MARSBUGS:  
The Electronic Exobiology Newsletter
Volume 4, Number 10, 3 July, 1997.

Editors:

David Thomas, Department of Biological Sciences, University of 
Idaho, Moscow, ID, 83844-3051, USA, thoma457@uidaho.edu or 
Marsbugs@aol.com.

Julian Hiscox, Division of Molecular Biology, IAH Compton 
Laboratory, Berkshire, RG20 7NN, UK. Julian.Hiscox@bbsrc.ac.uk or 
Marsbug@msn.com

MARSBUGS is published on a weekly to quarterly basis as warranted 
by the number of articles and announcements.  Copyright of this 
compilation exists with the editors, except for specific 
articles, in which instance copyright exists with the 
author/authors.  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.  Back issues may be 
obtained via anonymous FTP at:  ftp.uidaho.edu/pub/mmbb/marsbugs.

The purpose of this newsletter is to provide a channel of 
information for scientists, educators and other persons 
interested in exobiology and related fields.  This newsletter is 
not intended to replace peer-reviewed journals, but to supplement 
them.  We, the editors, envision MARSBUGS as a medium in which 
people can informally present ideas for investigation, questions 
about exobiology, and announcements of upcoming events.

Exobiology is still a relatively young field, and new ideas may 
come out of the most unexpected places.  Subjects may include, 
but are not limited to:  exobiology proper (life on other 
planets), the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), 
ecopoeisis/ terraformation, Earth from space, planetary biology, 
primordial evolution, space physiology, biological life support 
systems, and human habitation of space and other planets.
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INDEX

1)	IMAGER FOR MARS PATHFINDER LANDS JULY 4
	University of Arizona News Services

2)	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO-BUILT INSTRUMENT WILL FIND OUT WHAT 
MARS IS MADE OF
	University of Chicago

3)	ROBOTIC MARS LANDING AND SPACE SHUTTLE REFLIGHT HIGHLIGHT A 
BUSY AND CHALLENGING WEEK FOR U.S. SPACE PROGRAM
	NASA note to editors:  n97-44

4)	MARS PATHFINDER WEEKLY STATUS REPORTS
	JPL releases

5)	"HOT WHEELS" TOY:  ANOTHER SUCCESS FROM JPL'S TECHNOLOGY 
AFFILIATES PROGRAM
	JPL release

6)	CREATE A SLOGAN FOR NASA'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY IN 1998
	From the 19 June 1997 edition of "NASA Head's Up"

7)	INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EARTH OBSERVATION & 
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION (EOEI 97)

8)	SHUTTLE MISSION REFLIGHT IN QUEST OF SCIENTIFIC MYSTERIES
	NASA release:  97-140

9)	MIR UPDATE
	From "VideoCosmos Co."

10)	TROPICAL RAINFALL MEASURING MISSION SET FOR OCTOBER 31 
LAUNCH
	NASA release:  97-143
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IMAGER FOR MARS PATHFINDER LANDS JULY 4
University of Arizona News Services

Fireworks might not be the most spectacular sight this Fourth of 
July.

NASA will land a first-of-its-kind robotic probe called 
Pathfinder on Mars.  The landing is 10 a.m. Tucson time. A few 
hours later, a camera called Imager for Mars Pathfinder, or IMP, 
will search for the sun so the lander's computer can point the 
probe's high gain antenna, which is Pathfinder's high-speed 
communications link, directly at Earth.

At 4:30 p.m., IMP will start taking a panorama, frame by frame 
through red, blue and green filters, of its landing site, the 
ancient Martian flood plain Ares Vallis. This composite "mission 
success" photo -- which should be complete by 6 p.m. -- will be 
the first view of the surface of the Red Planet since Viking 
landers stunned the world with Mars images 21 years ago.

University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory scientist 
Peter H.  Smith heads the team which has spent much of the past 
four years designing, building, calibrating and testing IMP. The 
group includes about 40 U.S., German and Danish scientists, 
engineers and students. The flight camera and its two backups are 
a bargain at $5 million (1992 dollars). Equipped with two "eyes" 
spaced about as far apart as human eyes, it will see in stereo.  
It has 24 filters for taking color pictures for scientists 
studying everything from the make-up of surface rocks and 
minerals to the composition and magnetic properties of wind-blown 
dust whipping through the thin Martian atmosphere.

IMP is crucial to the scientific success of the 30 day-or-longer 
$280 million Mars Pathfinder mission, which is managed by the Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory of Pasadena. The overall Pathfinder mission 
is to test engineering technologies for use in future science 
missions to Mars.

IMP's initial chores include not only locating the sun for 
directing the high-speed telemetry link to Earth, but showing 
which ramp is the best exit for Sojourner, the Pathfinder's mini-
landrover. Moving Sojourner off the lander quickly is high 
priority, for the rover sits on solar panels needed to power the 
mission.

IMP and its science team are practiced, tested and ready, Smith 
says. For these scientists, as for athletes, real-time risk is 
what spices the game.

For a complete roster of the IMP team and more information on the 
camera, visit the Imager for Mars Pathfinder web site at 
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/imp/index.html
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UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO-BUILT INSTRUMENT WILL FIND OUT WHAT MARS IS 
MADE OF
University of Chicago

June 18, 1997

An instrument designed and built at the University of Chicago and 
carried on the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft will determine the 
chemical composition of Martian rocks and soil, a crucial first 
step in determining what samples, on a future mission, should be 
brought back to Earth for further study.

Pathfinder, scheduled to land Friday, July 4, will be the first 
spacecraft to land on Mars since Viking in 1976. The Alpha Proton 
X-ray Spectrometer is one of the key scientific instruments on 
board the Pathfinder's rover, Sojourner, which will be able to 
roam across the Martian surface guided by scientists and 
engineers on Earth.

With the mobility provided by the rover and vision provided by a 
panoramic camera, APXS can be deployed to distant rock 
outcroppings, providing the first-ever chemical analysis of 
native Martian rock. The first results from the APXS will be 
available almost immediately after landing.

B-roll, animation and photos are available from NASA's Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory. Live video will be broadcast on the 
Internet from the Mars Pathfinder control room -- visit the 
University of Chicago's Web site, http://www.uchicago.edu

"The basic question we are trying to answer is what is Mars made 
of?" said Thanasis (Tom) Economou, Senior Scientist in the 
University's Enrico Fermi Institute. Economou, along with Anthony 
Turkevich, the James Franck Distinguished Service Professor 
Emeritus in Chemistry, designed and built the X-ray spectrometer. 
The alpha and proton spectrometers (originally designed at the 
University of Chicago) are being provided by the Max Planck 
Institut fur Chemie in Germany.

Parker received his B.S. from Michigan State University in 1948 
and his Ph.D. from Caltech in 1951, and joined the Chicago 
faculty as a Research Associate in 1955. He is the author of 
three books and well over 300 scientific articles, and has 
received numerous awards, including the 1989 National Medal of 
Science and the 1992 Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical 
Society. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and 
from 1983 to 1986 was Chairman of the Academy's Astronomy 
Section.

"Down the line we want to be able to find out if life on Mars 
developed along the same lines as life on Earth, but we won't be 
able to answer that question until we can bring back samples to 
examine in laboratories here on Earth," said Economou. "Before 
that can happen, we have to learn as much as we can about Mars 
and figure out what kinds of samples we should bring back.  Our 
instrument will help select the proper samples for the next 
mission."

The APXS can detect any chemical element except hydrogen at 
concentrations as low as a fraction of one percent. The 
instrument can detect elements like carbon, nitrogen and oxygen, 
which are important for life, said Economou, but it cannot 
determine their molecular structure, which is needed to find out 
if indeed life ever existed on Mars.

The Sojourner APXS is mounted on a sophisticated mechanism that 
allows the sensor head to be placed against soil and rock samples 
in almost any position. Alpha particles bombard the sample, and 
the spectrometer detects alpha particles, X-rays and protons that 
are scattered or generated in the sample.

"These studies of Mars will culminate in a sample return mission 
sometime between 2003 and 2005, which is something we also hope 
to be involved in," said Economou.

Turkevich and Economou first developed an alpha proton 
spectrometer for use on the 1967 and 1968 lunar Surveyor missions 
(Surveyor V, VI and VII). These instruments, also designed and 
built by the technical staff at the University of Chicago's 
Laboratory for Astrophysics and Space Research, provided the 
first compete and accurate chemical analysis of the surface of 
the moon.

The University of Chicago, through its Laboratory for 
Astrophysics & Space Research, has a long and distinguished 
history of space exploration.  University scientists have 
participated in more than 35 space missions, including lunar 
landings, planetary orbiters, and extra-solar missions. John 
Simpson, the Arthur Holly Compton Distinguished Service Professor 
Emeritus in the Enrico Fermi Institute, who is still active in 
space missions, participated in the United States' first mission 
to Mars in 1965.
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ROBOTIC MARS LANDING AND SPACE SHUTTLE REFLIGHT HIGHLIGHT A BUSY 
AND CHALLENGING WEEK FOR U.S. SPACE PROGRAM
NASA note to editors:  n97-44

The week of June 30 promises to be a busy and memorable one in 
the history of space exploration, with the landing of NASA's Mars 
Pathfinder spacecraft on Independence Day, a Space Shuttle launch 
of the STS-94 microgravity science mission, and ongoing 
activities on Russia's Mir space station.

NASA will offer near-continuous access to these events for the 
media and the general public.  In addition to standard Space 
Shuttle-related mission activities, NASA TV will provide coverage 
of daily status briefings on Mars Pathfinder and extensive live 
programming on July 4-6 from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) 
in Pasadena, CA.  Telephone audio links will be available during 
overlapping events and numerous Internet sites are accessible for 
status reports and imagery.  JPL also will operate a full-service 
newsroom for the Pathfinder landing from June 30 to at least July 
11.

The latest comprehensive schedule for NASA TV, and updates to it 
as events progress, is available from NASA Headquarters; JPL; 
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX; and, Kennedy Space Center, FL.  
It also is available on-line at the following URL:
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/statrpt/jsc/tvsked/tvsked.txt

Mars Pathfinder Coverage Information

News media should contact JPL's Public Information Office at 
818/354-5011 for information on credentials for its newsroom.  
Please also notify JPL if you have a need for a Mission Audio 
feed of the STS-94 mission distributed to your work location in 
the von Karman Auditorium.

Beginning on June 30, the Mars Pathfinder landing newsroom at JPL 
will be open at 818/354-8999, during at least the following hours 
(all times EDT):

June 30-July 2	11 a.m.-8 p.m.
July 3		11 a.m.-11 p.m.
July 4		9:30 a.m.-3 a.m. (July 5)
July 5-6		11 a.m.-3 a.m.
July 7-11		11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Status reports on mission activities for Mars Pathfinder will be 
issued by the JPL Public Information Office.  Daily audio status 
reports will be available by calling 800/391-6654 or 818/354-
4210.

A pre-landing briefing on Mars Pathfinder and its science 
objectives at Mars will be held at JPL on Tuesday, July 1, at 1 
p.m. EDT.  If the STS-94 launch remains scheduled for this date, 
this briefing will not be shown live on NASA TV.  A taped 
rebroadcast of this briefing currently is planned for later that 
evening and the next morning.  Media can access a live audio feed 
of this briefing by calling 818/354-6170.  During the briefing, 
the STS-94 countdown can be heard on a Mission Audio feed to JPL.

Extensive information on Mars Pathfinder, including an electronic 
copy of the landing press kit, related press releases, fact 
sheets, status reports and images, is available from the JPL 
World Wide Web home page at URL:  
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews

The Mars Pathfinder project also maintains a home page at URL:  
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mpfmir

These sites may receive heavy traffic on the days close to 
landing, but Internet users around the world can follow the 
mission by way of multiple local mirror sites that are now on- 
line, with links listed at the Web site above.  The Internet 
sites feature updates on mission activities and will provide 
Pathfinder photographs of the Martian surface, once they become 
available.  The sites also will feature a bird's eye view of the 
Mars Pathfinder mission operations area at JPL, via a live video 
camera feed that is updated every 15 minutes.

Images returned by the Mars Pathfinder lander and rover will be 
released to the news media in electronic format only during the 
mission via addresses furnished to media upon request.  These 
sites will include files offering the highest spatial and color 
resolution of images returned by the Pathfinder lander and rover.  
Images also will be carried on NASA Television during daily Video 
File broadcasts.

STS-94 Coverage Information

As with all Space Shuttle missions, the Johnson Space Center 
newsroom will be staffed 24-hours a day throughout the 16-day 
STS- 94 mission, Microgravity Science Laboratory-1, beginning at 
9 a.m.  EDT on July 1.  Information regarding the mission can be 
obtained by calling the JSC Newsroom at 281/483-5111.

Information on STS-94 is available through several sources on the 
Internet.  The primary source for mission information is the NASA 
Shuttle Web.  This site contains information on the crew and 
their mission and will be regularly updated with status reports, 
photos and video clips throughout the flight.  The NASA Shuttle 
Web's address is URL:  http://shuttle.nasa.gov

If that address is busy or unavailable, the STS-94 Countdown Page 
can be found at URL:  
http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-94/countdown.html

and the MSL-1 Home Page can be found at URL:  
http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov

Television coverage of STS-94 on NASA TV during the heaviest 
period of Mars Pathfinder activities will include update reports, 
Flight Day Highlights, the "Mission Update" program and Mission 
Status Briefings, when warranted.  Uninterrupted air-to-ground 
feeds of conversations between the astronauts in orbit and ground 
controllers along with mission commentary can continue to be 
heard on Mission Audio, which will be distributed to the NASA 
centers, as is usually the case during Shuttle flights.

During the time when Mars Pathfinder activity is seen on NASA TV, 
a clean TV feed of Shuttle coverage also will be available at 
JSC.  Reporters covering Mars Pathfinder at either JPL or the 
Kennedy Space Center will not be able to obtain a clean TV feed 
of Shuttle coverage after launch, only the programmed feed of 
both Mars Pathfinder and Shuttle activities through NASA TV.

NASA Television is broadcast on the satellite GE-2, transponder 
9C, C Band, 85 degrees West longitude, frequency 3880.0 MHz, 
vertical polarization, audio monaural at 6.8 MHz.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

MARS PATHFINDER WEEKLY STATUS REPORTS
JPL releases

20 June 1997

The spacecraft remains in good health and is currently about 168 
million kilometers from Earth (7 million km from Mars). The total 
flight time since launch is now 196 days, and we have 14 days 
until Mars arrival.

Completed the final flight software load process including 
resetting the flight computer. The spacecraft is now operating 
using the new software, including two small changes made as a 
result of Operational Readiness Test #7. The patch process worked 
flawlessly and we recovered from the reset within two hours.

Completed the rover flight software patch and health check. A 
number of changes to the rover software have been identified as a 
result of post-launch testing, so a small patch was performed 
this week in conjunction with the planned rover health check. The 
rover woke up as expected based on lander command, the code patch 
was accepted, and all engineering telemetry measurements were 
normal.

Completed validating all sequences required for pre-EDL and 
initial surface operations. Approximately 370 sequences will be 
loaded on the spacecraft starting this weekend.

TMOD conducted a readiness review for Mars Pathfinder EDL and 
Surface Operations on June 13. No major issues were identified, 
and all DSN and MGSO elements will be ready to support project 
operations.

June 26, 1997

Mars Pathfinder, now eight days away from landing on the surface 
of Mars, performed the last of its scheduled trajectory 
correction maneuvers at 10 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on 
Wednesday, June 25.

The correction maneuver was performed in two phases occurring 45 
minutes apart. The first burn, lasting just 1.6 seconds, involved 
firing four thruster engines on one side of the vehicle. The 
second burn lasted 2.2 seconds and involved firing two thrusters 
closest to the heat shield. The combined effect of both burns 
changed Pathfinder's velocity by 0.018 meters per second (0.04 
miles per hour), which places the spacecraft on target for a July 
4 landing in an ancient flood basin called Ares Vallis. 
Pathfinder is scheduled to land at 10:07 a.m. PDT (in Earth-
received time). The one-way light time from Mars to Earth is 10 
minutes, 35 seconds, so in actuality, Pathfinder lands at 9:57 
a.m. PDT.

If necessary, a fifth trajectory correction maneuver may be 
performed just before Pathfinder hits the upper atmosphere of 
Mars. The maneuver would be carried out either 12 hours or six 
hours before Pathfinder reaches the atmosphere at 10 a.m. PDT in 
Earth-received time. The flight team will make a decision to 
proceed with the final correction maneuver the evening before 
landing.

A final health check of the spacecraft and rover was performed on 
June 20. All spacecraft systems, including science instruments 
and the critical radar altimeter, remain in excellent health from 
the last check about six months ago.  The rover received a "wake 
up" call, woke up on command from the lander, then accepted a 
software upgrade. Flight controllers next loaded the 370 command 
sequences that will be required by Pathfinder to carry out its 
surface operations mission.

The spacecraft is now ready to begin its entry, descent and 
landing phase. It will be commanded into that mode at 1:42 p.m.  
PDT on June 30 by an onboard sequence.

Mars Pathfinder is currently about 180 million kilometers (111 
million miles) from Earth and about 3.5 million kilometers (2.2 
million miles) from Mars. After 202 days in flight, the 
spacecraft is traveling at about 18,000 kilometers per hour 
(12,000 miles per hour) with respect to Mars.

For further information, please visit our website at 
http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov.

Status report prepared by:
Office of the Flight Operations Manager
Mars Pathfinder Project
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA 91109
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"HOT WHEELS" TOY:  ANOTHER SUCCESS FROM JPL'S TECHNOLOGY 
AFFILIATES PROGRAM
JPL release

June 19, 1997

It rocks, it rolls, it boogies. Mattel Inc.'s Hot Wheels JPL
Sojourner Mars Rover Action Pack Set, a toy version of Sojourner, 
a mini-rover destined to traverse the Martian soil starting July 
4, recreates the real robot's distinctive, six-wheeled, "rocker- 
bogie" locomotion system. The toy, now available nationwide, is 
but one example of how the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Technology 
Affiliates Program works cooperatively with industry.

Through this program, corporations form strategic alliances with 
JPL either to license intellectual property, as was the case with 
Mattel, or to gain access to JPL's engineers and scientists to 
help solve a range of technological problems. To date, more than 
120 companies, large and small, have utilized the program to 
solve upwards of 200 specific technology challenges.

In short, the program provides a streamlined way for JPL, one of 
10 NASA centers around the country, to do business with the 
private sector.  The payoff: technologies developed for the space 
program prove beneficial back on Earth and, in the case of the 
Mattel toy, help educate and enthuse the public about the space 
program.

"We are pleased to have forged an alliance with Mattel through 
our Technology Affiliates Program," says Merle McKenzie, manager 
of JPL's Commercial Technology Office. "Who could help but become 
intrigued by the Mars Pathfinder mission, scheduled to land on 
Mars on July 4 and set Sojourner free to explore the red planet, 
after seeing this intricately accurate mini-version of the 
mission's mini-rover?"

She adds, "When Mattel first approached us in 1995 with the idea 
of creating a toy based on Sojourner, the Technology Affiliates 
Program significantly streamlined the process of licensing this 
technology. The program is designed precisely to cut red tape and 
get things moving along swiftly."

JPL is managed by the California Institute of Technology, which 
serves as the party of record on all patents developed at JPL and 
works closely with JPL on Technology Affiliates Program 
agreements.

Mars Pathfinder is one of the first missions in a new, decade-
long NASA program of robotic exploration to expand scientists' 
knowledge of Mars. The unifying theme throughout the decade is 
the search for water, which is a key requirement for life. 
Sojourner, the first rover ever to explore the Martian surface, 
will not only take close-up images of the Martian terrain but 
also will measure the composition of the rocks and surface soil, 
determining their mineralogy.

Sojourner's many innovations include miniature electronics and 
the ability to decide on its own whether to climb over rocks up 
to its own height of 0.3 meters (one foot) or to circumnavigate 
larger ones. Its "rocker-bogie" suspension is unique in that it 
does not use springs. Rather, its joints bend and conform to the 
contour of the ground, providing the greatest degree of stability 
for traversing rocky, uneven surfaces. A six- wheeled chassis was 
chosen over a four-wheeled design because it provides greater 
stability.

Many of these fascinating features have been captured in the 
Mattel toy. "We hope this does indeed turn out to be a big hit," 
says McKenzie. "After all, what better way to inform the public 
about the space program and get everyone enthused about the 
marvelous technology it has inspired?"

For further information about JPL's Technology Affiliates 
Program, visit their web site at 
http://techtrans.jpl.nasa.gov/tu.html
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CREATE A SLOGAN FOR NASA'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY IN 1998
From the 19 June 1997 edition of "NASA Head's Up"

The Office of Policy and Plans is holding a contest to identify a 
slogan to use for NASA's 40th anniversary programs and 
activities. To enter, submit your slogan in writing by July 31 to 
Steve Garber, Code ZH, or email steve.garber@hq.nasa.gov
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INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EARTH OBSERVATION & ENVIRONMENTAL 
INFORMATION (EOEI 97)

Alexandria, Egypt October 13 - 16, 1997

OBJECTIVES:

The International Conference on Earth Observation and 
Environmental Information (EOEI97) will be devoted to presenting 
and exploring international scientific and technical advances and 
innovative contributions in the fields of: Remote Sensing, 
Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Earth Observation, Data 
Management, Information Infrastructure, Scientific 
Investigations, Training and Education in three areas identified 
below. The conference will bring together researchers, 
developers, educators, analysts and users, who utilize Earth 
Observation and Environmental Information in the study of:

1- Oceans and Coastal Processes;
2- Water Resources;
3- Land Use/Land Vegetation Cover Change.

Call for papers

Contributions are solicited for oral or poster presentations.  
Contributions should focus on the three research themes (oceans 
and coastal processes; water resources; land use/land vegetation 
cover change). Authors must submit a title and abstract of about 
500 words for review by the Technical Program Committee not later 
than June 15, 1997.  Authors will be notified of the acceptance 
of their contributions by July 15, 1997. The full paper version 
of the accepted abstracts may be submitted to the conference (not 
mandatory). The full paper proceedings will be mailed to the 
registered attendees after the conference. In the context of the 
three themes listed above, appropriate contributions include but 
are not limited to:

1.	Earth Observation Platforms
Instruments

2.	Data Management and Information Systems
Distributed Database Management Systems, Geographical Information 
Systems, Software Tools for Earth Science, Internet Applications, 
Networking and Data Distribution, Image Processing

3.	Earth System Science
Process Studies, Modeling Studies.

4.	Education and Outreach
Formal Education, Informal Education.

Deadlines

Submission of Extended Abstracts, June 30, 1997 (extended date).   
Submission of Tutorial or Workshop Proposals, June 30, 1997 
(extended date).
Notification of Acceptance of Papers for Oral or Poster  
Presentation, July 15, 1997.
Registration for Exhibits, July 15, 1997.
Submission of Camera-ready Extended Abstracts, August 15, 1997.  
Authors/Attendees Pre-registration, August 15, 1997.

Home Pages

http : //www.frcu.eun.eg/www/conference/aast.html
http : //www.ceosr.gmu.edu/news.html
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SHUTTLE MISSION REFLIGHT IN QUEST OF SCIENTIFIC MYSTERIES
NASA release:  97-140

Searching to solve Earth-bound scientific mysteries in space, 
teams of researchers are taking NASA's Microgravity Science 
Laboratory back into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, 
targeted for launch on July 1.

This Shuttle mission will be a reflight of NASA's Microgravity 
Science Laboratory-1, dedicated to 33 experiments concentrated in 
the areas of combustion science, protein crystals and study of 
the properties of metals and alloys important to many industrial 
processes.

In April, the previous flight of the Microgravity Science 
Laboratory was cut short after four days because of a faulty fuel 
cell.  The astronaut team and investigators at Marshall Space 
Flight Center, Huntsville, AL, were only able to begin their 
schedule of experiments, which had been planned for 16 days.

"Those four days allowed our science team to barely open the door 
to tantalizing scientific research," said Joel Kearns, manager of 
NASA's Microgravity Research Program Office at Marshall.  "We 
were able to verify that we are headed in the right direction.  
But we were not able to reach our destination because of the 
shortened mission."

Kearns, nevertheless, cited important accomplishments during the 
abbreviated April mission.  He said researchers tested their 
experiment hardware under flight conditions and it performed 
"extraordinarily." NASA and commercial research teams also 
acquired their first glimpses of some "never-before-seen 
phenomena," said Kearns.

The first observations of free-floating flame balls during the 
April flight were described by Dr. Paul Ronney of the University 
of Southern California in Los Angeles as "successful beyond my 
wildest dreams." His experiment, called the Structure of Flame 
Balls at Low Lewis-number, is designed to increase understanding 
of the characteristics of fuels and fires.

Dr. Gerard Faeth of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor said 
that during the four-day flight, scientists got their first 
glimpse of the concentration and structure of soot from a fire 
burning in near-weightless conditions.  The initial findings were 
an important step forward in understanding combustion and soot 
formation, he said.  Like the flame ball experiment, this 
investigation could lead to improvements in fuel efficiency for 
all types of burning processes -- from car and jet engines to 
heating and cooking appliances.

"The success we've glimpsed from the shortened Shuttle mission in 
April makes it clear that we're heading in the right direction," 
said Kearns.  "All activated research apparatus functioned in an 
outstanding manner.  This upcoming mission has the potential to 
add considerably to our basic scientific knowledge and our 
quality of life here on Earth," Kearns pointed out.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

MIR UPDATE
From: "VideoCosmos Co." <cosmos@space.accessnet.ru>
Igor A. Marinin -- Deputy Director General, VideoCosmos Co. Chief 
Editor, Novosti Kosmonavtiki
Igor A. Lissov -- Manager, Foreign Information, Novosti 
Kosmonavtiki

June 25, 1997 -- Moscow, Russia

[We have not attempted to colloquialize the English in this 
report.  eds.]

Situation onboard Mir space station has stabilized after an 
accident this morning and Russian officials see low probability 
of emergency landing. The crew hasn't even activated their Soyuz 
spacecraft.

Progress M-34 cargo vehicle collided with one of the Spektr 
module's solar panels and cut a hole of some 30x40 centimeters in 
it. Due to force applied to the panel's rigid structure, a leak 
appeared in Spektr and by now, it is depressurized to zero and is 
considered lost.  Other modules are airtight and has been 
successfully repressurized. Of two hatches between Core Module 
and Spektr, only the hatch in the docking compartnent of the Core 
Module was closed.

Due to loss of electric power from Spektr, voltage in the Core, 
Kvant-2 and Kristall modules is low and more and more systems are 
being shut down, with the exception of the Vozdukh CO2 removing 
apparatus.

Launch of Progress M-35 scheduled on Friday would be rescheduled 
by no more than 10 days. This cargo craft would deliver electric 
cables (to be built in hurry) and the crew would do EVA and 
connect Spektr solar panels with the electric system of the 
station.

Progress M-34 is airtight and controllable and by 13:20 UTC today 
it was some 2.5 kilometers from Mir. Tomorrow it would be 
deorbited.
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TROPICAL RAINFALL MEASURING MISSION SET FOR OCTOBER 31 LAUNCH
NASA release:  97-143

NASA and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) 
have set October 31 at 3:40 p.m. EST (Nov. 1, 1997, 5:40 a.m., 
JST) as the official launch date for the Tropical Rainfall 
Measuring Mission.

The first Earth science satellite dedicated to studying the 
properties of tropical and subtropical rainfall, the Tropical 
Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) carries microwave and 
visible/infrared sensors, and the first spaceborne rain radar.  
Tropical rainfall comprises more than two-thirds of global 
rainfall and is the primary distributor of heat through the 
circulation of the atmosphere.  More precise information about 
this rainfall and its variability is crucial to understanding and 
predicting global climate change.

"We're very excited about this major opportunity for cooperation 
with Japan, which is NASA's largest international partner in 
Earth science," said William Townsend, Acting Associate 
Administrator for NASA's Mission to Planet Earth enterprise, 
Washington, DC.  "The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission has 
great potential to improve scientific understanding of climate 
processes related to the heat released by tropical rainfall.  In 
turn, this knowledge improves the global atmospheric circulation 
computer models that are used to make weather and climate 
forecasts."

NASDA will provide the Precipitation Radar for TRMM and an H-II 
rocket to launch the observatory on a three-year mission from the 
Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.

"We are very happy to provide the Precipitation Radar for TRMM 
and launch this first space mission to measure a driving force of 
the global atmosphere, tropical rainfall.  We hope this U.S.-
Japan joint mission provides important data for predicting global 
climate change and weather anomalies," said Dr. Kazuyoshi 
Yoshimura, Executive Director of NASDA in Tokyo.  "We will launch 
TRMM in November, and hereafter we can launch a rocket in each 
fall season.  This is a good opportunity to expand the 
cooperation between the U.S. and Japan, and we expect a further 
cooperation in various fields, such as Earth observation 
satellites, Earth science, and global change research."

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, fabricated 
the observatory's structure and support systems, integrated and 
tested the spacecraft and is providing two science instruments. 
Two other instruments are being provided by NASAs Langley 
Research Center, Hampton, VA, and its Marshall Space Flight 
Center, Huntsville, AL.

Goddard also will operate TRMM via NASA's Tracking and Data Relay 
Satellite System. NASA and NASDA will share responsibility for 
science data processing and distribution to the global change 
research community.

Current knowledge of rainfall is limited, especially over the 
oceans. By flying in a low-altitude orbit of 217 miles (350 
kilometers), TRMM's complement of state-of-the-art instruments 
will provide extremely accurate measurements of the distribution 
and variability of tropical rain and lightning, and the balance 
of solar radiation absorbed and reflected by Earth's atmosphere.

Extensive prelaunch testing of TRMM was completed recently and 
the observatory currently is undergoing final preparations for 
its shipment to the Japanese launch site in late August.

The TRMM launch window opens at 5:40 a.m. JST on Nov. 1, and with 
an approximate two-hour launch window daily for a 40- day period.  
TRMM's companion payload on the H-II rocket will be Engineering 
Test Satellite-7, a Japanese robotics experiment.

The TRMM project is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth 
enterprise, a long-term, coordinated research effort to study the 
total Earth system and the effects of natural and human- induced 
changes on the global environment.  TRMM is managed by Goddard 
for NASA's Office of Mission to Planet Earth, Washington, DC.
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End MARSBUGS, Vol. 4, No. 10
