KECK INSTITUTE FOR SPACE STUDIES

       

Workshop: The Next-Generation Ground-Based Planetary Radar - Part II

May 10 - 14, 2021
California Institute of Technology - Pasadena, CA 91125

Workshop Overview:

Planetary radar observations have a laudable history of “firsts” including the determination of the astronomical unit at the precision sufficient for interplanetary navigation, the distribution of water at the south pole of the Moon, indications of water ice in the permanently shadowed regions at the poles of Mercury, polar ice and anomalous surface features on Mars, indications that the asteroid (16) Psyche is an exposed metallic core of a planetoid, establishing the icy nature of the Jovian satellites, and the initial characterizations of Titan's surface. In many cases, these discoveries by planetary radar systems have motivated missions or radar instruments on missions.  Further, the discovery of interstellar objects may present new radar targets for bridging Planetary Science and Astrophysics. 

With the loss of the Arecibo Planetary Radar, the Goldstone Solar System Radar is now the single dominant component of the world's planetary radar infrastructure. The latter system also depends upon a single antenna equipped with vacuum tube amplifiers, and significant issues have been experienced with its operational reliability and sustainability.

We will be holding a five-day virtual workshop to complete this study in May 2021. This builds on the successful three-day virtual gathering of the team during the summer of 2020, where the following questions were addressed:

  • What are ambitious science goals for planetary radar observations of asteroids?
  • What are ambitious science goals for planetary radar observations of terrestrial planets and into the outer solar system?
  • How might we accomplish these ambitious science goals?

Monday, May 10, 2021

Welcome, Observatory Updates and Poster Session

Time
Event
Speaker
8:45 ‐ 9:00

Welcome to the workshop! Please get yourself settled into the Think Tank room early to leave
plenty of time for unexpected technical hitches (test your mic, grab some coffee or tea), and
informally get to know your fellow participants as we all get ready to start at the top of the hour.

9:00 ‐ 10:00

in Think Tank Zoom
Logistics
Review study vision
Goals and expectations for workshop #2
Zoom group photo

Michele Judd
Team Lead

10:00 ‐ 10:30

in Gather Town
Break ‐ Get up and MOVE for at least 10 minutes ;‐) and then meet folks in Gather Town to chat
about the topic of the day

10:30 ‐ 11:15

in Think Tank Zoom
Obervatory Updates (15 minutes each)
‐ Arecibo
‐ Green Bank
‐ Goldstone

Noemi Pinilla-Alonso
Karen O'Neill
Lance Benner
11:15 ‐ NOON

in Think Tank Zoom
Poster Session ‐ 2 min spotlights

Poster session participants
NOON ‐ 1:00

in Gather Town
Grab lunch! Hang out in Gather Town with old and new friends if you like or help with your kid's
homework, walk the dog ‐ just take care of yourself.

1:00 - 2:00 in Gather Town
Poster session (bring your beverage and treat!)

All
2:00 - 5:00

Gather Town remains open for:
- Homework & Research (group / individual activity)
- Setting up informal conversations/collaborations

5:00

Day 1 ends


Tuesday, May 11, 2021

SCIENCE

Time
Event
Speaker
8:45 ‐ 9:00

Welcome to the workshop! Please get yourself settled into the Think Tank room early to leave
plenty of time for unexpected technical hitches (test your mic, grab some coffee or tea), and
informally get to know your fellow participants as we all get ready to start at the top of the hour.

9:00 ‐ 9:15 in Think Tank Zoom
Logistics
Breakout Session instructions
Zoom group photo
Michele Judd
Team Leads
9:15 ‐ 10:00

in Think Tank Zoom
Breakout recaps from workshop #1
Overview of planetary radar highlights from Decadal Survey

Previous Breakout
Session Leads
Edgard Rivera-Valentin

10:00 ‐ 10:30

in Think Tank Zoom (for Chair Yoga) or in Gather Town (to chat with colleagues)
Break ‐ Get up and MOVE for at least 10 minutes ;‐) and then return to Zoom for Chair Yoga or
meet folks in Gather Town to chat about the topic of the day

10:30 ‐ NOON

in Gather Town (and respective Breakout Room Zoom link)
BREAKOUT SESSION ‐ revisit and refine key questions and
requirements
Self‐arrange in Gather Town
‐ Group ‐ Asteroids and Planetary Defense (and Earth Trojans and
Minimoons?)
‐ Group ‐ Outer Solar System (Giant Planet Satellites, Trojans,
Centaurs, ...)
‐ Group ‐ The Surface of Venus (and other Terrestrial Planets?)
‐ Others?
Determine most exciting questions in each group, create subgroups to
meet after lunch and write up paragraphs

All
NOON ‐ 1:00

in Gather Town
Grab lunch! Hang out in Gather Town with old and new friends if you like or help with your kid's
homework, walk the dog ‐ just take care of yourself.

1:00 - 2:00 in Gather Town (or in respective Breakout Room Zoom link)
Determine most exciting questions and write up relevant paragraph for
each question in their breakout group

All
2:00 - 5:00

Gather Town remains open for:
- Homework & Research (group / individual activity)
- Setting up informal conversations/collaborations

5:00

Day 2 ends


Wednesday, May 12, 2021

TECHNOLOGY

Time
Event
Speaker
8:45 ‐ 9:00

Welcome to the workshop! Please get yourself settled into the Think Tank room early to leave
plenty of time for unexpected technical hitches (test your mic, grab some coffee or tea), and
informally get to know your fellow participants as we all get ready to start at the top of the hour.

9:00 ‐ 10:00

in Think Tank Zoom
Logistics
Group pulse
Zoom group photo

Michele Judd
Team Lead

10:00 ‐ 10:30

in Gather Town
Break ‐ Get up and MOVE for at least 10 minutes ;‐) and then meet folks in Gather Town to chat
about the topic of the day

10:30 ‐ 11:00

in Think Tank Zoom
Science Breakout session report outs

Breakout Session
Leads
11:00 ‐ NOON

in Gather Town (and respective Breakout Room Zoom link)
BREAKOUT SESSION ‐ technology concepts
Self‐arrange in Gather Town
‐ Concept ‐ Ground‐based Single Dish
‐ Concept ‐ Ground‐based Radar Array
‐ Concept ‐ Space‐based [ground‐based transmitter + space‐based
receiver?

All
NOON ‐ 1:00

in Gather Town
Grab lunch! Hang out in Gather Town with old and new friends if you like or help with your kid's
homework, walk the dog ‐ just take care of yourself.

1:00 - 2:00 in Gather Town (or in respective Breakout Room Zoom link)
BREAKOUT SESSION ‐ continues

All
2:00 - 5:00

Gather Town remains open for:
- Homework & Research (group / individual activity)
- Setting up informal conversations/collaborations

5:00

Day 3 ends


Thursday, May 13, 2021

Time
Event
Speaker
8:45 ‐ 9:00

Welcome to the workshop! Please get yourself settled into the Think Tank room early to leave
plenty of time for unexpected technical hitches (test your mic, grab some coffee or tea), and
informally get to know your fellow participants as we all get ready to start at the top of the hour.

9:00 ‐ 10:00

in Think Tank Zoom
Logistics
Breakout session report‐outs
Zoom group photo

Michele Judd
Team Lead

10:00 ‐ 10:30

in Gather Town
Break ‐ Get up and MOVE for at least 10 minutes ;‐) and then meet folks in Gather Town to chat
about the topic of the day

10:30 ‐ 11:15

in Think Tank Zoom
Final Report Outline
Who is our Audience?
Illustrations ‐ what does the illustrator need from you?

Team Leads
Michele Judd
11:15 ‐ NOON

in Gather Town (and respective Breakout Room Zoom link)
Writing in breakouts

All
NOON ‐ 1:00

in Gather Town
Grab lunch! Hang out in Gather Town with old and new friends if you like or help with your kid's
homework, walk the dog ‐ just take care of yourself.

1:00 - 2:00 in Gather Town (and respective Breakout Room Zoom link) Continue writing, breakouts for illustration definitions

All
2:00 - 5:00

Gather Town remains open for:
- Homework & Research (group / individual activity)
- Setting up informal conversations/collaborations

5:00

Day 4 ends


Friday, May 14, 2021

Putting it all together

Time
Event
Speaker
8:45 ‐ 9:00

Welcome to the workshop! Please get yourself settled into the Think Tank room early to leave
plenty of time for unexpected technical hitches (test your mic, grab some coffee or tea), and
informally get to know your fellow participants as we all get ready to start at the top of the hour.

9:00 ‐ 9:10 in Think Tank Zoom
Logistics
Overview of day
Michele Judd
Team Leads
9:10 ‐ 10:00

in Think Tank Zoom
Advocacy Plan

All

10:00 ‐ 10:30

in Gather Town
Group Exercise and Picture in Gather Town, then hang out here with your colleagues!

10:30 ‐ 11:00

in Gather Town (and respective Breakout Room Zoom link)
Working Groups meet and make collaboration plan and propose
writings deliverables and milestone dates

All
11:00 ‐ 11:15 in Think Tank Zoom
Working Groups report out on plans
Working Group leads
11:15 ‐ 11:30 in Think Tank Zoom
Overview of Assignments for the final report
Team Leads
11:30 ‐ 11:55 in Think Tank Zoom
Reflections and conclusions
Team Leads
11:55 ‐ NOON in Think Tank Zoom
Workshop closing
Michele Judd
NOON

Day 5 ends with pizza lunch!


Workshop Participants:

  • Tony Beasley – National Radio Astronomy Observatory
  • Lance Benner - JPL
  • Bryce Bolin – Caltech
  • Marina Brozovic – JPL
  • Michael Busch – SETI Institute
  • Bryan Butler – National Radio Astronomy Observatory
  • Saverio Cambioni – University of Arizona
  • Bruce Campbell – Smithsonian Institution
  • Don Campbell – Cornell University
  • Paul Chodas – JPL
  • Larry D’Addario – Caltech
  • Katherine de Kleer – Caltech
  • Imke dePater – UC Berkeley
  • Kelly Fast – NASA Headquarters
  • Harshal Gupta - National Science Foundation
  • Lindley Johnson – NASA Headquarter
  • Ed Kruzins – CSIRO
  • Joe Lazio – JPL
  • Sean Marshall - Arecibo Observatory
  • Karen O’Neil – Green Bank Observatory
  • Flora Paganelli –  Green Bank Observatory
  • Noemi Pinilla-Alonso –  Arecibo Observatory /Florida Space Institute
  • Vikram Ravi – Caltech
  • Carol Raymond – JPL
  • Edgard (Ed) Rivera-Valentin – Lunar & Planetary Institute (USRA)
  • Anish Roshi – Arecibo Observatory
  • Mike Rubel – Planet Labs, Inc.
  • Mark Taylor – JPL
  • Patrick Taylor – Lunar & Planetary Institute 
  • Bevin (Ashley) VanderLey – National Science Foundation
  • Flaviane Venditti – Arecibo Observatory Puerto Rico /University of Central Florida
  • Victor Vilnrotter – JPL
  • Anne Virkki – University of Helsinki
  • Steven Wilkinson – Raytheon Intelligence and Space