MARSBUGS:  The Electronic Exobiology Newsletter 
Volume 2, Number 3, April 1995

Co-editors:

David Thomas, Life Sciences Department, Belleville Area College, 
Belleville, IL 62221, USA, thomasd@basegrp.com.  
[marsbugs@delphi.com will be, at least temporarily, out of 
service.]

Julian Hiscox, Microbiology Department, BBRB Room 361, University 
of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-2170, USA, 
julian_hiscox@micro.microbio.uab.edu.

MARSBUGS is published on a monthly to quarterly basis as 
warranted by the number of articles and announcements.  Copyright 
exists with the co-editors, except for specific articles, in 
which instance copyright exists with the author/authors.  E-mail 
subscriptions are free, and may be obtained by contacting either 
of the editors.  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.
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INDEX:

1)	HORIZON 2000 PLUS: A BOLD AND VISIONARY ESA SCIENTIFIC 
PROGRAMME RECOMMENDED BY EUROPEAN SCIENTISTS FOR THE NEXT 
CENTURY. 
	ESA press release.

2)	SIMULATION OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON ASTRONAUTS OF THE 
ABSENCE OF GRAVITY. 
	ESA/CNES press release.

3)	TREES BENEATH THE CLOUDS. 
	ESA press release.

4)	SPACEHAB ENHANCEMENTS SAVE ASTRONAUTS TIME IN SPACE. 
	SPACEHAB press release.

5)	SPACEHAB BEGINS THIRD MISSION WITH NASA 
	SPACEHAB press release.

6)	PLANTS SEEN GROWING IN THE SPACEHAB SPACE RESEARCH 
LABORATORY 
	SPACEHAB press release.

7)	IMPROVED CONTACT LENSES TO BE TESTED IN SPACEHAB.  
	SPACEHAB press release.

8)	MARS PATHFINDER MISSION DESIGN STATUS.  
	Richard Cook.

9)	MARS PATHFINDER SCIENCE STATUS: INVESTIGATING THE LANDING 
SITE.  
	Mat Golombek.

10)	SEE-THROUGH, SMOKY-BLUE AEROGEL WILL HELP PROTECT MARS 
PATHFINDER ROVER.  
	From the "JPL Universe"

11)	NASA RESEARCH ANNOUNCEMENT SOLICITING PROPOSALS FOR GROUND- 
BASED AND SMALL PAYLOADS RESEARCH IN SPACE LIFE SCIENCES.

12)	FIRST ISU SYMPOSIUM (FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT):  SPACE OF SERVICE 
TO HUMANITY (SOS HUMANITY).
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HORIZON 2000 PLUS: A BOLD AND VISIONARY ESA SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME 
RECOMMENDED BY EUROPEAN SCIENTISTS FOR THE NEXT CENTURY 
ESA press release.

At its ministerial meeting in Granada in 1992, the ESA Council 
asked for a plan to be drawn up setting out space science 
objectives once Horizon 2000 has been completed.  Work on this 
plan culminated in a meeting in Rome from 29 September to 1 
October 1994 bringing together the ESA Executive and a Survey 
Committee, composed of European scientists and chaired by 
Professor Lodewijk Woltjer.  The plan finalized in Rome followed 
extensive preparatory effort involving scientists from throughout 
Europe, various ESA working groups and five "topical teams" 
covering the areas of solar system exploration, astronomy and 
fundamental physics.  In June 1993, the scientific community 
(more than 2500 European scientists) responded massively to a 
call for mission concepts, proposing some 110 new ideas 
illustrating trends in space science for the next century and 
representing that community's main areas of interest.  Fourteen 
concepts were submitted by US scientists.

The program, called Horizon 2000 Plus, covers some ten years and 
is concerned with missions beyond 2006.  It is designed as a 
rolling program, thereby ensuring continuity and coherence with 
the objectives of Horizon 2000.  The program, drawn up by the 
Survey Committee, seeks to combine vision and realism.  It 
identifies major scientific trends and makes full use of European 
space facilities and predicted progress in new technology 
applications.  It addresses such exciting topics as:
--cosmology, the origin of the Universe;
--the nature of gravity, general relativity and the observation 
of gravitational waves;
--detection of planets around other stars;
--exploration of the solar system, with special emphasis on 
Mercury, Mars and the Sun.

To ensure that the missions achieve their ultimate goals and are 
conducted with maximum efficiency, the program will call for 
development of some very advanced technologies, in particular in 
the areas of spacecraft mass and power, pointing, data handling 
and communications.  In solar system science, the Survey 
Committee recommends a major (cornerstone) mission to Mercury, 
the planet nearest the Sun, which is still largely unexplored.  
Both planetary and magnetospheric aspects should be addressed by 
this mission.

In view of the great international interest in the study of Mars, 
the Survey Committee recommends that ESA participate at the level 
of a medium- class mission in opportunities that may arise in the 
framework of the Mars exploration projects currently under 
discussion.

Given the exceptional research opportunities in solar physics 
offered by several ongoing and future missions, together with the 
keen interest expressed by the solar physics community, the 
Survey Committee recommends that ESA take advantage of openings 
as they arise and participate in future international solar 
missions.  It should also draw on opportunities provided by the 
space station and by the small- and medium-class missions of 
Horizon 2000 Plus, taking full advantage of the very high 
resolution instruments that will be available, of the technique 
of stereoscopic observation and of future in situ probes.  In 
astronomy, the Survey Committee recommends that ESA initiate a 
cornerstone-level program in interferometry, the first aim being 
to perform astrometric observations.  An interferometric global 
astrometry mission to 10 micro-arcsec accuracy will enable 
searches to be carried out for Jupiter-like planets and brown 
dwarf companions around stars in our galaxy and detailed 
information to be acquired about them.  It will ascertain the 
distances, motions and luminosities of tens of millions of stars 
in the Milky Way and will allow the mass distribution in nearby 
galaxies to be studied.  The mission will also be a chance to 
test general relativity against alternative theories.  In 
addition, the Survey Committee recommends studies using infrared 
interferometry, with the aim of detecting Earth-like planets 
around other stars.

To build on the great advances achieved by Europe in X-ray, 
gamma-ray and infrared astronomy, and given that the currently 
planned missions in these areas may extend until about 2010, the 
Survey Committee recommends that development of cornerstone-level 
missions to be undertaken soon after completion of Horizon 2000 
Plus.

In the meantime, the case for developing a major high-energy 
astrophysics facility under the space station utilization program 
should be analyzed, and access to small- and medium-class 
missions should also be fully exploited.

A final recommendation from the Survey Committee is for ESA to 
engage in technological and system studies in preparation for a 
cornerstone program devoted to the observation of gravitational 
waves, in particular at low frequencies.  Such a unique mission 
would make it possible to explore the very early phases of the 
Universe and to observe massive black holes and their 
coalescence, furthering our understanding of the nature of 
gravity and of general relativity.

The bulk of activity aimed at ensuring continuity from Horizon 
2000, in areas in which Europe has achieved recognized 
international leadership, can be carried out at the present level 
of funding, even though the aims pursued are massively more 
ambitious.  However, entry into the field of fundamental physics, 
which will be an entirely new departure for ESA, and in 
particular research into gravitational waves detection from 
space, together with the pressing need to engage in the 
development of new technologies, will call for an extra financial 
effort.  But so compelling are these studies and so important for 
our understanding of the Universe and the force which binds it 
together that the Survey Committee is convinced the extra effort 
is worthwhile.  The Committee is therefore proposing that the ESA 
science budget be held at its 1994 level until 2000 and then 
increased by 4% to 5% per year for the next 4 to 5 years.  The 
content and financial projections of the Horizon 2000 Plus 
program will be fed into the ESA Long Term Plan, which will be 
presented to the ministerial meeting of the Agency's Council in 
the second half of 1995.
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SIMULATION OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON ASTRONAUTS OF THE 
ABSENCE OF GRAVITY
ESA/CNES press release.

Among the environmental factors that can alter equilibria in 
living organisms on board spacecraft, the absence of gravity 
causes physiological changes that can affect astronauts' 
performance.  Commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA) and 
the French space agency (CNES), the MEDES Institute of Space 
Medicine and Physiology has recently completed a long-duration 
bedrest experiment.

When the human body is lying in the head-down tilt position, at 
an angle of -6 degrees to the horizontal, organic fluids shift 
towards the head and thorax in a manner similar to that observed 
in spacecraft in the absence of the influence of gravity, which 
in the terrestrial environment causes 1 to 2 litters of blood to 
remain in the lower body.  In addition, the reduction in physical 
activity during the bedrest leads to changes in muscle and bones.  
This experiment took place between October and December 1994 at 
the Purpan Hospital, in an area of some 600 square meters with 
full medical back-up made available by the Toulouse health 
authority.  It was conducted by MEDES, in accordance with the 
health regulations.  The subjects were eight young and healthy 
male volunteers, who had been selected on the basis of stringent 
medical and psychological tests.

The experiment was divided into three phases:
* a two-week ambulatory period for measurements to gather basic 
data,
* a six-week period of bedrest as defined above, * a two-week 
ambulatory recover period for observations and monitoring of the 
return to "normal".

This is being followed up by longitudinal monitoring over several 
months.  The experiment was proposed by ESA and CNES on the 
recommendation of an expert group appointed by the two space 
agencies to evaluate physiological changes in astronauts during 
future long-duration missions.  The experimental protocols of 13 
European scientific teams selected by the expert group were 
carried out, studying the processes of adaptation to simulate 
weightlessness displayed by the following physiological systems:  
* cardiovascular and renal systems (regulation of organic fluids, 
hormonal regulation, neurovegetative control of cardiac activity 
and arterial pressure),
* pulmonary function,
* muscular system (biomechanical, bioenergetic, reflexes, 
contractile properties, morphology and morphometry), * bone 
metabolism,
* energy balance,
* immune system.

To make sure that the volunteers were comfortable and at no risk 
to their health, the MEDES team kept them under close medical and 
psychological monitoring on a full-time basis throughout the 
experiment.

Little is as yet known about the influence of gravity, which in 
the Earth's environment is a major factor affecting most 
physiological mechanisms.  The results obtained in space and from 
simulations on Earth are bringing significant progress in the 
understanding of the adaptive processes of living organisms, such 
as bone structure remodeling or blood volume regulation.  
Initially, the results of this experiment should afford a better 
understanding of the adaptive physiological phenomena associated 
with simulations of weightlessness, providing a basis for more 
accurate definition of the preventive means (or countermeasures) 
to be developed in order to mitigate the physiological 
consequences of the absence of gravity on long-duration flights 
in space and for improving arrangements for readjustment on 
return to Earth.  Subsequently, these countermeasures should be 
evaluated in the course of two further long-duration bedrest 
experiments.
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TREES BENEATH THE CLOUDS
ESA press release.

Approximately seven percent of the Earth's surface--almost a 
quarter of the continental landmass--is still covered by 
extensive forest area.  Next to the oceans, these forests 
constitute the most important ecosystem of our planet: not only 
are they a source of commodities and food but they also have a 
regulating effect on the Earth's climate and its water and 
nutrient cycle; in addition, they offer a natural habitat for 
more animal and plant species than any other ecosystem.  But 
within the last few decades, the Earth's natural forest cover has 
been decimated at an alarming rate.  Deforestation is advancing 
particularly fast in the tropical rainforest of South America, 
Central Africa and Southeast Asia.  A substantial part of the 
virgin forest in these areas has already been depleted by "slash 
and burn" cattle farmers, by large-scale logging and by gigantic 
technical projects.  Each year, an additional 200,000 square 
kilometers of rainforest--an area the size of England--are 
devastated.  This wholesale destruction is motivated by economic 
interests ranging from the development of new plantations and the 
cutting of firewood for new residents to the lucrative trade in 
the tropical hardwoods and the exploitation of mineral resources.

Every minute, deforestation programs worldwide destroy a forest 
area as big as 25 football fields.  This loss affects the carbon 
dioxide content of the air we breathe because trees and plants 
are, in the medium term at least, major CO2 reservoirs.  Not only 
are these reservoirs destroyed by deforestation, but subsequent 
burning of the trees following their cutting also releases CO2 
into the atmosphere.  But it appears that the carbon dioxide 
balance of the Earth's atmosphere does not fully reflect the 
effects of this process.

Since 1958, the CO2 content of the atmosphere has been monitored 
on a regular basis, and scientists have recorded a steady 
increase of more than 13 percent--from an initial 315 ppm to over 
350 ppm.  That is slightly less than the total increase over the 
preceding 130 years since the beginning of the industrial 
revolution (for the pre-industrial area, an estimated CO2 content 
of 275 ppm is assumed).  But the truly surprising aspect of this 
rise is not so much its increasing speed but the fact that 
apparently only part of the carbon dioxide released by burning 
actually remains in the atmosphere.  In the late eighties, global 
energy consumption was estimated at close to nine million tons of 
coal or other fossil fuels.  Burning these fuels released 
approximately 5.4 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere, 
mostly in the form of carbon dioxide.

It is assumed that close to 40% of this amount is dissolved as 
carbon dioxide in the ocean.  The rest should be sufficient to 
increase the CO2 content of the atmosphere by approximately 2% 
per year.  But the instrument at the extinct volcano Mauna Loa 
recently indicated an increase of one third less this volume.  As 
long as there is no reliable information about where the carbon 
dioxide released into the atmosphere ends up, any forecast of 
future climate changes as a result of CO2-related greenhouse 
effect are met with skepticism that effectively discredits the 
call for a reduction of the CO2 output.

Against this background, an inventory of the Earth's existing 
forest area (at least the tropical rainforests) appears to be 
indispensable.  But with a total surface of roughly 36 million 
square kilometers, the forest areas of our planet are far too 
large to be adequately explored by means of aircraft-based 
surveillance.  Since the time is running out, the only solution 
is satellite-based global Earth observation.  Scientists will 
only be able to estimate the compensating effect of forest areas 
and the thus far hidden contribution of deforestation to the 
increase of the carbon dioxide content of our atmosphere after 
they have compiled quantitative data about the biomass existing 
in these areas.  Precise knowledge of these parameters is a vital 
prerequisite for the drive towards binding international 
agreements on the protection of rainforests and the preservation 
of our climate.  Most scientists believe that an uncontrolled 
increase of the CO2 content of the atmosphere will result in a 
gradual warming of the Earth, in turn causing the polar icecaps 
to melt and the sea level to rise.  The effects of deforestation 
on the global climate go far beyond its contribution to the rise 
of the CO2 content of the atmosphere:  large-scale clearing leads 
to a local reduction of precipitation levels because the topsoil 
dries out leaving no soil moisture to be evaporated; this in turn 
results in a gradual warming of the ground and subsequently the 
atmosphere above it, which can eventually also affect large-scale 
circulation patterns.  In addition, there are other undesirable 
side-effects; reduced precipitation can, for example, lead to 
lower ground water levels in the Amazon basin, shorten the flood 
periods and adversely affect fishing yields, while the dried out 
topsoil is washed away more easily destroying irrigation systems 
built with great effort.  Some of the observations and 
measurements for this urgently needed inventory were made in a 
research program jointly sponsored by the European Union and the 
European Space Agency (ESA).  Using funds provided by the 
European Commission, the Institute for Remote Sensing at the 
Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra in northern Italy launched 
the TREES project (Tropical Ecosystem Environment Observation by 
Satellite), which recently entered its second phase.  The purpose 
of this program is to combine data provided by different 
satellite systems, and to jointly evaluate them.  The basis for 
mapping and establishing a first inventory of the Earth's 
tropical forests were optical and IR images from the Advanced 
Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on board NOAA satellites.  
However, large parts of the tropical rainforest are hidden under 
an almost permanent cloud cover, which makes comprehensive and 
continuous observations using these systems alone difficult and 
time consuming.  A viable alternative is provided by the 
Synthetic Aperture Radar on board the ERS-1 satellite of the 
European Space Agency which works irrespective of cloud cover and 
lighting conditions and, in addition, supplies high-resolution 
views of the areas it covers.  Before they could exploit the 
information provided by ERS-1, scientists had to learn to 
transform SAR data into usable information--in other words, they 
had to acquire the experience in the interpretation of satellite 
data which had been gathered in traditional optical satellite 
observation over many years.  As Dr. J.P. Malingreau of the JRC 
explained, classical Earth observation satellites supply images 
in the optical and neighboring near-infrared spectrum, while the 
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is working in the microwave 
portion of the spectrum.  This opens a new "window" for Earth 
observation, but at the same time requires a new type of viewing.  
SAR data indicate the microwave backscatter of the regions 
observed and that is influenced by the geometrical and electrical 
properties of the "target"; for land surfaces, the main factors 
are surface roughness and soil moisture." To enable reliable 
attribution of data, the TREES project included extensive "ground 
truth" campaigns, in which topographical information was gathered 
by conventional methods, generally with the participation of 
national organizations and research agencies.  Projects of this 
type were conducted in Brazil, the Ivory Coast and Indonesia.  In 
a test area in the Brazilian Rio Branco region, for instance, 
deforested patches were clearly visible because of their 
backscatter properties in comparison to neighboring undisturbed 
forest areas.  By evaluating different images obtained during 
subsequent passages of the satellite it was not only possible to 
monitor deforestation activities but also to quantify the biomass 
growing in these clearings.  Another ESA pilot project is the 
TRULI project (Tropical Rainforest and Use of Land Investigation) 
on the island of Borneo, which is funded by the German Space 
Agency (DARA) and supported in Indonesia by the German Society 
for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the National Land Planning 
and Mapping Board of Indonesia (Badan Pertanahan Nassional - 
BPN).  Here, too, the aim was to interpret the radar backscatter 
signals, to develop a monitoring system which would make it 
possible to track the long-term changes in tropical rainforests 
due to human activities, and to assess the usefulness of these 
data for land use planning activities.

The ERS-1 SAR data of the test area in Borneo were acquired by a 
satellite receiving station in Thailand.  This station, located 
25 kilometers east of Bangkok began graphs taken by Russian 
cosmonauts with a KFA 1000 high-performance camera aboard the Mir 
space station in December 1991.  These photographs have a ground 
resolution of 7 meters and show such details as single tree 
crowns.  In addition, a five-week ground truth campaign was 
conducted during the time of ERS-1 data acquisition to obtain 
information about surface relief, forest types, intensity of 
selective logging, infrastructure, human settlements and 
agricultural activities in existing clearings.

The subsequent comparison between SAR images and the data sets 
extracted from ground truth campaigns and Mir photographs made it 
possible to clearly distinguish a number of different land-use 
classes, from undisturbed rainforests to selectively logged areas 
and secondary forests in cultivated areas; even minor human 
settlements can easily be detected because of the high 
backscatter of metal-roofed houses.

Measurements series such as these show that space-based imaging 
radar systems provide essential support for the mapping and 
surveillance of the tropical rainforests.  "The ERS-1 SAR has 
undoubtedly supplied new information for the monitoring of 
tropical rainforests," Dr. J.P. Malingreau of the JRC pointed 
out.  "For it optimal use, in particular for a global forest 
inventory, we now have to investigate its employment for various 
forest types, terrains and deforestation patterns.  ERS-1 has 
already supplied us with a lot of data for these studies -- with 
ERS-2, we intend to continue even further."
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SPACEHAB ENHANCEMENTS SAVE ASTRONAUTS TIME IN SPACE 
SPACEHAB press release.

February 2, 1995.  Kennedy Space Center, Florida.  The SPACEHAB 
Space Research Laboratory has been upgraded to improve the 
efficiency of the experiments' operations on the upcoming Space 
Shuttle mission, scheduled for launch on February 3, 1995, at 
approximately 12:22 a.m.  The first two SPACEHAB missions (June 
1993 and February 1994) have shown that the astronauts' time in 
space is a limited resource, so SPACEHAB, Inc. has developed 
improved equipment to automate many manual tasks.  On the 
upcoming mission, the astronauts are scheduled to spend almost 
half of their time on SPACEHAB operations or 94 hours of the 198- 
hour mission.  The astronauts' schedule includes about five hours 
of margin which are expected to be saved due to the system 
enhancements.  The first new feature is a video switch to reduce 
the demand for crew time in video operations, and the second new 
feature is an experiment interface to the SPACEHAB telemetry 
system to reduce the demand for crew time in experiment data 
downlink.

The SPACEHAB video system uses camcorders that are tied to the 
Space Shuttle closed circuit television system and then 
downlinked through the Space Shuttle.  On the first two SPACEHAB 
missions the astronauts set up the camcorders and manually 
switched from one camera scene to another, a time-consuming 
operational arrangement.  For this upcoming SPACEHAB mission, 
SPACEHAB, Inc. installed a video switching unit allowing up to 
eight camcorders to be cabled into the SPACEHAB video switch.  
Then, by ground control, one of the camcorders can be switched 
into the Space Shuttle system for downlink.  Also, another one of 
the camcorders can collect a digital image on a freeze frame and 
send it down through SPACEHAB's telemetry stream, independent of 
other Space Shuttle video downlink operations.  This new video 
switch and digital television downlink capability will provide 
operational flexibility, saving about 30 minutes total during the 
mission.  SPACEHAB, Inc. also enhanced the experiment data 
interface with the SPACEHAB telemetry system in the interest of 
on-orbit efficiency.  A new Serial Converter Unit has been 
developed which saves about 45 minutes per day on the upcoming 
mission.  The SPACEHAB telemetry system now allows an 
experimenter with a standard RS232 computer interface to tie 
directly into the system and send continuous information down to 
the ground, off-loading this task from the crew and enhancing 
ground controller monitoring of experiment status.  SPACEHAB 
laboratories are pressurized, cylindrical modules that measure 10 
feet in length by 13.5 feet in diameter, with a truncated top and 
flat "end-caps," a patented design.  During a typical flight in 
the Space Shuttle, the laboratory is located in the forward 
quarter of the Space Shuttle payload bay and connects to the 
astronaut compartment through the Space Shuttle airlock by a 
short tunnel.  SPACEHAB doubles the available living and working 
space on the Shuttle for the astronauts and quadruples the 
available experimentation space.

SPACEHAB, Inc. is the first company engaged solely in the 
business of providing frequent, low-cost access to an astronaut- 
tended environment in space.  SPACEHAB has pioneered the creation 
of the world's first privately-developed space R&D facility, the 
Space Research Laboratory, that can support humans in space.  
Research in SPACEHAB laboratories is generating revolutionary 
advances in biotechnology, advanced materials, and other 
technologies.  Such product-oriented research on SPACEHAB is 
preparing U.S.  industry for the advent of the International 
Space Station Alpha.  For more information, contact:  Rebecca B.  
Gray, SPACEHAB, Inc., 407/868-7400
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SPACEHAB BEGINS THIRD MISSION WITH NASA 
SPACEHAB press release.

February 3, 1995.  Kennedy Space Center, Florida.  Space Shuttle 
Discovery lifted off from Earth at 12:22 a.m. today with a full 
complement of experiments inside the SPACEHAB Space Research 
Laboratory, destined for a rendezvous with the Russian Space 
Station Mir.  The astronauts set to work as soon as they began 
orbiting the Earth, almost 200 miles overhead.  Payload Commander 
Bernard Harris, and Russian Cosmonaut Vladimir Titov activated 
the SPACEHAB laboratory and many of the experiments inside.  
After activation, Dr. Harris said, "Everything is ready to go in 
the SPACEHAB." When asked how the Space Shuttle compared to the 
Russian Space Station Mir, Titov said that "... the SPACEHAB 
module is very close to our modules." The SPACEHAB experiments on 
this mission represent a wide range of product-oriented R&D, 
including biotechnology experiments for new pharmaceuticals, 
advanced materials development experiments for improved contact 
lens materials, and a demonstration of a revolutionary space 
robot called Charlottex.

SPACEHAB laboratories are pressurized, cylindrical modules that 
measure 10 feet in length by 13.5 feet in diameter, with a 
truncated top and flat "end-caps," a patented design.  During a 
typical flight in the Space Shuttle, the laboratory is located in 
the forward quarter of the Space Shuttle payload bay and connects 
to the astronaut compartment through the Space Shuttle airlock by 
a short tunnel.  SPACEHAB doubles the available living and 
working space on the Shuttle for the astronauts and quadruples 
the available experimentation space.  For more information, 
contact:  Rebecca B. Gray, SPACEHAB, Inc., 407/868-7400.

Further information on SPACEHAB can be obtained from:  
SPACEHAB, Inc.  (Business questions)
David A. Rossi
1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1501
Arlington, VA 22202 USA
+1-703-414-8100 (phone); -8107 (fax) darossi@aol.com (Internet)

McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (Technical questions) 
James E. Shepard 689 Discovery Drive, M/S 32C2 
Huntsville, Alabama 35806 USA
+1-205-922-7581 (phone); -7400 (fax) jackson@hvmail.mdc.com 
(Internet) http://hvsun4.mdc.com:1025/SPACEHAB/SPACEHAB.html (WWW 
HomePage)

INTOSPACE, GmbH.  (in Europe)
Jurgen von der Lippe
Sophienstrasse 6
D-30159 Hannover 1 Germany
+49-511-301090 (phone); -3010928 (fax)

Mitsubishi, Corp.  (in Japan)
Kazushi Ochi
3-I Marunouchi, 2 Chome
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Japan
+81-3-3210-4281 (phone); -4295 (fax)
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PLANTS SEEN GROWING IN THE SPACEHAB SPACE RESEARCH LABORATORY 
SPACEHAB press release.

February 4, 1995.  Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas.  
Downlinked video from the Space Shuttle Discovery has revealed 
flowering plants thriving in the SPACEHAB Space Research 
Laboratory.  The plants are growing in the Astroculturex 
experiment unit, sponsored by the Wisconsin Center for Space 
Automation and Robotics, a NASA Center for the Commercial 
Development of Space.  "We will continue to look for additional 
flowering throughout the remainder of the mission," said Dr.  
Robert Morrow of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Russian 
Cosmonaut Vladimir Titov is the primary crew member for 
Astroculturex operations in space.  This demonstration of 
successful plant growth in space using the Astroculturex unit 
represents a major advance in the ability to provide 
environmental control for plant growth in an inexpensive and 
reliable flight package.  This Space Shuttle mission, STS-63, is 
the third flight of the Astroculturex unit in the SPACEHAB Space 
Research Laboratory.

Wheat seedlings and mustard plants are being grown in the 
Astroculturex unit.  The mustard plants are special fast-growing 
plants with a rapid life cycle developed at the University of 
Wisconsin-Madison College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.  This 
experiment is the fourth in a series of flights to validate the 
performance of plant growth technologies in the microgravity 
environment of space.  The information from these flight 
experiments will become the basis for developing large scale 
plant growing units required in a space-based life support 
system.  These technologies also will have extensive uses on 
Earth, such as in improved dehumidification/ humidification 
units, water-efficient irrigation systems, removal of 
hydrocarbons and other pollutants from indoor air, and energy- 
efficient lighting systems for plant growth.  "These plants 
provide evidence of the progress being made by researchers in the 
SPACEHAB laboratory," said Richard Hora, President and CEO of 
SPACEHAB, Inc.

The SPACEHAB laboratory is a pressurized, cylindrical module that 
measures 10 feet in length by 13.5 feet in diameter, with a 
truncated top and flat "end-caps," a patented design.  During 
this flight, the laboratory is located in the forward quarter of 
the Space Shuttle payload bay and connects to the astronaut 
compartment through the Space Shuttle airlock by a short tunnel.  
SPACEHAB doubles the available living and working space on the 
Shuttle for the astronauts and quadruples the available 
experimentation space.  For more information, contact:  Rebecca 
B. Gray, SPACEHAB, Inc., 713/483-5111
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IMPROVED CONTACT LENSES TO BE TESTED IN SPACEHAB 
SPACEHAB press release.

Paragon Vision Sciences Corporation of Mesa, Arizona, one of the 
two leading oxygen permeable contact lens material manufacturers 
in the United States, is testing a new contact lens material in 
the SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory.  Paragon will be 
conducting its second space experiment in the SPACEHAB laboratory 
on the Space Shuttle Discovery, scheduled for launch on February 
2, 1995.  Paragon hopes to verify that its new material is more 
gas-permeable and dimensionally stronger than currently used 
materials, therefore making a more comfortable lens.  Lenses made 
of this space-age material could be available to the public as 
early as 1998.  The SPACEHAB Space Research Laboratory is the 
world's first privately-developed space R&D facility that can 
support humans in space.  SPACEHAB, Inc. of Arlington, Virginia, 
owns and operates the laboratories.

The first test of Paragon's contact lens material was made in the 
SPACEHAB laboratory in June 1993 onboard the Space Shuttle 
Endeavour.  The experiment mixed raw materials that are currently 
used for lenses and a new type of material which proved to have 
high permeability when tested on Earth.  Both materials were 
polymerized in the near-zero gravity of space and examined upon 
the Space Shuttle's return to Earth.

Paragon scientists found that the composition of the new material 
was more permeable than current lens materials.  They also found 
that the new material was stronger than current lens materials, 
allowing almost four times more lenses than before to be sliced 
apart from the same amount of material.  Paragon forecasts that 
the new contact lenses will be introduced into the market when 
the manufacturing costs fall to about twice the cost of current 
lenses.  If the regulatory agencies of the United States, Europe, 
and Japan approve the new lens, it will be introduced as early as 
1998.

Paragon Vision Sciences Corporation is a progressive company 
dedicated to identifying clinical needs and developing products 
to fill them.  Paragon enjoys a long tradition of innovation in 
the contact lens industry, having developed some of the 
industry's most valuable contact lens products.  In 1986, Paragon 
introduced ParapermrEW, the first extended-wear oxygen permeable 
contact lens on the market.  Paragon followed this innovation 
with the introduction of The FluoroPermr System in 1987, an 
important development allowing practitioners to fit lenses to 
meet individual patients' lens permeability needs.  With the 
dawning of a new era in space-age lens technology, Paragon is 
uniquely positioned to continue in its role as the world leader 
in oxygen permeable contact lens technology.

SPACEHAB, Inc. is the first company in the world engaged solely 
in the business of providing frequent, low-cost access to an 
astronaut-tended environment in space.  SPACEHAB has pioneered 
the creation of the world's first privately-developed space R&D 
facility, the Space Research Laboratory, that can support humans 
in space.  Research in SPACEHAB laboratories is generating 
revolutionary advances in biotechnology, advanced materials, and 
other technologies. SPACEHAB is building on its successful core 
business franchise of providing human habitats in space and is 
seeking other space-related technologies to bring to the market, 
positioning the company on the leading edge of the space 
frontier.

For more information, contact:  Rebecca B. Gray, SPACEHAB, Inc., 
703/414-8100 or Krist Jani, Paragon Vision Sciences Corporation, 
602/482-4591
-----------------------------------------------------------------

MARS PATHFINDER MISSION DESIGN STATUS
by Richard Cook, Mars Pathfinder System Engineer

The Mission Design and Navigation Office in the Mars Pathfinder 
Project is responsible for designing the interplanetary 
trajectory from Earth to Mars, designing the Mars atmospheric 
entry trajectory, defining the high-level sequence of events 
performed during the mission, and developing the software and 
processes required to navigate the spacecraft to Mars.  The 
detailed design of the interplanetary and Mars atmospheric entry 
trajectories is essentially complete. Mars Pathfinder plans to 
use a direct transfer from the Earth to Mars with a total flight 
time of 6-7 months.  Launch is currently scheduled to occur 
sometime between December 5 and December 25, 1996 from Cape 
Canaveral. The launch vehicle is a three-stage Delta manufactured 
by McDonnell Douglas Aerospace. Recent trajectory analysis has 
assessed the possibility of launching earlier, potentially as 
early as December 2. The advantage of this earlier date is that 
it allows a longer launch window, which improves the overall odds 
of launch. As a note, the next available launch opportunity to 
Mars should Pathfinder miss the 1996 opportunity is in late 1998.

The spacecraft arrives at Mars on July 4, 1997 and enters the 
Martian atmosphere directly from the approach hyperbola. The 
speed at entry is approximately 7.6 km/s, or about 17,000 mph.  
The trajectory which the spacecraft follows through the 
atmosphere depends on this initial speed, plus the spacecraft 
mass and the entry angle. The entry angle is angle between local 
horizontal and the spacecraft's direction of travel at entry. If 
this angle is steep, the spacecraft descends very quickly through 
the atmosphere and experiences high heating and deceleration 
forces. If the angle is too shallow, the atmosphere will not slow 
down the spacecraft enough to keep it from flying back out of the 
atmosphere and escaping. The spacecraft must be carefully 
navigated to make sure that this entry angle is within an 
acceptable range. In the case of Mars Pathfinder, this means 
knowing where the spacecraft is to within 50 kilometers when it 
is more than 190 million kilometers from Earth. The navigation 
engineers on Mars Pathfinder use the observed Doppler shift in 
the communications signals coming from the spacecraft in order to 
determine where it is.

The Mission Design and Navigation Office, in conjunction with 
other project elements, is responsible for developing the overall 
mission plan summarizing the key activities performed during the 
mission. The mission is essentially divided into four major 
phases. The launch phase is relatively short, extending from 
launch through the point when the spacecraft separates from the 
upper stage.  This 75-minute period is crucial, however, in that 
the launch vehicle must perform a specific series of activities 
to send the spacecraft to Mars. The cruise phase of the mission 
starts at separation and ends just before the spacecraft enters 
the Martian atmosphere. Cruise is a relatively quiet period, 
except for periodic maneuvers which target the spacecraft to the 
correct entry trajectory. The spacecraft also communicates to the 
Earth in this period to make sure that all components are still 
functioning correctly.

The entry, descent, and landing phase of the mission occurs when 
the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere. This is also a 
relatively short period, but it is definitely the most critical 
to successfully completing the mission. The spacecraft performs a 
series of activities to descend through the atmosphere, land 
safely on the surface, and establish the correct surface 
configuration. The surface phase starts when the spacecraft is 
safely on the surface of Mars and continues indefinitely. The 
spacecraft is required to operate for 30 Martian days, but should 
operate for much longer. The surface phase is when most of the 
key science and technology objectives are accomplished. The 
microrover is deployed soon after landing and proceeds to explore 
the area around the lander.  The science instruments gather data 
in order to provide scientists with a better understanding of the 
geologic and atmospheric characteristics of Mars.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

MARS PATHFINDER SCIENCE STATUS: INVESTIGATING THE LANDING SITE 
by Mat Golombek, Mars Pathfinder Project Scientist

At present most of the scientists associated with the Mars 
Pathfinder mission are busy building the three science 
instruments (Imager for Mars Pathfinder, Alpha Proton X-ray 
Spectrometer, and the Atmospheric Structure/Meteorology Package) 
for the spacecraft and rover. Over the next year the instruments 
will be built, tested and calibrated before and after integration 
on the spacecraft.  The progress and status of the instruments 
will be reported in a future status report. However, in addition 
to building the instruments a smaller number of scientists are 
attempting to learn everything possible about the place we plan 
to land the spacecraft on the martian surface. This status report 
will focus on this topic.

As previously announced, the project has decided to land where 
Ares Vallis opens into Chryse Planitia on Mars (19.5 degrees 
North latitude, 32.8 degrees West longitude). The rationale for 
choosing this location is that it represents a place where there 
is the potential for sampling a wide variety of different rocks 
that make up the planet Mars in the small area accessible to the 
rover (a few tens of meters). One of the areas of greatest 
scientific return possible from the Pathfinder mission is in its 
ability to learn about the mineralogy and chemical composition of 
the various materials at the landing site. Imaging rocks and 
other materials at the landing site with a variety of spectral 
filters should allow discrimination of different pyroxene and 
iron oxide minerals. The rover would then be directed to 
different interesting rocks, where the alpha proton x-ray 
spectrometer would be used to determine their elemental 
composition. Close-up images of the rocks would also be taken by 
the color and monochrome cameras on board the rover, allowing 
discrimination of any millimeter-sized crystals present in the 
rock.  Using all these data together, scientists will attempt to 
determine the mineralogy of the rock. If the mineralogy can be 
determined, then a tremendous amount of information can be 
inferred with regard to the processes and environment in which 
the rock formed.  The greater the number of different rocks that 
can be studied at the landing site, the more that can be learned 
about the geologic history of the planet.  Because the Ares 
Vallis floods drained from the ancient highlands, which include 
some of the planet's oldest rocks, Pathfinder may enable 
scientists to determine how the planet differentiated into a 
crust and mantle and whether early Mars was both warmer and 
wetter than at present (and thus more like the early Earth).

Images of the surface of Mars at the meter scale (of interest to 
a lander) currently exist only at the two Viking landing sites.  
The reason for this is that images of Mars taken from orbit are 
at a scale insufficient to resolve lander-sized objects. At the 
Ares site, for example, the highest-resolution Viking Orbiter 
images are at about 40 meters per picture element (pixel).  That 
means that when Pathfinder lands on Mars, virtually all of its 
observations will be taken within a single pixel of the orbiter 
images.  Predicting what the surface will look like at the meter 
scale is virtually impossible from such coarse-resolution images.  
For this reason, other remote sensing techniques must be used to 
attempt to understand the nature of the surface. Such techniques 
include Earth-based radar, which can give information about the 
roughness of the surface at a scale of 10-100 meters. In 
addition, Viking Infrared Thermal Mapper (IRTM) observations can 
be used to infer the relative abundance of rocks on the surface 
(as opposed to dust) and the albedo and color of the Viking 
images can be used to infer the relative amounts of bright 
martian dust and dark rocks. Scientists studying Mars are 
actively involved in using these data sets to learn as much as 
possible about the surface at the landing site. In addition, 
because Mars is presently near opposition with the Earth, 
additional Earth-based radar data are being acquired of areas of 
interest.  Another way to learn about Ares Vallis is to study 
similar features here on Earth. Ares Vallis is one of the largest 
outflow channel on Mars, which form when enormous quantities of 
water flow over the surface during a short period of time. A 
well-known similar feature on the Earth can be found in the 
Channeled Scablands of Washington State. Large streamlined 
islands and channels were carved when ice that dammed a large 
glacial lake (Lake Missoula--about the size of Lake Ontario) 
ruptured and the water drained to the Pacific Ocean over a period 
of about two weeks.  Ares Vallis flood involved substantially 
greater quantities of water (roughly the entire volume of all 
five Great Lakes) draining into the martian northern lowlands.  
Another group of scientists is using knowledge gained from 
studying the Channeled Scablands on Earth to better understand 
similar large-scale features visible in the orbiter images of 
Mars.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

SEE-THROUGH, SMOKY-BLUE AEROGEL WILL HELP PROTECT MARS PATHFINDER 
ROVER
From the "JPL Universe"

When a small, six-wheeled rover, not much heavier than a bowling 
ball, rolls onto an ancient flood plain of Mars in 1997 to begin 
studying the parched and rocky landscape, its delicate 
electronics will be protected by a novel substance--not new--but 
never before used to keep a rover warm.  This same material will 
also play the key role in collecting cometary particles from 
interstellar space in a Discovery mission called "Stardust," 
which was one of three such missions developed in cooperation 
with JPL and selected by NASA in February for Phase A study.  The 
material is called "aerogel" and it was first developed in the 
1930s for scientific experiments. But aerogel is making its true 
debut now, 60 years later, as a substance with practical 
applications in the space program and, potentially, in the 
commercial marketplace.

Dr. Peter Tsou, of the Asteroids, Comets and Satellites Research 
Element 3238, began working with aerogel several years ago and 
came up with a form that could be flown on space shuttles to 
capture cosmic dust--microscopically small particles present in 
outer space--which is the centerpiece of his research.

"The substance is incredibly resilient in the space environment 
and it has proven to be an effective temperature shield," he 
said.  "Aerogel is able to protect against heat and cold, and it 
cannot be frozen, nor can it be destroyed by extremely hot 
temperatures.  In fact, aerogel is not affected by temperatures 
of less than 1,400 degrees Celsius (2,550 degrees Fahrenheit)." 
This nearly weightless substance--made from silicon dioxide--is a 
form of sand and is now manufactured in Tsou's JPL laboratory.  
But by using the material for things other than capturing cosmic 
dust, Tsou quickly discovered that he could accomplish great 
feats.

Almost coincidentally and at his colleagues' request, Tsou went 
to work this year on a brand new application:  outfitting the 
Mars Pathfinder rover with aerogel to replace the standard 
thermal insulation that had been proposed.  Tsou was able to 
significantly reduce the rover's mass by more than 2.6  
kilograms--nearly six pounds or 20 percent of the rover's weight.

Donna Shirley, manager of JPL's Mars Exploration Program Office, 
said, "We saved the rover mission by using aerogel.  If we'd had 
to use conventional insulation, the rover would freeze to death." 
The rover was previously designed with a paper honeycomb 
structure, which was filled with a powdered form of silica mixed 
with aluminum.  In designing the rover structure, Dave Braun of 
Section 352 found the only powdered mixture that met his thermal 
requirements was a material with a density of 171 milligrams per 
cubic centimeter.  He soon discovered, however, that it might be 
possible to reduce that by a factor of 10 by using a solid 
aerogel form.  Changing to the solid, brittle material forced the 
design into a concept similar to that of aircraft wings. Large 
blocks of aerogel were placed between fiberglass skins, 
reinforced every 10 centimeters with a Z-shaped fiberglass spar.  
A gold-coated substance called Kapton was placed in between 
blocks to reduce radiation between skins.  Aerogel at this low 
density had never before been used as insulation, but it was 
necessary to determine the properties of the material in the 
vacuum of space and the carbon dioxide environment of Mars. Greg 
Hickey and Kyle Brown of Section 355 quickly produced samples of 
this insulation-filled structure, which were tested by an outside 
company.  The results for the solid material were better than for 
the powder.

The Mars Pathfinder mission is designed to place a small lander 
and rover on Mars in July 1997, following a December 1996 launch.  
When the lander arrives at Mars, it will directly enter the 
Martian atmosphere and drop to the surface with the aid of 
parachutes and large balloons to soften its landing.  The aerogel 
Tsou has developed for Mars Pathfinder has some surprising 
properties, he said. It is somewhat like glass in that it is made 
of silica, and it has about the same melting point.  Normal 
levels of coldness will not disturb the gel, nor will water.  
Tsou's strangely fluorescent, solid-smoke-like form of the 
substance will float on water without absorbing moisture--the 
only form available that can make that claim.  Aerogels can, 
however, absorb very large amounts of gas, because they are very 
porous. This porosity gives the substance a remarkable surface 
area. A cubic centimeter of aerogel--about a quarter of the size 
of an average sugar lump--has an effective surface area of 50 
square meters.  Along with this capability, aerogel is also the 
lowest density solid material known in the world, according to 
Tsou.  The aerogel used in his experiments has a density of 15 
milligrams (.015 grams) per cubic centimeter (1 gram equals 35 
thousandths of an ounce).  The material used in this mission has 
a density of 20 mg/cc.  As a poor conductor of heat, aerogel is 
an ideal insulator and, like glass, is impervious to ultraviolet 
radiation, Tsou said.  Some scientists have suggested that 
aerogel would make an effective building insulation in cold and 
hot climates if placed between layers of window glass. But 
because aerogel is not entirely transparent, it would produce a 
frosted or smoky-blue look.  Tsou will continue to use aerogel 
for his primary research project--capturing cosmic dust in space, 
including an experiment due to be sent to the Russian Mir space 
station in November--but he and others have identified several 
other scientific and space applications.

According to Jim Cutts, manager of JPL's Advanced Concepts 
Program Office, "NASA has received an extraordinary payoff from 
Peter Tsou's pioneering work on aerogel over the last decade. And 
there are commercial applications, also."

A host of investigators are now seeking commercial applications 
for this nearly weightless, translucent material. Possibilities 
include use as insulation for refrigerators and security safes, 
filters in advanced automobile catalytic converters and high- 
efficiency battery electrodes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

NASA RESEARCH ANNOUNCEMENT SOLICITING PROPOSALS FOR GROUND-BASED 
AND SMALL PAYLOADS RESEARCH IN SPACE LIFE SCIENCES

NASA OMB Approval No. 2700-0042
NRA 95 OLMSA-01
Life and Biomedical Sciences and Applications Division Office of 
Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration

Date NRA Issued:  January 26, 1995 Letters of Intent Due:  March 
24, 1995 Proposals Due:  April 21, 1995

This National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 
Research Announcement (NRA) solicits proposals to participate in 
Ground-Based and Small Payloads Research in Space Life Sciences.  
This is a broad-based announcement that solicits research 
proposals for all of the major programs of the Life and 
Biomedical Sciences and Applications Division.  The specific 
programs that are included in this announcement are Space 
Biology, Space Physiology and Countermeasures, Environmental 
Health, Space Radiation Health, Space Human Factors, Advanced 
Life Support, Advanced Extravehicular Activity Systems, Advanced 
Technology Development and Data Analysis.  Proposals submitted in 
response to this Announcement may be either for standard ground- 
based research investigations or for small payload flight 
experiments or for both.  Proposal to develop experiments aiming 
at space station utilization are particularly encouraged.  
Subsequent announcements similar to and based upon this 
Announcement will be updated and issued annually and will be the 
primary means of obtaining research proposals form the scientific 
community for ground and small payloads research in the space 
life sciences.  Although this NRA is broad-based, it is 
restricted to the science programs named above and described in 
detail in Appendix A.  The potential proposer should read the 
program descriptions that are of interest with care and attempt 
to focus the proposal on the specific research emphases defined 
in this Announcement.  Participation in the Ground-based and 
Small Payloads Research in Space Life Sciences is open to all 
individuals and all categories of domestic and foreign 
organizations, industry, educational institutions, other 
nonprofit organizations, NASA laboratories, and other U.S.  
Governmental agencies.  Proposals which will enhance or 
complement the scientific return from research currently being 
supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Science 
Foundation, or other Government agencies are encouraged.  In 
addition, proposals to advance technology and develop practical 
applications of technology are sought under this Announcement.  
Because of limitations of access to flight opportunities, it is 
expected that the majority of proposals approved in response to 
this Announcement would be for ground-based research.

A letter of Intent to Propose is requested by March 24, 1995.  
Proposals may be submitted at any time up to April 21, 1995.  
Proposals will be evaluated for scientific/technical value, 
soundness, intrinsic scientific/technical value, relevance, 
implementation feasibility, and cost.  A selection announcement 
will be made between August and October of 1995.  Funding of 
selected proposals will begin sometime between October 1995 and 
September 1996.

Proposals due:  April 21, 1995
Letters of Intent Due:  March 24, 1995
Number of copies Requested:  20
NASA Selecting official:
	Dr. Joan Vernikos
Director, Life and Biomedical Sciences and Applications Division/ 
Code ULR
	NASA Headquarters
	Washington, DC 20564-0001
Obtain additional information from the appropriate Science 
Program manager, as indicated below, at the following address:
	UL/ Life and Biomedical Sciences
	and Applications Division
	NASA Headquarters
	Washington, DC 20546-0001
	Telephone: 202-358-2530
	Fax: 202-358-4168
Program: Program Manager/Email
Space Biology:
Dr. Mary Anne Frey MAFrey@smtpgmgw.olmsa.hq.nasa.gov
Space Physiology and Countermeasures:
Dr. Victor S. Schneider vschneider@smtpgmgw.olmsa.hq.nasa.gov
Environmental Health:
Dr. Victor S. Schneider vschneider@smtpgmgw.olmsa.hq.nasa.gov
Space Radiation Health:
Dr. Frank M. Sulzman fsulzman@smtpgmgw.olmsa.hq.nasa.gov
Space Human Factors:
Dr. Guy C. Fogleman GCFogleman@smtpgmgw.olmsa.hq.nasa.gov
Advanced Life Support:
Dr. Maurice M. Averner maverner@smtpgmgw.olmsa.hq.nasa.gov 
Advanced Extravehicular Activity Systems: Mr. Robert K. Callaway 
RCallaway@smtpgmgw.olmsa.hq.nasa.gov
Advanced Technology Development:
Mr. Gregory K. Schmidt
gschmidt@smtpgmgw.olmsa.hq.nasa.gov
Data Analysis:
Dr. Ronald J. White RJWhite@smtpgmgw.olmsa.hq.nasa.gov
Small Payloads Program:
Mr. Marc Shepanek mshepanek@smtpgmgw.olmsa.hq.nasa.gov

Proposals and Letters of Intent mailed through the U.S. Postal 
Service by express, first class, registered, or certified mail 
are to be sent to the following address:
	Ronald J. White, Ph.D.
	Life and Biomedical Sciences and Applications
	Division/ Code UL
	NASA Headquarters
	Washington, DC 20546-0001
Proposals and Letters of Intent hand delivered or sent by 
commercial delivery or courier services are to be delivered 
between the hours of 8 AM and 4:30 PM:
	Ronald J. White, Ph.D.
	Life and Biomedical Sciences and Applications
	Division/ Code UL
	National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
	ATTN: Receiving and Inspection (Rear of Building) 
	300 E street, SW
	Washington, DC 20024-3210
The telephone number 202-488-2940 may be used when required for 
reference by delivery services.  NASA cannot receive deliveries 
on Saturdays, Sundays, or federal Holidays.
Special instructions apply to foreign (non-U.S.) proposals.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

FIRST ISU SYMPOSIUM (FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT):  SPACE OF SERVICE TO 
HUMANITY (SOS HUMANITY)

Preserving Earth and Improving Life
5-7 February 1996, Strasbourg, France
The space programmes of the world are being challenged to refocus 
their energies and to respond more directly to the real needs of 
humanity, in both developed and developing countries.

A Unique Forum

The International Space University (ISU), unconstrained by 
conventional approaches, offers this Symposium as an
interdisciplinary, international forum. ISU aims to help both the 
users and the providers of space-related systems to move forward 
from the discussion of "problems" to the formulation of 
"innovative solutions.i At this Symposium, invited and 
contributed papers will address the scientific, technical, 
managerial, legal, political, economic and social issues that 
must be skillfully blended at an international level in order to 
meet the challenge.  Special attention will be given to today's 
widespread concerns for the environment and the need for global 
education.

A New Approach

The Symposium will be an integral part of the Design Project 
within the ISU Master of Space Studies (MSS) programme.  The MSS 
students--a body of highly motivated young professionals and 
postgraduate students--will work together through the academic 
year to formulate innovative and realistic proposals.  Symposium 
participants are welcome to take part in the student workshop 
activities that will be organised on 8 and 9 February.  To 
receive further information, including the Call for Papers, 
please send your name and address (e-mail and fax number as 
appropriate) to:
Emma Moyen
International Space University
Parc d'Innovation
Boulevard Gonthier d'Andernach
67400 Illkirch
France.
fax:  (+33) 88 65 54 47
e-mail: moyen@isu.isunet.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------- 
End Marsbugs Vol. 2, No. 3.

