MARSBUGS: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter Volume 8, Number 31, 20 August 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 monthly 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) LIFE FROM SPACE DUST? From BBC News 2) MONITORING BONE LOSS IN ASTRONAUTS From SpaceDaily 3) HOW FAR IS ET? By Seth Shostak 4) NASA TECHNOLOGY BENEFITS MEDICINE From NASA Tech Briefs Insider 5) NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY INDEX By David J. Thomas 6) CASSINI WEEKLY SIGNIFICANT EVENTS NASA/JPL release 7) THIS WEEK ON GALILEO NASA/JPL release 8) GALILEO MILLENNIUM MISSION STATUS NASA/JPL release _____________________________________________________________________ LIFE FROM SPACE DUST? From BBC News 15 August 2001 NASA's Genesis mission may bring some answers Astrophysicists say particles swirling around planets could have been transformed into the building blocks of life by the solar wind, then fallen to Earth as dust. A Polish team says it has shown in the laboratory that a biological molecule is formed when space dust is zapped with a high- energy beam of light. But other scientists are skeptical about claims that life arrived on this planet from outer space. Get the full story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1492000/1492411.stm. _____________________________________________________________________ MONITORING BONE LOSS IN ASTRONAUTS From SpaceDaily 15 August 2001 Researchers from Dartmouth College's Thayer School of Engineering and Dartmouth Medical School have teamed up to design sophisticated computer software, called mobile agents, to help astronauts monitor bone loss during long space flights. Bone loss begins as soon as astronauts enter space, mainly due to the weightless environment, and after about a month, the loss becomes significant. Considering that a roundtrip journey to Mars could last about two and a half years, bone loss poses a serious health issue for the astronauts. A successful, healthy mission depends upon crew members treating this problem as it happens, instead of recovering from the condition after their mission is over. Get the full story at http://www.spacedaily.com/news/spacemedicine- 01a.html. _____________________________________________________________________ HOW FAR IS ET? By Seth Shostak From Space.com 16 August 2001 How many light-years is it to the nearest alien civilization? In 1960, when Frank Drake made the first modern effort to eavesdrop on radio signals from ET, he trained his antenna on two relatively close stars, Epsilon Eridani and Tau Ceti: respectively 10 and 12 light- years from Earth. He picked these backyard buddies for several reasons. For one thing, they are Sun-like stars, the type most likely to have planets suitable for the dirty chemistry we call life. But of great importance, they are nearby, and signals from close-in transmitters are likely to be stronger. Such signals will suffer less from the inevitable dilution of distance. In addition, it would be more interesting to find aliens in our neighborhood, as opposed to halfway across the Galaxy. If the aliens are really close--say less than 100 light-years--then two-way communication, while admittedly tedious, would at least be thinkable. Drake didn't hear anything from these solar siblings. Nor have subsequent SETI searches... We have to sift through more than a spoonful of hay to find a needle. Get the full story at http://www.space.com/searchforlife/shostak_seti_et_010816.html. _____________________________________________________________________ NASA TECHNOLOGY BENEFITS MEDICINE From NASA Tech Briefs Insider 16 August 2001 The phrase "not knowing which way is up" likely was coined by an astronaut, since that's how they spend much of their time in space. On Earth, we know which way is up because of gravity. In space, the mismatches between what your eyes see and what your body feels can trigger space sickness, which is much like the sick feeling you get while reading in a moving car. Figuring out how to prevent space sickness was the reason NASA established the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) in 1997. Much of the NSBRI's research, however, also can directly benefit millions of patients on Earth. For example, more than two million American adults suffer chronic impairment from dizziness or difficulty with balance. Besides helping astronauts adapt to life in microgravity, the NSBRI is helping physicians diagnose and treat patients suffering from neurovestibular diseases (the inner ear is part of the vestibular system). Other issues under investigation by the NSBRI include the psychology of long-term space flight, and physical changes to bones and muscles as a result of weightlessness. Research in these areas can help in treating stress and personality disorders, osteoporosis, cardiac problems, sleep disorders, immune disorders, and nutritional problems. Visit the NSBRI at http://www.nsbri.org/. _____________________________________________________________________ NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY INDEX By David J. Thomas http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/astrobiology.h tml 20 August 2001 Articles about human space exploration and the microgravity environment http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/online_article s3.html SpaceDaily, 2001. Monitoring bone loss in astronauts. SpaceDaily. Articles about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/online_article s4.html S. Shostak, 2001. How far is ET? Space.com. Articles about evolutionary biology and chemistry http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/online_article s5.html BBC, 2001. Life from space dust? BBC News. _____________________________________________________________________ CASSINI WEEKLY SIGNIFICANT EVENTS NASA/JPL release 9-15 August 2001 The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Madrid tracking station on Tuesday, August 14. 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 at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/where/. Recent spacecraft activities include a Magnetospheric and Plasma Science observation, two Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) High Frequency Receiver Calibrations, and an RPWS Instrument Expanded Block Test. Real-time commands were uplinked to the spacecraft as planned to update the definition of the X-Band and Ka-Band body vectors, to perform routine Command & Data Subsystem (CDS) memory readouts of the sequence registration table and non-interfering error logs, and to clear the AACS High Water Marks. In support of Tour planning, a program was uplinked that will characterize the behavior of the X-Band Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier when operated in the manner planned to be used during the tour. This program will execute later this week. Mission Planning continued timeline development for tour Orbit Trim Maneuvers (OTMs). It was determined that nominal OTMs can be placed in the middle of nearly all expected DSN passes without encountering background sequence telemetry mode changes, which could interfere with storage of OTM data and subsequent science playback. The Cassini Information Management System 1.3 was delivered. This delivery provides Extensible Markup Language (XML) export capability to support near-term Science Operations Plan development milestones. The full Integration Test Laboratory retest of all modules for Mission Sequence Subsystem D7.6 completed successfully. Mission Support & Services Office Security personnel have begun leading the annual Cassini security training courses, in an effort to make sure all Cassini team members are informed of the up-to-date security policies and procedures. Cassini Outreach personnel made a presentation on Saturn and Cassini to 30 college and high school educators at a course jointly sponsored by JPL and California State University, Northridge. Thirty-three Solar System Educators were updated on Cassini results from Jupiter and practiced using an activity from the Saturn Educator Guide. These master teachers will share their expertise with other teachers in their communities and elsewhere, so that more solar system exploration materials will be used in classrooms throughout the U.S. 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 10-19 August 2001 With the hectic activity of the Io encounter now behind it, Galileo settles into the more peaceful pace of orbital cruise. But first, the last bit of cleanup from the flyby must be taken care of. On Friday, August 10, the spacecraft executes an orbit trim maneuver. This engine burn will correct any remaining uncertainties or errors in the flyby path, and begin to nudge the spacecraft towards its next target. That target once again is Io, which we will pass in mid- October. On Saturday the spacecraft again uses its thrusters, this time to turn in place and point the antenna closer to the Earth. This 4- degree turn takes about 10 minutes to perform. On Sunday, routine maintenance of the propulsion system is performed. This will guarantee that all parts of the propulsion system are properly exercised, not just those branches that are used for the particular maneuvers and turns we have done recently. In addition to these navigation and engineering tasks, playback of the science data from last weekend's flyby continues. A quick survey of the data on the tape takes up the first week or so of playback. Due to the effects of the accumulated radiation the spacecraft has received in its nearly six years in orbit around Jupiter, measurements from several instruments have been affected. The survey will determine if any of the data on the tape are bad, and allow the scientists to plan how best to retrieve the good data on subsequent passes over the tape. 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 _____________________________________________________________________ GALILEO MILLENNIUM MISSION STATUS NASA/JPL release 16 August 2001 NASA's Galileo spacecraft is transmitting to Earth scientific information from its dash past Jupiter's moon Io last week, including top-priority measurements of magnetic forces above Io's north pole. A first look at the data already suggests that Io's internally generated magnetic field is either absent or quite weak, said the principal investigator for Galileo's magnetometer instrument, Dr. Margaret Kivelson of the University of California, Los Angeles. Stronger conclusions will have to await more analysis. Determining whether Io has an intrinsic magnetic field is the primary science goal for the flyby on August 6, Universal Time, and for Galileo's next encounter, an October 16 pass near Io's south pole. Sampling of other early data indicates that Galileo's camera appears to have resumed functioning in time to capture some of the final images planned during last week's flyby, said Dr. Eilene Theilig, Galileo project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. Some exposures planned while Galileo was closest to Io were lost because of an intermittent electronic problem that has affected the camera for more than a year. Project engineers believe the problem probably results from cumulative exposure to intense natural radiation near Jupiter. "We're now expecting to get images from five of the 16 planned observations, including global images of Io," Theilig said. Stored data on Galileo's tape recorder from the camera and other instruments will continue to arrive at Earth antennas of the JPL-managed Deep Space Network throughout the next eight weeks. Galileo has been orbiting Jupiter since 1995. After its original two-year tour of the Jovian system, NASA extended the intrepid robot's mission three times to take advantage of Galileo's continuing ability to return valuable scientific information. The spacecraft has handled more than three times as much radiation from Jupiter's radiation belts as it was engineered to withstand. Its nuclear electrical power source continues to provide reliable electricity for its on-board instruments, computers, radio and other systems. Data from the August 6 flyby are still being analyzed to determine whether Galileo flew through an active plume as it skimmed over Io. The Tvashtar volcanic area near Io's north pole was spouting a tall plume when last observed seven months earlier. Io is the most volcanic world known. Observations by Galileo's infrared and radiometer instruments, as well as the camera's images, should provide new details about volcanic activity near the pole, Theilig said. Determining whether Io has an intrinsic magnetic field will narrow the possible models for the moon's interior and give better understanding of planetary interiors in general, said Galileo Project Scientist Dr. Torrence Johnson of JPL. Magnetic fields such as those that exist at Earth, Jupiter and Jupiter's moon Ganymede are generated by movement of fluid material deep inside. Io's density and heat output tell scientists that it, like Earth, has a molten iron core. If Io indeed lacks an intrinsic magnetic field, that would suggest its molten core lacks the vigorous convective motion that is believed to result in Earth's field, Johnson said. "That might fit a model where Io's core is swaddled by a hot, warm blanket that heats the core from outside," he said. Fluctuations in the pull of Jupiter's gravity as the moon's distance from the planet varies are believed to generate much of Io's internal heat by flexing a stiffer mantle layer surrounding Io's core. New magnetic data will help scientists evaluate and refine that model of Io's heating, Johnson said. Data from instruments that monitor particles and energy fields around the spacecraft will also help in understanding currents that couple Io to the atmosphere and ionosphere of Jupiter, he said. Additional information about Galileo, Io and Jupiter is available online at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. _____________________________________________________________________ End Marsbugs, Volume 8, Number 31.