MARSBUGS: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter Volume 7, Number 3, 24 January 2000. Editors: Dr. David J. Thomas, Biology and Chemistry Division, Lyon College, Batesville, AR 72503-2317, USA. 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 from 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) NASA CONCLUDES ALL ATTEMPTS TO COMMUNICATE WITH LANDER JPL release 2) COMPLEX ORGANIC MOLECULES FORM QUICKLY IN OLD STARS From ESA Science News 3) SUBSURFACE CAVES--EXOBIOLOGY ON EARTH? By Julian Hiscox 4) WE ARE NOT ALONE--OR ARE WE? By Vince Stricherz 5) HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO PLAN COMMUNITY ON MARS JSC release J00-4 6) RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN SPACE LIFE SCIENCES: ADVANCED HUMAN SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY NASA release 7) ISO FINDS THE PRECURSORS OF THE COMPLEX ORGANIC MOLECULES IN SPACE From ESA Science News 8) MARS TEAM CONTINUES REVIEW WITH VISIT TO LOCKHEED MARTIN ASTRONAUTICS NASA release 9) VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT AT AMES RESEARCH CENTER NASA release 10) THIS WEEK ON GALILEO JPL release 11) STARDUST STATUS REPORT JPL release --------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA CONCLUDES ALL ATTEMPTS TO COMMUNICATE WITH LANDER JPL release 17 January 2000 The Mars Polar Lander flight team has ended all attempts to regain communications with the spacecraft. "The final set of planned commands were sent on Jan. 6 to place the spacecraft in UHF safe mode. Since then, we've had a series of relay communications sessions using Mars Global Surveyor to listen for the lander around the clock," said Richard Cook, the project manager for Mars Polar Lander at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "These attempts have ended today concluding our attempts to recover the spacecraft." Mars Global Surveyor continues to perform special targeted observations of the Mars Polar Lander landing site in hopes of imaging the lander or its parachute. No evidence of the spacecraft has been sighted so far and these attempts will continue through early February. The team has started in depth analysis of terrain hazards within the landing footprint in support of the JPL Mars Polar Lander/Deep Space 2 Failure Review Board. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space 2 for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. Lockheed Martin Astronautics Inc., Denver, CO, is the agency's industrial partner for development and operation of the spacecraft. JPL designed and built the Deep Space 2 microprobes. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. --------------------------------------------------------------------- COMPLEX ORGANIC MOLECULES FORM QUICKLY IN OLD STARS From ESA Science News http://sci.esa.int 17 January 2000 Chemical synthesis of complex organic molecules, the most basic 'building blocks' for life, can occur rapidly in stellar environments, according to results obtained with the European Space Agency's infrared space observatory, ISO, and presented last Saturday at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Atlanta by a team of Canadian-Mexican astronomers. Sun Kwok and Kevin Wolk, from the University of Calgary, and Bruce Hrivnak, at Valparaiso University, studied the chemical composition of the circumstellar envelopes of old stars. They chose three types of old stars, which are actually representatives of three different stages of evolution, separated by just a few thousand years: * very evolved red giants--the first evolutionary step; * protoplanetary nebula--the second stage; * finally, planetary nebula. By comparing their infrared spectra, in which the signature of molecules can be identified, the researchers could trace the processes of chemical synthesis leading to different compounds in each stage of the stellar evolution. They found that several thousand years are enough for small organic molecules to evolve into large, complex organic molecules. For instance acetylene, which is detected in the envelope of red giants, serves as a building block for molecules such as benzene and more complicated aromatic hydrocarbons present in the planetary nebula. "Although we do not understand how chemical reactions can occur so efficiently in such a low density environment, there is no doubt that complex molecules exist, and the stars are able to make them with no difficulty", says Kwok. According to this researcher, the finding of complex organic molecules in stellar envelopes might provide an easier explanation for the beginning of life on Earth, since it is quite possible that some of these molecules will end up on planets. Kwok also suggests that even amino acids could be synthesized in the stellar environments, although to look for them astronomers will have to wait for future infrared space telescopes such as ESA's Far Infrared and Submillimetre Telescope (FIRST), to be launched in 2007. Footnote about ISO The European Space Agency's infrared space observatory, ISO, operated from November 1995 to May 1998, almost a year longer than expected. An unprecedented observatory for infrared astronomy, able to examine cool and hidden places in the Universe, ISO made nearly 30,000 scientific observations. Contacts: Martin Kessler ISO Project Scientist mkessler@iso.vilspa.esa.es Tel: +34 91 8131253, +34 91 8131254 Useful links for this story * AAS press release http://www.iras.ucalgary.ca/~kwok/aas00.html * ISO science homepage http://www.iso.vilspa.esa.es/ * More about FIRST http://sci.esa.int/first Image caption: [http://sci.esa.int/image.cfm?TypeID=1&ContentID=8831&table=ContentTa ble&Storytype=18] The Water Lily Nebula in the constellation of Ara is one of the proto-planetary nebulae where complex organic molecules with aliphatic and aromatic structures are found. This picture was taken with the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera on June 28, 1999. Photo credit: Sun Kwok, Bruce Hrivnak, and Kate Su. --------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBSURFACE CAVES--EXOBIOLOGY ON EARTH? By Julian Hiscox 18 January 2000 Charlie Cockell of NASA's Ames Laboratory has described the Earth as an exobiological zoo. There are environments that resemble most of the conditions found in the Solar System. If we wish to speculate about possible life on Mars, we can use environments in Antarctica or the Arctic, which resemble a past time on Mars. Needless to say microbial life flourishes. On the other hand active volcanoes provide a good model for the surface of Venus and needless to say we don't find any life in red-hot magma. By studying weird and wonderful environments where organisms live at the knife-edge of death we build up a database of both living and fossilized remains. This database will prove invaluable when returning to Mars and looking for life and its traces. The problem with searching for extraterrestrial microbial life on Mars is knowing what to look for and where to look for it. The Viking landers showed that the surface of Mars is perhaps one of the most hostile places in the Solar System for life. The surface is bombarded by ultraviolet and cosmic radiation, coated in compounds similar to hydrogen peroxide, and liquid water is unstable. However, a number of years ago, several scientists including Penny Boston (Complex Systems) and Chris McKay (NASA Ames), broke the paradigm by suggesting that life might still be living deep below the surface of Mars, protected from the harsh conditions found on the surface. Similar environments to subsurface Mars might exist on the Earth. By locating and studying such environments scientists would be able to develop many of the tools and expertise that will allow them to hunt for, and recognize, life deep below the surface of Mars. In fact the environments in question are caves. Subsurface cavities provide a huge array of habitats, and caves with external entrances represent perhaps only 5 to 30 % of the total number of cave systems. On Earth, caves are formed through process such as solid surface cracks, tidal forces, cratering, and volcanism, all of which may have occurred at some point on early Mars. Some deep surface caves have extremely stable conditions because they are not subject to the vagaries of the weather. Any microbial systems found within the caves would also be moderately stable because of the absence of predators in the traditional sense. On Earth, caves provide ideal analogue environments for Mars, because in many cases whilst above ground conditions might be bone dry, the environment in the caves is extremely humid. Penny Boston has spent much of her time investigating cave systems in exotic parts of the world in the hunt for suitable martian analogues. As recognition of the importance of her work she was recently awarded a National Science Foundation grant to study these regions. The caves she has found are definitely not the same as pot holing in the Mendips. Many of the caves are extremely toxic, with 7% carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide. In some of the caves, which are saturated with moisture, sulfuric acid drips from the cave roof. The caves are very deep (1000 ft down) so no organic material leaches down from the surface. In some cases her team has to wear breathing apparatus and continually monitor the environment for changes in oxygen concentration and toxic gases. One such cave system under investigation is Lechuguilla, in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico. This cave system is thought to have formed in a fairly unique way. Most caves are created from limestone, which is made up of millions of tiny fossilized marine animals that piled up on an ancient sea floor. The shells of these creatures were made of calcium carbonate, a mineral that dissolves very easily in even the weakest acids. When naturally acidic water trickles down into cracks in the ground, making its way to the layers of limestone, it dissolves it--leaving caves underground where layers of limestone used to be. Lechuguilla formed when hydrogen sulfide gas bubbled up from nearby oil reservoirs deep in the ground. The hydrogen sulfide was released by the uplifting of the surrounding mountains, which created deep cracks in the material over the oil reservoirs. A chemical reaction between the hydrogen sulfide gas and the groundwater created a very powerful acid--sulfuric acid. The acid ate through the layers of limestone underground, leaving a maze of open cracks and caves. Unlike most caves that were formed from the top down, Lechuguilla was created from the bottom up. Penny Boston and her colleagues have found abundant evidence for microbial life living in these deep extreme environments. Some are affectionately known as "snottites." Using both electron microscopy and experiments to investigate microbial activity, these snottites are rich in living bacteria which produce mucilaginous (a bit like snot) coatings to protect themselves from the acid environment. By studying both living and dead snottites, the team is getting a good idea on how fossilized remains of life have been formed and preserved, and perhaps more importantly, what are the chemical and visual indicators for this. One of the great difficulties when searching for traces of ancient life is determining what microstructures could be the remains of microorganisms--one of the great controversies of the ALH84001 story. As one would predict, microorganisms deep within the caves form non- photosynthetic food chains (apart from maybe algae at the entrance). These food chains are completely independent from both sunlight and the surface, as would be the case on Mars. Detailed molecular study has shown that the microorganisms have followed an independent evolutionary pathway, compared to their second cousins at the Earth's surface. Exploring the caves on Earth is not an easy undertaking and all of the team members are experienced cavers. The team operates a system by which when some researchers enter a new cavern, others remain near the entrance, ready to help their colleagues in case of difficulty. In a recent expedition to Lechuguilla, one person of the team broke their leg through rock fall and had to be rescued--a process that involved over 200 people. Rather than risk destruction to the fragile (from outside) ecosystems, many of the team members will risk further injury. Due to a broken ankle, one scientist crawled for two days on hands and knees to leave the cave. In addition what is packed into the cave is also packed out, including all manner of waste products! Exploring the caves highlights the problems of robotic exploration and why human investigators are worth considering for sending to Mars. Humans are far more versatile at exploring complex systems. Contact information: Dr. Julian A. Hiscox, School of Animal and Microbial Sciences, University of Reading, England, UK. Tel: 0118 931 8893 Fax: 0118 931 0180 E-mail: j.a.hiscox@reading.ac.uk --------------------------------------------------------------------- WE ARE NOT ALONE--OR ARE WE? By Vince Stricherz University of Washington release 18 January 2000 The annals of science fiction are filled with advanced extraterrestrial creatures like Klingons and Wookies, Vogons and Romulans, all carrying on in a human sort of way. And while screenwriters and novelists weave stories around these characters, some people scour the heavens for signs that such highly evolved beings really are out there. But a new book by two University of Washington scientists contends that, contrary to popular thought, we just might be alone and Earth might be unique, if not in the universe at least in this celestial neighborhood. In Rare Earth, published this month by Copernicus Books/Springer, paleontologist Peter Ward and astronomer Donald Brownlee examine the remarkable confluence of conditions and events that deposited life- forming chemicals on Earth, allowed simple life to gain a foothold and then protected the planet sufficiently and created just the right environmental factors for advanced life to slowly evolve. "It seems like something a lot of people don't want to hear, yet nearly everyone who works in these areas has remarked at one time or another how unusual the Earth is," said Brownlee, an expert on comets, the space bodies that might have delivered the first organic chemicals and life-sustaining water to Earth. In fact, he and Ward, whose extensive research on the fossil record has provided key insights into prehistoric mass extinctions, frequently discuss the Earth's unusual character with students in their astronomy and geological sciences classes. The scientists don't argue that life is rare. In fact, recent evidence showing simple microbial life can survive extreme conditions on Earth is an indicator that such life also might be widespread in the galaxy and the universe. "But you need to have a vast amount of time to let evolution ramp up to animals, and we think there are only a small number of planets where that could happen," said Ward. The key, he said, is having near equilibrium in such things as temperature and water content over enormous time spans. Microbes have shown they can live in some of the harshest Earth environments imaginable, while advanced plant and animal life requires a delicate balance of conditions. "For 90 percent of the age of this planet, life was slime at the bottom of the ocean," Brownlee said. But that life was given a one- in-a-million opportunity to gradually evolve to the complexity it enjoys today. "The underlying theme of the book is that the Earth is a very charmed planet," he said. "We know of no other body that is even remotely like Earth." Factors that made advanced life possible include the Earth's having: * The proper distance from the sun to allow development of habitat for complex life and ensure that water remains liquid, not vapor or ice. * The proper mass to retain atmosphere and ocean. * Plate tectonics, which act as a sort of atmospheric thermostat, build land masses and enhance biotic diversity. * A neighbor the size of Jupiter, not too close and not too far away, that can use its gravity to protect the planet from too many life- extinguishing collisions with comets and asteroids. * A stable orbit unperturbed by giant planets. * A large moon at the right distance to stabilize tilt, thus ensuring seasonal climate fluctuations that are not too severe. * Enough carbon to support development of life but not so much to allow for runaway greenhouse conditions. In addition, Brownlee and Ward contend, the solar system's position in the Milky Way galaxy also is key to life development on Earth. At the edge of the galaxy, many stars are too metal-poor for planet formation, while the center of the galaxy has extreme energy processes that would hinder complex life. The "charmed" conditions on Earth won't always be present. Someday, some way, evolution on Earth will end. That could be when the sun gets so hot that life can no longer survive, when ultimately the ocean boils and surface rocks melt. "There will be a time when there will be no record of life ever having existed on Earth," Brownlee said. He and Ward acknowledge that their assumptions about how uncommon advanced life might be in the universe are based on observed conditions that allowed evolution on Earth. But this is the only place in which advanced life is known to have occurred, and it is one of only a handful of places in the solar system where even microbial life is suspected, making this planet the ultimate laboratory on advanced life. A key condition for life on Earth is the presence of carbon, because of its unique properties. "Probably all life is based on carbon," Brownlee said. While he concedes the possibility that life has evolved elsewhere based on an element such as silicon, he remains skeptical of that theory. "Many things are possible. You can never imagine everything the universe can do. But we know it didn't happen here," Brownlee said. "If things have to obey physical and chemical laws, then there really aren't a lot of options in nature." For more information, contact: Ward at (206) 543-2962 or argo@u.washington.edu Brownlee at (206) 543-8575 or brownlee@bluemoon.astro.washington.edu --------------------------------------------------------------------- HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO PLAN COMMUNITY ON MARS JSC release J00-4 18 January 2000 While living at Johnson Space Center the weekend of February 11, Houston area high school students will use their imagination and knowledge to design complete details of a human settlement on Mars in the year 2050. One hundred and twenty students from Houston and Southeast Texas will participate in the Second Annual JSC Mars Settlement Design Competition, a program that was designed to introduce students to the technical, communication and teamwork skills they will need when they join industry. Organized into four "company" teams, the students gain the experience of working as a member of an aerospace industry proposal team. They will work against a deadline to design, develop and present a 30-page proposal of their concept of a human community on Mars to a team of local NASA and industry judges. Teams will be mentored and coached by executives from NASA, Boeing and other aerospace companies who volunteer their time to guide the students' efforts. Using technologies and materials currently available, the teams must plan a community that would support 10,000 residents. All aspects that would be necessary to actually complete the project must be considered in their proposal. These include design, construction materials, logistics including transport vehicles, power allocation, robotics systems, life support, a cost estimate and a schedule. At the conclusion of the weekend, the teams will present their proposal to a panel of expert judges who will hold them to an exacting standard. Once presentations are complete and while the judges make their final decision, the students will tour JSC for a behind-the-scenes look at Space Station facilities and the next- generation X-38 spacecraft currently under development. Interested Houston area high school students are encouraged to ask their math and science teachers or school principals for more information about this project. The target deadline for registration is Friday, January 28. Information is also available at the competition web site http://marsbase.jsc.nasa.gov. The Mars Settlement Design Competition is one of the key events of NASA's month-long outreach effort in support of National Engineers Week. The competition is hosted and sponsored by NASA Johnson Space Center, The Boeing Company, the Clear Creek Independent School District and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Media wishing to document the competition must contact the JSC Newsroom no later than noon, February 9 to arrange for accreditation. --------------------------------------------------------------------- RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN SPACE LIFE SCIENCES: ADVANCED HUMAN SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY NASA release 18 January 2000 The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Life Sciences Division solicits proposals for research investigations in support of Research Opportunities in Space Life Sciences. This announcement is specific to the Advanced Human Support Technology (AHST) Program within the Life Sciences Division and solicits proposals for the following areas: Advanced Environmental Monitoring and Control Advanced Life Support Space Human Factors Engineering Advanced Extravehicular Activity Proposals requested by this announcement may be for ground-based research investigations, and limited types of space- flight experiments designed for the Shuttle middeck or for the International Space Station prior to assembly completion. This solicitation is open to U.S. and foreign proposers in all categories of governmental and private sector organizations, agencies, and institutions. It will be open for the period through April 18, 2000; proposals may be submitted at any time throughout the period. This solicitation will be available electronically via the Internet at http://peer1.idi.usra.edu/ starting January 18, 2000. Paper copies of the Announcement will be available starting January 18, 2000 to those who do not have access to the Internet by calling 202-358-4180 and leaving a voice mail message. Please leave your full name, address with zip code, telephone number with area code, and the name of the requested NRA. The technical point of contact for this effort is: Dr. Guy Fogleman, Life Sciences Division, Code UL, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ISO FINDS THE PRECURSORS OF THE COMPLEX ORGANIC MOLECULES IN SPACE From ESA Science News http://sci.esa.int 20 January 2000 The clouds of gas and dust grains in interstellar space contain complex organic molecules made of hundreds of chained carbon atoms. The European Space Agency's infrared space telescope, ISO, has detected these molecules in many different environments and is now unveiling the chemical paths leading to their formation in space. A group of Spanish astronomers have detected for the first time outside the Solar System two molecules that could be the precursors for the formation of the more complex organic compounds. The newly found molecules, detected in two very old stars, are diacetylene and triacetylene (C4H2 and C6H2). The study of the complex organic molecules in space, the so-called "PAHs" (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons), is rapidly advancing with ISO. Researchers from Canada and the US reported last week at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Atlanta (US) that the making of PAH in stellar envelopes can take as little as a few thousand years (see previous story "Complex organic molecules form quickly in old stars," [this issue of Marsbugs] http://sci.esa.int/newsitem.cfm?TypeID=1&ContentID=8831&Storytype=18) . Now, the finding by the Spanish team adds information about the intermediate chemical steps that lead from one of the simplest organic molecules, such as the acetylene, to the complex PAH. "ISO has provided an important database for the study of these large and complex organic molecules", says José Cernicharo, from the Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) in Madrid. "This will allow us to investigate their role in the chemistry of interstellar space, and to answer important questions that remain open. For instance, how are these large species formed?" Using ISO, Cernicharo and co-workers observed two stars in the process of dying, CRL618 and CRL2688, which have been blasting out huge amounts of material over the last thousand years and thus have become the central stars illuminating a large shell of gas and dust-- a structure called 'a protoplanetary nebula'. The astronomers studied the chemical composition of the gas around the stars and realised that many new molecules had been synthesised. Many of these molecules are unknown, but the researchers were able to identify at least two of them: C4H2 and C6H2, di- and tri-acetylene. "The large number of unknown molecular bands revealed by ISO left us astonished. Among them we quickly identified two new molecules, di- and tri-acetylene, which are present in the planets of the Solar System but had not been found before in the interstellar space. The unknown molecular species and the di- and tri-acetylene might very well be the 'small bricks' that will combine to make the complex molecules like PAHs", Cernicharo explains. In the proto-planetary nebula CRL618 Cernicharo and Fabrice Herpin (CSIC) have found also water (H2O) and OH, an unexpected result because CRL618 is a carbon-rich object and those are oxygen-bearing molecules. To the researchers, these are examples of how powerful the stars are when it comes to the production of new molecules-- molecules that are likely to end up in planets like the Earth. As Cernicharo explains, "when an old star is volving towards the proto- planetary phase, it produces violent phenomena such as high velocity winds and high flux of high energy photons; these phenomena modify completely the chemistry of the gas around the star, and allow the formation of new molecules. With time, they will escape from the gravity of the central star and will reach the interstellar medium, where they will joint the molecular clouds out of which new stars will form. When a new star with its planetary system is formed, highly complex molecular species, many of them containing a large number of carbon atoms, are already present to form part of comets and planets". A paper about these findings will appear in the February issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Footnote about ISO The European Space Agency's infrared space observatory, ISO, operated from November 1995 to May 1998, almost a year longer than expected. An unprecedented observatory for infrared astronomy, able to examine cool and hidden places in the Universe, ISO made nearly 30,000 scientific observations. Contacts: Martin Kessler, ISO Project Scientist mkessler@iso.vilspa.esa.es +34 91 8131254 José Cernicharo, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas cerni@astro.iem.csic.es +34 91 5901611 Useful links for this story * ISO Science homepage http://www.iso.vilspa.esa.es/ * More about ISO http://sci.esa.int/iso --------------------------------------------------------------------- MARS TEAM CONTINUES REVIEW WITH VISIT TO LOCKHEED MARTIN ASTRONAUTICS NASA release 21 January 2000 The Mars Program Independent Assessment Team (MPIAT) continued its review of NASA's Mars missions with a visit to Lockheed Martin Astronautics in Denver, CO, this week. Last week the team visited NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, CA. "At this point, we are talking with as many key players in these missions as possible," said team chairman Thomas Young. "We have heard from officials at NASA Headquarters and JPL," said Young. "This visit with Lockheed Martin's engineers, scientists and managers gives us insight into the contractor's processes used in implementing the Mars '98 missions and the successful Mars Global Surveyor." The team is asking NASA and contractor personnel tough questions about how these missions were conducted, to identify any changes that may be needed to assure mission success in the future. Young added that the team is still in the fact-finding mode. "It is much too early to draw any conclusions," he said. "We want to have a good understanding of the processes that were used in each of these programs before we make any recommendations about changes." The team's charter is to evaluate several recent successful and unsuccessful NASA missions to deep space, including Mars Pathfinder, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Climate Orbiter, Mars Polar Lander, Deep Space 1 and Deep Space 2. This includes evaluation of budgets, content, schedule, management structure, and scientific organization of these missions to determine how these roles and responsibilities are related to mission safety, reliability and success. The team began its work on January 7, 2000, and is scheduled to complete its review and advise NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin of its findings in mid-March. JPL manages NASA's robotic exploration of Mars for the Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. Lockheed Martin Astronautics is the prime contractor for NASA's missions to Mars. --------------------------------------------------------------------- VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT AT AMES RESEARCH CENTER NASA release 24 January 2000 Interested in being part of the team making science happen on the International Space Station? Response to Vacancy Announcement Number: 00-GEJ-107 at NASA, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA can fulfill your dreams. The incumbent will serve as Lead for science support to the Biological Life Sciences Division. He/She will be responsible for managing all science activities, providing technical direction to the Biological Research Project Integrated Product Team in all areas including developing science requirements for a complex spaceflight biological laboratory, developing science experiments and experiment protocols for spaceflight, monitoring hardware development, assuring all science elements are addressed, and developing and managing the Project budget. Opening Date: 01/18/2000 Closing Date: 02/15/2000 Position: AST, LIFE SCIENCES EXPERIMENT DEVELOPMENT, GS-1301-13/14 Promotion Potential: GS-14 Duty Location: 1 vacancy at AMES/MOFFETT FIELD, CA For more information and applying on line go to http://huminfo.arc.nasa.gov/ or write directly to the Human Resources Division, MS 241-9, NASA, Ames Research Field, Moffett Field, CA 94035 and reference the Vacancy Announcement 00-GEJ-107. --------------------------------------------------------------------- THIS WEEK ON GALILEO JPL release 17-23 January 2000 This week, Galileo's primary activity is the return of data from its January 3rd flyby of Jupiter's icy moon Europa. Early in the week, Galileo completes it initial pass through data captured during its November passage through the Io torus. Data playback proceeds uninterrupted this week, constrained only the amount of time allocated to Galileo on the Deep Space Network's 70-m (230-ft) diameter antennas. The Io torus data returned this week are from a 3-hour high- resolution recording performed by Galileo's Fields and Particles instruments. The Fields and Particles instruments are comprised of the Dust Detector, Energetic Particle Detector, Heavy Ion Counter, Magnetometer, Plasma Detector, and Plasma Wave instrument. The Io torus is a doughnut-shaped region of space with its inner edge bounded by Io's orbit. It contains intense plasma and radiation activity and is believed to be constantly supplied by volcanic activity on Io. Next on the playback schedule is the return of portions of a high resolution recording performed by the Fields and Particles instruments 30 minutes either side of closest approach to Europa. The recording contains measurements of the plasma, dust, and electric and magnetic fields surrounding Europa. The data contained in this observation will allow scientists to further refine and interpret estimates of Europa's induced magnetic field. The presence of an induced field was detected in real time data received from Galileo during the January 3rd flyby of Europa. Such a field signature indicates the presence of a conducting layer inside Europa, yet another piece of circumstantial evidence that liquid water is present beneath Europa's surface. Real time data are not stored on the spacecraft's tape recorder, but are directly transmitted to Earth after processing and packaging. Toward the end of the week, the spacecraft begins to return images of Europa taken by the Solid-State Imaging camera (SSI) during the Europa flyby. The images are designed to fulfill three different objectives. The first is to validate models that have been developed to explain the formation of sharp-edged ridges on Europa. The second is to look at debris surrounding a multi-ring impact feature named Callanish in hopes of determining whether the impact broke through Europa's surface and penetrated any sub-surface layers. The third objective is to look at mottled (or blotchy-looking) terrain in hopes of seeing evidence of ice flows. For more information on the Galileo spacecraft and its mission to Jupiter, please visit the Galileo home page at one of the following URL's: http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo --------------------------------------------------------------------- STARDUST STATUS REPORT JPL release 21 January 2000 The first 2 parts of the 3 part Deep Space Maneuver-1 (DSM-1), to target the Stardust spacecraft for an Earth gravity assist next year, have been successfully completed. The Flight Team at Lockheed Martin has verified that the spacecraft performance was even better than predicted and that these two maneuvers had less than 1-sigma execution errors. JPL Navigation is making detailed assessments of these maneuvers in preparation for the third and final maneuver to complete DSM-1 this weekend. 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------- End Marsbugs Volume 7, Number 3