MARSBUGS:  The Electronic Exobiology Newsletter 
Volume 2, Number 4, 20 April 1995.

Co-editors:

David Thomas, Life Sciences Department, Belleville Area College, 
Belleville, IL 62221, USA, thomasd@basegrp.com.

Julian Hiscox, Microbiology Department, BBRB 17, 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)	LOCKHEED MARTIN ASTRONAUTICS TO BUILD MARS '98 SPACECRAFT
	JPL press release.

2)	HUBBLE MONITORS WEATHER ON NEIGHBORING PLANETS
	NASA press release.

3)	NASA TESTS PAINLESS WAYS OF MEASURING INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE
	NASA press release.

4)	ON THE ISOLATION OF HALOPHILIC MICROORGANISMS FROM SALT 
DEPOSITS OF GREAT GEOLOGICAL AGE
	Helga Stan-Lotter.

5)	NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SPACE SIMULATING EDUCATORS ANNOUNCES 
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING

6)	EXPLORER SCOUTS TO TACKLE DESIGN OF HUMAN COLONY ON VENUS
	JPL Press release.

7)	HUBBLE SEES OXYGEN-RICH SUPERNOVA DEBRIS IN NEARBY GALAXY
	NASA Press release.

8)	NASA ANNOUNCES MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH GRANTS
	NASA release 95-46.

9)	STUDENT SPACE STATION(tm)
	USENET Announcement
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LOCKHEED MARTIN ASTRONAUTICS TO BUILD MARS '98 SPACECRAFT 
JPL press release.

Two small spacecraft--an orbiter and lander--to be launched in 
1998 to help scientists trace the evolution of the planet's 
climate and search for water in the Martian soil will be built 
for NASA by Lockheed Martin Astronautics of Denver, Colo.  Dr.  
Edward C. Stone, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 
announced the selection today after a fast-paced, industry-wide 
competition lasting only two months.  The estimated value of the 
contract is $92.2 million.

"Lockheed Martin Astronautics presented a very compelling case 
for its selection, in light of NASA's rigorous demands for two 
very complicated planetary missions in 1998," Stone said.  "These 
requirements--to develop and operate two spacecraft at the same 
level of funding that was previously allocated for a single 
mission--brought in excellent designs for the orbiter and lander 
spacecraft from Lockheed Martin.  This will result in significant 
savings because they will both be developed under the same roof."

The pair of spacecraft, currently called the Mars Surveyor 1998 
orbiter and lander, continues NASA's efforts to cut costs by 
building smaller, less expensive planetary spacecraft.  The 1998 
orbiter will be just one-half the weight of Mars Global Surveyor, 
an orbiter that will be launched in 1996.  The 1998 lander, 
similarly, will be just half the weight of the 1996 Mars 
Pathfinder, the smallest planetary lander yet constructed.

The new missions will be the second set of spacecraft in NASA's 
decade-long program of Mars exploration, known as the Mars 
Surveyor Program.  The spacecraft will be launched from Cape 
Canaveral, Fla., during the 1998 Mars launch opportunity, which 
falls between December 1998 and February 1999.

"The pair of spacecraft will be designed to continue exploring 
the history of climate change on Mars and initiate a search for 
water in the Martian soil," said Project Manager Dr. John McNamee 
of JPL.  "Lockheed Martin Astronautics has demonstrated its 
commitment to our goals of continued exploration and forming a 
teaming relationship with industry by its willingness to invest 
internal funds to reduce some of the costs associated with 
building spacecraft for Mars Surveyor and other programs.

"In addition, Lockheed Martin demonstrated a commitment to 
mission success," he added, "by its willingness to forego all 
potential award fees in the event either spacecraft fails to 
perform its mission at Mars."

Science instruments for the 1998 lander will be selected 
following an announcement of opportunity planned for release by 
NASA in May.  The 1998 orbiter will carry a camera (also to be 
selected through the May announcement of opportunity) and one of 
the two remaining science instruments from the former Mars 
Observer mission that could not be carried on the 1996 Mars 
Global Surveyor mission.

The new pair of spacecraft will return information that builds 
upon the goals of the 1996 missions, which seek to answer key 
questions about Mars's early history.  The 1998 missions, 
however, will take that scientific quest a step further, 
initiating a search for water in the Martian soil and delving 
into longstanding theories about whether primitive life ever 
existed early in the planet's history.

During and after its primary science mission, the 1998 Mars 
Surveyor orbiter also will serve as a data relay satellite for 
the companion lander and for future NASA and international lander 
missions to Mars.

The extremely light weights of the new lander and orbiter will 
allow them to be launched on a newly designed launch vehicle, 
called the Med-Lite, which is roughly half the size of the Delta 
II launch vehicles being used for the 1996 Mars Global Surveyor 
and Mars Pathfinder missions.  A Med-Lite will be capable of 
delivering about 450 kilograms (1,000 pounds) of hardware to 
Mars.

JPL manages the Mars Surveyor Program for NASA's Office of Space 
Science, Washington, D.C.
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HUBBLE MONITORS WEATHER ON NEIGHBORING PLANETS 
NASA press release.

"The weather on Mars:  another cool and clear day.  Low morning 
haze will give way to a mostly sunny afternoon with high clouds.  
The forecast for Venus:  hot, overcast, sulfuric acid showers 
will continue.  Air quality is slightly improved as smog levels 
subside."

That kind of weathercast is now possible as NASA's Hubble Space 
Telescope serves as an interplanetary weather satellite for 
studying the climate on Earth's neighboring worlds, Mars and 
Venus.

To the surprise of researchers, Hubble is showing that the 
Martian climate has changed considerably since the unmanned 
Viking spacecraft visited Mars in the mid-1970s, which was the 
last time astronomers got a close-up look at weather on the Red 
Planet for more than just a few months.  Hubble images of clouds 
and spectroscopic detection of an ozone abundance in Mars' 
atmosphere, all indicate that the planet is cooler, clearer and 
drier than a couple of decades ago.

In striking contrast, Hubble's spectroscopic observations of 
Venus show that the atmosphere continues to recover from an 
intense shower of sulfuric "acid rain" triggered by the suspected 
eruption of a volcano in the late 1970s.  This is similar to what 
happens on Earth when sulfur dioxide emissions from coal power 
plants are broken apart in the atmosphere to make acid rain.  On 
Venus, this effect takes place on a planetary scale.

Although the close-up visits by numerous unmanned spacecraft 
provided brief glimpses of weather on these planets, the long- 
term coverage offered by Hubble has never before been possible.  
Knowledge about the weather is critical to planning future 
missions to these worlds.  In the case of Mars, being able to 
predict the weather will be critical prior to human exploration 
of the planet.

Studying conditions on Mars and Venus might also lead to a better 
understanding of Earth's weather system.  Apparently, processes 
that occurred early in the solar system's history sent 
terrestrial planets along very different evolutionary paths.  The 
neighboring planets are grand natural laboratories for testing 
computer models that will lead to a general theory of the 
behavior of planetary atmospheres.

The Space Telescope Science Institute is operated by the 
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.  
(AURA) for NASA, under contract with the Goddard Space Flight 
Center, Greenbelt, MD.  The Hubble Space Telescope is a project 
of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space 
Agency (ESA).
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NASA TESTS PAINLESS WAYS OF MEASURING INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE 
NASA press release.

NASA scientists are testing two diagnostic devices to measure 
pressure inside the head, or intracranial pressure (ICP), without 
penetrating the skull or skin.  Scientists at NASA's Ames 
Research Center, Mountain View, CA, hope the technology will help 
them determine whether increased ICP contributes to the 
headaches, nasal congestion and space motion sickness that some 
astronauts experience during space flight.  There currently is no 
direct evidence that the space environment increases ICP because 
there is no way to accurately and non-invasively measure changes 
in ICP in humans.

Improved means of measuring intracranial pressure may benefit 
victims of trauma to the head, as well as astronauts.  "Early 
non-invasive measurements of ICP may help reduce both the 
mortality and morbidity associated with head trauma," said Alan
R. Hargens, Ph.D., of Ames Life Sciences Division.  A severe blow 
to the head, as may result from a car or motorcycle accident, may 
cause swelling of the brain and increased intracranial pressure.

Hargens said NASA and the National Institutes of Health recently 
identified non-invasive ICP measurements as a critical parameter 
in investigating problems of astronauts in space and in head 
trauma patients on Earth.  Current clinical techniques for 
measuring pressure in the head require invasive surgical 
procedures to implant a pressure sensor.

Hargens is leading Ames' effort to provide a clinical evaluation 
of the two devices' ability to measure changes in ICP in humans.  
One device, developed by Dr. John Cantrell and Dr. Tom Yost at 
NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, measures distances 
across the skull.  This system is based on the assumption that 
increased pressure will cause slight distention, or swelling of 
the skull.  An ultrasound wave is transmitted through the front 
of the skull by a small disk secured to the forehead.  The wave 
passes through the brain tissue, reflects off the opposite side 
of the skull, and is received by a sensor in the disk.

The second technique uses a very light mechanical stimulus 
applied to the forehead.  "It's equivalent to dropping an eraser 
from a standard pencil onto the forehead from a height of 6 
inches (15 centimeters)," Hargens said.  The stimulus is 
transferred through the skull and is received by sensors placed 
strategically on the scalp.  Changes in pressure inside the head 
can then be measured by examining changes in the response signal.  
Scientific Atlanta Inc., of Atlanta, GA, and CytoProbe Corp. of 
San Diego, developed and patented this system, which they 
provided to Ames for testing.

"If this research is successful, we will be able to validate non- 
invasive techniques for measuring intracranial pressure," Hargens 
said. "This could lead to their use as diagnostic tools both for 
clinical applications on Earth and for astronauts during space 
flight.  We hope this will lead to commercial development of the 
devices and eventually to future space flight experiments."
-----------------------------------------------------------------

ON THE ISOLATION OF HALOPHILIC MICROORGANISMS FROM SALT DEPOSITS 
OF GREAT GEOLOGICAL AGE
By Helga Stan-Lotter.

In many parts of the world, salt deposits are found which 
originated from early periods of the geological history of the 
Earth. Particularly large sediments were deposited during the 
Permian and Triassic era ( 280 to 195 million of years before 
present). Microscopic examinations revealed the presence of 
bacteria in thin sections or dissolved rock salt samples (see 
Sonnenfeld 1984 for references). Rather sensational were claims 
about thirty years ago, stating that bacteria from Permian or 
older salt sediments had been brought back to life (Dombrowski 
1963, Reiser and Tasch 1960). Other workers did not believe or 
could not confirm these findings. Recently, extremely halophilic 
bacteria were isolated from Triassic and Permian salt mines in 
Britain (Norton et al. 1993) and Austria (Denner et al.1994). One 
coccoid isolate represented a novel strain and was named 
Halococcus salifodinae (Denner et al.1994). One of the English 
isolates (Br3) showed a protein composition and partial 16S 
ribosomal RNA sequence, which were similar to those of Hc.  
salifodinae. These strains were found in the Zechstein formation 
and Alpine basin, respectively; evaporites, which, due to 
continental drift, were not far from the paleoequator during 
their formation (Zharkov 1981).

Extremely halophilic bacteria belong to the Archaebacteria, a 
group of microorganisms thought to have diverged early from the 
main line of prokaryotic evolution (Woese 1987). A comparison of 
known Archaebacteria with similar isolates from ancient sediments 
might provide a time scale for mutational events, since the 
bacteria, which were included in the salt sediments, have not 
evolved for a few hundred million years, in contrast to all other 
living organisms. The significance of viable organisms from 
paleozoic times would extend to other areas of scientific study, 
such as the search for extraterrestrial life. Were these bacteria 
deposited at the time of evaporite sedimentation, or did they 
enter the salt sediments at some later date, or do they represent 
present-day bacterial contaminants which were introduced during 
handling of the samples? If the first scenario is correct and the 
mine isolates are the remnants of populations that originally 
inhabited the paleozoic brines, they would provide a unique 
repository of biomolecules. If bacteria can remain viable in a 
dry state for very long periods, it would be feasible to look for 
evidence of such life forms in sedimentary formations on other 
planets, e.g.  on Mars. In lunar soil, minerals such as halite 
(NaCl) and sylvite (KCl) have been detected (Ashikmina et al.  
1978); on Mars, surface features were seen which suggested the 
presence of a liquid, probably water, at some earlier period of 
its history (Carr 1987).

Thus, the possibility of "halophilic life" in extraterrestrial 
environments might be realistic and should be worth of further 
exploration. Direct determination of the age of microorganisms 
from rock salt is not easy because of the scarcity of organic 
material in the samples and the lack of suitable isotope dating 
methods. An indirect method is the analysis of pollen and spores 
from extinct plants, which has been performed with Austrian rock 
salt and revealed a Permian origin of the sediments. However, the 
possibility that the bacteria entered at a later time by unknown 
processes cannot be rigorously excluded at present. The third 
problem, contamination with present-day halophilic
microorganisms, can be excluded with proper isolation techniques, 
such as flaming the salt samples and/or treatment with 
bactericidal agents.

A different approach to study long term survival of halophilic 
microorganisms was taken by Norton and Grant (1988), who showed 
that cells remained viable after at least six months of storage 
in fluid inclusions of salt crystals.  Interest in long-term 
preservation and revival of microorganisms is a developing field; 
for a recent compilation of examples see Kennedy et al.(1994).

References

Ashikmina, N.A., Gorshkov,A.I., Mokhov,I.A. and Obronov,V.G.  
(1978) Dokl.Akad.  Nauk SSSR, 243, 1258-1260.

Bien, E. and Schwartz, W. (1965) Z. Allg. Mikrobiol., 5, 185-205.

Carr, M.H. (1987) Nature, 326, 30-35.

Denner, E., McGenity, T.J., Busse, H.J., Grant, W.D., Wanner, G.  
and Stan- Lotter, H. (1994) Int. J. System.Bact., 44, 774-780.

Dombrowski, H.J. (1963) Ann. New York Acad. Sci., 108, 477-484.

Kennedy, M.J., Reader, S.L. and Swierczynski, L.M. (1994) 
Microbiology, 140, 2513-2529.

Norton, C.F. and Grant, W.D. (1988) J. Gen. Microbiol., 134, 
1365-1373.

Norton, C.F., McGenity, T.J. and Grant, W.D.(1993) J. Gen.  
Microbiol., 139, 1077-1081.

Reiser, R. and Tasch, P. (1960) Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., 60, 31- 
34.

Sonnenfeld, P. (1984) Brines and Evaporites.  Academic Press, 
Orlando, Florida.

Zharkov, M.A. (1981) History of Paleozoic Salt Accumulation.  
Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York.

About the author:

Helga Stan-Lotter,
Principal Investigator with the SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 
94043, and Professor of Microbiology, Institute of Genetics and 
General Biology, University of Salzburg, Austria (e-mail address:  
stanlotter@edvz.sbg.ac.at).
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NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SPACE SIMULATING EDUCATORS ANNOUNCES 
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING

The National Association of Space Simulating Educators, a 
national organization of educators who are simulating outer space 
in their schools and classrooms, announces a summer
organizational meeting.  The major goals of this organization are 
to facilitate the exchange of ideas, information, and technical 
enhancements in space simulation; to assist teachers in 
developing space simulators; to provide consultation services to 
teachers and schools; and to provide assistance in finding 
materials and equipment.

The meeting will be hosted by University School in Shaker 
Heights, Ohio (suburban Cleveland) and will take place on 
Thursday, July 6 and Friday, July 7, 1995.  All educators who are 
interested in space shuttle and space environment simulation of 
any kind and at any level of education are invited.  The agenda 
includes the actual organizational meeting (including election of 
officers), presentations by space simulating educators from 
around the country, and presentations by NASA officials and 
members of the aerospace community.

Startup funding for the organization was made possible by a grant 
from the Alice and Patrick McGinty Foundation of Cleveland, Ohio.

For more information on membership or on attending the 
organizational meeting, contact Robert Morgan, Director of 
Computer and Space Science Programs, University School, 216-321- 
8260.  Email via:  rem@nptn.org
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EXPLORER SCOUTS TO TACKLE DESIGN OF HUMAN COLONY ON VENUS JPL 
Press release.

Explorer Scouts and high school students from the Southern 
California area will gather at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory 
April 7-9 to design a realistic proposal for establishing a human 
colony on Venus.  The weekend competition--called Spaceset '95--
is the centerpiece of the 10th annual Space Settlement Design 
Competition, sponsored by the Space Exploration Scout Post 509.

About 120 participants will split into working groups and spend 
the weekend designing a surface colony for their newly habitable 
planet. Spaceset '95 builds on last year's Spaceset '94 
competition, in which high school students ages 15 to 19 were 
asked to build a space station in orbit around Venus.  Now Venus 
has undergone some unusual changes which have transformed the 
planet's oven-like atmosphere into an environment that would be 
hospitable for human settlement.

JPL technical staff and representatives from the aerospace 
industry will coach the groups of students this year as they 
formulate blueprints for the next step--establishing a Venusian 
colony of human settlers.

"We hope to instill a sense of excitement and challenge in 
students who are showing an interest in science and engineering 
at this point in their educations," said Dr. Peter Mason, 
committee chairman for the JPL-affiliated Explorer Scout post.  
"The goal is to show them that science and engineering can be fun 
and can lead to rewarding careers later in life."

At the end of the competition the students will make a formal 
presentation of their designs to a panel of judges comprised of 
managers and engineers in the aerospace industry.

All high school students between the ages of 15 and 19 years old 
are welcome to participate in Spaceset '95.  Cost of the event is 
$52, which includes housing and meals for the weekend.  Spaceset 
'95 is sponsored by the post's members and adult advisors.

For further information, contact the Spaceset Hotline at (818) 
447-8694.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

HUBBLE SEES OXYGEN-RICH SUPERNOVA DEBRIS IN NEARBY GALAXY 
NASA press release.

A new image showing the tattered debris of a star that exploded 
3,000 years ago--revealing the building blocks of stars and 
planets--will be available via the Internet and NASA's Imaging 
Branch on Monday, April 10.  Obtained by NASA's Hubble Space 
Telescope, this image of the supernova remnant called N132D, lies 
160,000 light- years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a 
satellite galaxy to Earth's Milky Way Galaxy.

The image shows the complex collisions as material, including 
abundant amounts of oxygen seen as blue-green filaments in the 
Wide Field Planetary Camera-2 image, is thrown out from the 
interior of the exploded star at more than four million miles per 
hour (2,000 kilometers per second).  This material slams into 
nearby cool, dense interstellar clouds, crushing and heating them 
to create luminescent shock fronts.  Hubble spectroscopic 
observations will determine the material's exact chemical 
composition, and thereby test theories of stellar evolution.

Imaging Branch Photo numbers:
Color:	95-HC-141	
B&W:		95-H-145

Internet addresses: 
ftp:  ftp.stsci.edu (IP address: 130.167.1.2) 
WWW URL:  http://www.stsci.edu
Gopher:  www.stsci.edu
Via anonymous ftp:  (GIF, JPEG) /pubinfo/gif/N132D.gif  or 
/pubinfo/jpeg/N132D.jpg
-----------------------------------------------------------------

NASA ANNOUNCES MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH GRANTS 
NASA release 95-46.

NASA has selected 47 researchers to receive four-year grants for 
microgravity biotechnology research totaling more than $38 
million.  This ground-based research will continue to build the 
foundation for research on the international Space Station.  
Sponsored by NASA's Office of Life and Microgravity Science and 
Applications, this research is aimed at improving understanding 
of physical and chemical processes in the areas of protein 
crystal growth, tissue culture and fundamental biotechnology.

These research grants are the first awarded since the expansion 
of cooperative programs in biotechnology with the National 
Institutes of Health (NIH), which was made possible by 
Congressional appropriations in Fiscal Years 1994-95.  The 
President's Fiscal Year 1996 budget request, under consideration 
by the Congress, contains a request for additional funding to 
extend this collaboration into the Space Station era.

To accelerate the transfer of NASA's biotechnology expertise to 
university researchers, financial support has been included for 
two research centers, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 
Cambridge, MA, and the Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA.  In 
addition, NASA and the NIH have established a joint cooperative 
program to exploit NASA's bioreactor technology for researchers 
at NIH's Institute for Child Health and Human Development, 
Bethesda, MD.

NASA's bioreactor is an apparatus which simulates the 
microgravity conditions of space by using rotation to suspend 
cell cultures in a growth medium.  This improves tissue or cell 
sample growth outside the human body. This technique has already 
been successfully used to study cancer growth.

Protein crystal growth research supported by NASA has important 
applications to the fields of medicine, drug design and 
agriculture.  Proteins are important, complex biochemicals that 
serve a variety of purposes in living organisms.  Determining the 
molecular structure of proteins will lead to a greater 
understanding of how organisms function.  Knowledge of these 
structures also can help the pharmaceutical industry develop 
disease-fighting drugs.

The researchers selected for funding will have NASA's 
microgravity research facilities PP drop-tubes, drop-towers, 
aircraft flying parabolic trajectories and sounding rockets PPat 
their disposal.  Their work may eventually lead to flight 
experiments aboard the Space Shuttle or Space Station.

NASA received 141 proposals in response to its microgravity 
research announcement.  These proposals were peer reviewed by 
non-NASA scientific and technical experts, including reviewers 
suggested by the National Institutes of Health.  A list of the 
grant recipients follows.

Funded Principal Investigators
NRA-94-OLMSA-02
Microgravity Science and Applications Division, OLMSA National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration

ALABAMA
Dr. Lawrence J. DeLucas
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
"A Comprehensive Investigation of Macromolecular Transport
During Protein Crystallization"
"Development of Robotic Techniques for Microgravity Protein
Crystal Growth"

Dr. Marc Pusey
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama
"Isolation of the Flow, Growth and Nucleation Rate, and 
Microgravity Effects on Protein Crystal Growth"

Dr. Franz Rosenberger
CMMR, University of Alabama in Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
"Nucleation and Convection Effects in Protein Crystal Growth"

Dr. Craig D. Smith
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
"Robotic Acquisition and Cryogenic Preservation of Single 
Crystals of Macromolecules for X-ray Diffraction"

Dr. William K. Witherow
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama
"Phase Shifting Interferometric Analysis of Protein Crystal
Growth Boundaries and Convective Flows"

ARIZONA
Dr. Bruce Towe
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona
"Development of Microflow Biochemical Sensors for Space
Biotechnology"

CALIFORNIA
Dr. Rajendra S. Bhatnagar
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California
"Expansion and Differentiation of Cells in Three Dimensional 
Matrices Mimicking Physiological Environments"

Dr. Ellen R. Dirksen
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
"Use of Microgravity-Based Bioreactors to Study Intercellular
Communication in Airway Cells"

Dr. Don J. Durzan
University of California, Davis
Davis, California
"Microgravity Thresholds for Anti-Cancer Drug Production on
Conifer Cells"

Dr. Robert S. Feigelson
Stanford University
Stanford, California
"Laser Scattering Tomography for the Study of Defects in Protein
Crystals"

Dr. Alexander J. Malkin
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, California
"Ground-Based Program for the Physical Analysis of Macromolecular
Crystal Growth"

Dr. Alexander McPherson
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, California
"Enhanced Dewar Program"

Dr. Eugene H. Trinh
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Pasadena, California
"Experimental Studies of Protein Crystal Growth Under Simulated
Low Gravity Conditions"

COLORADO
Dr. Larry Mason
Martin Marietta Astronautics Group
Denver, Colorado
"Membrane Transport Phenomena"

Dr. Paul Todd
University of Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
"Preparation and Analysis of RNA Crystals"

FLORIDA
Dr. Bruce R. Locke
Florida A&M University/Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
"Analysis of Electrophoretic Transport of Macromolecules Using
Pulsed Field Gradient NMR"

ILLINOIS
Dr. James R. Norris
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne, Illinois
"Mechanisms for Membrane Protein Crystallization:  Analysis by
Small Angle Neutron Scattering"

INDIANA
Dr. D. James Morre
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana
"Biological Particle Separation in Low Gravity"

IOWA
Dr. Carole A. Heath
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa
"Determining the Conditions Necessary for the Development of
Functional Replacement Cartilage Using a
Microgravity Reactor"

Dr. David W. Murhammer
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
"Continuous, Noninvasive Monitoring of Rotating Wall Vessels and
Application to the Study of Prostate
Cancer"

LOUISIANA
Dr. Kim O'Connor
Tulane University
New Orleans, Louisiana
"Insect-Cell Cultivation in Simulated Microgravity"

MARYLAND
Dr. Travis Gallagher
Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology (CARB)
Rockville, Maryland
"Protein and DNA Crystal Lattice Engineering"

MASSACHUSETTS
Dr. Lisa E. Freed
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
"Microgravity Tissue Engineering"

Dr. J. Milburn Jessup
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts
"Growth, Metabolism, and Differentiation of MIP-101 Carcinoma
Cell"

Dr. Daniel A. Kirschner
Children's Hospital & Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts
"Fibril Formation by Alzheimer's Disease Amyloid in Microgravity"

Dr. Peter J. Quesenberry
University of Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
"Stem Cell Expansion in Rotating Bioreactors"

Dr. F. Marc Stewart
University of Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
"Influence of Microgravity Conditions on Gene Transfer into 
Expanded Populations of Human Hematopietic Stem Cells"

MISSISSIPPI
Dr. W. William Wilson
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, Mississippi
"A Rational Approach for Predicting Protein Crystallization"

NEW YORK
Dr. George T. DeTitta
Medical Foundation of Buffalo, Inc.
Buffalo, New York
"Macromolecular Crystallization:  Physical Principles, Passive
Devices, and Optimal Protocols"

Dr. Andreas Martin
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York, New York
"Thyroid Follicle Formation in Microgravity:  Three-Dimensional
Organoid Construction in a Low-Shear
Environment"

NORTH CAROLINA
Dr. Charles W. Carter
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
"Quantitative, Statistical Methods for Pre-Flight Optimization, 
and Post-Flight Evaluation of Macromolecular Crystal Growth"

Dr. William E. Kraus
Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina
"Regulation of Skeletal Muscle Development and Differentiation In
Vitro by Mechanical and Chemical
Factors"

OHIO
Dr. John H. Hughes
Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio
"The Effects of Microgravity on Viral Replication"

PENNSYLVANIA
Dr. Portonovo S. Ayyaswamy
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"The Use of Bioactive Glass Particles as Microcarriers in
Microgravity Environment"

Dr. John A. Frangos
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania
"Role of Fluid Shear on 3-D Bone Tissue Culture"

Dr. Elliot M. Levine
The Wistar Institute
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"Multidisciplinary Studies of Cells, Tissues, and Mammalian
Development in Simulated Microgravity"

TEXAS
Dr. Leland W. K. Chung
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas
"Microgravity Simulated Prostate Cell Culture"

Dr. Gerard L. Cote
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas
"Noninvasive Near-Infrared Sensor for Continual Cell Glucose
Measurement"

Dr. S. Dan Dimitrijevich
University of North Texas, Health Science Center at Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
"The Effect of Microgravity on the Human Skin Equivalent"

Dr. Thomas J. Goodwin
NASA Johnson Space Center
Houston, Texas
"Lymphocyte Invasion into Tumor Models Emulated Under
Microgravity Conditions in Vitro"

Dr. Paul E. Oefinger
University of Texas Medical School at Houston
Houston, Texas
"Use of Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) to Facilitate Culture of
Norwalk Virus"

Dr. Neal R. Pellis
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas
"Microgravity and Immunosuppression:  A Ground-Based Model in the
Slow Turning Lateral Vessel Bioreactor"

Dr. Glenn F. Spaulding
Houston, Texas
"Automated Cell Culture Systems for Tissue Engineering"

WASHINGTON
Dr. Viola Vogel
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington
"Two-Dimensional Protein Crystallization at Interfaces"

WASHINGTON, D.C.
Dr. Keith B. Ward
Naval Research Laboratory
Washington, D.C.
"Investigation of Protein Crystal Growth Mechanisms in
Microgravity"

WISCONSIN
Dr. Timothy G. Hammond
University of Wisconsin Medical School
Madison, Wisconsin
"Differentiation of Cultured Normal Human Renal Epithelial Cells
in Microgravity"
-----------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT SPACE STATION(tm)
USENET Announcement

... for youth with the right stuff!

Do you know a student between the ages of 13 and 16 who likes to 
solve problems and can take responsibility?  Can this youth pull 
his or her weight on a team that's out to get results?  Does the 
student like science and math?  If so, that youth may be among 
the select group eligible for Mississippi's top flight science 
program for junior and senior high school students.  Participants 
are housed in a college dormitory and receive in-depth laboratory 
experience in a branch of physical or life science.

Research fields currently offered include animal science, botany, 
human physiology, material science, microbiology, and planetary 
science/remote sensing.  Ten days of laboratory work allow each 
student to develop one or more flight experiments, while gaining 
proficiency in an assigned mission specialty.  A realistic 96- 
hour spaceflight simulation concludes the program.  Employing 
high fidelity spacecraft and mission control simulators, the 
students follow mission procedures patterened after NASA's own 
flight operations.  The youth conduct dozens of "flight 
experiments," manage mission routines, and solve critical 
problems that could result in mission aborts.  There are no 
scripts.  Each mission is different, depending on the quality of 
the students' decisions and their attention to their own 
specialized tasks and responsibilities to determine the outcome.

Mission dates for summer 1995 are July 18-July 1, July 9-22, and 
July 30-August 12.  The cost is $895.00 per participant, which 
includes tuition, room and board, supplies and materials, and 
tee-shirt.  A flight suit and mission insignia are loaned to the 
students, but may be purchased for $50.00 additional.  Some need- 
based financial assistance may be available.  (Corporations 
interested in sponsoring a student should request the special 
sponsors information package.) Admission to the program is by 
competitive application and interview.  Application packets are 
available now from the Davis Planetarium, P.O. Box 22826, 
Jackson, MS, 39225-2826, USA.  This program is operated by the 
Davis Planetarium Foundation, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) educational 
institution.

For information about internet access to information and 
applications for the Student Space Station(tm) Project, follow 
these instructions:  1) Begin an email message.  2) Place the 
word "sss" (without the quotes) in the subject-line.  3) It is
not necessary for there to be a body to the message, unless	your 
mailing program requires it.  It may never be seen.  4) Send the 
mail to <eos@inst.com>.  5) A response will be processed 
immediately after your mail is recieved.  Depending on the speed 
of your mail system and the net, the reply could be delivered 
within seconds.  6) Any problems, questions, suggestions, direct 
them to Noby Nobriga <eos@inst.com>.
----------------------------------------------------------------- 
End Marsbugs Vol. 2, No. 4.

