MARSBUGS: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter Volume 7, Number 27, 10 July 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) NSF-FUNDED RESEARCHERS DISCOVER EVIDENCE OF MICROSCOPIC LIFE AT THE SOUTH POLE NSF release 00-48 2) NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY, EXOBIOLOGY AND TERRAFORMATION INDEX By David J. Thomas 3) CASSINI WEEKLY SIGNIFICANT EVENTS JPL release 4) ISS STATUS REPORT JSC release --------------------------------------------------------------------- NSF-FUNDED RESEARCHERS DISCOVER EVIDENCE OF MICROSCOPIC LIFE AT THE SOUTH POLE NSF release 00-48 6 July 2000 In a finding that may extend the known limits of life on Earth, researchers supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) have discovered evidence that microbes may be able to survive the heavy doses of ultraviolet radiation and the extreme cold and darkness of the South Pole. The team's findings, published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, the journal of the American Society for Microbiology, indicate that a population of active bacteria, some of which have DNA sequences that align closely with species in the genus Deinococcus, exists at the South Pole in the austral summer. A similar species lives elsewhere in Antarctica, but the discovery of microbes at the Pole may mean that the bacteria have become uniquely adapted to the extreme conditions there, including a scarcity of liquid water. A species in the genus Deinococcus was first discovered in cans of irradiated meat in the 1950's, and is able to withstand extreme dryness and large doses of radiation. It is possible that the related bacteria from the South Pole may also possess these characteristics. "While we expected to find some bacteria in the South Pole snow, we were surprised that they were metabolically active and synthesizing DNA and protein at local ambient temperatures of -12 to -17°C (10.4 to 1.4°F)," said Edward J. Carpenter, of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, who headed the research team. "Before attempting to publish the results, we wanted to be certain that the data were correct and were able to duplicate the observations in a second field season during January 2000." Antarctica was once part of a supercontinent called Gondwanaland and drifted into its present position only about 60 million years ago. Deinococcus, however, is thought to be one of the earlier branches in the bacterial tree, and is much older than Antarctica in its present location. It is therefore unlikely that it evolved in Antarctica. If the team's conclusions prove true, the discovery not only has important implications for the search for life in other extreme environments on Earth, but also for the possibility that life--at least at the microscopic level--may exist elsewhere in the solar system. Furthermore, the snow bacteria may possess unique enzymes and membranes able to cope with a subzero existence. The team was careful to take samples at the edge of the clean-air sector at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station to prevent contamination of the samples by bacteria from human habitation. The containers of bacteria were flown, still frozen, within 24 hours to the Albert P. Crary Science and Engineering Center at NSF's McMurdo Station for analysis. In examining the snowmelt, the researchers found coccoid and rod-shaped bacteria, some of which appeared to be dividing. The findings by Carpenter and his colleagues, Senjie Lin, of the University of Connecticut, and Douglas Capone, of the University of Southern California, also may be significant because a separate team of NSF-supported investigators reported that ice cores taken at Lake Vostok, deep in the Antarctic interior, indicate the presence of microbes in what is suspected to be a vast pool of liquid water thousands of meters below the Antarctic ice sheet. That finding may have similar implications for extending the known limits of life. For more information see http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/lexen/ Contact: Peter West, (703) 306-1070, pwest@nsf.gov --------------------------------------------------------------------- NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY, EXOBIOLOGY AND TERRAFORMATION INDEX By David J. Thomas 10 July 2000 Astrobiology, exobiology and terraformation articles online http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/online_article s1.html A. Bridges, 2000. Galileo's demise assured, scientists ponder its last days. Space.com. National Research Council, 2000. Preventing the forward contamination of Europa. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. --------------------------------------------------------------------- CASSINI WEEKLY SIGNIFICANT EVENTS JPL release 29 June - 5 July 2000 The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Goldstone tracking station on Wednesday, 07/05. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and is operating normally. The speed of the spacecraft can be viewed on the "Where is Cassini Now?" web page (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/today/). Activities this week included a RADAR checkout (with MAG riding along) that was completely nominal and a Reaction Wheel momentum unload. Two X-Band uplink demonstration activities using the DSS-14 70m antenna were performed. IO-ISS and MIPL (multimission image processing laboratory) performed an internal "end-to-end" test of a major portion of the MIPL ISS Uplink Processing System with a successful match between the uplink and downlink catalogs. ISS has completed their part in the C22 ITL test. The test data are still being analyzed, but all indications show the test was a success for ISS. VIMS data cubes during the C20 sequence were generated using both the old and upgraded instrument flight software. All activities executed properly and demonstrated that the new code to correct and enhance the mirror positioning of the visible channel worked as expected. Effective when the next Mission Plan update is released (~14 July 2000), the Orbital Cruise Activity Handbook will be retired. Any uncompleted or continuing OCAH activities will be captured in an appendix to the Mission Plan, and will not be under change control. Attitude Control delivered Version A8.1.0 of its flight software for subsystem testing. This version supports the critical sequence development and orbital operations. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ISS STATUS REPORT JSC release 6 July 2000 The Zvezda Service Module, which will provide the early living quarters on board the International Space Station, is slated for a 12:56 AM EDT launch on July 12 (11:56 PM CDT July 11; or 4:56 GMT on July 12) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Fueling of Zvezda began shortly after the successful launch of a modified Proton rocket from Baikonur on Wednesday morning and was completed early this morning. After being transported to the Proton hangar, Zvezda will be mated to the rocket that will carry it to orbit early Friday morning. Roll-out to Launch Pad 23 is slated for July 8. U.S. and Russian flight controllers, meanwhile, continue to refine procedures and plans to verify the health of Zvezda's systems during its two-week free flight prior to the scheduled July 25 docking of the ISS and Zvezda. The automatic rendezvous system on the ISS' Zarya module and a nearly identical system on Zvezda will be tested to insure that they will be able to provide navigational data to one another on the distance between the two space craft and the rate of closure during the final phase of rendezvous and docking. Other key systems, including Zvezda's motion control system, its solar arrays and its various telemetry hardware will be checked out prior to docking as well. Within 72 hours after Zvezda is joined to the ISS, flight controllers will reconfigure the data processing path between the Service Module, Zarya and the Unity module, as Zvezda assumes control for the orientation of the Station, any reboost which may be required and primary communication responsibility. The Station continues to operate well with no significant technical issues being worked. Battery 1 and its associated electrical component (PTAB1) have been disconnected from the remaining battery systems after indications of a slightly higher than normal discharge rate. Flight controllers believe the reading is the result of an errant sensor, but have disconnected the battery as a precaution. Battery 1 will remain offline until July 22 when it is reconnected and charged prior to the Zvezda docking. The International Space Station is in an orbit with a high point of 245 statute miles and a low point of 230 statute miles (394 x 371 kilometers), circling the Earth every 92 minutes. The next Mission Control Center ISS Status Report regarding on-orbit activities will be issued July 12. For further information, please contact the NASA Public Affairs Office at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, 281-483-5111. --------------------------------------------------------------------- End Marsbugs, Volume 7, Number 27