LOCATIONNETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER
Volume 7, Number 42 (September 29, 2013)
PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org
Editor: Mark V. Sykes
Co-Editors: Melissa Lane, Susan Benecchi
Email: pen_editor at psi.edu
o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o
1. In Memoriam: Gary Bruce Hansen (1953-2013)
2. Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month
3. [NASA] Proposal Writing Practicum at DPS
4. [NASA] Astrobiology Institute - Cycle 7 Cooperative Agreement
Notice Released
5. [NASA] Mars 2020 Announcement of Opportunity
6. NASA Postdoctoral Fellowships
7. [NASA] VEXAG Meeting #11 Impending Deadlines
8. [NASA] VEXAG Meeting #11 Preview - Request for Community Comments
on Updated Venus Exploration Goals, Objectives, Investigations
9. 45th Meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences
10. Agency Night at DPS
11. Panel Discussions on EPO at DPS
12. Pro-Am Workshop at DPS
13. Planetary Meeting Calendar Additions
o---------------------------------------------------------------------o
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IN MEMORIAM: GARY BRUCE HANSEN (1953-2013)
Gary Hansen died peacefully at home Thursday night from ALS. Gary had
been suffering from the disease for several years as he continued to
work and attend conferences. Gary received a BSc in Engineering and
Applied Science from the California Institute of Technology in 1975,
an M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1986, and a Ph.D. in
Geophysics from the University of Washington in 1996, under the
tutelage of Steve Warren, determining the optical constants of carbon
dioxide ice from the near through far infrared. His specialty became
radiative transfer, especially in multi-scattering media, such as CO2
and H2O ices. He worked with both the Galileo NIMS and Cassini VIMS
teams with Tom McCord, contributing greatly to the calibration and
analyses of the data sets from those instruments. He lived in Seattle,
Washington where he was a research scientist with the University of
Washington and is survived by a brother and his father. We will miss
him; Gary was both a good scientist and a caring person.
Composed by K. Hibbitts with contributions by Tom McCord.
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PLANETARY GEOMORPHOLOGY IMAGE OF THE MONTH
The Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month has moved to:
http://planetarygeomorphology.wordpress.com/
This new location allows you contribute direct feedback and comments
on posts. You can also choose to follow the blog and receive an email
alert when new posts are published.
The September 'Image of the Month' is now available at the IAG's
Planetary Geomorphology web page. This Month's topic is on
"Open (hydrostatic) pingos on Earth and possibly Mars".
Guest Post by Drs. Richard Soare, Susan Conway and Peter Grindrod.
Mary Bourke
IAG Working Group on Planetary Geomorphology
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[NASA] PROPOSAL WRITING PRACTICUM AT DPS
The Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters will be offering a
proposal writing workshop at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Division
for Planetary Sciences in Denver, CO. This Proposal Writing Practicum
is based on the cumulative experience of current and former Discipline
Scientists who have managed a variety of Research and Announcement
(R&A) programs at NASA Headquarters. The specific focus of this
intense, educational session is to provide a greater understanding of
NASA's research programs and review process and offer constructive
insight into writing an effective research proposal. The event is open
to all at no charge. All interested planetary scientists, from
graduate students through emeritus professors, are encouraged to
attend. To register, send an e-mail with your name, affiliation, and
current position to curt.niebur@nasa.gov. The workshop will be held on
Sunday, Oct. 6, from 1-5 pm in the Governor's Square 17 room at the
Sheraton Denver Downtown (the host venue for the DPS conference).
Event Type: Workshop
Organizer: Curt Niebur
Location: Governor's Square 17
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[NASA] ASTROBIOLOGY INSTITUTE - CYCLE 7 COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT NOTICE
RELEASED
Preproposal Conference: September 30, 2013
Step-1 Proposal Due Date: November 4, 2013
Step-2 Proposals Due Date: January 31, 2014
The full text of the CAN can be found at:
http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/can7/
and by going to:
http://nspires.nasaprs.com/
Choose 'Solicitations', then 'Open Solicitations', and search for
'NNH13ZDA017C' or 'NASA Astrobiology Institute'.
The goal of CAN Cycle 7 is to maintain a multidisciplinary institute
by selecting focused, interdisciplinary teams that complement without
replicating the strengths of the continuing teams. The teams selected
in Cycle 7 will replace the teams selected in Cycle 5, whose five-year
Cooperative Agreements are expiring.
A preproposal conference will be held on September 30, 2013, at
11:00 AM PDT (2:00 PM EDT) to provide interested parties with the
opportunity to better understand the intent, scope, and selection
criteria of this CAN. Information about the preproposal conference
will be posted at:
http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/can7/
Programmatic questions regarding this solicitation should be submitted
no later than 10 days prior to the proposal due date to:
Mary Voytek
(202) 358-1577
CAN7@nasa.gov
[Edited for length]
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[NASA] MARS 2020 ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY
Preproposal Conference: October 8, 2013
Notice of Intent Due Date: October 15, 2013
Proposal Due Date: December 23, 2013
The full text of the AO and any appendices are available at:
http://solicitation.nasaprs.com/Mars2020
Links to the AO and additional information are located at the
Mars 2020 Acquisition Website:
http://soma.larc.nasa.gov/mars2020
Investigations comprised of individual instruments or multiple
instruments (suites) may respond to the overall Mars 2020 objectives
to explore and quantitatively assess Mars as a potential habitat for
life, to search for signs of past life, to collect carefully selected
samples for possible future return to Earth, and to prepare for future
human exploration of Mars.
This AO solicits flight investigations for which each PI is responsible
for a complete space flight investigation, including instrument
hardware, mission operations, and data analysis.
The total allocated cost for all the SMD-funded investigations selected
is ~$100M for Phases A-D. Additional funding of ~$60M is allocated for
Phase E. Additionally, exploration technology investigations, jointly
funded by the HEOMD and STMD may be selected at a total cost of ~$30M,
including Phase E costs.
Point of Contact:
Mitchell D. Schulte
202-358-2127
202-358-3097
mars2020-ao@lists.nasa.gov
[Edited for length]
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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/17903
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/14cNpfH
For further information and to apply, visit:
http://nasa.orau.org/postdoc/description/index.htm
Questions: nasapostdoc@orau.org
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[NASA] VEXAG MEETING #11 IMPENDING DEADLINES
As a reminder, VEXAG Meeting #11 will be held in the James E. Webb
Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, Washington DC with 2 full day sessions
on Tuesday, Wednesday, November 19-20, 2013 and a half-day session
Thursday, November 21, 2013. Tuesday, November 19th will be a full-day
Venus Technology Forum. Registration and Logistics are now available
via a link the VEXAG Web-Site:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/
A block of sleeping rooms is currently on hold for VEXAG Meeting
participants at the Residence Inn Marriott, located at 333 E Street, SW
Washington, DC 20024. Monday, September 30, 2013 is the deadline for
reservations.
Applications for Student Travel Grants should be submitted via a second
link on the VEXAG Web-Site http://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/. Deadline for
submission is postponed a week to Monday, October 7, 2013. Selections
will be announced in mid-October.
Objectives for this meeting are to conduct a community review of new
and updated VEXAG documents:
- Venus Exploration Goals, Objectives and Investigations (update)
- Venus Exploration Road-Map (new)
- Technologies for Venus (new)
In addition, there will be status reports on a number of ongoing Venus
related activities.
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VEXAG MEETING #11 PREVIEW - REQUEST FOR COMMUNITY COMMENTS ON UPDATED
VENUS EXPLORATION GOALS, OBJECTIVES, INVESTIGATIONS
As a follow-up to last November's VEXAG Meeting recommendations, an
update to VEXAG's Venus Exploration Goals, Objectives, and
Investigations has been drafted. The primary difference between this
draft and the prior version is a restructuring of the overall Goals.
The prioritized objectives and investigations retain their strong link
to priorities identified in the Decadal Survey. An accompanying
document providing additional detail for each investigation is
currently being drafted and will be available for comment during the
November 2013 VEXAG meeting.
The new draft table of updated VEXAG's Venus Exploration Goals,
Objectives, and Investigations has been posted on the VEXAG website
along with a form for submitting comments. Community comments (with a
deadline of November 1, 2013) are being solicited at the VEXAG
Web-Site Home Page:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/
or VEXAG's Web-Site for Community Comments on the updated VEXAG's
Venus Exploration Goals, Objectives Table:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/investigations_comments/
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45TH MEETING OF THE DIVISION FOR PLANETARY SCIENCES
Denver, CO
6-11 October 2013
A fantastic program of planetary science!
http://aas.org/meetings/45th-meeting-division-planetary-sciences
From the LOC:
Colorado is getting back to it's usually dry and sunny weather. Come
enjoy the science and the scenery! You can still register for the
meeting and you can also register at the meeting.
Due to the difficult situation some NASA colleagues are facing this
year, we will not reinforce the prior registration policy. Note then
that you will be able to also register on site. Volunteers that sign
up to work a minimum of 16 hours receive complimentary meeting
registration.
If interested, please contact Kathy Cox at kathy.cox@aas.org or
202-328-2010 x117.
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AGENCY NIGHT AT DPS:
Tuesday 7:30pm-9:00pm
The following people are anticipated to attend:
- John Grunsfeld, NASA HQ, Associate Administrator for the Science
Mission Directorate
- Jim Green, NASA HQ, Director of Planetary Science
- Maria Womack, NSF, Program Director of Astronomy & Astrophysics
Research Grants
- Yvonne Pendleton, NASA ARC, Director of Solar System Exploration
Research Virtual Institute
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PANEL DISCUSSION ON EPO AT DPS:
You're invited to attend a lunchtime panel discussion on "The Future of
Education & Public Outreach" to be held during the Denver DPS meeting.
Massive changes to E/PO have been proposed that impact the way that our
work as planetary scientists makes its way to the classrooms and to the
general public. The panel discussion will include a review of those
plans, their current status, and a discussion on what lies ahead.
Panelists include Jim Green, NASA/SMD; Heidi Hammel, incoming DPS
chair; Maria Womack, NSF, and other members of the E/PO community to be
confirmed. The event will take place on Wednesday, 9 October from
12:30-1:30 in the Governors Square 15 meeting room in the Sheraton.
The event will be recorded and made available online after the event for
those unable to attend in person.
Nick Schneider
DPS Education & Public Outreach Officer
nick.schneider@lasp.colorado.edu
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PRO-AM WORKSHOP AT DPS:
Thurs. Oct. 10th at 6:00pm.
DPS is experimenting with a professional-amateur workshop where
professionals present what opportunities are out there for
collaborations with NASA missions and amateurs show samples of their
observations. Examples: observing Pluto during New Horizons flyby,
observing Jupiter's clouds while Juno flies over the poles, taking
images of comet ISON to find time-variability, light-curves of
asteroids, follow-up on NEOs, searches for Moon impacts (perhaps
related to LADEE), Mars observations during MAVEN, etc, etc, etc).
Participants wishing to present (5 mns, 5 slides) send title &
description (<200 words) to frbagenal@gmail.com.
Organizer: Fran Bagenal, University of Colorado.
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PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS
Posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html
February 3-6 2014
Exoplanet Observations with the E-ELT
http://www.eso.org/exoelt2014/
Garching, Germany
March 20-22, 2014
Meeting of the Astronomical Society of India 2014
http://www.asi2014.in/
Mohali, India
[Editor Note: If there is a planetary-related meeting, conference or
workshop of which your colleagues should be aware, please send the
date, title, URL and location to pen_editor at psi.edu.]
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