Planetary Exploration Newsletter Volume 2, Number 5 (January 19, 2008)

PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org
Editor: Mark V. Sykes
Co-Editors: Matt Balme, Nic Richmond
Email: pen_editor at psi.edu

1. [SPECIAL NASA MESSAGE] From James Green, Director, Planetary Science Division, NASA HQ – PI Qualifications for New Frontier’s Missions

2. [NASA] Message from the Senior Advisor for Research & Analysis (SARA), Yvonne Pendleton

[SPECIAL NASA MESSAGE] FROM JAMES GREEN, DIRECTOR, PLANETARY SCIENCE DIVISION, NASA HQ – PI QUALIFICATIONS FOR NEW FRONTIER’S MISSIONS

As promised, the Planetary Science Division is working hard to release our next major Announcement of Opportunity (AO) for New Frontiers. We have asked the National Academy to provide criteria and guiding principles for determining the list of candidate missions for that AO. We expect the Academy report within the next couple of months and I know they are working hard on their deliberations. Please note that we will not release a draft of the New Frontier’s AO without reviewing the Academy’s critical input. In the meantime, I want to draw your attention to the fact that, like the SMEX AO, we will be requiring that Principal Investigators (PI) for a New Frontiers mission demonstrate a set of minimum experience qualifications. These qualifications will be more extensive then what was required for the SMEX AO. It is my intention to have a web version of these qualifications available starting within the month of January for you to be ‘pre-screened.’ Notification that this web site is available for your use will be sent out from several notification systems so please be on the look out for it. If you are planning to PI a proposal, it is in your best interest to be ready to respond quickly with a comprehensive set of information delineating your experience.

[Editor Note: Minimum requirements for a SMEX PI can be found at explorers.larc.nasa.gov/PDF_FILES/PIReqSectionsRevisedFinal2.pdf]

[NASA] MESSAGE FROM THE SENIOR ADVISOR FOR RESEARCH & ANALYSIS (SARA), YVONNE PENDLETON

The most recent updates to the SARA webpage have just been made. Go to http://science.hq.nasa.gov/research/sara.html

A list of page changes can be found at http://science.hq.nasa.gov/research/sara_whats_new.html

Dear Colleagues,

The R & A Management Operations Working group has just been finalized, and I thank each of the following individuals for agreeing to serve in this capacity. I will update the list next time with their contact information, but you are encouraged to be in touch with them as we go forward in the process of discussing R & A process improvements and the many new ideas we all have for ways to get more out of our R & A dollars. The MOWG will meet primarily through videoconferencing, perhaps as often as twice a month initially, and we expect to have at least one in person meeting sometime in March.

Below are the names of the individuals, their current position, and their research area of expertise.

• Guenter Riegler, Retired NASA Senior Executive, Astrophysics, Chair
• Steve Bougher, U of M, Heliophysics, Co-Chair
• Spiro Antiochos, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, (Heliophysics)
• Joshua (Josh) Grindlay, Harvard University (Astrophysics)
• Lynne Hillenbrand, Caltech (Astrophysics)
• Everette Joseph, Howard University, (Earth Science)
• James (Jim) Kasting, Penn State (Earth Science)
• Adam Showman, U of A (LPL) (Planetary Science)
• Margaret (Maggie) Tolbert, U of CO (Earth Science)

In addition, Paul Hertz and I have also asked our internal science staff (the program officers and the division management within SMD) to provide input on issues related to our panel review practices. The goal is to document SMD’s R & A Review Practices and communicate these clearly to the external community. Our objectives in this exercise are to:

1. Document SMD’s best and acceptable practices for R & A reviews
2. Provide additional guidance to program officers
3. Offer additional transparency into SMD process to community
4. Provide assurance (to SMD managers, to the community, to auditors)
5. that SMD program officers are following SMD policies and practices

Your input through the SARA email and through the town hall meetings has contributed to the items we will discuss in this process, and you are welcome to send me additional input at any time. We will complete our internal review and documentation process by mid-March, so that these items will be clearly articulated to all before the first ROSES panel meets for the FY08 cycle.

Speaking of ROSES08, you can find a list of the program elements on the grant stats page today. Many hours of hard work went into the development of the ROSES08 call, especially by Paul Hertz, Max Bernstein, and the program officers responsible for each element. Please thank them when you have a chance.

Other items in today’s update include the presentation at the AAS meeting in Austin by Alan Stern and Jon Morse, a report on the EPO MOWG activities from the kick-off meeting January 14, and new science highlights. As always, a complete list of the updated pages can be found on the What’s New page.

Best Wishes,

Yvonne

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