MARSBUGS: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter Volume 5, Number 20, 10 September 1998. Editors: Dr. David Thomas, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, 83844-3051, USA. Marsbugs@aol.com or davidt@uidaho.edu. Dr. Julian Hiscox, Division of Molecular Biology, IAH Compton Laboratory, Berkshire, RG20 7NN, UK. Julian.Hiscox@bbsrc.ac.uk Marsbugs is published on a weekly to quarterly basis as warranted by the number of articles and announcements. Copyright of this compilation exists with the editors, except for specific articles, in which instance copyright exists with the author/authors. While we cannot copyright our mailing list, our readers would appreciate it if others would not send unsolicited e-mail using the Marsbugs mailing list. The editors do not condone "spamming" of our subscribers. Persons who have information that may be of interest to subscribers of Marsbugs should send that information to the editors. E-mail subscriptions are free, and may be obtained by contacting either of the editors. Article contributions are welcome, and should be submitted to either of the two editors. Contributions should include a short biographical statement about the author(s) along with the author(s)' correspondence address. Subscribers are advised to make appropriate inquiries before joining societies, ordering goods etc. Back issues and Word97 files suitable for printing may be obtained via anonymous FTP at ftp.uidaho.edu/pub/mmbb/marsbugs or at the official Marsbugs web page at http://members.aol.com/marsbugs/marsbugs.html. The purpose of this newsletter is to provide a channel of information for scientists, educators and other persons interested in exobiology and related fields. This newsletter is not intended to replace peer-reviewed journals, but to supplement them. We, the editors, envision Marsbugs as a medium in which people can informally present ideas for investigation, questions about exobiology, and announcements of upcoming events. Astrobiology is still a relatively young field, and new ideas may come out of the most unexpected places. Subjects may include, but are not limited to: exobiology and astrobiology (life on other planets), the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), ecopoeisis and terraformation, Earth from space, planetary biology, primordial evolution, space physiology, biological life support systems, and human habitation of space and other planets. ------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENTS 1) LATEST LUNAR PROSPECTOR FINDINGS INDICATE LARGER AMOUNTS OF POLAR WATER ICE NASA release 98-158 2) NEW ANALYSES FROM LUNAR PROSPECTOR PUBLISHED Los Alamos National Laboratory release 3) UMASS MICROBIOLOGIST FOCUSES ON IRON-EATING BACTERIA-- FINDINGS HAVE IMPLICATIONS ON BEGINNING OF LIFE ON EARTH University of Massachusetts-Amherst release 4) NASA ACCEPTS "KEYS" TO FIRST U.S.-BUILT STATION COMPONENT NASA release 98-160 5) SCIENTIFIC BALLOON LANDED TODAY CSA release 6) NEW MARS SURVEYOR 98 MAILING LIST By Ron Baalke 7) 1998 MARS SURVEYOR PROJECT STATUS REPORT By John McNamee 8) MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR PROJECT STATUS REPORT OVERVIEW By the Mars Surveyor operations project manager ------------------------------------------------------------------ LATEST LUNAR PROSPECTOR FINDINGS INDICATE LARGER AMOUNTS OF POLAR WATER ICE NASA release 98-158 3 September 1998 The north and south poles of the Moon may contain up to six billion metric tons of water ice, a more than ten-fold increase over previous estimates, according to scientists working with data from NASA's Lunar Prospector mission. Growing evidence now suggests that water ice deposits of relatively high concentration are trapped beneath the soil in the permanently shadowed craters of both lunar polar regions. The researchers believe that alternative explanations, such as concentrations of hydrogen from the solar wind, are unlikely. Mission scientists also report the detection of strong, localized magnetic fields; delineation of new mass concentrations on the surface; and the mapping of the global distribution of major rock types, key resources and trace elements. In addition, there are strong suggestions that the Moon has a small, iron-rich core. The new findings are published in the September 4 issue of Science magazine. "The Apollo program gave us an excellent picture of the Moon's basic structure and its regional composition, along with some hints about its origin and evolution," said Dr. Carl Pilcher, science director for Solar System exploration in NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. "Lunar Prospector is now expanding that knowledge into a global perspective. The indications of water ice at the poles are tantalizing and likely to spark spirited debate among lunar scientists." In March, mission scientists reported a water signal with a minimum abundance of one percent by weight of water ice in rocky lunar soil (regolith) corresponding to an estimated total of 300 million metric tons of ice at the Moon's poles. "We based those earlier, conscientiously conservative estimates on graphs of neutron spectrometer data, which showed distinctive dips over the lunar polar regions," said Dr. Alan Binder of the Lunar Research Institute, Gilroy, CA, the Lunar Prospector principal investigator. "This indicated significant hydrogen enrichment, a telltale signature of the presence of water ice. "Subsequent analysis, combined with improved lunar models, shows conclusively that there is hydrogen at the Moon's poles," Binder said. "Though other explanations are possible, we interpret the data to mean that significant quantities of water ice are located in permanently shadowed craters in both lunar polar regions. "The data do not tell us definitively the form of the water ice," Binder added. "However, if the main source is cometary impacts, as most scientists believe, our expectation is that we have areas at both poles with layers of near-pure water ice." In fact, the new analysis "indicates the presence of discrete, confined, near- pure water ice deposits buried beneath as much as 18 inches (40 centimeters) of dry regolith, with the water signature being 15 percent stronger at the Moon's north pole than at the south." How much water do scientists believe they have found? "It is difficult to develop a numerical estimate," said Dr. William Feldman, co-investigator and spectrometer specialist at the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM. "However, we calculate that each polar region may contain as much as three billion metric tons of water ice." Feldman noted he had cautioned that earlier estimates "could be off by a factor of ten," due to the inadequacy of existing lunar models. The new estimate is well within reason, he added, since it is still "one to two orders of magnitude less than the amount of water predicted as possibly delivered to, and retained on, the Moon by comets," according to earlier projections by Dr. Jim Arnold of the University of California at San Diego. In other results, data from Lunar Prospector's gamma ray spectrometer have been used to develop the first global maps of the Moon's elemental composition. The maps delineate large compositional variations of thorium, potassium and iron over the lunar surface, providing insights into the Moon's crust as it was formed. The distribution of thorium and potassium on the Moon's near side supports the idea that some portion of materials rich in these trace elements was scattered over a large area as a result of ejection by asteroid and comet impacts. While its magnetic field is relatively weak and not global in nature like those of most planets, the Moon does contain magnetized rocks on its upper surface, according to data from Lunar Prospector's magnetometer and electron reflectometer. The resultant strong, local magnetic fields create the two smallest known magnetospheres in the Solar System. "The Moon was previously interpreted as just an unmagnetized body without a major effect on what is going on in the solar wind," explained Dr. Mario Acuna, a member of the team located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. "We are discovering that there is nothing simple about the Moon as an obstacle to this continuous flow of electrically charged gas from the Sun." These mini-magnetospheres are located diametrically opposite to large impact basins on the lunar surface, leading scientists to conclude that the magnetic regions formed as the result of these titanic impacts. One theory is that these impacts produced a cloud of electrically charged gas that expanded around the Moon in about five minutes, compressing and amplifying the pre-existing, primitive ambient magnetic field on the opposite side. This field was then "frozen" into the surface crust and retained as the Moon's then-molten core solidified and the global field vanished. Using data from Prospector's doppler gravity experiment, scientists have developed the first precise gravity map of the entire lunar surface. In the process, they have discovered seven previously unknown mass concentrations, lava-filled craters on the lunar surface known to cause gravitational anomalies. Three are located on the Moon's near side and four on its far side. This new, high-quality information will help engineers determine the long-term, altitude-related behavior of lunar-orbiting spacecraft, and more accurately assess fuel needs for possible future Moon missions. Finally, Lunar Prospector data suggests that the Moon has a small, iron-rich core approximately 186 miles (300 kilometers) in radius, which is toward the smaller end of the range predicted by most current theories. "This theory seems to best fit the available data and models, but it is not a unique fit," cautioned Binder. "We will be able to say much more about this when we get magnetic data related to core size later in the mission." Ultimately, a precise figure for the core size will help constrain models of how the Moon originally formed. Lunar Prospector was launched on January 6, 1998, aboard a Lockheed Martin Athena 2 solid-fuel rocket and entered lunar orbit on January 11. After a one-year primary mission orbiting the Moon at a height of approximately 63 miles (100 kilometers), mission controllers plan to the lower the spacecraft's orbit substantially to obtain detailed measurements. The $63 million mission is managed by NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA. Further information about Lunar Prospector, its science data return, and relevant charts and graphics can be found on the project website at http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov ------------------------------------------------------------------ NEW ANALYSES FROM LUNAR PROSPECTOR PUBLISHED Los Alamos National Laboratory release 4 September 1998 Refined calculations of lunar water amounts and unique lunar compositional maps appeared today in the journal Science as part of the first publications of detailed analyses of data returned from NASA's Lunar Prospector mission. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory are lead authors on four of the papers in Science, with significant contributions from the Observatoire Midi-Pyrenees in Toulouse, France. Los Alamos built three of Lunar Prospector's five onboard instruments. Refined calculations of lunar water amounts are tenfold higher than the lower limit--based on preliminary, conservative estimates--released in March. The additional analysis also shows the water is likely confined to localized areas near the poles, rather than spread out evenly across the polar regions, as was assumed in making the earlier estimates. Water amounts, inferred from measurements of hydrogen in the lunar soil, are of great interest because of their potential impact on plans for colonization. Compositional measurements show that the well-known impact basin Mare Imbrium--one of the large, dark areas visible in the full moon--is unlike any other spot on the moon, which theories of lunar evolution will have to account for. "This mission has been an overwhelming success," said Los Alamos' Bill Feldman "We've gotten beautiful science from two of our three instruments. The third, we just haven't had time to analyze the data yet." "These data will generate ripples that will spread throughout the planetary science community," said Rick Elphic. "We're barely scratching the surface of the analysis; we haven't begun to touch on the many ramifications for the origin and evolution of the moon." The Los Alamos papers describe: * The first application of neutron spectroscopy to planetary exploration, used on Lunar Prospector principally to look for the presence of water, but showing unexpected value for studying lunar composition as well; * The first mapping of the entire lunar surface in gamma rays, which reveals compositional variations across the surface; * And a comparison between Lunar Prospector neutron measurements and spectroscopic data from the Clementine spacecraft, which orbited the moon in 1994. Los Alamos scientists built Lunar Prospector's neutron spectrometer, gamma ray spectrometer and alpha particle spectrometer. Spectrometers measure the numbers and energies of particles or photons encountered. Data from the neutron and gamma ray spectrometers figure into the Science papers; the alpha particle data are yet to be analyzed. Neutrons and gamma rays emanate from the moon's surface as a result of cosmic rays--high-energy particles traveling through space in all directions--striking nuclei in the lunar soil. When a cosmic ray hits a nucleus it can eject neutron particles or high-energy gamma ray photons in response. Some of the neutrons and gamma rays travel upward where instruments aboard Lunar Prospector intercept them. "The gamma ray measurements are ideal for spotting elements incorporated into materials that formed below the moon's crust," said Los Alamos' David Lawrence. The moon once was hot and molten and as it cooled minerals crystallized and sank to form the core, if they were heavy, or floated upward to form the crust, if they were light. The last material to solidify contained thorium, potassium, gadolinium and samarium, which do not readily incorporate into minerals. These elements are signatures of the moon's subsurface mantle region, and their presence on the surface indicates some process--volcanic events or impacts strong enough to punch through the crust--must have dredged them up from the interior. "Studies of these materials provides us a window into the moon's interior," Elphic said. Thorium and potassium create standout gamma-ray signals, and their emissions neatly trace out Mare Imbrium's outer rim. Lawrence said this signal "provides a telltale sign of deposition by ejecta. This indicates that around Mare Imbrium the dredge-up process, at least in part, was related to an impact." A different compositional story appears at the South-Pole Aitkin basin, the largest impact crater in the solar system and, therefore, presumably from an event strong enough to poke through the lunar crust. Although the Aitken basin region shows enhanced gamma ray emissions from thorium, it is not nearly as bright as Mare Imbrium. The impact event apparently dredged up much less potassium- and thorium-rich materials than at Mare Imbrium. For an independent look at the distribution of dredged-up lunar mantle, the Los Alamos scientists compared their neutron spectrometer data with Clementine data. "You can see compositional variations with neutrons in ways people had not realized previously," Lawrence said. "We've obtained far more composition information from the neutron data than we expected we would." The elemental makeup of the lunar soil affects the energies of neutrons emanating from it. Over regions rich in iron and titanium, for example, Lunar Prospector will encounter an abundance of fast-moving neutrons and a deficit of slow ones. Other elements don't produce as many energetic neutrons yet don't absorb slow ones efficiently, leading to enhanced numbers of these. By looking at the relative numbers of neutrons of different energies scientists can determine what elements are in the lunar soil. Gadolinium and samarium, key indicators of material from the moon's interior, interact very efficiently with slow neutrons. They can appear in small concentrations in the soil yet have a large impact on the low-energy neutron emissions. By comparing their neutron measurements against Clementine's data for iron and titanium, the Los Alamos scientists found a large residual signal around Mare Imbrium they attribute to the presence of gadolinium and samarium. This signal did not appear in other locations where scientists would expect to see subsurface material dredged up. "Something special happened around Imbrium; you don't see this sort of chemistry anywhere else on the moon," Elphic said. "It also confirms that the moon is very inhomogeneous--at least for these elements. These data are going to be fairly restricting to theorists: whatever happened did not happen all over the moon, just in this one spot." Another element that provides a unique signature in the neutron measurements is hydrogen. Scientists think hydrogen is most likely bound up in water molecules in the lunar soil, trapped frozen in regions of craters near the poles that never see direct sunlight. "The data show clearly where the hydrogen is," Feldman said. "It's localized in spots near the poles, and it has to be buried, about half a meter or so. "In making our initial estimates, we assumed the water was spread over the 'footprint' of the instrument," Feldman said, which is how much surface area the instrument can detect at any moment, a square approximately 120 miles on a side at Lunar Prospector's current altitude. "As we've gotten more data we've found that it's not spread out as we first assumed, but concentrated." When they presented their initial results in March, the scientists said the water was likely in the form of a fine frost spread through the lunar soil. Further data analysis now allows the possibility of deposits of solid ice, Feldman said. Feldman currently estimates there may be as much as three billion metric tons of water ice at each of the poles, with 15 percent more at the north pole than at the south pole. Scientists assume comets carry the water ice to the moon. The comets basically vaporize on impact, and the water molecules migrate to the permanently shaded regions at the poles. These regions are so cold that once a water molecule enters them it gets stuck. Lunar Prospector, part of NASA's Discovery Program of low-cost, fast-track space missions, was launched in January and its first scientific results were announced in March. Alan Binder of the Lunar Research Institute is the principal investigator for the mission. The University of California operates Los Alamos National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy. [NOTE: Full texts of the technical papers in Science are available for free access at http://www.sciencemag.org/content/current/] ------------------------------------------------------------------ UMASS MICROBIOLOGIST FOCUSES ON IRON-EATING BACTERIA--FINDINGS HAVE IMPLICATIONS ON BEGINNING OF LIFE ON EARTH University of Massachusetts-Amherst release 2 September 1998 University of Massachusetts microbiologist Derek Lovley has made a discovery that opens a window to understanding how life began on Earth. Lovley has determined that certain kinds of microorganisms, which live several miles below ground, can use iron to metabolize their food. The findings are reported in the September 3 issue of the journal Nature, and will be featured in an upcoming segment of the television show "Discover Magazine," on the Discovery Channel. Lovley, head of the microbiology department, studies unusual forms of anaerobic microorganisms: in other words, bacteria that transform their food into energy without using oxygen. "The research helps us to understand life on Earth a little bit better," Lovley said, "but it also has a practical side." His previous research has demonstrated that microorganisms that can grow on iron can be used in treating contaminated groundwater. The microorganisms use petroleum contaminants, such as benzene, as food, and literally eat away at contamination. These organisms can also remove toxic metals such as uranium and chromium from contaminated waters. His most recent findings focus on "hyperthermophiles"--literally, those who love hot temperatures. Hyperthermophiles are the organisms most closely related to early forms of life, from which modern bacteria, plants, and animals have descended, Lovley said. It was previously believed that some of the first microorganisms used sulfur to grow. But geologists noted that sulfur did not exist in the proper form on early Earth. There was, however, abundant iron, so Lovley set about determining whether iron could serve as an energy source for these early bacteria. "You can't go back three billion years, but you can study these hyperthermophiles, which are the modern organisms most closely related to early life," said Lovley. Studying seven species of hyperthermophiles, he determined that every single one could use iron to metabolize its food. This lends weight to the theory that iron was essential for the growth of early life on Earth, according to Lovley. One type of hyperthermophile in particular, Thermotoga, used iron in a very central way, and sulfur in a very trivial way, suggesting that iron was more central to the metabolism of early organisms than sulfur. All of the hyperthermophiles converted iron oxide to the magnetic mineral, magnetite, during their growth on iron. This is significant because geologists have found large accumulations of magnetite on early Earth. Furthermore, magnetite found deep below the Earth's surface and in a Martian meteorite has been thought to provide evidence for the possibility of life existing in these extreme environments. Derek Lovley may be reached at 413/545-9651 or dlovley@microbio.umass.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------ NASA ACCEPTS "KEYS" TO FIRST U.S.-BUILT STATION COMPONENT NASA release 98-160 4 September 1998 The Unity connecting module, the first U.S.-built component of the International Space Station, moved a step closer to orbit this week when Boeing, the manufacturer of Unity, officially handed over the module's "keys" to NASA. NASA officially accepted the module after review and certification of Unity's construction by NASA and Boeing station managers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, FL. Unity is scheduled for launch aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on the STS-88 mission on Dec. 3. Unity will be launched two weeks after the first station component, the U.S.-funded, Russian- built Zarya module, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakstan. Unity will be mated to Zarya by Endeavour's astronauts to begin the five-year orbital assembly of the International Space Station. Unity is a critical component of the International Space Station, a six-sided connector with a berthing port on each side. Along with Unity at Kennedy, more than a half-dozen major pieces of U.S. and foreign-built hardware are now being prepared for launch. "It is not by chance that we named this module Unity," International Space Station program manager Randy Brinkley said following the review. "The name certainly represents all of the hard work by the Boeing teams and the NASA teams, as well as the worldwide space station team. The Unity module has been a great joint effort." Unity was manufactured by Boeing at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. It was transported from Alabama to Florida in June 1997, where final assembly and launch preparations began. Attached to Unity for launch are two conical mating adapters, also built by Boeing and officially accepted by NASA this week. As the Unity acceptance review board completed its official work, Royce Mitchell, Boeing's ISS deputy program manager, handed his NASA counterparts plaques bearing a replica of a tool used to open the hatches on Unity and a symbolic "key" to the module. The International Space Station draws upon the resources and expertise of 16 nations and is the largest and most complex international scientific project ever undertaken. Five international partners--the United States; Canada; member states of the European Space Agency; Japan and Russia; as well as Brazil and Italy as participants through the United States--are working together in a joint endeavor to explore space for the benefit of all humankind. ------------------------------------------------------------------ SCIENTIFIC BALLOON LANDED TODAY CSA release 2 September 1998 The MANTRA (Middle Atmosphere Nitrogen Trend Assessment) research balloon launched by the Canadian Space Agency and Environment Canada on August 24, landed today at 13:56 (UTC) on Mariehamn Island in Finland. The MANTRA project is a collaborative effort led by the Canadian Space Agency and Environment Canada, in partnership with Canadian and American universities and industry. The balloon experiment is part of the research conducted to study changes in atmospheric composition that have occurred over the last 15 to 20 years and will contribute to settling major issues about the thinning of the Earth's ozone layer. The balloon, as tall as a 25-storey building and made of transparent polyethylene as thin as sandwich wrap, carried a package of instruments up to the top of the atmosphere where ozone chemistry can be measured directly. All data was successfully transmitted by the instruments to a ground station between August 24 and August 25. The instruments are used to measure the characteristics of sunlight after passing through the atmosphere and from that determining the abundance of ozone depleting chemicals in the stratosphere. The most important data are acquired during sunset and sunrise. The scientists are now analyzing these data. About half of the observed ozone loss in the atmosphere can be definitely attributed to known human-made ozone-depleting chemicals; whether the remaining half is caused by these chemicals or other factors is not yet known. Data collected during the balloon's flight will be used in models that simulate atmospheric chemistry. The results, once known, will help to make our understanding of global ozone depletion more precise. This study will help researchers determine the effectiveness of measures to reduce ozone-depleting chemicals undertaken since the Montreal Protocol, a global agreement to protect the ozone layer. This environmental treaty, initiated in 1987 and since signed by over 160 countries, used scientific research to set limits for the worldwide production of ozone-depleting substances to ensure that ozone levels return to normal and do not become threatened again in the future. The Government of Canada is working with the international scientific community to determine the extent and causes of atmospheric changes that threaten human health and safety. Sound scientific data is essential to finding effective solutions to problems such as depletion of the ozone layer and climate change. Environment Canada's studies of the ozone layer, which began in the 1930s, support a worldwide research and atmospheric monitoring program. Through the leadership of the Canadian Space Agency, Canada is also involved in research studying the ozone layer from space. ------------------------------------------------------------------ NEW MARS SURVEYOR 98 MAILING LIST By Ron Baalke, Mars Surveyor 98 webmaster Mars Surveyor 98 Mailing List The Mars Surveyor 98 status reports and press releases are now available via email (subscription instructions appended below). Join us on our journey to Mars, both in orbit around the red planet and also from the surface of the red planet. Following in the footsteps of Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Pathfinder, the two Mars Surveyor 98 spacecraft will take advantage of the 1998 launch opportunity to Mars which is available every 26 months. The "Volatiles and Climate History" theme for the 1998 Mars Surveyor missions was recommended by the Mars Science Working Group and is aligned directly with NASA's Mars exploration strategy for the next decade focusing on: Evidence of past or present life, Climate, and Resources. Mars Climate Orbiter The 1998 orbiter mission (Mars Climate Orbiter) is scheduled for launch in December 1998 and will arrive in orbit around Mars in September 1999. The orbiter will carry a rebuilt version of the Mars Observer Pressure Modulated Infrared Radiometer (PMIRR) with Dr. Daniel McCleese of JPL as Principal Investigator, and the Mars Color Imaging (MARCI) system with Dr. Michael Malin, of Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) as Principal Investigator. PMIRR will observe the global distribution and time variation of temperature, pressure, dust, water vapor, and condensates in the Martian atmosphere. MARCI will observe synoptically Martian atmospheric processes at global scale and study details of the interaction of the atmosphere with the surface at a variety of scales in both space and time. In addition to the science payload, the orbiter spacecraft will provide an on-orbit data relay capability for future U.S. and/or international surface stations. Mars Polar Lander For the first time ever, we will be landing in the polar regions of Mars with the Mars Polar Lander. Scheduled for launch in January 1999, the spacecraft will land on Mars in December 1999. The science complement for the 1998 lander includes: the Mars Volatile and Climate Surveyor (MVACS) integrated lander payload with Dr. David Paige of UCLA as Principal Investigator, the Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) with Dr. Michael Malin of Malin Space Science Systems as Principal Investigator, and an atmospheric lidar experiment provided by the Russian Space Agency Institute for Space Science. Dr. Paige's integrated lander payload includes a Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) with Mars Pathfinder heritage; a meteorology package (MET); an instrumented robotic arm (RA) for sample acquisition, soil manipulation, and close up imaging of the surface and subsurface; and the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analysis (TEGA) experiment for determining the nature and abundance of volatile material in the Martian soil. The descent images obtained by MARDI while the lander spacecraft descends to the surface will establish the geological and physical context of the landing site. The atmospheric lidar experiment will determine the dust content of the Martian atmosphere above the landing site. Deep Space 2 Microprobes Piggybacking on the Mars 98 lander are two small microprobes. Separating from the lander just prior to entry into the Martian atmosphere, the two microprobes will slam into the surface of Mars at a velocity of 200 meters per second. The aeroshell on each probe will shatter to release the science package, which will penetrate up to 2 meters into the soil. The microprobes will determine if water ice is present in the Martian subsurface, and will also measure the temperature and monitor the local Martian weather. Subscribing to The Mars Surveyor 98 Mailing List Here is how to subscribe to the Mars 98 mailing list: Send email to majordomo@sender.jpl.nasa.gov and include the following text in the body of the message: subscribe mars98 You can leave the subject field blank. You will receive an automatic confirmation message and a welcome message. If you wish to unsubscribe to the Mars 98 mailing list, send email to majordomo@sender.jpl.nasa.gov with the following text in the body of the message: unsubscribe mars98 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1998 MARS SURVEYOR PROJECT STATUS REPORT By John McNamee, Mars Surveyor 98 project manager 4 September 1998 Mars Climate Orbiter: Orbiter integration and test activities continue to proceed on schedule. The dry spin balance (both in vacuum and in air) was conducted successfully on September 1. The ground support equipment arrived at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) on September 2 and all KSC activities are on track to support the orbiter arrival on September 10. Mars Polar Lander: The lander is in the cruise configuration (cruise stage, backshell, and heat shield installed) in the thermal vacuum chamber. Chamber pump down began on September 1 and the cruise thermal vacuum testing is proceeding as planned with completion scheduled for September 5. The lander pre-ship review is planned for September 15. Shipment to KSC is planned for October 12. For more information on the Mars Surveyor 98 mission, please visit our website at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/ ------------------------------------------------------------------ MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR PROJECT STATUS REPORT OVERVIEW By the Mars Surveyor operations project manager 4 September 1998 The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft continues to acquire science data with the Mars Orbiter Camera, the Thermal Emission Spectrometer and the Magnetometer/Electron Reflectometer in its next to last week in the science phasing orbit. Data was returned from the third Phobos observation. A press release is anticipated on or about September 10th which will detail the results from the recent Phobos observations. The first of the weekly strategic planning sessions for aerobraking phase 2 was held. The MGS propulsion system will be re-pressurized next Wednesday to ready it for the major maneuvers required to return MGS to the martian atmosphere. At the same time that it is flying MGS, the flight team is also preparing for the operational readiness testing that will validate its capabilities to operate the Mars Climate Orbiter and the Mars Polar Lander to be launch later this year. ------------------------------------------------------------------ End Marsbugs Vol. 5, No. 20