MARSBUGS: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter Volume 9, Number 14, 8 April 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) ORIGIN OF MYSTERIOUS SUBTERRANEAN GASES IDENTIFIED--GASES SIMILAR TO THOSE THAT MAY HAVE PLAYED A PART IN THE FORMATION OF THE EARLIEST LIFE ON THE PLANET By Lanna Crucefix 2) HYDROGEN-FED BACTERIA MAY EXIST BEYOND EARTH NASA/ARC release 02-37AR 3) A HOMELAND DEFENSE FOR PLANET EARTH By Leonard David 4) FIFTH INTERNATIONAL MARS SOCIETY CONVENTION--CALL FOR PAPERS Mars Society release 5) ASTEROID MIGHT HIT EARTH IN 2880, UNLESS IT IS PAINTED By Robert Roy Britt 6) LIFE ON MARS HOPES RAISED By David Whitehouse 7) STORY OF POSSIBLE LIFE ON MARS OVERSTATED, NASA SAYS By Robert Roy Britt 8) NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY INDEX By David J. Thomas 9) CASSINI SIGNIFICANT EVENTS NASA/JPL release 10) MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR STATUS REPORT NASA/JPL release 12) MARS 2001 ODYSSEY THERMAL EMISSION IMAGING SYSTEM: RECENT IMAGES Arizona State University releases 13) STARDUST STATUS REPORT NASA/JPL release _____________________________________________________________________ ORIGIN OF MYSTERIOUS SUBTERRANEAN GASES IDENTIFIED--GASES SIMILAR TO THOSE THAT MAY HAVE PLAYED A PART IN THE FORMATION OF THE EARLIEST LIFE ON THE PLANET By Lanna Crucefix University of Toronto release 3 April 2002 Evidence of gases similar to those that may have played a part in the formation of the earliest life on the planet has been found by a U of T geochemist. Until now, it has been assumed that any evidence of the abiogenic, or non-life-based, reactions that created the first simple hydrocarbons on the early Earth had been erased by the organic reactions that have dominated Earth since the evolution and proliferation of complex life. However, Barbara Sherwood Lollar, a professor in the department of geology and lead researcher of the study published in the April 4 issue of Nature, has found evidence of abiogenic gases in underground mines. Life on Earth probably began from simple organic compounds, including hydrocarbons that were formed from abiogenic reactions involving water, carbon dioxide and methane. Hydrocarbon gases have been found in deep rocks and groundwaters at sites throughout the Canadian Shield and in Scandinavia and southern Africa. "All of these areas are geologically similar, made of Precambrian rocks which are billions of years old," she says. The gases are usually trapped in fracture systems throughout the rock and are released when mine drilling penetrates these rocks. Gases from mines have been reported anecdotally from miners as far back as the 1880s, says Sherwood Lollar, but their origin was a mystery. "Gases are usually formed through microbial, or thermogenic processes (which create oil and natural gas fields) but neither of these processes was thought to occur in Precambrian rocks two kilometers under the Earth's surface, which is the depth that our samples came from." Sherwood Lollar and her team examined certain gases from a mine near Timmins, Ontario. Analyses of the gases' carbon and hydrogen isotope ratios found that the gases matched hydrocarbons known to be the result of abiotic reactions. "Until now, these types of gases had only been known through laboratory experimentation, and from extraterrestrial samples such as meteorites," Sherwood Lollar says. The presence of these hydrocarbon gases deep in the earth raises another exciting possibility, Sherwood Lollar says. "In recent years it has been discovered that life on Earth extends far deeper than ever thought possible. Deep microbial communities have been discovered several kilometers under the Earth's surface and debate has raged over what these microbes could be using as a food source." According to Sherwood Lollar, the hydrocarbon and hydrogen gases could be a food source. "These deep biosphere bacteria could 'digest' the gases through a form of chemosynthesis--similar to that known to support life at the deep sea vents--using the chemicals in the gases in order to get energy for life." Funding for this study was provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and in part by Falconbridge Ltd. Contacts: Professor Barbara Sherwood Lollar Director, Stable Isotope Laboratory Department of Geology University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada Phone: 416-978-0770 E-mail: bsl@quartz.geology.utoronto.ca Lanna Crucefix U of T Public Affairs Phone: 416-978-0260 E-mail: lanna.crucefix@utoronto.ca _____________________________________________________________________ HYDROGEN-FED BACTERIA MAY EXIST BEYOND EARTH NASA/ARC release 02-37AR 3 April 2002 Primitive bacteria exist in huge numbers deep in the Earth, living on hydrogen gas produced in rocks, a NASA scientist reports in the spring issue of the journal Astrobiology. Recent studies suggest that the mass of bacteria existing below ground may be larger than the mass of all living things at the Earth's surface, according to recent studies cited by the paper's lead author, Friedemann Freund, who works at NASA Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. Similar hydrogen-consuming microbes may some day be discovered on Mars, raising new prospects for the possible existence of life beyond Earth, Freund added. "The hydrogen that could feed bacteria in the depth of the Earth comes from a subtle chemical reaction that occurs within rocks that were once hot or even molten. In the top 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of Earth's crust," Freund said, "the conditions are right to produce a nearly inexhaustible supply of hydrogen. In the top 5 to 10 kilometers (about 3 to 6 miles) all fissures and cracks in the rocks are probably filled with water. Hydrogen molecules will seep out of the mineral grains, enter the intergranular space and saturate the water. Microorganisms that live in these water films can be expected to use this hydrogen as their vital energy source." Many of the microorganisms in the "deep biosphere" do not live off the sunlight-derived energy that green plants trap during photosynthesis, but live on chemically derived energy sources such as hydrogen, according to Freund. "If deep microbial communities are to thrive over long periods of time, they need a steady supply of hydrogen," he said. It has long been known that hydrogen gas is produced when water reaches freshly formed cracks in many common rocks, but Freund's paper describes a different hydrogen-producing reaction that occurs inside the minerals that make up such rocks. This reaction does not require rocks to crack--a necessarily episodic event. Instead, it occurs in the entire rock volume during its gradual cooling as continents slowly age over millions of years. Because the Earth's crust contains a huge quantity of rock, even a small amount of hydrogen produced in each small section of rock results in a large volume of gas. To understand the details of this hydrogen-producing reaction, Freund said, requires some insight into the structure of minerals where silicon, oxygen and metals have combined to form a dense pack of atoms and ions. When these minerals crystallize at high temperatures, water is always present, and some water molecules are trapped in the atomic structure of the minerals, said Freund. These water molecules are ripped apart and change into hydroxyl anions, each of which is negatively charged and has one oxygen ion with a proton attached. "During cooling, at temperatures below 400 to 500 degrees C (752 to 932 degrees F), a strange reaction takes place. Pairs of these hydroxyl anions rearrange their electrons in such a way that hydrogen gas molecules are formed," Freund said. What is unusual and still not fully understood, said Freund, is that the electrons needed to make the hydrogen molecules are taken away from negatively charged oxygen anions. "Suddenly, some oxygen anions, which everybody thought only existed in a doubly charged negative state, convert to singly charged negative ions," he said. "These single negative oxygen anions join in pairs. In this form, they are innocuous and can stay inactive over geological times." The hydrogen molecules, however, wander around inside the mineral structure and can squeeze into the narrow spaces between the mineral grains. If the intergranular space is filled with water, the hydrogen molecules will dissolve in the water. If microbes live in the intergranular water films, one can imagine, said Freund, that these bacteria extract the dissolved hydrogen from the water and use this hydrogen as an energy source, not unlike fish that extract oxygen dissolved in the water of rivers, lakes and the sea to respire. "What is potentially important," Freund said, "is that, if and when microorganisms in the deep underground use this hydrogen dissolved in the intergranular water films, the rocks around them will replenish the hydrogen supply--indefinitely, over eons of time." The paper by Freund and his coworkers also may help answer non- biological questions related to the commercial viability of tapping hydrogen reserves deep in the rocks and to questions of mine safety. For example, sometimes, during mining and drilling operations, enough hydrogen seeps out of wall rocks that explosive gas mixtures can be produced, according to some reports. "Since old, old times, the mining industry has had its share of mine explosions in which hydrogen played a role," Freund said, "but hydrogen gas could also be used as an energy source and fuel in today's or tomorrow's society. For years, pipelines have been distributing hydrogen gas between different industrial partners in the Ruhr Valley in Germany, and the experts say it can be handled about as safely as natural gas." Contact: John Bluck NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA Phone: 650-604-5026 or 604-9000 E-mail: jbluck@mail.arc.nasa.gov _____________________________________________________________________ A HOMELAND DEFENSE FOR PLANET EARTH By Leonard David From Space.com 3 April 2002 Earth is on a "hit list" with hazardous asteroids and comets being nature's own terrorism from the sky. More than 100,000 dangerous near-Earth objects exist--known in sky watching circles as NEOs. Off-the-shelf technology to prevent future impacts from making a mess of things already exists, but some assembly is required. More worrisome is that little is being done to prepare for the day when a big one smacks into our planet, stirring up global consequences. The threat from celestial wanderers is real. A homeland defense plan for planet Earth is now needed. And time is running out. Those views were shared among experts on space technology, robotics, comets and asteroids, and emergency planning. They gathered here for 2002 Space and Robotics Conferences, held March 17-21, and sponsored by the Aerospace Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Get the full story at http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/earth_defense_0204 03-1.html. _____________________________________________________________________ FIFTH INTERNATIONAL MARS SOCIETY CONVENTION--CALL FOR PAPERS Mars Society release 3 April 2002 August 8-11, 2002 University of Colorado, Boulder Presentations for the convention are invited dealing with all matters (science, engineering, politics, economics, public policy, etc.) associated with the exploration and settlement of Mars. Conference Sessions 1. The Search for Life on Mars 2. Findings from Global Surveyor and Odyssey 3. Plans for the Mars Missions of 2003 and 2005 4. The Cross-Contamination Threat--Myth or Reality? 5. Concepts for Future Robotic Mars Missions 6. Piloted Missions to Mars 7. Advanced Propulsion 8. Launch Vehicles for Mars Exploration 9. Long Range Mobility on Mars 10. Life Support Technology 11. Biomedical and Human Factors Issues in Mars Exploration 12. Options for Producing Power on Mars 13. Methods of Martian Construction 14. In Situ Resource Utilization 15. Water on Mars--Accessing the Hydrosphere 16. Concepts for a Permanent Mars Base 17. Colonizing Mars 18. Terraforming--Creating an Ecology for Mars 19. Analog Studies Relating to Mars Exploration 20. The Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station 21. The Mars Desert Research Station 22. The Mars Analog Rover project 23. The Translife Mission 24. The Value of Mars Exploration to the Earth 25. Public Policy and Mars Exploration 26. Concepts for Privately Funded Mars Missions 27. International Cooperation in Mars Exploration 28. Law and Governance for Mars 29. Social Systems for Mars 30. The Significance of the Martian Frontier 31. Philosophical Implications of Mars Exploration 32. Mars and Education 33. Mars and the Arts 34. Outreach Strategy for the Mars Society 35. Proposed Projects for the Mars Society 36. Open Mike Martian Literature Reading & Gallery Abstracts of no more than 300 words should be sent by May 31st, 2002 to: The Mars Society, P.O. Box 273, Indian Hills 80454, or via E-mail to: heydonmars@aol.com (e-mail submission preferred.) Conference Registration Fees: $180 if paid before June 30th, 2002, $240 afterwards. Students and Seniors $60. Registration is now open online at www.marssociety.org. _____________________________________________________________________ ASTEROID MIGHT HIT EARTH IN 2880, UNLESS IT IS PAINTED By Robert Roy Britt From Space.com 4 April 2002 An asteroid first spotted in 1950 has a maximum 1-in-300 chance of striking the Earth in the year 2880 scientists will report Friday in the journal, Science. The odds, which might turn out to be zero, are for now greater than for any other asteroid ever determined to be a threat. However, scientists are not worried; a little chalk, some charcoal, or perhaps a giant bucket of paint and the asteroid known as 1950 DA could be flung harmlessly off course if need be. The trick lies in a strange natural phenomenon: solar-powered orbital mechanics. The idea goes back to a scientific paper written by Russian engineer I. O. Yarkovsky a century ago and since lost. Yarkovsky is said to have proposed that the Sun warms an asteroid more on the "day" side than on the "night" side. The warmer side of the rock emits more thermal radiation, creating a slight difference in momentum that gently nudges the object in a manner similar to how a rocket is propelled. Over hundreds of years, the movement can be significant, scientists say. Get the full story at http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/asteroid_deflection _020404.html. _____________________________________________________________________ LIFE ON MARS HOPES RAISED By David Whitehouse From BBC News 5 April 2002 Scientists have found "intriguing" new evidence that may indicate there is life on Mars. An analysis of data obtained by the Pathfinder mission to the Red Planet in 1997 suggests there could be chlorophyll--the molecule used by plants and other organisms on Earth to extract energy from sunlight--in the soil close to the landing site. Researchers stress their work is in a very preliminary state and they are far from making definite claims. Even so, the work is attracting much attention in the scientific community and will come under intense scrutiny when it is presented to an astrobiology conference in the US next week. Get the full story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1913000/1913228.stm. _____________________________________________________________________ STORY OF POSSIBLE LIFE ON MARS OVERSTATED, NASA SAYS By Robert Roy Britt From Space.com 5 April 2002 A story published by the BBC today reported that NASA researchers "have found 'intriguing' new evidence that may indicate there is life on Mars," but a NASA spokesperson told SPACE.com that the claim is overstated. The article, posted on the BBC's Web site, said researcher Carol Stoker, from NASA's Ames Research Center, worked with a team that used photos from the 1997 Mars Pathfinder mission to determine that there could be chlorophyll on Mars. The molecule is used by plants to produce energy from sunlight and would be considered a monumental find on the Red Planet. A NASA spokesperson said, however, that Stoker's study involved a test of a new computer algorithm designed to search images for signs of biomarkers like chlorophyll. The ongoing tests have generated some interesting results, the spokesperson said, but nothing firm. "Stoker has said they did not find evidence of chlorophyll or any evidence of life on Mars," the spokesperson said. "There's really nothing to report. I think they [the BBC] read more into the abstract than is really there." Get the full story at http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/mars_life_020405.ht ml. Read the BBC article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1913000/1913228.stm. _____________________________________________________________________ NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY INDEX By David J. Thomas http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/astrobiology.h tml 8 April 2002 Astrobiology, exobiology and terraformation articles http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas/astrobiology/online_article s1.html R. R. Britt, 2002. Story of possible life on Mars overstated, NASA says. Space.com. I. Noble, 2001. 'Conclusive evidence' for life on Mars. BBC News. D. Whitehouse, 2001. Life on Mars claims disputed. BBC News. D. Whitehouse, 2002. Life on Mars hopes raised. BBC News. D. Whitehouse, 2002. Tough bugs point to life on Mars. BBC News. _____________________________________________________________________ CASSINI SIGNIFICANT EVENTS NASA/JPL release 28 March - 3 April 2002 The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Goldstone tracking station on Wednesday, April 3. 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://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/where/. Instrument activities this week included loading Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph flight software to RAM, execution of this software, and a Radio and Plasma Wave Science flight software checkout. Additional on board activities included Trajectory Correction Maneuver (TCM) 18, a Reaction Wheel Assembly spin down test, and an autonomous CDS Solid State Recorder memory load partition repair. TCM 18 was successfully completed with a burn duration of 9.85 seconds. The maneuver served for tweaking Cassini's trajectory and for routine maintenance of the propulsion system. The flight team used this opportunity to demonstrate numerous operational changes that will be required during the Saturn orbital tour when maneuvers are much more frequent. Among the new items tested were command files uplinked and executed during same Deep Space Network pass, the maneuver began and ended Earth- pointed instead of Sun-pointed as is performed in cruise, tour-like operational modes were used, and it was the first operational use of the Maneuver Automation Software. Three waivers have been approved as part of the development process for C32. One additional waiver was submitted by the Composite Infrared Spectrometer team and will be dispositioned next week. No simulation needs have been identified for C32. As a result, all simulation activities have been removed from the development schedule. The Project approved the initial plan for C33 at a Project Briefing held this week. The first delivery of detailed commands is due in early April. The Cassini team supported a three-day ISO audit conducted at JPL this week. There were no findings against the program. Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) personnel delivered version 1.3 of the ISS Flight Software to the Cassini Program Software Library. A Deep Space Mission Systems (DSMS) Delivery Review for Advanced Multi- Mission Operations System (AMMOS) SEQ 25.3 was held this week. High Speed Simulation, APGEN, and Science Opportunity Analyzer were included in this review. All CD/tapes for the first phase of Science Operations and Planning Computer (SOPC) upgrades to Solaris 7 and Tracking, Telemetry, Command and Data Management Services (TTC&DM) Version 26.3.1 have been shipped to the distributed operations sites. Two sites have completed their upgrades with only a few minor issues. The second phase of shipments will begin mid April. A Delivery Design Review was held for DSMS TTC&DM Version 26.4 to obtain approval from the projects. After the review, a problem was found in the Cassini Integrated Test Laboratory (ITL) relating to filler packets for mini-packet data. Cassini has requested an emergency build for this fix. System Engineering gave two classes reviewing the contents of the Anomaly Response Plan. The class is part of continuing education and refresher courses available to program members. Mission Assurance held a Program internal training session on the Problem Failure Reporting System. The class focused on the Cassini Anomaly Reporting Process and the institutional electronic failure reporting system. While all types of failure reports were touched on, emphasis for Cassini during mission operations was placed on the Incident Surprise Anomaly reports. These classes will be conducted as needed during mission operations, to ensure that team members are appropriately trained in the Anomaly Reporting Process. The Cassini Education and Public Outreach Office held a Critical Design Review with outside partners and NASA personnel attending. The plan was passed. Further activities involve collecting Request for Action inputs from participants, incorporating comments for the next review, and working with Headquarters personnel on final edits. Outreach personnel gave workshops at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Conference in San Diego the end of March. NSTA is the largest venue for NASA's participation with the educational community. 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. _____________________________________________________________________ MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR STATUS REPORT NASA/JPL release 27 March 2002 Launch / Days since Launch = November 7, 1996 / 1967 days Start of Mapping / Days since Start of Mapping = April 1, 1999 / 1091 days Total Mapping Orbits = 13,637 Total Orbits = 15,320 Recent events The spacecraft is operating nominally in performing daily recording and transmission of science data. The mm162 sequence executed successfully from 02-080 (3/21/02) through 02-082 (3/23/02). The mm163 sequence has performed well since it started on 02-083 (3/24/02). It terminates on 02-086 (3/27/02). The mm164 sequence, successfully uplinked on 02-085 (3/26/02), begins executing on 02-087 (3/28/02). The Spacecraft team is continuing its intensive analyses of the data leading up to the latest C-mode entry. We know that the root cause of the C-mode entry was that the star processing software (STAREX) misidentified a star during the initialization cycle following a scale factor update. However, attitude knowledge is being corrupted quicker and to a greater degree than we would expect with a misidentified star. We are continuing our efforts to recreate the C- mode entry in the spacecraft test lab. Roll Only Targeting Opportunity (ROTO) imaging scans were briefly suspended during the transition to beta-supplement. They will resume on 02-088 (03/29/02) with the mz167 mini-sequence. MGS has completed 234 ROTOs to date. Spacecraft health All spacecraft subsystems report good health and status. Uplinks There have been 18 uplinks to the spacecraft during the past week, including new star catalogs and ephemeris files, instrument command loads, and the mm163 and mm164 background sequences. 6,524 command files have been radiated to the spacecraft since launch. Upcoming events The mm165 background sequence will be uplinked on 02-088 (3/29/02). ROTO mini-sequence mz167 will execute on 02-088 (03/29/02). _____________________________________________________________________ MARS 2001 ODYSSEY THERMAL EMISSION IMAGING SYSTEM: RECENT IMAGES Arizona State University releases April 2002 [http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20020403a.html] This lunar-like scene occurs along the southeastern rim of the Isidis Planitia basin. The Isidis basin is an ancient impact crater some 1200 km across that is found along the boundary separating the heavily-cratered southern highland terrain of Mars from the northern lowlands. Elements of both terrains are evident in this image as an island of rugged highland terrain surrounded by smoother lowland terrain. The resurfacing of the Isidis basin produced a system of wrinkle ridges, some of which are seen on the lowland terrain in the image. Wrinkle ridges are a common feature on the surface of the moon and add to the lunar-like quality of this image. Layers are visible in the large island, the most resistant of which likely are from lava flows that created the highland terrain. The process by which the global-scale highland/lowland dichotomy was created remains a mystery. [http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20020404a.html] This image is located in a cratered highland region called Arabia Terra. The center right side of the image shows a branch of the valley network Naktong Vallis cutting into the eastern rim of an unnamed crater. A simple sequence of geologic events can be ascertained from this image. Early on in time this surface was subjected to bombardment from asteroids and comets thereby creating the pockmarked highlands. This was followed by channel incision into the former rim of the large crater seen near the center of this image. The last series of events to occur in this image are primarily aeolian (wind) related. These include the dark streaks seen on slopes. Numerous dark streaks coursing down the slopes of crater and channel walls suggests that the relatively bright dust, which mantles the slopes slides downhill, and either exposes a dust- free darker surface or creates a darker surface by increasing its roughness. [http://themis.asu.edu/zoom-20020405a.html] Olympus Mons stands 26 km above the surrounding plains, which is three times taller than Mt. Everest, and is the tallest volcano in the solar system. Olympus Mons is also wider (585 km) than the state of Arizona. Although these are impressive dimensions an astronaut would find walking these slopes easy, as they are typically only 2 to 5 degrees. This image contains numerous lava flows, leveed lava channels, a discontinuous sinuous rille (thought to be a collapsed lava tube) and lava plains. Close examination of the sinuous rille reveals that portions of the roof of the lava tube have not completely collapsed. All of these features can be seen in basaltic (iron and magnesium rich black rock) volcanic regions on earth like Hawaii and Iceland. Impact craters are scarce, indicating a relatively young age (several hundred million years old) for these surfaces. These images have not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for these preliminary releases. An empirical correction has been performed on each image to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time. Image credits: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. Dr. Philip Christensen leads the THEMIS investigation at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. _____________________________________________________________________ STARDUST STATUS REPORT NASA/JPL release 5 April 2002 There were two Deep Space Network tracking passes during the past week and all subsystems are normal. Stardust is currently 2.71 AU (almost 252 million miles, or 405 million kilometers) from the Sun. The spacecraft's power subsystems continue to perform better than predicted. The battery's charge state at the conclusion of the last DSN pass was 94 percent. After 33 years at JPL, Dr. Kenneth L. Atkins has retired. Ken was Stardust's Project Manager during its development and initial operations phases. His management leadership at the laboratory has left us with a rich heritage, including the excellently operating Stardust spacecraft. 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 14.