Exoplanet Program: ExoPAG News and Announcements

1) Update on ExoPAG 25 (Virtual, Dates TBD)

ExoPAG 25 was originally scheduled to precede the 239th AAS Meeting in Salt Lake City in hybrid format (in person and online), however AAS239 was recently cancelled (https://aas.org/posts/news/2021/12/update-aas-239-meeting-canceled).

ExoPAG 25 will be converted to all-virtual format and its dates are now "TBD".

ExoPAG 25 will be rescheduled pending an update on the timing of the Joint PAG Session (which was originally scheduled for January 9, 2022 preceding AAS239 and will include an update on the status of NASA Astrophysics in light of the release of the Astro2020 Pathways to Discovery Decadal Survey from NASA APD Director Paul Hertz).

We'll send out further updates on ExoPAG 25 and the Joint PAG Session after decisions have been made on their scheduling.

Attached is the rest of the announcement for ExoPAG 25. The website will be updated soon to reflect the "TBD" status for the meeting dates.

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"The ExoPAG 25 meeting registration (please RSVP) and updated draft agenda are now posted at:

https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/events/359/exopag-25-hybrid-meeting/

The agenda will include discussion of the Astro 2020 Decadal Report, programmatic updates of relevance for the ExoPAG community, science updates and descriptions of exciting new capabilities, updates from SIGs and SAGs, as well as our regular business meeting.

ExoPAG meetings offer an opportunity to participate in discussions of scientific and technical issues in exoplanet exploration, and a forum for community input on the prioritization of activities in NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP). All interested members of the space science community are invited to attend and participate. Suggestions for topics and/or speakers at the meeting along these lines are welcome.

To support discussions at the Business Meeting, we invite members of the community to share ideas for future activities that the ExoPAG should consider. Ideas can be entered here:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1dam7D1yiMeazF_9IBtPlHgJ_NOg_iTLE9pVeWRl4Tas/edit

These ideas will be discussed during the meeting after the program office reviews progress made on past suggestions. These ideas could lead to specific activities such as the creation of a Science Analysis Group (SAG) providing analysis in the form of a report submitted to the Astrophysics Division (APD). Some ideas could lead to further discussions and eventually generate future findings that could be affirmed by the ExoPAG by vote and passed to the Astrophysics Division (see below). While it is preferable to submit ideas before the ExoPAG, there will also be opportunity to propose new ideas during the meeting.

We invite community members to propose findings for consideration by the ExoPAG here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1S9kZEVfdutSaTvQcFuD3yMioFen_3UenmNgfu_59Z-4/edit

The ExoPAG EC will review these and structure a discussion of them at a future meeting.

Questions and comments during ExoPAG will handled through a moderated Q&A tool where questions and comments can be upvoted (same as was employed for ExoPAG 23 & 24). The link to the Q&A tool will be distributed closer to the ExoPAG 25 date.

We look forward to seeing you at ExoPAG 25!"

2) Call for Nominations to the Executive Committee of the Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) (Deadline January 21, 2022)

"Dear Colleagues:

The Astrophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is pleased to issue this open call for nominations to serve on the Executive Committee (EC) of NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG). In the coming months, NASA anticipates making four new appointments to the ExoPAG EC, replacing three to four current members of the committee who have reached the end of their appointments. New appointments will start in the Spring of 2022 and will be for a period of three years.

The ExoPAG is an open, interdisciplinary forum that provides a conduit for community input into NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP, http://exoplanets.nasa.gov), and for conducting analyses in support of ExEP science

objectives and their implications for planning and prioritization of Program activities. The ExoPAG is led by a Chairperson drawn from the membership of the Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC), and a volunteer Executive Committee, whose membership is chosen to reflect the broad range of scientific disciplines and interests represented in the field of exoplanet exploration. Together, the ExoPAG Chair and Executive Committee are responsible for capturing and organizing community input, overseeing ExoPAG analyses, reporting ExoPAG findings and inputs to the Astrophysics Division Director, and keeping the scientific community apprised of ongoing activities and opportunities within NASA’s ExEP. Detailed information about the structure and function of the ExoPAG, including the current and past membership of the EC, can be found at http://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exopag.

Nominations for the ExoPAG EC should be submitted via email to the address: hannah.jang-condell@nasa.gov. Nominations must include both a cover letter and a one-page CV summarizing the nominee’s relevant background. The cover letter should provide a description of the nominee’s area of expertise, qualifications for service, and anticipated contributions to the ExoPAG Executive Committee. Nominations will only be accepted for scientists who reside at a U.S. institution for the period of the service. There are no citizenship restrictions. Nominations from individuals at academic institutions— university, college, or non-NASA research laboratory—are strongly encouraged. Self-nominations are welcome. The deadline for nominations is January 21, 2022, with announcement of selections anticipated in April 2022. Selections will be announced by the ExoPAG mailing list (http://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/announcementList).

We look forward to working with all of our stakeholders to develop a robust and compelling Exoplanet Exploration Program.

Sincerely,
Dr. Hannah Jang-Condell, NASA Headquarters
Deputy Exoplanet Exploration Program Scientist, ExoPAG Executive Secretary"

3) Need Community Inputs to NASA Astrophysics Technology Gap Prioritization Process Following Astro2020 (Due January 3, 2022)

"Dear members of the astrophysics community,

The Astrophysics Division (APD) and its three thematic Program Offices (POs) – Physics of the Cosmos (PCOS), Cosmic Origins (COR), and Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) – are planning to respond to the Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s (Astro2020) and would like your input. The POs are working to update our Astrophysics strategic technology gap priorities. This will inform APD’s response to the Decadal Survey.

Since 2019, the POs implement a joint biennial strategic technology gap prioritization process. To ensure that APD invests in the right technologies, we are reaching out to the community to help identify gaps between today’s state-of-the-art technologies and what will be needed for missions and development activities identified as priorities by Astro2020.

As the first step in our process, we want to hear what you think are the most important areas for technology development in response to Astro2020 that are currently not addressed. If you know of a missing technology gap, please download the technology gap submission form (https://apd440.gsfc.nasa.gov/technology/Tech_gap_form_2021-11-08.docx), fill it out according to the instructions enclosed there, and email the completed entry to Opher Ganel (opher.ganel@nasa.gov) and Brendan Crill (bcrill@jpl.nasa.gov) by January 3, 2022. If you have questions, please email those to Opher or Brendan, leaving enough time for a response and your submission before the above deadline.

After the submission due date, the POs’ science and technology teams will prioritize the gaps according to the four criteria shown on our technology websites (https://apd440.gsfc.nasa.gov/tech_prioritization.html). Importantly, the joint gap list will inform the scope of future Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) solicitations. Prioritized rankings, along with a description of APD’s technology needs, will be published in the Astrophysics Biennial Technology Report (ABTR), which will be published mid-2022.

Please refer to our technology website https://apd440.gsfc.nasa.gov/tech_gap_priorities.html for more information about the 2019 APD technology gaps. All gaps in that list will be considered again in the 2021 prioritization process. If you want to add new gaps, or suggest edits to existing ones, please do so.

This is your opportunity to take an active role in shaping the future of space technology for astrophysics and helping us align it to the recommendations of Astro2020. However, please note the above-mentioned gap submission deadline for this prioritization cycle.

APD Program Office Technologists"

4) JWST Launched (December 25, 2021)

https://webb.nasa.gov/

JWST launched at 7:20 a.m. EST Saturday December 25, 2021 on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, South America:

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasas-webb-telescope-launches-to-see-first-galaxies-distant-worlds

You can follow JWST's deployment steps at: "Where is Webb?"

5) AbSciCon22 - Origins and Exploration: From Stars to Cells (May 15-20, 2022; Atlanta; Abstract Deadline January 19, 2022)

#AbSciCon22 – Origins & Exploration: From Stars to Cells

Abstract submissions for the 2022 Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) are now open! AbSciCon brings the astrobiology community together every two years to share research, collaborate, and plan for the future. Join NASA and the American Geophysical Union as we facilitate a robust gathering of scientists in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and online 15 – 20 May 2022.

The abstract submission deadline is 19 January 2022 at 23:59 EDT/03:59 +1 GMT. Late abstract submissions will not be accepted after this date.

Themes for AbSciCon 2022 are:

Alternate and agnostic biosignatures
Characterizing habitable zone exoplanet
Energy sources and metabolic pathways in the environment
Evidence for early life on Earth Evolution and diversification of life: OoL to LUCA to Eukaryogenesis
Mission to Mars: Life detection and habitability
Ocean worlds near and far
Philosophy, history, education and community development
Star-planet-planetary system interactions and habitability
Subsurface habitability and life
Transition from prebiotic chemistry to biology
Understanding early Earth environments

To submit your abstract, visit: https://www.agu.org/AbSciCon/Pages/Present/Abstracts

For general information about AbSciCon, visit: https://www.agu.org/AbSciCon

Information on COVID-19 protocols for AbSciCon 2022 can be found at:https://www.agu.org/AbSciCon/Pages/About/Covid-19-Protocols

6) ROSES-21 Astrophysics Pioneers (Mandatory NOIs due January 27, 2022; Proposal deadline March 17, 2022)

ROSES-21 Amendment 51: D.15 Astrophysics Pioneers Final Text and Due Dates

ROSES-2021 Program element D.15 "Pioneers" solicits Astrophysics space and sub-orbital science investigations that are greater in cost, scope and capability than possible via the Astrophysics Research and Analysis program, but are smaller in cost than what is possible within the Astrophysics Explorers Mission of Opportunity (MO) program (e.g., PEA O of SALMON-3 for the 2019 opportunity: https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId=%7bBDBCFF99-A8F6-F4A0-8A54-A14D4289E26D%7d&path=closedPast). Investigations are solicited using platforms that include cubesats (including constellations), SmallSats, lunar surface hosted payloads via the Commercial Lunar Payloads Services (CLPS) program (https://www.nasa.gov/content/commercial-lunar-payload-services), major balloon missions, and International Space Station (ISS)-attached payloads. Technology development and maturation within the proposed project is allowed, but the primary review criterion for selection is the merit of the proposed science investigation.

ROSES-2021 Amendment 51 releases final text and due dates for D.15 Pioneers. Mandatory Notices of Intent are due January 27, 2022, and proposals are due March 17, 2022. On or about December 3, 2021, this Amendment to the NASA Research Announcement "Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2021" (NNH21ZDA001N) will be posted on the NASA research opportunity homepage at https://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2021 and will appear on SARA's ROSES blog at:https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/grant-solicitations/roses-2021/

Questions concerning D.15 Pioneers may be directed to Michael Garcia at michael.r.garcia@nasa.gov.

D.15 Astrophysics Pioneers:

https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?solId=%7b482DA843-B615-515D-7954-C12F2387FE5B%7d&path=&method=init

7) The Next Generation Mid/Far-IR Space Missions – Formulating a European Perspective (February 9-11, 2022; Paris)

"Dear US IR community,

We are planning to hold an international community workshop "The next generation mid/far-IR space missions – formulating a European perspective” in Paris 9-11 February 2022. We seek widespread distribution of this announcement and want to reach out to our American colleagues as we believe that it is best to prepare the next mid/far-IR missions together.

Martina Wiedner
LERMA"

https://metals-dust.sciencesconf.org/

8) Spirit of Lyot (June 27-July 1, 2022; Leiden)

In the Spirit of Lyot 2022
27 June – 01 July 2022
Leiden, the Netherlands
https://lyot2022.strw.leidenuniv.nl/

The conference will take place at the Scheltema conference centre, in the centre of Leiden, the Netherlands, both in person and with online participation. The conference fee is 350 Euros (70 Euros for remote participation). Leiden is the European City of Science 2022.

Conference purpose and scope

In the last 25 years, the field of exoplanet studies has rapidly evolved to become one of the most active in astronomy. The search for and study of these objects occupy a sizable fraction of observing time on large facilities worldwide, and major advances can be credited to novel instrument designs, new hardware, and innovative data processing techniques. Many ambitious new ground- and space-based projects are currently being developed to push the limits even further.

Exoplanet research relies on several complementary observational techniques (e.g. radial velocity, transit, astrometry). After years of developments and the start of operation of a new generation of high contrast “planet finders”, direct imaging is emerging as another major contributor to this exciting enterprise. This method will help to develop a more complete picture of the full diversity of exoplanet systems and circumstellar disks and provides a unique means to obtain information about the atmospheric properties of young gas giants.

Topics

This conference will be focused on the direct detection and characterization of exoplanets and circumstellar disks, and new technological methods for their detection:

Development of New Techniques and Instrumentation

High-contrast observation and image processing techniques
New concepts and advances for high-contrast imaging instrumentation
Synergy of direct imaging with other techniques (RV, astrometry, transits, etc.)
Near- and long-term future projects, space missions, and ELTs
Upgrades of ground based instruments

Science Results

Current surveys, results & population statistics
Characterization of known imaged planets and brown dwarfs
Planet formation, accreting protoplanets, evolution and atmosphere models
Debris, protoplanetary and circumplanetary disks
The impact of ALMA, Gaia, and JWST observations
Planetary system architecture & dynamics, planet-disk interactions
Host star properties (ages, metallicity, rotation, etc.)

We strongly encourage students to come and will provide some limited grants for student participants.

Full-size conference poster: http://lyot2022.strw.leidenuniv.nl/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/poster_SOL.pdf

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1) ExoPAG 25 (January 8-9, 2022)

NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) will hold its twenty fifth meeting on Saturday and Sunday, January 8-9, 2022, immediately preceding the 239th AAS Meeting both virtually and in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The ExoPAG 25 meeting registration (please RSVP) and updated agenda are now posted at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/events/359/exopag-25-hybrid-meeting/

The agenda will include discussion of the Astro 2020 Decadal Report, programmatic updates of relevance for the ExoPAG community, science updates and descriptions of exciting new capabilities, updates from SIGs and SAGs, as well as our regular business meeting.

ExoPAG meetings offer an opportunity to participate in discussions of scientific and technical issues in exoplanet exploration, and a forum for community input on the prioritization of activities in NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP). All interested members of the space science community are invited to attend and participate. Suggestions for topics and/or speakers at the meeting along these lines are welcome.

2) Call for Nominations to the Executive Committee of the Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) (Deadline January 21, 2022)

"Dear Colleagues:

The Astrophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is pleased to issue this open call for nominations to serve on the Executive Committee (EC) of NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG). In the coming months, NASA anticipates making four new appointments to the ExoPAG EC, replacing three to four current members of the committee who have reached the end of their appointments. New appointments will start in the Spring of 2022 and will be for a period of three years.

The ExoPAG is an open, interdisciplinary forum that provides a conduit for community input into NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP, http://exoplanets.nasa.gov), and for conducting analyses in support of ExEP science objectives and their implications for planning and prioritization of Program activities. The ExoPAG is led by a Chairperson drawn from the membership of the Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC), and a volunteer Executive Committee, whose membership is chosen to reflect the broad range of scientific disciplines and interests represented in the field of exoplanet exploration. Together, the ExoPAG Chair and Executive Committee are responsible for capturing and organizing community input, overseeing ExoPAG analyses, reporting ExoPAG findings and inputs to the Astrophysics Division Director, and keeping the scientific community apprised of ongoing activities and opportunities within NASA’s ExEP. Detailed information about the structure and function of the ExoPAG, including the current and past membership of the EC, can be found at http://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exopag.

Nominations for the ExoPAG EC should be submitted via email to the address: hannah.jang-condell@nasa.gov. Nominations must include both a cover letter and a one-page CV summarizing the nominee’s relevant background. The cover letter should provide a description of the nominee’s area of expertise, qualifications for service, and anticipated contributions to the ExoPAG Executive Committee. Nominations will only be accepted for scientists who reside at a U.S. institution for the period of the service. There are no citizenship restrictions. Nominations from individuals at academic institutions— university, college, or non-NASA research laboratory—are strongly encouraged. Self-nominations are welcome. The deadline for nominations is January 21, 2022, with announcement of selections anticipated in April 2022. Selections will be announced by the ExoPAG mailing list (http://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/announcementList).

We look forward to working with all of our stakeholders to develop a robust and compelling Exoplanet Exploration Program.

Sincerely,
Dr. Hannah Jang-Condell, NASA Headquarters
Deputy Exoplanet Exploration Program Scientist, ExoPAG Executive Secretary"

3) Need Community Inputs to NASA Astrophysics Technology Gap Prioritization Process Following Astro2020 (Due January 3, 2022)

"Dear members of the astrophysics community,

The Astrophysics Division (APD) and its three thematic Program Offices (POs) – Physics of the Cosmos (PCOS), Cosmic Origins (COR), and Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) – are planning to respond to the Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s (Astro2020) and would like your input. The POs are working to update our Astrophysics strategic technology gap priorities. This will inform APD’s response to the Decadal Survey.

Since 2019, the POs implement a joint biennial strategic technology gap prioritization process. To ensure that APD invests in the right technologies, we are reaching out to the community to help identify gaps between today’s state-of-the-art technologies and what will be needed for missions and development activities identified as priorities by Astro2020.

As the first step in our process, we want to hear what you think are the most important areas for technology development in response to Astro2020 that are currently not addressed. If you know of a missing technology gap, please download the technology gap submission form (https://apd440.gsfc.nasa.gov/technology/Tech_gap_form_2021-11-08.docx), fill it out according to the instructions enclosed there, and email the completed entry to Opher Ganel (opher.ganel@nasa.gov) and Brendan Crill (bcrill@jpl.nasa.gov) by January 3, 2022. If you have questions, please email those to Opher or Brendan, leaving enough time for a response and your submission before the above deadline.

After the submission due date, the POs’ science and technology teams will prioritize the gaps according to the four criteria shown on our technology websites (https://apd440.gsfc.nasa.gov/tech_prioritization.html). Importantly, the joint gap list will inform the scope of future Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) solicitations. Prioritized rankings, along with a description of APD’s technology needs, will be published in the Astrophysics Biennial Technology Report (ABTR), which will be published mid-2022.

Please refer to our technology website https://apd440.gsfc.nasa.gov/tech_gap_priorities.html for more information about the 2019 APD technology gaps. All gaps in that list will be considered again in the 2021 prioritization process. If you want to add new gaps, or suggest edits to existing ones, please do so.

This is your opportunity to take an active role in shaping the future of space technology for astrophysics and helping us align it to the recommendations of Astro2020. However, please note the above-mentioned gap submission deadline for this prioritization cycle.

APD Program Office Technologists"

4) 2022 Sagan Summer Hybrid Workshop: Exoplanet Science in the Gaia Era (July 25-29, 2022)

"The 2022 Sagan Summer Workshop will take place July 25-29, 2022. We are expecting that this will be a hybrid workshop with both in-person and on-line attendance. In-person attendance may be limited due to L. A. County, City of Pasadena, and California Institute of Technology COVID safety guidelines at the time of the workshop. The workshop website will be updated with this information going forward.

The 2022 Sagan Summer Workshop will focus on the topic of exoplanet science in the Gaia era. The ESA Gaia mission has been mapping the Galaxy for over seven years, measuring very accurate positions and motions of over 1 billion stars. It has already greatly contributed to exoplanet science through the determination of more accurate stellar parameters, which in turn improve planet parameters, the detection of stellar companions, and the identification and characterization of young moving groups. In the near future, the unprecedented astrometric accuracy will result in the discovery of new exoplanets, as well as the characterization of known planets. The workshop will introduce the basics of astrometry, the impact of Gaia astrometry on astrophysics, and the astrometric detection and characterization of exoplanets. The synergy between the different planet detection techniques of astrometry, transits, radial velocities, and imaging will be discussed, as well as future advances in astrometry.

There is no registration fee for this workshop and registration will open in February 2022. Please contact us with any questions or to be added to the email list.

Download/Website: http://nexsci.caltech.edu/workshop/2022

Contact: Sagan_Workshop@ipac.caltech.edu

E. Furlan, D. Gelino
NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA"

5) TESS General Investigator Program Cycle 5 (Phase-1 Due Date: March 18, 2022)

ROSES-21 Amendment 49: Final Text and Due Date for D.10 TESS General Investigator Program Cycle 5

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) General Investigator (GI) Program solicits proposals for the acquisition and analysis of new scientific data from the TESS mission, a NASA Explorer mission that was launched in April 2018 and began science operations in July 2018. Additionally, proposals that support the acquisition and analysis of scientific data from ground-based telescopes are solicited. Such ground-based measurements must directly support the analysis and/or interpretation of TESS scientific data.

Proposals will be submitted in two stages, with Phase-1 focusing on the science goals and observation parameters. Selected Phase-1 proposers will be invited to submit a budget for Phase 2.

ROSES-2021 Amendment 49 releases final text and due date for D.10 TESS GI Cycle 5 (https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?solId=%7b5032D2F8-F5DF-692A-8E7C-15A801B08DE1%7d&path=&method=init). Phase-1 proposals must be submitted by 4:30 pm Eastern time on March 18, 2022, via the Astrophysics Research Knowledgebase (ARK) Remote Proposal System (RPS) website:https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/ark/rps/. Templates and other information will be posted in early December on the TESS Science Support Center website at http://tess.gsfc.nasa.gov/ under the "Proposing" tab.

On or about November 23, 2021, this Amendment to the NASA Research Announcement "Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2021" (NNH21ZDA001N) will be posted on the NASA research opportunity homepage at https://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2021 and will appear on SARA's ROSES blog at:https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/grant-solicitations/roses-2021/

Technical questions concerning D.10 TESS GI Cycle 5 may be directed to Knicole Colón at knicole.colon@nasa.gov. Programmatic information may be obtained from Douglas Hudgins at Douglas.M.Hudgins@nasa.gov.

6) NASA's Citizen Science Seed Funding Program (CSSFP) (Deadline January 21, 2022)

NASA Funding Available for Scientists. Apply to the Citizen Science Seed Funding Program (CSSFP) Today!

https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/citizenscience/nasa-funding-available-for-scientists

Are you interested in starting your own citizen science project? NASA's Citizen Science Seed Funding Program (CSSFP) can help! Citizen science projects are collaborations between scientists and interested members of the public. We encourage you to think about ways that citizen science can enhance your scientific research or support you in your area of expertise. This year, four Divisions in the Science Mission Directorate are participating in this year’s call: Astrophysics Division, Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) Division, Heliophysics Division, and the Planetary Science Division. Note: BPS proposals must focus on the GeneLab and/or Physical Sciences Informatics databases.

Submit your proposals (no more than 6 pages) by January 21, 2022 through the NASA NSPIRES system (https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary!init.do?solId=%7bA08B277F-1BFE-4663-3E6F-C178EBA87C8C%7d&path=open%20%20%20%20https://www.nasa.gov/PSI%20https://genelab.nasa.gov/). Previous CSSFP grantees may apply to the program again, but the call has a goal of expanding the pool of scientists who use citizen science techniques in their science investigations.

Learn about NASA citizen science projects: https://science.nasa.gov/citizenscience

7) GPRV Workshop (Oxford, March 28-31, 2022)

"Dear colleagues,

It is our pleasure to announce the first of two workshops planned as part of the ERC project GPRV: Overcoming stellar activity in radial velocity planet searches (consolidator grant 865624, PI S. Aigrain). These workshops aim at gathering a few dozen researchers to discuss recent developments on the characterization, modelling and mitigation of stellar activity signals in radial velocity datasets.

In order to favour collaborations and interactions, this workshop will be in-person (though we will do our best to enable remote participation via Zoom). More information about the workshop can be found on the workshop website: https://sites.google.com/view/gprv-workshop-2022/.

When? 28 March 2022 (12:00) to 31 March 2022 (14:00).
Where? All Souls College, Oxford, UK.

Contributions: Participants will have the opportunity to give a talk, lead a discussion session or offer a method/software tutorial. All talk slots will be 30 min to allow ample time for discussion. Junior researchers are especially encouraged to attend, submit contributions, and take an active part in the discussions.

Pre-registration: We are currently seeking pre-registrations for the workshop using this form. By pre-registering, participants inform us of their intention to take part and propose contributions. Pre-registration is neither a firm commitment, nor does it guarantee a place at the workshop. Its main purpose is to gauge interest in the workshop, and to help shape the scientific program.

Pre-registration is open until 31 December 2021.
The official registration will open on 7 January 2022.

Important note: The number of in-person participants is limited to 40, and finding accommodation in Oxford can be especially tricky, so early registration is highly recommended.

Venue/Accommodation: Registration will be free and will include lunches and the conference dinner. We hope to be able to offer most participants accommodation in one of Oxford’s colleges at a preferential rate. Some financial support will be available for those who need it towards travel and accommodation costs.

Any questions? Please write to us at gprv2022@gmail.com
We look forward to seeing you there!
The organising committee: Suzanne, Louise, Oscar and Baptiste"

Pre-registration: https://sites.google.com/view/gprv-workshop-2022/workshop/registration
Pre-registration deadline: 31 December 2021
Registration opens: 7 January 2022
Financial support deadline: 28 January 2022
Abstract submission deadline: 28 January 2022
Registration deadline: 18 February 2022
Workshop dates: 28-31 March 2022

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1) Need Community Inputs to NASA Astrophysics Technology Gap Prioritization Process Following Astro2020 (Due January 3, 2022)

"Dear members of the astrophysics community,

The Astrophysics Division (APD) and its three thematic Program Offices (POs) – Physics of the Cosmos (PCOS), Cosmic Origins (COR), and Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) – are planning to respond to the Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s (Astro2020) and would like your input. The POs are working to update our Astrophysics strategic technology gap priorities. This will inform APD’s response to the Decadal Survey.

Since 2019, the POs implement a joint biennial strategic technology gap prioritization process. To ensure that APD invests in the right technologies, we are reaching out to the community to help identify gaps between today’s state-of-the-art technologies and what will be needed for missions and development activities identified as priorities by Astro2020.

As the first step in our process, we want to hear what you think are the most important areas for technology development in response to Astro2020 that are currently not addressed. If you know of a missing technology gap, please download the technology gap submission form (https://apd440.gsfc.nasa.gov/technology/Tech_gap_form_2021-11-08.docx), fill it out according to the instructions enclosed there, and email the completed entry to Opher Ganel (opher.ganel@nasa.gov) and Brendan Crill (bcrill@jpl.nasa.gov) by January 3, 2022. If you have questions, please email those to Opher or Brendan, leaving enough time for a response and your submission before the above deadline.

After the submission due date, the POs’ science and technology teams will prioritize the gaps according to the four criteria shown on our technology websites (https://apd440.gsfc.nasa.gov/tech_prioritization.html). Importantly, the joint gap list will inform the scope of future Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) solicitations. Prioritized rankings, along with a description of APD’s technology needs, will be published in the Astrophysics Biennial Technology Report (ABTR), which will be published mid-2022.

Please refer to our technology website https://apd440.gsfc.nasa.gov/tech_gap_priorities.html for more information about the 2019 APD technology gaps. All gaps in that list will be considered again in the 2021 prioritization process. If you want to add new gaps, or suggest edits to existing ones, please do so.

This is your opportunity to take an active role in shaping the future of space technology for astrophysics and helping us align it to the recommendations of Astro2020. However, please note the above-mentioned gap submission deadline for this prioritization cycle.

APD Program Office Technologists"

2) CHEOPS Annual Announcement of Opportunity (AO-3) Postponed

"Dear Colleagues,

The third Annual Announcement of Opportunity (AO-3) for participation in the CHEOPS Guest Observers Programme, due to open on 9 November 2021, has been postponed and is currently foreseen to come out in early 2022.

The timeline will be circulated widely once available and will also be posted on the ESA CHEOPS Guest Observers Programme webpage.

In the meantime, there are several documents, tools and webpages available to help you to familiarise yourselves with the capabilities of CHEOPS. Details of these can be found at: https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/cheops-guest-observers-programme/ao-3

The Discretionary Programme remains open, with further details available at: https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/cheops-guest-observers-programme/discretionary-programme

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me (at the email address below) directly in case of questions.

Best,
Kate Isaak

Kate Isaak PhD (kate.isaak@esa.int)
CHEOPS Project Scientist

Science and Operations Department - Science Division (SCI-SC)
Directorate of Science, European Space Agency (ESA)
European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC),
Keplerlaan 1, 2201-AZ Noordwijk, The Netherlands
Office no: Ca 114, ph. +31 71 565 3559"

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1) Astro 2020 Decadal Survey Report Released

“Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s”

2) ExoPAG 25 (January 8-9, 2022) and Opportunity for Early Career Scientists, Postdocs and Graduate Students to Present Talks (Deadline 8pm ET/5pm PT *Friday November 5, 2021*)

NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) will hold its twenty fifth meeting on Saturday and Sunday, January 8-9, 2022, immediately preceding the 239th AAS Meeting both virtually and in Salt Lake City, Utah. The agenda will include discussion of the Astro 2020 Decadal Report, programmatic updates of relevance for the ExoPAG community, science updates and descriptions of exciting new capabilities, updates from SIGs and SAGs, as well as our regular business meeting.

The ExoPAG 25 meeting registration (please RSVP) and draft agenda are now posted at:

https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/events/359/exopag-25-hybrid-meeting/

ExoPAG meetings offer an opportunity to participate in discussions of scientific and technical issues in exoplanet exploration, and a forum for community input on the prioritization of activities in NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP). All interested members of the space science community are invited to attend and participate. Suggestions for topics and/or speakers at the meeting along these lines are welcome.

The ExoPAG and NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) Office invites early career scientists, postdocs and graduate students to present at the ExoPAG 25 meeting (Jan. 8-9, 2022; talks can be either in-person or virtual). We are particularly interested in presentations from early career scientists, postdocs, and graduate students from diverse backgrounds.

Those who wish to propose short talks (8-12 minutes) should submit an online application on the early career science talk page: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/student-travel/. The form includes a one paragraph abstract (no figures), and 1-2 sentences describing how your research is relevant to the Exoplanet Exploration Program and how would attending the conference benefit your research and planned future career. The deadline to submit proposed contributions is 8pm ET/5pm PT on Friday November 5, 2021. Successful applicants will be notified the week of November 15, 2021.

3) Call for Nominations to the Executive Committee of the Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) (Deadline January 21, 2022)

"Dear Colleagues:

The Astrophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is pleased to issue this open call for nominations to serve on the Executive Committee (EC) of NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG). In the coming months, NASA anticipates making four new appointments to the ExoPAG EC, replacing three to four current members of the committee who have reached the end of their appointments. New appointments will start in the Spring of 2022 and will be for a period of three years.

The ExoPAG is an open, interdisciplinary forum that provides a conduit for community input into NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP, http://exoplanets.nasa.gov), and for conducting analyses in support of ExEP science objectives and their implications for planning and prioritization of Program activities. The ExoPAG is led by a Chairperson drawn from the membership of the Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC), and a volunteer Executive Committee, whose membership is chosen to reflect the broad range of scientific disciplines and interests represented in the field of exoplanet exploration. Together, the ExoPAG Chair and Executive Committee are responsible for capturing and organizing community input, overseeing ExoPAG analyses, reporting ExoPAG findings and inputs to the Astrophysics Division Director, and keeping the scientific community apprised of ongoing activities and opportunities within NASA’s ExEP. Detailed information about the structure and function of the ExoPAG, including the current and past membership of the EC, can be found at http://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exopag.

Nominations for the ExoPAG EC should be submitted via email to the address: hannah.jang-condell@nasa.gov. Nominations must include both a cover letter and a one-page CV summarizing the nominee’s relevant background. The cover letter should provide a description of the nominee’s area of expertise, qualifications for service, and anticipated contributions to the ExoPAG Executive Committee. Nominations will only be accepted for scientists who reside at a U.S. institution for the period of the service. There are no citizenship restrictions. Nominations from individuals at academic institutions— university, college, or non-NASA research laboratory—are strongly encouraged. Self-nominations are welcome. The deadline for nominations is January 21, 2022, with announcement of selections anticipated in April 2022. Selections will be announced by the ExoPAG mailing list (http://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/announcementList).

We look forward to working with all of our stakeholders to develop a robust and compelling Exoplanet Exploration Program.

Sincerely,
Dr. Hannah Jang-Condell, NASA Headquarters
Deputy Exoplanet Exploration Program Scientist, ExoPAG Executive Secretary"

4) Biosignature Standards of Evidence White Paper (Comment period closes November 10, 2021)

"Dear Exoplanet Community,

In July, 2021 the Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS) and the Network for Life Detection (NfoLD) Research Coordination Networks hosted a community workshop on Biosignature Standards of Evidence. During this workshop, participants developed a generalized framework for biosignature detection and assessment, and discussed and identified best practices needed to develop a reporting protocol for potential biosignature detection.

The participants have now completed a draft white paper report summarizing the workshop discussions and major findings. The white paper sections describe the motivation for community development of biosignature assessment and reporting protocols, a description of the generalized assessment framework, worked examples of how the framework could be applied for specific biosignatures and measurement techniques, a discussion of how the framework can be applied throughout a spaceflight mission life cycle, discussions on the reporting protocol development, and a summary of key takeaways and future work.

The workshop participants are now soliciting community comments and offering members of the scientific community the opportunity to co-sign the white paper on this website https://www.nfold.org/soe-endorsements. The comment period will close on November 10th.

Vikki Meadows and Heather Graham, on behalf of the Biosignature Standards of Evidence Workshop Participants."

5) ExEP Postdoctoral Research Associate (Application deadline December 9, 2021)

The NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory invites applications for a postdoctoral research scholar interested in exoplanet-related research and programmatics.

The successful candidate will work with the Program Chief Scientists to support the definition and implementation of current & future exoplanet space observatories and their required precursor science. Preferred research areas are defined by the ExEP Science Gap List and include: analyses of exoplanet demographics, host star properties, exozodiacal dust, simulations of mission science return and signal extraction, methods to mitigate stellar jitter in radial velocity datasets, instrumentation for high contrast imaging or precision RV work, or modeling of exoplanetary atmospheres and biosignatures. Research connected to the exoplanet priorities of the Astro2020 Decadal Survey is especially encouraged. The appointee will be expected to divide their time between program-related activities and independent exoplanet research. Both facets of the position include interfacing with the science community and the general public.

The ExEP Office works with NASA HQ to implement the Agency's science vision for exoplanets with a portfolio of science analyses, technology development, mission concept development, and supporting ground-based observations. ExEP is a unique environment at the intersection of NASA science, policy, technology, engineering, and public engagement, all focused on the goals of discovering exoplanets, characterizing their properties, and identifying candidates that could harbor life. For further information on current ExEP activities and staff expertise, visit https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/.

ExEP Program Scientists Drs. Karl Stapelfeldt and Eric Mamajek, will serve as advisors for the successful candidate. The appointee will carry out research in coordination with the advisors, resulting in publications in the open literature. A travel funding allowance will be provided. The selected candidate will be hosted within the NASA ExEP Office, but have an organizational home in the Astrophysics & Space Sciences Section of the JPL Science Division.

Candidates should have a Ph.D. in astronomy or planetary science. Candidates with an interest in science management are especially encouraged to apply. Candidates should familiarize themselves with ExEP Program Science Gap list (linked at https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/science-overview) and propose a research plan congruent with these science priorities and the candidate's independent exoplanet research.

The application deadline is December 9, 2021. Please see additional details at:
https://www.jpl.jobs/job/R979/NASA-Exoplanet-Exploration-Program-Postdoctoral-Research-Associate

ExEP Science Gap List (2021)

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1) Call for Nominations to the Executive Committee of the Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) (Deadline January 21, 2022)

"Dear Colleagues:

The Astrophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is pleased to issue this open call for nominations to serve on the Executive Committee (EC) of NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG). In the coming months, NASA anticipates making four new appointments to the ExoPAG EC, replacing three to four current members of the committee who have reached the end of their appointments. New appointments will start in the Spring of 2022 and will be for a period of three years.

The ExoPAG is an open, interdisciplinary forum that provides a conduit for community input into NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP, http://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/), and for conducting analyses in support of ExEP science objectives and their implications for planning and prioritization of Program activities. The ExoPAG is led by a Chairperson drawn from the membership of the Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC), and a volunteer Executive Committee, whose membership is chosen to reflect the broad range of scientific disciplines and interests represented in the field of exoplanet exploration. Together, the ExoPAG Chair and Executive Committee are responsible for capturing and organizing community input, overseeing ExoPAG analyses, reporting ExoPAG findings and inputs to the Astrophysics Division Director, and keeping the scientific community apprised of ongoing activities and opportunities within NASA’s ExEP. Detailed information about the structure and function of the ExoPAG, including the current and past membership of the EC, can be found at http://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exopag.

Nominations for the ExoPAG EC should be submitted via email to the address: hannah.jang-condell@nasa.gov. Nominations must include both a cover letter and a one-page CV summarizing the nominee’s relevant background. The cover letter should provide a description of the nominee’s area of expertise, qualifications for service, and anticipated contributions to the ExoPAG Executive Committee. Nominations will only be accepted for scientists who reside at a U.S. institution for the period of the service. There are no citizenship restrictions. Nominations from individuals at academic institutions— university, college, or non-NASA research laboratory—are strongly encouraged. Self-nominations are welcome. The deadline for nominations is January 21, 2022, with announcement of selections anticipated in April 2022. Selections will be announced by the ExoPAG mailing list (http://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/announcementList).

We look forward to working with all of our stakeholders to develop a robust and compelling Exoplanet Exploration Program.

Sincerely,
Dr. Hannah Jang-Condell, NASA Headquarters
Deputy Exoplanet Exploration Program Scientist, ExoPAG Executive Secretary"

2) Attention Early Career Scientists, Postdocs and Graduate Students: Apply to Present at ExoPAG 25 (Deadline Friday November 5, 2021 8pm ET/5pm PT)

Note: change in instructions to submit applications.

ExoPAG 25 will be scheduled for Saturday January 8 (full day) and Sunday January 9 (first half of day), 2022 before the 239th AAS meeting. The meeting will be a hybrid format – in-person (Salt Lake City) and virtual.

NASA's Exoplanet Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) and NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) Office invites early career scientists, postdocs and graduate students to present at the ExoPAG 25 meeting, to be held on on January 8-9, 2022 (talks can be either in-person or virtual). We are particularly interested in presentations from early career scientists, postdocs, and graduate students from diverse backgrounds.

Those who wish to propose short talks (8-12 minutes) should submit an online application. The form includes a one paragraph abstract (no figures), and 1-2 sentences describing how your research is relevant to the Exoplanet Exploration Program and how would attending the conference benefit your research and planned future career. The deadline to submit proposed contributions is 8pm ET/5pm PT on Friday November 5, 2021. Successful applicants will be notified the week of November 16th.

Detailed meeting information for ExoPAG 25 is available, the agenda will be posted in the coming days.

3) ROSES-21: D.7 SAT (Strategic Astrophysics Technology) Dates Unchanged

With the announcement of the release of the 2020 Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics (Astro2020) report on 4 November 2021, NASA’s Astrophysics Division (APD; https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics) confirms that the D.7 Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) opportunity will go forward as laid out in ROSES-2021 Amendment 37 (https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/solicitations/roses-2021/amendment-37-final-text-and-due-dates-for-d3-apra-and-d7-sat)

D.7 Strategic Astrophysics Technology Number: NNH21ZDA001N-SAT
https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?solId=%7bCEB50291-CFB3-2D82-0F88-D529F2160335%7d&path=&method=init

D.7 SAT supports the maturation of key technologies for potential infusion in spaceflight missions to enable implementation of Astrophysics strategic missions. Strongly endorsed by the 2010 Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics, the SAT program is a key element of the strategy adopted by APD in implementing these recommendations (see the Astrophysics Implementation Plan on the NASA Astrophysics Division documents page).

This year, proposals to D.7 SAT must be focused exclusively on the highest-priority recommendations of the Astro2020 report. Topics focused on technology development relevant to NASA Astrophysics but not pertaining to the missions recommended by the 2020 Decadal Survey may be submitted to D.3 APRA.

NOIs are strongly encouraged but not mandatory, and are requested by 19 November 2021. Proposals are due 16 December 2021.

Please direct questions concerning D.7 SAT to Mario Perez (mario.perez@nasa.gov).

4) Two Astrophysics Explorer Solicitations Amended To Extend Mandatory NOI Due Date

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is releasing two amendments for Astrophysics Explorers Science Investigations:

Astrophysics Medium Explorer (MIDEX) Announcement of Opportunity (NNH21ZDA018O): Amendment 1 (website:https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?solId={0F29B64B-AFF1-ADAD-7302-75D7AEF2C696}&path=&method=init)
2021 Astrophysics Explorers Mission of Opportunity (MO) Program Element Appendix Q (PEA-Q) (NNH17ZDA004O-APEXMO2): Amendment 21 to the NASA Third Stand Alone Missions of Opportunity Notice (SALMON-3) Announcement of Opportunity. (website: https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?solId={3756F228-0D79-F55C-8668-E412144EDD5A}&path=&method=init)

These amendments extend the due date for the mandatory Notices of Intent (NOI) from proposers to either or both Announcements of Opportunity, which are now due by 4 November 2021 at 11:59p Eastern/10:59p Central/9:59p Mountain/8:59p Pacific. The proposal due date for both solicitations remains unchanged at 9 December 2021.

Comments and questions may be addressed by email to the Astrophysics Explorers Program Scientist, Dr. Linda S. Sparke, at linda.s.sparke@nasa.gov (with subject line "Astrophysics Explorers MIDEX AO" or "Astrophysics Explorers MO PEA" as appropriate).

Responses to all inquiries will be given by email and will also be posted at the Questions and Answers (QAs) location of the Astrophysics Explorers Program Acquisition website (https://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/2021APMIDEX/). The period for questions/comments will close three weeks before the proposal due date, and the period for responses will close 10 days before the proposal due date. Anonymity of persons/institutions who submit questions will be preserved.

5) Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics 2020 / Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s - Public Briefing (November 4, 2021)

The decadal survey will be publicly released on Thursday, November 4, 2021 at 11am ET followed by a public briefing webinar from 2-3:30pm ET. During the webinar, the decadal survey co-chairs will discuss the key findings and recommendations from the report and take questions from the audience. Learn more on the event page: https://www.nationalacademies.org/event/11-04-2021/pathways-to-discovery-in-astronomy-and-astrophysics-for-the-2020s-public-briefing

Link to the Livestream: https://livestream.com/accounts/7036396/events/9910201

6) New Galaxy of Horror Posters

With Halloween just around the corner, NASA has released its latest Galaxy of Horrors posters:

https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/alien-worlds/galaxy-of-horrors/

Roasted Planet HD 80606b:
https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/resources/2308/the-roasted-planet-poster/?galaxy_horror

Dark Energy:
https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/resources/2306/dark-energy-poster/?galaxy_horror

7) ExoPAG 25: Clarification on Dates and AAS239 Schedule

A point of clarification on the dates for ExoPAG 25

ExoPAG 25 will be scheduled for Saturday January 8 (full day) and Sunday January 9 (first half of day), 2022 before the 239th AAS meeting in Salt Lake City. The meeting will be a hybrid format – in-person and virtual.

The block schedule for the 239th AAS Meeting in Salt Lake City (https://submissions.mirasmart.com/AAS239/itinerary/EventsAAG.aspx) currently shows ExoPAG 25 during Wednesday and Thursday of the AAS meeting. This is an *error* and a request has been submitted to fix it.

8) ExEP Testbed Resources Available for SAT Proposers

With the Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) solicitation confirmed for this year, we remind proposers that those interested in using ExEP-managed coronagraph testbed facilities (such as the High Contrast Imaging Testbed) to read about the available resources and find the instructions for requesting access here: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/internal_resources/2072/

For any questions, or to submit a statement-of-work for use of the testbeds, please contact ExEP’s deputy Program Chief Technologist Brendan Crill no later than December 3, 2021 at bcrill@jpl.nasa.gov.

The final SAT amendment text can be found here:
https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/solicitations/roses-2021/amendment-37-final-text-and-due-dates-for-d3-apra-and-d7-sat

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1) Attention Early Career Scientists, Postdocs and Graduate Students: Apply to Present at ExoPAG 25 (Deadline 8pm ET/5pm PT Friday November 5, 2021)

ExoPAG 25 will be scheduled for Saturday January 8 (full day) and Sunday January 9 (first half of day), 2022before the 239^th AAS meeting. The meeting will be a hybrid format – in-person (Salt Lake City) and virtual.

NASA's Exoplanet Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) and NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) Office invites early career scientists, postdocs and graduate students to present at the ExoPAG 25 meeting, to be held on on January 8-9, 2022 (talks can be either in-person or virtual). We are particularly interested in presentations from early career scientists, postdocs, and graduate students from diverse backgrounds.

The presentations for early career scientists, postdocs and graduate students should have a focus on elements of the ExEP Science Gap List that will be major topics at the meeting include SCI-04 (planetary system architectures including occurrence rates of planets of all sizes), SCI-07 (intrinsic properties of exoplanet host stars), SCI-08 (mitigating stellar jitter for EPRV), SCI-09 (dynamical characterization of exoplanet masses and orbits), and SCI-11 (debris disk characterization). However, proposed contributions on other topics outlined in the ExEP Science Gap List 2021 will be accepted.

The ExEP Science Gap List 2021 is posted at:

https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/system/internal_resources/details/original/1877_ExEP_SciGapList_2021.pdf

As the ultimate users of future NASA facilities, early career scientists, postdocs and graduate students are encouraged to attend the ExoPAG meetings to:

Share their work with a broad audience of scientists, technologists, and program managers;
Learn about NASA's strategic goals and plans, and learn how to impact them through ExoPAG activities.

The ExoPAG helps NASA and ExEP in assessing and analyzing exoplanet science in support of future exoplanet missions relevant to NASA's strategic goals through meetings, organizing science interest groups (SIGs), as well as science analysis groups (SAGs).

Those who wish to propose short talks (8-12 minutes) should send an email to jgregory@jpl.nasa.gov with your name, institution, email, one line description of career stage, title, one paragraph abstract (no figures), and 1-2 sentences describing how this contribution fits into the theme for the program or addresses a specific topic related to the ExEP Science Gaps listed above. The deadline to receive the proposed contributions is 8pm ET/5pm PT Friday November 5, 2021. Successful applicants will be notified the week of November 16th.

The agenda and meeting information for ExoPAG 25 will be posted in the coming weeks at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exopag-meetings/

2) Nancy Grace Roman Coronagraph Instrument Information Sessions (October 26 & 28, 2021)

https://roman.ipac.caltech.edu/mtgs/Roman_CGI_workshop.html

Agenda: https://roman.ipac.caltech.edu/mtgs/Roman_CGI_workshop/CGI_workshop_agenda.html

"Dear colleague,

With this announcement, we invite you to attend community information sessions on the Coronagraph Instrument on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The purpose of the sessions is to inform the community about progress on the Roman Coronagraph Instrument and its capability as a technology demonstrator and potential science instrument. This may be particularly useful for potential proposers to the Coronagraph Community Participation Program (CPP) element of the Roman Research and Support ROSES solicitation expected later this year (the placeholder can be found here: https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary!init.do?solId=%7b0AA8592A-252B-A599-0CDD-484DD1D8480E%7d&path=open). An announcement about similar information sessions for the Roman Wide Field Instrument will be forthcoming.

The Coronagraph Instrument on Roman is designed to achieve unprecedented high-contrast performance by deploying several key technologies in space for the first time. With its multiple modes, including broadband imaging, spectroscopy, and polarimetry, it will pave the way for future exo-Earth-finding missions and will itself potentially produce groundbreaking exoplanet and disk science. The Coronagraph Instrument is being developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in collaboration with Goddard Space Flight Center, CNES, MPIA, JAXA, and ESA. It passed its Critical Design Review in April and is now in the build phase. More information about direct imaging with Roman can be found at https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/exoplanets_direct_imaging.html.

Two Science Investigation Teams were chartered in 2016 to provide support of the design and development of the instrument, to help plan for operations, and to study the potential for science; these teams will conclude their work this fall. The Coronagraph CPP is the next funded opportunity for external community engagement; the CPP will be expected to become integral contributing members of the Coronagraph Instrument team.

This primary information session will contain presentations from the Roman Coronagraph Project on the status and capability of the instrument as well as presentations from both Science Investigation Teams summarizing their work done and potential future areas of interest. Additional resources, including open-source simulation tools, will be summarized, and additional deep dive information sessions on these tools are planned. This primary information session will also present an opportunity for interested parties to ask questions about the design, development, and potential operational uses of the Coronagraph.

The primary session will be virtual and will take place from ~9:00 am - 2:00 pm Pacific Time (~12:00 pm – 5:00 pm Eastern Time) on Tuesday, October 26 and Thursday, October 28. All are welcome to attend, including participants from international institutions. No registration is required. The agenda is now posted at: https://roman.ipac.caltech.edu/mtgs/Roman_CGI_workshop/CGI_workshop_agenda.html. Information about the primary info session, as well as the deep-dive topical information sessions, will be posted athttps://roman.ipac.caltech.edu/mtgs/Roman_CGI_workshop.html. Recordings will be posted to this site for those who are unable to attend the live events, though we encourage live participation to enable vigorous Q&A.

You can sign up for the Roman Announcements email list here:https://lists.ipac.caltech.edu/mailman/listinfo/roman_announce

If you have further questions about the info session, please email coron_info_sessions@jpl.nasa.gov"

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1) ExoPAG SIG3 Tutorial Talk: Characterizing Extrasolar Atmospheres with High Resolution Cross-Correlation Spectroscopy (October 14, 2021, 2pm EDT)

The next ExoPAG SIG3 Tutorial Talk is this week on Thursday, October 14 at 11am PDT/2pm EDT.

Title: Characterizing Extrasolar Atmospheres with High Resolution Cross-Correlation Spectroscopy

Speaker: Mike Line, Arizona State University

Abstract: The field of exoplanet characterization has matured to the point where we can begin to answer fundamental questions regarding planetary climate, composition, and formation, providing context for understanding our own solar system planets. The community has leveraged the power of numerous ground-and space-based observatories to find and characterize a diverse range of planets ranging from hot Jupiter’s to terrestrial-sized, potentially habitable worlds. Much of the successful atmospheric characterization work to date has focused on results from low-resolution spectroscopic/photometric (LRS, R<~1000) observations of transiting exoplanets from space-based instruments like Hubble and Spitzer. However the low resolution and sparse wavelength coverage of available instruments are unable to break key modeling degeneracies, preventing us from adequately constraining basic atmospheric properties. A powerful emerging ground-based approach for characterizing exoplanet atmospheres is high resolution (R~>30,000) cross-correlation spectroscopy (HRCCS). HRCCS leverages the planetary Doppler shift of the large number of molecular lines attainable at high resolutions combined with large ground-based apertures to robustly detect molecules. This is a powerful technique and will be at the forefront of exoplanet atmosphere characterization over the next decade+. I will provide an overview of the HRCCS method as well as some of the theoretical and computational challenges, including placing such an approach within a Bayesian modeling framework. I will also share a recent analysis of observations of a hot Jupiter obtained with the IGRINS instrument on Gemini South, resulting in carbon and oxygen abundance precisions comparable to those obtained for our solar system planets.

Zoom Meeting: https://stanford.zoom.us/j/98647162478?pwd=SjBXZnB1b2lJU1NRdWxvOHN3cFdtdz09

Meeting ID: 986 4716 2478

Passcode: 393648

All are welcome!

Kathleen Mandt, Vikki Meadows, Laura Schaefer"

2) NASA Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC) Meeting (Oct. 13 & 15, 2021)

The next meeting of the NASA Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC) will be held October 13 & 15, 2021 between 11am-5pm EDT/8am-2pm PDT.

The Agenda (with remote access information) and Federal Register notice for the meeting is posted at: https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/nac/science-advisory-committees/apac

3) NASA SMD Large Mission Study

https://science.nasa.gov/about-us/large-mission-study

Conducted from October 2019 to October 2020, this internal NASA study (https://science.nasa.gov/science-red/s3fs-public/atoms/files/SMD_LMS_eBook_report2.pdf) was chartered by the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) to inform improvements to decision making, management, and review processes across SMD, with emphasis on establishing and keeping more achievable commitments when large strategic missions are confirmed.

This internal study is part of SMD’s commitment to uphold its core values of leadership, excellence, integrity, teamwork, and safety. It is focused on SMD’s management of large strategic missions; although it may also inform Agency-level policies and practices, this was not the study’s main intent.

4) NASA Science Quarterly Town Hall Meeting (October 18, 2021, 3pm EDT)

NASA's Science Mission Directorate will hold a community town hall meeting with Associate Administrator for Science Thomas H. Zurbuchen and his leadership team Monday, October 18 at 3 p.m. ET to discuss updates to NASA's science program and share the current status of NASA activities.

Members of the science community, academia, the media, and the public are invited to participate by joining at the link below.

Event address for attendees: https://nasaevents.webex.com/nasaevents/onstage/g.php?MTID=edca83213ecbf365e5b982c07a696306a

If prompted, please use event number: 2762 947 3249, followed by event password gKt23HPT75w.

To ask a question, participants can go to: IO Link: https://nasa.cnf.io/sessions/m27c/#!/dashboard

Users must provide their first and last name and organization and can submit their own questions or vote up questions submitted by others. The meeting leaders will try to answer as many of the submitted questions as possible.

Presentation materials for the meeting will be available for download and a recording will be available later that day at: https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/virtual-townhall

5) NASA Open-Source Science for Data Processing and Archives Workshop (October 14, 2021, 12pm-3pm EDT)

https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/science-data/open-source-science-workshop

Please consider joining us for NASA’s Open-Source Science for Data Processing and Archives Workshop, which will be held virtually on October 14, 2021 from 12:00pm - 3:00pm ET. This workshop will act as follow up to our previous 2018 archives meeting, originally hosted at Glenn Research Center.

Open science is a foundational objective of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD). Open science is an evolving paradigm that seeks to foster greater inclusivity, diversity, and participation in the scientific process while increasing transparency and reproducibility. In December of 2019, SMD released the Strategy for Data Management and Computing for Groundbreaking Science 2019-2024 (https://science.nasa.gov/files/science-red/s3fs-public/atoms/files/SDMWG%20Strategy_Final.pdf), which was partially based on the feedback from the 2018 data archives meeting. This strategy aims to enable transformational open science through continuous evolution of science data and computing systems for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. We want to take this opportunity to update the community on the progress of that Strategy as well to engage with you on the next steps of the implementation of the strategy.

The objective of this meeting is provide a forum for our science data providers, stewards, and partners to find out more details about the Open-Source Science Initiative (OSSI), ask questions about the number of initiatives that are currently underway related to Open Science, and participate in forum-style breakout sessions where attendees will have the opportunity to engage with SMD and the community on further developing these initiatives. Initiatives include projects involving machine learning and artificial intelligence, discoverability of SMD data and publications, and new policies to support open science. In addition, we will also introduce Transform to Open Science (TOPS), our initiative to help jump start the adoption of open science across our communities.

Agenda: https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/science-data/open-source-science-workshop-agenda

Registration

The workshop will be open to the public and a recording of the event will also be provided. If you are interested in receiving a calendar invite or participating in the breakout sessions that will be held during the workshop, please complete a registration form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdAUogc77WKhp1EWpVMPG87h6LkBbxtqh5BZuo-OVofSBsyOg/viewform) and indicate the session that you are interested in participating in.

Learn more about NASA’s Open-Source Science Initiative (OSSI): https://science.nasa.gov/open-science-overview

Please direct questions about the Open-Source Science for Data Processing and Archives Workshop to the coordinator: christian.g.reyes@nasa.gov

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1) ExoPAG 25: Save the Date (January 8-9, 2022)

ExoPAG 25 will be scheduled for Saturday January 8 (full day) and Sunday January 9 (first half of day), 2022 before the Winter AAS. The meeting will be a hybrid format – in-person (Salt Lake City) and virtual. If you have input for topics to be covered during ExoPAG 25, please reach out to ExoPAG chair Michael Meyer (mrmeyer@umich.edu).

Originally it was anticipated that ExoPAG would hold a 1-day community forum in the fall after the Astro 2020 Decadal Survey was released, but given the slip in the release date for the Decadal, a separate meeting before the Winter AAS is not anticipated.

2) Roman Space Telescope Early-Definition Astrophysics Survey Option (Deadline October 22, 2021)

The Roman Project is seeking community input on the option to pre-select one Astrophysics Survey nominally to be executed within the first two years of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope mission, and using up to ~700 hours of wall clock time. This would be in addition to the Core Community Surveys already being planned for the mission, and would be part of the overall time set aside for Astrophysics Surveys. The survey and the investigations it enables must be scientifically compelling, and be significantly enhanced by specific preparatory activities that are enabled by early selection and definition.

For full details on this Request for Information, please visit the webpage:

https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/Early-definition_Astrophysics_Survey_Option.html

That page provides context on the Roman mission, criteria for this particular survey option, submission instructions with an accompanying response template, and links to further information about the Roman mission, its science opportunities, and technical background information.

Opinions and survey concepts for consideration are solicited by October 22, 2021, 8PM EDT, and should be submitted via email to roman-wp-submission@bigbang.gsfc.nasa.gov.

For specific questions related to a submission, email both help@stsci.edu and roman-help@ipac.caltech.edu, with subject line: “Roman Early-Definition Astrophysics Survey question”.

3) NASA Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC) Meeting (October 13 & 15, 2021)

The next meeting of the NASA Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC) will be held October 13 & 15, 2021 between 11am-5pm EDT/8am-2pm PDT. The agenda and contact information will be posted to the APAC website:https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/nac/science-advisory-committees/apac

4) SPD-41: Scientific Information policy for the Science Mission Directorate

The data, software, and publications produced as part of NASA’s scientific research activities, regardless of funding vehicle, e.g. grant, contract, inter-or intra-agency agreements, represents a significant public investment. NASA holds this information as a public trust to increase knowledge and serve the public good. It is Science Mission Directorate’s (SMD) policy, consistent with NASA and Federal policy, that information produced from SMD-funded scientific research activities be made publicly available to the greatest practical extent.

To provide contextual guidance to proposers, awardees and other members of our communities, SMD has created SPD-41: The Scientific Information Policy (https://science.nasa.gov/science-red/s3fs-public/atoms/files/Scientific%20Information%20policy%20SPD-41.pdf). The policy was created based on recommendations from SMD's Strategy for Data Management and Computing for Groundbreaking Science 2019-2024 (https://science.nasa.gov/files/science-red/s3fs-public/atoms/files/SDMWG%20Strategy_Final.pdf). This version includes our current understanding of the Federal guidance, NASA policy, and best practices currently incorporated into or applicable to our programs. SPD-41 applies to all SMD-funded missions and research. All parties involved or hoping to become involved in SMD research are encouraged to read this policy document.

A link to SPD-41 and other documents is now available on SMD's Science Information Policy webpage (https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/science-data/science-information-policy). SMD plans to update this new webpage as information becomes available and provide links to the information policies developed by each SMD division to provide specific guidance for their communities. We also will be releasing a draft update to SPD-41 that incorporates more recent policy directives, recommendations from National Academy and NASA SMD community studies, and best practices from the community.

To collect feedback on the implementation of SPD-41 along with proposed updates to it based on more recent Federal policy directives, recommendations from National Academy and NASA SMD community studies, and best practices from the community, SMD plans to release a Request for Information (RFI) by the end of October. In addition to the RFI, we plan to hold a virtual community townhall on SMD’s Scientific Information Policy to provide further opportunity to present SPD-41 and receive questions/comments. Until response dates for the RFI and townhall are released, please email any questions/comments to HQ-SMD-SPD41@mail.nasa.gov. All questions will be responded to, either individually or on the Scientific Information Policy Frequently Asked Questions page (https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/science-data/science-information-policy_faq).

5) The Star-Planet Connection - ESO Virtual Workshop (October 25-28, 2021)

The Star-Planet Connection - ESO Virtual Workshop

October 25-28, 2021

https://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2021/StarPlanetConnection2021.html

Rationale: The detection and characterization of extrasolar planets is a field that has undergone rapid advancements in the past decades. As we push towards the detection of lower-mass planets around Sun-like stars via both direct and indirect techniques our understanding of the host star becomes increasingly important.

Radial velocity and transit surveys are only now achieving the sensitivity necessary to detect low mass planets, and the signals are at a level comparable to or smaller than signals induced by magnetic activity on the stellar surface. Once a planet is detected, precise and accurate stellar parameters are needed in order to infer planetary masses and radii, which in turn yield bulk densities and compositions. At a population level, measurements of host star metallicity and abundances can be used to link stellar composition to the frequency, distribution and properties of planetary systems. Additionally, the presence of a stellar companion can be used to test theories of planet formation in dynamically active environments.

In this workshop we will cover the following topics:

Fundamental stellar parameters that affect exoplanet detection/interpretation
Stellar abundances and their effect on exoplanet formation
Impact of stellar multiplicity on exoplanets
Stellar activity effects on detecting exoplanets

We aim to identify what aspects of our understanding of stellar properties are limiting our ability to measure and characterize extrasolar planets, to present new ideas on how to overcome them, and to develop new collaborations between researchers studying extrasolar planets and those studying the properties of the stars they orbit.

See https://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2021/StarPlanetConnection2021.html for more details.

6) 25th Microlensing Conference: The Dawn of Astrometric Microlensing, from Cold Exoplanets to Black Holes (February 21-23, 2022)

"Dear Colleague,

We are happy to announce the opening of registration for the 25th Microlensing Conference, "The dawn of astrometric microlensing, from cold exoplanets to black-holes," at: https://www.cold-worlds.com/nouvelles-scientifiques/workshops-2022/. The conference aims at covering all aspects of microlensing, including (but not limited to):

Astrometric microlensing,
Detection of free-floating planets, exoplanets, brown dwarfs, stars and binaries, compact objects, including white dwarfs and black holes,
Cold planet demographics (observational constraints and theory),
Stellar populations and their properties in the Milky Way (and other galaxies),
Search for electromagnetic signatures of gravitational-wave sources through microlensing,
Synergies between ground-based facilities and/or space missions (Gaia, Roman, Euclid, Rubin, ELTs, etc.),
Data mining, numerical tools and technique,
Interferometric microlensing

Our intention is to hold the conference in-person at the Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris (IAP), on February 21-23, 2022. However, the conference will be broadcast live and virtual presentations will be accepted. Should the safety restrictions due to the COVID-19 prevent us from meeting in Paris, the conference will become fully virtual. Please click on the following link to prepare your travel to France:

Official restrictions at the entry of France due to COVID-19.
Information about the Schengen VISA (if you need one, how to apply etc.)

Since the travel guidelines and safety precautions may change quickly, you will be able to switch from in-person to a virtual participation until January 5, 2022, by sending an email at conf.iap.2022@gmail.com (please visit the conference website for more information). As switching to a virtual participation will impact the conference budget and its organization, we kindly ask you to choose between the in-person and virtual option to the best of your knowledge at the time of the registration.

A very limited number of applicants might receive some help through waived conference fees and a support for the accommodation. Support for early-career researchers will be prioritized. Please visit the conference website for more information.

The deadline for submitting abstracts both for in-person/virtual talks and posters is November 1st.

Please send any questions to: conf.iap.2022@gmail.com.

We look forward to meeting you again in Paris, virtually or in-person!

Best Regards,
Clément Ranc, Jessica Lu on behalf of the SOC,
and Jean-Philippe Beaulieu on behalf of the LOC.
https://www.cold-worlds.com/nouvelles-scientifiques/workshops-2022/

"

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1) NN-EXPLORE Time Available for 2022A: WIYN 3.5m, CTIO/SMARTS 1.5m, MINERVA-Australis, and Community High Resolution Imaging on WIYN, Gemini-North, and Gemini-South (Proposals due Sept. 30, 2021 through NOIRLab Proposal Process)

NN-EXPLORE proposals are invited for the WIYN 3.5m, CTIO/SMARTS 1.5m with CHIRON, and MINERVA-Australis in semester 2022A (covering 1 February 2022 – 31 July 2022) through the NOIRLab call for proposals: https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/proposals/call-for-proposals/

For further details on the NN-EXPLORE time and the complete list of available instruments, see: https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/proposals/nn-explore/

WIYN 3.5m

The NNEXPLORE program continues on the WIYN 3.5m, with 30 nights available for exoplanet programs - including the recently commissioned precision RV instrument NEID: https://www.wiyn.org/Instruments/wiynneid.html and https://www.wiyn.org/Instruments/wiynneid_call2022a.html. WIYN selections come with modest monetary award for analysis, publications costs and incidental expenses. https://www.wiyn.org/

CTIO/SMARTS 1.5m+CHIRON

NNEXPLORE offers observing time on the CTIO/SMARTS 1.5m with the precision radial-velocity spectrometer CHIRON, with 300 hours (equivalent to 30 nights of service observing) of observing time in 2022A. For more information on the SMARTS 1.5m telescope and CHIRON, see: http://www.astro.gsu.edu/~thenry/SMARTS/.

MINERVA-Australis

As part of the NNEXPLORE program, NASA is continuing in a partnership with the MINERVA-Australis consortium that began in 2020B. That agreement continues in Semester 2022A, with 300 hours of observing time open to NNEXPLORE proposals. MINERVA-Australis is a dedicated exoplanet observatory operated by the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) in Queensland, Australia. The facility is located at USQ's Mt. Kent Observatory, and saw first light in quarter two 2018; commissioning of the facility was completed in mid-2019. MINERVA-Australis currently consists of 5 (0.7m) PlaneWave CDK700 telescopes; these telescopes have two ports, allowing each to be used for either spectroscopic or photometric observations. A summary of the facility and its capabilities can be found in the commissioning paper by Addison et al. 2019 (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019PASP..131k5003A) and at https://nexsci.caltech.edu/missions/Minerva/. Note the list of Minerva-Australis collaboration targets (https://drive.google.com/file/d/18t3pyxLNpu8_ZnyAXbtN4-yTdnRyR3Wz/view) that proposers may observe, but are asked to communicate with the Minerva-Australis team on any publications resulting from data from the observatory. The photometric channel is capable of milli-magnitude precision and currently, the light from four telescopes can be combined onto one R=75,000 echelle spectrograph for radial velocity precisions of 1-10 m/s depending on the target brightness and how many telescopes are combined.

High resolution imaging on WIYN, Gemini-North and Gemini-South

NN-EXPLORE is supporting community observations with three high-resolution imagers - NESSI on WIYN, 'Alopeke on Gemini-North and Zorro on Gemini-South. In speckle mode they provide simultaneous two-color diffraction-limited optical imaging (FWHM~0.02" at 650nm) of targets as faint as V~13/17 over a 1.5" field of view. Wide-field mode provides simultaneous two-color imaging in standard SDSS filters over a 60" field of view. For further information see https://www.wiyn.org/Instruments/wiynnessi.html,https://www.gemini.edu/instrumentation/alopeke-zorro and contact the PI: Steve Howell (NASA Ames Research Center). The full 2022A Gemini call for proposals is at: https://www.gemini.edu/observing/phase-i/standard-semester-program/2022a-call-proposals

2) Exoplanet Explorers (ExoExplorers) Seminar Series: Soliciting “ExoExplorers” for 2nd Cohort (January-June 2022) (Deadline September 23, 2021, 8pm PDT)

This ExoExplorers program, sponsored by NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program Office and the ExoPAG Executive Committee, will focus on the professional development of ~12 graduate student and/or postdoc researchers (“ExoExplorers”) by raising their visibility in the exoplanet community via a series of open webinars, helping them build internal and external research networks, and providing them with an opportunity to learn from the experiences of senior exoplanet astronomers, or “ExoGuides.”

For more details on the program, see: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exoexplorers/

and FAQ page at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exoexplorers/exoexplorers-faq/

Call for ExoExplorer applications

Additional details for the ExoExplorers call can be found at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exoexplorers/exoexplorers-call/

Postdocs and graduate students at US and international¹ institutions are invited to participate in the second Exoplanet Explorers (ExoExplorers) Science Series. Members of this cohort, which will run from January 2022 to June 2022, will each present a seminar on their research to the larger exoplanet community. Each of the ExoExplorers will receive $1,000 for the purchase of one presentation of their research results, presented as a part of the Science Series.

In addition, the ExoExplorers will be invited to participate in:

Weekly interactions between members of the cohort
Monthly informal group discussions with prominent scientists (“ExoGuides”) in the fields of exoplanet science and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), and individual conversations with other researchers
One to two professional development training sessions on topics to be decided by the cohort, such as proposal writing, building inclusive collaborations, and public speaking
The development and/or execution of cohort-driven activities pertaining to DEIA.

The activities described above will largely be shaped by the unique interests and needs of the cohort. Therefore, we seek applicants who are actively seeking to enrich and enhance their exoplanet science and DEIA in the broader exoplanet community via engaging with each other, as well as with the ExoGuides and ExoExplorers organizers.

Application instructions can be found on the ExoExplorer page, linked above.

Applications are due September 23, 2021 at 8pm Pacific time.

-- The ExoExplorer steering and organizing committees

¹ NASA places restrictions on interactions with several countries: Iran, Syria, North Korea, and China. If you are a citizen of one of these countries or are currently employed by an institution in one of these countries, please see our FAQ page for guidance.

3) Input to ExEP Science Gap List (Deadline September 30, 2021)

The NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) is seeking community input on the ExEP Science Gap List (SGL) through September 30, 2021, with the goal of providing an updated version in early 2022.

The current 2021 version of the SGL is posted on the ExEP Program Science page (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/science-overview/) at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/system/internal_resources/details/original/1877_ExEP_SciGapList_2021.pdf

The Science Gap List (SGL) tabulates program “science gaps”, which are defined as the difference between knowledge needed to define requirements for specified future NASA exoplanet missions and the current state of the art, or knowledge which is needed to enhance the science return of current and future NASA exoplanet missions. Making the gap list public signals to the broader community where focused science investigations are needed over the next 3-5 years in support of ExEP goals. The ExEP Science Gap List represents activities and investigations that will advance the goals of NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, and provides brief summaries in a convenient tabular format. The ExEP Science Gap list is meant to assist proposers in describing the relevance of their work to Program goals as they respond to SMD ROSES and mission observing proposal solicitations. All ExEP approaches, activities, and decisions are guided by science priorities, and those priorities are presented and summarized in the ExEP Science Gap List.

Please contact ExEP scientists Karl Stapelfeldt (Karl.R.Stapelfeldt@jpl.nasa.gov) & Eric Mamajek (Eric.Mamajek@jpl.nasa.gov) with any input for revisions to the SGL.

Later this year, ExEP plans to update both the Science Gap List and Science Plan Appendix to take into account the Decadal Survey recommendations and NASA’s response. The Science Plan Appendix is a more comprehensive document that lays out the scientific challenges that must be addressed to advance the goals of NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program (last version 2018).

The ExEP Exoplanet Program Science documents are available at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/science-overview/

4) BUFFET: Building a Unified Framework For Exoplanet Treatments (Virtual, Sept. 27-29, 2021)

BUFFET: Building a Unified Framework For Exoplanet Treatments

September 27-29, 2021 • online everywhere

The NASA Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS) CUISINES Working Group is hosting this three-day workshop to bring together scientists who use a variety of models to explore the planets in the Solar System and beyond, and who are interested in comparing results through exoplanet model intercomparison projects (MIPs) that would promote best scientific practices and maximize scientific output, as well as enable broad and inclusive community participation.

https://nexss.info/buffet-registration/

5) NASA Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC) Meeting (Oct. 13 & 15, 2021)

The next meeting of the NASA Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC) will be held October 13 & 15, 2021 between 11am-5pm EDT/8am-2pm PDT. The agenda and contact information will be posted to the APAC website: https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/nac/science-advisory-committees/apac

Presentations from the June 29-30, 2021 "Meeting of Experts" are also posted at: https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/nac/science-advisory-committees/apac

6) Nancy Grace Roman Coronagraph Instrument Information Sessions (Oct. 26 & 28, 2021)

"Dear colleague,

With this announcement, we invite you to attend community information sessions on the Coronagraph Instrument on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The purpose of the sessions is to inform the community about progress on the Roman Coronagraph Instrument and its capability as a technology demonstrator and potential science instrument. This may be particularly useful for potential proposers to the Coronagraph Community Participation Program (CPP) element of the Roman Research and Support ROSES solicitation expected later this year (the placeholder can be found here: https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary!init.do?solId=%7b0AA8592A-252B-A599-0CDD-484DD1D8480E%7d&path=open). An announcement about similar information sessions for the Roman Wide Field Instrument will be forthcoming.

The Coronagraph Instrument on Roman is designed to achieve unprecedented high-contrast performance by deploying several key technologies in space for the first time. With its multiple modes, including broadband imaging, spectroscopy, and polarimetry, it will pave the way for future exo-Earth-finding missions and will itself potentially produce groundbreaking exoplanet and disk science. The Coronagraph Instrument is being developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in collaboration with Goddard Space Flight Center, CNES, MPIA, JAXA, and ESA. It passed its Critical Design Review in April and is now in the build phase. More information about direct imaging with Roman can be found at https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/exoplanets_direct_imaging.html.

Two Science Investigation Teams were chartered in 2016 to provide support of the design and development of the instrument, to help plan for operations, and to study the potential for science; these teams will conclude their work this fall. The Coronagraph CPP is the next funded opportunity for external community engagement; the CPP will be expected to become integral contributing members of the Coronagraph Instrument team.

This primary information session will contain presentations from the Roman Coronagraph Project on the status and capability of the instrument as well as presentations from both Science Investigation Teams summarizing their work done and potential future areas of interest. Additional resources, including open-source simulation tools, will be summarized, and additional deep dive information sessions on these tools are planned. This primary information session will also present an opportunity for interested parties to ask questions about the design, development, and potential operational uses of the Coronagraph.

The primary session will be virtual and will take place from ~9:00 am - 2:00 pm Pacific Time on Tuesday, October 26 and Thursday, October 28, 2021. All are welcome to attend, including participants from international institutions. No registration is required. An agenda will be released closer to the date of the event. Information about the primary info session, as well as the deep-dive topical information sessions, will be posted at: https://roman.ipac.caltech.edu/mtgs/Roman_CGI_workshop.html. Recordings will be posted to this site for those who are unable to attend the live events, though we encourage live participation to enable vigorous Q&A.

You can sign up for the Roman Announcements email list here: https://lists.ipac.caltech.edu/mailman/listinfo/roman_announce

If you have further questions about the info session, please email, coron_info_sessions@jpl.nasa.gov "

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1) NN-EXPLORE Time Available for 2022A: WIYN 3.5m, CTIO/SMARTS 1.5m, MINERVA-Australis, and Community High Resolution Imaging on WIYN, Gemini-North, and Gemini-South (Proposals due Sept. 30, 2021 through NOIRLab Proposal Process)

NN-EXPLORE proposals are invited for the WIYN 3.5m, CTIO/SMARTS 1.5m with CHIRON, and MINERVA-Australis in semester 2022A (covering 1 February 2022 – 31 July 2022) through the NOIRLab call for proposals: https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/proposals/call-for-proposals/

For further details on the NN-EXPLORE time and the complete list of available instruments, see: https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/proposals/nn-explore/

WIYN 3.5m

The NNEXPLORE program continues on the WIYN 3.5m, with 30 nights available for exoplanet programs - including the recently commissioned precision RV instrument NEID: https://www.wiyn.org/Instruments/wiynneid.html and https://www.wiyn.org/Instruments/wiynneid_call2022a.html. WIYN selections come with modest monetary award for analysis, publications costs and incidental expenses. https://www.wiyn.org/

CTIO/SMARTS 1.5m+CHIRON

NNEXPLORE offers observing time on the CTIO/SMARTS 1.5m with the precision radial-velocity spectrometer CHIRON, with 300 hours (equivalent to 30 nights of service observing) of observing time in 2022A. For more information on the SMARTS 1.5m telescope and CHIRON, see: http://www.astro.gsu.edu/~thenry/SMARTS/.

MINERVA-Australis

As part of the NNEXPLORE program, NASA is continuing in a partnership with the MINERVA-Australis consortium that began in 2020B. That agreement continues in Semester 2022A, with 300 hours of observing time open to NNEXPLORE proposals. MINERVA-Australis is a dedicated exoplanet observatory operated by the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) in Queensland, Australia. The facility is located at USQ's Mt. Kent Observatory, and saw first light in quarter two 2018; commissioning of the facility was completed in mid-2019. MINERVA-Australis currently consists of 5 (0.7m) PlaneWave CDK700 telescopes; these telescopes have two ports, allowing each to be used for either spectroscopic or photometric observations. A summary of the facility and its capabilities can be found in the commissioning paper by Addison et al. 2019 (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019PASP..131k5003A) and at https://nexsci.caltech.edu/missions/Minerva/. Proposers may observe targets on the updated list of Minerva-Australis collaboration targets (https://drive.google.com/file/d/18t3pyxLNpu8_ZnyAXbtN4-yTdnRyR3Wz/view), but proposers are asked to communicate with the Minerva-Australis team on any publications resulting from data from the observatory. The photometric channel is capable of milli-magnitude precision and currently the light from four telescopes can be combined onto one R=75,000 echelle spectrograph for radial velocity precisions of 1-10 m/s depending on the target brightness and how many telescopes are combined.

High resolution imaging on WIYN, Gemini-North and Gemini-South

NN-EXPLORE is supporting community observations with three high-resolution imagers - NESSI on WIYN, 'Alopeke on Gemini-North and Zorro on Gemini-South. In speckle mode they provide simultaneous two-color diffraction-limited optical imaging (FWHM~0.02" at 650nm) of targets as faint as V~13/17 over a 1.5" field of view. Wide-field mode provides simultaneous two-color imaging in standard SDSS filters over a 60" field of view. For further information see https://www.wiyn.org/Instruments/wiynnessi.html,https://www.gemini.edu/instrumentation/alopeke-zorro and contact the PI: Steve Howell (NASA Ames Research Center). The full 2022A Gemini call for proposals is at: https://www.gemini.edu/observing/phase-i/standard-semester-program/2022a-call-proposals

2) Exoplanet Explorers (ExoExplorers) Seminar Series: Soliciting Both “ExoGuides” and “ExoExplorers” for 2nd Cohort (January-June 2022) [ExoGuide nomination deadline is September 10, 2021. ExoExplorer application deadline is September 23, 2021]

This ExoExplorers program, sponsored by NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program Office and the ExoPAG Executive Committee, will focus on the professional development of ~12 graduate student and/or postdoc researchers (“ExoExplorers”) by raising their visibility in the exoplanet community via a series of open webinars, helping them build internal and external research networks, and providing them with an opportunity to learn from the experiences of senior exoplanet astronomers, or “ExoGuides.”

For more details on the program, see: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exoexplorers/

Questions on either call? Please see our FAQ page.

Call for ExoGuide nominations

Additional details for the ExoGuides call can be found at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exoexplorers/exoexplorers-exoguide-call/

As an ExoGuide, we ask that you present one hour-long seminar directly to the cohort that speaks to your experiences as a scientist, and that you participate in one hour-long informal discussion with the cohort. The ExoExplorer organizers are eager to showcase broad, diverse perspectives and therefore encourage you to suggest any topic you might find engaging to the exoplanet community.

ExoGuides should be faculty, staff, or equivalent career stage. We welcome both exoplanet and exoplanet-adjacent scientists (e.g., disks, stars) from any institution (US and international).

Nominations should be submitted via this form by September 10, 2021: https://forms.gle/5LKUKjohwbhKGk7Z7.

Self-nominations are welcome. The organizers will review nominations and reach out to potential ExoGuides in October and November.

Call for ExoExplorer applications

Additional details for the ExoExplorers call can be found at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exoexplorers/exoexplorers-call/

Postdocs and graduate students at US and international¹ institutions are invited to participate in the second Exoplanet Explorers (ExoExplorers) Science Series.

Members of this cohort, which will run from January 2022 to June 2022, will each present a seminar on their research to the larger exoplanet community. Each of the ExoExplorers will receive $1,000 for the purchase of one presentation of their research results, presented as a part of the Science Series².

In addition, the ExoExplorers will be invited to participate in:

Weekly interactions between members of the cohort
Monthly informal group discussions with prominent scientists (“ExoGuides”) in the fields of exoplanet science and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), and individual conversations with other researchers
One to two professional development training sessions on topics to be decided by the cohort, such as proposal writing, building inclusive collaborations, and public speaking
The development and/or execution of cohort-driven activities pertaining to DEIA.

The activities described above will largely be shaped by the unique interests and needs of the cohort. Therefore, we seek applicants who are actively seeking to enrich and enhance their exoplanet science and DEIA in the broader exoplanet community via engaging with each other, as well as with the mentors.

Application instructions can be found on the ExoExplorer page.

Applications are due September 23, 2021.

-- The ExoExplorer steering and organizing committees

¹ NASA places restrictions on interactions with several countries: Iran, Syria, North Korea, and China. If you are a citizen of one of these countries or are currently employed by an institution in one of these countries, please contact exoexplorers_questions@jpl.nasa.gov for guidance.

² At this time, we are uncertain whether payment to participants from non-US institutions will be possible. We are investigating payment options, and will post updates to the website and the announcements list as available.

3) Input to ExEP Science Gap List (Deadline September 30, 2021)

The NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) is seeking community input on the ExEP Science Gap List (SGL) through September 30, 2021, with the goal of providing an updated version in early 2022.

The current 2021 version of the SGL is posted on the ExEP Program Science page (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/science-overview/) at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/system/internal_resources/details/original/1877_ExEP_SciGapList_2021.pdf

The Science Gap List (SGL) tabulates program “science gaps”, which are defined as the difference between knowledge needed to define requirements for specified future NASA exoplanet missions and the current state of the art, or knowledge which is needed to enhance the science return of current and future NASA exoplanet missions. Making the gap list public signals to the broader community where focused science investigations are needed over the next 3-5 years in support of ExEP goals. The ExEP Science Gap List represents activities and investigations that will advance the goals of NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, and provides brief summaries in a convenient tabular format. The ExEP Science Gap list is meant to assist proposers in describing the relevance of their work to Program goals as they respond to SMD ROSES and mission observing proposal solicitations. All ExEP approaches, activities, and decisions are guided by science priorities, and those priorities are presented and summarized in the ExEP Science Gap List.

Please contact ExEP scientists Karl Stapelfeldt (Karl.R.Stapelfeldt@jpl.nasa.gov) & Eric Mamajek (Eric.Mamajek@jpl.nasa.gov) with any input for revisions to the SGL.

Later this year, ExEP plans to update both the Science Gap List and Science Plan Appendix to take into account the Decadal Survey recommendations and NASA’s response. The Science Plan Appendix is a more comprehensive document that lays out the scientific challenges that must be addressed to advance the goals of NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program (last version 2018).

The ExEP Exoplanet Program Science documents are available at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/science-overview/

4) NASA Hubble Fellowship Applications are Open (Due Nov. 4, 2021)

Applications for the 2022 NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) are now open with a due date of November 4, 2021. The Announcement of Opportunity can be viewed here: https://www.stsci.edu/stsci-research/fellowships/nasa-hubble-fellowship-program/announcement-of-opportunity

The NHFP provides an opportunity for recent postdoctoral scientists to conduct independent research that contributes to any area of NASA Astrophysics. The research will be carried out at United States host institutions chosen by each fellow, subject to a limitation on the number of fellows that can be hosted by any one institution that can be hosted by any one institution.

The NHFP provides salary support plus benefits for up to three years, and an additional allowance for travel and other research costs. Contingent upon NASA funding, 24 new fellowships will be awarded for 2022. Please note that for this announcement, eligibility has been extended to four years from PhD to account for COVID hardships.

The NHFP is administered for NASA by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), in collaboration with the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI) at the California Institute of Technology and the Chandra X-ray Center at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Awards will be made to support each NHFP Fellow through a designated host institution.

Questions: nhfp@stsci.edu

5) Astrophysics Explorer Solicitations Released

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is releasing two solicitations for Astrophysics Explorers Science Investigations. The Astrophysics Explorers Program conducts Principal Investigator (PI)-led space science investigations relevant to SMD's astrophysics programs. Astrophysics Explorers investigations must address NASA’s strategic objective to discover how the universe works, explore how it began and evolved, and search for life on planets around other stars.

Release Date: August 24, 2021
Mandatory Notice of Intent to Propose Due: October 14, 2021
Proposals Due: December 9, 2021

NASA will release concurrently the 2021 Astrophysics Medium Explorer (MIDEX) Announcement of Opportunity (NNH21ZDA018O), and the 2021 Astrophysics Explorers Mission of Opportunity (MO) Program Element Appendix Q (PEA-Q) (NNH17ZDA004O-APEXMO2) as Amendment 20 to the NASA Third Stand Alone Missions of Opportunity Notice (SALMON-3) Announcement of Opportunity NNH17ZDA004O.

These solicitations will be open through December 9, 2021. The NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) is the official NASA source for the full text of the solicitations and any future amendments or clarifications, therefore, please visit: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ and search on the solicitation number or use the following direct, short URLS

Solicitation Number: NNH21ZDA018O (Medium Explorer AO) available at https://go.nasa.gov/21APMIDEX
Solicitation Number: NNH17ZDA004O-APEXMO2 (Amendment 20 to the SALMON-3 AO: NNH17ZDA004O) available at https://go.nasa.gov/21APEXMO2

A joint Preproposal Conference will be held via teleconference/WebEx in September 2021. The forthcoming date, agenda, and logistical information for this session maybe found by visiting the Astrophysics Explorers Program Acquisition Homepage: https://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/2021APMIDEX/.

Prospective investigators from any category of organizations or institutions, U.S. or non-U.S., are welcome to respond to this solicitation. Specific categories of organizations and institutions that are welcome to respond include, but are not limited to, educational, industrial, and not-for-profit organizations, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), NASA Centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and other Government agencies. Non-U.S. organizations may participate on a no-exchange-of-funds basis.

NASA expects to select approximately two to three Astrophysics Explorers MIDEX missions for Phase A studies, and down select approximately one MIDEX mission to proceed into Phase B and subsequent mission phases. NASA expects to select approximately two or more Astrophysics Explorers Missions of Opportunity for Phase A studies, and down select approximately one or more Missions of Opportunity to proceed into Phase B and subsequent mission phases.

The 2021 Medium Explorer AO incorporates a number of changes relative i) to the 2019 Explorers Program AO and ii) to the Draft 2021 Medium Explorer (MIDEX) AO. All proposers must read the 2021 AO carefully, and all proposals must comply with the requirements, constraints, and guidelines contained within the AO.

The 2021 Mission of Opportunity SALMON-3 PEA incorporates a number of changes relative i) to the 2019 Astrophysics Explorers Mission of Opportunity solicitation and ii) to the Draft 2021 Astrophysics Explorers Mission of Opportunity PEA. All proposers must read the SALMON-3 AO and PEA Q carefully, and all proposals must comply with the requirements, constraints, and guidelines contained within them.

Mandatory Notices of Intent are required from proposers to either or both Announcements of Opportunity by 11:59 pm Eastern time on October 14, 2021 and proposals are due by the same hour on December 9, 2021.

Comments and questions may be addressed by E-mail to the Astrophysics Explorers Program Scientist, Dr. Linda S. Sparke,(subject line to read "Astrophysics Explorers MIDEX AO" or "Astrophysics Explorers MO PEA" as appropriate). Proposers are encouraged to send comments and questions early, so that they may be addressed at the Preproposal Conference.

Responses to all inquiries will be posted at the Questions and Answers (QAs) location of the Astrophysics Explorers Program Acquisition website at https://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/2021APMIDEX/. The period for questions/comments will close three weeks before the proposal due date, and the period for responses will close ten days before the proposal due date. Anonymity of persons/institutions who submit questions will be preserved.

6) NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) Proposal Call 2022A (Proposals due Oct. 1, 2021)

Call for proposals for NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) for 2022A semester: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/observing/callForProposals.php

The due date for the 2022A semester (February 1, 2022 to July 31, 2022) is Friday, October 1, 2021. See online submission form (http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/observing/applicationForms.php), which is available for proposal submission from 12:00AM on September 07, 2021 until 5:00PM on October 01, 2021 HST.

NASA IRTF Fall 2021 Newsletter: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/information/newsletter.php?2021B

Available IRTF instruments: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/instruments/

IRTF Facility Instruments:

SpeX, 0.7-5.3 micron medium-resolution spectrograph: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/~spex/
iSHELL, 1.1-5.3 micron cross-dispersed spectrograph and imager: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/~ishell/
MORIS, Andor 512 x 512 pixel CCD camera mounted at the side-facing window of SpeX: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/~moris/
MIRSI, 5-20 micron camera and grism spectrograph: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/~mirsi/
MOC, Imager/guider for MIRSI equipped an Andor 512x512 CCD: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/~moc/

IRTF Visitor Instrument:

TEXES, 8-26 micron high resolution grating spectrograph: http://irastro.physics.ucdavis.edu/texes/
Contact: Dr. Tommy Greathouse (SWRI)

7) Twinkle Exoplanet Conference (Sept. 29, 2021)

"Dear exoplanet colleagues,

We invite you to join our upcoming conference, "Twinkle and the Next Generation of Exoplanet Scientists" (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/twinkle-and-the-next-generation-of-exoplanet-scientists-tickets-165516274633), taking place on Wednesday Sept. 29, 2021 from 12pm–2:15pm Eastern time (EDT). The conference will focus on the next generation of exoplanet research driven by early-career scientists (within and beyond the Twinkle collaboration), and will highlight new opportunities for postdocs and students to participate in Twinkle activities.

Please see the attached agenda for the speaker lineup and register via the event page for connection info: https://www.tinyurl.com/twinkleconference

We look forward to seeing you there!

On behalf of the Twinkle team,
Max
Max Joshua max@bssl.space"

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1) Exoplanet Explorers (ExoExplorers) Seminar Series: Soliciting Both “ExoGuides” and “ExoExplorers” for 2nd Cohort (January-June 2022) [ExoGuide nomination deadline is September 10, 2021. ExoExplorer application deadline is September 23, 2021]

This ExoExplorers program, sponsored by NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program Office and the ExoPAG Executive Committee, will focus on the professional development of ~12 graduate student and/or postdoc researchers (“ExoExplorers”) by raising their visibility in the exoplanet community via a series of open webinars, helping them build internal and external research networks, and providing them with an opportunity to learn from the experiences of senior exoplanet astronomers, or “ExoGuides.”

For more details on the program, see: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exoexplorers/

Questions on either call? Please see our FAQ page.

Call for ExoGuide nominations

Additional details for the ExoGuides call can be found at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exoexplorers/exoexplorers-exoguide-call/

As an ExoGuide, we ask that you present one hour-long seminar directly to the cohort that speaks to your experiences as a scientist, and that you participate in one hour-long informal discussion with the cohort. The ExoExplorer organizers are eager to showcase broad, diverse perspectives and therefore encourage you to suggest any topic you might find engaging to the exoplanet community.

ExoGuides should be faculty, staff, or equivalent career stage. We welcome both exoplanet and exoplanet-adjacent scientists (e.g., disks, stars) from any institution (US and international).

Nominations should be submitted via this form by September 10, 2021: https://forms.gle/5LKUKjohwbhKGk7Z7.

Self-nominations are welcome. The organizers will review nominations and reach out to potential ExoGuides in October and November.

Call for ExoExplorer applications

Additional details for the ExoExplorers call can be found at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exoexplorers/exoexplorers-call/

Postdocs and graduate students at US and international¹ institutions are invited to participate in the second Exoplanet Explorers (ExoExplorers) Science Series.

Members of this cohort, which will run from January 2022 to June 2022, will each present a seminar on their research to the larger exoplanet community. Each of the ExoExplorers will receive $1,000 for the purchase of one presentation of their research results, presented as a part of the Science Series².

In addition, the ExoExplorers will be invited to participate in:

Weekly interactions between members of the cohort
Monthly informal group discussions with prominent scientists (“ExoGuides”) in the fields of exoplanet science and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), and individual conversations with other researchers
One to two professional development training sessions on topics to be decided by the cohort, such as proposal writing, building inclusive collaborations, and public speaking
The development and/or execution of cohort-driven activities pertaining to DEIA.

The activities described above will largely be shaped by the unique interests and needs of the cohort. Therefore, we seek applicants who are actively seeking to enrich and enhance their exoplanet science and DEIA in the broader exoplanet community via engaging with each other, as well as with the mentors.

Application instructions can be found on the ExoExplorer page.

Applications are due September 23, 2021.

-- The ExoExplorer steering and organizing committees

¹ NASA places restrictions on interactions with several countries: Iran, Syria, North Korea, and China. If you are a citizen of one of these countries or are currently employed by an institution in one of these countries, please contact exoexplorers_questions@jpl.nasa.gov for guidance.

² At this time, we are uncertain whether payment to participants from non-US institutions will be possible. We are investigating payment options, and will post updates to the website and the announcements list as available.

2) ULTRASAT Science Workshop (October 4-6, 2021)

ULTRASAT Science Workshop

NASA is collaborating with Israel in the ULTRASAT project, an Israeli-built near-ultraviolet imaging satellite with a 200 square degree field of view and rapid target-of-opportunity response time. The collaboration will include a Participating Scientist program giving US scientists the opportunity to work with ULTRASAT data within the ULTRASAT science working groups, including during any proprietary period. Participating Scientists will be selected competitively with details to be announced.

The Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel is holding their second ULTRASAT science workshop on October 4-5. The workshop is open to both remote and in-person attendance by interested scientists worldwide. This will be a good opportunity for US scientists to learn more about the spacecraft and some of its expected science investigations. Questions specific to NASA’s participation in ULTRASAT can be addressed to James Rhoads (NASA Project Scientist) (James.E.Rhoads@nasa.gov). Further details of the workshop follow in the announcement from the Weizmann Institute, as quoted below:

We will hold the 2nd ULTRASAT workshop on Monday-Tuesday, October 4-5, 2021, followed by an ULTRASAT collaboration day on Wednesday, October 6, 2021.

The workshop brings together members of the 12 ULTRASAT science working groups and external experts, for an in-depth discussion of the research that will be enabled by ULTRASAT. The main topics that will be discussed are: gravitational wave sources, transients-stellar explosions, and the star-planet connection.

The goal of the workshop is to continue developing the ULTRASAT science program, further define its key science questions and key measurements, and discuss the feasibility of several suggested operation modes and their impact on the different science goals.

The workshop will be held at the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS). It will also be open to remote attendance via Zoom for participants who cannot arrive at the WIS due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The meeting program may be found at:
https://www.weizmann.ac.il/ultrasat/science-workshops/2nd-ultrasat-science-workshop-and-collaboration-day-october-4-6-2021

and information about ULTRASAT, its key science goals, and the planned mission, at:
https://www.weizmann.ac.il/ultrasat/

Please RSVP, so we can prepare accordingly:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSejdamuMhah0OQkNIrbf7eeLwFTGRsgJkieGy504zHTmHuDig/viewform

Looking forward to see you all,

Yossi Shvartzvald

ULTRASAT Project Scientist

Eli Waxman

ULTRASAT PI

On behalf of the Science Organizing Committee:

E. Waxman (WIS), A. Gal-Yam (WIS), Y. Shvartzvald (WIS), E. Ofek (WIS), S. Ben-Ami (WIS), D. Berge (DESY), M. Kowalski (DESY), D. Maoz (TAU), I. Arcavi (TAU), B. Trakhtenbrot (TAU), D. Polishook (WIS), N. Stone (HUJI)"

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1) Extreme Precision Radial Velocity Working Group (EPRV WG) Final Report Townhall (August 4, 2021; 14:00 EDT/11:00 PDT)

"Dear Exoplanet Community-

After some delay, the Final Report of the Extreme Precision Radial Velocity Working Group (EPRV WG) has been completed and is now publicly released. The final version of the report is posted to the NN-EXPLORE website: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/NNExplore/EPRV/. I’d like to thank all of the members of the EPRV Working Group for their contributions to this important effort over the past couple years.

For those interested, we will hold a 1-hour overview presentation on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 11:00 PDT (14:00 EDT) via the WebEx link below. Scott Gaudi, Jenn Burt and John Callas will briefly summarize the report and then open the floor for any Q&A about the report.

Sincerely,
John Callas
Manager, NN-EXPLORE Program
Jet Propulsion Laboratory

2) 2022A NASA Keck Call for Proposals (Proposals due September 16, 2021)

The 2022A NASA Keck Call for Proposals is now available with proposals due on September 16 by 4 pm PDT.

Please note two important items for this Call:

Proposal review will use a Dual Anonymous Proposal Review (DAPR) process starting this semester.
In addition to General Observing and Mission Support proposals, NASA is also soliciting large Key Strategic Mission Support (KSMS) proposals. Required but non-binding Notices of Intent (NOIs) for the KSMS proposals are due August 16 by 4 pm PDT.

As such, there have been significant changes to the Call for Proposals and the proposal preparation process, including required templates. Please read the revised Call for Proposals and these Proposer Guidelines for NASA Keck Dual Anonymous Reviews.

Key Dates

Friday, July 30, 2021: 2022A Call for Proposals and KSMS NOI submission site available:https://catcopy.ipac.caltech.edu/nasakeck/ksms_noi.php
Monday, August 16, 2021 at 4 pm PDT: Due date for required but non-binding NOIs for Key Strategic Mission Support (KSMS) programs (https://nexsci.caltech.edu/missions/KeckSolicitation/gen-info.shtml#IIa)
Thursday, August 26, 2021 at 11 am PDT: DAPR informational meeting for proposers. We will send out more information about this meeting but you can email us at KeckCFP@ipac.caltech.edu to be added to the invite list for this Zoom meeting. This meeting will be recorded and posted on the NExScI website.
Thursday, September 2, 2021: Deadline to request the required letters of support from NASA HQ and the supported project for both Key Strategic Mission Support (https://nexsci.caltech.edu/missions/KeckSolicitation/gen-info.shtml#IIa) and General Mission Support proposals (https://nexsci.caltech.edu/missions/KeckSolicitation/gen-info.shtml#IIb).
Thursday, September 16, 2021 by 4 pm PDT: All proposals and supporting letters due to NExScI by 4 pm PDT

Questions: keckcfp@ipac.caltech.edu

3) Exoplanets in our Backyard 2.0 (November 9-11, 2022)

Save the Date!

Exoplanets in our Backyard 2.0
DATES: November 9-11, 2022
Venue and format TBD

The Exoplanets in Our Backyard (EioB) workshop represents a partnership between ExoPAG, OPAG, VEXAG, and MEPAG. Workshop goals include examining and discussing exoplanet and solar system synergies on planetary properties, formation, evolution, and habitability. The first EioB workshop was held February 5-7, 2020 at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. The topics broadly included solar system and exoplanet missions, astrobiology, comparative planetology, studies of planetary properties and evolution, star-planet interactions, planetary statistics and demographics, and exoplanet system architectures that are applicable to solar system bodies. The workshop succeeded in its goal of fostering and building new collaborations among scientists in the solar system and exoplanet communities and provided guidance regarding the direction of future exploration and observations of worlds in the solar system and beyond. With the recent selection of new planetary science Discovery missions, the launch and early observational results from JWST, and the expected results related to planetary atmospheres within the next year, the next workshop, EioB-2.0, will continue to highlight the connectivity between the two communities. The content and format of the first Exoplanets in our Backyard meeting were regarded favorably by attendees as described in our white paper submitted to the Planetary Decadal Survey: https://arxiv.org/abs/2007.09231

The recorded talks and program from the first EioB meeting can be viewed here: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/exoplanets2020/

The EioB meeting series is a truly collaborative effort between communities, and the goal of the upcoming second meeting is to provide a venue to further foster the interactions. We hope to see you there.

Ravi Kopparapu, Stephen Kane, Giada Arney, Noam Izenberg, Laura Schaefer, Abigail Rymer, Robin Wordsworth, Johanna Teske, Terry Hurford"

4) Input to ExEP Science Gap List (Deadline September 30, 2021)

The NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) is seeking community input on the ExEP Science Gap List (SGL) through September 30, 2021, with the goal of providing an updated version in early 2022:

The current 2021 version of the SGL is posted on the ExEP Program Science page at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/system/internal_resources/details/original/1877_ExEP_SciGapList_2021.pdf

The Science Gap List (SGL) tabulates program “science gaps”, which are defined as the difference between knowledge needed to define requirements for specified future NASA exoplanet missions and the current state of the art, or knowledge which is needed to enhance the science return of current and future NASA exoplanet missions. Making the gap list public signals to the broader community where focused science investigations are needed over the next 3-5 years in support of ExEP goals. The ExEP Science Gap List represents activities and investigations that will advance the goals of NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, and provides brief summaries in a convenient tabular format. The ExEP Science Gap list is meant to assist proposers in describing the relevance of their work to Program goals as they respond to SMD ROSES and mission observing proposal solicitations. All ExEP approaches, activities, and decisions are guided by science priorities, and those priorities are presented and summarized in the ExEP Science Gap List.

Please contact ExEP scientists Karl Stapelfeldt (Karl.R.Stapelfeldt@jpl.nasa.gov) & Eric Mamajek (Eric.Mamajek@jpl.nasa.gov) with any input for revisions to the SGL.

Later this year, ExEP plans to update both the Science Gap List and Science Plan Appendix to take into account the Decadal Survey recommendations and NASA’s response. The Science Plan Appendix is a more comprehensive document that lays out the scientific challenges that must be addressed to advance the goals of NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program (last version 2018).

The ExEP Exoplanet Program Science documents are available at:
https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/science-overview/

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1) Call for NASA Keck Key Strategic Mission Support Proposals for 2022A

NASA is a 1/6 partner in the W. M. Keck telescopes and allocates ~47 nights per semester. For the upcoming 2022A proposal cycle, in addition to General Observing and Mission Support proposals, NASA is also soliciting proposals for large Key Strategic Mission Support (KSMS) programs. Also starting in 2022A, the NASA Keck proposal review will use the Dual Anonymous Proposal Review (DAPR) process.

The opportunity to propose as Principal Investigators (PIs) for the NASA time on the Keck Telescopes is open to all U.S.-based astronomers, i.e., those with their principal affiliation at a U.S. institution. Astronomers at non-U.S.-based institutions may serve as Co-Is.

KSMS projects may support past, present, and/or future missions, now including JWST. Between 10 - 60 nights total over two years (2022A-2023B) will be allocated between one or more KSMS projects with a maximum of 15 nights per semester. An important element of the KSMS programs is a plan for timely release of processed data in a form suitable for use by the broader community as a contributed dataset through the Keck Observatory Archive (KOA).

Proposers planning to submit a KSMS proposal must submit a required but non-binding Notice of Intent (NOI) by August 16, 2021. The NOI should contain the PI and co-I names and affiliations, the program title, a short abstract, and identify the supported mission(s).

For more information on KSMS proposals, please read the full announcement attached and also posted here (https://nexsci.caltech.edu/missions/KSA/22A_KSMS.pdf).

Important Dates:

July 30, 2021: Call for Proposals and NOI submission site available
August 16, 2021: NOIs due to NExScI by 4 pm Pacific
September 2, 2021: Deadline to request a written letter of endorsement from NASA Headquarters
September 16, 2021: All proposals and letters of support due to NExScI by 4 pm Pacific

Questions: keckcfp@ipac.caltech.edu

We are also requesting those interested in NASA Keck time to complete this short survey (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUCfQumoIyWTQf0Qwlc9hOdeswDrhf6NhAweLKp_txagc9-A/viewform) to provide input about how observations with the Keck telescopes enable or enhance the scientific return of NASA missions and NASA's long term science goals. This information will be helpful to the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is preparing its new Strategic Plan, and to NASA, which is considering the renewal of the 5-year Cooperative Agreement to continue NASA's access to the Keck telescopes for the period 2023-2028. Please read this July 1 letter (https://nexsci.caltech.edu/missions/KSA/NASAKeck_Survey.pdf) from the NExScI directors with more information on this request and complete the survey by August 1. Thank you in advance!

2) 2021 Sagan Summer Virtual Workshop: Circumstellar Disks and Young Planets (July 19-23, 2021)

A final reminder that the Sagan Summer Virtual Workshop will be held next week (July 19-23, 2021). There are already 1287 registered participants!

Free registration, the agenda, and complete information on the hands-on sessions for the 2021 Sagan Summer Workshop are now posted at the workshop website: https://nexsci.caltech.edu/workshop/2021/

Join us for the 21st Sagan Summer Workshop!

The 2021 Sagan Summer Workshop will focus on young planets and the circumstellar disks from which they form during the first few million years of a star's lifetime. As a protoplanet accretes material from the disk, dynamical interactions drive migration and produce disk substructures such as the gaps, rings and spirals now detected in high-resolution optical, near-infrared, and submillimeter images. Over the next 100 million years, planetary systems continue to evolve through processes such as collisions, differentiation, and scattering. These late-epoch evolutionary processes are reflected in the structure and distribution of secondary dust disks. These debris disks, formed as the result of planetesimals stirring, serve as signposts for the presence of planetary systems.

The workshop will address how transformational new datasets are allowing us to address key questions about the formation and evolution of planets and their potential habitability; topics will include:

Properties of transiting young planets detected by the Kepler/K2 and TESS missions
Gaia identification of groups of young stars and determination of their ages
Properties of planets and disks imaged directly with ground-based faculties (e.g., Gemini/GPI, SPHERE/VLTI, Keck and ALMA) and space-based telescopes (Spitzer, HST and, soon, JWST)
Environment influence of an active young star on the evolution of the primordial atmosphere of a young planet
Theoretical bases for the formation and evolution of a planetary systems, including both the disk and planets

The 2021 workshop will be fully virtual. The Sagan Summer Workshops are aimed at advanced undergraduates, grad students, and postdocs, however all are welcome to attend. There is no registration fee for these workshops. Attendees will also participate in hands-on tutorials and have the chance to meet in smaller groups with our speakers.

We ask all participants to follow this Code of Conduct (https://nexsci.caltech.edu/workshop/2021/code.shtml)

Website: https://nexsci.caltech.edu/workshop/2021/

Questions: sagan_workshop@ipac.caltech.edu

Twitter: #sagan2021

View presentations from previous summer workshops and full-length pre-recorded talks for this year’s workshop on the Sagan Summer Workshop YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SaganSummerWorkshop/playlists

3) ExoPAG 24 Presentations Online

Presentation slides from ExoPAG 24 (held June 24, 2021) are posted at:

https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/events/347/exopag-24-virtual-meeting/

Most of the presentations have already been posted. The remaining few presentations and videos of the talks should be posted within the next couple weeks.

4) ROSES-21 Amendment 26: D.7 Strategic Astrophysics Technology will Focus on Upcoming Decadal Recommendations

Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) (https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?solId=%7bCEB50291-CFB3-2D82-0F88-D529F2160335%7d&path=&method=init) supports the maturation of key technologies for potential infusion in space flight missions. Strongly endorsed by the 2010 Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics, the SAT program is a key element of the strategy adopted by the Astrophysics Division in implementing the Astro2010 recommendations (see the Astrophysics Implementation Plan at https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/documents).

ROSES-2021 Amendment 26 is an advance notice that this year proposals to D.7 SAT must be focused exclusively on the technology needs of missions recommended by the 2020 Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics (https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/decadal-survey-on-astronomy-and-astrophysics-2020-astro2020), which will be issued shortly. Topics focused on technology development relevant to NASA Astrophysics but not pertaining to the missions recommended by the 2020 Decadal Survey may be submitted to D.3 Astrophysics Research and Analysis (https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?solId=%7b99310630-22E7-32E0-0407-A41939865EDE%7d&path=&method=init)

The due dates and full text of D.7 SAT will be released in a subsequent amendment following the release of the 2020 Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics (https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/decadal-survey-on-astronomy-and-astrophysics-2020-astro2020). The due date for SAT proposals will be no fewer than 90 days after the release of that amendment.

We do not anticipate that the Astrophysics Technology Gaps List will be updated in time for SAT this year, so proposers should simply refer to the text of D.7 SAT once it is released to see which projects are in scope this year.

On July 8, 2021, this Amendment to the NASA Research Announcement "Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2021" (NNH21ZDA001N) was posted on the NASA research opportunity homepage at http://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2021 and the SARA's ROSES blog at: https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/solicitations/roses-2021/amendment-26-d7-strategic-astrophysics-technology-will-focus-upcoming-decadal-recommendations.

In addition to the Program Officers listed in the table below with their areas of expertise, the main point of contact concerning this program is: Mario R. Perez who may be reached at mario.perez@nasa.gov.

Questions concerning D.7 may also be directed to:

Doug Hudgins at douglas.m.hudgins@nasa.gov, for Exoplanet Exploration
Valerie Connaughton at valerie.connaughton@nasa.gov, for Physics of the Cosmos
Kartik Sheth at kartik.sheth@nasa.gov, for Cosmic Origins

5) NASA SMD Town Hall Meeting (July 22, 2021; 1:30pm EDT)

NASA's Science Mission Directorate will hold a community town hall meeting with Associate Administrator for Science Thomas H. Zurbuchen and his leadership team at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time Thursday, July 22, to discuss updates to NASA's science program and share the current status of NASA activities.

Members of the science community, academia, the media, and the public are invited to participate by joining at:https://nasaevents.webex.com/nasaevents/onstage/g.php?MTID=e64a419cf4cd7764e9427bb0aa74a0293

If prompted, please use event number: 199 165 8366, followed by event password: dzPfxAWy442.

To ask a question, participants can go to: https://nasa.cnf.io/sessions/d9pq/#!/dashboard

Users must provide their first and last name and organization and can submit their own questions or vote up questions submitted by others. The meeting leaders will try to answer as many of the submitted questions as possible.

Presentation materials for the meeting will be available for download and a recording will be available later that day at: https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/virtual-townhall

This WebEx service includes a feature that allows audio and any documents and other materials exchanged or viewed during the session to be recorded. You should inform all meeting attendees prior to recording if you intend to record the meeting. Please note that any such recordings may be subject to discovery in the event of litigation.

6) PLATO Atmospheres Workshop (December 8-10, 2021; Virtual)

Dear Colleagues,

FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT

We are pleased to announce the PLATO atmospheres workshop which will be held online via webex on December 8-10, 2021.

Details of the final programme and schedule are still being finalised. We plan to have three afternoon sessions each starting at 14:00 CET and ending with a short breakout discussion. The three sessions are:

Sub-Neptunes (Wednesday 8th December)
Hot Jupiters (Thursday 9th December)
(Hot) Earth-like Planets (Friday 10th December)

We will end on the Friday with a general discussion including joint strategies with exoplanet missions following PLATO.

Confirmed speakers include: Eliza Kempton, Vivien Parmentier and Mark Hammond.

Planned are 20-minute invited talks, 10-minute standard talks and a poster session.

SCIENCE CONTRIBUTIONS

Although it is not the main aim of the PLATO mission to characterise atmospheres, it is nevertheless possible with PLATO to constrain basic atmospheric information e.g. to observe possible phase curves hence albedo and meridional transport for some favorable Ultra Hot Jupiter or/and Hot Jupiter atmospheres, or to constrain bulk composition via the Rayleigh Absorption Feature with the Fast Camera Filters, or to distinguish different types of massive early steam atmospheres from PLATO measurements of planetary radius and age.

We welcome contributions from the exoplanetary science community at large

on exoplanetary atmospheres including (Ultra) Hot Jupiters, Sub-Neptunes and (hot) terrestrial exoplanets for modeling and observations. This includes data analyses and modeling studies on atmospheric composition, climate, escape, clouds, retrieval, phase curves and evolution of hot and temperate rocky and gassy exoplanets. The organizers particularly welcome a clear demonstrable link with the PLATO mission science goals.

REGISTRATION

Registration will be possible until November 1, 2021. To register please send an email to: PLATO_atmospheres@dlr.de and state your name, institution and whether you request a talk or poster (in which case please send a title and short (~up to half a page) abstract).

Please accept our apologies if you receive this email multiple times.

Kind Regards,

The PLATO Atmospheres Workshop Team
LOC: Szilard Csizmadia, Alexander Esau, John Lee Grenfell, Barbara Stracke
SOC: Szilard Csizmadia, John Lee Grenfell, Tristan Guillot, Manuel Güdel, Helmut Lammer,
Tim Lichtenberg, Lena Noack, Heike Rauer, Frank Sohl

7) Atmospheres, Atmospheres! Do I Look Like I Care About Atmospheres? (ESO Virtual Conference, August 23-27, 2021)

ESO is pleased to announce the conference “Atmospheres, Atmospheres! Do I look like I care about atmospheres?” that will take place online from 23 to 27 August 2021. The conference is scheduled to take place online (as a Zoom meeting), for 5 hours each day of the program. We anticipate the live program to start at 1 pm CEST and finish at 6 pm CEST.

Important Dates:

25 July 2021: Abstract and lecture registration deadline
15 August 2021: Conference registration deadline
23-27 August 2021: Conference dates

Rationale: This conference will bring together the community working theoretically and observationally on understanding ex- oplanet atmospheres by transmission and emission spectroscopy, with an emphasis on using ground-based facilities. It aims also to bring together those working on the atmospheres of close-in exoplanets and those studying the atmo- spheres of giant planets in our Solar System, in order to compare methodologies and see where synergies exist or could be made. The conference has as further goal to prepare the next generation of astronomers to embark on this exciting and essential area of astrophysics, which is technically very challenging. Therefore, the conference is split into two separate events: the first two days are devoted to lectures and hands-on sessions and are aimed primarily at students (including master students) and other astronomers wishing to start in the field. The number of participants to this part of the conference will be limited to ensure the highest interaction possible, and if needed a selection of participants will be done by the organisers. The last three days of the conference will consist in a series of invited and contributed talks. In addition, the conference will include time allocated for discussions and social interactions. The conference will have dedicated breakout groups on Slack to foster discussions and post files. We anticipate discussion on Slack to start one week before the conference. The deadline for registration for the lectures and for abstract submission is 25 July 2021. Registration for the second part of the conference will be possible until 15 August 2021. To register please fill in the registration form available on the website. Registration is free. Please act responsibly and attend the conference if you register. To cancel your registration, please email atmo2021@eso.org. Details will be emailed to registered participants closer to the conference dates.

Download/Website: https://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2021/Atmo2021.html

Contact: atmo2021@eso.org

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1) Public Release of Reduced Solar Data Products from NEID Spectrograph

The NASA-NSF Exoplanet Observational Research (NN-EXPLORE) program announces the public release of reduced solar data products from the NEID spectrograph built by the Pennsylvania State University. The data are released through the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI) archive at https://neid.ipac.caltech.edu/search_solar.php. The NEID spectrograph collects solar spectra daily for approximately six hours. The data are processed into reduced data products on a best effort basis for daily release. More information can be found visiting: https://neid.ipac.caltech.edu/help_solar.php

2) ExoPAG 24 Presentations Posted Online

Most of the presentations for ExoPAG 24 have been uploaded to the meeting website, and the few that haven't been posted yet should be available in the coming days.

3) NASA Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC) Meeting (June 29-30, 2021; Virtual) - CANCELLED

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announces that the planned meeting on June 29-30, 2021, of the Astrophysics Advisory Committee is cancelled. The cancellation of this meeting is due to NASA administrative priorities.

In lieu of the meeting of the Astrophysics Advisory Committee, the NASA Astrophysics Division will conduct a public symposium using the agenda of the cancelled Astrophysics Advisory Committee meeting. A panel of experts will ask questions of the speakers at this public symposium. This form of meeting is sometimes referred to as a Meeting of Experts.

The agenda for the public symposium, including the remote connection information for this virtual meeting, may be found on the homepage of the Astrophysics Advisory Committee at https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/nac/science-advisory-committees/apac.

The public may submit and upvote comments/questions ahead of the meeting through the websitehttps://arc.cnf.io/sessions/qgpt/#!/dashboard.

4) TESS Science Conference II (August 2-6, 2021; Reminder: Registration Deadline July 1, 2021)

A reminder that the registration deadline for the TESS Science Conference II is Thursday, July 1, 2021. The registration, list of invited speakers, and splinter session topics can be found at: https://tsc.mit.edu/

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1) ExoPAG 24 (June 24, 2021): Agenda and Invitation to Participate in Pre-meeting Activities (Deadline June 15, 2021 for Community Members to Propose Findings for Consideration by the ExoPAG)

Note: minor changes since first announcement (deadline dropped for submitting new ideas for future activities)

We are pleased to remind the community that ExoPAG 24 will take place June 24, 2021, from 12:00pm-5:15pm EDT (9:00am-2:15pm PDT). Meeting details and the latest Agenda are available on the ExoPAG 24 meeting page.

This is only a one-day meeting, anticipating that we will have another one day community forum later in the summer (tentatively set for the week of August 9-13, 2021) following the release of the Astro2020 Decadal Survey (https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/decadal-survey-on-astronomy-and-astrophysics-2020-astro2020).

The program for ExoPAG 24 will include updates from the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program, a few science updates, and our Business Meeting.

To support discussions at the Business Meeting, we invite members of the community to share ideas for future activities that the ExoPAG should consider.

These ideas will be discussed during the meeting after the program office reviews progress made on past suggestions. These ideas could lead to specific activities such as the creation of a Science Analysis Group (SAG) providing analysis in the form of a report submitted to the Astrophysics Division (APD). Some ideas could lead to further discussions and eventually generate future findings that could be affirmed by the ExoPAG by vote and passed to the Astrophysics Division (see below). While it is preferable to submit ideas before the ExoPAG, there will also be opportunity to propose new ideas during the meeting.

The ExoPAG has recently created a process for developing these findings for discussion at ExoPAG meetings. After community discussion, potential findings with significant community support can be revised based on community input, and brought to a vote at a future ExoPAG meeting (e.g. ExoPAG 25 in January, 2022). Findings not selected for a near-term vote, can always be brought forward again for further discussion. If more than 2/3 majority of voting participants (excluding abstentions) support such findings, they are passed to the APD leadership along with the results of the vote. View past findings approved by the ExoPAG.

We invite community members to propose findings for consideration by the ExoPAG (by June 15, 2021) here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1S9kZEVfdutSaTvQcFuD3yMioFen_3UenmNgfu_59Z-4/edit

The ExoPAG EC will review these and structure a discussion of them at the meeting.

Questions and comments during ExoPAG will handled through a moderated Q&A tool where questions and comments can be upvoted (same as was employed for ExoPAG 23). The link to the Q&A tool will be distributed closer to the ExoPAG 24 date.

We look forward to seeing you at ExoPAG 24!

Michael Meyer

(on behalf of the EC)

2) Astrophysics Technology Development Gap Solicitation (Deadline for Providing Input: Three Weeks After the Astro2020 Release Date)

Dear members of the astrophysics community,

The Astrophysics Division (APD) and its three thematic Program Offices (POs) – Physics of the Cosmos (PCOS), Cosmic Origins (COR), and Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) – are planning to respond to the Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey report (Astro2020) planned for release later this year and would like your input.

Following the release of Astro2020, APD will develop a new Astrophysics Implementation Plan (AIP) that responds to the survey’s priorities for the coming decade. Informed by this response plan and Astro2020 itself, the POs will update the Astrophysics strategic technology gap priorities.

In 2019, the POs implemented a joint biennial strategic technology gap prioritization process to inform APD’s technology development investments. An integral component of that process is engagement of the community to help identify key technology needs and gaps between the current state-of-the-art for those technologies and the performance levels that will be required to implement strategic Astrophysics missions and technology development activities.

This announcement is released to officially call for community input to APD’s initial technology gap prioritization process for Astro2020. Specifically, APD invites community input regarding the most important areas for technology development needed to support the priorities of Astro2020, with particular interest in new/different technologies and priorities relative to the current (pre-Astro2020) gap list (https://apd440.gsfc.nasa.gov/tech_gap_priorities.html). Interested community members who would like to provide input can do so by completing the gap submission form at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/internal_resources/1185 and emailing it to either Thai Pham (thai.pham@nasa.gov) or Brendan Crill (brendan.p.crill@jpl.nasa.gov) by three weeks after the Astro2020 release date. If you have questions, please email those to Thai or Brendan, leaving enough time for a response and your submission before the above deadline.

After the response period, the POs’ science and technology teams will collate the input and update the contents and prioritization of the technology gaps according to the four criteria (https://apd440.gsfc.nasa.gov/technology.html). As has been the case in the past, the revised joint gap list will inform possible amendments to the Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT; https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/programs/astrophysics-division-technology) solicitation. The updated Technology Gap List, along with a description of APD’s technology needs and priorities, will be published in the 2021 Astrophysics Biennial Technology Report (ABTR), planned to be released in October 2021.

Please refer to our technology websites for more information about the current (2019) APD technology gaps (https://apd440.gsfc.nasa.gov/tech_gap_priorities.html or https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/technology/gap-lists/). In addition to new gaps suggested by the community through the above process, all gaps in the current list will be considered in the 2021 prioritization process. Accordingly, suggestions for edits to current gaps are also encouraged and welcome.

This is your opportunity to take an active role in shaping the future of space technology for astrophysics and helping us align it to the recommendations of Astro2020. We look forward to working with the community to implement the exciting vision for the future that will be provided by Astro2020.

APD Program Office Technologists
Brendan Crill, Opher Ganel, Thai Pham, and Nick Siegler

3) Input to ExEP Science Gap List (Deadline Sept. 30, 2021)

The NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) is seeking community input on the ExEP Science Gap List (SGL) through September 30, 2021, with the goal of providing an updated version in early 2022:

The current 2021 version of the SGL is posted on the ExEP Program Science page (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/science-overview/) at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/system/internal_resources/details/original/1877_ExEP_SciGapList_2021.pdf.

The Science Gap List (SGL) tabulates program “science gaps”, which are defined as the difference between knowledge needed to define requirements for specified future NASA exoplanet missions and the current state of the art, or knowledge which is needed to enhance the science return of current and future NASA exoplanet missions. Making the gap list public signals to the broader community where focused science investigations are needed over the next 3-5 years in support of ExEP goals. The ExEP Science Gap List represents activities and investigations that will advance the goals of NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, and provides brief summaries in a convenient tabular format. The ExEP Science Gap list is meant to assist proposers in describing the relevance of their work to Program goals as they respond to SMD ROSES and mission observing proposal solicitations. All ExEP approaches, activities, and decisions are guided by science priorities, and those priorities are presented and summarized in the ExEP Science Gap List.

Please contact ExEP scientists Karl Stapelfeldt (Karl.R.Stapelfeldt@jpl.nasa.gov) & Eric Mamajek (Eric.Mamajek@jpl.nasa.gov) with any input for revisions to the SGL.

Later this year, ExEP plans to update both the Science Gap List and Science Plan Appendix to take into account the Decadal Survey recommendations and NASA’s response. The Science Plan Appendix is a more comprehensive document that lays out the scientific challenges that must be addressed to advance the goals of NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program (last version 2018).

The ExEP Exoplanet Program Science documents are available at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/science-overview/

4) ExoExplorers Science Series: Kaitlin Rasmussen (U Michigan) & Eileen Gonzales (Cornell) (June 11, 2021; 4-5pm EDT/1-2pm PDT)

The ExoExplorers Science Series presents talks by cohort members Kaitlin Rasmussen (U Michigan) & Eileen Gonzales (Cornell) on June 11, 2021, 4-5pm EDT/1-2pm PDT.

Eileen Gonzales (Cornell) - "Why Brown Dwarfs Should Be Your Friends: Lessons Learned From Their Atmospheric Retrievals"

&

Kaitlin Rasmussen (U Michigan) - "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Drake Equation: Past, Present, and Future"

Connection info:

https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/events/342/exoexplorer-science-series-kaitlin-rasmussen-u-michigan-eileen-gonzales-cornell/

These are the last two speakers for the current cohort.

5) NExSS Technosignatures Science Working Group Webinar Recording

From Jessica L. Noviello, PhD (NExSS NASA Postdoctoral Management Fellow, Universities Space Research Association (USRA), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center):

“I am pleased to announce that the recording of last week’s Technosignatures Science Working Group webinar is now available for viewing! You can find it on the Technosignatures page of the redesigned NExSS website (https://nexss.info/technosignatures/) or on the NExSS YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCfv-JDwz9k). Thank you again to the organizers for hosting such an informative event!”

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1) ExoPAG 24 (June 24, 2021): Agenda and Invitation to Participate in Pre-meeting Activities

We are pleased to remind the community that ExoPAG 24 will take place June 24, 2021, from 12:00pm-5:15pm EDT (9:00am-2:15pm PDT). Meeting details and the latest Agenda are available on the ExoPAG 24 meeting page.

This is only a one-day meeting, anticipating that we will have another one day community forum later in the summer (tentatively set for the week of August 9-13, 2021) following the release of the Astro2020 Decadal Survey (https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/decadal-survey-on-astronomy-and-astrophysics-2020-astro2020).

The program for ExoPAG 24 will include updates from the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program, a few science updates, and our Business Meeting.

To support discussions at the Business Meeting, we invite members of the community to share ideas for future activities that the ExoPAG should consider.

These ideas will be discussed during the meeting after the program office reviews progress made on past suggestions. These ideas could lead to specific activities such as the creation of a Science Analysis Group (SAG) providing analysis in the form of a report submitted to the Astrophysics Division (APD). Some ideas could lead to further discussions and eventually generate future findings that could be affirmed by the ExoPAG by vote and passed to the Astrophysics Division (see below). Please share ideas by June 22, 2021 so they can be incorporated in discussions during the meeting. There will also be opportunities to propose new ideas during the meeting.

The ExoPAG has recently created a process for developing these findings for discussion at ExoPAG meetings. After community discussion, potential findings with significant community support can be revised based on community input, and brought to a vote at a future ExoPAG meeting (e.g. ExoPAG 25 in January, 2022). Findings not selected for a near-term vote, can always be brought forward again for further discussion. If more than 2/3 majority of voting participants (excluding abstentions) support such findings, they are passed to the APD leadership along with the results of the vote. View past findings approved by the ExoPAG.

We invite community members to propose findings for consideration by the ExoPAG.

Please share these ideas by June 15, 2021. The ExoPAG EC will review these and structure a discussion of them at the meeting.

Questions and comments during the ExoPAG will be handled through a moderated Q&A tool where questions and comments can be upvoted (same as was employed for ExoPAG 23). The link to the Q&A tool will be distributed closer to the ExoPAG 24 date.

We look forward to seeing you at ExoPAG 24!

Michael Meyer
(on behalf of the EC)

2) Astrophysics Technology Development Gap Solicitation (Deadline for providing input: three weeks after the Astro2020 release date)

Dear members of the astrophysics community,

The Astrophysics Division (APD) and its three thematic Program Offices (POs) – Physics of the Cosmos (PCOS), Cosmic Origins (COR), and Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) – are planning to respond to the Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey report (Astro2020) planned for release later this year and would like your input.

Following the release of Astro2020, APD will develop a new Astrophysics Implementation Plan (AIP) that responds to the survey’s priorities for the coming decade. Informed by this response plan and Astro2020 itself, the POs will update the Astrophysics strategic technology gap priorities.

In 2019, the POs implemented a joint biennial strategic technology gap prioritization process to inform APD’s technology development investments. An integral component of that process is engagement of the community to help identify key technology needs and gaps between the current state-of-the-art for those technologies and the performance levels that will be required to implement strategic Astrophysics missions and technology development activities.

This announcement is released to officially call for community input to APD’s initial technology gap prioritization process for Astro2020. Specifically, APD invites community input regarding the most important areas for technology development needed to support the priorities of Astro2020, with particular interest in new/different technologies and priorities relative to the current (pre-Astro2020) gap list (https://apd440.gsfc.nasa.gov/tech_gap_priorities.html). Interested community members who would like to provide input can do so by completing the gap submission form and emailing it to either Thai Pham (thai.pham@nasa.gov) or Brendan Crill (brendan.p.crill@jpl.nasa.gov) by three weeks after the Astro2020 release date. If you have questions, please email those to Thai or Brendan, leaving enough time for a response and your submission before the above deadline.

After the response period, the POs’ science and technology teams will collate the input and update the contents and prioritization of the technology gaps according to the four criteria (https://apd440.gsfc.nasa.gov/technology.html). As has been the case in the past, the revised joint gap list will inform possible amendments to the Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT; https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/programs/astrophysics-division-technology) solicitation. The updated Technology Gap List, along with a description of APD’s technology needs and priorities, will be published in the 2021 Astrophysics Biennial Technology Report (ABTR), planned to be released in October 2021.

Please refer to our technology websites for more information about the current (2019) APD technology gaps (https://apd440.gsfc.nasa.gov/tech_gap_priorities.html or https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/technology/gap-lists/). In addition to new gaps suggested by the community through the above process, all gaps in the current list will be considered in the 2021 prioritization process. Accordingly, suggestions for edits to current gaps are also encouraged and welcome.

This is your opportunity to take an active role in shaping the future of space technology for astrophysics and helping us align it to the recommendations of Astro2020. We look forward to working with the community to implement the exciting vision for the future that will be provided by Astro2020.

APD Program Office Technologists
Brendan Crill, Opher Ganel, Thai Pham, and Nick Siegler

Hyperlinks & email addresses:

3) ExoExplorers Science Series: Kaitlin Rasmussen (U Michigan) & Eileen Gonzales (Cornell) (June 11, 2021; 4-5pm EDT/1-2pm PDT)

The ExoExplorers Science Series presents talks by cohort members Kaitlin Rasmussen (U Michigan) & Eileen Gonzales (Cornell) on June 11, 2021, 4-5pm EDT/1-2pm PDT.

Eileen Gonzales (Cornell)

"Why Brown Dwarfs Should Be Your Friends: Lessons Learned From Their Atmospheric Retrievals"

Kaitlin Rasmussen (U Michigan)

"The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Drake Equation: Past, Present, and Future"

Connection info:

https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/events/342/exoexplorer-science-series-kaitlin-rasmussen-u-michigan-eileen-gonzales-cornell/

These are the last two speakers for the current cohort.

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1) ExoPAG 24: Save the Date (June 24, 2021; 11am-5pm EDT/8am-2pm PDT)

Please save the date for ExoPAG 24, 11 am to 5 pm EDT (TBC), June 24. The agenda will include programmatic updates of relevance for the ExoPAG community, science updates and descriptions of exciting new capabilities, updates from SIGs and SAGs, as well as our regular business meeting. Members can propose ideas for future ExoPAG findings here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1S9kZEVfdutSaTvQcFuD3yMioFen_3UenmNgfu_59Z-4/edit

(see a description of past findings), as well as suggest new activities for ExoPAG activities (SAGs and SIGs). Please note that we also plan to hold a community forum later in the summer to review the exoplanet related recommendations of Astro2020 after its release.

2) NASA ROSES Extreme Precision Radial Velocity (EPRV) Foundation Science Selections

As part of the EPRV Initiative, a NASA ROSES Solicitation in EPRV Foundation Science was formulated as a first investment. We are pleased to announce that selections have been made:

https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument/cmdocumentid=817258/solicitationId=%7B8BEF2D63-6E33-C28A-B68B-8EF929B90D74%7D/viewSolicitationDocument=1/EPRV20%20Abstracts.pdf

3) ExoExplorers Science Series: Jules Fowler (UCSC) & Rachel Fernandes (U Arizona/LPL) (May 14, 2021, 4-5pm EDT/1-2pm PDT)

The ExoExplorers Science Series presents talks by cohort members Jules Fowler (UCSC) & Rachel Fernandes (U Arizona - LPL) on May 14, 2021 from 4-5pm EDT/1-2pm PDT.

https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/events/341/exoexplorer-science-series-jules-fowler-ucsc-rachel-fernandes-u-arizona-lpl/

Jules Fowler (UCSC)
"Don't Heckle My Speckle: A Coronagraph Design Study for the SEAL Testbed"

&

Rachel Fernandes (U. Arizona - LPL)
"Exoplanet Demographics Beyond Kepler: Giant Planets with Radial Velocity & Young Planets with TESS"

4) JWST Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science (ERS) Summer 2021 Activities: ERS Pre-launch Data Hackathon (June 21-25, 2021) and the ERS Theory Webbinar

Dear Exoplanet Colleagues,

The JWST Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science (ERS) team is hosting two summer 2021 activities related to exoplanet science with the Webb Telescope: the ERS Pre-launch Data Hackathon (21-25 June 2021) and the ERS Theory Webbinar (weekly starting 1 July 2021).

The key goals of these events are to teach the tools and concepts needed to make the most from JWST exoplanet observations, to inspire the development of new and better analyses in advance of JWST’s launch, and to provide an inclusive space where scientists can work together in preparing for the revolution in exoplanet science that JWST will provide. While broadly focused on the Early Release Science (ERS) datasets, these events are open to the broader exoplanet community, and we encourage all those interested in participating to register. All levels of expertise are welcome, from the novice student to the expert exoplaneteer!

Details and registration can be found at ers-transit.github.io. Registration is due by 21 May 2021 for the ERS Pre-launch Hackathon and suggested by 1 July 2021 for the ERS Theory Webbinar.

Cheers,
Zach Berta-Thompson, Mike Line, Mercedes Lopez-Morales (Data Challenge Co-Chairs)
Natalie Batalha, Kevin Stevenson, Jacob Bean (ERS Co-PIs)
and the entire Exo-Webb ERS Team!

5) CHEOPS Science Workshop VI (July 13-16, 2021)

https://cheops.unibe.ch/scienceworkshop2021

Goal of the meeting:

The CHEOPS workshop VI will be held 13-16 July, 2021, some 15 months after the beginning of CHEOPS science operations. The workshop will be the occasion for the planetary science community at large to discuss and share the first main results of CHEOPS in different fields, from the planetary internal structure to atmospheric characterization, etc. Participants are invited to propose contributed talks and posters on all scientific aspects linked to CHEOPS, including CHEOPS based-results as well as proposals for future observations and synergies with other facilities, as for example:

mission update and performances
finding transits of already known planets
mass-radius relation and planetary internal structure
TTV
tidal deformation
moons and rings
tidal decay
phase curves
planet heat redistribution
cloud properties
albedo

Registration deadline: May 31, 2021

https://cheops.unibe.ch/cheops-science-workshop-2021-registration

(note: After reaching 200 registrations, you will be put on a waiting list for physical attendance. Note that online participation will still be possible.)

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1) Announcing New Members of the ExoPAG Executive Committee

"Dear All,

We are very pleased to announce the new members of the ExoPAG EC:

Michael Bottom, The University of Hawaii
Ofer Cohen, The University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Knicole Colon, NASA GSFC
Ilaria Pascucci, The University of Arizona

They bring new expertise and diverse perspectives to the ExoPAG Executive Committee. Please join me in welcoming Michael, Ofer, Knicole, and Ilaria. We are grateful that they have accepted the invitation to join the EC and contribute in this way.

We are also grateful for the significant contributions of departing Executive Committee members Thomas Barclay, Jessie Christiansen, and Rebecca Jensen-Clem, as well as out-going Past Chair Emeritus, Vikki Meadows. Please join me in thanking them for their service.

In the meantime, please everyone stay safe and well during these trying times.

Sincerely,
Michael Meyer"

2) ExoExplorer Science Series: Jules Fowler (UCSC) & Rachel Fernandes (U Arizona/LPL) (May 14, 2021, 4-5pm EDT/1-2pm PDT)

The ExoExplorer Science Series presents talks by cohort members Jules Fowler (UCSC) on TBD & Rachel Fernandes (U Arizona - LPL) on TBD on May 14, 2021 from 4-5pm EDT/1-2pm PDT.

https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/events/341/exoexplorer-science-series-jules-fowler-ucsc-rachel-fernandes-u-arizona-lpl/

Please sign up to receive announcements about ExoExplorers at:
https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exoexplorers/exoexplorers-announcements/

3) Roman Space Telescope Exoplanet Imaging Data Challenge: Final Jamboree (Apr. 30, 2021)

Roman Space Telescope Exoplanet Imaging Data Challenge: FINAL JAMBOREE
Friday April 30, 2021, 11am to 2:30pm EDT (online)

https://www.stsci.edu/contents/events/stsci/2021/april/the-roman-exoplanet-imaging-data-challenge-final-jamboree
https://www.exoplanetdatachallenge.com/

Public event to announce winners, prizes and discuss lessons learned, our legacy tutorial.

Hear our finalist teams and participants give their feedback!

Agenda: https://www.exoplanetdatachallenge.com/events
Registration: https://na.eventscloud.com/ereg/index.php?eventid=615224&
Live Stream: https://www.facebook.com/STScILiveScienceEvents

The ROMAN Exoplanet Imaging Data Challenge (https://www.exoplanetdatachallenge.com/) ran for 8 months in 2019-2020. Organized by the Turnbull Science Investigation Team (SIT), this data challenge was a unique opportunity for exoplanet scientists of all backgrounds and experience levels to get acquainted with realistic Roman CGI (coronagraphic) simulated data with a new contrast regime enabling to unveil giant planets in reflected light. Participants had to recover the astrometry of an exoplanetary system combining precursor radial velocity data with up to 6 coronagraphic imaging epochs throughout the mission. They had to perform accurate orbital fitting and determine the mass of any planet hidden in the data. It involved PSF subtraction techniques, post-processing, and other astrophysics hurdles to overcome such as contamination sources (stellar, extragalactic, and exozodiacal light).

We are now ready to announce the results to the community, present our in-house analysis, and discuss lessons learned and paths forward to best exploit scientifically the first data coming out of Roman CGI. For that, we welcome you to attend our 3 ½ hour event on Friday, April 30 2021. The event will be publicly live streamed on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/STScILiveScienceEvents). However, if you would like to actively participate in the discussion and/or the Q/As, please register (https://na.eventscloud.com/ereg/index.php?eventid=615224&) and we will send you a BlueJeans link to connect.

Contact: Julien Girard - jgirard@stsci.edu

4) Dual-Anonymous Peer Review Town Hall for Planetary and Exoplanets Research Programs (Apr. 28, 2021; 3-4pm EDT/12-1pm PDT)

On April 28, 2021 at 3 PM Eastern, NASA's Planetary Science Division will host a webinar to discuss the implementation of Dual-Anonymous Peer Review for the following programs under ROSES-2021: Cassini Data Analysis Program, Discovery Data Analysis Program, Exoplanet Research Program, New Frontiers Data Analysis Program, Lunar Data Analysis Program, and the Mars Data Analysis Program.

In Dual-Anonymous Peer Review, not only are proposers unaware of the identity of reviewers, but the reviewers do not have explicit knowledge of the proposing teams and institutions during the scientific evaluation of the proposal. The webinar will: (1) discuss the motivation for switching to dual-anonymous peer review, (2) describe important changes to proposal writing to be compliant with dual-anonymous peer review, and (3) explain how dual-anonymous peer reviews will work.

In advance of the webinar, questions may be submitted and upvoted on at:

https://arc.cnf.io/sessions/tgwj/

The webinar will be broadcast live via WebEx. Connection details follow:

Join from the meeting link

https://nasaenterprise.webex.com/nasaenterprise/j.php?MTID=mc0083f862cf0d9ce33b27fc0391dd6f0

Join by meeting number
Meeting number (access code): 199 756 1176
Meeting password: DaPR-2021

Join by phone
+1-929-251-9612 USA Toll 2
+1-415-527-5035 US Toll

For more information on dual-anonymous peer review, please visit: https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/dual-anonymous-peer-review

5) TESS Atmospheric Characterization Working Group (ACWG) Website

From Eliza Kempton:

"The TESS Atmospheric Characterization Working Group (ACWG) has compiled a new website with various resources aimed at aiding the atmospheric characterization and TESS follow-up communities. The link to the website is given here: https://tess.mit.edu/science/tess-acwg/

On this website, you will find the following resources:

A set of plots to motivate and plan for future statistical surveys of exoplanet atmospheres.
A webform for community members to identify priority atmospheric characterization targets for communication to the TESS Follow-Up Observing Program (TFOP).
A downloadable spreadsheet listing information on all approved JWST transiting planet observations.

Any questions or comments on the website content can be sent to the ACWG via Eliza Kempton (ekempton@astro.umd.edu)."

6) Exoplanets IV (May 1-6, 2022, Las Vegas, NV)

https://aas.org/meetings/aastcs9/exoplanets

7) Rocky Worlds II Conference (Jan. 10-12, 2022, Oxford, UK)

ROCKY WORLDS II CONFERENCE
January 10-12, 2022
Oxford, United Kingdom

https://www.rockyworlds.org

Registration deadline: September 30, 2021

The detailed understanding gleaned from the terrestrial planets in the Solar System is crucial in the interpretation of extrasolar planets. As the characterisation of these new planetary systems proceeds, it in turn improves our understanding of the Solar System, and in particular of how potentially habitable worlds form, evolve, and are distributed throughout the galaxy.

The newly established Rocky Worlds conference series brings together planetary scientists, astronomers, and earth scientists to foster discussion and build collaborations that will pave the way for the next decade of rocky exoplanet discovery and characterisation.

Confirmed invited speakers: Nathalie Carrasco, Linda Elkins-Tanton, Rebecca Fischer, Sascha Quanz, Elishevah van Kooten, Allona Vazan

Scientific organisers: Tim Lichtenberg, Amy Bonsor, Vivien Parmentier, James Bryson, Oliver Shorttle, Colin Wilson, Jayne Birkby, Ray Pierrehumbert

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1) Dr. Christine Corbett Moran named Deputy Manager for Exoplanet Exploration Program

From Exoplanet Exploration Program Manager Gary Blackwood:

"I am delighted to announce the selection of Dr. Christine Corbett Moran as the Deputy Manager for the Exoplanet Exploration Program, a NASA Headquarters Program that JPL manages for the NASA Astrophysics Division and the exoplanet science community.

Dr. Moran is an interdisciplinary physicist and engineer, with a strong science communications background and extensive entrepreneurial experience. She has authored or co-authored 24 publications and proceedings, held foundational roles at three successful startups, and has more than fifteen years of experience as a highly sought-after public speaker and writer.

Dr. Moran earned two Bachelor of Science degrees from MIT in Physics and Computer Science & Engineering, with minors in Mathematics and Philosophy. She also holds a Master’s of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine. Dr. Moran earned her Master’s and Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Zurich, where her thesis work focused on computational cosmology.

Dr. Moran has been a member of the Caltech/JPL community for six years, first serving as an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow (NSF AAPF) at Caltech in the Theoretical AstroPhysics Including Relativity and Cosmology (TAPIR) group. She joined JPL in 2018, where she most recently served as the Group Supervisor in the Cyber Defense Engineering and Research Group (CDER, 319C) and in the M2020 Engineering Cameras (ECAM) operations team as a Payload Downlink Lead (PDL). Before joining JPL, Dr. Moran worked in the propulsion group at SpaceX and served at the South Pole Telescope (SPT) in Antarctica as a Winter-over scientist with the University of Chicago to perform preliminary data analysis and maintain and operate the telescope’s mechanical, electrical, and computer systems.

Dr. Moran begins her new role as Deputy Manager of the Exoplanet Exploration Program on April 12 and will continue on-going support of the ECAM operations team through September. She joins a program office team that will respond to the science, technology, and mission study priorities that will be described in the upcoming release of the Astro2020 Decadal Survey, and will continue to support our growing exoplanet science community and public engaged by active science and public communications.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank Kendra Short for her outstanding service to the Exoplanet Exploration Program and wish her success in her new assignment as Deputy Flight System Manager on the Europa Clipper Mission.

Please join me in warmly welcoming Dr. Christine Corbett Moran as Deputy Manager of the Exoplanet Exploration Program."

2) Exoplanet Explorers Presentation (Friday, April 16, 2021; 4-5pm EST/1-2pm PST)

The third ExoExplorers Science Series presentation will take place on Friday, April 16, 2021, from 4-5pm EDT/1-2pm PDT.

This session features cohort members:

David Coria (University of Kansas)
"The Missing Link: Connecting Exoplanets and Galactic Chemical Evolution via Stellar Abundances"
Jason Williams (USC/Carnegie)
“The Design and Construction of Henrietta, a high-precision low resolution near-infrared spectrograph to explore exoatmospheres”

You can find talk and connection information for all our upcoming events.

Sign up to receive announcements about ExoExplorers.

The Exoplanet Explorers (ExoExplorers) Science Series, sponsored by the ExoPAG Executive Committee and by NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, aims to enable the professional development of a cohort of graduate students and postdocs (“ExoExplorers”) in exoplanet research. The first cohort is running through June 2021 and consists of 10 early career scientists. ExoExplorer talks will be live and open to the entire exoplanet community. ExoGuide talks will be delivered directly to the cohort and posted online following the event.

If you have any questions or feedback or are interested in becoming an ExoGuide for a future cohort, please email exoexplorers_questions@jpl.nasa.gov.

3) JATIS Special Issue on Starshades

A special section of the April 2021 Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems (JATIS) focuses on starshades and includes 15 articles on starshade science and technology, including seven describing work conducted under NASA’s Starshade To Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 Technology Development Activity (also known as "S5") and eight by members of the larger astrophysics community.

There is further information on the starshade technology development page.

4) NASA SMD Seeks Volunteer Reviewers for Research Proposals

NASA's Science Mission Directorate is seeking subject matter experts to serve as external (email) and/or virtual panel reviewers of proposals to the "ROSES" research solicitation: https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/volunteer-review-panels

5) Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC) March 15-17, 2021 Meeting Presentations Posted

Presentations from the March 15-17, 2021 meeting of the Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC) meeting are now posted at: https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/nac/science-advisory-committees/apac

6) Dual-Anonymous Peer Review Town Hall for Planetary and Exoplanets Research Programs (April 28, 2021; 3-4pm EDT/12-1pm PDT)

On April 28, 2021 at 3 PM Eastern, NASA's Planetary Science Division will host a webinar to discuss the implementation of Dual-Anonymous Peer Review for the following programs under ROSES-2021: Cassini Data Analysis Program, Discovery Data Analysis Program, Exoplanet Research Program, New Frontiers Data Analysis Program, Lunar Data Analysis Program, and the Mars Data Analysis Program.

In Dual-Anonymous Peer Review, not only are proposers unaware of the identity of reviewers, but the reviewers do not have explicit knowledge of the proposing teams and institutions during the scientific evaluation of the proposal. The webinar will: (1) discuss the motivation for switching to dual-anonymous peer review, (2) describe important changes to proposal writing to be compliant with dual-anonymous peer review, and (3) explain how dual-anonymous peer reviews will work.

In advance of the webinar, questions may be submitted and upvoted on at:

https://arc.cnf.io/sessions/tgwj/

The webinar will be broadcast live via WebEx. Connection details follow:

Join from the meeting link

https://nasaenterprise.webex.com/nasaenterprise/j.php?MTID=mc0083f862cf0d9ce33b27fc0391dd6f0

Join by meeting number

Meeting number (access code): 199 756 1176

Meeting password: DaPR-2021

Join by phone

+1-929-251-9612 USA Toll 2

+1-415-527-5035 US Toll

For more information on dual-anonymous peer review, please visit: https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/dual-anonymous-peer-review.

7) Stars and Planets in the Ultraviolet (May 3-5, 2021)

Note: this meeting was originally scheduled for early 2020 at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ, but has been rescheduled to be a virtual meeting to be held May 3-5, 2021 (11am-4:30pm EDT / 8:00am-1:30pm PDT=MST each day)

https://na.eventscloud.com/ultraviolet

Registration has now re-opened for poster submissions or general attendance (and existing registrations can be modified) and the near-final agenda with speakers, poster pops, and breakout rooms can be found here (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aPat-AvqYFX2PblDuxBryZTkpHcv7V9wnLVXxz118DU/edit#gid=325687229)

8) 2nd TESS Science Conference (August 2-6, 2021; registration deadline July 1, 2021)

https://tsc.mit.edu/

"Dear colleague,
We are happy to announce the opening of registration for the TESS Science Conference II (TSC2; http://tsc.mit.edu, @TessSciCon2), and would like to take this opportunity to provide some updates about the conference.

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic the TSC2 conference will be fully online (fully virtual) and there will be no in-person meeting.

The conference has no registration fee. However, registration is mandatory for all participants through the online registration form. We ask that you submit your registration by July 1, 2021 so the LOC can make sure the conference online tools will be able to support the number of participants.

We plan to use Zoom webinars for delivering all talks during the conference, and use Slack for Q&A and other communications. Posters will be presented throughout the conference week via Zenodo (https://zenodo.org/) and Gather.Town (https://gather.town/), with the latter used also for social interaction. We expect to have time slots dedicated for online poster sessions on Gather.Town. Detailed instructions about using these online platforms will be sent later and be made available on the conference website.

The deadline for suggesting Splinter Sessions (using this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSegaLnCjynv3kvd54oxnhzdKTm-X0HcBA5khjLmOlx_YtVjjw/viewform) is April 2nd (postponed from original deadline), and the deadline for submitting abstracts for talks and posters (using this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeKAZwkAOqgdKWvtjxX1Rwk3XXLBsvlRbbpTaqJurW6MS4cDA/viewform) is April 30.

Please send any questions to: tsc2@mit.edu.

Jenn and Avi,
On behalf of the SOC and LOC."

9) AbGradCon (Virtual Meeting, September 14-17, 2021; abstract deadline April 15, 2021)

https://www.abgradcon.org/abgradcon-2021

Astrobiology Graduate Conference (AbGradCon) 2021 will be a virtual meeting hosted by the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) September 14-17, 2021.

The application deadline is April 15, 2021 (23:59 JST): https://www.abgradcon.org/application

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1) REMINDER: NEID Information Session (March 23, 2021; 1pm-3pm EDT/10am-12pm MST=PDT)

A reminder about the NEID information session, which might be valuable for proposers responding to the NN-EXPLORE semester 2021B proposal call (proposals due March 31, 2021; http://ast.noao.edu/observing/wiyn-exoplanets-2021b):

"Dear Prospective NEID user,

This is an invitation to join NEID Instrument Scientist, Sarah Logsdon, and other WIYN staff to discuss best practices for proposing for time with NEID on WIYN. This will be an open forum to discuss NEID, its capabilities and respond to any queue related questions. Prospective 2021B PIs are encouraged to attend to gain knowledge on using NEID, setting up your NEID observing parameters, and on how best to apply for NEID time. This is an excellent opportunity for PIs to directly ask Sarah (and others) any NEID-specific or queue related questions.

Please mark your calendars for March 23, 10am-noon MST for this session. Connection information is listed below. Please feel free to distribute this information to any interested parties.

If you are unable to attend this session (or if you have further NEID-specific questions) feel free to reach out at neid_info@noirlab.edu or contact Sarah directly at sarah.logsdon@noirlab.edu.

We hope you’ll join us!

Cheers,
Heidi Schweiker, NEID Queue Coordinator
Sarah Logsdon, NEID Instrument Scientist
Jayadev Rajagopal, WIYN Executive Director

2) Recorded Talks Posted for ExoPAG SAG 21 Community Symposium on "The Effect of Stellar Contamination on Space-based Transmission Spectroscopy"

The ExoPAG SAG 21 Community Symposium was a two-day virtual meeting held March 8-9, 2021 with talks and discussions exploring the impact of stellar contamination on space-based transmission spectroscopy. The symposium was co-chaired by Néstor Espinoza (STScI) and Benjamin Rackham (MIT).

The recorded talks have now been posted at: https://sites.google.com/view/sag21symposium

Description of the symposium:

Transmission spectroscopy has been one of the main workhorses in the past decade for probing the chemical composition and physical structure of the upper atmospheres of transiting exoplanets. The technique holds great promise to keep delivering these exciting results, with the excitement rising given the imminent launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). These measurements, however, can be impacted by inhomogeneities on the stellar disk the planets transit, including spots, faculae, and plages. This symposium aims at exploring the different results and views on the nature, constraints and ideas on this “stellar contamination”.

This symposium was organized as part of NASA’s ExoPAG Study Analysis Group 21 on “The Effect of Stellar Contamination on Space-based Transmission Spectroscopy”, whose main aim is to gather expertises from the stellar, solar and exoplanet communities in order to work together towards providing analysis and findings to constrain the effect, to be delivered to NASA in mid-2021.

3) ROSES-2021 Exoplanets Research Program (XRP21) (Mandatory NOI delayed to April 2, 2021 and change in points of contact)

F.3 Exoplanets Research Program:

https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?solId={78A0C930-57B2-F312-C123-5E66D3743CA2}&path=&method=init

"The due date for Mandatory Notices of Intent has been delayed by one week to April 2, 2021. The due date for proposals remains unchanged at May 27, 2021. In addition, the points of contact have been updated."

The updated list of points of contact for XRP is:

Megan Ansdell, Planetary Science Division
Hannah Jang-Condell, Astrophysics Division
Richard Eckman, Earth Science Division
Galen Fowler, Heliophysics Division

4) Exoplanet Explorers Presentation (Friday, April 16, 2021; 4-5pm EST/1-2pm PST)

The third ExoExplorers Science Series presentation will take place on Friday, April 16, 2021, 4-5pm EDT/1-2pm PDT.

This session features cohort members:

David Coria (U Kansas)
"The Missing Link: Connecting Exoplanets and Galactic Chemical Evolution via Stellar Abundances"
Jason Williams (USC/Carnegie)
"Detecting exoplanet atmospheres: Achieving high spectrophotometric precision on ground-based telescopes"

Connection information: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/events/340/exoexplorer-science-series-david-coria-u-kansas-jason-williams-usccarnegie/

Sign up to receive announcements about ExoExplorers

The Exoplanet Explorers (ExoExplorers) Science Series, sponsored by the ExoPAG Executive Committee and by NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, aims to enable the professional development of a cohort of graduate students and postdocs (“ExoExplorers”) in exoplanet research. The first cohort is running through June 2021 and consists of 10 early career scientists. ExoExplorer talks will be live and open to the entire exoplanet community. ExoGuide talks will be delivered directly to the cohort and posted online following the event.

If you have any questions or feedback or are interested in becoming an ExoGuide for a future cohort, please email exoexplorers_questions@jpl.nasa.gov.

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1) Results of the ExoPAG Community On-line Vote Regarding Finding

From ExoPAG chair Michael Meyer:

“Because our regular business meeting to be held on January 6 was cancelled due to events beyond our control, the ExoPAG EC initiated an on-line vote of the proposed finding that was discussed at the December 15, 2020 Community Forum.

To read the text of the finding, please go to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1x0Z9m6lyJU7V-WPD5xIwugbxSXQrB_mSTw0rkJKm72o/

The virtual poll was open on March 1, and closed March 10, at 6 pm EST (3 pm PST).

Participants could vote “yes” supporting that the text of the finding is shared with the ADP Leadership along with the results of the poll, “no” to not support the measure, or “abstain”. Any member of the ExoPAG community was allowed to participate in the poll. This process was meant to mimic as closely as possible the process we would use to conduct such a vote at our face-to-face ExoPAG meetings (where we have typically had about 60 participants vote on past findings).

The results, with 50 participants were: 41 in favor, seven opposed, with two abstentions. The Executive Committee has agreed to forward the results of the vote, along with the finding to the APD Leadership if the vote is at least 2:1 in favor versus against (abstentions excluded).

If you have questions, please send them to exopag-info@jpl.nasa.gov.

For context, we remind everyone of the purpose of the ExoPAG:

The ExoPAG serves as a community-based, interdisciplinary forum for soliciting and coordinating community analysis and input in support of Exoplanet Exploration objectives and of their implications for architecture planning and activity prioritization and for future exploration. It provides findings of analyses to the NASA Astrophysics Division Director.

Besides the ExoPAG SAGs and SIGs, findings on topics relevant to NASA ExEP and APD may be proposed by community members either at ExoPAG meetings or through email announcements, and may be discussed, have their wording amended, and voted upon at ExoPAG meetings or through email polls. Findings approved by vote will be passed along to the NASA APD director and posted on the ExoPAG site (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exopagFoundingDocuments/exopag-findings/).

Slides prepared for the ExoPAG 23 business meeting, including an overview of the process to propose and review findings can be found at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/system/presentations/files/214_Jan06_1530_meyer_busmtg.pdf ).

These findings are input to the Astrophysics Division (ADP) leadership as part of their decision making process and are not recommendations that must be followed in any specific way.

2) NN-EXPLORE: Proposals Invited for CTIO/SMARTS 1.5m with CHIRON and MINERVA-Australis in Semester 2021B (deadline March 31, 2021, 11:59pm MST)

SMARTS/CHIRON:

NN-EXPLORE continues to support community observing time on the CTIO/SMARTS 1.5m (operated by the SMARTS consortium) with the precision radial-velocity spectrometer CHIRON, with 300 hours (equivalent to 30 nights of service observing) of observing time for 2021B. Information on CHIRON can be found at http://www.astro.yale.edu/smarts/1.5m.html and https://chiron.astro.gsu.edu/ .

MINERVA-Australis:

As part of the NN-EXPLORE program, NASA is continuing in a partnership with the MINERVA-Australis consortium that began in 2020B. That agreement continues in Semester 2021B, with 300 hours of observing time open to NN-EXPLORE proposals. MINERVA-Australis is a dedicated exoplanet observatory operated by the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) in Queensland, Australia. The facility is located at USQ's Mt. Kent Observatory, and saw first light in quarter two 2018; commissioning of the facility was completed in mid-2019. MINERVA-Australis currently consists of 5 (0.7m) PlaneWave CDK700 telescopes; these telescopes have two ports, allowing each to be used for either spectroscopic or photometric observations. A summary of the facility and its capabilities can be found in the commissioning paper by Addison et al. 2019 (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019PASP..131k5003A). The photometric channel is capable of milli-magnitude precision and currently, the light from four telescopes can be combined onto one R=75,000 echelle spectrograph for radial velocity precisions of 1-10 m/s depending on the target brightness and how many telescopes are combined. For further information, see the "MINERVA-Australis Time Through NN-Explore" website at NExScI (https://nexsci.caltech.edu/missions/Minerva/).

WIYN 3.5m:

Approximately 30 nights devoted to NN-EXPLORE programs will be available for NOIRLab observing time in 2021B.

"On behalf of that partnership, NOIR Lab hereby requests observing proposals for the 2021B semester on the WIYN telescope that are targeted to general exoplanet-related research, with particular emphases on follow-up observations of Kepler and K2 exoplanet-related targets, and observations in support of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. The scope of the NN-EXPLORE Program includes observations to:

Confirm or validate exoplanet candidates;
Characterize known exoplanets and exoplanetary systems;
Characterize the (exozodiacal) dust environments of exoplanet-hosting or potentially-exoplanet-hosting stars;
Explore the formation, evolution, and diversity of exoplanetary systems

Stellar observations such as spectroscopy and imaging to characterize stellar properties and search for background eclipsing binaries fall within the scope of the NN-EXPLORE Program, providing the relevance of the proposed work to the exoplanet-research focus of the program is clearly established."

More details on the NN-EXPLORE Program on WIYN can be found at http://ast.noao.edu/observing/wiyn-exoplanets-2021b.

NEID: NEID is a new cutting edge high-precision spectrograph at WIYN designed for radial velocity measurements of exoplanet host stars. NEID is designed with a goal of achieving 27 cm/s precision per data point, providing the US exoplanet community with high-precision radial velocity measurements appropriate for studying Earth and super-Earth mass planets orbiting bright host stars over a wide range of spectral type. Information specific to proposing for time using the precision radial-velocity spectrograph NEID can be found at http://ast.noao.edu/observing/wiyn-neid and https://www.wiyn.org/Observe/wiynstatus.html. Note the NEID Information Session scheduled for March 23, 2021 (see details below).

The Gemini Observatory has released a Call for Proposals for 2021B at:

http://www.gemini.edu/observing/phase-i/standard-semester-program/2021b-call-proposals

High resolution imaging on Gemini & WIYN:

NN-EXPLORE is supporting community observations with three high-resolution imagers - NESSI on WIYN, 'Alopeke on Gemini-North and Zorro on Gemini-South. In speckle mode they provide simultaneous two-color diffraction-limited optical imaging (FWHM~0.02" at 650nm) of targets as faint as V~13/17 over a 1.5" field of view. Wide-field mode provides simultaneous two-color imaging in standard SDSS filters over a 60" field of view. For further information seehttps://www.wiyn.org/Instruments/wiynnessi.html, https://www.gemini.edu/instrumentation/alopeke-zorro and contact the PI: Steve Howell (NASA Ames Research Center) steve.b.howell@nasa.gov .

3) NEID Information Session (March 23, 2021; 1pm-3pm EDT / 10am-12pm MST=PDT)

"Dear Prospective NEID user,

This is an invitation to join NEID Instrument Scientist, Sarah Logsdon, and other WIYN staff to discuss best practices for proposing for time with NEID on WIYN. This will be an open forum to discuss NEID, its capabilities and respond to any queue related questions. Prospective 2021B PIs are encouraged to attend to gain knowledge on using NEID, setting up your NEID observing parameters, and on how best to apply for NEID time. This is an excellent opportunity for PIs to directly ask Sarah (and others) any NEID-specific or queue related questions.

Please mark your calendars for March 23, 10am-noon MST (=PDT) for this session.

If you are unable to attend this session (or if you have further NEID-specific questions) feel free to reach out at neid_info@noirlab.edu or contact Sarah directly at sarah.logsdon@noirlab.edu .

We hope you’ll join us!

Cheers,
Heidi Schweiker, NEID Queue Coordinator
Sarah Logsdon, NEID Instrument Scientist
Jayadev Rajagopal, WIYN Executive Director

4) ROSES-2021 Exoplanets Research Program (XRP21) Mandatory NOI (due March 26, 2021)

XRP21 Mandatory Notices of Intent are due March 26, 2021 (11:59:59 PM EDT)

https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?solId={78A0C930-57B2-F312-C123-5E66D3743CA2}&path=&method=init

Note that one of the big changes to XRP this year is: "Proposals submitted to XRP will be evaluated using a Dual-Anonymous Peer Review (DAPR) process, in which not only are proposers unaware of the identities of the members of the review panel, but also the reviewers are not told the identities of the proposers until after the evaluation of Intrinsic Merit. The overarching objective of DAPR is to reduce unconscious bias in the evaluation of the scientific merit of a proposal."

5) Final Report for ExoPAG SAG 19 (Exoplanet Imaging Signal Detection Theory and Rigorous Contrast Metrics) Posted

"SAG19: exoplanet imaging signal detection theory and rigorous contrast metrics"

Authors: Dimitri Mawet, Rebecca Jensen-Clem, Olivier Absil, Faustine Cantalloube, Elodie Choquet, Jean-Baptiste Ruffio, John Krist, Garreth Ruane, John Trauger, Carlos Gomez-Gonzalez, Marie Ygouf, Bijan Nemati, Ruslan Belikov, Thayne Currie, Steve Bryson, M. Kenworthy, Johan Mazoyer, Christian Marois, Tiffany Glassman, Maggie Turnbull, Angelle Tanner, and T.J. Rodigas

Abstract: As planning for the next generation of high contrast imaging instruments (e.g. Roman-CGI, HabEx, and LUVOIR, TMT-PSI, ELT-EPICS, Magellan-GMagAO-X, SPHERE+, GPI-2.0, SCExAO, and MagAO-X) matures, and first-generation extreme adaptive optics facilities (e.g. VLT-SPHERE, Gemini-GPI) finish their large main surveys, it is imperative that the performance of different designs, post-processing routines, observing strategies, observing calibration procedures, and survey results be compared in a consistent, statistically robust framework. SAG19, exoplanet imaging signal detection theory and rigorous contrast metrics, is meant to address the performance of these direct imaging instruments, strategies, and methods. In this report, we create a reference document for high contrast exoplanet detection terminology (Sections 2 and 3, drawing from work published as part of SAG19), summarize the results of three additional publications that resulted from SAG19 (Section 4, 5, and 6), and summarize the broad findings of SAG19 (Section 7).

https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/sag/#sag19

6) NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) Call for Proposals (deadline April 1, 2021)

http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/observing/callForProposals.php

NASA Infrared Telescope Facility Observing Proposals: The due date for the 2021B semester (August 1, 2021 to January 31, 2022) is Thursday, April 1, 2021. See our online submission form (http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/observing/applicationForms.php), which is available for proposal submission from 12:00AM on March 01, 2021 until 5:00PM on April 01, 2021 HST.

NASA IRTF Spring 2021 Newsletter: http://irtfweb.ifa.hawaii.edu/information/newsletter.php?2021A

7) PLATO Mission Conference 2021: Exploring Exoplanets in the Habitable Zones of Solar-like Stars (October 11-15, 2021)

http://platomissionconference2021.iaa.es/

"Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the PLATO Mission Conference 2021: Exploring exoplanets in the habitable zone of solar-like stars, which will be held from 11 to 15 October 2021 as online event.

PLATO is the M3 mission in ESA’s Cosmic Vision programme and currently under development with a planned launch date in 2026. PLATO will search for exoplanets and perform their bulk characterisation with an unprecedented accuracy, focusing on Earth-size planets orbiting in the habitable zone of bright Sun-like stars. PLATO will use the transit method combined with the seismic analysis of the host star and with ground-based radial velocity measurements, to determine the planetary mass, radius, age, and orbital characteristics of the system.

The detection and characterisation of small planets with long periods (> 1 month) pose a number of challenges on the satellite development and on the processing of the light curves. Likewise, ground-based radial-velocity measurements of long-period small planets require the most advanced instrumentation and observation strategies. And, in addition, an accurate determination of their planetary parameters can only be achieved by an enhanced knowledge of the host star characteristics, which involves new developments in asteroseismology and stellar modelling. To tackle these issues, the PLATO Mission Consortium has set-up an extended network of working groups that are devoted to the preparation of the operations and the scientific exploitation of the mission.

PLATO is expected to have a major impact on the areas of exoplanet diversity, composition, evolution, architecture of planetary systems, and stellar modelling. PLATO will follow the exoplanet observatories CoRoT and Kepler/K2, and will operate in similar time frames to Gaia, TESS, CHEOPS, JWST, ESPRESSO/VLT, Roman Space Telescope, Ariel, and the ELT. The PLATO observing strategy will be defined considering the synergies with these facilities.

This Conference aims at presenting the status of the PLATO mission to the community, both on the satellite development and scientific preparation, and at bringing experts working on observations and theory associated with any of the PLATO science objectives (for more information go to https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/plato/).

The major themes of the Conference are:

PLATO development status
Selection of the PLATO sky fields and the PLATO Input Catalogue
Light-curve analysis for detection and characterisation of long-period small planets
Asteroseismology and stellar characterisation
Advances in modelling stellar internal structure and evolution
Stellar activity
Ground-based observations for the confirmation and mass determination of planets
Long-period small planets and habitability
Planetary structure, composition, evolution, and architecture of planetary systems
PLATO in the context of Kepler/K2, TESS, CHEOPS, JWST, Roman Space Telescope, Ariel, and large ground-based observatories
Complementary science topics benefitting from PLATO high-precision photometry

Important dates:

15 March 2021: Opening of registration and abstract submission
18 June 2021: Deadline of abstract submission for oral contributions
30 July 2021: Announcement of final program, and deadline of abstract submission for poster contributions
24 September 2021: Deadline of registration

Scientific Organising Committee: Conny Aerts, Jessie L. Christiansen, Magali Deleuil, Marc Antoine Dupret, Rafael Garrido, Laurent Gizon, MarieJo Goupil, Ana M. Heras, Hans Ludwig, Rosemary Mardling, J. Miguel Mas-Hesse, Isabella Pagano, Giampaolo Piotto, Don Pollacco, Roberto Ragazzoni, Gavin Ramsay, Heike Rauer, Keivan Stassun, Juan Carlos Suárez, Stephane Udry

Confirmed Invited Speakers: Maria Bergemann, Andrew Collier-Cameron, Guy Davies, Sebastien Deheuvels, Caroline Dorn, Scott Gaudi, Raphaelle Haywood, Natalie Hinkel, Laura Kreidberg, Joshua Pepper, Aldo Serenelli, Ignas Snellen, Andrew Tkachenko, Andrew Vanderburg

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1) ExoPAG Community On-line Vote Regarding Findings (requesting vote by March 10, 2021, 6pm EST/3pm PST)

Our January ExoPAG 23 meeting was very successful, but our business meeting was cut short due to events beyond our control.

For context, we remind everyone of the purpose of the ExoPAG:

The ExoPAG serves as a community-based, interdisciplinary forum for soliciting and coordinating community analysis and input in support of Exoplanet Exploration objectives and of their implications for architecture planning and activity prioritization and for future exploration. It provides findings of analyses to the NASA Astrophysics Division Director.

Besides the ExoPAG SAGs and SIGs, findings on topics relevant to NASA ExEP and APD may be proposed by community members either at ExoPAG meetings or through email announcements, and may be discussed, have their wording amended, and voted upon at ExoPAG meetings or through email polls. Findings approved by vote will be passed along to the NASA APD director and posted on the ExoPAG site (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exopagFoundingDocuments/exopag-findings/).

We would like to take this opportunity to hold a virtual on-line vote regarding one of the findings that was discussed at our community forum last December, and which was to be discussed at the ExoPAG 23 business meeting (Slides prepared for the ExoPAG 23 business meeting are at: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/system/presentations/files/214_Jan06_1530_meyer_busmtg.pdf). These findings are input to the Astrophysics Division (ADP) leadership as part of their decision making process and are not recommendations that must be followed in any specific way.

The virtual poll will be open from March 1st through March 10, 2021 (6pm EST/3pm PST).

The poll information is in the exopagannounce (March 1, 2021) email. If you have questions, please send them to exopag-info@jpl.nasa.gov.

2) NN-EXPLORE: Proposals Invited for CTIO/SMARTS 1.5m with CHIRON and MINERVA-Australis in Semester 2021B (deadline March 31, 2021, 11:59pm MST)

NN-EXPLORE opportunities for Semester 2021B
NSF's NOIRLab Call for Proposals for Semester 2021B
[note that the proposal call website is still undergoing edits as of March 1st]

SMARTS/CHIRON:

NN-EXPLORE continues to support community observing time on the CTIO/SMARTS 1.5m (operated by the SMARTS consortium) with the precision radial-velocity spectrometer CHIRON, with 300 hours (equivalent to 30 nights of service observing) of observing time for 2021B. Information on CHIRON can be found at http://www.astro.yale.edu/smarts/1.5m.html and https://chiron.astro.gsu.edu/.

MINERVA-Australis:

As part of the NN-EXPLORE program, NASA is continuing in a partnership with the MINERVA-Australis consortium that began in 2020B. That agreement continues in Semester 2021B, with 300 hours of observing time open to NN-EXPLORE proposals. MINERVA-Australis is a dedicated exoplanet observatory operated by the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) in Queensland, Australia. The facility is located at USQ's Mt. Kent Observatory, and saw first light in quarter two 2018; commissioning of the facility was completed in mid-2019. MINERVA-Australis currently consists of 5 (0.7m) PlaneWave CDK700 telescopes; these telescopes have two ports, allowing each to be used for either spectroscopic or photometric observations. A summary of the facility and its capabilities can be found in the commissioning paper by Addison et al. 2019 (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019PASP..131k5003A). The photometric channel is capable of milli-magnitude precision and currently, the light from four telescopes can be combined onto one R=75,000 echelle spectrograph for radial velocity precisions of 1-10 m/s depending on the target brightness and how many telescopes are combined. For further information, see the "MINERVA-Australis Time Through NN-Explore" website at NExScI (https://nexsci.caltech.edu/missions/Minerva/). [note that language regarding restrictions on the call is still being updated, so check back for updates in the coming days or reach out via the contact links on the website].

WIYN 3.5m:

Approximately 30 nights devoted to NNEXPLORE programs will be available for NOIRLab observing time in 2021B. More details on the NNEXPLORE Program on WIYN can be found athttp://ast.noao.edu/observing/wiyn-exoplanets-2021b. Information specific to proposing for time using the precision radial-velocity spectrograph NEID can be found at http://ast.noao.edu/observing/wiyn-neid and https://www.wiyn.org/Observe/wiynstatus.html.

The Gemini Observatory has released a Call for Proposals for 2021B at:

http://www.gemini.edu/observing/phase-i/standard-semester-program/2021b-call-proposals

High resolution imaging on Gemini & WIYN:

NN-EXPLORE is supporting community observations with three high-resolution imagers - NESSI on WIYN, 'Alopeke on Gemini-North and Zorro on Gemini-South. In speckle mode they provide simultaneous two-color diffraction-limited optical imaging (FWHM~0.02" at 650nm) of targets as faint as V~13/17 over a 1.5" field of view. Wide-field mode provides simultaneous two-color imaging in standard SDSS filters over a 60" field of view. For further information see https://www.wiyn.org/Instruments/wiynnessi.html,https://www.gemini.edu/instrumentation/alopeke-zorro and contact the PI: Steve Howell (NASA Ames Research Center) steve.b.howell@nasa.gov.

3) Exoplanet Explorers Presentation (March 12, 2021; 4-5pm EST/1-2pm PST)

The second ExoExplorers Science Series presentation will take place on March 12, 2021, from 4-5pm Eastern/1-2pm Pacific!

This session features cohort members:

Amy Glazier (UNC Chapel Hill) - "Constraints on Post-Superflare Exo-Auroral Emission with SOAR and the Evryscope Fast Transient Engine"
Quang Tran (UT Austin) - "Establishing the Epoch of Giant Planet Migration"

Connection information will be available on our website and via our mailing list.

The Exoplanet Explorers (ExoExplorers) Science Series, sponsored by the ExoPAG Executive Committee and by NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, aims to enable the professional development of a cohort of graduate students and postdocs (“ExoExplorers”) in exoplanet research. The first cohort is running through June 2021 and consists of 10 early career scientists. ExoExplorer talks will be live and open to the entire exoplanet community. ExoGuide talks will be delivered directly to the cohort and posted online following the event.

If you have any questions or feedback or are interested in becoming an ExoGuide for a future cohort, please email exoexplorers_questions@jpl.nasa.gov.

4) NASA Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC) Virtual Meeting (March 15-17, 2021)

The next APAC meeting (virtual) will be held March 15-17, 2021, 11:00am-5pm EST/8:00am-2pm PST each day.

https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/nac/science-advisory-committees/apac

See the draft agenda.

The Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC) is a FACA (Federal Advisory Committee Act) committee of NASA. The APAC supports the advisory needs of the Astrophysics Division (APD), the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and other mission directorates as required, and NASA Administrator. The scope of the APAC includes projects and observational and theoretical study of the origins, evolution, and destiny of the universe and the search for and study of Earth-like planets and habitable, extrasolar environments. In addition to scientific research, the scope encompasses considerations of the development of near-term enabling technologies, systems, and computing and information management capabilities, developments with the potential to provide long-term improvements in future operational systems, as well as training of the next generation of astronomers, and education and public outreach.

5) 6th Emerging Researchers in Exoplanet Science Symposium (ERES) (May 24-26, 2021; virtual; abstract deadline April 2, 2021)

https://eres2021.com/

"Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the sixth Emerging Researchers in Exoplanet Science Symposium (ERES) will take place virtually May 24-26, 2021! The ERES series aims to give early-career scientists a chance to present their research and network with peers in order to enhance collaboration within the exoplanet community.

The deadline for abstract submission is Friday, April 2, 2021. Researchers of all career stages working in all branches of exoplanetary science and related disciplines are encouraged to attend, though preference will be given to early-career participants in the talk selection process. For more information or to submit an abstract please visit https://eres2021.com/.

Please do share this announcement with the junior scientists in your department. And finally, if you have any questions, please contact: eresorganizers@gmail.com.

Sincerely,
The ERES VI Organizing Committee"

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1) 2021 Sagan Summer Virtual Workshop: Circumstellar Disks and Young Planets (July 19-23, 2021)

Free registration and the preliminary agenda for the 2021 Sagan Summer Workshop are now available on the workshop website.

The 2021 Sagan Summer Workshop on Circumstellar Disks and Young Planets, will focus on young planets and the circumstellar disks from which they form during the first few million years of a star's lifetime. The workshop will address how transformational new datasets are allowing us to address key questions about the formation and evolution of planets and their potential habitability. The preliminary agenda is available on the workshop website.

The workshop will be held July 19-23, 2021 via Zoom webinar; Slack will be used to facilitate discussion before, during, and after the workshop. The workshop will consist of live and pre-recorded talks, live discussions, hands-on sessions, contributed online posters and poster sessions, and virtual 'lunches with speakers'. As in previous years, all talks will be recorded and posted on the Sagan Summer Workshop YouTube channel.

The Sagan Summer Workshops are aimed at upper level undergraduates, grad students, and postdocs, however all are welcome to attend. Please visit the workshop website to register and for more information.

Website: https://nexsci.caltech.edu/workshop/2021/

Questions: sagan_workshop@ipac.caltech.edu

2) Data Release #1 of the Starshade Exoplanet Data Challenge

"Dear Colleague,

The Starshade Exoplanet Data Challenge (SEDC) has started and is open to the general astronomy and exoplanet community. The first batch of synthetic images for the SEDC has been posted on the web page along with the documentation helpful for image processing and analysis. We welcome members of the general astronomy and exoplanet community to inspect, process, or analyze the synthetic images and participate in maturing the starshade technology for exoplanet imaging and characterization.

A community telecon of the SEDC has taken place on January 27. Presentations made at the telecon can also be viewed from the web page.

The Starshade Exoplanet Data Challenge is an activity of the Starshade Science and Industry Partnership (SIP). The Exoplanet Exploration Program of the NASA Astrophysics Division charters SIP. The purpose of the Starshade SIP is to maximize the technology readiness level of starshades to enable potential future exoplanet science missions. Presentations and recording of the past SIP telecons and forums are available, along with the terms of reference and the released Starshade Technology Development Plan.

Best regards,
Renyu
Renyu Hu, PhD
Starshade Scientist, NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program
W: 818 354 6090, M: 818 281 9459"

3) NASA Keck 2021B Call for Proposals (Deadlines: March 4, 2021 to request letters from NASA HQ for general mission support; proposal submission deadline March 18, 2021 7pm Eastern/4pm Pacific)

The 2021B NASA Keck Call for Proposals is now available with proposals due on March 18, 2021.

Mission Support and General Observing proposals to support all NASA's Science Goals and Missions (https://nexsci.caltech.edu/missions/KeckSolicitation/gen-info.shtml#Ia) in astrophysics and planetary science are solicited. The opportunity to propose as a Principal Investigator for NASA's time on the Keck Telescopes is open to all U.S.-based astronomers (i.e. those who have their principal affiliation at a U.S. institution).

Key Dates

March 4, 2021: deadline to request letters from NASA HQ for general mission support proposals (https://nexsci.caltech.edu/missions/KeckSolicitation/gen-info.shtml#IIb)

March 18, 2021 by 7pm Eastern/4pm Pacific: proposal submission deadline

2021B Highlights; please read the Call for Proposals for a complete list of this semester's highlights.

New for 21B: Please enter a short program title (~3-5 words) in the online submission form. This will give the TAC members a short hand way to refer to each proposal as we move towards a Dual Anonymous Review Process.
Twilight Observing: NASA is able to allocate one twilight program per telescope for a total of up to two programs per semester per partner. On Keck I, OSIRIS-NGS (imager only) is available, and on Keck II, NIRC2-NGS is available. This program is designed to accommodate extra infrared observations during normally scheduled visible observations, when those observations end early and the last portion of the night is surrendered. Longer term twilight programs (>1-2 years) will be given priority. Please read the guidelines here:https://nexsci.caltech.edu/missions/KeckSolicitation/gen-info.shtml#IV
In 2021B At-Home ('pajama mode') Observing will continue to be available to observers.
Special notes and considerations for the Keck and Subaru instruments in 2021B are available on the WMKO instrument page (https://www2.keck.hawaii.edu/observing/instavail.html); please read these before preparing your proposal.

Questions: keckcfp@ipac.caltech.edu

4) Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences 2021 (ROSES-2021) & Exoplanets Research Program (XRP)

NASA ROSES-2021:

https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?solId={7E892B3A-4F62-AEB4-6A08-9DCA1977F31A}&path=&method=init

Solicited programs and due dates:

https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument/cmdocumentid=798020/solicitationId=%7B7E892B3A-4F62-AEB4-6A08-9DCA1977F31A%7D/viewSolicitationDocument=1/ROSES-21%20Table%202%202021%20amend1.html

F.3 Exoplanets Research Program (XRP):

https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?solId={78A0C930-57B2-F312-C123-5E66D3743CA2}&path=&method=init

XRP has a mandatory Notice of Intent (NOI) and proposals must be prepared following guidelines for dual-anonymous review process. Expected program budget for first year of new awards is ~$5.5 million. Points of contact: hq-xrp@mail.nasa.gov.

"NOTICE: This program element is expected to solicit proposals this year, but final details and dates are not yet determined... When final dates are established, this program element will be amended, full information will be provided in a revised solicitation document, posted above, and the close date will be changed to reflect the proposal due date." (see XRP ROSES website for updates).

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1) Inaugural Cohort for Exoplanet Explorers and First Presentation (Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, 4-5pm EST/1-2pm PST)

The ExoPAG is pleased to announce the beginning of the ExoExplorers Science Series, which highlights the research of the first ExoExplorers cohort.

The first presentations will feature Caprice Phillips (OSU; “Detecting Biosignatures in the Atmospheres of super-Earths with JWST”) and Samson Johnson (OSU; “Science Enabled by the Roman Galactic Exoplanet Survey”) and will occur Friday, February 12, 2021 from 4-5pm Eastern / 1-2pm Pacific (details below).

Future presentations will occur monthly, from 4-5pm Eastern/1-2pm Pacific and include:

March 12: Quang Tran (UT Austin) & Amy Glazier (UNC Chapel Hill)
April 16: David Coria (Univ. of Kansas) & Jason Williams (USC/Carnegie)
May 14: Jules Fowler (UCSC) & Rachel Fernandes (Univ. of Arizona)
June 11: Kaitlin Rasmussen (Univ. of Michigan) & Eileen Gonzalez (Cornell University)

This Friday, February 12, 2021 (4-5pm EST/1-2pm PST):

ExoExplorer Science Series: Caprice Phillips (OSU) & Samson Johnson (OSU)

Speaker: Caprice Phillips (OSU)

Title: "Detecting Biosignatures in the Atmospheres of super-Earths with JWST"

Abstract: No Solar System analog planet to super-Earths exists, a class of exoplanets with masses 2-10x Earth’s mass which can retain a hydrogen atmosphere. Super-Earth atmospheres can have different compositions from nitrogen and oxygen dominated atmosphere of Earth. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will offer unprecedented insight into the atmospheric composition of potentially habitable super-Earths through transmission and emission spectroscopy. I will present work on the investigation of NH3 (ammonia, a potential biosignature) detectability on super-Earths with an H2-dominated atmosphere using the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and the Near InfraRed Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the upcoming JWST mission. We use a radiative transfer code, petitRADTRANS, to generate synthetic spectra of optimal targets for observations given their proximity to Earth (<50 pc), radii (1.7-3.36 Earth radii), and equilibrium temperature (< 450 K). I will review the constraints of the MIRI LRS Instrument (flux ratio contrast of host star and planet ~ 10^-4), and discuss optimal targets for this instrument. For NIRSpec, I explore how varying cloud conditions, mean molecular weights (MMWs), and NH3 mixing ratios affects spectral features. Finally, I will discuss the use of PandExo to simulate mock observations with JWST and the detection significance findings for ammonia features with transmission spectroscopy.

Speaker: Samson Johnson (OSU)

Title: "Science Enabled by the Roman Galactic Exoplanet Survey"

Abstract: The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman) will perform its Galactic Exoplanet Survey when it launches in the mid-2020's. With this first space-based microlensing survey, Roman will be sensitive to planets with orbital separations from roughly 1 AU to those unbound from any host star with masses as low as ten percent that of Earth's. The Roman Galactic Exoplanet Survey will be similar in scale to the Kepler mission, and will produce statistics on exoplanet demographics vital in improving planet formation models that are otherwise inaccessible. In this talk, I will give a brief overview of the Roman Galactic Exoplanet Survey and how it will use microlensing to detect these planets. I will highlight some of the unique insights Roman will give us, including its ability to detect Earth-analog systems and what it can teach us about the presence of free-floating planets in our Galaxy.

For connection details and more information about the ExoExplorers program, please visit the program website (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exoexplorers) or sign up for our mailing list (https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exoexplorers/exoexplorers-announcements/) to stay up to date.

2) Updated ExEP Science Gap List 2021

The ExEP Science Gap List (SGL) identifies science investigations that would advance NASA's exoplanet exploration goals, including the definition of future missions and maximizing the science return of missions currently operating. A new 2021 version of the SGL has been prepared by the Program Scientists and is now available for download at the link below. We thank the many members of the community and the ExoPAG Executive Committee for their thoughtful inputs which helped improve this document over the prior version.

ExEP Program Science page (home to latest ExEP Science Plan documents).

ExEP Science Gap List 2021:

A presentation on the update of the ExEP Science Gap List was given by ExEP Program Chief Scientist Karl Stapelfeldt at ExoPAG 23 on Jan. 5, 2021.

The NASA Science Mission Directorate anticipates the release of ROSES-2021 on or about February 16, 2021 at http://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2021. The XRP 2021 Solicitation will state:

“XRP proposals will be evaluated, in part, on how the proposed work would support past and current NASA missions and/or how it would facilitate the formulation and development of future NASA missions and strategic exoplanet programs. Proposers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Exoplanet Program’s Science Development Plan and Science Gap List (which can be downloaded from https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/science-overview).”

Proposers are encouraged to refer to the ExEP Science Gap List to describe the relevance of their work to NASA goals. The ExEP Science Gap List will remain frozen until after the XRP 2021 proposal deadline. Over the summer the annual period for community comments/suggestions will be open until late September. Depending on the Decadal Survey direction, significant changes may take place.

3) The Effect of Stellar Contamination on Space-based Transmission Spectroscopy: ExoPAG SAG 21 Symposium (Mar. 8-9, 2021)

"Dear colleagues,

NASA’s ExoPAG Study Analysis Group (SAG) 21 on “The Effect of Stellar Contamination on Space-based Transmission Spectroscopy” would like to invite you to its Community Symposium, to be held virtually on March 8th and 9th, 2021. Along with presentations from SAG21 subgroup leads on the activities and preliminary findings of the SAG, the Symposium has allocated 20 contributed talks from researchers around the world on the topic.

The final schedule, including titles and abstracts of the contributed talks, can be found on the Symposium website:

https://sites.google.com/view/sag21symposium/

While abstract submission is already closed, RSVP to participate on the talks & discussion is open until March 8th!

Please do redistribute the message within your institutions.

All the best,
Néstor Espinoza & Benjamin Rackham (SAG21 co-chairs)"

4) TESS Science Conference II (TSC2; Aug. 2-6, 2021)

TESS Science Conference II
August 2-6, 2021, MIT/Cambridge, USA
https://tsc.mit.edu/2021/

February 4: Open abstract submission
Mid-March (exact date TBD): Open registration.
March 26: Splinter session abstract deadline.
April 30: Talks and posters abstract deadline.
June 4: Announcement of the program.
August 2: The first day of the conference.

The TESS Science Conference II (TSC2) is timed at the beginning of the 2nd year of the TESS Extended Mission, and the 4th year overall. The conference will cover all science done with TESS data, from Solar System (asteroids, trans-neptunian objects, comets), through exoplanets and stellar astrophysics (asteroseismology, variable stars, stellar binaries), to extragalactic astronomy (supernovae, AGN, TDEs). The conference will focus on all aspects of the mission: TESS data analysis techniques developed by the community, follow-up observations of targets identified using TESS data, and how discoveries made with TESS data impact theoretical understanding.

To contact the SOC or LOC write to: tsc2@mit.edu

5) PI Launchpad: Developing Your First Flight Mission Proposal (Application Deadline Mar. 22, 2021)

The PI Launchpad: From Science Idea to NASA Mission

https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?solId=%7b11058886-6D7C-0D96-761B-01C3615C1DC4%7d&path=&method=init

Important Dates:

Applications due on NSPIRES: March 22, 2021
Selections made no later than: May 3rd, 2021
Workshop Dates: June 14-25, 2021
Workshop Location: Virtual via WebEx

Workshop description:

Are you thinking about developing your first flight mission proposal in the next few years but have no idea where to start? If you are a researcher in any NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) discipline who wants to take your career to the next level but have not yet held a leadership position on mission proposals or large science teams, this is the workshop for you.

NASA SMD, the University of Arizona, the University of Michigan, JPL, and the Heising-Simons Foundation will host the PI Launchpad to guide participants through turning their science question into a mission concept. Participants will go step-by-step through the process of developing a science case, defining requirements, building a team, securing partnerships, and obtaining support from the home institution. Participants will also have time for networking and personal reflection as they mature their mission concepts.

We are interested in broadening the pool of potential NASA space mission PIs. People with potentially intersecting marginalized identities are strongly encouraged to apply. There is no cost to attend the workshop. We will select between 35-40 participants from the pool of applicants.

Please visit https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?solId={11058886-6D7C-0D96-761B-01C3615C1DC4}&path=&method=init to apply and watch https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/pi-launchpad for new announcements.

Please email questions to hq-smd-piworkshop@mail.nasa.gov

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1) Inaugural Cohort for Exoplanet Explorers and First Presentation (Feb. 12, 2021, 4-5pm EST/1-2pm PDT)

The ExoPAG is pleased to announce the inaugural cohort for Exoplanet Explorers:

https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/exoexplorers/exoexplorers-2021/

The first presentation by cohort members Caprice Phillips (OSU) and Samson Johnson (OSU) will be February 12 from 1-2 PM Pacific / 4-5 PM Eastern. Connection information will be announced on our website and via our mailing list.

The Exoplanet Explorers (ExoExplorers) Science Series, sponsored by the ExoPAG Executive Committee and by NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, aims to enable the professional development of a cohort of graduate students and postdocs (“ExoExplorers”) in exoplanet research. Each member of the cohort will have the opportunity to give a live webinar presentation on their research to the exoplanet community and interact with established exoplanet researchers in the field (“ExoGuides”) via a combination of tailored presentations and small group discussions. The first cohort is running through June 2021 and consists of 10 early career scientists. ExoExplorer talks will be live and open to the entire exoplanet community. ExoGuide talks will be delivered directly to the cohort and posted online following the event.

If you have any questions or feedback or are interested in becoming an ExoGuide for a future cohort, please email exoexplorers_questions@jpl.nasa.gov.

2) Call for Nominations to the Executive Committee of the Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) (Deadline Extended to Feb. 5, 2021)

"Dear Colleagues:

The Astrophysics Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate is pleased to issue this open call for nominations to serve on the Executive Committee (EC) of NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG). In the coming months, NASA anticipates making three new appointments to the ExoPAG EC, replacing three current members of the committee who have reached the end of their appointments. New appointments will start in the Spring of 2021 and will be for a period of three years.

The ExoPAG is an open, interdisciplinary forum that provides a conduit for community input into NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP, https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep), and for conducting analyses in support of ExEP science objectives and their implications for planning and prioritization of Program activities. The ExoPAG is led by a Chairperson drawn from the membership of the Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC), and a volunteer Executive Committee, whose membership is chosen to reflect the broad range of scientific disciplines and interests represented in the field of exoplanet exploration. Together, the ExoPAG Chair and Executive Committee are responsible for capturing and organizing community input, overseeing ExoPAG analyses, reporting ExoPAG findings and inputs to the Astrophysics Division Director, and keeping the scientific community apprised of ongoing activities and opportunities within NASA’s ExEP. Detailed information about the structure and function of the ExoPAG, including the current and past membership of the EC, can be found at https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag.

Nominations for the ExoPAG EC should be submitted via email to the address: douglas.m.hudgins@nasa.gov. Nominations must include both a cover letter and a one-page CV summarizing the nominee’s relevant background. The cover letter should provide a description of the nominee’s area of expertise and qualifications for service on the ExoPAG Executive Committee. Nominations will only be accepted for scientists who reside at a U.S. institution for the period of the service. There are no citizenship restrictions. Nominations from individuals at academic institutions—university, college, or non-NASA research laboratory—are strongly encouraged. Self-nominations are welcome. The deadline for nominations is February 5, 2021, with announcement of selections anticipated in April 2021. Selections will be announced by the ExoPAG mailing list (http://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/announcementList).

Because the NASA Astrophysics Division seeks the best possible input from the widest possible community, representing diverse perspectives, we encourage nominations of (and from) people holding any identity(ies) that have been traditionally underrepresented in the field of astrophysics.

We look forward to working with all of our stakeholders to develop a robust and compelling Exoplanet Exploration Program.

Sincerely,
Douglas Hudgins, NASA Headquarters
Exoplanet Exploration Program Scientist, ExoPAG Executive Secretary"

3) NASA SMD Community Town Hall (Jan. 25, 2021) Presentation Now Posted

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qdB6eoxfOk

4) PI Launchpad: Developing Your First Flight Mission Proposal (Application Deadline Mar. 22, 2021)

https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?solId=%7b11058886-6D7C-0D96-761B-01C3615C1DC4%7d&path=&method=init

The PI Launchpad: From Science Idea to NASA Mission

Important Dates:

Applications due on NSPIRES: March 22nd, 2021
Selections made no later than: May 3rd, 2021
Workshop Dates: June 14th-June 25th
Workshop Location: Virtual via WebEx

Workshop description:

Are you thinking about developing your first flight mission proposal in the next few years but have no idea where to start? If you are a researcher in any NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) discipline who wants to take your career to the next level but have not yet held a leadership position on mission proposals or large science teams, this is the workshop for you.

NASA SMD, the University of Arizona, the University of Michigan, JPL, and the Heising-Simons Foundation will host the PI Launchpad to guide participants through turning their science question into a mission concept. Participants will go step-by-step through the process of developing a science case, defining requirements, building a team, securing partnerships, and obtaining support from the home institution. Participants will also have time for networking and personal reflection as they mature their mission concepts.

We are interested in broadening the pool of potential NASA space mission PIs. People with potentially intersecting marginalized identities are strongly encouraged to apply. There is no cost to attend the workshop. We will select between 35-40 participants from the pool of applicants.

Please visit https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?solId={11058886-6D7C-0D96-761B-01C3615C1DC4}&path=&method=init to apply and watch https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/pi-launchpad for new announcements.

Please email questions to hq-smd-piworkshop@mail.nasa.gov

5) 2021 STScI Spring Symposium "Towards the Comprehensive Characterization of Exoplanets: Science at the Interface of Multiple Measurement Techniques" (Apr. 19-23, 2021; Abstract Submission Deadline Feb. 1, 2021)

https://www.stsci.edu/contents/events/stsci/2021/april/towards-the-comprehensive-characterization-of-exoplanets

"The Space Telescope Science Institute is excited to host the 2021 STScI Spring Symposium, 'Towards the Comprehensive Characterization of Exoplanets: Science at the Interface of Multiple Measurement Techniques' occurring Monday, April 19 through Friday, April 23, 2021. The symposium will be held virtually and will include invited reviews and regular/short contributed talks and posters selected from abstract submissions.

The field of exoplanets has grown considerably over recent years, with more than 4000 exoplanets detected to date. In consonance, the characterization of exoplanets has become an increasingly important aspect of the field, to understand the diversity of these objects and answer fundamental astrophysical questions about their composition, structure, formation, and evolution. Beyond isolated detection methods, we are now facing a new paradigm in exoplanet science where we must consolidate resources and combine observational methods to probe different physical characteristics and understand the true nature of these planets.

The symposium will bring the community together to enable collaborations between diverse exoplanet sub-fields, in observation, theory, and instrumentation. We will share our current capabilities in combining different detection and characterization techniques and address the needs and wants of the exoplanet community as we work towards closing the gaps towards a more complete understanding of exoplanets.

This symposium will address these scientific questions:

How do we combine techniques to have a more complete census of exoplanets?
Which sets of observed quantities best enable holistic planetary characterization?
How do observed architectures of exoplanet systems compare to the Solar System?
How atmospheric chemistry of exoplanets correlates with the physical properties and compositions of their host stars?
How do planets form and evolve?
What are the emerging areas in exoplanet science?

Important Dates:

January 4	Registration Opens
February 1	Registration Opens
February 22	Abstract Submission Deadline
March 19	Abstract Notifications Sent

Abstract Submittal

Abstracts for talk and poster consideration should be submitted using the following link: https://forms.gle/4AYZhbR3Effs4qxD6

There is no registration fee to attend the symposium.

Questions? Please contact us via symposium mailbox: SS2021@stsci.edu"

6) JWST User Committee: Call for Nominations (Deadline Apr. 7, 2021)

“JWST User Committee: Call for Nominations

The JWST User Committee (JSTUC) is responsible for advising STScI and the JWST Project on all aspects of observatory operations. Membership is drawn from the U.S, Canadian and ESA communities, and includes representatives from the JWST instrument teams. Further information can be found here https://www.stsci.edu/jwst/science-planning/user-committees/jwst-users-committee.

A number of members are rotating off the committee in the coming year, and STScI is calling for expressions of interest from community members who would like to serve as JSTUC members. Self-nomination is welcome. Submissions should include a cover letter and a one-page curriculum vitae summarizing the nominee’s relevant background and JWST-related interests, and should be submitted by e-mail to jstuc@stsci.edu. There is no restriction on citizenship. Nominations will be considered through April 7, 2021.

Ken Sembach,
Director, Space Telescope Science Institute
John Mather
Senior Project Scientist, James Webb Space Telescope, Goddard Space Flight Center"

+ more

1) Note on ExoPAG 23 and Early Adjournment

Note from ExoPAG chair Michael Meyer:

"The ExoPAG voted to adjourn ExoPAG 23 early on Wednesday, January 6, 2021 before the regular business meeting was held. The ExoPAG EC and the Program Office will work to provide additional information to be discussed at that meeting on the ExoPAG website with alerts provided via the exopagannounce email list. It is possible an additional community forum could be organized in the next several weeks, and/or any required votes could be done virtually."

2) Joint PAG Session: NASA Astrophysics Division Update With APD Director Paul Hertz and Astrophysics Technology Development Process (Friday, January 8, 2021; 1:00-3:00pm EST)

Please join us this Friday, January 8, 2021, 1-3pm EST for a joint PAG session organized by the Physics of the Cosmos (PCOS), Cosmic Origins (COR), and Exoplanet Exploration (ExEP) programs. The joint PAG session will feature an update on NASA Astrophysics by Dr. Paul Hertz (Astrophysics Division Director) and a presentation on The Astrophysics Technology Development Process from Bruce T. Pham, PCOS/COR Technology Development Manager, NASA GSFC, and Nick Siegler, ExEP Chief Technologist, JPL.

3) Cross-PAG Session on “Enhancing Participation of Minority Serving Institutions in NASA Space Science" (Monday, January 11, 2021, 6:50-8:20pm EST)

Please join us Monday, January 11, 2021, 6:50-8:20pm EST for a cross-PAG session on “Enhancing Participation of Minority Serving Institutions in NASA Space Science”. This 90-minute session will provide an overview of ways in which Minority Serving Institutions are encouraged to participate in NASA Space Science across the Astrophysics Division, assessing barriers to participation, and developing solutions to overcome those barriers.

4) NASA Astrophysics Division R&A Town Hall (January 13, 2021, 12:00-1:30pm EST)

The NASA Astrophysics Division will be holding a virtual town hall for Research and Analysis (R&A) at the 237th meeting of the American Astronomical Society on Wednesday, January 13, from 12-1:30 PM Eastern Time. During the town hall, updates and information on current and upcoming R&A activities will be presented and questions from the community about the R&A program will be answered.

Please submit questions for the NASA Astrophysics Division R&A Program town hall and vote for other questions that you would like to see answered. Top questions will be addressed by the Astrophysics Division’s R&A team during the town hall on January 13 from 12-1:30 PM Eastern Time. Submissions will be accepted until noon on January 11. Please submit your questions through the portal: https://arc.cnf.io/sessions/zxkr

Questions regarding the R&A town hall may be directed to Stefan Immler (stefan.immler@nasa.gov).

5) Call for Nominations to the Executive Committee of the Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) (DEADLINE EXTENDED to February 5, 2021)

“Dear Colleagues:

The Astrophysics Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate is pleased to issue this open call for nominations to serve on the Executive Committee (EC) of NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG). In the coming months, NASA anticipates making three new appointments to the ExoPAG EC, replacing three current members of the committee who have reached the end of their appointments. New appointments will start in the Spring of 2021 and will be for a period of three years.

The ExoPAG is an open, interdisciplinary forum that provides a conduit for community input into NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP), and for conducting analyses in support of ExEP science objectives and their implications for planning and prioritization of Program activities. The ExoPAG is led by a Chairperson drawn from the membership of the Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC), and a volunteer Executive Committee, whose membership is chosen to reflect the broad range of scientific disciplines and interests represented in the field of exoplanet exploration. Together, the ExoPAG Chair and Executive Committee are responsible for capturing and organizing community input, overseeing ExoPAG analyses, reporting ExoPAG findings and inputs to the Astrophysics Division Director, and keeping the scientific community apprised of ongoing activities and opportunities within NASA’s ExEP. Detailed information about the structure and function of the ExoPAG, including the current and past membership of the EC, can be found at http://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exopag.

Nominations for the ExoPAG EC should be submitted via email to the address: douglas.m.hudgins@nasa.gov. Nominations must include both a cover letter and a one-page CV summarizing the nominee’s relevant background. The cover letter should provide a description of the nominee’s area of expertise and qualifications for service on the ExoPAG Executive Committee. Nominations will only be accepted for scientists who reside at a U.S. institution for the period of the service. There are no citizenship restrictions. Nominations from individuals at academic institutions—university, college, or non-NASA research laboratory—are strongly encouraged. Self-nominations are welcome. DEADLINE EXTENDED to February 5, 2021, with announcement of selections anticipated in April 2021. Selections will be announced by the ExoPAG mailing list.

Because the NASA Astrophysics Division seeks the best possible input from the widest possible community, representing diverse perspectives, we encourage nominations of (and from) people holding any identity(ies) that have been traditionally underrepresented in the field of astrophysics.

We look forward to working with all of our stakeholders to develop a robust and compelling Exoplanet Exploration Program.

Sincerely,
Douglas Hudgins, NASA Headquarters
Exoplanet Exploration Program Scientist, ExoPAG Executive Secretary”

6) Draft Astrophysics Explorers Program Solicitations Released for Community Comment

Draft Astrophysics Explorers Program Solicitations Released for Community Comment

Release Date: January 6, 2021

Comments Due: February 25, 2021

Identification Number: NNH21ZDA004J (Draft 2021 Astrophysics Medium Explorer (MIDEX) AO)

Identification Number: NNH21ZDA005J (Draft 2021 Astrophysics Explorers Missions of Opportunity (APEXMO))

On January 6, 2021, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is releasing two draft solicitations for community review and comment: the Draft 2021 Astrophysics Medium Explorer (MIDEX) Announcement of Opportunity (AO) and the Draft 2021 Astrophysics Explorers Missions of Opportunity (APEXMO) Program Element Appendix (PEA) for the Third Stand Alone Missions of Opportunity Notice (SALMON-3) AO. Upon the release date, the full text will be available at https://nspires.nasaprs.com/.

The Astrophysics Explorers Program conducts Principal Investigator (PI)-led space science investigations relevant to SMD's astrophysics programs. Explorer investigations must address NASA’s goals to discover the origin, structure, evolution, and destiny of the Universe and search for Earth-like planets.

Participation is open to all categories of organizations or institutions, U.S. or non-U.S., including educational, industrial, and not-for-profit institutions, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), NASA Centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and other Government agencies.

The comment period for the Draft 2021 MIDEX AO and the Draft 2021 APEXMO PEA ends on February 25, 2021.

The issuance of the Draft 2021 MIDEX AO does not obligate NASA to issue the 2021 Medium Explorer AO and solicit proposals. The issuance of the Draft 2021 APEXMO PEA does not obligate NASA to issue a 2021 Astrophysics Explorers MO PEA and solicit proposals. Any costs incurred by prospective investigators in preparing submissions in response to either of these draft solicitations are incurred completely at the submitter's own risk.

Comments on either or both drafts may be addressed via email to the Astrophysics Explorers Program Scientist: Dr. Patricia M. Knezek (subject line to read "2021 MIDEX AO", "2021 MO" or both) at: patricia.m.knezek@nasa.gov. Responses to comments will be given by email and posted in the MIDEX/MO QAs section on the Astrophysics Explorers Program Acquisition websites at https://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/2021APMIDEX/MIDEX/index.html and https://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/2021APMIDEX/MO/index.html; anonymity of persons/institutions who submit comments will be preserved. Comments will be accepted by email only.

+ more

1) ExoPAG 23 Agenda (January 5-6, 2021)

NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) will hold its twenty-third meeting (virtually):

Tuesday January 5, 2021: 12:00pm-4:45pm ET/9:00am-1:45pm PT
Wednesday January 6, 2021: 11:40am-5:00pm ET/8:40am-2:00pm PT

View the draft agenda for ExoPAG 23.

The business meeting will be Wednesday Jan. 6 between 3:30pm-5:00pm ET/12:30pm-2:00pm PT.

As part of the agenda, the ExoPAG will have a regular business meeting, including discussion of proposed findings, which was the subject of an ExoPAG community forum held on December 15, 2020. A document discussing the proposed finding as well as a link to past findings can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j9eRWSp7Ze2V1dGeS8brv4Lgxitfujo8o0G2XudUidg/edit?usp=sharing

ExoPAG meetings offer an opportunity to participate in discussions of scientific and technical issues in exoplanet exploration, and a forum for community input on the prioritization of activities in NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP). All interested members of the space science community are invited to attend and participate.

2) NASA Joint PAG Session (Friday January 8, 2021, 1pm-3pm EST)

Organized by the Physics of the Cosmos (PCOS), Cosmic Origins (COR), and Exoplanet Exploration (ExEP) programs, this session will feature an update on NASA Astrophysics by Dr. Paul Hertz (Astrophysics Division Director) and a presentation on the Astrophysics Technology Development Process by Bruce T. Pham (GSFC) and Nick Siegler (JPL). NOTE: This two-hour session will begin on Friday 8 January at 1pm EST. This is prior to the AAS meeting start, and it is not necessary to be registered for the AAS meeting to attend this Joint PAG session. Connectivity info will be provided on the PCOS AAS Meeting page.

3) NASA Astrophysics Division R&A Town Hall (January 13, 2021, 12:00pm-1:30pm EST)

The NASA Astrophysics Division will be holding a virtual town hall for Research and Analysis (R&A) at the 237th meeting of the American Astronomical Society on Wednesday, January 13, from 12-1:30 PM Eastern Time. During the town hall, updates and information on current and upcoming R&A activities will be presented and questions from the community about the R&A program will be answered.

Please submit questions for the NASA Astrophysics Division R&A Program town hall and vote for other questions that you would like to see answered. Top questions will be addressed by the Astrophysics Division’s R&A team during the town hall on January 13 from 12-1:30 PM Eastern Time. Submissions will be accepted until noon on January 11. Please submit your questions through the portal below:

https://arc.cnf.io/sessions/zxkr

Questions regarding the R&A town hall may be directed to Stefan Immler (stefan.immler@nasa.gov).

4) Call for Nominations to the Executive Committee of the Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) (Deadline January 22, 2021)

“Dear Colleagues:

The Astrophysics Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate is pleased to issue this open call for nominations to serve on the Executive Committee (EC) of NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG). In the coming months, NASA anticipates making three new appointments to the ExoPAG EC, replacing three current members of the committee who have reached the end of their appointments. New appointments will start in the Spring of 2021 and will be for a period of three years.

The ExoPAG is an open, interdisciplinary forum that provides a conduit for community input into NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP), and for conducting analyses in support of ExEP science objectives and their implications for planning and prioritization of Program activities. The ExoPAG is led by a Chairperson drawn from the membership of the Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC), and a volunteer Executive Committee, whose membership is chosen to reflect the broad range of scientific disciplines and interests represented in the field of exoplanet exploration. Together, the ExoPAG Chair and Executive Committee are responsible for capturing and organizing community input, overseeing ExoPAG analyses, reporting ExoPAG findings and inputs to the Astrophysics Division Director, and keeping the scientific community apprised of ongoing activities and opportunities within NASA’s ExEP. Detailed information about the structure and function of the ExoPAG, including the current and past membership of the EC, can be found at http://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exopag.

Nominations for the ExoPAG EC should be submitted via email to the address: douglas.m.hudgins@nasa.gov. Nominations must include both a cover letter and a one-page CV summarizing the nominee’s relevant background. The cover letter should provide a description of the nominee’s area of expertise and qualifications for service on the ExoPAG Executive Committee. Nominations will only be accepted for scientists who reside at a U.S. institution for the period of the service. There are no citizenship restrictions. Nominations from individuals at academic institutions—university, college, or non-NASA research laboratory—are strongly encouraged. Self-nominations are welcome. The deadline for nominations is January 22, 2021, with announcement of selections anticipated in April 2021. Selections will be announced by the ExoPAG mailing list.

Because the NASA Astrophysics Division seeks the best possible input from the widest possible community, representing diverse perspectives, we encourage nominations of (and from) people holding any identity(ies) that have been traditionally underrepresented in the field of astrophysics.

We look forward to working with all of our stakeholders to develop a robust and compelling Exoplanet Exploration Program.

Sincerely,
Douglas Hudgins, NASA Headquarters
Exoplanet Exploration Program Scientist, ExoPAG Executive Secretary”

5) Cool Stars 20.5 (March 2-4, 2021) & Cool Stars 21 (Delayed Until 2022)

Cool Stars 20, which was originally supposed to be scheduled for mid-2020, was postponed until 2021. The main meeting will be postponed again until July 4-9, 2022 in Toulouse, France.

https://coolstars21.github.io/

However, due to the long gap between Cool Stars 20 and 21, the SOC is organizing a 3-day remote virtual conference called Cool Stars 20.5, which will be held March 2-4, 2021.

http://coolstars20.cfa.harvard.edu/cs20half/index.html

For an up-to-date listing of exoplanet-related meetings & events, please see the calendar at:
https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/events/

(and to bring any new events or suggested changes, please contact us at exopag-info@jpl.nasa.gov)

ExoPAG News and Announcements - Archive

ExoPAG News and Announcements (December 26, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (December 1, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (November 9, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (November 4, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (October 29, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (October 25, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (October 14, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (October 1, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (September 22, 2021)

WIYN 3.5m

CTIO/SMARTS 1.5m+CHIRON

MINERVA-Australis

High resolution imaging on WIYN, Gemini-North and Gemini-South

ExoPAG News and Announcements (September 8, 2021)

WIYN 3.5m

CTIO/SMARTS 1.5m+CHIRON

MINERVA-Australis

High resolution imaging on WIYN, Gemini-North and Gemini-South

Call for ExoGuide nominations

Call for ExoExplorer applications

ExoPAG News and Announcements (August 20, 2021)

Call for ExoGuide nominations

Call for ExoExplorer applications

ExoPAG News and Announcements (August 3, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (July 16, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (June 25, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (June 10, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (June 2, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (May 4, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (April 21, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (April 2, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (March 23, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (March 17, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (March 1, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (February 22, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (February 11, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (January 29, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (January 7, 2021)

ExoPAG News and Announcements (January 1, 2021)