Editor: Matthew R Perry
Co-Editors: Mark V. Sykes, Alex Morgan
Email: pen_editor@psi.edu
X: @pen2tweets
Bluesky: @planetarynews.bsky.social

o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o

1. Tenure-track Faculty Position, Department of Astrophysical and
   Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder
2. Call for Student Proposals: 2026 Schweickart Prize
3. Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month
4. NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship - Application Deadline March 1, 2026
5. [AbSciCon 2026] Session 06: Exoplanet Surface Biosignatures
6. [AbSciCon 2026] Session 17: Interpreting Signs of Life on Evolving
   Oxic and Anoxic Worlds
7. Invitation to Join Roman Space Telescope Strategic Proposal Planning
8. [NASA] PDS: Aperiodic PDS Releases 2025.12
9. [NASA] PDS: Odyssey Data Release 94
10. Planetary Meeting Calendar Additions
11. Planetary Science Journal - New Papers
12. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets - New Papers

o---------------------------------------------------------------------o

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TENURE-TRACK FACULTY POSITION, DEPARTMENT OF ASTROPHYSICAL AND
PLANETARY SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER

The Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences (APS) Department at the
University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) is conducting a search for
a new faculty member. The search is targeted at the Assistant Professor
rank. We are interested in candidates from a broad range of
astrophysical and planetary sciences, including researchers
specializing in instrumentation, observation, and theoretical and
computational approaches. This position requires the ability to develop
and conduct an innovative independent research program, dedication to
teaching in our undergraduate and graduate programs, and commitment to
supporting the diverse student populations in our department. The APS
department recognizes that contributions from a broad range of
perspectives strengthen the effectiveness and creativity of a group. We
are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated
with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all
backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with
disabilities.

https://jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDetail/?jobId=69040

[Edited for length]


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CALL FOR STUDENT PROPOSALS: 2026 SCHWEICKART PRIZE

The 2026 Schweickart Prize is now accepting applications from graduate
students and recent postgraduate fellows with ideas that advance
planetary defense and our understanding of near-Earth objects. The
prize supports innovative proposals spanning asteroid detection and
mitigation, space policy and governance, and public engagement around
planetary hazards. Application Deadline is February 4, 2026.

The selected winner will receive a $10,000 USD award, a museum-quality
prize, public recognition through a dedicated press campaign, and
mentorship from the Schweickart Prize Selection Committee, including
Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart.

To support interested applicants, two information webinars with live
Q&A will be held on January 21 and 22 at 9am PDT / 12pm EDT / 6pm CEST.
These sessions will feature members of the Prize Committee alongside
insights from the 2025 Schweickart Prize winner.

RSVP for webinar details:

https://bit.ly/4qko54N

Learn more:

https://www.schweickartprize.org/

Sign up for updates:

https://bit.ly/3PKJvqJ


3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3

PLANETARY GEOMORPHOLOGY IMAGE OF THE MONTH

The January image of the month is now available on the IAG's Planetary
Geomorphology web page:

https://planetarygeomorphology.wordpress.com

This month's topic is 'Lobate Forms: Mass Movements Directly Linked to
Impact Cratering Processes', contributed by Alistair Blance, PhD
candidate at the Open University, UK.

You can follow IAG Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month on
BlueSky:

https://bsky.app/profile/planetarygeomorph.bsky.social

or Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/PlanetaryGeomorphology

Best wishes,
Lonneke Roelofs (Chair, IAG Planetary Geomorphology working group)


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NASA POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP - APPLICATION DEADLINE MARCH 1, 2026

The NASA Postdoctoral Program offers US and international scientists
the opportunity to advance their research while contributing to NASA's
scientific goals. The NPP supports fundamental science; explores the
undiscovered; promotes intellectual growth; and encourages scientific
connections.

Selected by a competitive peer-review process, NPP Fellows complete
one- to three-year Fellowship appointments that advance NASA's missions
in Earth science, planetary science, heliophysics, astrophysics,
biological and physical science, aeronautics and engineering, human
exploration systems, space operations, space technology, and
astrobiology.

Search for NPP research opportunities here:

https://npp.orau.org/applicants/opportunities.html

Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in hand before
beginning the fellowship, but may apply while completing the degree
requirements. Please see current eligibility requirements:

https://npp.orau.org/applicants/eligibility.html

Stipends start at $70,000 per year, with supplements for higher
cost-of-living areas and for certain academic specialties. Financial
assistance is available for relocation and health insurance, and
$10,000 per year is provided for travel and professional development.

Applications are accepted three times each year: March 1, July 1, and
November 1.

For further information and to apply, visit:

https://npp.orau.org/applicants/index.html

Questions: npp@orau.org


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[ABSCICON 2026] SESSION 06: EXOPLANET SURFACE BIOSIGNATURES

We invite submissions to the following AbSciCon session entitled
"Exoplanet Surface Biosignatures":

https://agu.confex.com/agu/abscicon26/prelim.cgi/Session/276541

Surface biosignatures are planetary-scale spectral features that result
from the interaction of light with biological pigments or structures
covering the surface of a planet, as exemplified by the vegetation red
edge. These surface biosignatures can offer multiple lines of evidence
to corroborate atmospheric biosignatures such as oxygen, helping to
reduce the risk of false positives. These features may be detectable in
reflected light by the Astrophysics Flagship Mission, the Habitable
Worlds Observatory (HWO).

This session encourages submissions from astronomers, planetary
scientists, geologists, biologists, and polarimetry experts
characterizing photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic surface pigment
biosignatures, assessing their detectability, and considering potential
false positives from minerals, rocks, and snow or ice. We welcome
laboratory-based, field-based, theoretical, and modeling studies.
Contributions may offer valuable insights for optimizing HWO mission
designs and trade studies.

Abstract submissions are due 14 January 2026 at 23:59 EDT (03:59 UTC).

[Edited for length]


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[ABSCICON 2026] SESSION 17: INTERPRETING SIGNS OF LIFE ON EVOLVING
OXIC AND ANOXIC WORLDS

We invite submissions to the following AbSciCon session entitled
"Interpreting Signs of Life on Evolving Oxic and Anoxic Worlds":

https://agu.confex.com/agu/abscicon26/prelim.cgi/Session/275700

Earth's atmospheric history encompasses a range of distinct
compositions that collectively serve as a reference for exoplanet
characterization. But utilizing this information requires studying both
long-lived compositional environments and the complex transitional
periods in between. For example, atmospheric O2 has evolved repeatedly
over time - such as the mid-Phanerozoic O2 maximum after the advent of
the first forests, or uncertainty about the rate of its rise throughout
the Great Oxidation Event - which emphasizes how the establishment of
an atmospheric biosignature may be nonlinear or nuanced.

This session invites any contributions related to atmospheric
composition throughout Earth history and its value for exoplanet
observation and characterization. Topics include, but are not limited
to: modeling, fieldwork, or laboratory work on the evolution of the
anoxic and oxic Earth, key atmospheric biosignatures such as O2 over
time, retrievals of such gases, and implications for interpreting
stages of biosphere-atmosphere evolution with data from current and
future missions (e.g., JWST, HWO).

[Edited for length]


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INVITATION TO JOIN ROMAN SPACE TELESCOPE STRATEGIC PROPOSAL PLANNING

The Roman Space Telescope is preparing to launch in late 2026. Three
core community surveys and one General Astrophysics Survey (GAS) have
already been designed:

https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/

The Cycle 1 Call for Proposals solicits for: Analysis of Roman data,
new GASs, theory and laboratory astrophysics, public ancillary data
analysis and TOOs. It is due March 17.

While all the current surveys will produce data for Solar System
science, none are specifically designed for such. The Exoplanets and
Solar System (SS) Working Group leads invite you to participate in
discussion for proposal designs and preparation, which are differently
structured than typical space-telescope calls. For new datasets science
applications outside Exoplanet and SS are important factors and the
data have NO proprietary period.

For analysis we desire input from the community to learn both what
tools might already exist/can be adapted, and what tools need to be
developed.

We meet the first Tuesday of each month and invite you to join us.

Our next meeting is 13 January 2026 from 3-4pm EST at:

https://osu.zoom.us/j/93405766421?pwd=sEKhbq64QfBcjv7fn62rHZsb67LvNn.1

To connect before our next meeting or have questions, please contact:
Susan Benecchi, susank@psi.edu
SS/Exoplanet Working group co-lead


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[NASA] PDS: APERIODIC PDS RELEASES 2025.12

In December 2025, PDS ingested and made available the following data,
none of which were regularly released with an ongoing mission:

Mars Express:
- HRSC Radiometric RDR Extension9 V4.0
- MaRS (Radio Science) 1/2/3 Extension9 (4469, 4469, 4458, 4453, 4450,
  4449,4447,4446,4444,4442,4441)
- MaRS (Radio Science) Occultation

New Horizons:
- LORRI Pluto Encounter Raw Data
- LORRI Pluto Encounter Partially Processed Data

MAVEN:
- MAG Part of Release 43 (late)
- EUV Modelled Bundle Part of Release 43 (late)
- EUV Calibrated Bundle Part of Release 43 (late)
- EUV Derived Data Part of Release 43 (late)

Voyager 2:
- PLS Uranus Encounter Data Bundle
- PLS Neptune Encounter Data Bundle
- Jupiter Trajectory Heliographic Coordinates
- Jupiter Trajectory System III (1965) Coordinates
- Neptune Trajectory Heliographic Coordinates 48s
- Neptune Trajectory NLS Coords 12s
- Saturn Trajectory Heliographic Coordinates
- Saturn Trajectory Kronographic (L1) Coordinates
- Uranus Trajectory Heliographic Coordinates 48s
- Uranus Trajectory Uranus Longitude (U1) Coords 48s


Other:
- Friability of Meteorites
- Psyche SPICE Kernel Archive
- Pioneer Venus Probes DLBI
- Voyager 1 Saturn Low Energy Charged Particle Data

To access those data:

https://pds.nasa.gov/datasearch/subscription-service/SS-20251231.shtml

To access all data archived in PDS:

https://pds.nasa.gov


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[NASA] PDS: ODYSSEY DATA RELEASE 94

The NASA Planetary Data System announces Release 94 of data from the
Mars Odyssey Orbiter. This release contains raw, calibrated, and
derived data products nominally covering the time period April 1, 2025,
through June 30, 2025, for the GRS/HEND/NS suite, and March 4, 2025
through June 2, 2025, for THEMIS.

Since the previous Mars Odyssey release, two raw Radio Science data
volumes have been released, with data covering the period July 1, 2025
to October 31, 2025.

GRS/HEND/NS and Radio Science data are archived at the PDS Geosciences
Node, THEMIS data at the THEMIS Data Node, and SPICE data at the PDS
NAIF Node.

Odyssey releases occur every three months. The next release is
scheduled for April 1, 2026.

The data may be accessed from:

https://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/odyssey/

or for a more dataset-oriented view:

https://pds.nasa.gov/datasearch/subscription-service/SS-20260102.shtml

All available PDS data may be found at:

https://pds.nasa.gov/datasearch/data-search/

To access the latest PDS Data Releases, please visit the following
link:

https://pds.nasa.gov/datasearch/subscription-service/SS-Release.shtml

For further information, see the PDS Home Page:

https://pds.nasa.gov/


10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10

PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS

Note: Many face-to-face meetings going forward will have online
components. Check their websites for details.

Posted at https://planetarynews.org/meetings.html

May 17-22, 2026
Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon)
https://www.agu.org/abscicon
Madison, WI

August 10-14, 2026
Substellar Astrophysics
https://substellarerc.github.io/conference2026/
Tordesillas, Spain


11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11

PLANETARY SCIENCE JOURNAL - NEW PAPERS

Direct Links to Open Access Papers
Editor, Faith Vilas

https://psj.aas.org

No new papers.


12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12

JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS - NEW PAPERS

Direct Links to Open Access (OA) Papers
Editors-in-Chief, Amanda Hendrix & Debra Buczkowski

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/21699100

Structure of Jupiter's High-Latitude Storms: Folded Filamentary Regions
Revealed by Juno
L. N. Fletcher et al.
https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JE009315

Characterization of a Lava Plain NW of Ascraeus Mons, Mars, Through
Surface Morphometric Analyses and SHARAD Subsurface Detections
G. Nodjoumi et al.
https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JE008968


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