MARSBUGS: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter Volume 9, Number 10, 11 March 2002. 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. Information concerning the scope of this newsletter, subscription formats and availability of back-issues is available from the Marsbugs web page at http://welcome.to/marsbugs or http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/marsbugs/marsbugs.html. _____________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS 1) IN SEARCH OF ROCK WORLDS From SpaceDaily 2) OH TO BE BORING ON MARS: CANADIAN DRILLING TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATED CSA release 3) A TONE FROM THE DEEP By Seth Shostak 4) NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY INDEX By David J. Thomas 5) CASSINI WEEKLY SIGNIFICANT EVENTS NASA/JPL release 6) THE NEXT FOUR WEEKS ON GALILEO NASA/JPL release 7) INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS NASA/JSC release 8) STARDUST STATUS REPORT NASA/JPL release _____________________________________________________________________ IN SEARCH OF ROCK WORLDS From SpaceDaily 4 March 2002 Astronomers from ESA's Member States are preparing to take part in a French-led mission to be the first to search for rocky planets around other stars. The mission, COROT, is an important stepping stone in the European effort to find habitable, Earth-like planets around other stars. COROT will do this by detecting planets as they pass in front of their parent stars, blocking some of the light. From the ground, the only planets detected around other stars have been giant gaseous worlds (Jupiter-like planets), over 10 times the diameter of the Earth. ...ESA then plans to continue its search for Earth-like worlds into the second decade of the century with the launch of Darwin. This flotilla of eight spacecraft will take pictures of Earth-like worlds, allowing scientists to search for signs of life. Get the full story at http://www.spacedaily.com/news/extrasolar- 02f.html. _____________________________________________________________________ OH TO BE BORING ON MARS: CANADIAN DRILLING TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATED CSA release 7 March 2002 The Northern Centre for Advanced Technology Inc. (NORCAT) today demonstrated Canadian drilling technology that could be used in a future mission to collect samples on Mars. NORCAT is conducting a feasibility study for the Canadian Space Agency on how Canadian expertise in mining could play a role in exploring the red planet. "NORCAT is a multiple success story in applied innovation. Not only has it developed a new robotics mining technology which will allow for safer operations underground but it has gone further to pioneer a drilling platform for Mars exploration," said Minister of Industry Allan Rock. "NORCAT is a model for all of Canada on how to find new markets and commercialize quickly the results of research and development." "Here we see Canadian innovation at its best--adapting traditional drilling technology for the exciting goal of scientific discovery on Mars," said the Honorable Andy Mitchell, Secretary of State (Urban Development, FedNor). "I applaud NORCAT and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) for making Sudbury a key player in this inspiring and forward-looking effort." "The technological legacy of Sudbury miners may well prove to be a pioneering heritage on Mars," added Diane Marleau, Member of Parliament for Sudbury. "I am proud to see Canada and Sudbury leading the way in technology development for space exploration," said Raymond Bonin, Member of Parliament for Nickel Belt. CSA President Marc Garneau, whose vision for Canada's Space Program includes important contributions to Mars missions, said, "This decade Canada would like to play a major role in a scientific mission to Mars using Canadian technology. We are working with our international partners to determine the most appropriate role for Canada in future Mars missions." [Image: Marc Garneau and Darryl Lake] Canadian Space Agency president Marc Garneau (left) operates a drilling machine at The Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT) in Sudbury Ont. on Thursday afternoon. Looking on is Jim Richard president of EVC electric vehicle controllers. The technology will be used in a future mission to collect samples on Mars. Image credit: CSA. NORCAT CEO Darryl Lake added, "Canada has long been a leader in mining technology development. Developing technology for Mars exploration will allow Canada to maintain its international reputation and world leader status. The technologies under development will enhance and further enable the Canadian mining exploration industry to remain globally competitive." The CSA is laying the groundwork for the teaming of proven Canadian expertise in mining technology, as found in Sudbury, with proven Canadian space robotics technology led by MD Robotics. This approach responds to scientific goals identified by space scientists in Canada to study what lies underground in the search for water and life on Mars. Extensive consultation with the science community has taken place at annual CSA-sponsored workshops and at a recent brainstorming session in Toronto sponsored by Ontario's Centre for Research in Earth and Space Technology (CRESTech). About the Canadian Space Agency Established in 1989 and headquartered in Saint-Hubert, Quebec, the Canadian Space Agency coordinates all aspects of the Canadian Space Program. Through its Space Knowledge, Applications and Industry Development business line, the CSA delivers services involving: Earth and the Environment; Space Science; Human Presence in Space; Satellite Communications; Generic Space Technologies; Space Qualification Services and Youth Awareness. The Canadian Space Agency is at the forefront of the development and application of space knowledge for the benefit of Canadians and humanity. About NORCAT The Northern Centre for Advanced Technology Inc. is a not-for-profit, non-share corporation formed in partnership with Cambrian College of Applied Arts and Technology in Sudbury, Ontario. NORCAT assists the Province's mining and resource sectors by providing a single access point to companies and entrepreneurs for training, technology transfer, and product development. NORCAT helps its clients to develop unique processes and high quality products. The Government of Canada has launched a national strategy to build a more innovative Canada--resulting in jobs and growth and a higher quality of life for all Canadians. A key to innovation is research, which yields new knowledge and creates new opportunities. The adapted drilling technology demonstrated today by NORCAT is clearly one of these innovations that may make an important contribution to Canada's future involvement in Mars exploration missions. For more information on Canada's Innovation Strategy see http://www.innovationstrategy.gc.ca. Contacts: Monique Billette Media Relations Officer Canadian Space Agency Phone: 450-926-4370 Fax: 450-926-4352 E-mail: Monique.Billette@space.gc.ca Darryl Lake Executive Director and CEO NORCAT Sudbury, Ontario Phone: 705-521-8324 x211 Linda Wilson Director, Marketing and Institutional Relations Cambrian College Phone: 705-524-7387 Additional information on this article is available at http://www.space.gc.ca/whatsnew/releases/pressrel/2002/020307.asp An additional article on this subject is available at http://www.spacedaily.com/news/mars-driller-02a.html. _____________________________________________________________________ A TONE FROM THE DEEP By Seth Shostak From Space.com 7 March 2002 The SETI institute has returned to the world's largest telescope to continue its research. Follow the institute's progress in Puerto Rico here at SPACE.com with Project Phoenix astronomer Seth Shostak's reports from the front. This is the first installment. Once again, members of the Project Phoenix team have returned to the big antenna on the small island of Puerto Rico, continuing their search for radio whispers from distant civilizations. Outside the window of my office, only a few dozen yards away, hulks the Arecibo radio telescope. It is a twenty-acre nerve ending of aluminum mesh, exposed to the sky and carefully attuned to regularities in the radio noise that pervades the cosmos. For three weeks, we will aim this enormous metal neuron at nearby star systems, hunting for signals produced by extraterrestrial intelligence. The Phoenix equipment--specialized digital electronics capable of sifting through 57 million channels at a time--sits in a trailer outside the Arecibo control room. We never move the trailer, but simply fire it up each time we come to the telescope. This requires both time and expertise, as the Phoenix team coaxes a mass of squirrelly electronics out of dormancy. A crucial part of the startup is to make tests, to be sure that this complicated system is working as advertised. Get the full story at http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_diary1_020307.html. _____________________________________________________________________ NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY INDEX By David J. Thomas http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/astrobiology.h tml 11 March 2002 Astrobiology, exobiology and terraformation articles http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/online_article s1.html C. C. Allen, F. Westall and R. T. Schelble, 2001. Importance of a Martian hematite site for astrobiology. Astrobiology, 1(1):111-123. S. Bunk, 1998. In a Darwinian world, what chance for design? The Scientist, 12(8):3. P. G. Conrad and K. H. Nealson, 2001. A non-Earthcentric approach to life detection. Astrobiology, 1(1):15-24. M. A. Meyer, 2001. A lasting legacy - Gerald Soffen (1926-2000). Astrobiology, 1(1):1. D. Morrison, 2001. The NASA astrobiology program. Astrobiology, 1(1):3-13. C. P. McKay and M. M. Marinova, 2001. The physics, biology, and environmental ethics of making Mars habitable. Astrobiology, 1(1):89-109. H. E. Newsom, J. J. Hagerty and I. E. Thorsos, 2001. Location and sampling of aqueous and hydrothermal deposits in Martian impact craters. Astrobiology, 1(1):71-88. A. J. S. Rayl, 1999. Science on TV: forging a strategic alliance. The Scientist, 13(21):8. A. J. S. Rayl, 2000. From iron reducers to Europa. The Scientist, 14(6):15. SpaceDaily, 2002. In search of rock worlds. SpaceDaily. D. Y. Sumner, 2001. Microbial influences on local carbon isotopic ratios and their preservation in carbonate. Astrobiology, 1(1):57- 70. Terrestrial extreme environments articles http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/online_article s2.html Agence France-Presse, 2002. Super-sub reveals Antarctica's food reserves. SpaceDaily. P. J. Boston, M. N. Spilde, D. E. Northup, L. A. Melim, D. S. Soroka, L. G. Kleina, K. H. Lavoie, L. D. Hose, L. M. Mallory, C. N. Dahm, L. J. Crossey and R. T. Schelble, 2001. Cave biosignature suites: microbes, minerals, and Mars. Astrobiology, 1(1):25-55. J. Karow, 2000. Reviving ancient bacteria. Scientific American. D. N. Thomas and G. S. Dieckmann, 2002. Antarctic sea ice--a habitat for extremophiles. Science, 295(5555)641-644. Search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) articles http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/online_article s4.html I. DeVore, 2001. Extraterrestrial intelligence? Not likely. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 950(1):276-288. J. F. Haught, 2001. Theology after contact: religion and extraterrestrial life. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 950(1):296-308. M. Shermer, 2002. Skeptic: Shermer's last law. Scientific American. S. Shostak, 2001. The outlook for cosmic company. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 950(1):289-295. S. Shostak, 2002. A tone from the deep. Space.com. J. Tartar, 2001. What is SETI? Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 950(1):269-275. Evolutionary biology and chemistry articles http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/online_article s5.html S. Graham, 2002. New evidence for earliest life sparks controversy. Scientific American. National Academy of Sciences, 1998. Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science. National Academy Press, Washington, DC. B. A. Palevitz, 1999. Mother Earth's diary: new exhibit unites science disciplines. The Scientist, 13(16):1. B. A. Palevitz and R. Lewis, 1999. Short shrift to evolution? The Scientist, 13(3):11. P. Poskozim, 2000. Do Adam and Eve really matter? The Scientist, 14(8):6. M. Shermer, 2001: Skeptic: Baloney detection. Scientific American. M. Shermer, 2001. Skeptic: More baloney detection. Scientific American. Astrobiology and extreme environments book list http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/astrobiology_b ooks.html J. Chela-Flores, 2001. The New Science of Astrobiology (Cellular Origin and Life in Extreme Habitats). Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht. J. Elster, J. Seckbach, W. F. Vencent and O. Lhotsky (eds.), 2001. Algae and Extreme Environments (The Proceeding of Trebon International Conference). Nova Hedwigia Beih, Berlin-Stuttgart. T. Gold, 2001. The Deep Hot Biosphere: The Myth of Fossil Fuels. Copernicus Books, New York. J. Seckbach (ed.), 1994. Evolutionary Pathways and Enigmatic Algae: Cyanidium caldarium (Rhodophyta and Related Cells). Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht. J. Seckbach (ed.), 2000. Journey to Diverse Microbial Worlds (Cellular Origin and Life in Extreme Habitats). Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht. P. D. Ward, 2000. Rivers in Time: The Search for Clues to Earth's Mass Extinctions. Columbia University Press, New York. D. A. Wharton, 2002. Life at the Limits: Organisms in Extreme Environments. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. _____________________________________________________________________ CASSINI WEEKLY SIGNIFICANT EVENTS NASA/JPL release 28 February - 6 March 2002 The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Goldstone tracking station on Wednesday, March 6. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and is operating normally. Information on the present position and speed of the Cassini spacecraft may be found on the "Present Position" web page located at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/where/. Instrument activities this week include two Radio and Plasma Wave Science High Frequency Receiver calibrations and a Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) timing test. Initial indications showed that all commands from the VIMS Instrument Expanded Block (IEB) mini-sequence for this test were executed with good response. A series of real-time commands was uplinked to the spacecraft this week to clear the Attitude Control Subsystem (ACS) high-water marks, perform a Command & Data Subsystem (CDS) Memory Readout of sequence statistics, clear the CDS online string reset counter, power on the Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) decontamination heater, and change the Command Detector Unit (CDU) rate to change the uplink bit rate from 250 bps to 500 bps. A highly successful Critical Design Review (CDR) of the Uplink Mission Operations System for the tour phase was held on February 27 and 28. Areas reviewed included science planning updates, sequence generation, pointing ops, real time commanding, SSR management, optical navigation, maneuver design and support imaging. This is the third of four CDRs to be held for tour operations. A successful demonstration for Cassini use of the new command system, CMD v26.3.1, was conducted this past Tuesday using the Goldstone Deep Space Communication Center (DSCC). This test was the culmination of a series of acceptance tests for the new system. Four commands were radiated from the Goldstone DSCC, and were verified as having been received and executed aboard the spacecraft. Two more demonstrations are planned, one each for the Canberra and Madrid DSCCs. The C31 Preliminary Sequence Integration and Validation (PSIV) approval meeting was held and the sequence approved for uplink. The sequence will be radiated to the spacecraft Thursday March 7, and will begin execution Sunday March 10. The command approval meeting held to prepare for the sequence uplink also approved the uplink of a second VIMS IEB replacement mini-sequence. Cassini participated in a test of new DSN firmware late this week. The spacecraft was commanded to transition to the 35Kbps telemetry mode and downlink data so that DSS-25 could exercise the new firmware. All initial Cassini indications showed the test proceeding smoothly. A detailed Planetary Data System (PDS) data archiving schedule has been created and sent out for review by the Cassini instrument teams. PDS imaging personnel will be traveling to Tucson in the next month to meet with VIMS team members and work the details of developing the PDS archive for their instrument. Cassini Jupiter magnetosphere science was included in an article in the Los Angeles Times this week, viewable online at http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la- 000016151mar04.story?coll=la%2Dnews%2Dscience. 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. _____________________________________________________________________ THE NEXT FOUR WEEKS ON GALILEO NASA/JPL release 25 February - 24 March 2002 Galileo operations have returned to normal after recovery from an unexpected safing event on the spacecraft last week. A Command and Data System computer reset occurred on Saturday, February 1, which caused the spacecraft to shut down operations and phone home for help. We believe that similar resets, which have occurred since 1998, are due to accumulated radiation effects, so we were somewhat surprised that this one occurred so far out from Jupiter and its intense radiation field. At the time of the reset, the spacecraft was nearly 180 Jupiter radii (12.9 million kilometers or 8 million miles) from the planet. This most recent event may be more similar to anomalies that occurred during Galileo's interplanetary cruise, prior to arrival at Jupiter in 1995. This just goes to show that space exploration is unpredictable at best! The flight team continues to look for new methods of making the spacecraft more robust and resistant to these resets. During our final flyby of Amalthea coming up in November, Galileo will experience a radiation environment many times more intense than any that we have yet seen. On Thursday, March 7, routine maintenance of the spacecraft propulsion system is performed. On Friday, March 15, routine maintenance of the tape recorder is performed. Playback of the tape-recorded data from the January 17 flyby of Io continues. In addition, data remaining on the tape from the October flyby is still available for playback. Continuous data collection by the Magnetometer, the Dust Detector, and the Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer instruments also occupies our attention. Plans are also being made to perform a final set of calibrations for the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer and the Solid State Imaging camera. These calibrations will take place Monday night, March 18. They will provide a final measurement of the sensitivity of the instruments against which we can compare recent science measurements. 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 NASA/JSC release 8 March 2002 Science experiments and robotic arm operations were the focus for Expedition Four Commander Yury Onufrienko and Flight Engineers Dan Bursch and Carl Walz aboard the International Space Station this week. The crew began the week by bringing the Active Rack Isolation System back to life after installing a new shock absorber in the rack. One of the eight pushrods that was not operating correctly was replaced by the crew. The system works to dampen out the vibrations generated by crews' movement throughout the station. Those vibrations could affect the delicate science experiments located inside the rack. Air and water samples were taken from the Advanced Astroculture experiment inside the US Destiny laboratory. The samples will be brought back to Earth for scientists to study. Scientists hope to determine what nutrients and conditions are necessary for plants to grow in microgravity. The Earthkam experiment was activated once again this week. The crew set up a digital camera in the window of Destiny, enabling middle school students on the ground to remotely take pictures of the Earth's geographical features from a vantage point 240 statute miles high. To prepare for the Earthkam activation, the station's robotic arm was moved Tuesday so it would not block the view of Earth from the Destiny lab. The crew could not release the brakes to begin the move using the arm's primary avionics system. The secondary avionics system operated normally, however, and was used to perform the move. The specific cause of the problem with the primary avionics system is still being investigated. Thursday, the crew put the arm through a practice run of the movements it will make during the next shuttle mission to the station, STS-110 in April. The arm will be used to attach the next major station component, the S0 truss. On Thursday, ground controllers also sent up tests for the primary and secondary computer workstations used to operate the arm. The secondary workstation was not able to boot up during the test, and engineers are evaluating it. When the workstation difficulties were encountered, the arm was left in a safe parked position while engineers study the problem. Information on the crew's activities aboard the space station, future launch dates, as well as station sighting opportunities from anywhere on the Earth, is available on the Internet at http://spaceflight.nasa.gov. Details on station science operations can be found on an Internet site administered by the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, at http://www.scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov. The next ISS status report will be issued March 15, or sooner, if developments warrant. _____________________________________________________________________ STARDUST STATUS REPORT NASA/JPL release 8 March 2002 There were two Deep Space Network (DSN) tracking passes during the past week and all subsystems are normal. Stardust is currently 2.70 AU from the Sun. The battery's charge state at the end of the last four-hour pass was 93.4 percent. In the unlikely event the charge state dipped to 80 percent, the spacecraft would enter safe mode. The power subsystem engineers continue to monitor the predicted power state. They will raise the limit for entering safe mode before a sequence is uploaded that changes all passes to less than 2 hours. The spacecraft's telecommunications configuration produces ranging points that help determine Stardust's trajectory through deep space, using the distance between Deep Space Network and the spacecraft. The configuration time was recently halved from 20 minutes to only ten minutes, which still gives many ranging points per pass and the data quality remains good, at better than 3 meters per ranging point. 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 9, Number 10.