborative planning and operation of space exploration missions
•       Producing accurate cartographic products, recognized internationally as benchmarks
•       Establishing data archive and mapping standards that foster international consistency
•       Archiving and distributing data and products for efficient access through modern technology
Vision Statement: The USGS Astrogeology Science Center is a national resource for the integration of planetary geoscience, cartography, and remote sensing. As explorers and surveyors, with a unique heritage of proven expertise and international leadership, we enable the ongoing successful investigation of the Solar System for humankind.
Please see our website (http://astrogeology.usgs.gov/) for more information on the scope and breadth of our research program. Also see http://astrogeology.usgs.gov/About/Careers/ to learn more about the Astrogeology Science Center and living and working in Flagstaff, AZ.
To learn more or to apply, go to USAJOBS: http://www.usajobs.gov and view Vacancy Announcement Number PAC-2014-0206 (open to all candidates) or PAC-2014-0212 (current or former Federal employees) for a position as a Geologist, Geophysicist, Physical Scientist, or Space Scientist. Applicants must apply online by the closing date of the announcement (midnight Eastern Time on 02/21/2014). If you are already an existing registered user you do not need to create a new account in USAJOBS. If however, this is your first time using USAJOBS please visit (http://www.usajobs.com/FIRSTTIMERS.ASP) for tutorials and additional information for creating a user account on USAJOBS and applying for Federal employment. All applicants must upload or fax their college transcripts (undergraduate and graduate) by the closing date of the advertisement or they will be disqualified. The only exception are current Federal employees who are currently in the series for which they apply. The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability and genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factor.

B) NASA POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS

The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) provides opportunities for
scientists and engineers to conduct research largely of their own
choosing, yet compatible with the research opportunities posted on the
NPP Web site.

Selected by a competitive peer-review process, NPP Fellows complete
one- to three-year Fellowship appointments that advance NASA’s
missions in earth science, heliophysics, planetary science,
astrophysics, space bioscience, aeronautics and engineering, human
exploration and space operations, and astrobiology.

An example of one of the research opportunities in planetary science
is:
https://www3.orau.gov/NPDoc/Catalog/18696

Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in hand before
beginning the fellowship, but may apply while completing the degree
requirements. U. S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, and
foreign nationals eligible for J-1 status as a Research Scholar may
apply.

Stipends start at $53,500 per year, with supplements for high
cost-of-living areas and for certain academic specialties. Financial
assistance is available for relocation and health insurance, and
$8,000 per year is provided for professional travel.

Applications are accepted three times each year: March 1, July 1, and
November 1.

The latest NPP Newsletter:
http://bit.ly/18GSlHK

For further information and to apply, visit:
http://nasa.orau.org/postdoc/description/index.htm

Questions: [email protected]

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UPCOMING MEETINGS

A) GOLDSCHMIDT 2014 MEETING

The Californian Goldschmidt will take place in Sacramento between
June 8th and June 13th, 2014. Goldschmidt 2014 will follow the
pattern established for the recent Goldschmidt conferences, and
should be the prime forum for all recent developments in Geochemistry
and related fields. Field trips will be also running around the
conference dates.

http://goldschmidt.info/2014/program/programViewThemes

The abstract deadline is on February 8th, 2014 at 23:59 (GMT). TODAY !

The conference features sessions related to planetary science
research, with the following special sessions and conveners:

Theme 1 Cosmochemistry:

01a: The Solar System and its Stellar Environment
  Liping Qin, Philipp Heck
01b: Early Protoplanetary Disk Evolution and Planetary Accretion
  Noriko Kita, Dominik Hezel, Sasha Krot
01c: The Ingredients for Life in Planetesimals and Their Delivery to
  the Terrestrial Planets
  Laurent Remusat, Zita Martins, Conel Alexander
01d: Volatiles in the Solar System, Origins of Volatiles in Planets
  and Early Planetary Atmospheres
  Tomohiro Usui, Kevin Zanhle, Francis Albarede, Anne Peslier
01e: Early Time Initiative for U-Pb Chronometry of Extra-Terrestrial
  Materials
  James Connelly, Claudine Stirling, Yuri Amelin
01f: The Future of Cosmochemistry: Sample Return Missions, Recent Falls,
  and Advances in Analytical Methods
  Harold C. Connolly Jr., Christopher D. Herd, Laurence Garvie
01g: Collisional Evolution of Terrestrial Planets: Accretion and Post-
  Accretion Bombardment
  Alessandro Morbidelli, David Kring, Sean Raymond, Diana Valencia

In addition to Cosmochemistry, another focus of the Californian
Goldschmidt 2014 meeting is Planetary Chemistry with the following
special sessions and conveners:

02a: Building Blocks of the Planets
  Stein Jacobsen, Rasmus Andreasen, Thorsten Kleine, Frederic Moynier
02b: Processes and Timescales of Planetary Differentiation
  Audrey Bouvier, Paul Warren, Francis Nimmo
02c: Compositions of the Interiors of the Terrestrial Planets – Causes
  and Consequences
  James Day, Radjeep Dasgupta
02d: Chemistry of Planetary Atmospheres
  Bruce Fegley, Channon Visscher
02e: Oxidation State of the Planets
  Jessica Warren, Katherine Kelley, Fred Davis
02f: Crust Formation on Extra-Terrestrial Bodies and its Importance for
  Planetary Chemistry
  Yang Liu, Larry Nittler, Carol Raymond
02g: Lunar Minerals, a Window into the Origin and Evolution of the Moon
  Alberto Saal, Francis McCubbin

B) WATEREUROPE 2014,
Interdisciplinary Conference About Water,
Zaragoza, June 12-14, 2014

http://www.cecam.org/workshop-1089.html

WaterEurope gives a stage for European water researchers to seed and foster new collaborations among scientists coming from different backgrounds and sharing the same multidisciplinary interests about water and its uncommon properties. We believe that the state of the art in this field requires a close interchange among theories and experiments. To this goal, we invited leading experts in a number of experimental and theoretical fields involving water science in order to promote interaction and cross-fertilization between different standpoints.

The Conference Program will include the following topics: water properties and their applications; water in biological systems; water in energy materials, water in nanoconfinement; water in food science and cryoprotection; water in drug-design; water in planetary science.
The list of invited contributors will be periodically updated in the conference web-page: http://www.cecam.org/workshop-1-1089.html

Important Deadlines:

Conference registration for contribution
18 April 2014
Announcement of acceptance of abstracts
25 April 2014
Early registration fee payment
2 May 2014
Final program communication
9 May 2012

You can register and submit your abstract at the web-site:
http://www.cecam.org/workshop-4-1089.html (for a talk) and
http://www.cecam.org/workshop-3-1089.html (for a poster).

We would be very grateful if you could circulate the conference notice to your colleagues, post-docs, and Ph.D. students, and encourage them to submit talks and/or posters.

We are looking forward to seeing you in Zaragoza,
The Organizing Committee of WaterEurope 2014,
Livia Bove, Jordi Martí, and Giancarlo Franzese
E-MAIL: [email protected]

C) ORIGINS 2014
July 6 (Sun) −July 11 (Fri), 2014
Nara, Japan, http://www.shinkokaido.jp/en/

The 2nd joint international conference of ISSOL (The International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life + the International Astrobiology Society) and Bioastronomy (Commission 51 of the International Astronomical Union)

Abstract Submission until 21 February 2014:
http://www.origin-life.gr.jp/origins2014/general.html

Registration at (http://www.origin-life.gr.jp/origins2014/), click the tab “Registration”, and enter the Registration system (https://amarys-jtb.jp/origins201407).

D) AOGS 2014
28 Jul – 1 Aug 2014,
Royton Hotel, Sapporo, Japan

http://www.asiaoceania.org/society/index.asp

For further information see:
http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2014/public.asp?page=mars2/confSessionList.asp

Submit Abstract/Apply For Reduced Fee (Deadline: 11 February 2014)

Abstract Submission<http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2014/public.asp?page=abstract.htm>

Please consider submitting an abstract to the following sessions:

– PS02 : Icy satellites and rings
http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2014/mars2/convenerSessionView.asp?sID=104

This session will be devoted to outer planet satellites, rings and icy dwarf planets. The session will include solicited, contributed, and poster presentations addressing observational, laboratory, and theoretical studies relevant to past, ongoing, and future missions.
Relevant topics include:
(1) interior structure, composition and thermal evolution,
(2) surface geology and composition,
(3) orbital dynamics and satellite interactions,
(4) structure and dynamics of planetary rings,
(5) physical properties of ring particles and small satellites of
outer planet satellites.

For the Conveners: Jun Kimura (Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Tech, Japan), [email protected]

– PS03: Outer solar system satellites with an atmosphere
http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2014/mars2/confSessionView.asp?sID=105

This session welcomes papers about the outer planets satellites with
atmospheres, with special emphasis on observations (both from space and
from the ground), modelling, and theoretical interpretation, with emphasis
on the moons that are geologically active, show time variable properties,
and have a tenuous or thick gaseous environments or plumes. Thus, Titan
with its thick nitrogen atmosphere is found to have seasonal changes as
monitored by the Cassini spacecraft since 2004. Enceladus radiates more
heat than can be fully explained (as does Io) and expels a plume of water
vapor and other constituents from its southern pole. Europa’s surface
shows signs of relatively recent geological activity and carries a tenuous
oxygen atmosphere. Similarly, Ganymede (and possibly Callisto), has a
small oxygen atmosphere, but also its own magnetosphere, and the internal
activity that is necessary to generate its magnetic field. Neptune’s moon
Triton has a nitrogen-methane atmosphere, much like Titan, but with a
pressure that is more Pluto-like. We would also like to have presentations
on the habitability potential of such environments. In addition, abstracts
on satellite interactions with their neutral environments, supporting
laboratory investigations and concepts for future spacecraft missions and
investigations are also relevant to this session. Other work on icy
satellites can be included in another PS Session.

For the Conveners : Athena Coustenis (Paris Observatory, France), [email protected]

– Session PS04: C/Ison And Other Comets Of 2013

The year 2013 saw many interesting comets, from C/PanSTARRS, C/Lemmon,
2P/Encke to the globally observed sungrazer, C/ISON, and discovery of
C/Lovejoy. With the ROSETTA mission on its way to its target 67P/CG,
the field of cometary sciences is providing a rich field for observers,
modellers, and experimentalists to expand the field. We invite invited
and contributed presentations that address any aspect of these comets
of 2013 and other cometary studies. We anticipate a half-day to a full
day session.

For the Conveners: Padma A Yanamandra-Fisher (Space Science Institute, United States), ([email protected])

– Session PS05: Polarimetry Of Solar System, Exoplanets, Brown Dwarfs And Disks
Polarimetry is currently enjoying a rejuvenation in various
astronomical applications. As a complementary technique to imaging and
spectroscopy, polarization allows the investigation of scattering
properties of variety of media ranging from planetary atmospheres,
comets, small bodies (planetary satellites, asteroids, Kuiper Belt
objects, etc.) to detection and characterization of exoplanets, brown
dwarfs, star and planet forming regions; characterization of magnetic
fields and search for optically active molecules in a search for
habitability elsewhere than our earth. We invite contributions from
observers, modellers, laboratory measurements, instrument designers
and missions. We anticipate half to one day of presentations including
oral and poster contributions.

For the Conveners: Motohide Tamura (The University of Tokyo/NAOJ, Japan), [email protected]

– PS08 : Outer planets and their analogs in exoplanets
http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2014/mars2/convenerSessionView.asp?sID=110

Ten years ago the planetary science community was eagerly awaiting the successful Saturn Orbit Insertion (SOI) of the Cassini spacecraft. It is now time to celebrate the excellent scientific returns and great achievements of this international mission to Titan and the Saturnian system. In addition, the New Horizons spacecraft will be at Pluto in July 2015, the JUNO spacecraft is on its way to Jupiter, and new plans are being developed for a Uranus Orbiter with Probe mission in the 2020’s. Across the Atlantic Ocean, the preparation of the JUICE mission is in up-swing for launch in 2025. Following in the footsteps of successful lunar missions of Japan, China and India, planetary scientists in Asia may soon join forces with their European and American colleagues in exploring the outer solar system. Thus it is timely to organize an AOGS session on outer planets to review significant scientific achievements in the areas of planetary and satellite atmospheres, magnetospheres, icy moons and the rings, including especially results on the Saturn system obtained by Cassini-Huygens, prior and anticipated observations of other outer planets and moons, and theoretical modeling of planetary phenomena. Because of tremendous advances made in the study of extrasolar giant planets, we solicit also abstracts on related topics – with a view to promote interdisciplinary dialogs among scientists and astrophysicists, in an international setting, as most appropriately exemplified by the 11th annual meeting of AOGS in Sapparo.

For the Conveners : Wing-Huen Ip (National Central University, Taiwan), [email protected]

E) COSPAR 2014
Moscow, Russia,
2 – 10 August

http://www.cospar-assembly.org/

The deadline for submitting abstracts for the 40th Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), is 14 February 2014.

– C3.1 symposium « Planetary Atmospheres »
The symposium will address the physics of the atmospheres of terrestrial and outer planets.
It will be open for presentation of results of space missions, ground-based observations,
numerical modelling and theoretical studies.
The Symposium will consist of invited and contributed talks and posters.

Dmitri Titov and Larry Esposito
C3.1 Convenors

– B0.3 Symposium « Outer Solar System: New Data – Future Prospects”
This event considers the state of knowledge about the outer solar system. There is a steady stream of data and discoveries from spacecraft, ground-based telescopes, laboratory studies and theoretical investigations. At least five natural satellites are geologically active and show time variable properties. Both Enceladus and Io are radiating more heat than can be fully explained and this stimulates theoretical investigations and modelling studies. Titan with its thick nitrogen atmosphere shows seasonal changes as do Saturn’s atmosphere and rings. These are recorded by the Cassini spacecraft. In the Jovian system Europa’s surface shows signs of relatively recent geological activity. Ganymede, with its own magnetosphere, has internal activity that generates that magnetic field. These phenomena will be addressed by the concepts and new instruments being developed for the ESA JUICE mission that is to arrive at Jupiter in 2030 and then orbit Ganymede. Farther out, Pluto will be visited by the NASA New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015. Preparations for this will be well underway at the time of the 2014 COSPAR.
The B0.3 Organizing Committee will welcome papers about the outer solar system that address observations, modelling, and theoretical interpretation. Also welcome are papers on supporting laboratory investigations, and plans for future spacecraft missions and experiments.

– B0.6 Astrobiology: Life Signs Detections within Planetary Exploration
Astrobiology is researching whether life does or can exist or has existed on a planet other than Earth. To seek such evidence and understand how life could begin elsewhere, it is essential to understand how life emerged on Earth and to know what organic compounds were likely to have been available. Current scenarios for the origin of life invoke an exogenous delivery of organic matter to the early Earth by asteroids and comets. Laboratory analyses of extraterrestrial materials have revealed that they contain vast amount of complex organic matter able to trigger or aid the synthesis of biochemical compounds influencing the origin of life. Understanding how the planetary environment has influenced the transformation of these compounds, the evolution of life and how biological processes have changed the environment is an essential part of any study of the origin and search for signs of life.
In this session researchers are invited to present recent results and papers on:
• New Missions, innovative instruments and strategies searching for signs of life and prebiotic chemistry in the Solar System including Mars;
• Identification and characterization of suitable environments for prebiotic chemistry and life in the Solar System.
[Edited for length]

The Organizers: John Robert Brucato
INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Firenze Italy
E-Mail: [email protected]
And : Michel Viso
CNES, Paris France
E-Mail: [email protected]

E1.14 “Exoplanets” of the forthcoming 40th COSPAR Scientific Assembly.
Thanks to synergies between ground and space-based observations, we have learned that planets orbiting other stars are quite common and we have been able to perform statistical surveys of their occurrence, masses, sizes and eccentricities. At the same time, we have discovered that exoplanet properties can be very different, indeed, from what we can expect based on the knowledge of our Solar System. For a handful of exoplanets we could also investigate their atmospheric composition through spectra of increasing quality and resolution. Modelling studies concerning formation, evolution, climate and habitability issues are developing, as well as spectra simulations and laboratory experiments aimed to better understand and characterize worlds usually at dissimilar conditions from our Solar System bodies.
This COSPAR event aims to put together the broad community interested in the field to review major results, discuss proposed models and present new projects.

Main Scientific Organizer: Francesca Altieri, INAF- IAPS Rome, Italy
E-Mail: [email protected]
Deputy Organizer: Rens Waters, SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research
Netherlands
E-Mail: [email protected]

F) INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON INSTRUMENTATION FOR PLANETARY MISSIONS

Call for abstracts.

NASA/GSFC will host the International Workshop on Instrumentation
for Planetary Missions November 4-7, 2014, Greenbelt, Maryland
(Washington DC, USA).

Workshop details and abstract submission instructions can be found here:
http://ssed.gsfc.nasa.gov/IPM/

———————————+
Send submissions to:
Athena Coustenis, DPS Secretary ([email protected])

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

Athena Coustenis
LESIA (Bat. 18)
Observatoire de Paris-Meudon
5, place Jules Janssen
92195 Meudon Cedex
France
Tel: +33145077720
[email protected]

Newsletter 14-2

Issue 14-2, January 22, 2014

+—————————–CONTENTS——————————–+
1) NOTE FROM THE CHAIR
2) MESSAGE FROM THE FEDERAL RELATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE (FRS) CHAIR
3) REMINDER: CALL FOR DPS 2014 PRIZE NOMINATIONS
4) REMINDER : 2014 ONLINE MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
5) CALL FOR MISSION CONCEPTS FOR THE LARGE-SIZE ‘L2’ MISSION OPPORTUNITY IN ESA’S SCIENCE PROGRAMME
6) DRAFT SOLICITATIONS OF SOME PSD R&A SOLICITATIONS FOR ROSES14
RELEASED TO PUBLIC
7) MARS CRITICAL DATA PRODUCTS PROGRAM (ROUND IX)
8) JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES
9) UPCOMING MEETINGS
+———————————————————————+

1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1
NOTE FROM THE CHAIR

Washington DC may be currently covered in snow, but warm fuzzies abound here as a 2014 budget has passed into law (more details in the note below from the Federal Relations Subcommittee). Take a deep breath, and think about our DPS community’s successes. We’ve secured $1.3 Billion dollars to do planetary exploration. Our missions are healthy: Cassini, Curiosity, MESSENGER, JUNO, and more. ESA’s ROSETTA mission successfully reawakened from hibernation, ready to go comet hunting. Europa got a big boost with the news from the Hubble Space Telescope hinting at tidally-driven water geysers. What have you done to share this news with your family, your community, your representatives in Washington? Drop me a line; I’d like to share some of your stories.

Regarding NASA’s R&A reorganization, please communicate your thoughts with the members of the Planetary Science Subcommittee (PSS), as well as the members of the various assessment groups (OPAG, SBAG, VEXAG, MEPAG, LEAG, etc). The input will be considered soon, so take the time now to share your opinions about this draft rollout with the AG chairs and PSS, especially thoughts on how to improve the rollout.

Meeting update: we are happy to report that the Denver DPS broke almost exactly even, with a surplus of just $230 out of a ~$398K budget; total attendance was 692 registrants. Major thanks for this success go to Fran Bagenal, John Spencer, and Andrew Steffl, as well as to the AAS meeting support staff. The DPS Committee is hard at work preparing for future DPS meetings. For the November 2014 meeting in Tucson, Arizona, the Local Organizing Committee (headed by Joe Spitale) and the Scientific Organizing Committee (led by Faith Vilas) are both in full swing. If you are asked to help, please do so. Better yet, volunteer!

Remember Carl Sagan’s TV show, Cosmos? There is a new version, Cosmos – A Spacetime Odyssey (see its trailer athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBTd9–9VMI) hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson on Fox. Wait, why Fox, you ask, aren’t they anti-science? The answer is: indeed Fox – because of the people who watch Fox. These are precisely the people we need to reach if we want to rekindle a fire for space science exploration in the heart of America. The premier episode airs on 9 March 2014. Leverage this: offer to be the host at a Cosmos kick-off event at your local library or middle school; invite your non-astronomy buddies over to watch an episode of Cosmos. Let me know some of your other ideas.

Finally, planetary science was featured in the New York Times today. Kenneth Chang examined fiscal limitations that may affect some upcoming decisions, including the Senior Reviews of Cassini and Curiosity (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/21/science/space/the-final-frontiers-financial-limits.html?ref=science). As Chang points out in his closing sentences, after the late 1980s when NASA planetary science was truly threatened and a ten-year-long cessation of planetary launches ensued, our community regrouped. The resultant priorities developed into the Cassini mission, and eventually the reinvigorated Mars program and all the missions in flight today. Those of us who were young planetary scientists during that dark decade of no missions (which encompassed my entire grad-school career) did not despair. We kept the faith, we imagined the future robust program, and we worked to create the program we have now. I adjure you to keep the faith now. Focus on the future. Make your dreams real.

And please do remember to renew your DPS membership by paying your 2014 dues online at https://members.aas.org/ (see hereafter for details) !

Heidi B. Hammel
DPS Chair

2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2
MESSAGE FROM THE FEDERAL RELATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE (FRS) CHAIR

It’s nice to be the bearer of relatively good news for once!

Congress has passed an omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal year 2014 (FY14). That means that the entire government has funding for the entire fiscal year. This removes threats of government shutdowns and sequestration for FY14. Considering that budgets across the government are decreasing, the Planetary Sciences Division fared well, receiving a top line budget of $1.345 billion. This is an increase of $127.5 over the FY14 Presidential Budget Request (PBR). Now that FY 2014 funds have been appropriated, NASA can begin work creating an operating plan to spend these FY14 dollars and the fiscal year 2015 (FY15) PBR process will move forward.

I want to thank each of you who responded to our call to action near the end of 2013. Your efforts, combined with those of other planetary science advocates, helped to secure this outcome. There is still work to do in the months ahead, but we are moving in a very positive direction. We will be closely monitoring the implementation of this appropriation, the NASA authorization bill, and the FY15 PBR, and we will be working to influence the process and outcomes wherever possible. If you have any questions, please contact Makenzie Lystrup, FRS Chair, at [email protected].

NASA top line: $17.6465 billion ($68.9 billion decrease from PBR)
Science top line: $5.1512 billion ($133.4 million increase from PBR)
Planetary science top line: $1.345 billion ($127.5 million increase from
PBR)
R&A: $130.1 million (no change from PBR)
NEO observations: $40.5 million (no change from PBR)
Discovery: $285 million ($27 million increase from PBR)
New Frontiers: $258 million (same as PBR) — includes $218,700,000 for OSIRIS-REx
Outer Planets: $159 million ($80 million increase from PBR) — includes $80 million for Europa mission
Mars Exploration: $288 million — includes $65 million for Mars 2020 rover development
Technology: $146 million ($5M decrease from PBR) — includes requested level for Pu-238

On Europa (this is from the House bill, but is referenced in the Senate bill):
“…$80,000,000 shall be for pre-formulation and/or formulation activities for a mission that meets the science goals outlined for the Jupiter Europa mission in the most recent planetary science decadal survey.)

On the Discovery program:
“NASA shall use the funds provided for the Discovery program to support extended operations for the Messenger program and to increase the tempo by which Announcements of Opportunity (AOs) are released and missions are selected from those AOs. NASA is encouraged to initiate a new Discovery AO no later than May I, 2014 with final phase two selection and award of one or more missions by September, 2015.

On helping teams who proposed missions using ASRGs to previous AOs:
“NASA’s discontinuation of Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) flight system development activities may disadvantage individuals or teams whose Planetary Science mission proposals assumed, based on NASA’s previous AOs and development schedule, that ASRG technology would be available to them when needed. NASA shall take steps to mitigate the impact on such proposers and ensure that they have sufficient opportunities to compete for funds in the future with adjusted mission concepts that no longer rely on ASRG technology.”

On the Administration’s proposed education and public outreach restructuring:
“Consistent with longstanding NASA practice, the agreement maintains EPO funding within the Science Mission Directorate (SMD). The current method of distributing EPO funds within SMD, however, may not produce the most efficient allocation of limited resources. For fiscal year 2015 and future years, NASA shall consider consolidating EPO funding within each SMD division and allocating funds to individual activities based on an assessment of division-wide priorities and program effectiveness.”

On Congress’s frustration with NASA’s recent operating plan formulation that is perceived as ignoring the will of Congress; it should be noted that this is an issue that beyond planetary science into other divisions of NASA, but it is of note as it may affect the development of the next operating plan, including within planetary science:
“Reprogramming and transfer authorities exist so that NASA can respond to unexpected, exigent circumstances that may arise during the fiscal year, not so that NASA can pursue its internal priorities at the expense of congressional direction. If NASA persists in abusing its reprogramming and transfer authorities, those authorities will be eliminated in future appropriations acts.”

Makenzie Lystrup
DPS FRS Chair

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REMINDER : CALL FOR DPS 2014 PRIZE NOMINATIONS

DEADLINE APRIL 1, 2014

The deadline for nominations this year is April 1.

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REMINDER : 2014 ONLINE MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

You are receiving this e-mail because you have subscribed to DPS during the past 2 years.
You should have paid your 2014 membership dues online at https://members.aas.org/ by 31 December 2013. Please take the time to renew by logging in to your membership record (today !) and in any case before the membership lists are updated within a month or two from the beginning of 2014. By renewing online and not receiving a paper renewal, you will help your Society save enormous costs.

Also, please take a moment to update your personal DPS member file.

Thank you for your urgent attention.

Send general replies to [email protected].

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CALL FOR MISSION CONCEPTS FOR THE LARGE-SIZE ‘L2’ MISSION OPPORTUNITY IN ESA’S SCIENCE PROGRAMME

Through this Call for Missions, the Director of Science and Robotic Exploration solicits proposals from the broad scientific community for the competitive selection of mission concepts to be candidates for the implementation of the second large mission (L2) of the Cosmic Vision Plan, for a planned launch in 2028. See:
http://sci.esa.int/jump.cfm?oid=53614

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DRAFT SOLICITATIONS OF SOME PSD R&A SOLICITATIONS FOR ROSES14
RELEASED TO PUBLIC

PSD has posted the draft versions of several of the R&A program’s solicitations for ROSES 2014 on the LPI website (where PSD has been previously posting updated information with regards to the reorganization of the PSD R&A portfolio). The draft solicitations include all 5 new core programs, as well as solicitations for the Dawn Focused Research Analysis Program, the Cassini Data Analysis and Participating Scientist Program, and the Exoplanets Research Program. Please send any constructive feedback to the Assessment Group (AG) chairs:

For CAPTEM, email Hap McSween ([email protected])
For LEAG, email Jeff Plescia ([email protected])
For MEPAG, email Serina Diniega ([email protected])
For OPAG, email Candy Hansen ([email protected])
For SBAG, email Nancy Chabot ([email protected])
For VEXAG, email Lori Glaze ([email protected])

Please visit the LPI website to view these draft solicitations:

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/PSD-RandA/

Jonathan Rall

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MARS CRITICAL DATA PRODUCTS PROGRAM (ROUND IX) –
Initial Landing Site Characterization for the Mars 2020 Rover Mission

Details of the RFPs are posted at: https://acquisition.jpl.nasa.gov/rfp/WH-2691-120313/default.htm orhttps://acquisition.jpl.nasa.gov/bizops/.

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JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES

For all Job opportunities, please visit jobs
and also consider posting a job by filling out the jobs submission form at:
node/add/job

You can send any comments, questions, or suggestions to the DPS Jobs Czar at: [email protected]

A) DIRECTOR, MARS EXPLORATION PROGRAM

James L. Green, Director, Planetary Science
NASA Headquarters

The Director of the Mars Exploration Program is responsible for successful implementation of NASA’s Mars Program and all Mars exploration robotic flight program activities in the Science Mission Directorate (SMD), beginning with mission formulation and continuing through design, development, launch, and mission operations and data analysis.

The USAJobs Vacancy number is HQ14S0005. The position opened on Friday, January 17, 2014 and closes on Wednesday, February 19, 2014. For instructions on how to apply and qualification requirements please access the full text vacancy announcement at:

http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/359595900

U.S. citizenship is required. All applications must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement, and NASA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider.

We have a number of exciting planetary mission milestones ahead, especially in the next 18 months. Come help us lead in this new era of discovery.

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UPCOMING MEETINGS

A) TITAN THROUGH TIME WORKSHOP 3
A workshop on Titan’s Past, Present and Future, 8-10 April, 2014
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA

Abstracts, student support applications, and registration
(no cost, but required for limited-size facility) are due by
February 2nd, 2014. Go to:

http://www.jhuapl.edu/titanthroughtime3

Ralph D. Lorenz, Johns Hopkins APL
Conor A. Nixon, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Co-chairs, Science Program

B) HABITABLE WORLDS ACROSS SPACE AND TIME
First Announcement: The 2014 STScI Spring Symposium
April 28 – May 1, 2014

Abstract submission deadline: February 28, 2014
On-line registration deadline: March 28, 2014

Within a matter of years, humanity will know for the first time the frequency of terrestrial planets in orbit around other stars. This knowledge will pave the way for joining research from astronomy, Earth science, and biology to understand the past, present, and future of the Earth within its larger context as one of many habitable worlds. Such work seeks to understand the formation and fate of the Earth as well as predict where and when different bodies will be suitable for life.

In this four-day symposium, scientists from diverse fields will discuss the formation and long-term evolution of terrestrial bodies throughout the various phases of stellar and Galactic evolution. This symposium will include discussions about sites for Galactic habitability that have not yet been given much attention, such as around post-main sequence stars. The existence of these overlooked environments may provide motivation for novel astronomical observations with existing and next generation ground and space-based observatories.

For more information on the Symposium, please check the website:
http://www.stsci.edu/institute/conference/habitable-worlds

C) ASTEROIDS, COMETS, METEORS 2014 (ACM’2014)
June 30 – July 4, 2014
Helsinki, Finland

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS AND REGISTRATION

Asteroids, Comets, Meteors focuses on the research of small Solar
System bodies. Small bodies are the key to understanding the formation
and evolution of the Solar System, carrying signals from pre-solar
times. Understanding the evolution of the Solar System helps unveil
the evolution of extrasolar planetary systems. Societally, small
bodies will be important future resources of minerals. The near-Earth
population of small bodies continues to pose an impact hazard, whether
it be small pieces of falling meteorites or larger asteroids or
cometary nuclei capable of causing global environmental effects.

The conference series entitled “Asteroids, Comets, Meteors”
constitutes the leading international series in the field of small
Solar System bodies. The first three conferences took place in
Uppsala, Sweden in 1983, 1985, and 1989. The conference is now
returning to Nordic countries after a quarter of a century. After the
Uppsala conferences, the conference has taken place in Flagstaff,
Arizona, U.S.A. in 1991, Belgirate, Italy in 1993, Paris, France in
1996, Ithaca, New York, U.S.A. in 1999, in Berlin, Germany in 2002, in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2005, in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. in
2008, and in Niigata, Japan in 2012. ACM in Helsinki, Finland in 2014
will be the 12th conference in the series.

The ACM’2014 Call for Abstracts and Registration is now open at :
http://www.helsinki.fi/acm2014/
(e-mail: [email protected])

Abstracts and registration are due by : March 31, 2014

Looking forward to seeing you in Helsinki!
Happy New Year 2014!

Karri Muinonen
Chair, ACM’2014 Scientific Organizing Committee,
Department of Physics, University of Helsinki &
Finnish Geodetic Institute

D) EWASS 2014
Opening of registration and abstract submission
30 June to 4 July,
Geneva, Switzerland

Registration and abstract submission is now open for the European Week of
Astronomy and Space Science (EWASS) :
http://eas.unige.ch/EWASS2014/.

Fees and other information on the registration are given on this web
site : http://eas.unige.ch/EWASS2014/registration.jsp.

The deadline for early registration is: April 15, 2014.

Abstract submission for an oral or poster contribution to a given session is
also open with the information given here : http://eas.unige.ch/EWASS2014/abstract_submission.jsp.
To allow the scientific committees of the sessions to evaluate the abstracts
before the early registration deadline, the abstract submission deadline had to
be set relatively early on: March 15, 2014.

This is also the deadline for EAS grant requests to be submitted here:
http://eas.unige.ch/ewass.jsp?tab=grants.

Note that grants are preferentially given to young EAS members, students and postdocs, who present a talk.

E) ORIGINS 2014
July 6 (Sun) −July 11 (Fri), 2014
Nara, Japan, http://www.shinkokaido.jp/en/

Abstract Submission is now open!
http://www.origin-life.gr.jp/origins2014/general.html

Important dates
October 1, 2013: Registration open
November 20, 2013: Abstraction submission open
January 10, 2014: Hotel & excursion reservation open
January 31, 2014: Deadline for Early registration
February 21, 2014: Deadline for Abstract submission
March 31, 2014: Second circular
June 30, 2014: Deadline for Late registration
July 6-11, 2014: Origins 2014 conference (onsite registration will be available)

Registration
Please go to the website (http://www.origin-life.gr.jp/origins2014/), click the tab “Registration”, and enter the Registration system (https://amarys-jtb.jp/origins201407).

F) AOGS 2014
28 Jul – 1 Aug 2014,
Royton Hotel, Sapporo, Japan

http://www.asiaoceania.org/society/index.asp

For further information see:
http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2014/public.asp?page=mars2/confSessionList.asp

Submit Abstract/Apply For Reduced Fee (Deadline: 11 February 2014)

Abstract Submission<http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2014/public.asp?page=abstract.htm>

Please consider submitting an abstract to the following sessions:

– PS02 : Icy satellites and rings
http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2014/mars2/convenerSessionView.asp?sID=104

Conveners: Jun Kimura (Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Tech, Japan), [email protected]
Frank Postberg (Universitaet Heidelberg, Germany), [email protected]
Frank Sohl (German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany), [email protected]
Juergen Schmidt (University of Potsdam, Germany), [email protected]
Athena Coustenis (Paris Observatory, France), [email protected]
Mathieu Choukroun (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, United States),[email protected]
Steven Vance (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, United States), [email protected]

– PS03: Outer solar system satellites with an atmosphere
http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2014/mars2/confSessionView.asp?sID=105

Conveners : Athena Coustenis (Paris Observatory, France), [email protected]
Sushil Atreya (University of Michigan, United States), [email protected]
Steven Vance (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, United States), [email protected]
Jun Kimura (Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Tech, Japan), [email protected]
Frank Sohl (German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany), [email protected]

– PS08 : Outer planets and their analogs in exoplanets
http://www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2014/mars2/convenerSessionView.asp?sID=110

Conveners : Wing-Huen Ip (National Central University, Taiwan), [email protected]
Sushil Atreya (University of Michigan, United States), [email protected]
Athena Coustenis (Paris Observatory, France), [email protected]
Anil Bhardwaj (VSSC, India), [email protected]
Takehiko Satoh (ISAS/JAXA, Japan), [email protected]
Linda Spilker (NASA/JPL, United States), [email protected]

G) EUROPEAN PLANETARY SCIENCE CONGRESS 2014 – EPSC2014
07 – 12 September 2014
Cascais, Portugal

First Announcement and Call-for-Sessions

The Ninth European Planetary Science Congress will take place at Centro de Congressos do Estoril, Cascais, Portugal, from 07 – 12 September 2014.

We thank you for making the last EPSC meeting in London, United Kingdom, a great success with 960 participants from 39 countries. In order to ensure a high scientific and technical quality of the next congress, we ask you to send any comments or feedback concerning the last meeting to Manuel Grande ([email protected]) or Maria Teresa Capria ([email protected]).

As with the previous highly successful EPSC meetings, EPSC2014 provides an attractive platform to exchange and present results, develop new ideas and to network the planetary science community in Europe. A forum you might say! It will have a distinctively interactive style, with a mix of talks, workshops and posters, intended to provide a stimulating environment for the community to meet. Lisbon is one of the world’s most delightful and historic cities. The conference centre is a state of the art facility near the sea, an easy half hour ride from the historic centre.

The success of EPSC is founded on the excellence of its sessions and conveners. So we encourage you to make session or workshop proposals on the conference website before 29 January 2014:
http://www.epsc2014.eu

The meeting will cover the whole scope of planetary science with typically 50 sessions of different types.
We look forward to many proposals for exciting sessions and look forward to seeing you in Lisbon.

Best regards,
Manuel Grande and Maria Teresa Capria
Scientific Organizing Committee Chairs

Mario Ebel
Copernicus Meetings

———————————+
Send submissions to:
Athena Coustenis, DPS Secretary ([email protected])

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

Newsletter 14-1

Issue 14-1, January 10, 2014

+—————————–CONTENTS——————————–+
1) REMINDER FROM NOMINATING SUBCOMMITEE : CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR DPS COMMITTEE
2) CALL FOR DPS 2014 PRIZE NOMINATIONS
3) REMINDER : 2014 ONLINE MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
4) 67P/CHURYUMOV-GERASIMENKO OBSERVING CAMPAIGN IN SUPPORT OF ROSETTA
5) CALL FOR EXOMARS 2018 LANDING SITE PROPOSALS
6) NASA ASTROPHYSICS LONG-TERM VISION STUDY RELEASED
7) NRAO SEMESTER 2014B CALL FOR PROPOSALS
8) JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES
9) UPCOMING MEETINGS
+———————————————————————+

1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1
REMINDER FROM NOMINATING SUBCOMMITEE : CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR DPS COMMITTEE

The Nominating Subcommittee is responsible for presenting to the DPS Secretary a list of candidates for DPS Officers and Committee members.

The DPS Nominating Subcommittee is currently doing their work in earnest, and would welcome input from the members. The following people would be happy to hear your suggestions for candidates for DPS committee positions.

C. Thomas ([email protected]), or B. Schmidt ([email protected]), or D. Britt ([email protected]) by mid February 2014.

Newsletter 13-32

Issue 13-32, December 17, 2013

+—————————–CONTENTS——————————–+
1) MESSAGE FROM THE DPS CHAIR
2) NOMINATING SUBCOMMITEE : CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR DPS COMMITTEE
3) REMINDER : 2014 ONLINE MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
4) ANNOUNCING THE COMETARY COMA IMAGE ENHANCEMENT FACILITY
5) PLANETARY SCIENCE AND THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
6) JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES
7) UPCOMING MEETINGS
+———————————————————————+

1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1
MESSAGE FROM THE DPS CHAIR

Dear members of DPS,

What a month for planetary exploration! From the launch of MAVEN, to evidence from Hubble for water vapor shooting out of Europa, to China’s successful soft landing on the Moon, there is action all across our Solar System. At the same time, within the Washington beltway there are signs of a budget accord which may prevent another government shutdown and ameliorate some of the sequestration cuts hampering NASA and other government agencies.

At DPS, we have continued planning future meetings, have discussed political action, and generally worked to keep our organization moving forward. One change that some of you noted was the increase in DPS dues from $20 to $25. This action was finalized at the DPS meeting in Reno, where the membership ratified the proposed dues. Given the enhanced DPS activities beyond the annual meetings (including professional development, family support at meetings, and advocacy), this increase was probably overdue (it was the first one in 15 years). Now might be a good to time verify that your membership is current, and thank you all who have already renewed.

The DPS leadership is keenly aware of the issues swirling around the reorganization of NASA’s Research and Analysis funding. We are in active discussion with NASA representatives about this, and we encourage our members to continue to give feedback about this to the Chairs of the various “Assessment Groups” (OPAG, SBAG, VEXAG, LEAG, MEPAG, etc). NASA is working on a list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions about R&A, so stay tuned for that.

As always, I encourage you all both to do good science and to share that science widely. This month might be a good time for you to write a letter or op-ed piece for your local paper. Some “hooks” for this might be the video by Bill Nye, his open letter to President Obama (http://tinyurl.com/BillNyeLetter), Janet Vertesi’s OpEd article for CNN at http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/14/opinion/vertesi-cassini-mission/index.html,
or the petition started by a 6-yr-old who wants to keep NASA exploring (http://tinyurl.com/NASApetition). Best, of course, is sharing your own words and your own passion about why planetary science is worth doing.

Finally, the DPS leadership would like to take this opportunity to send you best wishes for happy winter holidays and for the coming year.

Heidi Hammel
DPS Chair

2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2
NOMINATING SUBCOMMITEE : CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR DPS COMMITTEE

The Nominating Subcommittee is responsible for presenting to the DPS Secretary a list of candidates for DPS Officers and Committee members.

The DPS Nominating Subcommittee is currently doing their work in earnest, and would welcome input from the members. These people would be happy to hear your suggestions for candidates for DPS committee positions.

Write to :
C. Thomas ([email protected]), or B. Schmidt ([email protected]), or D. Britt ([email protected]) by mid February 2014.

Newsletter 13-31

Issue 13-31, November 27, 2013

+—————————–CONTENTS——————————–+
1) PLANETARY SCIENCE DIVISION RESEARCH & ANALYSIS PROGRAM RESTRUCTURING VIRTUAL TOWN HALL
2) HOW HAVE THE SEQUESTER CUTS AFFECTED YOU?
3) RESULTS OF CFHT’S ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR NEW INSTRUMENTATION AND UPGRADES
4) REMINDER : 2014 ONLINE MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
5) JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES
6) UPCOMING MEETINGS
+———————————————————————+

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PLANETARY SCIENCE DIVISION RESEARCH & ANALYSIS PROGRAM RESTRUCTURING VIRTUAL TOWN HALL
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
12:00 noon to 4:00 pm (EST)

The Planetary Science Division announces a virtual town hall presenting the Research and Analysis Program Restructuring. The town hall will be held on Tuesday, December 3, 2013, 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm (EST). A presentation by Jonathan Rall will be followed by a question/answer period. The town hall will be live-streamed with participation available to anyone having Internet access.

You can attend by connecting via adobe connect and listening through your computer (no phone line needed).

If you would like to ask a question type it into the chat room. A moderator will be collecting all the questions and asking them in the order they are received.

To log in to the Adobe Connect link, go to https://connect.arc.nasa.gov/randa as a “Guest” using your full name.

Slides presenting the historical background of the R&A restructuring, brief descriptions of the new portfolio elements and how they map to the old programs, the tentative due dates, and previous presentations and questions are available at:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/PSD-RandA/

2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2
HOW HAVE THE SEQUESTER CUTS AFFECTED YOU?

The AAS Executive Office wants to hear how the indiscriminate, across-the-board budget cuts known as the sequester have affected our members. Please use our online form to report your experience.

http://aas.org/posts/news/2013/11/how-have-sequester-cuts-affected-you

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RESULTS OF CFHT’S ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR NEW INSTRUMENTATION AND UPGRADES

CFHT is pleased to announce the outcome of the recent Announcement of Opportunity (AO) to develop new capabilities for our community on this web site: http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/en/news/AO_Announcement/AO_index.php

This combination of instrument development activity will provide exciting near and long-term research opportunities for CFHT’s community and anticipates significant amounts of time being allocated for surveys in the future. The nature and scale of these surveys will be formulated in advance of the arrival of new capabilities, will rely upon community consultation, and will incorporate a careful assessment of the long-term future of CFHT in the context of other facilities worldwide.

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REMINDER : 2014 ONLINE MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

You should have paid your 2014 membership dues online at https://members.aas.org/ by 31 December 2013. Please take the time to renew by logging in to your membership record (today !) and in any case before the membership lists are updated within a month or two from the beginning of 2014. By renewing online and not receiving a paper renewal, you will help your Society save enormous costs.

Also, please take a moment to update your personal DPS member file.
Thank you for your attention.

Send general replies to [email protected].

Also note that if you renew your AAS membership by 31 December 2013 you can take advantage of a new two-year renewal option, locking in the 2014 rate for 2015 as well. For each year, you’ll also receive a 15% discount off your share of the author charges for a paper in any of the AAS journals.

http://aas.org/posts/news/2013/11/reminder-renew-now-big-savings

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JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES

For all Job opportunities, please visit jobs
and also consider posting a job by filling out the jobs submission form at:
node/add/job

You can send any comments, questions, or suggestions to the DPS Jobs Czar at: [email protected]

A) ASSISTANT PROFESSOR – THEORETICAL ASTROPHYSICS PROGRAM – UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
The University of Arizona’s Theoretical Astrophysics Program (http://tap.arizona.edu/) invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position to begin in Fall 2014. The Theoretical Astrophysics Program is an interdisciplinary program that fosters academic and scientific links among the Departments of Astronomy, Physics and Planetary Sciences at the University, to complement with a strong theory program the world-renowned astronomical facilities in Tucson, AZ. The Program consists of five core faculty and about 25 affiliate members working in a range of topics spanning solar system astrophysics to cosmology. In addition to the typical facilities available at a research university, the UA’s Research Data Center provides our faculty access to local high-end supercomputing resources including distributed, shared-memory and GPU architectures. Review of applications will begin in December 2013 and will continue until the position is filled. For full position details and to apply online, please see www.hr.arizona.edu and reference job #53843. The University of Arizona is an EEO/AA employer – M/W/D/V.

Transmitted by :
Renu Malhotra
Professor, Planetary Sciences
Chair, Theoretical Astrophysics Program
The University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona 85721
(520) 626-5899
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~renu/

B) SCIENTIFIC STAFF POSITIONS IN THE PLANETARY RADAR ASTRONOMY DEPARTMENT AT USRA

USRA is seeking one or more scientific staff positions in the
Planetary Radar Astronomy department studying near-Earth asteroids and
other bodies with the Arecibo Observatory Planetary Radar system.

This position would involve observations, data processing, archiving,
and modeling of near-Earth asteroids and other bodies with the
Arecibo Planetary radar system. Experience with radar observations and
techniques is *not* a prerequisite. Experience and interest in
astronomical observations of Solar System objects, small-bodies
geophysics, and/or numerical inverse modeling are desirable.
Applications can be accepted at the technical staff (M.S. or
equivalent experience), post-doc (Ph.D.), or research scientist
(Ph.D + relevant experience) levels.

The incumbent would be resident in Arecibo, Puerto Rico and be an
employee of Universities Space Research Association. Ph.D. level
researchers (post-doc or research scientist) would be expected to
maintain an independent research program and encouraged to apply for
partial funding support.

For technical information, please contact Mike Nolan <[email protected]>.

USRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

6———6———6———6———6———6———6———6———6———6
UPCOMING MEETINGS

A) ORIGINS 2014
July 6 (Sun) −July 11 (Fri), 2014
Nara, Japan, http://www.shinkokaido.jp/en/

Abstract Submission is now open!
http://www.origin-life.gr.jp/origins2014/general.html

Registration
Please go to the website (http://www.origin-life.gr.jp/origins2014/), click the tab “Registration”, and enter the Registration system (https://amarys-jtb.jp/origins201407).

B) EGU 2014
27 April – 02 May 2014
Vienna, Austria

Several planetary sciences are organized again for next year, you can find them at :
http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2014/sessionprogramme

Abstract Deadline: 16 January 2014, 13:00 CET.

Financial support during EGU 2014:
See: http://www.egu2014.eu/support_and_distinction.html

Please note that a limited amount of the overall budget of the conference is reserved to assist young scientists in attending the conference. Financial support includes a registration fee waiver and a refund of the Abstract Processing Charge (APC) related to the abstract for which support was requested. Additionally, financial assistance towards travel expenditures may be provided at the discretion of the support selection committee to a maximum of €300.
Furthermore, a very limited amount of the overall budget of the conference is reserved for assisting established scientists from low and lower middle income countries.
• Please note, that the Abstract Processing Charge (APC) is also applied in case of support applications.
• Each support award is granted to the contact author for a particular abstract. Should this abstract be withdrawn before the conference or should this abstract not be presented at the conference although the author who has been awarded is present at the conference, the award has to be returned, and the registration fee will be charged to the author’s account.
• Awards are non-transferable!
• Only the granted amount mentioned in the financial support email will be paid out to the supported contact author personally during the EGU General Assembly 2014.

Currently, the European Geosciences Union runs two different financial support schemes:
Young Scientist’s Travel Award (YSTA): this award includes a free registration together with a refund of the Abstract Processing Charge (APC) related to the abstract for which support was requested. Depending on the decision of the Support Committee, additional financial support for the travel expenditures with a maximum of €300 could be granted as well.
Only the granted amount mentioned in the financial support email will be paid out to the supported contact author personally during the EGU General Assembly 2014.
Established Scientist’s Travel Award (ESTA): this award includes a free registration together with a refund of the Abstract Processing Charge (APC) related to the abstract for which support was requested. Depending on the decision of the Support Committee, additional financial support for the travel expenditures with a maximum of €300 could be granted as well.
Only the granted amount mentioned in the financial support email will be paid out to the supported contact author personally during the EGU General Assembly 2014.

C) THE SEARCH FOR LIFE BEYOND THE SOLAR SYSTEM: EXOPLANETS, BIOSIGNATURES & INSTRUMENTS
Tucson, Arizona,
March 17-21, 2014

Deadline for abstracts : 6 December 2013

Motivated by the rapidly increasing number of known earth-sized planets, the increasing range of extreme conditions in which life on Earth can persist, and the progress toward a technology that will ultimate enable the search for life on exoplanets, the Vatican Observatory and the Steward Observatory announce a major conference entitled Exoplanets, Observations & Biosignatures: The Search for Life Beyond the Solar System.

The goal of the meeting is to help the international astronomical community toward the long-term goal of finding life beyond the solar system by bringing together the communities working on the observations and modeling of extrasolar planets, the development of exoplanet-focused instrumentation, biosignatures suitable for remote sensing, and the extreme life on Earth.

Astrobiology School: The conference will be preceded by an independently-organized three-day school hosted at the University of Arizona’s Biosphere 2. The school will allow graduate students and junior postdocs to learn from the invited/keynote speakers and additional lecturers about the key topics of the conference. This will help them to benefit fully from the multi-disciplinary program and to connect with their peers from other disciplines.

Proceedings: The conference proceedings will be published as a special issue of the International Journal of Astrobiology (Cambridge University Press). Contributions will be available through the NASA ADS system.

Website: http://www.ebi2014.org

Contact: [email protected]

D) GREAT-ESF WORKSHOP “GAIA AND THE UNSEEN : THE BROWN DWARF QUESTION”
24-26 Mars 2014, Torino

This is an update on the GREAT-ESF workshop which will look at all aspects of what the ESA mission Gaia can do for brown dwarf science.
A number of invited overviews have been included in the program and the morning parallel sessions have been allocated. The preliminary schedule is available at the meeting webpage. There is still ample room for submitted talks related to the meeting topic. Registration and abstract submission by December 20th is required to be considered for a contributed talk. Poster contributions will be on display all three days of the meeting.

The proceedings from the meeting will be published as part of the Memorie della Societa’ Astronomica Italiana (SAIt) series. The presentations and contributions will also be published online on the meeting site.

The meeting has no registration fee and there is a small amount of support for the attendance of participants if needed. This can be applied for as part of the registration process by December 20th.
More information on the workshop web site : http://GaiaBDs.oato.inaf.it/ .

———————————+
Send submissions to:
Athena Coustenis, DPS Secretary ([email protected])

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

Newsletter 13-30

Issue 13-30, November 21, 2013

+—————————–CONTENTS——————————–+
1) REMINDER : CALL TO ACTION FROM THE DPS FRS
+———————————————————————+

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REMINDER : CALL TO ACTION FROM THE DPS FRS

Thanks to all of you who have responded to this week’s call to action, timed to immediately follow the successful MAVEN launch.

Your letters and phone calls to Members of Congress are crucial in our efforts to secure a healthy planetary science program.

If you haven’t yet participated, please do so ASAP! Those letters and calls from constituents do make a difference.

All the information you need is at news/call-action-dps-frs

———————————+
Send submissions to:
Athena Coustenis, DPS Secretary ([email protected])

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

Athena Coustenis
LESIA (Bat. 18)
Observatoire de Paris-Meudon
5, place Jules Janssen
92195 Meudon Cedex
France
Tel: +33145077720
[email protected]

Newsletter 13-29

Issue 13-29, November 19, 2013

+—————————–CONTENTS——————————–+

1) CALL TO ACTION FROM THE DPS FRS

+———————————————————————+

[If for any reason this message does not appear properly on your mailer, please write to [email protected] and you’ll receive a new mail which will hopefully solve the issues]

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CALL TO ACTION FROM THE DPS FRS

Dear fellow DPS members,

Last week we sent out a notice that we would be asking each of you to write letters and make phone calls to advocate for planetary science during the week of November 18 (see public_policy for background). The time is now!

Please participate regardless of whether you think your Members of Congress care about science or are on the “right” committees. What’s most important is getting as many people to contact as many Members as possible. And we encourage you to use social media to promote this call to action to help amplify the message and encourage others to act.

Here’s what we’re asking you to do in the next 48 hours:

Letters

· The attached letter template provides a clear, disciplined message that is consistent with the messages DPS has been pushing in our overall advocacy campaign.

· Change the highlighted portions as necessary to customize to yourself.

· Copy and paste the letter into the email form on your Members of Congress’s websites.

· Ideally, mail a hardcopy too.

Phone calls

· After you have sent the emails, call each of the Congressional offices. Be polite and nice! The people who answer the phones work hard and tend to suffer a lot of abuse from angry constituents; when you’re nice, you get more carefully listened to.

o Hello, my name is ________, and I am a constituent from _________. I am also a planetary scientist working at _______________. I’m calling to ask Representative/Senator _____________ to support NASA’s planetary science and solar system exploration programs. The cuts to NASA’s Planetary Science Division proposed by the Administration coupled with sequestration greatly threaten U.S. leadership. I have sent a more detailed letter to your boss using your website; I hope your office has time to read it. Thank you very much.

Addresses and phone numbers

· For writing to your Representative and Senators, you will also need to fill out their online contact forms. (These letters really will reach them!) To find out who your Members of Congress are and get their phone numbers and websites, the AAS website has a helpful search tool.

o http://aas.org/resources/contacting-congress

· Due to how districts are drawn, you may need to know your full zip code (zip + 4 digits). To find your full zip code you can use the USPS site.

o https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action

We know that this will take your time and energy. We plan to engage our membership for action only a couple of times of year when it will have the most impact. Please do as much as you can.

· Good

o Email letters to your members of Congress

· Better

o Email letters to your members of Congress + Call your Members of Congress

· Best

o Email letters to your members of Congress + Call your Members of Congress + Mail a hardcopy of your letter to your Members of Congress

Remember: Be certain you understand your employer’s rules about such action. Federal employees, for example, must not conduct such activities using federal resources, i.e. you must do such actions using your personal email address, phone number, and electronic devices and on your own time. No matter where you work, your Constitutional rights to petition your government are always valid; you can always participate in advocacy like this, but you may need to be careful about doing it on your own time and resources.

We’re looking forward to a strong response to this call to action!

LETTER TEMPLATE

Dear [Representative/Senator] [Last name],

I am a constituent from [town where you live] and a planetary scientist working at [your institution]. [Optional: A few sentences about what career stage you are in, what kind of work you do, etc.] I write to you to ask for your support in maintaining a healthy program of U.S. solar system exploration as you and your colleagues work toward a full year Fiscal Year 2014 appropriation.

You may have seen the news that on November 18 the MAVEN mission successfully launched and is on its way to Mars to study the Martian atmosphere. The spacecraft is carrying with it a DVD containing more than 100,000 names and haiku poems submitted by the public and 377 pieces of art submitted by students. It was estimated that tens of thousands of members of the general public will have watched the launch or participated in a launch-related event. This is the latest example of how planetary science missions inspire the public and future generations of engineers and scientists. That is in addition to returning ground-breaking science and spurring creative technological solutions within NASA and private industry. Yet reductions proposed in the President’s Fiscal Year 2013 and 2014 budget requests could cripple planetary science. We have already seen missions delayed and cancelled, international partnerships broken, and we face decades of lost science.

In order to maintain U.S. leadership in planetary science and exploration, I ask you to:

● Ensure that NASA’s Planetary Science Division budget can meet the goals laid out in the National Research Council’s Decadal Survey report for Planetary Science.* This includes the report’s recommendation that the Planetary Science Division maintain a balanced program of large (Flagship), medium (New Frontiers), and small (Discovery) missions across the solar system, research and analysis, and technology development.

● Urge your colleagues on the budget committee to end sequestration, which has had a severely damaging impact on NASA, planetary science, and federal research and development across the board.

The problems with the Planetary Science Division budget are part of a larger problem of insufficient funding for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, despite the enormous benefits to society and the potential for world-leading discovery and exploration. As other nations substantially expand their planetary exploration and scientific research efforts, those of the U.S. are set to decline without your support. For example, on Tuesday, November 5, India successfully launched a mission to Mars. As the Washington Post reported on India’s launch, “Meanwhile, the United States has been losing its historical dominance in the arena as funding has slumped and other nations have jumped into the fray.”**

[Optional: A few sentences or an anecdote about how the cuts to planetary could affect you personally, e.g. your research, your students]

Thank you for hearing my concerns and considering my requests. If you have any questions, or if I can provide other information regarding planetary science to you, please get in touch.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

[Town, State]

*“Visions and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022”, Committee on the Planetary Science Decadal Survey, National Research Council, 2011

**http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/india-launches-mars-mission-as-international-space-race-grows-more-competitive/2013/11/03/34f4b796-44b9-11e3-95a9-3f15b5618ba8_story.html

———————————+

Send submissions to:

Athena Coustenis, DPS Secretary ([email protected])

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

To change your address email [email protected].

Newsletter 13-28

Issue 13-28, November 16, 2013

+—————————–CONTENTS——————————–+
1) IMPORTANT CHANGES IN THE NASA PLANETARY SCIENCE DIVISION’S (PSD) RADIOISOTOPE PROGRAM – JIM GREEN
2) MESSAGE FROM THE DPS FRS
3) REQUEST FOR QUESTIONS REGARDING PLANETARY SCIENCE R&A RESTRUCTURING
4) SPECIAL ISSUES IN ICARUS
5) FAMELAB : CALLING ALL EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS
6) ALMA CYCLE 2 CALL FOR PROPOSALS
7) REMINDER : 2014 ONLINE MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
8) JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES
9) UPCOMING MEETINGS
+———————————————————————+

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IMPORTANT CHANGES IN THE NASA PLANETARY SCIENCE DIVISION’S (PSD) RADIOISOTOPE PROGRAM
James Green, Director, Planetary Science Division NASA

For the last several years PSD has been investing in Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) technology with the intent to fabricate flight units for deep space missions. The advanced Stirling technology was selected to take advantage of its increased efficiency over the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermal Generator (MMRTG), since the supply of Plutonium-238 (Pu-238) was limited at the time. Now, with the restart of the Pu-238 production project this year, we expect to have a sufficient supply of Pu-238 for radioisotope power well into the future.

With an adequate supply of Pu-238, and considering the current budget-constrained environment, NASA has decided to discontinue procurement of ASRG flight hardware. We have given direction to the Department of Energy, which manages the flight procurement, to end work on the flight units. The hardware procured under this activity will be transferred to the Glenn Research Center to continue development and testing of the Stirling technology.

For future planetary missions that require radioisotope power systems the flight-proven MMRTG will be made available. It is important to note that the MMRTG and the ASRG were designed to provide the approximately the same electrical power output.

I am happy to discuss this decision at all the upcoming Assessment Group meetings and at the American Geophysical Union meeting next month where I will address any questions that you may have.

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MESSAGE FROM THE DPS FRS

Dear fellow DPS members,

Next week we will be asking each of you to write letters and make phone calls to advocate for planetary science. This DPS members call to action is being coordinated with a simultaneous call to action for the planetary section members of AGU and GSA, so we have many planetary scientists to draw upon. This email is to provide you with information about the call to action.

Why now?
• The bipartisan, bicameral budget committee has a deadline of December 13, and we want to influence that process.
• The MAVEN launch scheduled for November 18 provides an excellent news hook.
• The leadership of DPS, the planetary sections of AGU and GSA, and The Planetary Society sent a joint letter to Congress (public_policy/PlanetaryScienceLetterToCongress_25Oct2013) on October 25 that is having an impact. Following up just a few weeks later with community action is the next step of our campaign and can maximize the impact.
• We want to get this call to action out before the week of Thanksgiving so we can reach members and staff while they are still in town.
What are we asking you to do?
• Send a letter to your Representative in the House and both of your Senators. We will provide you with template letters.
• Call the offices of your Representative and Senators to let them know you have sent the letter. We will provide you with a brief script to use.
• Use social media to call attention to this call to action and to promote a timely planetary science highlight.
Why should you participate?
• Constituents matter above all to Members of Congress! Letters and calls from constituents force staffers to sit up and take notice of an issue. If a number of them come in at once from constituents, it has an even more important impact.
• Even if your elected official is not on the “right” committees, he/she still votes on bills and has influence with his/her colleagues.
• We have had success in garnering Congressional support for planetary science, and we need to maintain and build on that momentum.
• Many interest groups are advocating for themselves in these uncertain budget times. We really need our signal to rise above the noise.
How do you know who to write to and call?
• For writing to your Representative and Senators, you will also need to fill out their online contact forms. (These letters really will reach them!) To find out who your Members of Congress are and get their phone numbers and websites, the AAS website has helpful search tool.
• http://aas.org/resources/contacting-congress
• Due to how districts are drawn, you may need to know your full zip code (zip + 4 digits). To find your full zip code you can use the USPS site.
• https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action

We know that this will take some of your time and energy. We plan to deploy our membership for action calls like this only a couple of times of year when advocacy can have the most impact. This is one of those times. We and the entire planetary science community greatly appreciates the time you take to

An important last note: Be certain you understand your employer’s rules about such action. Federal employees, for example, must not conduct such activities using federal resources, i.e. you must participate using your personal time/email/phone number/electronic devices. No matter where you work, your Constitutional rights to petition your government are always valid; you can always participate in advocacy like this, but you may need to be careful about doing it on your own time and resources.

Another notification with template letters and call scripts will be sent out at the beginning of next week. If you have any questions in the meantime, please get in touch with DPS Federal Relations Subcommittee Chair Makenzie Lystrup at [email protected]

Thank you – we’re looking forward to a strong response to this call to action!

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REQUEST FOR QUESTIONS REGARDING PLANETARY SCIENCE R&A RESTRUCTURING

The slides that were presented at the Planetary Science Subcommittee (PSS) meeting on November 5, are online at:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/pss/nov2013 /

The PSS has suggested that each Assessment Group (AG) gather and compile questions, comments, and concerns that the community may have regarding the R&A restructuring plan and for each AG to send the compilation to Jim Green.

All questions, big and small, general or specific, are welcomed.

For CAPTEM, email Hap McSween ([email protected])
For LEAG, email Jeff Plescia ([email protected])
For MEPAG, email Serina Diniega ([email protected])
For OPAG, email: Candy Hansen ([email protected])
For SBAG, email: Nancy Chabot ([email protected])
For VEXAG, email: Lori Glaze ([email protected])

In the compilation, the identities of those providing the comments will be removed, but the final compiled reports may be posted on AG websites. Please indicate in your reply if you do not want your comment included in a compilation (with identities removed) on the web.

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SPECIAL ISSUES IN ICARUS

A) “DYNAMIC MARS FROM LONG-TERM OBSERVATIONS” ICARUS SPECIAL ISSUE
The deadline for manuscripts submitted to the Icarus special issue
“Dynamic Mars from long-term observations” is now December 20, 2013.
This special issue is for papers that:
* Include surface, sub-surface, and atmosphere observations, or model
results, that are new and a unique outcome of the long-term data
acquisition provided by Mars spacecraft and telescopes
* Highlight the long-term implications of processes that are observed
and ongoing now
* Are not reviews of previous work

Submission Format:
The submitted papers must be written in English and describe original
research which is not published nor currently under review by other
journals or conferences. Author guidelines for manuscript preparation
can be found at:
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/505620/authorinstructions

For more information, please contact the editorial office at :
[email protected]

Guest Editors:
Nathan Bridges: [email protected]
Leslie Tamppari: [email protected]

Internal Editor:
Jeffrey Moersch: [email protected]

B) ICARUS SPECIAL ISSUE – THE PLUTO SYSTEM
An Icarus special issue on Pluto system science will be published in 2014. The pace of discovery about the Pluto system has accelerated continually since its discovery in 1930, and we are now on the doorstep of the most dramatic advances yet, with the system’s exploration by NASA’s New Horizons probe in 2015. New Horizons, equipped with a powerful suite of scientific instruments, will explore Pluto and its complex system of moons and potential rings/dust assemblages. The encounter will herald the exploration of the newly recognized planetary class called ice dwarfs, prevalent in the outer solar system. This special issue sets the stage for the encounter, with scientific papers on:

+ New results from observations, theoretical modeling, and laboratory studies relevant to the Pluto system
+ Pre-encounter predictions of Pluto system properties and processes
+ Investigations into the implications of Pluto system science for broader outer Solar System studies

All are welcome to contribute.

The submission deadline is December 20. Go to:
http://ees.elsevier.com/icarus

and select “Special Issue: Pluto System” under manuscript type.
Special issue editors: Will Grundy, Alan Stern, Fran Bagenal, Randy Gladstone, and Bonnie Buratti.

[Edited for length]

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FAMELAB : CALLING ALL EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS

You are wholeheartedly invited to participate in FameLab: Exploring Earth and Beyond!

FameLab is something like American Idol for scientists. Sponsored by NASA and National Geographic, it’s a fun-filled day of competition, coaching, and camaraderie that’s all about science communication! Early career scientists from diverse scientific disciplines craft a 3-minute, powerpoint-free talk on their research or a related topic and deliver it in a supportive environment to judges who give only constructive feedback. No slides, no charts—just the power of words and any prop you can hold in your hands. The heart of the whole thing is a workshop conducted by communication professionals to help participants enrich their skills. So unlike American Idol, everyone wins!

See video clips of prior FameLabbers here: http://famelab-eeb.arc.nasa.gov/competitions/

We’ve had 4 regional competitions so far in “Season 2” here in the US, and our next one is at the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) annual meeting in San Francisco on Sunday, December 8th.

Winners from the regional competitions advance to the Final at National Geographic in DC in April, 2014, and the winner there goes on to compete with peers from around the world at the FameLab International Final in the UK in June, 2014…it’s quite the global sensation.

Even if you’re not planning to attend AGU, you’re welcome to participate.

Contact Daniella Scalice of the NASA Astrobiology Institute if you have any questions at [email protected].

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ALMA CYCLE 2 CALL FOR PROPOSALS

The ALMA Director, on behalf of the partner organizations and all the personnel in Chile, East Asia, Europe, and North America involved in bringing ALMA to Early Science readiness, is pleased to issue the Cycle 2 Call for Proposals.

We invite members of the astronomy community to propose programs to be scheduled within the ALMA Early Science Cycle 2 period which will start in June 2014. This provides a new important opportunity for Early Science from this cutting edge facility. The Cycle 2 period will span 17 months and users of any professional background, nationality, or affiliation may submit proposals. It is anticipated that about 2000 hours of 12-m Array time and ACA time will be available for Cycle 2 projects and highest priority projects transferred from Cycle 1. A list of the metadata from Cycle 1 proposals designated for transfer into Cycle 2 has been posted to the ALMA Science Portal, so that Cycle 2 PIs can avoid duplicating these observations.

The ALMA Cycle 2 proposal submission deadline is 15:00 UT, 5 December 2013.

For details, please see the ALMA Call for Proposals:
https://almascience.nrao.edu/proposing/call-for-proposals

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REMINDER : 2014 ONLINE MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

Also, please take a moment to update your personal DPS member file.
Thank you for your attention.

Send general replies to [email protected].

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JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES

For all Job opportunities, please visit jobs
and also consider posting a job by filling out the jobs submission form at:
node/add/job

You can send any comments, questions, or suggestions to the DPS Jobs Czar at: [email protected]

A) POSTDOCTORAL OPPORTUNITY IN MARTIAN GEOBIOLOGY, FRANCE
The FP7-funded MASE project (Mars Analogue Sites on Earth) seeks to determine the survivability of anaerobic microorganisms isolated from extreme terrestrial environments and subjected to various Mars-related environmental stresses. However, since it is unlikely that life could survive at the surface of the planet under its present oxidizing and radiation conditions, the ultimate goal is to determine what biosignatures could be preserved in rocks dating from the time on Mars when life may have flourished at the surface (Early-Mid Noachian). The environmentally-abused anaerobes will be artificially fossilized and processed to imitate potential microfossils in Noachian-age martian rocks and the ensuing biosignatures will be analysed in order to determine what might be preserved.
We seek a biogeoscientist for a 3 year postdoctoral position starting in mid 2014 to participate in this exciting and hugely timely project to detect biosignatures on Mars. The candidate should ideally have some experience in biogeology, for instance in microbe-mineral interactions, and the analytical techniques needed to analyse the microorganisms (electron microscopy, GC-MS, HPLC, Raman/IR spectroscopy etc.).
Interested candidates are requested to send their CVs by email to:
Dr. Frances Westall ([email protected])
Head Exobiology Group, CNRS-Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, Rue Charles Sadron, 45071 Orléans cedex 2, France

B) POSTDOCTORAL POSITION “MARS ANALOGUES FOR SPACE EXPLORATION” AT LEIDEN INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY
We are seeking an enthusiastic and excellent Postdoctoral Fellow to work for the newly funded EU FP7 Framework Program MASE: Mars Analogues for Space Exploration. The program targets the limits of life on Earth and how we can detect life in extreme environments. The project involves partners from across Europe as well as international partners. The position is for 2.5 years and will be based in the Astrobiology Group at Leiden Institute of Chemistry. Candidates motivated in working on analogue research in support of future space exploration are invited to apply.

Responsibilities will include:
ü Support of campaigns at selected terrestrial analogue sites to study their geological context, and to acquire pre-screened samples using in-situ portable instruments.
ü Investigation of the habitability context on site in comparison with remote sensing data.
üPost-analysis of collected samples in the laboratory to further investigate the mineralogy, organic matter content, and biota using extraction and analytical methods.
ü Characterisation of the environmental context for organic/life detection of the selected analogue sites using the combined dataset.
The research goal is to refine search methodologies and strategies in conditions similar to those expected on Mars and other planetary objects through a combination of field research, coordinated multi-instrument data and ground sample analysis.

Qualifications:
Candidates must have a Ph.D. in chemistry, geochemistry, biochemistry or related disciplines at commencement of employment. The applicant must have laboratory experience in spectroscopic and analytical methods. The postdoc is expected to travel for field campaign support and collaboration between MASE partner institutes (in UK, Germany, Spain, France, Iceland) and to function in a multidisciplinary research team (EU FP7 framework). Engineering background and interest in space research will be an advantage; Good English knowledge is essential.
Applications should include a curriculum vitae, a statement of research experience, and two letters of recommendation. The starting date for the positions can be as early as January 1, 2014. Review of applications will begin on November 15, 2013 and will continue until the position is filled.

Please send all information and questions to:
Prof. Pascale Ehrenfreund
Leiden Institute of Chemisty

P O Box 9502
2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands

Email: [email protected]

C) SSI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Start date: September 2014

Application period: October 2013 through January 2014

Further information: http://www.spacescience.org

The Space Science Institute (SSI) in Boulder, CO, is seeking a dynamic, forward-looking individual to lead the organization as Executive Director. Qualified candidates will have a strong reputation within a scientific field relevant to the institute (e.g., planetary science, astrophysics, space physics, or Earth science) and will possess excellent leadership, managerial, interpersonal, and administrative skills. The Executive Director will be expected to maintain his/her own independent research program to help support a dedicated portion (ideally, 25-50%) of time/salary. Candidates must have a Ph.D. and approximately ten years of experience in project management.

Applications should include a cover letter, CV, description of current research/education interests, and contact information for three references. Inquiries and applications should be sent to [email protected].

SSI is a non-profit, public-benefit 501(c)3 corporation and operates as an Equal Opportunity employer. This job description is general in nature and should not be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications of the position. More information about SSI can be found at www.spacescience.org

D) RESEARCH SCIENTIST POSITIONS AT ELSI, THE EARTH-LIFE SCIENCE INSTITUTE IN TOKYO
The Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at the Tokyo Institute of Technology is now providing opportunities for ELSI Research Scientist positions. Up to 20 positions are offered in the present recruitment.

See : http://www.elsi.jp/en/recruitment/research-scientist-positions-2013/

ELSI aims to answer the fundamental questions of how the Earth was formed, how life originated in the environment of early Earth, and how this life evolved into complexity.

ELSI will pursue these questions by studying the “origin and evolution of life” and the “origin and evolution of the Earth” through an interdisciplinary collaboration between the fields of Earth, Life, and Planetary Sciences. By understanding the early Earth context that allowed for the rise of initial life, we will also contribute to a greater understanding of the likelihood of extraterrestrial life in our solar and exosolar systems.

Tokyo is one of the most exciting and vibrant cities in the world. ELSI is situated in the Meguro Ward of Tokyo, with convenient and quick train access to all major city centers and attractions. ELSI has experienced staff who are dedicated to providing full relocation assistance to ease the transition to Japan, including help with immigration procedures, housing, health care, and all other basic needs.

Scientific fields related to research themes pursued at ELSI include but are not limited to:
— Formation of the Earth
— Early Earth environment and evolution
— Deep Earth properties and dynamics
— Solar system exploration
— Formation and characterization of exoplanets
— Abiotic chemical evolution
— Origin of Life
— Early biological evolution
— Bacterial ecology
— Metagenomics
— High performance computing
— Bioinformatics
— Biogeochemical Cycling
— Requirements

E) ANNUAL CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR NASA SCIENCE ADVISORY SUBCOMMITTEES
NASA invites nominations for service on NASA science advisory subcommittees of the NASA Advisory Council. U.S. citizens may nominate individuals and also submit self-nominations for consideration as potential members of NASA’s science advisory subcommittees.
NASA’s science advisory subcommittees have member vacancies from time to time throughout the year, and NASA will consider nominations and self-nominations to fill such intermittent vacancies. NASA is committed to selecting members to serve on its science advisory subcommittees based on their individual expertise, knowledge, experience, and current/past contributions to the relevant subject area.

These are not full-time positions. Successful nominees will be required to attend meetings of the subcommittee approximately two or three times a year, either in person (NASA covers travel-related expenses for this non-compensated appointment) or via telecom and/or virtual meeting medium.

The deadline for NASA receipt of all public nominations is November 22, 2013.

To obtain further information on NASA’s science advisory subcommittees, please visit the NAC Science Committee’s subcommittee Web site at:

http://science.nasa.gov/science-committee/subcommittees/

[From the PEN]

F) POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR AT CALTECH/JPL
Caltech’s Keck Institute for Space Studies is accepting applications for a postdoctoral position in the field of planetary science in connection with an ongoing study entitled “New Approaches to Lunar Ice Detection and Mapping”:
http://kiss.caltech.edu/workshops/lunar-ice2013/

The objective of the project will be to collect and compare available spacecraft and telescope remote sensing data with the goal of forming a coherent picture of the distribution and nature of lunar ice deposits to help guide future exploration activities. Applicants should have a
Ph.D. in Planetary Science, Physics, Astronomy or related fields, and have experience working with large multidimensional datasets. The successful applicant will be based at either Caltech campus or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

For more information about the KISS postdoctoral program, see:
http://kiss.caltech.edu/fellowships/

To request information on the lunar ice study and postdoctoral opportunity, contact Paul Hayne ([email protected])

G) 2014 LPI SUMMER INTERN PROGRAM IN PLANETARY SCIENCE
Application Deadline: January 17, 2014

The Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) invites undergraduates with at least 50 semester hours of credit to experience cutting-edge research in the lunar and planetary sciences. As a Summer Intern, you will work one-on-one with a scientist at the LPI or at the NASA Johnson Space
Center on a research project of current interest in lunar and planetary science. Furthermore, you will participate in peer-reviewed research, learn from top-notch planetary scientists, and preview various careers in science.

The 10-week program runs from June 2 through August 8, 2014. Interns will receive a $5000.00 stipend plus $1000.00 U.S. travel stipend, or $1500.00 foreign travel reimbursement for foreign interns.

Please note that due to security issues, citizens of U.S. State Department Designated Countries (see link under “ECP Notices” at:
http://oiir.hq.nasa.gov/nasaecp/
are not eligible. Selection is based on (1) scholarship, curriculum, and experience; (2) career objectives and scientific interest; and (3) match of interest of applicant with available research projects.

Applications are only accepted via the electronic application form found at the LPI’s Summer Intern Program website:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lpiintern

Contact:
Claudia Quintana
281-486-2159
[email protected]

[Edited for length.]

9———9———9———9———9———9———9———9———9———9
UPCOMING MEETINGS

A) AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY 223RD MEETING
Washington, 5-9 January 2014

http://aas.org/meetings/223rd-aas-meeting-washington-dc

To see the Planetary Section related Sessions click on:
http://images.magnetmail.net/images/clients/AGU_/attach/attachment_p_section_fm2013_schedule_nov12.pdf

If DPS members intend to attend, please consider spending some time at the AAS booth to communicate with the community.

B) WORKSHOP ON THE HABITABILITY OF ICY WORLDS
February 5–7, 2014, Pasadena, CA, USA

http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/icyworlds2014

The primary objective of this workshop will be to focus on the astrobiological potential of icy worlds in the outer solar system–including Europa, Ganymede, Enceladus, Titan and beyond–with discussion on future research directions and spacecraft missions that can best assess that potential. The agenda for the workshop will be organized around thematic sessions that address the potential habitability of the unique planetary environments of the outer solar system. Presentations on research involving terrestrial analogs for icy world environments are also encouraged. The workshop will be divided into thematic sessions on: water and exotic solvents; chemical energy for life; organics and their detection; ocean physics and chemistry; icy world activity and habitability over time; continuing and future outer solar system exploration.

Abstract Deadline: November 26, 2013.

C) THE SEARCH FOR LIFE BEYOND THE SOLAR SYSTEM: EXOPLANETS, BIOSIGNATURES & INSTRUMENTS
Tucson, Arizona,
March 17-21, 2014

Deadline for abstracts : 6 December 2013

Website: http://www.ebi2014.org

Contact: [email protected]

D) 2014 HUMANS TO MARS SUMMIT (H2M)
April 22-24, 2014
George Washington University, Washington, DC

Co-sponsored by Explore Mars, the George Washington University, and the Space Policy Institute at GW, the Humans to Mars Summit (H2M) will be a comprehensive Mars exploration conference to address the major technical, scientific, and policy related challenges that need to be overcome to send humans to Mars by 2030. Topics will include Mars mission architecture and challenges, science goals, planetary protection, International cooperation, space and US competitiveness, ISRU, and many other topics.

Some of the tentative speakers already include William Gerstenmaier, James Garvin, Doug McCuistion, Penelope Boston, Sam Scimemi, Mike Raftery, Marc Kaufman, Buzz Aldrin, Joel Levine, Rebecca Keiser, and many more.

Take advantage of our special early registration today and save money before the registration fee increases after January 1, 2014:
http://h2m2014.eventbrite.com

or visit our website at:
http://www.exploremars.org

E) BIOSIGNATURES ACROSS SPACE AND TIME
Bergen, Norway, 20-22 May 2014

This meeting will to bring together astronomers, geologists, biologists and other interested scientists to share interdisciplinary approaches to detect signs of life on early Earth and other celestial bodies (including exoplanets) and to elucidate the environmental limits and origins of life.

Scientific sessions are planned for the following subjects:
-Formation and detection of complex molecules in the interstellar medium
-Organic molecules in planetary and satellite atmospheres
-Remote sensing of planetary surfaces
-Characterization of exoplanets and their atmospheres
-Meteorite bombardment and prebiotic chemistry on the Hadean Earth
-Early Earth habitable environments: Oceans, atmosphere & crustal growth
-Earliest fingerprints for life on Earth
-Impacts and their role in the evolution transfer and possible detection of life
-Biomineralization & life in sediments
-Deep sea hydrothermal vents & biomarkers from sub-seafloor life
-Archea & biomarkers for life in extreme environments

The meeting is co-organized by the Nordic Network of Astrobiology and the Centre of Geobiology at the University of Bergen and will take place from 20 to 22 May 2014 at the Egget Auditorium at the University of Bergen. For further information about the event, go to:

http://www.nordicastrobiology.net/Biosignatures2014

———————————+
Send submissions to:
Athena Coustenis, DPS Secretary ([email protected])

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

Newsletter 13-27

Issue 13-27, November 1, 2013

+—————————–CONTENTS——————————–+
1) MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
2) MESSAGE FROM THE FRS
3) NEW DUE DATES FOR NASA SMD CALLS FOR PROPOSALS
4) CALL FOR LETTERS OF APPLICATION TO THE EXOMARS 2018 LANDING SITE SELECTION WORKING GROUP
5) PLANETARY SCIENCE AND HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
6) COMET ISON OBSERVING CAMPAIGN : CALL FOR INPUTS
7) BOOK ASTEROIDS IV: FINAL LIST OF CHAPTERS
8) REMINDER : 2014 ONLINE MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
9) JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES
10) UPCOMING MEETINGS
+———————————————————————+

1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

As October ends, I have some news to report about DPS leadership activities on behalf of our membership, and some ideas for you to reach out to your local neighborhood. But first let me correct an oversight in my last note: the DPS Denver meeting was a success not only because of Fran Bagenal and John Spencer, but also due to the significant help of Andrew Steffl. Thank you, Andrew!

Last week, DPS Vice Chair Bonnie Buratti and DPS Treasurer Andy Rivkin met with the leaders and staff of the AAS and the other Divisions. The goal was to develop a strategy for advocating with Congress for our common goals, and to share ideas on improving meetings and our organizations in general.

Makenzie Lystrup (DPS Federal Relations Subcommittee Chair) and I met with Joel Parriot of the AAS, as well as the new AAS Bahcall Fellow Joshua Shiode, to discuss public policy issues. Many of you have probably already seen Josh’s excellent blog on the state of play of the NASA SMD budget (http://aas.org/posts/blog/2013/10/astronomical-sciences-fy-2014-below-top-line-nasa). Please note that SMD Earth Sciences was not included in Josh’s assessment, leading to a false dichotomy between JWST and the Planetary Science Division; Josh may address this in a future blog.

We are all glad that our government colleagues are back at work and many of us can resume our normal work activities, yet much remains to be resolved with regard to the Federal budget. We will be in touch with membership with specific actions when appropriate, but feel free to write or send letters to your representatives in Washington at any time.

Comet ISON wends its way toward its Thanksgiving perihelion, now would be an excellent time to volunteer to talk about comets at a school, library, or some other local venue. The more “hands on” folks might like to have fun with a “Make a Comet” activity such as http://www.noao.edu/education/crecipe.html. Heads up, though: I have done this activity, and it can get very messy, which is of course why kids love it!

Enjoy the rest of autumn, and do great planetary science!

Heidi Hammel
DPS Chair

2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2
MESSAGE FROM THE FRS

NASA and NSF have resumed operations under a continuing resolution that keeps the government funded at fiscal year 2013 (FY2013) levels until January 15, 2014. To fund the government for the rest of fiscal year 2014 (FY2014), a bipartisan budget conference committee composed of 29 Senators and House members is working to reach a deal by December 13, 2013.

If that budget conference committee fails, the spending reductions of FY2013 will be locked in. Plus, ANOTHER $20 billion in cuts must be made for the rest of FY2014. These additional FY2014 cuts result from the second round of sequestration. Remember that sequestration was designed to be so distasteful to both parties that it would force lawmakers to come up with a smarter package of fiscal restraint. But they failed to do so, which is why last March, the first set of cuts went into effect. Now the other shoe is poised to drop.

In the weeks leading up to that December 13 deadline, the FRS will advocate for planetary science funding. Last week, the DPS — together with the planetary sections of the AGU and GSA, as well as The Planetary Society — sent a letter to members of Congress urging them to continue their support of NASA’s Planetary Science Division budget. We will follow this letter up with other advocacy efforts, including a call to action by our members, as we approach December 13.

Planetary science certainly faces significant budget challenges, but I am optimistic for several reasons:

*   We have been successful in garnering support from Congress, resulting in partially restoring cuts made by the Administration.
*   Our community is very engaged: many planetary scientists are eager to advocate for our community and willing to respond to calls for action.
*   Planetary exploration inspires and excites the public. When we engage with the public, we make them care, and we make it harder for drastic reductions to go without protested.

The FRS looks forward to working with all of you as we strive to secure the resources needed to continue the excellent work of our community.

Update from Makenzie Lystrup, Chair of the Federal Relations Subcommittee (FRS)

3———3———3———3———3———3———3———3———3———3
NEW DUE DATES FOR NASA SMD CALLS FOR PROPOSALS

Please note the new due dates for NASA Science Mission
Directorate Research program because of the time lost to the shutdown.

All of the official documents associated with our solicitations are posted on:
http://nspires.nasaprs.com/

but, for your convenience, all of the changes to our due dates (with
links to the official NSPIRES program pages) are posted in one place on
the SARA web page at:
http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/grant-solicitations/

Appendix C.7 of ROSES 13, Outer Planets Research proposals are now due
Friday, November 15, 2013

Appendix A.11 of ROSES 13, Ocean Vector Winds Science Team, proposals
are now due Friday, November 15, 2013

NASA Astrobiology Institute CAN Step-1 proposals are now due Monday,
November 18, 2013

NASA Astrobiology Institute CAN Step-2 proposals are now due Wednesday,
February 19, 2014

Earth Venture Instrument-2 (Appendix M of SALMON-2) proposals are now
due November 25, 2013

Mars 2020 NOI are now due Monday, November 4, 2013

Mars 2020 proposals are now due Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Responses to the RFIs on Sustainable Land Imaging Architecture Study
and also Lessons Learned from Recent Planetary Science Division AOs
are now both due by November 1, 2013.

[Adjusted for length – From the PEN]

4———4———4———4———4———4———4———4———4———4
CALL FOR LETTERS OF APPLICATION TO THE EXOMARS 2018 LANDING SITE SELECTION WORKING GROUP

Dear Colleagues,

the Call for Letters of Application for Membership in the ExoMars 2018 Landing Site Selection Working Group (LSSWG) has been released today, with a deadline for application of Monday, 25 November 2013 (12:00 CET). Interested parties will find the relevant documentation at

http://exploration.esa.int/mars/53129-call-for-membership-of-exomars-2018-landing-site-selection-working-group/

Best regards,

Fabio Favata
European Space Agency
Head of the Programme Coordination Office
Directorate of Science and Robotic Exploration

5———5———5———5———5———5———5———5———5———5
PLANETARY SCIENCE AND HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

The committee is charged with
• Reviewing the evolution of HST usage by the planetary community;
• Soliciting input from the community on the future role that HST can play in planetary science and on methods for identifying key science programs; and
• Investigating potential mechanisms for coordinating HST science programs with priorities among the planetary community.
At the present juncture, we would like to solicit suggestions from the community on ways that HST could better support planetary science, including possible changes in the way that proposals are reviewed, observing time is allocated and how scientific priorities within the planetary community could be captured and incorporated in the decisions of the TAC. Please submit your suggestions either in text form or as short (1-2 page) white papers to the e-mail address[email protected]. The committee will start considering submissions in mid- to late November.

Neill Reid, Science Mission Office, STScI

6———6———6———6———6———6———6———6
COMET ISON OBSERVING CAMPAIGN : CALL FOR INPUTS

Dear DPS Community,

Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) is upon us and the Comet ISON Observing
Campaign is here to help. To that end, we are collecting observing
plans, observing logs, and links to refereed papers [1, 2, 3]. Visit our
observation calendar and table [1] to find who else is observing the
comet, and how your own observations fit into the larger campaign.
Submit your own observation plans or a summary of executed
observations to help facilitate important cross-team connections.
After observing comet ISON, please send the committee a brief summary
of your experience to help other observers obtain data during this
rapidly evolving perihelion passage [2]. Finally, papers concerning
comet ISON accepted for publication in peer-reviewed journals, or
notes published in IAU Circulars and CBATs are welcome to be listed on
our ISON publication page [3].

Good luck observing comet ISON!
Mike Kelley for the Comet ISON Observing Campaign Team

URLs:
[1] http://isoncampaign.org/observation-plans
[2] http://isoncampaign.org/observation-logs
[3] http://isoncampaign.org/Publications

7———7———7———7———7———7———7———7———7———7
BOOK ASTEROIDS IV: FINAL LIST OF CHAPTERS

We are pleased to announce the final list of chapters and lead authors defined for the book ASTEROIDS IV, a new volume in the Space Science Series. We first want to thank the community for its enthusiastic response to the call for chapters, which resulted in the submission of over 150 proposals. Given that we are limited to only about 40 chapters, the editors and scientific organizing committee were faced with the challenge of defining a broad set of topics that most represents the advances of the past decade. The list of chapters can be accessed here:http://www.oca.eu/michel/ASTEROIDSIV/AsteroidsIV_Chapters/AsteroidsIV_Chapters.html.

The community has grown significantly in size over the past decade and we regret that a larger portion of the community cannot directly participate in the writing, but the advances each of you have made will be included. Some of you will be able to participate as chapter referees later on in the process. We thank the whole community again for your input and support, as well as the SOC, for having helped us to define a great set of chapters, and we thank in advance the lead authors and their co-authors for the efforts they will do to write great chapters that will serve as references for at least the next decade.

Best regards,

Patrick Michel
On behalf of ASTEROIDS IV Editors
(P. Michel, F. DeMeo, W.F. Bottke)

8———8———8———8———8———8———8———8———8———8
REMINDER : 2014 ONLINE MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

Also, please take a moment to update your personal DPS member file.
Thank you for your attention.

Send general replies to [email protected].

9———9———9———9———9———9———9———9———9———9
JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES

For all Job opportunities, please visit jobs
and also consider posting a job by filling out the jobs submission form at:
node/add/job

You can send any comments, questions, or suggestions to the DPS Jobs Czar at: [email protected]

A) RESEARCH ASSOCIATE IN SPACE PHYSICS, IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON, UK

– Title: Research Associate (planetary and cometary atmospheres)
– Location: Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London, UK
– Duration: 2 years
– Area: planetary and cometary atmospheric physics
– Website: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/spat/jobs
– Closing date for application: 13 November 2013

B) TENURE-TRACK ASSISTANT PROFESSOR FACULTY POSITION (GEOCHEMISTRY) IN STONY BROOK UNIV.

Tenure-track Assistant Professor Faculty position within any specialty
of the general field of Geochemistry. Details may be found at:
http://www.stonybrook.edu/geosciences/

Must have a Ph.D. in the geosciences or closely related field at the
time of appointment. Must have the clear potential to establish an
internationally recognized, externally funded research program that
would include mentoring of graduate and undergraduate students.

Applicants should apply by January 10, 2014 through:
http://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/3305

Include cover letter, CV, research and teaching statements and the
names and contact information of three references. Or mail
applications can be submitted to:

Geochemistry Search Committee, Department of Geosciences, Earth and
Space Sciences, Room 255, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
11794-2100.

For a description and/or application procedures, visit:
www.stonybrook.edu/jobs (Ref. # F-8201-13-10)

Stony Brook University is an AA/EO employer and educator. For
disability-related accommodation, please call the University Human
Resources Services Department at (631) 632-6161 or the University
Hospital Human Resources Department at (631) 444-4700. In accordance
with the Title II Crime Awareness and Security Act, a copy of our
crime statistics is available upon request by calling (631) 632-7786.
It can also be viewed on-line at the University Police website at:
http://www.stonybrook.edu/police

10———10———10———10———10———10———10———10———10
UPCOMING MEETINGS

A) NEW DATES FOR THE ASTEROID INITIATIVE IDEA SYNTHESIS WORKSHOP

NASA has selected new dates to resume the Asteroid Initiative Idea
Synthesis Workshop, which was postponed due to the recent government
shutdown. We look forward to resuming the workshop and continuing to
examine the many good ideas that were submitted in response to the
Asteroid Initiative Request for Information in June.

As before, the workshop will be conducted at the Lunar and Planetary
Institute in Houston. Seating capacity is limited, so the invitation
list to attend onsite will remain restricted. Virtual participation
options will again be available, and we will provide those options on
the workshop web page as the event nears:

http://www.nasa.gov/asteroidworkshop

Invitations to the same invited RFI responders and presenters will be
issued starting Monday, Oct. 28.

The new workshop dates are November 20-22, 2013. The program can be
found on the web site.

B) AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY 223RD MEETING
Washington, 5-9 January 2014

http://aas.org/meetings/223rd-aas-meeting-washington-dc

If DPS members intend to attend, please consider spending some time at the AAS booth to communicate with the community.

C) COSMIC VISION M3 CANDIDATE MISSIONS PRESENTATION EVENT
In February 2014, the ESA Science Programme Committee will decide which of five candidate missions (EChO, LOFT, MarcoPolo-R, PLATO, STE-QUEST) for the M3 launch opportunity should be carried forward to the next stage. Prior to this decision, the missions will be presented to the scientific community, on 21 January 2014, in Paris, France.
http://sci.esa.int/M3missions2014

D) WORKSHOP ON THE HABITABILITY OF ICY WORLDS
February 5–7, 2014, Pasadena, CA, USA

http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/icyworlds2014

The primary objective of this workshop will be to focus on the
astrobiological potential of icy worlds in the outer solar system–
including Europa, Ganymede, Enceladus, Titan and beyond–with discussion
on future research directions and spacecraft missions that can best
assess that potential. The agenda for the workshop will be organized
around thematic sessions that address the potential habitability of the
unique planetary environments of the outer solar system. Presentations
on research involving terrestrial analogs for icy world environments
are also encouraged. The workshop will be divided into thematic
sessions on: water and exotic solvents; chemical energy for life;
organics and their detection; ocean physics and chemistry; icy world
activity and habitability over time; continuing and future outer solar
system exploration.

Abstract Deadline: November 21, 2013.

E) INTERNATIONAL COMETARY WORKSHOP RESCHEDULED FOR APRIL 1-3, 2014
The International Cometary Workshop, originally scheduled for July 2013 was postponed due to the US Budget sequester and the NASA travel restrictions that were imposed in response to the sequester. We are pleased to announce that we have rescheduled the Workshop for April 1-3, 2014. It will take in Toulouse France, and the updated abstract deadline is January 31, 2014. The new registration deadline is February 28, 2014. Pre-registration is now available. For more information see our website at icw.space.swri.edu.

Best regards,

Kathleen E. Mandt

———————————+
Send submissions to:
Athena Coustenis, DPS Secretary ([email protected])