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SIM Newsletter
" F R I N G E S "
Space Interferometry Mission Newsletter
Number 40, February 27, 2007
CONTENTS
1. Editorial
2. AAS Division on Dynamical Astronomy Meeting - May 6-10
3. Navigator Program Forum 2007 - May 17-18
4. Michelson Summer Workshop - July 23-27
1. Editorial
Many of you will have heard by now about the drastic reduction in funding available for SIM PlanetQuest. This has resulted in a slowdown of the project, and a long slip in launch date. These reductions are taking effect this year (FY07), so the impacts are already being felt, especially at JPL where many of the engineers on SIM are having to find other projects to work on.
It's important to realize that this is entirely due to budget pressures and priorities within the Science Mission Directorate at NASA. The scientific motivation for the mission is as strong as ever. Indeed, as the capabilities of a flexible instrument for microarcsecond astrometry are more widely appreciated, new scientific applications are added to those already planned.
So, while we are all very disappointed by these events, we are not discouraged. We will continue to inform the scientific community about the SIM science program; there will still be opportunities to propose for observations with SIM, but in this new environment, there is no date set.
The SIM PlanetQuest project has been directed by NASA to 'refocus' most of its efforts to engineering risk reduction. Our plans for these efforts are now being completed, and we will describe them in a future Newsletter.
Some meeting announcements of possible interest to the Newsletter readership follow:
2. AAS Division on Dynamical Astronomy Meeting - May 6-10
Join us for the premier meeting in the USA on dynamical astronomy. If Newton's and Kepler's laws play a role in your research, then you should consider attending!
The 2007 Meeting of the Division on Dynamical Astronomy will be held May 6-10, at Ann Arbor, Michigan, hosted by The University of Michigan and The Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics. Please remind your colleagues that astronomers, astrophysicists, and planetary scientists having an interest in dynamics will find the annual DDA Meeting a friendly, stimulating, and rewarding experience. Regular attendees know this is true! The Meeting will feature invited review talks on a range of topics in dynamical astrophysics, contributed oral papers (with no parallel sessions), and poster papers that are displayed throughout the entire meeting. You can find more information at the meeting website:
http://www.umich.edu/~mctp/SciPrgPgs/events/2007/AASDDA/index.html
The AAS abstract submission website, linked from the above page, is open for paper/poster abstracts. Submission deadline is April 1.
3. Navigator Program Forum 2007 - May 17-18
This event is the second in a series focusing on Navigator Program exoplanet space missions. It will be held Thu-Fri, May 17-18, 2007, at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.
The focus of this Workshop is on small- and mid-scale exoplanet space missions for direct detection of terrestrial planets. The purpose is to examine all possible methods that could be used to detect and characterize Earth-like exoplanets using space missions that are less costly than a full-scale "flagship" mission.
For more detailed information visit the website:
http://planetquest/Navigator/navigator_forum2.cfm
The website contains more detail on the objectives of the Workshop, and some background information. We will add more information shortly, including registration, travel, lodging, and a draft agenda. For planning purposes, please indicate your interest in attending the Workshop by sending a brief email to Danittza Lopez-Blanco (Danittza.R.Lopez-Blanco@jpl.nasa.gov), with "Navigator Forum #2" in the subject line.
For more information, please contact any of the meeting organizers:
Wesley Traub (Wesley.A.Traub@jpl.nasa.gov) Stephen Unwin
(Stephen.Unwin@jpl.nasa.gov) Jack Lissauer
(jlissauer@mail.arc.nasa.gov) Mark Marley (Mark.S.Marley@nasa.gov)
Jonathan Fortney (jfortney@arc.nasa.gov)
4. Michelson Summer Workshop - July 23-27
From Dawn Gelino, Workshop Chair, Summer Workshop, MSC:
The annual Michelson Summer Workshop is approaching, and I would like to take this opportunity to make you aware of it.
The 2007 Michelson Summer Workshop: "Planetary Transits: Detection to Characterization," will take place at the NASA Ames Conference Center, Moffett Field, CA July 23 - 27. The workshop will consist of a series of tutorial and scientific lectures covering techniques related to transits and extra-solar planet finding. More information, along with a preliminary agenda can be found on the workshop website:
http://msc.caltech.edu/workshop/2007/
Financial Assistance: *application deadline: March 2.* The summer workshop is intended for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, although financial assistance applications from other individuals in the fields of transits and planet finding will be considered. Financial assistance for registration fee, travel, meals, and accommodations may be available for successful applicants in accordance with U.S. government reimbursement regulations. *Applications for financial assistance are being accepted until March 2.* Please see the workshop website for more information.
Register on-line before June 2 to take advantage of the early registration fee! Registration includes: Workshop attendance, Wireless internet access, Coffee breaks, Lunch each day, Workshop dinner, Tour to Lick Observatory, Bus transportation between workshop hotels and workshop site.
Scientific Organizing Committee: Suzanne Aigrain (University of
Exeter), William Borucki (NASA Ames), David Charbonneau (Harvard CfA),
Dawn Gelino (MSC; Chair), Matthew Holman (Harvard CfA), Sara Seager
(MIT), Mark Swain (JPL), Kaspar von Braun (MSC).
I hope to see you at MSW '07!
Thanks,
Dawn Gelino
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Steve Unwin, Editor stephen.unwin'at'jpl.nasa.gov
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