MARSBUGS: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter Volume 6, Number 31, 1 October 1999. Editors: Dr. David J. Thomas, Biology and Chemistry Division, Lyon College, Batesville, AR 72503-2317, USA. Marsbugs@aol.com or dthomas@lyon.edu Dr. Julian A. Hiscox, School of Animal and Microbial Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AJ, United Kingdom. J.A.Hiscox@reading.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 Adobe Acrobat PDF files suitable for printing may be obtained from the official Marsbugs web page at http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/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) UK SENDS CLOVER AND ROCKS INTO SPACE Royal Astronomical Society press notice 99/30 2) FIRST CALL FOR VOTES FOR NEW UNMODERATED NEWSGROUP SCI.ASTRO.SETI By Christopher M. Jones and Jeff Cobb 3) 70% SAY NASA SHOULD CONTINUE ITS PLANNED MARS MISSIONS CNN Poll 4) HIDDEN ANTARCTIC LAKE LINKS TO ALIEN LIFE BBC News 5) NASA TEAMS WITH SWEDISH FIRM TO STUDY CHANGES IN ASTRONAUTS' SPINES NASA release 99-61 6) THE HISTORY OF ASTRONOMICAL ART AND THE IAAA By David A. Hardy 7) NASA'S JPL OPENS EDUCATOR CENTER AND HIGH-TECH CLASSROOM IN POMONA JPL release 8) BATTERY ACID CHEMICAL FOUND ON JUPITER'S MOON EUROPA NASA release 99-112 9) THIS WEEK ON GALILEO JPL release 10) MARS CLIMATE ORBITER MISSION STATUS JPL release 11) MARS CLIMATE ORBITER TEAM FINDS LIKELY CAUSE OF LOSS NASA release 99-113 12) MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR STATUS REPORT JPL release 13) NEW MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR IMAGE By Ron Baalke 14) STARDUST STATUS REPORT JPL release ---------------------------------------------------------------- UK SENDS CLOVER AND ROCKS INTO SPACE Royal Astronomical Society press notice 99/30 24 September 1999 European and UK scientists are eagerly waiting to retrieve their experiments when the unmanned Russian Foton spacecraft parachutes onto the open steppes of Kazakhstan after 16 days in orbit. On board are 240 kg of experiments provided by the European Space Agency and its member states. They include two innovative and unusual experiments from UK institutes. One of the experiments carried inside the spacecraft comes from a group of scientists in the School of Biological Sciences at Nottingham University. The experiment, named SYMBIO, is investigating the interaction between the soil bacterium, Rhizobium, and 28 clover seedlings. Rhizobium normally induces and inhabits nodules on the roots of leguminous plants, such as peas, beans and clover, where the bacteria extract nitrogen from the air and convert or "fix" it. The plant can then utilize the nitrogen to produce important compounds, such as amino acids and proteins. In this way, Rhizobium and legumes rely on each other, forming what biologists call a symbiotic relationship--hence the name of the Nottingham experiment. The seedlings used in the SYMBIO experiment have been placed in individual tubes placed inside two foam-packed containers about the size of shoeboxes. Each tube contains a nutrient-rich gel known as agar. As the roots of the seedlings grow through this substrate, they come into contact with the Rhizobium, which initiates the nitrogen-fixing symbiotic association. Although the temperature of the plants is regulated so that it stays between 20°C and 29°C, no light source is provided for the short period in orbit. When the SYMBIO experiment returns to Earth, Nottingham scientists will study the changes caused by microgravity in the structure of the seedlings and the way in which the bacteria have colonized their roots. Since fluids do not circulate in microgravity, it is possible that the bacteria are able to stay in contact longer with the roots, so aiding nodule development. "Our experiment is investigating how the bacteria responsible for fixing nitrogen in plant roots react to the lack of gravity in orbit," said team leader Dr. Greg Briarty. "This will help us to understand more about the way in which Rhizobium interacts with plant roots and enables leguminous plants to grow in poor, nitrogen-deficient soils." In the longer term, the experiment may also assist humankind to travel for many years through deep space. "Such information is essential for the development of life-support systems for long- term space flight," said Dr. Briarty, who has previously flown plant-based experiments on the IML-1 space shuttle mission in 1992, and as part of the NASA-5 Greenhouse Experiment on the Mir Space Station. The second experiment with UK involvement, known as Flying Stones, is located in a much more hostile environment outside the Foton capsule. The satellite's heat shield, which prevents it from burning up on atmospheric re-entry, has been modified to carry and expose three types of rock. The experiment is part of an ongoing investigation at the Open University and other European research centers into the possibility of life on Mars. One of the most intriguing scenarios being studied is the transfer of rocks across millions of miles of space from Mars to Earth. To date, only 14 Martian meteorites have been found on Earth, even though calculations indicate that at least 100 tons of Mars material should be landing on our planet every year. In an effort to improve identification of such important specimens, several types of rock which might be found on the planet Mars have been placed on the Foton spacecraft's exterior. One is a fine-grained basalt (a type of lava) thought to be similar to "Barnacle Bill", a rock examined by the Sojourner rover on NASA's 1997 Mars Pathfinder mission. The others are a dolomite, a form of limestone found in northern Italy, and a simulated clod of Martian soil held together with gypsum. When Foton-12 returns to Earth later this week, the samples will be exposed to extreme heating, just like incoming Martian meteorites. By studying the ways in which these rocks are modified by the scorching temperatures, scientists hope to gain valuable information which will aid identification and recovery of the all-important missing Martian meteorites from favored collecting sites such as the Antarctic ice sheet. Background The Foton-12 spacecraft was launched by a Russian Soyuz-U rocket from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia on 9 September and inserted into a low Earth orbit with an altitude of 200-400 km. It is expected to return to Earth on 24 September. Foton-12 carries an international cargo of experiments from many European countries, including the UK, Germany, France and Sweden. The Foton satellite is designed to carry out experiments under microgravity conditions and return them to Earth after about two weeks. At the end of the mission, the spherical capsule will re-enters the Earth's atmosphere, deploy a parachute, and eventually touch down in Kazakhstan. From there, the European experiments will be delivered to Moscow, handed over to ESA representatives, and returned to the European Space Technology Centre (ESTEC) in The Netherlands for collection by individual research establishments. Flying Stones is a European Space Agency project involving collaboration between the Open University, CNRS in Orleans, Laboratory Rene Bernas in Orsay, and the Natural History Museum in Vienna. Photos of the Flying Stones experiment prior to launch are available directly from Professor Colin Pillinger (see below). For further information on the ESA Foton program, visit the Web site at http://www.estec.esa.nl/spaceflight/foton/ Contacts SYMBIO Dr. L. G. (Greg) Briarty, Plant Science Division, School of Biological Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK Phone: +44 (0)115-951-3212. Fax: +44 (0)115-951-3298. E-mail: greg.briarty@nottingham.ac.uk FLYING STONES Prof. Colin Pillinger, Planetary Sciences Research Institute, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA. Tel: +44 (0)1908- 652119 / 655169. Fax: +44 (0)1908-655910. E-mail: psri@open.ac.uk ---------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST CALL FOR VOTES FOR NEW UNMODERATED NEWSGROUP SCI.ASTRO.SETI By Christopher M. Jones and Jeff Cobb 25 September 1999 Votes must be received by 23:59:59 UTC, 18 Oct 1999. This vote is being conducted by a neutral third party. Questions about the proposed group should be directed to the proponents. Proponent: Christopher M. Jones (cjones@cs.uoregon.edu) Proponent: Jeff Cobb (jeffc@ssl.berkeley.edu) Votetaker: Dave Cornejo (dave@dogwood.com) Rationale: sci.astro.seti The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is the scientific discipline of searching for electromagnetic evidence of extraterrestrial civilizations. SETI has received a lot of attention recently due to the SETI@home project. The SETI@home project has shown that at least several hundred thousand individuals are willing to dedicate computer resources to the search for alien radio signals. This has brought an increase in the amount of discussion of SETI and the possibilities of extra- terrestrial intelligence (ETI). Which has increased the number of posts about SETI in related newsgroups (sci.astro, etc.) by a large amount. The SETI@home project is a distributed computing project which harnesses the computing power of hundreds of thousands of Internet connected computers to search for radio evidence of extraterrestrial civilizations. It is the newest and most public SETI project to date. Currently it has attracted almost a million people willing to donate computer time to this search. However, SETI@home is not the only SETI project, nor will it be the last new one. Several SETI projects are on the drawing board (1HT, etc.) and many of them will require as much or more computing power as the SETI@home project uses currently. It would be surprising if none of these new SETI programs use the distributed computing model that has allowed SETI@home to harness computing power equivalent to multi-million dollar super-computers for very low costs. This newsgroup will serve as a forum for discussion of SETI in general, and any SETI projects in specific. This includes discussion of SETI@home, both it's scientific aspects, as well as the use, configuration, and troubleshooting of the SETI@home client software and any similar software by future SETI projects. Additionally, it will serve as a place to discuss the technical specifics of all current and future SETI projects, and as a place for teachers who are developing curricula around SETI projects (such as SETI@home). Charter: sci.astro.seti This group will be unmoderated and distributed worldwide. This newsgroup is intended for the discussion of the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. Appropriate topics for discussion include the following: 1) Discussion of SETI projects (such as SERINDIP, Phoenix, SETI@home, BETA, ARGUS, etc.) 2) Installation and configuration of the SETI@home client or other SETI projects using distributed computing. 3) Trouble shooting the use of the SETI client programs. 4) The possibilities of Alien life (Drake equation, planetary abundance and its relavance to SETI, etc.) 5) Discussion of statistical results for SETI projects. 6) The potential content of alien messages and how to decode them, as well as any messages we (humans) have / will / could send into space that are intended for ETI's (such as the Voyager record, the Arecibo message to M13, the Encounter 2001 project, etc.) 7) Potential alien technology in the context of detection / communication by / with humans (using visible light lasers instead of radio, for example). 8) Discussion of school curricula built around a SETI program Inappropriate posts include: 1) Commercial advertisements of any kind, including those for items related to SETI or any SETI project. 2) Binaries, with the exception of cryptographic signatures. 3) Discussions concerning UFOs, "alien abductions", etc, which should take place in other groups. How to vote Follow these instructions exactly. Votes are counted by computer. You should send e-mail (posts to a newsgroup are invalid) to vote@dogwood.com. Please do not assume that just replying to this message will work. Check the address before you mail your vote. Your mail message should contain one and only one of the following vote statements: I vote YES on sci.astro.seti I vote NO on sci.astro.seti Voter name: If your mail software does not indicate your real name (for example, AOL does not), include exactly the statement above on a separate line and add your name after the colon. Having your name in your signature line is not enough. Do not join the lines together or remove the words "Voter name". You may also vote ABSTAIN (which records an empty vote) or CANCEL (which removes any earlier votes). ABSTAIN does not affect the final vote count in any way but is listed, whereas CANCEL is not. Important voting procedure notes Standard Guidelines for voting apply: one vote per person, one account per voter. Votes must be mailed directly from the voter to the votetaker. Anonymous, forwarded or proxy votes are not valid. Votes mailed by WWW/HTML/CGI forms are considered to be anonymous votes. Votes from non-existent email addresses are not valid. Vote counting is automated. Failure to follow these directions may mean that your vote does not get counted. If you do not receive an acknowledgment of your vote within three days contact the votetaker about the problem. It's your responsibility to make sure your vote is registered correctly. Duplicate votes are resolved in favor of the most recent valid vote. Addresses, names and votes of all voters will be published in the final voting results post. The purpose of a Usenet vote is to determine the genuine interest of persons who would read a proposed newsgroup. Soliciting votes from disinterested parties defeats this purpose. Please do not distribute this CFV. If you must, direct people to the official CFV as posted to news.announce.newgroups. Distributing pre-marked or otherwise edited copies of this CFV is generally considered to be vote fraud. When in doubt, ask the votetaker. Distribution Pointers directing readers to this CFV will be posted in these groups: sci.astro sci.astro.amateur sci.space.science Voting question & problems: Dave Cornejo (dave@dogwood.com) Voting address: vote@dogwood.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- 70% SAY NASA SHOULD CONTINUE ITS PLANNED MARS MISSIONS CNN Poll http://www.cnn.com/POLL/results/213491.content.html 27 September 1999 After the failure of the Mars Climate Observer, should NASA continue its planned Mars missions? Yes, the successes are worth the failures 46831 votes (70%) Not without major staff changes 13952 votes (21%) No, it's a big waste 6329 votes (09%) Total: 67,112 votes ---------------------------------------------------------------- HIDDEN ANTARCTIC LAKE LINKS TO ALIEN LIFE BBC News 27 September 1999 Scientists meeting in Cambridge are discussing whether to drill into a lake beneath the Antarctic ice, which may reveal clues to whether life exists on a moon of Jupiter. Lake Vostok, one of the largest freshwater bodies in the world lies four kilometers below the surface of Antarctica. It is believed by scientists to contain a host of undiscovered life forms. It is also thought that the 10,000 square-kilometer lake may have similarities with the sub-glacial oceans that are believed to exist on the Jovian moon, Europa. Get the full story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_458000/458586.s tm ---------------------------------------------------------------- NASA TEAMS WITH SWEDISH FIRM TO STUDY CHANGES IN ASTRONAUTS' SPINES NASA release 99-61 28 September 1999 Scientists from NASA and DynaMed AB, a Swedish medical technology company, have signed a Space Act Agreement for research and development of a space-age compression harness to examine changes in the spines of astronauts before and after space flight and of patients with spinal disease. Under the terms of the agreement, the research will focus on developing the technology as a diagnostic tool for the spinal canal and other areas, including hips, knees and neck injuries. This collaboration will benefit NASA by enabling accurate Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) spinal investigations preceding and following long-term exposure to the reduced gravity environment of space flight. The device also holds potential as a preventative and therapeutic countermeasure for spinal degeneration and back pain characteristic of long-term space flight. "The use of this technology will often assist in a more specific and valid diagnosis of spinal disease, which traditionally has been difficult during horizontal imaging," said Alan R. Hargens PhD, Senior Scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA and Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of California, San Diego. Hargens is helping direct clinical studies at the Veterans Administration and Stanford University Medical Centers in Palo Alto, CA, in cooperation with Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden. The DynaMed compression harness is used in conjunction with Computer Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) equipment to provide a more accurate diagnosis of spinal conditions by simulating the weight and load of upright posture. Currently, because virtually all MRI and CT examinations occur when a patient is lying down and free from the effects of gravity, many spinal diseases, injuries and conditions may go undetected or be improperly diagnosed. "DynaMed's goal is to assist physicians in providing enhanced diagnosis, which will offer opportunities for safer and more accurate treatments benefiting patients to return to a pain free life," said Stan Mikulowski, CEO of DynaMed AB. "Health care providers should also benefit from the technology since better diagnosis has the potential to reduce costs of treatment." DynaMed AB delivers innovative, premiere, medical diagnostic imaging technology for healthcare providers using CT and MRI technology. The company is privately owned and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, with a wholly owned subsidiary, DynaMed, Inc., located in the United States. For more information, call 310-204-5787 or visit the company's Web site at www.dynamedinc.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- THE HISTORY OF ASTRONOMICAL ART AND THE IAAA By David A. Hardy (President, IAAA) 28 September 1999 In the 1800’s, artists accompanied explorers to the frontiers of the Americas and sent back colorful images of the new lands. Paintings of Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt spurred further exploration of the West, and helped to preserve Yellowstone, Yosemite, and other areas as national parks. In 1872, Frederick Church, the highest paid painter of his day, financed his own expeditions to paint polar aurorae, icebergs in the Arctic Sea, and volcanoes in South America. But soon the Earth’s frontier lands disappeared, and the link between art and exploration broke down. Today, we receive images from a new frontier, rapidly expanding planet by planet into space. A new link between art and exploration is being reforged by a new generation of "space artists." Armed with science, creativity, and imagination, they can construct realistic images of visions throughout the universe, from our own Earth to the stars. In addition, surrealistic and impressionistic styles are equally valuable in this adventurous and innovative field. Space art serves the most basic function of fine art--that of inspiration. It directs our focus toward the space frontier, where human destiny inevitably lies. We are in the midst of a human adventure that will be remembered when the international squabbles of our century are long forgotten. We are stepping off ancestral Earth, and learning what wonders and resources are scattered throughout the sunlit blackness of space. It is an adventure for artists, scientists, and all humankind. The IAAA was founded in 1982 by a small group of artists who journeyed through the fascinating but seldom trod territory where science and art overlap. From these pioneering astronomical artists (unlike their colleagues in science fiction and fantasy, with whom they are sometimes confused by the uninitiated), a firm foundation of knowledge and research is the basis for each painting. Striving to accurately depict scenes that are at present beyond the range of human eyes, they communicate a binding dream of adventure and exploration as they focus on the final frontier--space. Since its founding, the IAAA has grown to number over 120 members, representing twenty countries. Their work has also grown, to incorporate a number of styles and viewpoints. At times the art may step outside the bounds of scientific rendering, to address the broader implications that space poses for humanity. However, no matter which form of expression the artist chooses to take, the common inspirations held by all are astronomy and space exploration. In addition to painting skills, the diverse allies of an astronomical artist include personal computers, NASA photographs, field geologists, space scientists, astronomers, astrophysicists, science writers, and travel agents (of course, some artists may also hold positions as any of the above). They may find themselves in a training simulator at Johnson Space Center, exploring an active volcanic crater, such as in Iceland or Hawaii, studying the erosion patterns in Utah’s Canyonlands, or talking to an Apollo astronaut about subtleties of color in lunar shadows. Workshops are held, at which knowledge and techniques are shared, friendships among many nationalities are forged, at the same time as new landscapes are explored for future use (literally). From this fertile background of research and imagination comes the body of artwork known generally as the genre of SPACE ART. The object of the IAAA, as a nonprofit foundation is to implement and participate in astronomical and space-art projects, to promote education about astronomical art, and to foster further international cooperation in artistic work inspired by the exploration of the universe. For the newcomer to astronomical art, it is important to understand what it is--and is not. The term "space art" is also sometimes used to describe this genre. There is no real difference, except that the latter term usually encompasses art that includes hardware (spacecraft and other vehicles) and figures such as astronauts, while "astronomical art" is more likely to depict purely landscapes and/or objects and bodies in space, such as planets, moons, stars, galaxies, etc. The essential thing about this type of art is that it must be based on an informed knowledge of the universe. That is, the artist must have either studied astronomy and have a fair knowledge of other scientific disciplines, such as chemistry, physics, geology and some mathematics, or at least have a leaning towards these subjects and be willing (indeed eager) to learn. This is what makes our form of art different from science fiction and fantasy, where the artist exercises his/her imagination without too much reference to scientific reality. [Image: "Asteroid Defence" by David A. Hardy] A space artist also needs a through knowledge of perspective, which in our case is likely to take the form of "How big will such a planet looks from this moon?" Computer programs such as Red Shift, Voyager and Starry Night make this sort of information easily available, but don’t be afraid to ask other artists if you are a beginner. We’re here to help each other! As a basic guide, though, remember that we divide the sky into 180 degrees from horizon to horizon, and both our Moon and Sun (by an amazing astronomical coincidence, hence eclipses) both occupy or "subtend" half a degree. From its volcanic moon Io, Jupiter will subtend almost 20°, making the planet look very much larger, although the distance between the two bodies is similar. Not all of our artists are realists, and some produce work which is impressionistic, expressionistic, abstract or surreal, but the majority do have a background which enables them to interpret accurately the data from observatories and space probes, and convert them into believable scenes. Although the fact is not always appreciated by the public in general, this work is, and always has been essential, because it forms a link between the often abstruse and incomprehensible data, theories and symbols of scientists and the wider world beyond the walls of their laboratories or observatories. Only one other type of art is comparable in this respect: the paleontological artist or illustrator, who is able to reconstruct the dry bones and fossils of dinosaurs and show us how those animals may have looked when alive. [Image: "Sunset on a Tropical Moon" by Dan Durda] Sometimes, of course, the artists also depict those very probes and satellites (often working with NASA or JPL scientists) — for who is out there to photograph them? They paint in oils, acrylics, gouache and markers, use pens, pastels or colored pencils, or the latest computer technology. But these artists have an advantage over mere technology, for they can travel where machines cannot; and this includes into the past, the future and faster than light... Most of us would dearly love to visit other worlds, even to take a trip into Earth orbit. Two artists have actually done so-- Brigadier General Alexei Leonov, the cosmonaut who made the first space walk, for ten minutes, in March 1965, and Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean, who now sells his paintings to those who can afford them, mixing lunar dust from his spacesuit with his paints. Sadly, for the majority this is impossible, so we do the next- best thing, by holding workshops in some of our planet’s most "alien" places. In a sense, we are following in the footsteps of the Romantic artists of the 19th century, such as Rousseau, who discovered the visionary landscape. Even the Pre- Raphaelites, with whom we may seem to have nothing in common, sought to capture nature in every detail, with little or nothing added by way of artistic interpretation. Early influences Some artists will never be satisfied with the merely pastoral and "pretty" landscape. As long ago as 1770, Joseph Wright of Derby was inspired by glowing iron foundries, spectacular moonlight effects, the eruption of Vesuvius, and the mountainous landscapes of England's Lake District (now Cumbria). By the 1880's, in America, Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt founded what became known as the ‘Hudson River School’ of artists, accompanying scientific expeditions to wild areas such as Yellowstone and Yosemite. (Mount Moran in the Grand Tetons bears the name of the artist.) Frederik Church financed and led explorations to the Arctic, with its icebergs and aurorae, and to the volcanoes of South America. These artists were even instrumental in causing many of these areas to become National Parks, because their often huge canvases enabled an awed public to see wonders which had previously seemed to exist only in fanciful stories. To them, it may as well have been another world. So here we may find a heritage, or a parallel with today’s artists who also seek new frontiers. The first space artists But true space art goes back a long way, too. In 1874 a book was published in England entitled simply The Moon, by James Nasmyth and James Carpenter. Nasmyth created accurate plaster models of the Moon's surface, lit them correctly and photographed them against a starry, black background as illustrations. These are probably the first examples of true space art. By the early 1900's Scriven Bolton used a similar technique, and worked for the Illustrated London News. He and a Frenchman, the Abbé Moreux, worked on a magnificent two- volume book, Splendour of the Heavens (1923). However, their work was eclipsed by that of another Frenchman, Lucien Rudaux, who was born in 1874 and became director of the observatory at Donville, Normandy. He also wrote and illustrated his own books, such as the classic Sur les autres mondes. Often he observed the "limb" or edge of the Moon, where its ravaged surface is seen in profile. So while other artists showed lunar mountains as being steep, jagged peaks, Rudaux painted them as rounded and eroded (not by air or weather, of course, but by eons of impacts by micrometeorites and extremes of temperature). In fact, his paintings, while quite impressionistic, often resemble Apollo photographs. A crater on Mars has been named after him. The old master of space The best-known astronomical painter of all also worked briefly for the Illustrated London News, though on architectural renderings, in which he was trained. Chesley Bonestell was born in 1888. The Wright Brothers were then 17 and 21, H.G. Wells was 22 and not yet published; yet Bonestell was able to see his visions of men walking on the Moon and probes visiting most of the major planets become reality, for he died in 1986. In 1985 an asteroid, previously unromantically known as (3129) 1979MK2, was renamed after him--a unique honor for a living artist. Bonestell's first published astronomical art was a series of paintings of Saturn from its (then nine) moons for a 1944 issue of Life magazine. Arthur C. Clarke was outraged by the comment of a shortsighted editor that "the figures (of astronauts) are included only to give scale." Bonestell worked on special effects for films under producer George Pal, including Destination Moon and Conquest of Space. He went on to lead a team of illustrators, working with scientist-writers under Wernher von Braun and Willy Ley, on a series of articles for Collier's magazine, showing how humans could explore space, from a wheel-shaped station in orbit to a fleet of moonships, and later a mission to Mars. [Image: "Rover at Sunset" by Michael Carroll] There can be no doubt that they succeeded spectacularly in showing a U.S. public, whose lives had been dominated by Korea and the Cold War, a vision of a new frontier and great glory. In fact, they created a climate in which NASA could begin its work. Von Braun later designed the motors that launched America's first artificial satellite, and the Saturn V that took Apollo astronauts to the Moon. But Bonestell's highly realistic, even photographic oil paintings had another effect. For even though he had a reputation for great accuracy, his moonscapes showed dramatic, towering mountains--so much more inspiring than the flat, drab landscape on which Apollo 11 landed. But could the disappointment of this reality have been a factor in the public's rapid disenchantment with the space program? Throughout the 50's, science fiction and other illustrators who had never even looked through a telescope produced variations of Bonestell's Moon (a warning to us all to do our own research and not copy the work of others!). Even so, the books which followed the Life and Collier's articles--Conquest of Space (1949), Across the Space Frontier (1952) and Man on the Moon (1953), among others--inspired future generations of space artists. Changes in perspective How our ideas about the planets and satellites have changed in the intervening years... Back in the 1950's a great deal of imagination could be used in the design of spacecraft, and the details of planetary landscapes could be based only on telescopic observations. Because it was known to have an atmosphere, Mars had a blue sky; likewise Saturn’s huge moon Titan. Now the sky of Mars is orange-pink and glows down on craters and vast canyons instead of canals, while Titan’s is an orange smog. Venus could be shown with oceans of soda water (because of the carbon dioxide in its atmosphere) or even lush prehistoric jungles. Now it is a hostile, sulphurous hell- planet, with massive shield volcanoes and lightning bolts. One side of Mercury always faced the Sun, so one side was bathed in the Stygian gloom of eternal night while the other roasted in the constant blaze of a huge Sun. Now it is remarkably Moonlike, with a strange tide-locked rotation. Jupiter used to have 11 satellites, while Saturn, with 9, was the only planet-- perhaps in the entire Universe--to be blessed with the unique phenomenon of rings. Today we know that all of the outer gas- giants possess such a halo. But who could have forecast the active volcanoes of Io, the giant ravines on Miranda, or the geysers of Triton? As each new space probe was launched, and each new discovery made, artists reviewed their earlier renderings. And they will continue to do so as humankind expands into space. Despite the intrusion of the camera into the domain of artists, the paintbrush (or airbrush, or computer) will always be way ahead of it. [Image: "Greenland Fireball" by Don Davis] The history of the IAAA In 1981 a group of dedicated yet independent astronomical artists met in comprehensive space art show sponsored by the Planetary Society for the Society’s Planetfest, held during the live transmission of close-up photos of Saturn by Voyager 2. A mixture of art styles was exhibited, from science fiction to representational realism. The artists all got along famously, and for the first time were able to “talk shop” with others who understood their art. It was here that a trial balloon was first floated with the idea for a space art workshop. A year later, Dr William K. (Bill) Hartmann organized the first Space Art workshop held on the island of Hawaii in 1982. This group had a common sympathetic appreciation for the accuracy of science in their artwork. The volcanic landscapes of the Big Island were perfect analogues for the planetary geologies found on the Moon, Mars, and Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io. Experiencing the harsh landscape together enabled the artists to create more believable landscapes of the distant Jovian satellites as well as the newly discovered Saturnian worlds. Towards the end of 1983, Michael Carroll organized a second, larger workshop held in Death Valley, California. Again the primary focus of the workshop was to travel together to remote sites to draw and to paint the landscapes with the hope of inspiring a feeling of being explorers of the new worlds of the solar system. Nineteen artists attended and simultaneously discovered their common passion for space visions of the universe. The large body of classic works generated from these first two workshops toured the US and Canada for the next three years as the Other Worlds show, appearing in many natural science museums in North America. It was at the Death Valley workshop that the initial idea sparked a discussion about forming a space art guild, electing officers, a steering committee and launching a newsletter in order to formalize and perpetuate the group. With a mandate voiced for such an organization, Michael Carroll, Don Dixon, Joel Hagen, Kim Poor and Rick Sternbach set the wheels in motion for the International Association of Astronomical Artists. After this declaration each attendee began to spread the word of the new genre based on the art of Naysmith, Rudaux, Bonestell, McCall and Sokolov. [Image: "Starclouds" by Joe Tucciarone] At the end of 1984, Kim Poor organized a much smaller workshop in the southwest American Canyonlands. Although the spirit and the intent of the group were open ended, the focus was to establish a continuance of the previous workshop themes of joint intellectual and emotional exploration of solar system geological analogues. The third official IAAA workshop returned to Big Island in Hawaii in the spring of 1986. Coupled with an exhibition at the Volcano Art Center, the workshop’s primary concern was to paint geological analogues of the Moon, Mars, and Venus as well as the ice worlds of the gaseous giants during the Haley’s Comet flyby. A third wave of new artists joined the ranks of a growing IAAA. During this session, the proposal was made to conduct workshops at Johnson Space Center in Houston for 1987 and Iceland for 1988. With the successes of the previous workshops and the rapidly growing membership, the IAAA was formally registered as an association of astronomical artists in 1986. The steering committee moved to elect its first president - Kim Poor. Pulsar was launched as a means to keep the membership informed of what was happening at the organizational level. Parallax, the initial newsletter, was to be reserved for publication of technical knowledge of the guild essential for rendering space art landscapes. NASA received the IAAA at Johnson Space Center for the IV workshop, in the summer of 1987, with the theme: space hardware. The exposure of current space hardware to IAAA artists was intended to help foster a rekindling of the public interest in the realism of space travel through the exploration of landscapes in the solar system. In the autumn (fall) of 1987, seven space artists (Michael Carroll, Don Davis, Pamela Lee, Jon Lomberg, Robert McCall, Ron Miller and Kim Poor) were invited to attend the Space Future Forum in Moscow at the USSR Academy of Sciences along with a contingent of astronauts and scientists. The artists were to bring some of their artwork to participate in a joint exhibition with their Soviet counterparts in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Sputnik. During their stay, the Planetary Society initiated the concept of an artistic collaboration between American and Soviet astronomical artists, by inviting the Cosmic Group of the Soviet Union of Artists to attend an IAAA workshop in Iceland in the summer of 1988. Such a joint venture in the exotic landscape of fire and ice, the volcanism and the glacial ice fields of Iceland, would certainly appeal to all astronomical artists rendering the planets and the moons of the solar system. [Image: "Dawn on Titan" by Richard Bizley] Iceland, the fifth IAAA workshop, was billed as the first International Space Art Workshop. Thirty artists had gathered from the USA, the USSR, Canada and Great Britain to launch a joint five-year project. An agreement, in principle, between the Planetary Society, the IAAA and the Soviet Cosmic Group would have reciprocal workshops in Senezh-Moscow (Spring 1989), Utah (Summer 1989), and Gurzuf-Crimea (Fall 1990). These workshops would also be associated with exhibitions. Beginning in Moscow (Spring 1989) during the USSR Mars Phobos Mission, the workshops and related art shows traveled to Pasadena (Summer 1989) during Planetfest and the Voyager 2 encounter with Neptune, followed by San Diego’s Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater (Fall 1989), before arriving for a year sojourn at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in 1991. The intent of the project was to demonstrate the common ideal of international cooperation, dialogue for the better understanding of ourselves which ultimately would soothe the differences between the nations of the world as mankind prepares to step from ancestral Earth with a co-operative spirit. In Iceland, Kara Szathmary, a Canadian artist, was elected as the first international President of the IAAA along with a newly created Board of Trustees. Their mandate was to incorporate the IAAA as a public benefit, educational, non-profit corporation and to see to it that the contracts with the Planetary Society and the Soviet Cosmic Group were established on a legal foundation. [Image: "Cooper's Journey" by Anil Rao] By the end of 1988, the IAAA was incorporated and the five year project Dialogues: Communication through the Art of the Cosmos was secured, positioning astronomical art as an international genre. The attraction of international artists to the IAAA helped bloom vital links to parallel organizations of related art shows in Europe with the OURS Foundation (Arthur Woods) and contacts with the MIR Space Station, Case for Mars and NASA affiliates. To better gauge the aspirations of all astronomical artists around the globe, the IAAA produced a manifesto and engaged in a period of reflection through a dialogue with the membership. The purpose was to define astronomical art and to establish the direction our collective interest in space art in general, at the threshold of the 21st century. The central and main tenant of the genre is to produce art works having a solid basis in scientific fact or theory that would depict realistic landscapes of other worlds, planets, space scenes and the human exploration of space settings in whatever style or medium the artist chooses. Yet, the genre is distinct from fantasy, scientific illustration and science fiction; In short, an art form that is inspired by the astronomical sciences and the exploration of space and that renders the aesthetic beauty of the heavens. The book Visions of Space: Artists Journey through the Cosmos was published by David A Hardy in 1989. It was followed in 1992 by In the Stream of Stars by William K Hartmann, Ron Miller, Andrei Sokolov and Vitali Myagkov, which documented the history and the evolution of astronomical art. In 1992, the Tenth anniversary of the IAAA, Dennis Davidson, Hayden Planetarium artist in NYC, was elected President. The Board was expanded to a roster of 15. The dialogue and discussions continued in the refinement of the definition of astronomical and space art in general. IAAA workshops continued to flourish at sites rich in Earth analogues of the moons and planets of the solar system, particularly Mars. A return to Hawaii in summer of 1991 for the solar eclipse was followed by Ghost Ranch in New Mexico (Fall 1992), a technical workshop at Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center in San Diego (Winter 1993), Mt. Wilson Observatory in Los Angeles (late Summer 1993), and in Arches National Park, Utah (Fall 1995). When it came to location the IAAA flair to find exotic sites had the tradition continue. The White Mountain workshop (early summer 1996) took place at a 13,000 foot altitude on the east slope of California’s Owen Valley. The landscape is similar to Iceland in Mars analogues and is surrounded by the highest human habitation and the oldest living things. The 15th IAAA workshop took place in September 1996 on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, bringing together astronomical artists from the USA, Great Britain, Germany, Belgium and France. Coupled with an exhibition, the workshop included presentations by members on the American historical roots of space art, previous IAAA workshops, European space art, space art techniques, and computer space art with new techniques. The scenery ranged from dry coastal deserts to pine forests at 2000 meters to a barren volcanic summit and lava flows in a national park above the tree line at 3000-4000 meters. Near the summit cone the stunning Mars-landscapes of orange sand and scattered boulders cried out for more time to paint. David A. Hardy was elected President at Tenerife to become the first European head of the IAAA. He was joined by a reduced elected Board of Trustees of seven members in order to make the organization run more efficiently in the management of our legal affairs. Meanwhile, Beth Avary, IAAA director of exhibitions continued to navigate the Art of the Cosmos exhibition throughout the USA with stops at the Hayden Planetarium (late Fall 1991), Discovery Museum in Bridgeport Connecticut (Summer 1992), Alabama Rocket and Space Center (Fall 1992), Arts and Science Center in Statesville North Carolina (Jan/Feb 1993), Bergen Museum in New Jersey (May/Sept 1993) and Maryland Science Center in Baltimore (Feb/Sept 1994). By 1994, the Board initiated the process to bring an easier mode of communication to the membership by going to e-mail and the internet. Meanwhile, IAAA artists continued to participate, in cooperative spirit, with parallel space art groups in Europe. The OURS Foundation invited astronomical artists to participate in the historic EuroMIR (1995) “The 1st Art Exhibition in Earth Orbit” on the MIR Space Station and subsequent world tour. A year later, invitations were sent to the IAAA to participate in Ars Astronautica Forums (1997) in concert with Leonardo the Journal of the International Society of Art Sciences and Technology and the International Academy of Astronautics. The IAAA continues to be an international guild in the genre of astronomical art whose artworks and visions of the cosmos respect admiration, inspiration and artistic craftsmanship. [Image: "On Jupiter" by John Whatmough] By mid-February of 1997, the number of astronomical artists coming on-line required a list server provider. B E Johnson launched the IAAA listserver to host discussions and debate within our ranks (spaceart@lists.best.com), another progressive step towards globalization of our genre. Several IAAA members also found themselves participating in the renditions of astronomical art scenes for the movie Contact, based on Carl Sagan’s book which views our current cultural civilization as a multi-planetary species. Can we say more? The stunning volcano of Mt. St. Helen’s in Washington was the IAAA workshop held in fall, 1997. Exploring the enormous lava tubes, lava forests, wondrous lava flows and--by night--the glorious clear mountain night display of the heavens at the peak of the Perseids meteor shower were elements of the astronomical artists landscape and a pallet for geological and stellar phenomena on distant solar system analogues. For several years Kim Poor did an excellent job of managing an IAAA web site, as a link to his own Novagraphics Gallery web site. At the beginning of 1998, the IAAA acquired its own web site (www.iaaa.org) managed and maintained by Arthur Woods. What we have is what we strive for in our collective interest in the genre of astronomical art. This is our collective legacy and heritage. March on creatively, render and paint the silence of the heavens. The millennium bridge awaits us in crossing into the 21st century. Keep the spirit alive! [Image: "Death of a Comet" by Mark Garlick] Much more information may be found on the IAAA’s web site at www.iaaa.org. David Hardy’s site is at www.hardyart.demon.co.uk, and contains extensive links to other astronomical, artistic, SF and other sites. ---------------------------------------------------------------- NASA'S JPL OPENS EDUCATOR CENTER AND HIGH-TECH CLASSROOM IN POMONA JPL release 29 September 1999 NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory today inaugurated an Educator Resource Center and Applied Technology Classroom in Pomona, California, designed to provide materials and strategies for teachers at all levels who wish to include the space program in their curricula. In 1998, Pasadena-based JPL and the Pomona Unified School District agreed to house the state-of-the-art facilities in the District-owned Village at Indian Hill educational mall, located at 1460 E. Holt Avenue, Suite 20. "We are excited about the capabilities of these beautiful facilities and about the new relationship with the District," said site administrator Gene Vosicky of JPL's Communications and Education Office. "With today's dedication ceremonies, we've unveiled a valuable resource for Southern California's science education community." Among the speakers were JPL Director Dr. Ed Stone; Dr. Robert Parker, manager of the NASA Management Office at JPL; Pomona Unified School District Superintendent Patrick D. Leier; and Nancy McCracken, president of the Pomona Unified School District Board of Education. The center is a focal point for educators to become acquainted with NASA/JPL educational materials and resources. Special educator sessions will highlight JPL's electronic networking capabilities and classroom applications of NASA/JPL- produced educational materials. Goals also include becoming involved in collaborations and cooperative agreements with school districts, state education agencies, colleges and universities. The Applied Technology Science Classroom, laid out in stations through which students rotate, integrates a wide variety of technologies into the science curriculum, including: *Mars table. This table allows students to experience the same processes that scientists and engineers at JPL use to explore and analyze the surface of Mars. It features a camera mounted on a coordinate system, which simulates an orbiting satellite and takes digital images of the surface. *Electronic probe station. More than 20 digital probes measure and record data, which can be analyzed and related to science concepts, such as temperature and pressure. Electronic probes mirror technologies on Earth-observing satellites and Mars missions. *Flight station. This simulation software station allows students to study the principles of physics involved with flight navigation and aeronautics. The Applied Technology Science Classroom is designed to increase students' knowledge of technology and science by involving them in scientific investigations in an inquiry-based approach. It also serves as a model for educators on how to utilize computer and other technologies in the instructional process. Connecting the center and the classroom is a large visitor center exhibiting spacecraft models, artifacts and information on the role of JPL in space exploration. For further information, call (909) 397-4420. ---------------------------------------------------------------- BATTERY ACID CHEMICAL FOUND ON JUPITER'S MOON EUROPA NASA release 99-112 30 September 1999 Sulfuric acid--a corrosive chemical found on Earth in car batteries--exists on the frozen surface of Jupiter's icy moon Europa. "This demonstrates once again that Europa is a really bizarre place," said Dr. Robert Carlson of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, CA. "Sulfuric acid occurs in nature, but it isn't plentiful. You're not likely to find sulfuric acid on Earth's beaches, but on Europa, it covers large portions of the surface." The new findings from NASA's Galileo spacecraft are reported in the October 1 issue of the journal Science. Carlson, the principal investigator for the near-infrared mapping spectrometer aboard Galileo, is the lead author of the paper. Although there is no evidence of life on Europa, pictures and other scientific information gathered by the Galileo spacecraft indicate a liquid ocean may lie beneath Europa's icy crust. Water is one key ingredient essential for life. At first, Carlson thought the spectrometer's findings of sulfuric acid on Europa would quash any talk that life might exist there. "After all, even though we know there are acid- loving bacteria on Earth, sulfuric acid is a nasty chemical," he said. Those thoughts were quickly negated by a colleague, Dr. Kenneth Nealson, head of JPL's astrobiology unit, who was excited by the findings. "Although sulfur may seem like a harsh chemical, its presence on Europa doesn't in any way rule out the possibility of life," Nealson said. "In fact, to make energy, which is essential to life, you need fuel and something with which to burn it. Sulfur and sulfuric acid are known oxidants, or energy sources, for living things on Earth. These new findings encourage us to hunt for any possible links between the sulfur oxidants on Europa's surface, and natural fuels produced from Europa's hot interior." "These findings have helped solve a puzzle that has been nagging at me for a long time," Carlson said. "Data gathered by the spectrometer during observations of Europa had shown a chemical that we couldn't identify. I kept wondering, 'What the heck is this stuff?' Lab measurements now tell us that it is sulfuric acid, and we can start investigating where it comes from and what other materials might be there." For example, some reddish- brown areas on Europa might be caused by sulfur that co- exists with the sulfuric acid. One theory proposed by Carlson is that the sulfur atoms originate with the volcanoes on Jupiter's fiery moon Io, with the material being ejected into the magnetic environment around Jupiter and eventually whirled toward Europa. Another idea is that the sulfuric acid comes from Europa's interior, beneath the moon's icy crust, ejected by sulfuric acid geysers or oozing up through cracks in the ice. Another theory comes from Carlson's co-author, Professor Robert Johnson of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, who noted that sodium and magnesium sulfates may have leached onto Europa's surface from underground oceans and then were altered by the intense radiation field. This would produce the frozen sulfuric acid and other sulfur compounds. The new finding is also consistent with earlier Galileo spectrometer data analyses reported by Thomas McCord of the University of Hawaii and other members of the instrument team, who suggested that sulfate salts of this type were present on Europa. Carlson, Johnson and co- author Mark Anderson, a chemist in JPL's Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, plan to study Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, to see if it also contains sulfuric acid. The near-infrared mapping spectrometer works like a prism to break up infrared light not visible to the naked eye. Scientists can study the resulting light patterns to determine what chemicals are present, since different chemicals absorb infrared light differently. Galileo has been orbiting Jupiter and its moons for nearly four years. More information on the Galileo mission is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo An image depicting sulfuric acid on Europa is available on the World Wide Web at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/ JPL manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. ---------------------------------------------------------------- THIS WEEK ON GALILEO JPL release 27 September - 3 October 1999 Galileo concludes this orbit's real time survey of the dusk side of Jupiter's magnetosphere this week, but continues to return high resolution magnetosphere measurements recorded during its encounter a couple of weeks ago. All of these data were acquired by Galileo's suite of Fields and Particles instruments. Processing and return of these data is interrupted three times this week. On Monday, the spacecraft performs a standard gyroscope performance test. On Thursday, a small flight path correction is scheduled. And on Friday, the spacecraft performs a small turn to keep its antenna pointed toward Earth. Galileo also passes through apojove on Monday of this week, only 13 days since it passed perijove. Apojove occurs when the spacecraft is furthest from Jupiter in a given orbit; perijove occurs when the spacecraft is at its closest approach to Jupiter. During the Europa Campaign there were typically at least 30 days between perijove and the following apojove. This time reduction is evidence of the changes made to the spacecraft's orbit, starting with Galileo's first Callisto flyby back in May 1999, to allow for a flyby of Io on October 10. The Fields and Particles magnetosphere survey concludes on Monday. For the duration of the survey, measurements were not recorded on board, but rather returned to Earth in near real time, sharing the transmission stream with recorded data. This leg of the survey covered the duskward portion of the magnetosphere. The high-resolution magnetosphere data returned this week is part of a series of recordings performed during each of Galileo's previous four encounters. The data captured during these recordings describe the inner magnetosphere and the Io torus (see Note 1) as a function of distance from Jupiter. Note 1. The Io torus is a region of intense plasma and radiation activity, in which there are strong magnetic and electric fields. Constantly replenished by the volcanic activity on Io, it is a vital part of the Jovian magnetosphere. For more information on the Galileo spacecraft and its mission to Jupiter, please visit the Galileo home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo ---------------------------------------------------------------- MARS CLIMATE ORBITER MISSION STATUS JPL release 24 September 1999 Flight controllers for NASA's Mars Climate Orbiter are planning to abandon the search for the spacecraft at 3 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time today. The team has been using the 70- meter- diameter (230-foot) antennas of the Deep Space Network in an attempt to regain contact with the spacecraft. Engineers now estimate that the altitude of the spacecraft's closest approach to Mars as it was firing its engine to enter orbit around the planet was 57 kilometers (35 miles). The original target altitude had been about 140 kilometers (about 90 miles). The spacecraft team estimates that the minimum survivable altitude for the spacecraft was between 85 and 100 kilometers (about 53 to 62 miles). The project is moving swiftly to determine the causes of this error, assisted by an internal review team. JPL and NASA are forming expert independent review teams. Mars Climate Orbiter is one of a series of missions in a long- term program of Mars exploration known as the Mars Surveyor Program that is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. ---------------------------------------------------------------- MARS CLIMATE ORBITER TEAM FINDS LIKELY CAUSE OF LOSS NASA release 99-113 30 September 1999 A failure to recognize and correct an error in a transfer of information between the Mars Climate Orbiter spacecraft team in Colorado and the mission navigation team in California led to the loss of the spacecraft last week, preliminary findings by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory internal peer review indicate. "People sometimes make errors," said Dr. Edward Weiler, NASA's Associate Administrator for Space Science. "The problem here was not the error, it was the failure of NASA's systems engineering, and the checks and balances in our processes to detect the error. That's why we lost the spacecraft." The peer review preliminary findings indicate that one team used English units (e.g., inches, feet and pounds) while the other used metric units for a key spacecraft operation. This information was critical to the maneuvers required to place the spacecraft in the proper Mars orbit. "Our inability to recognize and correct this simple error has had major implications," said Dr. Edward Stone, director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "We have underway a thorough investigation to understand this issue." Two separate review committees have already been formed to investigate the loss of Mars Climate Orbiter: an internal JPL peer group and a special review board of JPL and outside experts. An independent NASA failure review board will be formed shortly. "Our clear short-term goal is to maximize the likelihood of a successful landing of the Mars Polar Lander on December 3," said Weiler. "The lessons from these reviews will be applied across the board in the future." Mars Climate Orbiter was one of a series of missions in a long- term program of Mars exploration managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL's industrial partner is Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, CO. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. ---------------------------------------------------------------- MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR STATUS REPORT JPL release 23 September 1999 (DOY 259/19:00:00 to DOY 266/19:00:00 UTC) Launch / Days since Launch = Nov 7, 1996 / 1051 days Start of Mapping / Days since Start of Mapping = April 1, 1999 / 175 days Last Orbit Covered by this Report = 2432 Total Orbits = 4114 Total Mapping Orbits = 2432 Recent events The mm007 sequence is executing nominally and will continue to control spacecraft mapping operations through October 6. Development of the mm008 sequence has begun and is scheduled to begin on 10/7. HGA anomaly The HGA inner gimbal is currently at 75.4° and will increase to a maximum of ~76° in early October, before coming back down to the location of the obstruction at 41.5 deg in early February. Work is currently underway to implement a new mapping data collection and return plan to maximize our science data return for the remainder of the nominal mapping mission. Spacecraft health All subsystems continue to report nominal status. Uplinks There have been 9 uplinks to the spacecraft during the last week, including new star catalogs and ephemeris files, and instrument command loads. Total command files radiated to the spacecraft since launch is 3923. Upcoming events Sequence mm008 development begins Tuesday Sept. 21 and goes active on 10/7/99. ---------------------------------------------------------------- NEW MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR IMAGE By Ron Baalke 27 September 1999 The following new image taken by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft is now available. Wide Angle View of Arsia Mons Volcano The image resides on the Mars Global Surveyor web site at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/msss/camera/images/index.html The image caption is appended below. Mars Global Surveyor was launched in November 1996 and has been in Mars orbit since September 1997. It began its primary mapping mission on March 8, 1999. Mars Global Surveyor is the first mission in a long-term program of Mars exploration known as the Mars Surveyor Program that is managed by JPL for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO. Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera Wide Angle View of Arsia Mons Volcano MGS MOC Release #MOC2-179, 27 September 1999 Arsia Mons (right) is one of the largest volcanoes known. This shield volcano is part of an aligned trio known as the Tharsis Montes--the others are Pavonis Mons and Ascraeus Mons. Arsia Mons is rivaled only by Olympus Mons in terms of its volume. The summit of Arsia Mons is more than 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) higher than the surrounding plains. The crater--or caldera--at the volcano summit is approximately 110 km (68 mi) across. This view of Arsia Mons was taken by the red and blue wide angle cameras of the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) system. Bright water ice clouds (the whitish/bluish wisps) hang above the volcano--a common sight every martian afternoon in this region. Arsia Mons is located at 120° west longitude and 9° south latitude. Illumination is from the left. ---------------------------------------------------------------- STARDUST STATUS REPORT JPL release 24 September 1999 The Stardust spacecraft continues to operate normally in cruise sequence SC009, cruising in the main asteroid belt about 2 AU from both the Earth and Sun. The Flight Team at Lockheed Martin Astronautics completed all testing of the operating system task priority inversion and all stellar flight software patches and will perform the final reviews of these test results next week. Even though the University of Chicago Dust Flux Monitor Instrument (DFMI) exhibited a previously seen anomaly with a power converter and had to be powered off after 1 hour of operations, it has operated longer than the previous time, showing signs of recovering partially from this problem. The DFMI will be able to provide exciting data at the Comet Wild 2 encounter as expected, the question now is how long can it operate before needing to be powered off. Additional studies and flight tests will be performed prior to the comet flyby and the Earth flyby in 2001. For more information on the Stardust mission--the first ever comet sample return mission--please visit the Stardust home page at http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov ----------------------------------------------------------------