MARSBUGS: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter Volume 8, Number 26, 9 July 2001. Editors: Dr. David J. Thomas, Science 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://welcome.to/marsbugs. 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, the biology of terrestrial extreme environments, planetary biology, primordial evolution, space physiology, biological life support systems, and human habitation of space and other planets. _____________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS 1) EATING RIGHT FOR LONG-DURATION SPACE MISSIONS NASA/JSC release J01-69 2) NASA SELECTS PROPOSALS TO STUDY EARTH'S ENVIRONMENT NASA release 01-129 3) ANCIENT VOLCANOES WERE A WIPE OUT By Nicola Jones 4) LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE? IS ANYBODY OUT THERE? ESA release 40-2001 5) THE MEANING OF LIFE By Lee Siegel 6) MEDICAL RESEARCH ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION MIGHT HAVE WON PHILIPPOUSSIS WIMBLEDON ESA information note 05-2001 7) NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY INDEX By David J. Thomas 8) CASSINI WEEKLY SIGNIFICANT EVENTS NASA/JPL release 9) THIS WEEK ON GALILEO NASA/JPL release 10) INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT NASA/JSC release 11) INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SCIENCE OPERATIONS NASA/JSC release 12) MARS ODYSSEY MISSION STATUS NASA/JPL release 13) STARDUST STATUS REPORT NASA/JPL release _____________________________________________________________________ EATING RIGHT FOR LONG-DURATION SPACE MISSIONS NASA/JSC release J01-69 2 July 2001 During long-duration space flights, astronauts often don't eat as much as they should, which can cause weight loss and other nutritional concerns, such as low levels of vitamin D. A study released today of astronauts who lived aboard the Russian space station Mir, and counterparts living in seclusion on Earth, has validated a tool for measuring astronauts' dietary intake during long space flights. "We have developed a program that helps us ensure that crewmembers go to space with an optimal nutritional status, and that we do everything we can to help them remain healthy while they are there," said Dr. Scott M. Smith, lead author on the paper and a nutritionist in the Life Sciences Research Laboratories at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. "When you are going to spend a few months in space, it's important to be sure you meet your body's nutritional needs," Smith said. One nutrient of particular concern during long-duration space flights is vitamin D, which is important for bone health. The lack of ultraviolet light due to spacecraft shielding takes away the body's ability to produce this vitamin naturally during space flight. "This is just one example of why food becomes even more important during long space flights," Smith added. The study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, focused on two NASA astronauts who each spent more than four months aboard Mir. They were compared to two groups of men and women who lived in a semi- closed chamber at JSC for 60 and 91 days, respectively. Blood and urine were collected from the astronauts both before and after their flights, and from the chamber groups before, during and after their chamber stays. These samples were used to measure the amounts of nutrients present, including proteins, vitamins and minerals. A specially designed questionnaire to monitor food consumption also was completed on a regular basis by all the participants. Finally, each participant's body mass was measured at various times throughout the study to look for weight loss or gain. "These studies provided scientific data validating the space flight Food Frequency Questionnaire," Smith said. "That questionnaire is now part of a comprehensive nutrition program designed to help ensure the health of long-duration astronauts." Smith and his team of researchers are continuing this study with crews aboard the International Space Station. Like the Mir astronauts and chamber participants, the station crews receive a comprehensive assessment of their nutritional status before and after flight, and complete the computerized Food Frequency Questionnaire while in space. "This unique software program allows crewmembers to relay food intake information to the ground," Smith said. "It takes only five to ten minutes per week to complete, and it provides us with very important real-time information. When necessary, recommendations can be made for the crew to adjust their dietary intake while on orbit." "These studies will help ensure the health and safety of the astronauts working aboard the International Space Station," Smith added. "They also will provide a better understanding of how the body's nutritional needs change during prolonged weightlessness, and will further our knowledge about nutrition on Earth." _____________________________________________________________________ NASA SELECTS PROPOSALS TO STUDY EARTH'S ENVIRONMENT NASA release 01-129 3 July 2001 What element do some researchers jokingly call the "triple whammy" or the "complete trifecta"? It's carbon--not only the very basis of life, but also the principal source of fossil fuel energy supporting the economy and a key factor in controlling global climate. NASA will learn much more about the global carbon cycle through 80 research grants valued at approximately $50 million over the next three years that will look at everything from forest health in the U.S. to the role oceans play as the planet's "air filters." Carbon-containing molecules are a key factor in global warming-- carbon dioxide and methane are the two most important "greenhouse gases" that can affect temperatures around the world. Combustion of fossil fuels, use of land for agriculture or industry, and human interaction with the environment all play a part in how Earth's climate "behaves." Through these awards, researchers will take advantage of the unique vantage-point of space and space-age technology to look at the planet and how the global climate works. "These proposals represent the leading edge of research on the carbon cycle and how it affects our climate. The Administration is committed to providing sound science to government and industry leaders upon which decisions about human stewardship of the Earth can be made," said Dr. Ghassem Asrar, Associate Administrator for Earth Science, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC. "We know that about half of the carbon dioxide released by humans is absorbed by Earth's oceans and lands. These investigations will help scientists and policy-makers better understand if this will be true in the decades to come," Asrar said. "A solid understanding of how carbon cycles act among land, atmosphere and oceans will provide a vital key to reliable projections of carbon levels of the future, and hence a better understanding of what role humans are playing in Earth's climate system. Combined with advances in computational-modeling capabilities, and in teaming with other government agencies and international partners, NASA will advance short-term and seasonal weather forecasting capabilities and create an accurate projection of longer-term climate change around the globe. This research also will benefit our short-term weather and seasonal-prediction capabilities," Asrar said. The grants will go to researchers at universities, government laboratories and other organizations and will investigate virtually all aspects of the carbon cycle. Scientists will use everything from advanced computers, satellites and lasers to aircraft and other conventional tools to carry out these studies. Applications scientists will extend the benefits of this research to a variety of end users. NASA received 288 proposals in response to the research announcement made in 2000. A complete listing of the research projects and their principal investigators can be found on the Internet at http://research.hq.nasa.gov/. More information on NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, a long-term research effort dedicated to understanding how human-induced and natural change affects the global environment, can be found at http://earth.nasa.gov. _____________________________________________________________________ ANCIENT VOLCANOES WERE A WIPE OUT By Nicola Jones From SpaceDaily 4 July 2001 Volcanoes were more destructive in ancient history. Not because they were bigger, but because the carbon dioxide they released wiped out life with greater ease. Paul Wignall from the University of Leeds was investigating the link between volcanic eruptions and mass extinctions. Not all volcanic eruptions killed off large numbers of animals, but all the mass extinctions over the past 300 million years coincided with huge formations of volcanic rock. To his surprise, the older the massive volcanic eruptions were, the more damage they seemed to do. Get the full story at http://www.spacedaily.com/news/early-earth- 01f.html. _____________________________________________________________________ LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE? IS ANYBODY OUT THERE? ESA release 40-2001 5 July 2001 The possibility that there is life elsewhere in the Universe has always excited the general public. Scientists are equally enthusiastic: physicists, biologists, chemists, cosmologists and astronomers all over Europe are researching the age-old question: is there other life in the Universe? What is our understanding at the beginning of the 21st century? Is there any scientific evidence for other forms of life? How can you define life? What signs are we looking for? What would the reaction be if other forms of life were discovered? The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the European Space Agency and the European Southern Observatory, in cooperation with the European Association for Astronomy Education, have organized a competition to find out what young people in Europe think. The European Molecular Biology Laboratory and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility are also involved. This "Life in the Universe" project is being mounted in collaboration with the research directorate of the European Commission for the European Week of Science and Technology in November this year. Competitions are already under way in 23 European countries to find the best projects from school students aged between 14 and 19. Entries can be in one of two categories: scientific or artistic. The projects can therefore be essays, newspapers, web sites, artworks, poetry or even a theatrical or musical performance. Two winning teams (one in each category) from each country will be invited to a final event at CERN in Geneva on 8-11 November to present their projects to an international panel of experts at a special event devoting three days to inquiring into the possibility of other life forms existing in our Universe. This final event will be broadcast all over the world via the Internet. The home base of the "Life in the Universe" project is a vibrant web site, www.lifeinuniverse.org, where details of the program can be found. It is still under development but already has a wealth of information and links to the national web sites, where all entries are posted. Is there other life in the Universe? We do not know--but the search is on! To find out what is happening for "Life in the Universe" in each country contact the National Steering Committees. Austria Mr. Christian Gottfried Theobaldgasse 16/13 A-1060 Wien Email: christian.gottfried@cern.ch Bulgaria Mrs. Veselka Radeva Astronomical Observatory and Planetarium PO Box 120 Varna Email: radevi@mail.varna.techno-link.com Denmark Ms. Anne Værnholt Olesen Tycho Brahe Planetarium Gammel Kongevej 10 DK-1610 København V Email: Anne_O@tycho.dk Estonia Kertu Saks Tallinn Technology and Science Centre Energy Põhja Blvd 29, Tallinn 10415 Email: kertu.saks@energia.ee Finland Mr. Lauri Kervonen National Board of Education PL380 Hakaniemenkatu 2 00531 Helsinki Email: Lauri.kurvonen@oph.fi France Mr. Bernard Pellequer Geospace Observatoire d'Aniane, Institut de Botanique, 163 rue Auguste Broussonnet, 34090 Montpellier Email: bernard.pellequer@geospace-online.com Germany Ms. Elisabeth Lahr-Nilles Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie Auf dem Hügel 69 53121 Bonn Email: e.lahr-nilles@gmx.de Ou elahr@mpifr-bonn.mpg.de Greece Mrs. Maragarita Metaxa 63, Ethnikis Antistaseos 152 31 Athens Email: mmetaxa@compulink.gr Ireland Mr. Kevin Nolan School of Applied Science, Institute of Technology, Tallaght Dublin 24 Email: knolan@seti.it-tallaght.ie Italy Mrs. Cristina Palici di Suni Via Giulia di Barolo 3 TORINO Email: palici@aerre.it Luxembourg Mr. Fernand Wagner Laboratoire de Physique, Lycée de Garçons d'Esch, Boite postale 195, L-4002 Esch/Alzette. Email: fernand.wagner@ci.educ.lu Netherlands Mr. Gert Schooten Holtmate 14 8014 HA Zwolle Email: gertschooten@wish.net Poland Ms. Barbara Popielawska Space Research Center, P.A.N. ul. Bartycka 18a PL 00-716 Warszawa Email: bpop@cbk.waw.pl Portugal Mrs. Felisbela Martins ASTRO - Apartado 52503 Amial 4202-301 Porto Email: Felisbela.Martins@ip.pt Romania Magda Stavinschi Bucharest, str. Cutitul de Argint 5, RO-75212 Email: magda@roastro.astro.ro Slovak Republic Mr. Dalibor Krupa Slovak Academy of Sciences Stefanikova 49 SK-814 38 Bratislava Email : fyzikrup@savba.sk Spain Mrs. Rosa Maria Ros Dept. Applied Mathematics IV, Technical University of Catalonia, Jordi Girona 1-3, modul C3 Barcelona Email: ros@mat.upc.es Sweden Mr. Björn Lingons Mediecenter Stockholm, Box 19612, S-10432 Stockholm Email: bjlin@avc.edu.stockholm.se Switzerland Mr. Michael Reichen Gymnase de Nyon Route de Divonne 8 Case postale 1260 Nyon 2 Email: michael.reichen@freesurf.ch United Kingdom Mr. Alan Pickwick 19 Edale Grove, Sale, Cheshire, M33 4RG Email: Alan_C_Pickwick@compuserve.com For further information, please contact: Helen Wilson European Space Agency ESTEC Education Office Postbus 299 2200 AG Noordwijk Netherlands +31 71 565 5518 (tel) +31 71 565 5590 (fax) Email: Helen.Wilson@esa.int _____________________________________________________________________ THE MEANING OF LIFE By Lee Siegel From The NASA Astrobiology Institute 6 July 2001 Sitting beneath a dark night sky, looking up at the vast array of stars, what human has not wondered, "Are we alone?" The possibility of life beyond Earth--particularly intelligent life--permeates popular culture. For the fearful, there are evil extraterrestrials intent on dominating and killing humans ("War of the Worlds," "Alien," "Independence Day"). For people inspired by hope and awe, there are wise, benevolent aliens ("Contact," "E.T., the Extra- Terrestrial" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"). Turning to non-intelligent life, scientists by and large believe that if life is discovered on the planets and moons of our solar system, it will be microbial--perhaps bacteria on Mars or microscopic creatures swimming in a sea beneath the ice on Jupiter's moon Europa. Even if the public seems less than awestruck by the prospect that alien life is a bunch of microscopic bugs, astrobiologists say unequivocal discovery of microbial life beyond Earth will change human society in profound ways, some unfathomable today. "It would sink in slowly over decades and then would become part of the new way in which we look at the universe," says John Billingham, who ran NASA's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program until Congress killed it in 1993. Billingham, now Senior Scientist at the nonprofit SETI Institute, is among several experts who believe the confirmed discovery of even microbial extraterrestrial life would rank as an historic turning point like Nicolaus Copernicus's 16th-century assertion that Earth was not the center of the solar system, or Charles Darwin's 19th- century discovery of evolution. "In some sense, that had the effect of displacing humans from the center of the biological universe," says planetary scientist Bruce Jakosky, director of the Center for Astrobiology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. "It would be truly profound to find evidence for life elsewhere if it had an independent origin from life on Earth. It says life very likely is the natural consequence of chemical reactions that occur in a planetary environment, and that life is probably widespread through the universe--at least microbial life. This would be the final nail in the coffin" that life exists only on Earth. Jakosky believes scientists should pay greater attention to discussing the social implications of discovering extraterrestrial life--even though many researchers shy away from the subject because they don't consider it "hard" science. "Your first thought is: [Discovering extraterrestrial] microbial life--there wouldn't be much impact compared to intelligent life," says historian-astronomer Steven J. Dick of the U.S. Naval Observatory. Yet Dick notes the worldwide hubbub in 1996 when researchers from NASA's Johnson Space Center claimed they had found evidence of fossilized microbes in ALH84001, a meteorite from Mars. "If you had fossilized life that existed on Mars at one time, the implication would be life must be abundant in the universe," says Dick. "And people make the jump to, 'There must be intelligent life.'" Billingham points out that the ALH84001 meteorite "is serving as an additional stimulus" for NASA to go new places and seek new worlds. He believes discovering extraterrestrial life would trigger much more exploration. Jakosky suggests exploration--both now and after the discovery of extraterrestrial life--may have as great an impact on society as the discovery itself. "We're interested in the search for extrasolar planets because it tells us... is our solar system unique or common?" says Jakosky, a member of the NASA Astrobiology Institute. "We are interested in the possibility of life on Mars because it provides context for understanding the value of life on Earth. "By learning about the world around us, we are learning about ourselves. We are an exploring society. In the end, that is the most significant aspect: that we are searching." Social scientist Kathleen Connell, an official at the Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science in California, adds: "The very act of looking for microbial life is a cultural manifestation of our own intelligent life form. Some suspect that we as a species are evolving from our home planet Earth, via the international space program. As the space program has reached out to the solar system and beyond, we have evidence of the impact of this evolution from the home planet on contemporary culture." For example, she notes how the Apollo astronauts' stunning photograph of Earth floating in space spurred the fledgling environmental movement. "It was an unintended cultural consequence of the Apollo program," Connell says. "Likewise, as we again attempt to 'evolve' towards Mars or other planetary bodies like Europa in the search for microbial life, it's reasonable to expect the actual encounter with life could have unintentional and unanticipated consequences on human culture. Ultimately, coming to grips with the interaction between space exploration and cultural evolution--this is the high ground of societal implications of astrobiology and related fields. "Perhaps following the path of life is a bold challenge for all of humanity to pursue with renewed vigor, just as the Kennedy generation pursued the challenge of going to the moon," Connell says. She also believes the discovery of extraterrestrial life may have direct economic benefits by providing Earth with new materials and energy sources. Many people feel "incredible wonder about the natural world," says University of Colorado journalism professor Tom Yulsman. "I cannot help but think that the sense of wonder will only deepen if they discover any kind of life elsewhere." Dick notes that if we found microbial extraterrestrial organisms, "we would learn a lot more about biology in general, universal biology, about how life works in different ways, maybe not DNA-based or even carbon-based." But for the public, that soon "would stop being exploration and start being biology, and that becomes uninteresting unless it's a cure for cancer," says Jakosky, offering a perspective learned from essays written by students who took his course on extraterrestrial life. When asked the significance of finding life beyond Earth, "the most common answer was that finding microbes might be interesting, but finding intelligence would be profound," he says. "Some people felt it would save the world"; others believed aliens "would destroy the Earth, either by intent or by accident. Those views are in such contrast with each other that it struck me it says more about the individual--are you an optimist or a pessimist--than about extraterrestrials." Jakosky says another common student view about extraterrestrial intelligence is, "We've already discovered it, they are visiting the Earth and the government is hiding it in an area outside Roswell, New Mexico, or in Area 51 in Nevada." Citing European domination of New World peoples, Dick notes that during Earth's history, "almost any physical culture contact has been bad, at least at the outset. But that's probably not what's going to happen with [intelligent] extraterrestrial life... It's much more likely that you're going to have radio contact" because of the vastness of space. He compares that with "the transmission of Greek knowledge to Europe in the 12th and 13th centuries, by way of the Arabs. The result was the Renaissance." "If you had radio contact [with extraterrestrials] and got more than just a dial tone--if you get a deciphered message--then you start to get the knowledge and wisdom of the universe pouring in," says Dick. "It would be like a Renaissance... Your whole system of knowledge and belief might have to be altered or completely changed." Take religious belief. If extraterrestrial life is found and "if humanity is not the center of attention of a deity, what does that do to various theologies and religions?" Dick asks. "If it is Christianity, for example, [what does it mean for] the doctrines of redemption and incarnation? Would Christ have to die on other worlds for their sins the way he did here?... For Eastern religions, where you don't have the idea of salvation or a single deity, it would be quite different." Billingham believes finding a long-lived extraterrestrial society could give humanity hope. "For example, there are doomsayers who say, with some reason, that we might not last more than 100 years. But if you found a civilization that was 10 million years beyond us, it would tell us instantly that it can be done. That's pretty profound. It might turn a few of the pessimists into optimists." What's next Research is ongoing to find both microbial and intelligent life. The search for microbial life is a central goal of the Mars and Europa exploration programs of NASA and the European Space Agency. A number of organizations, the SETI Institute principal among them, are engaged inprojects designed to detect electromagnetic signals sent by intelligent life forms from other worlds. More information on this article is available at http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/index.cfm?page=meaning_of_life. _____________________________________________________________________ MEDICAL RESEARCH ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION MIGHT HAVE WON PHILIPPOUSSIS WIMBLEDON ESA information note 05-2001 6 July 2001 Persistent knee problems cropping up at the most inconvenient times, such the one that has prevented Mark Philippoussis playing at Wimbledon this year, may become a thing of the past thanks to artificial cartilage developed through research planned by the European Space Agency on the International Space Station (ISS). Every year tens of thousands of people suffer knee injuries as a result of over-strenuous exercise or sports accidents. The ideal cure would be to replace the defective cartilage with new material, having the same properties as human tissue that is readily accepted by the immune system. Unfortunately, scientists are not yet able to produce artificial cartilage for implantation, as under the influence of Earth's gravity human cells grow flat, like a pancake, rather than in the form of a sugar lump from which the right shape can be modeled. With the benefit of weightlessness, on the other hand, the necessary growth in all three directions might be achievable. And that is exactly what scientists from Switzerland, Italy and Germany are trying to test in an experiment to be carried out on the International Space Station. Using a bioreactor, a device commonly used in laboratories on Earth but specially adapted for use in space, the team wants to investigate the factors that make human cells grow in three dimensions. Once these have been understood in space, the intention is to test the same mechanisms on Earth and use them for the routine production of human implants. For further information on the status of these investigations, contact Marc Heppener, Head of ISS Utilisation and Microgravity Division, Directorate of Manned Spaceflight and Microgravity, European Space Agency; phone: +31-71-565 5117, e-mail address: Marc.Heppener@esa.int. The International Space Station is one of the greatest international projects of all time, on which Europe is cooperating with the US, Russia, Japan and Canada. Once completed, the 450-ton ISS will have over 1200 cubic meters of pressurized space--enough room for seven crew and a vast array of scientific experiments orbiting at some 400 km above Earth. Europe, working through the European Space Agency, is responsible for two key elements, the Columbus research laboratory and the Automated Transfer Vehicle, a supply ship lifted into orbit by the Ariane 5 rocket. It is also providing experiment facilities for the pressurized laboratories and for the external research platforms of the Station. _____________________________________________________________________ NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY INDEX By David J. Thomas http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/astrobiology.h tml 9 July 2001 Articles about evolutionary biology and chemistry http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/online_article s5.html N. Jones, 2001. Ancient volcanoes were a wipe out. SpaceDaily. National Academy of Sciences, 2001. Science and Creationism: A View from the National Academy of Sciences, Second Edition. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. Astrobiology and extreme environments book list http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/astrobiology_b ooks.html National Academy of Sciences, 2001. Science and Creationism: A View from the National Academy of Sciences, Second Edition. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. _____________________________________________________________________ CASSINI WEEKLY SIGNIFICANT EVENTS NASA/JPL release 27 June - 4 July 2001 The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Goldstone tracking station on Wednesday, July 4. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and is operating normally. Information on the spacecraft's position and speed can be viewed on the "Present Position" web page, http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/where/. Recent spacecraft activities included two Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) high frequency receiver calibrations, two Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI) Low Energy Magnetospheric Measurement Subsystem (LEMMS) exercises, a high water mark clear, and Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) photometric calibration and dark frame imaging activities. The Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) supplemental heater was also powered on via real- time command to maintain the needed thermal conditions for the instrument. A slow time memory readout of the Reaction Wheel Assembly (RWA) and a RWA Friction Test were performed. The Friction Test is a periodic test that measures the performance of each of the four reaction wheels and checks for any abnormal wear. The Attitude and Articulation Control Subsystem team is still performing detailed analysis of the test results, however preliminary analysis indicate that all four wheels continue to operate normally. Final sequence products for the C27 sequence were compiled, released, and approved for uplink. The sequence was then successfully uplinked to the spacecraft and verified to be active, with the sequence scheduled to begin execution in the coming week. The Instrument Operations / VIMS team conducted Integration Test Laboratory (ITL) testing of the new VIMS flight software. Once the data are retrieved from ITL data analysis will begin. This analysis includes check out of the ground software's ability to process the data collected as output from the test of the new flight software. The Radio Science Team held their post-Project Science Group meeting in Oxford England. Multi Mission Image Processing Laboratory (MIPL) is developing a new, web-based, real-time telemetry processing system to support ISS and VIMS data processing during Tour. MIPL held a two-day peer review that included, on the second day, a series of demonstrations of the new capabilities. The Mission Planning analysis of Titan flyby minimum altitudes was presented at the Mission Planning Forum, with the group assigning action items and identifying next steps in preparing for Titan flybys. Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. _____________________________________________________________________ THIS WEEK ON GALILEO NASA/JPL release 2-8 July 2001 This holiday week sees the Galileo spacecraft continue its normal cruise activities. On Monday, an attitude maintenance turn is performed to keep the spacecraft's communications antenna pointed at the Earth. On Thursday, a standard test of the on-board gyroscopes is performed. Due to repeated dosages of the intense radiation near Jupiter, some of the electronic components used to report data from the gyros have degraded. These periodic tests check the current health of the electronics, and also determine if updates are needed to software parameters used by the spacecraft's computers to correct the measurements from the gyros. On Sunday, we take the final step in a series of reconfigurations of the radio communications parameters during the recent period of solar conjunction, when Galileo appeared to pass behind the Sun as seen from Earth. In this final step, as Galileo and Jupiter continue to move away from the Sun (as seen from Earth), the spacecraft returns to its normal configuration for telemetry. The Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EUV) instrument continues its two-month-long study of the interplanetary medium. Playback of data stored on the tape recorder from the May flyby of Callisto also continues. This week will see the conclusion of our first survey pass through the Solid State Imaging (SSI) pictures on the tape, and the beginning of the second pass, including data from the other instruments. Expected SSI data include global color pictures of Callisto and pictures of hot spots in the atmosphere of Jupiter. The Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) will return measurements of Io taken while that satellite was in Jupiter's shadow, as well as additional global coverage of that volcanic moon. The Photopolarimeter Radiometer instrument (PPR) will return data from global observations of Io and measurements of a white oval in Jupiter's atmosphere. 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 _____________________________________________________________________ INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT NASA/JSC release 5 July 2001 Another week of testing the International Space Station's robotic arm and cataloging onboard inventory has been the focus for the Expedition Two crew as the launch of Atlantis delivering the Airlock approaches. The checkout of the Space Station Remote Manipulator System--Canadarm2--continued this week with testing the positions and sequences that will be used for the installation of high pressure oxygen and nitrogen tanks on the outside of the Airlock after it is installed on the Unity module of the station. Working from the Robotics Work Station inside the Destiny Laboratory, Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss maneuvered the arm on its redundant, or backup, string of software to essentially qualify the arm for its first operational task scheduled to commence after Atlantis arrives late next week. Atlantis' launch is scheduled for 4:04 AM Central time, July 12 with docking to the station late on the evening of July 13. Tucked in the shuttle's payload bay is the 6.5 ton Airlock that will add space walk capability to the orbiting outpost. While Atlantis is being readied for next week's visit to the station, Discovery stands poised on the other shuttle launch pad ready to deliver the next resident crew to the station in August. Expedition Three will be commanded by veteran astronaut Frank Culbertson along with two Russian cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Turin. Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev, Voss and Helms also continue to oversee a variety of science investigations. Oversight from the ground is handled by the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, except for the Human Research Facility, which is monitored and controlled from the Telescience Support Center (TSC) at the Johnson Space Center, Houston. For details on ISS science, visit http://www.scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov. The International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting in excellent shape at an altitude averaging 240 miles (385 km). Sighting opportunities from the ground for many cities around the world can be viewed at http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/. ISS information will be combined within the shuttle status reports beginning next Thursday. The next ISS status report will be issued on the first Wednesday following completion of the STS-104 mission. _____________________________________________________________________ INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SCIENCE OPERATIONS NASA/JSC release 5 July 2001 The Expedition Two crew continued to prepare the first plants and seeds produced on the International Space Station for their return trip on the Space Shuttle Atlantis set to visit the orbiting laboratory next week. "The plants are the first to successfully go through three stages, seed germination, plant growth and seed development aboard the Station," said Dr. Weijia Zhou, the principal investigator for the Advanced Astroculture (ADVASC) plant growth experiment. Zhou is the director of the Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison--one of 17 NASA Commercial Space Centers that helps companies fly space experiments. Eleven of these centers are managed by the Space Product Development Program at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL--NASA's lead center for flying experiments that take advantage of low gravity. "The Advanced Astroculture has provided optimal environmental conditions, and the plants have entered their last stage of development--seed maturity," said Zhou. "This stage will last another few days, and then we will change the conditions inside the plant growth unit to preserve the seeds." To help the seeds dry out, Flight Engineer Jim Voss removed fluid from the plant growth chamber this week. Periodically, during Expedition Two, the crew has removed nutrients, fluids and gases so that investigators on Earth could study the growing conditions experienced by the plants in space. When the experiment is returned to Earth, scientists will analyze these samples as well as the plants and seeds. Throughout the flight, investigators on the ground have viewed video of the growing plants. Zhou and his team at a telescience center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are working with the team at the Payload Operations Center in Huntsville, AL, on a plan for ending the experiment next week so that the Space Shuttle Atlantis can return the plants and seeds to Earth. The Advanced Astroculture was originally scheduled to return on the STS-105 Shuttle mission, but since the plants have finished their growth cycle, they will be brought back on the STS-104 mission. The ADVASC science team is running an identical experiment on the ground to determine how long the experiment will require power before deactivation being planned for next week. The team at the Payload Operations Center is also planning for the return of the Protein Crystal Growth Single Thermal Enclosure System Units 9 and 10 on the STS-104 Shuttle mission. This experiment contains perishable biological crystals that will be returned to scientists for analysis. By studying the structure of the crystals, investigators can learn about substances that play important roles in humans, animals and plants. Most of the growth cylinders that contain crystals have been deactivated and are ready for return to Earth. Next week, the crew is scheduled to deactivate the last six growth cylinders in Unit 9, right after the STS-104 launch, now scheduled for July 12. Different biological substances require different growth periods. Scheduled for return on STS-104 is the Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus, which did not perform as expected and is being returned for analysis. The three radiation monitoring experiments--Bonner Ball Neutron Detector, Phantom Torso, and Dosimetric Mapping--all continue to collect data. The crew routinely uses the Human Research Facility computers to send data to scientists on Earth for analysis. The Space Shuttle Atlantis will bring back additional data on hard disks. While a few experiments are being returned to Earth, several investigations are just getting under way on board the laboratory and will continue into Expedition Three, starting in August with the STS- 105 mission. One of the main goals of early science operations on the Station is to characterize the laboratory environment so that scientists can accurately analyze the influence it has on their experiments. In addition to measuring the radiation inside the lab, scientists are measuring the effects of vibrations and evaluating ways to reduce them. Next week when the Shuttle docks with the Station is a critical time for these measurements because more vibrations may be experienced when the Shuttle docks and during the increased activities while it is docked. The Microgravity Acceleration Measurement System was reactivated last week and will be on for the next four weeks to help characterize the microgravity environment of the Station. The other microgravity measurement device, the Space Acceleration Measurement System, continues to actively record data. An experiment that could make the Space Station an even better place to conduct microgravity experiments continues to under go tests this week and prepare for more specific tests during docked operations next week. The Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS) located in EXPRESS Rack 2 in the Destiny lab module is designed to act like a powered shock absorber to dampen vibrations from powered equipment and crew activities. During the past week, the Payload Rack Officer at the Marshall operations center and the science team on the ground prepared the rack system for special tests during docked operations. While the Shuttle is docked, the ARIS ISS Characterization Experiment (ARIS- ICE) will precisely test and measure the performance of the ARIS vibration dampening system. "We're continuing checkout tests to get ready for the Space Shuttle docking, which adds greater mass to the Station and will allow us to do low-frequency testing," said James Allen, ARIS-ICE project lead and payload developer, with The Boeing Company in Houston, Texas. Other payloads continuing to operate nominally include: Commercial Protein Crystal Growth and the Experiment on the Physics of Colloids in Space. The crew is also completing weekly questionnaires as part of the Interactions experiment. _____________________________________________________________________ MARS ODYSSEY MISSION STATUS NASA/JPL release 2 July 2001 NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft fine-tuned its flight path for arrival at Mars in October as it performed its second trajectory correction maneuver this morning. Odyssey fired its thrusters for 23 seconds at 9:30 AM Pacific time, which changed the spacecraft's velocity by 0.9 meters per second (about 2 miles per hour). "Today's successful trajectory correction maneuver marks the completion of the mission's early cruise phase," said David A. Spencer, mission manager for 2001 Mars Odyssey at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "All science payloads have been checked out and are operating well." The Odyssey flight team, he said, is now turning its focus to preparations for Mars orbit insertion and aerobraking, in which repeated passage through the upper atmosphere of the planet will be used to adjust the spacecraft's orbit. Last week, the team opened the door on the gamma ray spectrometer, managed by the University of Arizona in Tucson, and started taking data with the gamma sensor head. Initial data indicate that the detector performance is excellent. Odyssey is currently about 35 million kilometers (about 22 million miles) from Earth and traveling at a speed of about 27 kilometers per second (about 59,800 miles per hour) relative to the Sun. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, built the Odyssey spacecraft. Contact: Mary Hardin, 818-354-0344 _____________________________________________________________________ STARDUST STATUS REPORT NASA/JPL release 6 July 2001 There was one Deep Space Network tracking pass this week. All subsystems are performing normally. The Cometary and Interstellar Dust Analyzer (CIDA) instrument continues to observe the interstellar dust stream with an optimal spacecraft attitude when not in communication with Earth. The remaining Navigation Camera's guide star images continue to be downlinked. Analyses of the images continue to show no re-contamination. 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 8, Number 26.