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

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

1. Request for Public Input on Planetary Research Program Metrics
2. Call for Papers for Science Ascend 14th Issue
3. [DPS-58] DPS Workshop: Uranus Solstice Campaign (Time Correction)
4. Postdoctoral Position in the Space Sciences (Washington University)
5. Postdoctoral Scholar, Electrical Engineering for UAV/Spaceflight
   Sensors, Northern Arizona University
6. Save the Date: Planetary Science Community Workshop 2
7. New Horizons Science Spotlight Webinar - This Week
8. Cast Your Vote: GSA Planetary Geology Division Secretary-Treasurer
9. Announcement of CHEOPS Guest Observers Running Call
10. Planetary Meeting Calendar Additions
11. Planetary Science Journal - New Papers
12. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets - New Papers
13. Planetary Research - New Papers

Commercial/Fundraising Announcements:

C1. Announcement of Proposal-Writing Courses for Spring 2027


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

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REQUEST FOR PUBLIC INPUT ON PLANETARY RESEARCH PROGRAM METRICS

What does a thriving and sustainable planetary science research
community look like and how is success measured? At the request of
NASA, the National Academies' Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary
Science (CAPS) will author a short report identifying metrics and
strategies that the NASA Planetary Research Program can use to support
a vital planetary research community.

The study committee is seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders
across the planetary research community. Please consider sharing your
thoughts by completing this form by October 30. Go to:

https://tinyurl.com/36jafujd

The CAPS Statement of Task for this report is at:

https://tinyurl.com/3xe9z4md


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CALL FOR PAPERS FOR SCIENCE ASCEND 14TH ISSUE

Science Ascend (ISSN: 3062-0090) is a non-peer-reviewed, free-to-submit
and free-to-read scientific journal on astrophysics research, people,
and tools. It began as a weekly journal, but starting with the 11th
issue, it has been published biannually. The 14th issue will be
published at the beginning of January 2027, and include:

- Focused recent literature review: A short literature review of the
  last 6 months in an astrophysics field,
- Lecture note: A lecture note in an astrophysics topic,
- Opinion article: A piece commenting/criticizing a scientific
  article,
- Interview: Summarizing an interview the author made with an
  astrophysicist academician/professional,
- Outreach: A discussion on astrophysics outreach,
- Research report: A report on an observation campaign or a
  successful/failed hypothesis,
- Research process: Elaborating on key points of the study conducted
  which usually go unpublished in peer-reviewed research papers (how
  the idea sparked, turning points, etc.).

The deadline is December 18 (inclusive), 2026. Please reach out to
Editor-in-Chief Guray Hatipoglu via info@fire-ae.org with a title for
the work and its summary first.

The current issue is at the following link (along with previous
issues):

https://fire-ae.org/ascend.html


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[DPS-58] DPS WORKSHOP: URANUS SOLSTICE CAMPAIGN (TIME CORRECTION}

The Uranian northern summer solstice in 2030 marks an important
transitional period for the planet itself and presents a unique
viewing geometry of the planet, its satellites, and its rings. This
DPS workshop is a kickoff meeting for the community to identify key
observations uniquely attainable during the 5 year time frame leading
up to and following solstice in 2030. Science areas include Uranus'
atmosphere, ionosphere, rings, satellites, magnetosphere, and more.
The workshop will discuss critical needs for modeling efforts and
which facilities could be used to acquire the requisite observations.
We expect to produce a white paper that captures the results of the
kickoff and future community discussions in order to best guide
planned observations during the Uranian Solstice period.

DPS Workshop details:
Name: Uranus Solstice Campaign
Time: Wednesday October 28 lunch (11:45 - 12:45 pm PDT) during the
      DPS Meeting
In-person: Room 205
Virtual: https://uidaho.zoom.us/j/83461108253

Contact: Matt Hedman (mhedman@uidago.edu) or Tracy Becker
(tracy.becker@swri.org) for questions.


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POSTDOCTORAL POSITION IN THE SPACE SCIENCES (WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY)

Washington University in St. Louis invites applicants to conduct
independent research as a postdoctoral fellow of the McDonnell Center
for the Space Sciences (MCSS) in the broad field of space sciences. We
welcome applicants with interests in Astromaterials, Cosmochemistry, or
Meteoritics; Experimental, Theoretical, or Observational Astrophysics;
Planetary Science; Particle and Nuclear Physics, Cosmology and
Gravitation; and Earth as a Planet. In their application materials, the
candidate should describe their research interests and list potential
collaborators from among the faculty fellows of the MCSS. The annual
salary is supplemented with additional funds for research expenses and
travel support.

Employment in this fellowship is planned to begin in July 2027 for an
anticipated initial one-year term, with the possibility of renewal for
a second year.

Candidates must have a PhD or be a May 2027 degree candidate
specializing in one of the fields listed above and have a record of
excellent scholarship. Ideal candidates will have demonstrated
expertise in relevant observational, lab-based, theoretical, and
computational methodologies.

For more information and to apply:

https://apply.interfolio.com/195539


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POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR, ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING FOR UAV/SPACEFLIGHT
SENSORS, NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY

The Radiant Center for Remote Sensing and the Planetary Instrumentation
eXperimentation and Exploration Laboratory (PIXEL) at Northern Arizona
University seek a Postdoctoral Scholar to design real-time sensor
fusion hardware for uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). These systems
double as prototypes for small spaceflight instruments, so what you
build and test in the rugged terrain around Flagstaff is a step toward
flight hardware for planetary missions. Join a Research Center that
builds instruments for missions to Mars, the Moon, and the asteroid
belt.

You will develop schematic and multilayer PCB layouts, VHDL/FPGA
firmware for real-time acquisition and timing, and embedded C/C++ and
Python software, then integrate and flight test payloads on
Pixhawk/PX4-class platforms. You will work alongside a full-time
electrical engineer, fellow postdocs, and students, and publish the
results.

Ph.D. in electrical or computer engineering (or a closely related
field) required. On-site in Flagstaff, AZ. Salary begins at $70,000.
Open only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents; no immigration
sponsorship.

Details and application:

https://tinyurl.com/3rn8wjkf

Lab:

https://christopherscottedwards.com

Center:

https://radiant.nau.edu


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SAVE THE DATE: PLANETARY SCIENCE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP 2

Following a successful inaugural meeting, the Planetary Science
Community Workshop will return next year.

PSCW 2 will be held at the University of Iowa on Thursday and Friday,
April 15 and 16, 2027, with a welcome reception the evening of
Wednesday, April 14.

More details to come here and at:

https://planetaryworkshop.org

Valerie Payre
Chase Million
Paul Byrne (paul.byrne@wustl.edu)


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NEW HORIZONS SCIENCE SPOTLIGHT WEBINAR - THIS WEEK

Join us on 22 October 2026, 2:30-3pm EDT (11:30-12 PDT,12:30-1pm MDT,
1:30-2pm CDT)

New Horizons continues its operation, now at 65au from the Sun. Since
2015 it has made ground-breaking discoveries of the Pluto-Charon
system, flown past the small contact KBO binary Arrokoth and collected
phase and light curve data for some three dozen additional KBOs and
the ice giants. It has also been sampling dust density throughout the
Solar System and studying the cosmic optical background. Please join
us for our spotlight webinar this week (30 min, fourth week each
month), or watch recorded at your convenience.

Our speaker will be Parisa Mostafavi (JHU/APL) and she will be
speaking on:

"New Horizons Contributions to Planetary Magnetospheres and PUIs"

Connection Link:

https://tinyurl.com/4hpmaexp

Meeting ID: 973 1769 7636
Passcode: ExtendedKB

Calendar for future seminars:

https://tinyurl.com/27b57u3z

Recordings are archived and posted at:

https://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/index.php#Spotlight-Presentations

For questions, contact New Horizons CoI Susan Benecchi, susank@psi.edu


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CAST YOUR VOTE: GSA PLANETARY GEOLOGY DIVISION SECRETARY-TREASURER

Dear Planetary Geology Division members,

Your participation in our division election process is a great way to
stay involved and help shape the future of our community. We encourage
you to take part and vote for the officer who will represent us in the
coming years.

We invite you to cast your vote today for the new division
Secretary-Treasurer, and make your voice heard.

https://tinyurl.com/4c8aerbx

Deadline: 28 October 2026

For assistance with your member number, please contact GSA at
gsaservice@geosociety.org or +1-303 357-1000 or toll free
+1-800-472-1988. Please remember you may need to clear your cookies
and restart your browser.

Thank you for voting, and we look forward to seeing you at GSA
Connects 2026 in Denver!

Regards,

PGD Management Board


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ANNOUNCEMENT OF CHEOPS GUEST OBSERVERS RUNNING CALL

The ESA CHEOPS Guest Observer Programme accepts proposals monthly
through its Running Call, offering the worldwide astronomical community
access to high-precision space-based photometry for observations from
2027-2029.

Large Programmes - Deadline: 31 October 2026

Researchers can request Large Programmes of up to 500 CHEOPS orbits for
scientifically compelling projects requiring substantial observing
time. Extensive observations, population studies and coordinated
observing programmes are particularly encouraged.

HST/JWST Fast Track - Monthly deadline

PIs of active HST or JWST Guest Observer programmes may request
complementary CHEOPS observations through the Fast-Track route. These
proposals bypass scientific evaluation by the CHEOPS Time Allocation
Committee and undergo technical feasibility assessment, providing an
expedited route to complementary CHEOPS photometry.

Broad Scientific Opportunities

CHEOPS supports a wide range of time-domain science, including:

- Exoplanet transits, occultations, phase curves and transit timing
- Eclipsing binaries and stellar variability
- Stellar activity, rotation, and flares
- Coordinated observations with other facilities

The programme is open worldwide, with no previous CHEOPS experience or
Consortium membership required. Only 20 targets are reserved by the
Guaranteed Time Observations programme, while CHEOPS can observe more
than 75% of the sky.

For information and proposal support, contact
cheops-support@cosmos.esa.int.


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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

December 14-16, 2026
WST UK Community Workshop
https://indico.ast.cam.ac.uk/event/11/
Cambridge, United Kingdom

February 15-19, 2027
Expanding Horizons in High Angular Resolution Astronomy
https://sites.google.com/inaf.it/interferometry-florence-2027/home
Florence, Italy

April 19-23, 2027
High Resolution Spectroscopy - Towards the Extremely Large Telescopes
https://meetings.iac.es/HRS2027/
Tenerife, Canary Islands

May 19-20, 2027
Global Summit on Advances in Astrophysics, Gravitation and Cosmology
(ASTROPHYSICS2027)
https://astrophysics2027.researchconnects.org
Florence, Italy


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PLANETARY SCIENCE JOURNAL - NEW PAPERS

Direct Links to Open Access Papers

Editor, Brian Jackson
https://psj.aas.org

No new papers this week.


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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

How Large Are Marsquakes? Revisiting Magnitude Scaling and Implications
for Marsquakes and Meteoroid Impacts
Jung-Hun Song et al.
https://doi.org/10.1029/2026JE009988

The Effects of ICME Composition on the Sputtered Component of the Lunar
Exosphere
A. R. Poppe et al.
https://doi.org/10.1029/2026JE009972

Thermal Conductivity of Iron at the Conditions of Small Planetary Cores
Eric Edmund et al.
https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JE009205

Active Dust Devils in the Rosalind Franklin Rover Landing Site in Oxia
Planum, Mars
P. M. Grindrod, E. A. Favaro, M. R. Balme, M. R. Patel
https://doi.org/10.1029/2026JE010056


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PLANETARY RESEARCH - NEW PAPERS

Direct Links to Diamond Open Access Papers

Editor-in-Chief, Mark A. Wieczorek
https://planetary-research.org

No new papers this week.


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COMMERCIAL: ANNOUNCEMENT OF PROPOSAL-WRITING COURSES FOR SPRING 2027

Register your interest for either of two intensive, instructor-led
courses for Spring 2027, designed to help break down barriers faced by
early-career researchers as they seek independent funding.

Course 1: Getting Your Message Across - A proposal-writing bootcamp for
early career researchers

This course focuses on effective communication of an existing proposal
concept; best for those who have a proposal partly or fully written,
or wish to resubmit a previously-submitted proposal.
6 live 2-hour sessions; limited to 8 participants; cost: $1975

Course 2: From idea to submission - How to develop a research proposal

This course focuses on developing a proposal concept from scratch;
best for those who are new to proposal-writing, or who want to improve
their ability to write proposals in a systematic and timely fashion.
8 live 2-hour sessions; limited to 6 participants; cost: $2495

You can find detailed information and FAQ at:

https://www.writetrack.co

Use the contact form or email info@writetrack.co to register interest
in Spring 2027 courses.

Come visit us in the Fall AGU meeting exhibit hall from Monday,
December 7 to Thursday, December 10! We'll be at Booth #1741 in the
Academic Showcase:

https://tinyurl.com/WriteTrackBooth


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