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June 2, 2010
A new issue of the NAI Newsletter is available! In this issue of the NAI Newsletter...
NAI For Students and Young Investigators For the Astrobiology Community Please send news items, comments, and suggestions to the NAI Newsletter editor, at: Marco Boldt
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ESA Parabolic Flights
Dear Colleague,
ESA has for 25 years provided opportunities for research during Parabolic Flights that provide weightlessness repeatedly in periods of about 20 seconds. For more than 10 years the A300 aircraft has been used providing large volume and excellent environment for research in wide variety of areas.
The A300 has now been certified for flying parabolas that provides, in addition to microgravity, reduced gravity levels of 0.16 g for approximately 23 s and 0.38 g for approximately 30 s. These gravity levels correspond to Lunar and Martian gravity levels.
This will allow for research related to partial gravity characteristics in a variety of scientific fields in physical sciences (e.g. fluid and soft matter physics), life sciences (cell, plant and animal biology, human physiology) and technology.
In particular in life sciences, investigations can be conducted on organ systems, as well as opportunities to understand how humans, small animals, cells and plants are affected by a low gravity environment similar to those on the Moon and Mars. Many issues of relevance for the preparation of future human space exploration that includes stays on the surface of planetary bodies can also be investigated.
ESA is soliciting for proposals that take stock of the possibilities that are provided by the Parabolic Flight programme specifically for reduced gravity levels of 0.16g and 0.38 g. Please visit www.esa.int/parabolicflight for further information on the ESA Parabolic Flights and on how to prepare and submit research proposals.
Proposals for reduced gravity levels of 0.16 g and 0.38 g should be received before 31 August 2010 .
With best regards,
Dr C. Fuglesang
Head of Science and Applications Division
CAREX Iceland Field Trip
In its effort to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and know-how, CAREX will organise its second field trip in Iceland on June 15-18, 2010. This event will provide an opportunity for up to 20 selected participants to interact in a field setting to deploy instruments, demonstrate the use of selected technologies, compare methodologies, exchange research experiences and help promote harmonisation of techniques and methodologies. Study sites include hot spring area and a glacier. An online call for instruments is open until 1st of April (noon - French time). CAREX Steering Committee will select the instruments to be brought on site. Selection will be based on the relevance of the expected work as well as logistical issues. It has to be noted that the Committee will give priority to sampling and life detection instruments. Selected participants will be contacted by the CAREX project Office by April 20, 2010. The project will cover travel, subsistence and logistic costs related to the participation of invited participants.
More details and call info:
Dear all,
I would like to ask you to circulate the following opportunities
PDFsmall (1K) 1. Access to Planetary Science Facilities
PDFsmall (1K) 2. COST Astrochemistry CM0805
PDFsmall (1K) 3. LASSIE EU Training Network Phd and Postdoc Positions
Dear all,
On behalf of Jack Mustard, the MEPAG Chair, Dave Beaty, Rich Zurek, and Charles Budney of the Mars Program Science Office, attached is the December 2009.
PDFsmall (1K) edition of the Mars Exploration Science Monthly Newsletter
The latest newsletter can be found on the web
Joyce Pulliam- Mars Exploration Directorate- Jet Propulsion Laboratory

I am reminding you the action COST (CM0805) of the ESF-European Council : the chemical cosmos,
Three groups are organized: •Radical– and ion-induced gas-phase reactions

Processes on grain surfaces
Chemistry of planetary (and satellite) atmospheres

I am chairing the Working Group 3: Chemistry of planetary (and satellite) atmospheres, if you want to be part of tit, please inform me and the project coordinator: Pr. Nigel Mason, N.J.Mason@open.ac.uk
We have our first meeting at the Open University from 15 to 17 of January (it includes a Saturday and Sunday) and this meeting will include a special symposium of modelling an exoplanet atmosphere which is a follow up of the ESF meeting on this subject, it will be for me also a way to expose the organisation of WG-3 and to propose the first real WG-3 thematic symposium for which I would propose the theme: "Carbon in the solar system from the sun to the Oort cloud" and convene it in Brussels in 2010, this symposium would be in the 100 participants class and could take place at the Space Pole. As carbon has a relation to astrobiology, all known life being carbon based, I am informing you about this subject.
For the Open University meeting, ESF finances two participants per country, the Brussels meeting should receive specific COST funding but I doubt that COST will be able to invite all participants.
P.S.: do not hesitate to pass this information to any colleagues involved in solar system chemistry.

Christian Muller, Belgian EANA councillor
Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy and B.USOC
avenue Circulaire, 3, B-1180 Brussels, Belgium
tel: +32-2-3730372, mobile: +32-473 77 36 69
christian.muller@exobiologie.be
Dear members of the EANA EC and colleagues interested in astrobiology,
2008 was a very interesting and successful year for astrobiology in Europe and EANA especially. Please, find the highlights summarized in my PDFsmall (1K) letter . One of the important events that foster the communication among the European astrobiology community is always the annual workshop, this year in Neuchatel PDFsmall (1K) summary .
2009 likewise will have many interesting events on its menu PDFsmall (1K) conferences in 2009.
All this, and many further information, e.g. on open positions for PhD students and post-docs, announcements by ESA, you will find on our EANA website
Please, keep our EANA website active by providing information which you think is of interest to the whole community. The contact address is your national representative or
szusz fzrmi or gerda horneck
With my best personal regards And best wishes to a Merry Christmas, a happy New Year and a successful 2009
Gerda Horneck
President of EANA
Dear all,
In attachment you find for your information the announcement of the
PDFsmall (1K) 2009 Alpbach Summer School : , this time on Exoplanets.
We remind you that BELSPO encourages participation of Belgian students and graduates to this event, but cannot provide funding for it.
best regards,
Werner Verschueren

Dear EANA Executive Committee Members
I would like to draw your attention to the following upcoming events of interest to astrobiologists, all happening in Europe within the next months: I would like to ask you to distribute in your country the following information to the astrobiology community:
"The deadline for submitting abstract to the 8th European Workshop on Astrobiology EANA'08, which will take place from September 1 to 3, 2008 in Neuchatel, Switzerland, has been extended to June 20, 2008.
This meeting offers especially to young scientists (PhD students and postdocs) the opportunity to present the results of their studies to a relative small, but highly interested community. It is one of the traditions of EANA, to give many young scientists and students the possibility of an oral presentation. Thanks to sponsorship by ESA a limited number of travel grants is available for undergraduate and graduate students.
More information is available at the web site :
Please, visit also the EANA website: :
Looking forward to welcoming many of you at EANA'08 With best regards Gerda Horneck President of EANA"
P.S. I very much hope to welcome also many EANA EC members at EANA'08
Dr. Gerda Horneck
Dear EANA Councillors
I would like to draw your attention to the following upcoming events of interest to astrobiologists, all happening in Europe within the next months:
  • EANA'08" to be held in Neuchatel from September 1-3, 2008:
  • 15th International Conference on the Origin of life "ISSOL'08" to be held in Florence from August 24-29, 2009
  • The Third European Planetary Science Congress will take place in Muenster, Germany from September 21-26, 2008
  • To the Moon and beyond to be held from September 15-17, 2008 in Bremen
  • It is planned to have the next meeting of AbGradNet together with EANA'09
  • Full-time PhD Studentship in Geomicrobiology, CEPSAR, Faculty of Science Three years from 1 October 2008, based in Milton Keynes
PDFsmall (1K) where you find more detailed information that might be of interest to you
Dear members of the EANA'08 SOC and of EANA EC:
This is to remind you that thanks to the generous sponsorship of ESA we will again be in the position to provide travel grants for undergraduate and graduate students who plan to participate in the 8th European Workshop on Astrobiology EANA'08
http://www.space-x.eu/EANA08/
This workshop is an excellent opportunity for the young generation of astrobiologists to meet the experts and to present their first results to the community.
Please, spread this information to interested students

The next EUROPLANET science congress will be in Münster (Germany) from September 21 to September 26
http://meetings.copernicus.org/epsc2008/
The "Origins" sessions contain several sessions dealing with astrobiology, I bring yo your attention the life on Mars session:
Life on Mars, past, present and future covers all the aspects of extinct, present life and future evolution and possible contamination. The processes favourable to life as well as the various sterilising factors prsent in the Mars environment can be part of the session. Communications on life related observation instruments and strategies are also welcome.
The deadline for abstract submission is officially on June 1st,

You are encouraged to look again at the EANA website:
http://www.astrobiologia.pl/eana/
where you find new information that might be of interest to you:
  • Announcement of the first workshop of the Italian Astrobiology Society, which just has been founded (Congratulations!!!)
  • a reminder of the call for nomination for the Stanley Miller Award
In addition, the following information will appear soon:
  • An ESA call for Interest for flying small external payloads on Columbus, by means of a new external platform under the following link:
    http://spaceflight.esa.int/sep
  • Information about the successful operation of the astrobiology EXPOSE facility on the ISS.
  • The official link for the next EANA meeting
EANA has got a new and active website:
http://www.astrobiologia.pl/eana/
This will now be our new platform for exchange of information relevant to astrobiology and the EANA community.
The Astrobiology Primer: An Outline of General Knowledge­Version 1, 2006
PDFsmall (1K) (PDF file, 1006Kb)   Just released and free to download
Abstract:
The Astrobiology Primer has been created as a reference tool for those who are interested in the interdisciplinary field of astrobiology. The field incorporates many diverse research endeavors, but it is our hope that this slim volume will present the reader with all he or she needs to know to become involved and to understand, at least at a fundamental level, the state of the art.
Each section includes a brief overview of a topic and a short list of readable and important literature for those interested in deeper knowledge. Because of the great diversity of material, each section was written by a different author with a different expertise. Contributors, authors, and editors are listed at the beginning, along with a list of those chapters and sections for which they were responsible.
We are deeply indebted to the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI), in particular to Estelle Dodson, David Morrison, Ed Goolish, Krisstina Wilmoth, and Rose Grymes for their continued enthusiasm and support. The Primer came about in large part because of NAI support for graduate student research, collaboration, and inclusion as well as direct funding. We have entitled the Primer version 1 in hope that it will be only the first in a series, whose future volumes will be produced every 3, 5 years.
This way we can insure that the Primer keeps up with the current state of research. We hope that it will be a great resource for anyone trying to stay abreast of an ever-changing field. If you have noticed any errors of fact or wish to be involved in future incarnations of the project, please contact Lucas Mix (e-mail: lucas@flirble.org).

Last modified: Jun 04, 2010 08:12:03
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