45th DPS Meeting

Overview

DPS 45
Annual Meeting for Division for Planetary Sciences
Denver, CO
6 – 11 October 2013

45th Meeting of the AAS Division for Planetary Sciences

The 45th DPS meeting was held 6-11 October 2013 in Denver, CO.

Download Meeting Abstracts         Meeting Program 

PDF Block Schedule .     PDF Program Update

 

The DPS Science Program is full of great speakers! Here are some highlights:

Prize talks:

M 1:30pm Kuiper Prize Lecture: Small is NOT Dull: Unravelling the Complexity of Surface Processes on Asteroids, Comets and Small Satellites, J Veverka (Cornell Univ.)
M 7:30pm Sagan Prize Lecture: Near Earth Objects, Don Yeomans (JPL)
W 1:30pm Urey Prize Lecture: From Pebbles to Planets, A. Johansen (Lund University)
Th 1:30pm Masursky Award: Ron Greeley; Eberhart Award: Richard Kerr - award ceremony

Invited Plenary talks:

M 2:20pm The Chelyabinsk Airburst Event, Mark Boslough (Sandia National Labs)
M 2:55pm End-of-the World: Using Science to Dispel Public Fear, D.Morrison (NASA Astrobiology Inst)
W 2:20pm Planets Orbiting M Dwarf Stars: The Most Characterizable Terrestrial Exoplanets are Also the Most Abundant, P.S. Muirhead (Boston Univ)
W 2:55pm Titan's Spectatular Volte-Face. C.A. Griffith (Univ. Arizona)
Th 1:45pm Mars Science Laboratory: Findings and Highlights of the First Year, S.K Atreya (Univ. Michigan)
Th 2:20pm The Kuiper Belt after 20 years: Past, Present & Future, H.Schlichting (MIT)
Th 2:55pm Voyager at the Edge of Interstellar Space, E.C. Stone (Caltech)

The DPS Local Organizing Committee is planning some enriching events for your time in Denver, including:

Saturday, 5 October
ExoPAG 8
Organizer: Scott Gaudi [email protected] OSU
9:00am-5:00pm
NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group's workshop will focus on expanding the inclusiveness of NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program to the wider exoplanet community. Preliminary agenda topics include progress toward a coronagraph/occulter in space and progress toward establishing a robust estimate of the frequency of potentially habitable planets. In addition, there will be reports from the active Study Analysis Groups (SAGs), including SAG-9, which is considering the science requirements for a medium-scale direct-imaging mission to probe exoplanets. ExoPAG meetings are open to the entire scientific community. http://exep.jpl.nasa.gov/exopag/

Sunday, 6 October
Using Astronomy and Planetary Science in K-12
Organizer: Sarah Horst [email protected] University of Colorado-Boulder
8:00am-5:00pm
Weathering the Changes: Mars Through Time. Grades 5-12 Science Educator workshop on using Mars in the classroom

ExoPAG 8
Organizer: Scott Gaudi [email protected] OSU
9:00am-5:00pm
NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group's workshop will focus on expanding the inclusiveness of NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program to the wider exoplanet community. Preliminary agenda topics include progress toward a coronagraph/occulter in space and progress toward establishing a robust estimate of the frequency of potentially habitable planets. In addition, there will be reports from the active Study Analysis Groups (SAGs), including SAG-9, which is considering the science requirements for a medium-scale direct-imaging mission to probe exoplanets. ExoPAG meetings are open to the entire scientific community. http://exep.jpl.nasa.gov/exopag/

Planetary Science: Progress with Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicles (sRLV)
Organizer: Faith Villas [email protected] Planetary Science Institute
2:00pm-5:00pm
This workshop updates the use of rSLVs for instrumentation, spacecraft and mission design to address and answer planetary science questions. It will present science results and lessons learned from planetary scientists engaged in research, educational and outreach activities using reusable commercial suborbital vehicles, and explore opportunities for flying and funding experiments.

Remote Observations of Rosetta Target Comet 67P
Organizer: Paul Weissman [email protected] JPL
2:00pm-5:00pm
The workshop shall bring together comet observers to discuss and coordinate observations of the Rosetta target comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in support of the mission's comet phase in 2014/2015. The current knowledge about the comet shall be reviewed and requirements for observations as well as existing plans and opportunities for observations from ground-based telecopies and space missions shall be reviewed and discussed.

Negotiation Skills for Planetary Scientists
Organizer: Karly Pitman, Planetary Science Institute
2:30pm-4:30pm
This two-hour workshop, hosted by the DPS Professional Development subcommittee, will inform and train participants in negotiation techniques, with content tailored specifically for planetary scientists. Workshop is open to all levels: students through professionals. Participants will learn the real-world value and theory behind negotiation, what can and cannot be negotiated at different career stages, and how to negotiate in different planetary career tracks (e.g., university vs. national lab vs. soft money vs. alternative careers), through question and answer with an expert panel and hands-on exercises.

Student Reception
4:30pm-6:30pm
Organizer: Al Khayat, University of Hawaii
Icebreaker for students and post-docs to get familiar with each other on the first day of the meeting - to network among other students/post-docs and get advice close to their own level.

Opening Reception
6:30pm-8:30pm

Monday, 7 October
DPS Chair - Student Breakfast
7:30am-8:30am

Target NEO Workshop Results
12:00pm-1:00pm
The Target NEO 2 Workshop was held July 9, 2013, in Washington DC, to identify and discuss technical challenes involved and new capabilities needed for the proposed Asteroid Redirect and Return Mission (ARRM). The results from that Workshop will be presented and discussion. Presentations and the Executive Summary are available at http://targetneo.jhuapl.edu/.

NRAO Community Day at the 45th DPS Meeting: Enhancing Your Solar System
Science with the Best Radio/Mm/Submm Facilities
12:00pm-1:30pm
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) cordially invites you to a NRAO Community Event at the 45th DPS meeting. This event is specifically designed for the planetary science community, and in particular for those who do not regularly utilize radio data in their research. If you would like to learn more about the science that is possible with NRAO facilities for Solar System research and the proposal/observations process - this session is for you!
We will provide a brief overview of the NRAO facilities and their instruments followed by broad talks describing the variety of submm, mm and cm observations possible for Solar System bodies. We will discuss practical information on how to design and optimize proposals, focusing on the recent call for proposals for ALMA Cycle 2 proposals. We will also provide hands-on demonstration of the NRAO proposal tools.

No registration is required to attend the event but we will provide lunch for those registering early on our website (https://science.nrao.edu/php/nrao-cd-dps/index.php).

Sagan Medal Public Talk: Don Yeomans
7:30pm-8:30pm

Reading of “And the Sun Stood Still” a new play about Copernicus
7:00pm-8:30pm
The Boulder Ensemble Theater Company [url: http://www.boulderensembletheatre.org] (BETC) will present a special reading for the DPS of "And the Sun Stood Still", a play about Copernicus by noted science writer Dava Sobel. The play was originally published in Dava's book "A More Perfect Heaven", but BETC will present a revised version which Dava has developed in collaboration with them. BETC will be performing the world premier of the fully-staged play in Boulder as part of their 2013/2014 season, from March 27th - April 19th 2014.

Tuesday, 8 October
New Horizons Earth-Based Pluto Observing Campaign
12:00pm-1:00pm
The New Horizons encounter in 2015 presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to measure in situ the state of the Pluto-Charon system. We know the system is dynamic through decades of measurements from Earth-based telescopes. Thus we must realize that New Horizons is providing a “snapshot” in time that establishes a single “moment” of ground truth in the Pluto-Charon system. Our understanding of the temporal variation of the system requires that we anchor the ground truth of New Horizons to the Earth-based view through simultaneous telescopic observations before, during, and after the New Horizons encounter. The purpose of this workshop is to communicate objectives and solicit observers for Earth-based observations in support of the New Horizons mission. We are encouraging world-wide participation across the full spectrum of wavelengths. Observatories are being asked to take special consideration of New Horizons related telescope proposals during the 2014, 2015, and 2016 Pluto observing seasons. Measurements in 2014 and 2016 will help characterize the long-term trends of the system, while 2015 measurements provide the near-simultaneous Earth and in situ characterization of the system. Campaign information is available through http://www.boulder.swri.edu/nh-support-obs  

Women in Planetary Science Lunch
12:00pm-1:30pm
Join us for an informal meeting and discussion hour over lunch. This year’s topics will revolve around the ways our community can support the advancement of more women into leadership roles (large or small). We will have a brief presentation, with plenty of time for discussion. Please feel free to bring any information/announcements related to women in astronomy and planetary science to share. Due to the generosity of the DPS committee, we will be able to provide lunch this year. All are welcome, but pre-registration is required by 15 September due to space limitations.

IOPW Atmospheres Section
3:30pm-5:00pm
This is the meeting of the Atmospheres Node of the International Outer Planets Watch. The workshop will be used as an open forum for discussion and coordination of observations of the Giant Planets over the next year and for short presentations of scientific themes not accomodated on the oral and poster sessions. The focus of this year workshop will be the observational support for the arrival of the Juno mission to Jupiter. Other topics treated in previous workshops (Jupiter impacts, Saturn observations from the ground, model simulations of atmospheric dynamics of Jupiter/Saturn, etc) are also available.

Agency Night
7:30pm-9:00pm

With the Government agencies shutdown, we have changed the agenda.  The following people will speak - followed by questions and answers:

  • Christina Chichey, Smart Data Solutions
    NASA's Research and Analysis Program
  • Janet Luhmann, UC Berkeley
    Planetary Science Subcommittee of NASA Advisory Committee
  • Makenzie Lystrup, Ball Aerospace
    DPS' Federal Relations Committee
  • Emily Lakdawalla, Planetary Society
    Advocating Planetary Exploration

Wednesday, 9 October
Panel Discussion on the Future of Education & Public Outreach
12:30pm-1:30pm
Plaza A
Organizer: Nick Schneider, DPS Education & Public Outreach Officer ([email protected])
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. Panelist include Heidi Hammel, incoming DPS chair; Nick Schneider, DPS EPO Officer, and other members of the E/PO community. The event will be recorded and made available online after the event for those unable to attend in person.

DPS Banquet
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
6:30pm-9:30pm
Fun evening of good food and a free roam of the Space Odyssey and Gems & Minerals (including spectacular gold from the Colorado hills). No speeches!

Thursday, 10 October
JWST Town Hall: Observations in the Solar System
Organizer: Stefanie Milam, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
12:00pm-1:00pm
Last year we held a workshop to provide the community details about the current instrument specifications and observing modes for solar system targets, as well as the observatory constraints such as brightness limits on planets, moving targets, tracking, and others. All details can be found online at http://www.stsci.edu/jwst/science/solar-system. This Town Hall meeting will bring the community up to speed on the accomplishments and status of the recommendations provided to the JWST team last year regarding solar system observations and solicits the community for further input. We will feature a short science presentation by Andrew Rivkin (JHU/APL). NOTE: Northrop Grumman will sponsor a free lunch for pre-registered attendees only. Email [email protected] to register.

Pro-Am Workshop
Organizer: Fran Bagenal, University of Colorado
5:00pm-10:00pm
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). Partipants wishing to present (5 mins, 5 slides) send title & description (<200 words) to [email protected]

Art Night
5:00pm-9:00pm
Denver's award-winning Art District on Santa Fe www.ArtDistrictonSantaFe.com, featuring planetary-themed artwork from IAAA artists (www.iaaa.org) and local talent in participating art galleries. The Art District on Santa Fe is a Colorado certified creative district consisting of over 70 galleries, theatres, museum, restaurants near downtown Denver. A free guided-shuttle service will run a continuous loop from 5:00 - 9:00 PM between the Sheraton Hotel and the Art District on Thursday October 10, 2013, with wine and hors d'oeuvre at participating galleries. Dining options available nearby include Japanese (sushi), Ethiopian, American comfort and traditional Mexican. The Art District on Santa Fe is located between Alameda Avenue and 13th Avenue, and between Kalamath St. and Inca St. The district is accessible by taxi ($6 from downtown hotels), B-Cycle (bike sharing station at 9th Ave and Santa Fe Dr.), and free shuttle bus the evening of October 10.  Shuttle will depart from Sheraton roundabout beginning at 5:00pm and continously run roundtrips approximately every 20 minutes to and from Sante Fe and 8th.

Participating Galleries include:

Space Gallery
John Fielder's Colorado
Georgia Amar Fine
Art Artists on Santa Fe
Niza Knoll Gallery
Skylite Station @ 910Arts