MARSBUGS:  The Electronic Exobiology Newsletter

Volume 2, Number 11, 1 September, 1995.



Co-editors:



David Thomas, Department of Biological Sciences, University of 

Idaho, Moscow, ID, 83843, USA, thoma457@uidaho.edu.



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 weekly 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.  Subscribers are 

advised to make appropriate inquiries before joining societies, 

ordering goods etc.



We apologize for the delay in publication, but Dave recently 

moved to Idaho to pursue his Ph.D.  Hopefully, MARSBUGS will now 

continue as before.

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INDEX:



1)	THE EUROPEAN POLAR PLATFORM FOR THE ENVISAT-1 MISSION:  ESA 

AWARDS CONTRACT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT PHASE

	ESA release 15-95.



2)	STUDY SHOWS FEASIBILITY OF PLANT-BASED LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS

	NASA release 95-145.



3)	LOCKHEED MARTIN MISSILES & SPACE ANNOUNCES NEW SPACE STATION 

CONTRACT

	Lockheed release.



4)	SETI LECTURE AT BOSTON NSS CHAPTER

	by Larry Klaes, President, Boston NSS.



5)	THE SCIENCE AND POLITICS OF UFO RESEARCH

	Usenet announcement.



6)	PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE DETAILS

	by Julian Hiscox.



7)	JOURNAL REVIEW: JBIS

	by Julian Hiscox.

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THE EUROPEAN POLAR PLATFORM FOR THE ENVISAT-1 MISSION:  ESA 

AWARDS CONTRACT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT PHASE

ESA release 15-95.



The European Space Agency, ESA, is pushing ahead with the 

development and construction of its Polar Platform, which will 

carry the eleven Envisat-1 Earth observation instruments.  The 

objective of this ambitious and challenging program is to develop 

and build a new satellite platform to accommodate Earth 

observation instruments and supply them with the necessary 

energy, attitude control and data links to Earth.  The Polar 

Platform has been designed to fit on Europe's new Ariane 5 

launcher and to make use of ESA's Data Relay Satellite system for 

the transmission of data to Earth.  Also, it capitalizes on 

previous ESA developments, notably ERS satellite technology.



The Polar Platform is being developed specially for Earth 

observation missions, in which satellites are put into circular, 

sun-synchronous orbits at 800 km altitude, passing above the 

poles so that all regions of the Earth can be viewed at regular 

intervals.



The prime contractor for development of the Polar Platform is 

Matra Marconi Space (more precisely, the company's establishment 

at Bristol, formerly British Aerospace Space Systems), and the 

value of the contract is 502 million ECU (1988 prices), 

corresponding to about 675 million ECU at today's prices [about 

$858 million (U.S.)].



The contract for Phase C/D development was signed on 24 July 1995 

in Paris by Jean-Marie Luton, ESA Director General, and Armand 

Carlier, Chief Executive Officer of Matra Marconi Space.  It 

include development of the Polar Platform as well as integration 

of the Envisat-1 payload and final satellite inspections.  Major 

subcontracts, each representing about 30% of the contract value, 

are awarded to Matra Toulouse and Daimler-Benz Aerospace.



"The modular design of the Polar Platform is a choice which will 

be exemplary for other projects," said Lanfranco Emiliani, ESA's 

Director of Observation of the Earth and its Environment.  "At 

the same time, we are building on technologies we have 

successfully tested on earlier missions."



The Polar Platform will be the backbone of Envisat-1, which 

weighs about eight tonnes and is the largest satellite ever built 

in Europe.  It is scheduled for launch in mid-1999.  Thanks to 

its improved and more sophisticated instruments, Envisat-1 will 

continue the very successful all- weather radar imaging of the 

Earth currently being provided by the two ERS satellites.



The Polar Platform consists of two modules: the Service Module 

(SM) and the Payload Module (PM), which carries the instruments 

for sensing the Earth and the atmosphere.  Because of the 

platform's modular structure, these two elements can be developed 

and built in parallel.  Modularity is also omnipotent inside the 

two modules, thereby accommodating individually tailored 

dimensions and capabilities.  The only limiting factors are the 

overall dimensions, which must be compatible with the Ariane 5 

launcher.



The Service Module re-uses many items of equipment already 

developed for the French Earth observation satellite, SPOT 4.  

However, the structure that carries the various subsystems has 

had to be enlarged, as well as the base plate, on which eight 

batteries can now be mounted.  The four propulsion unit tanks 

hold 300 kg of hydrazine for attitude and orbit control, 

sufficient to keep the module in service for at least five years.  

The Service Module also accommodates an S-band terminal for 

command and control via ESA's future Data Relay Satellite system.



The modular concept of the Polar Platform is demonstrated best by 

it solar generator: this is an entirely new development, made up 

of rigid panels fitted with solar cell elements.  These panels 

are folded during launch and deployed once in orbit.  The 

technology is derived from that successfully tested on ESA's 

retrievable platform Eureca.  How many solar panels are actually 

used depends on a mission's power requirements--in the case of 

Envisat, 14 panels provide 6.6 kW of power.



The payload module is made up, in a similarly flexible way, of 

two to five segments, each measuring 1.6 meters in length.  

Envisat-1 will have four such segments bearing a 2000 kg payload.  

When assembled, the Payload and Service Modules stand an 

impressive 11 meters high inside the Ariane 5 fairing.



The core of the Payload Module, the Payload Equipment Bay, has 

been designed to provide maximum capabilities for the payload.  

It is, for example, possible to vary the number of data 

recorders, the data storage capacity and the number of 

communications channels to Earth.  Payload data can be 

transmitted (using two 100 Mbits/s channels simultaneously) in 

the X-band to ground receiving stations within direct view of the 

satellite, or via ESA's Data Relay Satellite system, directly to 

Europe.



The Polar Platform will circle the Earth on its orbit once every 

100 minutes or so.  Its orbital parameters are usually chosen so 

that one full orbital cycle is repeated every 35 days, i.e. the 

satellite passes over exactly the same region once every 35 days.  

Some instruments have a large swath, providing global coverage 

within three to five days.  The orbit is sun- synchronous--that 

is, the satellite always crosses the equator at the same local 

time at an inclination of 98 degrees--so that Earth's surface is 

illuminated by the Sun at a constant angle.



"ESA's new platform technology for the Envisat and Metop missions 

will be a step forward in the continuous development of Earth 

observation and climate research in Europe," said ESA Director 

Lanfranco Emiliani, commenting on the significance of the Polar 

Platform development.



POLAR PLATFORM MISSIONS

Envisat-1 -- A new era of European Earth observation



ESA's Earth observation program constitutes an important 

contribution to international efforts to gain a better 

understanding of the complex ecological system of planet Earth.  

For Europe, it is particularly important to ensure the 

acquisition of data irrespective of cloud cover and even at 

night.  The requisite radar technologies have been developed 

since the early 1980s, and tested through the current ERS-1 and 

ERS-2 missions.  Envisat-1, the first satellite to make use of 

the Polar Platform, will continue these missions.  It will carry 

more instruments with enhanced performances, developed for the 

observation of land surfaces, the oceans, polar ice caps and the 

atmosphere.  The active radar instruments will be complemented by 

an increasing number of new optical sensors for atmospheric 

chemistry and marine biology.



Under the prime contractorship of Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA), 

with system contracts awarded to Aerospatiale, Alenia and Matra 

Marconi, more than 80 companies in Europe and Canada are 

participating in the development of this satellite.  The payload 

includes seven instruments developed directly by ESA, plus 

another four provided by various national institutions in ESA 

Member States.





Metop-1:  Europe's contribution to weather forecasting and 

climate monitoring



Global meteorological observations have for many years been 

provided by an international network of geostationary satellites 

complemented by two American polar-orbiting satellites.  Europe's 

contribution up to now has included the geostationary Meteosat 

weather satellites, developed by ESA on behalf of Eumetsat.  So 

far, only satellites belonging to the US weather organization 

NOAA are providing data from polar orbit.  It is planned that 

Europe and the US will share this task from 2001, with Eumetsat 

taking responsibility for the "morning orbit", and the local time 

at which the satellite passes over the Earth's equator, and NOAA 

covering the "afternoon orbit".



Polar Platform technology will be the basis for the Metop-1 

platform development.  Fitted with a number of instruments, 

Metop-1, belonging to Eumetsat, will be launched on an Ariane.  

In parallel, Eumetsat will make preparations for further two 

satellites to provide data continuity over some fifteen years.

-----------------------------------------------------------------



STUDY SHOWS FEASIBILITY OF PLANT-BASED LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS

NASA release 95-145.



The science fiction concept of plants providing a complete life 

support system for the crews of lunar and deep-space missions 

came a step closer to reality with the successful completion of a 

NASA life sciences experiment that studied potato production in a 

self-contained environment.



"We have demonstrated that a bioregenerative life support system 

really can support humans in an enclosed environment over a long 

period of time,'' said Kennedy Space Center (KSC) plant 

physiologist Dr. Gary Stutte.  "Our long-range goal is to prove 

that a plant-based life support system is as reliable as the 

mechanical systems found in today's spacecraft."



KSC scientists conducted a successful 418-day experiment in the 

Biomass Production Chamber of the Controlled Environment Life 

Support System.  The experiment investigated how well a 

biogenerative life support system can perform on a continuous 

basis over an extended period of time.  This experiment was the 

longest test of a major component of a bioregenerative life 

support system ever completed.



During the experiment, the potato plants produced enough oxygen 

to support one crew member on a continuous basis, while also 

removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, Stutte said.  

In addition, the potato crops produced enough food to supply 55 

percent of the caloric needs of an astronaut, along with enough 

purified water for a total of four crew members.  A larger 

chamber could be used to provide all the consumables for the crew 

for as long as a mission might last, Stutte said.



"The major advantage of the bioregenerative life support system 

is that it does not need to be resupplied with food, water and 

air, nor does it require expendable water or air filtration 

systems as present-day mechanical spacecraft life support systems 

do," said Dr. Bill Knott, chief scientist of Biological Programs 

for the NASA/KSC Biomedical Operations Office.  Instead, the 

current system recycles plant waste and nutrients.  This recycled 

material sustains the plant crops, which in turn produce the 

oxygen, water and food that the crew would need for an indefinite 

period of time.



Once the analyses of the KSC experiments are complete, they will 

be provided to NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) Houston, Knott 

said.  JSC research personnel will then use this data to conduct 

research on the effectiveness of bioregenerative life support 

systems with human subjects.



"We have been supplying this kind of information since we first 

began growing crops at KSC in 1987," Knott said.  "Some of our 

data was used in preparing a recent JSC experiment where a 

British chemist was supplied with all of his oxygen and carbon 

dioxide removal requirements in a sealed chamber for 15 days by a 

crop of 30,000 wheat plants."



Because of the success KSC has had with potatoes, this crop will 

make up 75 percent of the food for the next bioregenerative life 

support system experiment, Stutte said.  Wheat will make up the 

remaining 25 percent of the crop during the two-year study that 

will begin in January 1996.  "We feel that a mixed crop is needed 

to optimize system production," Stutte said. "Potatoes provide 

the highest yield, but wheat is more tolerant to longer light 

cycles that might be used in the chamber."



The planned longer studies also will provide more data on the 

ability of the bioregenerative life support systems to operate 

over an expected three-year mission to Mars.  "We feel that we 

can keep this system going indefinitely," Knott summed up.  

"There is no reason to believe we can't."

-----------------------------------------------------------------



LOCKHEED MARTIN MISSILES & SPACE ANNOUNCES NEW SPACE STATION 

CONTRACT

Lockheed release.



SUNNYVALE, California, August 28, 1995--Lockheed Martin Missiles 

& Space will provide freezer equipment to NASA for life science 

research onboard the International Space Station under a $25.8 

million contract from Boeing Defense & Space Group, Huntsville, 

Alabama.  The contract, awarded July 31, will draw upon the 

extensive cryogenic technology expertise of the company's Palo 

Alto Research Laboratories. It will be managed by Sid Bourgeois, 

Lockheed Martin's Space Station Product Group Three (PG-3) 

program manager in Sunnvyale.



Under the new contract, Missiles & Space will design, build, and 

test three cryostorage freezers, two quick-snap freezers with a 

miniaturized snapping mechanism, and a freeze drier, and is 

responsible for overall integration of the freezer components, 

including the external packaging and ancillary equipment such as 

specialty specimen vials.  The freezer equipment had been 

included in the life sciences section of the U.S. Laboratory 

Module of Space Station Freedom, but during subsequent redesigns 

schedules slipped and the equipment was put on hold.  Now, with 

the first element of the International Space Station scheduled to 

be launched in November 1997 and the research planned to begin in 

the 1998-1999 timeframe, the freezers have been reintroduced to 

the production schedule.



"The freezers and freeze drier are crucial to any life sciences 

research aboard the station," said Bourgeois.  "Because only 

limited examination will be possible on orbit, the samples must 

be preserved and brought back to Earth."



Biological decay is prevented by cooling the samples to cryogenic 

temperatures immediately after sample preparation and maintaining 

them at these temperatures until the samples are returned to 

Earth for evaluation and test.  Specimens to be preserved will 

include life science samples such as plant and animal tissues and 

protein crystals grown onboard the space station.  The 

cryostorage freezers will freeze the specimens at -180 degrees C 

and hold them at or below -180C until delivery to a research 

facility on the ground.  The quick-snap freezers will allow 

station crew members to freeze specimens to -196 degrees C in a 

matter of milliseconds.



"If you need to look at a specimen down to the cell level, it is 

important to freeze it quickly so that it doesn't expand and 

burst the cell walls," said Bourgeois.  "This ultra-rapid 

freezing will be a critical capability aboard the station."



The freeze drier will be important for eliminating ice produced 

by the moisture that the frozen samples pick up from the air.  It 

will sublimate frozen samples in a high vacuum environment, at 

pressures below 10-3 torr.



The first freezer units will be delivered to Boeing in February 

1998.  Final delivery, of the freeze drier, is scheduled for 

December 2001.



Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space provides several components 

critical to the International Space Station, with contracts 

totaling approximately $1 billion and more than 600 people on the 

program.



The company will provide rotary joints for the station's solar 

arrays and thermal radiators under contract to McDonnell Douglas 

Aerospace as part of Space Station Product Group One, eight solar 

array wings and one qualification solar array wing under contract 

to Rocketdyne as part of Space Station Product Group Two, and a 

variety of equipment for the station laboratory module under 

contract to The Boeing Company as part of Space Station Product 

Group Three, including the freezers and two Trace Contaminant 

Control System protoflight units, which will provide 

revitalization of the atmosphere on the station.



Under contract to NASA's Johnson Space Center, Missiles & Space 

also will provide tools and equipment that astronauts will use to 

assemble the station on orbit and to move around outside the 

structure once it is operational.  In December, 1994, Missiles & 

Space completed shipments of solar panel modules to Russia for 

it's space station Mir, marking delivery of the first U.S. space 

station flight hardware for NASA's cooperative space endeavors 

with that country. The Mir cooperative solar array project is 

managed by NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, for the 

Space Station Program Office, Houston.



Missiles & Space is a subsidiary of the Lockheed Martin 

Corporation, a highly diversified advanced technology company 

with core businesses in aeronautics, electronics, energy and 

environment, information and technology services, materials, and 

space and missiles.  he Corporation has its headquarters in 

Bethesda, Maryland.



Boeing Defense & Space Group is NASA's prime contractor for the 

space station, assisting NASA in management of the Houston-based 

program and directing a nationwide contractor team.



Under the leadership of NASA, the international Space Station 

program aims to place unique scientific laboratories in space to 

enable high value research bettering the quality of life on 

Earth.  NASA is joined in this effort by the space agencies of 

Europe, Canada, Japan, and Russia, making Space Station the 

largest peaceful, cooperative international scientific project 

ever.

-----------------------------------------------------------------



SETI LECTURE AT BOSTON NSS CHAPTER

by Larry Klaes, President, Boston NSS.



The Boston Chapter of the National Space Society (NSS) will hold 

its next lecture on Thursday, September 7, at 7:30 pm at MIT.  

The lecture will be on "The Frontiers of SETI (Search for 

Extraterrestrial Intelligence)",

presented by Professor Nathan Cohen of Boston University.  

Professor Cohen teaches on the very subject at BU and developed 

the concept of Polychromatic SETI.



Boston NSS lectures are held on the first Thursday of every month 

at 545 Main Street (Tech Square), 8th floor Computer Playroom, 

MIT, Cambridge, MA.  Admission is free to all, refreshments will 

be served, and the room is air-conditioned.  For more 

information, call 617-258-2828.

-----------------------------------------------------------------



THE SCIENCE AND POLITICS OF UFO RESEARCH



A Symposium, October 28 and 29, 1995, at the Radisson Hotel St. 

Paul, Minnesota.



Presented by The Science Museum of Minnesota in cooperation with 

UFO Magazine.



The American government holds more than a trillion classified 

documents and there is a growing trend towards conducting science 

in secret.



Increasingly, scientists sign away their freedoms to work on 

government-funded research. By choosing what kind of research to 

fund, the government can (and sometimes does) control the 

direction of scientific progress, often keeping the knowledge 

gained to itself. As a result, we now have good reason to doubt 

what we are told about the world by both government authorities 

and many of those in the scientific community.



The 1995 Science and Politics of UFO Research Symposium will use 

the UFO phenomenon as a vehicle with which to explore the closed 

and cloistered world of government research, the process of 

scientific discovery, and the strange and often uncomfortable 

relationship between science and politics.



Regardless of what you think or believe about UFOs, the 

phenomenon provides a unique living classroom in which we can 

explore how science works in the real world.



All sessions will take place in the Minnesota Ballroom of the 

Radisson Hotel, 11 East Kellogg Boulevard, St. Paul, Minnesota.



Early registration discount before August 31! See information 

below.



*** Scheduled To Speak ***



--	Terry Hansen, science journalist, symposium moderator.



--	Glenn Campbell is a former computer software developer 

turned anti-secrecy activist who has successfully called the 

attention of the national news media to strange goings on at Area 

51, a highly secret desert research facility that some have 

claimed is involved in government UFO research.



--	Don C. Donderi, associate professor, is a research 

psychologist who has an interest in the UFO abduction phenomenon. 

He participated in a conference on the subject held at the 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology in June 1992. He has 

studied the UFO phenomenon since 1966.



--	Ann Druffel is a long-time UFO researcher and author of 

several books and many articles on the subject. She is just 

completing a biography of the late University of Arizona 

atmospheric physicist James McDonald, who courageously defended 

the cause of UFO research in the 1960s.



--	Richard Haines, Ph.D., is a physiological psychologist 

retired from NASA Ames Research Center, where he did extensive 

research on various aspects of the U.S. space program. He has a 

special interest in pilot reports of UFOs, analysis of UFO films 

and photos, and CE-IV (abduction) reports. He is the author of 

several books about UFOs.



--	David M. Jacobs, professor, teaches a college-level course 

in UFO research at Temple University. He received one of the 

first doctorates awarded for research on a UFO-related subject, 

and is author of The UFO Controversy in America and Secret Life, 

a study of UFO abduction reports.



--	George Knapp is an investigative journalist and video 

producer best known for breaking the story of Bob Lazar, a self-

professed government scientist who claims to have back- 

engineered UFO technology at Area 51. Knapp has more recently 

traveled to the former Soviet Union where he interviewed Russian 

scientists about UFO research there.



--	Bruce Maccabee, Ph.D., is an optical physicist for the Naval 

Surface Weapons Research Lab. He has a special interest in UFO 

photos and films and has published several scientific papers on 

the subject.



--	Jeffrey W. Sainio is a broadcast technician and videotape 

analyst for the Mutual UFO Network. He has analyzed many 

videotapes alleged to be of UFOs, some of which he has concluded 

are genuine.



--	Michael Swords, professor, is a former editor of the Journal 

of UFO Studies for the J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies. He 

has a special interest in the government's behind-the- scenes 

relationship with the controversial University of Colorado UFO 

research project headed by Dr. Edward Condon.



*** Symposium Schedule ***



-Saturday, October 28



8:30 a.m.	Conference check-in St. Paul Radisson Hotel Minnesota 

Ballroom foyer



9:00 a.m.	Welcome and Introduction to the UFO Controversy (Terry 

Hansen, science journalist, symposium moderator)



9:20 a.m.	UFO Evidence From Motion-Picture Films and Photographs 

(Richard Haines, Ph.D., physiological psychologist, NASA Ames 

Research Center, retired)



10:20 a.m.	Questions from audience and discussion



10:50 a.m.	Break



11:05 a.m.	Analysis of UFO Evidence From Videotape Records 

(Jeffrey W. Sainio, broadcast technician, MUFON videotape 

analyst)



12:05 p.m.	Questions from the audience and discussion



12:35 p.m.	Break for lunch



2:00 p.m.		Analysis of UFO Evidence From Videotapes and Films 

(Bruce Maccabee, Ph.D., optical physicist, Naval Surface Weapons 

Lab)



3:00 p.m.		Questions from audience and discussion



3:30 p.m.		Break



3:45 p.m.		UFO Research in the Former Soviet Union (George 

Knapp, investigative journalist, video producer)



4:45 p.m.		Questions from audience and discussion



5:15 p.m.		Break for dinner



7:15 p.m.		The University of Colorado "Condon" UFO Study and 

the U.S. Government (Michael Swords, Ph.D., Western Michigan 

University, former editor JUFOS, Center for UFO Studies)



8:15 p.m.		Questions from audience and discussion



8:45 p.m.		Panel discussion:  Media Coverage of the UFO 

Controversy; Publishing UFO Research Results; The Politics of 

Science and Technology in the Post Cold-War Era; Conflicts of 

Interest Between Science and Weapons Development



Participants:  Terry Hansen (moderator)

Jeffrey Sainio

Bruce Maccabee

George Knapp

Michael Swords

Glenn Campbell



-Sunday, October 29



8:30 a.m.		Conference check-in St. Paul Radisson Hotel 

Minnesota Ballroom foyer



9 a.m. 		Welcome back (Terry Hansen)



9:15 a.m.		Tales of the Test Site: Area 51 and the Human 

Circus (Glenn Campbell, anti-secrecy activist, Area 51 Research 

Center)



10:15 a.m.	Questions from audience and discussion



10:45 a.m.	Break



11 a.m.		A Scientist versus the System: Dr. James E.  

McDonald's Fight for UFO Knowledge (Ann Druffel, long-time UFO 

investigator and author of many books and articles on the 

subject)



12:00 Noon	Questions from audience and discussion



12:30 p.m.	Break for lunch



2 p.m.		The History of UFO Abduction Research and Current 

Issues(David M. Jacobs, Ph.D., Department of History, Temple 

University)



3:00 p.m.		Questions from audience and discussion



3:30 p.m.		Break



3:45 p.m.		The Scientific Context of Abduction Research (Don 

C. Donderi, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Psychology, 

McGill University)



4:45 p.m.		Questions from audience and discussion



5:15 p.m.		Break for dinner.



7:15 p.m.		Panel discussion: UFO Abduction Experience 

Hypotheses; Limitations of the Scientific Method; Current 

Research Handicaps



Participants:  Terry Hansen (moderator)

Ann Druffel

David Jacobs

Don Donderi

Richard Haines



8:45 p.m.		Closing comments and adjourn.



* E-mail address for content questions:	 twhansen@cuix.pscu.com



Note:  The above schedule may need to be revised as conference 

date approaches.



*** Registration Information ***



-	Two-day, single-day, or half-day rates are available. See 

rates below.



-	Preregistration is recommended. Early-bird discounts are 

available for those who register before August 31, 1995.



-	Please allow two to three weeks for registration processing. 

You will receive a written confirmation in the mail.



*** Fees ***

		Before August 31 	After September 1

Full two days:	$90			$120

One day:		$50			$70

Half day:		$30			$50



Student rate: 15% discount (high school and university students 

with i.d.)



Group Discount: 15% discount for groups of 10 or more (must 

register together as a group).



Note:  If you are registering for the one-day or half-day option, 

there is no need to specify which day or half day you wish to 

attend.



Cancellations/Refunds: All cancellations must be in writing.  

Cancellations received before September 29, 1995, will receive a 

refund less a $25 processing charge. Cancellations received after 

September 30 will be subject to a $50 cancellation fee. No 

refunds will be made after October 13.



For additional information:

Call The Science Museum of Minnesota at (612) 221-4742.

Or E-mail penson@geom.umn.edu



*** Accommodations ***



The Radisson Hotel is offering special rates for conference 

attendees. Some other nearby hotels are listed below as well.  

Plan to make reservations well in advance of conference dates.



Radisson Hotel 11 East Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55101



Special Conference Rate.

$80 per night single or double.

Airport Express service: $8 one way, $11.50 round-trip, shuttles 

every half hour.

When you call for reservations, make sure to mention that you are 

registered for the Science Museum of Minnesota's UFO conference.

Call 1-800-333-3333 or 612-292-1900 (call early to ensure space 

availability).



Crown Sterling Suites 175 East 10th Street, St. Paul, MN 55101



Two-room suites.

Regular suites:  $139/night for single or double.

Executive suites: $167/night for single or double.

Free parking.

Free airport shuttle.

Call 1-800-433-4600.



Kelly Inn Best Western 161 St. Anthony Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55101



$84/night for double room.

$74/night for single room.

Free parking.

Call 612-227-8711.





*** Registration ***



Complete this form and return to:



Science Museum of Minnesota

Continuing Education

30 East 10th Street

St. Paul, MN 55101

Fax: (612) 221-4528



Name(s)__________________________________________________



Address__________________________________________________



City_____________________________State_____Zip___________



Phone Number (day) (____)______-__________



(eve) (____)______-__________



Registrations on or before August 31



Two-days: (No. Attending) x $90 per person = $__________



One-day:  (No. Attending) x $50 per person = $__________



Half-day: (No. Attending) x $30 per person = $__________



Check here if you are a student (15% discount)

Enclose a copy of ID card or fee statement.  (___)



If registering for a group of 10 or more take

15% discount.

TOTAL DUE:$__________





Registrations on or after September 1



Two-days: (No. Attending) x$120 per person = $__________



One-day:  (No. Attending) x $70 per person = $__________



Half-day: (No. Attending) x $50 per person = $__________



Check here if you are a student (15% discount)

Enclose a copy of ID card or fee statement.  (___)



If registering for a group of 10 or more take

15% discount.

TOTAL DUE:$__________





***** DO NOT E-MAIL YOUR CREDIT CARD NUMBER *****



Payment



( ) Check or Money-order enclosed (Make payable to "Science 

Museum of Minnesota") 

Credit card: 

( ) Visa

( ) MasterCard

( ) Discover



Credit Card #____________________________Exp date_______



Signature_______________________________________________



Questions?:

Call the Science Museum of Minnesota (612) 221-4742

Or E-mail penson@geom.umn.edu

-----------------------------------------------------------------



PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE DETAILS

by Julian Hiscox.



COSPAR

The international Committee on Space Research, COSPAR 1996 

commission F assembly will be held in Birmingham (England!) 

between the 14th and 20th July, 1996.  So far, MARSBUGS has 

learned that there will be a symposium on planetary engineering--

Implanting Life on Mars--organized by Prof. Robert H. Haynes 

(President of the Royal Society of Canada).



IAF Congress

The 46th IAF Congress of the international Astronautical 

Federation will be held in Oslo, Norway, between the 2nd and 6th 

October, 1996.  The conference is entitled, Benefits of Space 

for Humanity.



The Case for Mars

International Conference for the Exploration and Colonization of 

Mars will be held at the University of Colorado, Boulder, 

Colorado, USA, July 17th-20th, 1996.  Further details may be 

found on:

http://spot.colorado.edu/~marscase/home.html



Further details on the above conferences will be published when 

available.

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JOURNAL REVIEW: JBIS

by Julian Hiscox.



JBIS is short for the Journal of the British Interplanetary 

Society, which is devoted to the science and technology of space.  

It is published by the British Interplanetary Society 

(bis@cix.compulink.co.uk) a British pro-space society based in 

London.  Back issues are available from them at a modest cost 

(about $10 including postage).



The past several issues may be of interest to MARSBUGS readers as 

they detail Mars Exploration in three special issues edited by 

Dr. Robert Zubrin.  In this issue of MARSBUGS we will briefly 

review the first issue of this series.  Author addresses are 

provided so that reprints may be more easily obtained.



JBIS Vol.48, No. 7. Mars Exploration (Part 1).



Practical methods for near-term human exploration of Mars.  

Authors:  Robert M. Zubrin, Martin Marietta Astronautics, PO Box 

179, Denver, CO 80201, USA.  David B. Weaver, Johnson Space 

Center, Houston, Texas 77058, USA.



The paper describes a mechanism by which human exploration of 

Mars may be realized using near-term technology.  The key focus 

of the article is in situ propellant production utilizing Martian 

resources, specifically the production of CH4/O2 and H2O on the 

Martian surface.  The authors also discuss a variety of missions, 

habitats, consumable and crew composition.  Also, presented is 

how this technology may be applied for a return to the Moon.  The 

article is well written and although it contains some technical 

detail, it is easily understood.





Exploration of the future habitability of Mars.  Author:  Martyn 

J. Fogg, Probability Research Group, c/o 44 Hogarth Court, 

Fountain Drive, London, SE19 1UY, U.K.



This paper is essentially a review article concerning the 

materials on Mars required for planetary engineering, 

specifically terraforming (the creation of a human habitable 

biosphere).  The paper is well written and Fogg briefly reviews 

what is required to terraform Mars and then describes the ancient 

climate of Mars, making the point that Mars was once more clement 

for life.  Fogg then describes what is known about the current 

volatile inventory, concentrating specifically of the location 

and quantity of CO2 and H2O.



Concepts for in situ resource utilization on Mars--a personal 

historical perspective.  Author:  J.R. French, JRF Engineering 

Services, 2111 Selby Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA.



This is a short article essentially summed up by the title.  It 

is written by a previous Manager of Advanced Studies at the Jet 

Propulsion Laboratory and presents a non-technical history of in 

situ propellant production (ISPP).  The author makes the 

excellent point that during exploration of the Earth, materials 

such as food and fuel were obtained along the way, rather than 

taken for both forward and return journeys.  The article argues 

that ISPP is a logical step in space exploration.





Mars multi-sample return mission.  Authors:  Evgeny Y.A. 

Shafirovich and Udo I. Goldshleger, Institute of Structural 

Macrokinetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, Moscow 

142432, Russia.



The paper describes a Mars sample return mission, with a single 

assent/ decent vehicle.  The mission calls for either a direct 

return to Earth or a rendezvous in low Martian orbit; three hops 

on Mars are planned.  In situ resources are utilized with Martian 

CO2 acting as an oxidizer.  The paper goes into detail on the 

performance characteristics of a CO2/metal rocket engine and the 

authors estimate that an improved Proton or Ariane-5 launcher is 

sufficient for the mission.





Terraforming Mars with four war-surplus bombs.  Author:  Robert 

A. Mole, 1441 Mariposa Avenue, Boulder, Co. 80302. USA.



Mole presents a scenario, similar to Sagan's, in which nuclear 

devices would be used to generate dust, which would cover and 

darken the Martian South Polar Cap.  This, he suggests, would 

cause the CO2 to sublime (via solar heating) and trigger the 

runaway greenhouse affect described by McKay, Toon, Kasting and 

McKay and Zubrin.  Mole bases his estimates on the eruption of 

Mount St. Helens and the amount of dust released from that 

explosion, although precise calculations are absent.

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End Marsbugs Vol. 2, No. 11.

