MARSBUGS:  
The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter
Volume 5, Number 18, 27 August 1998.

Editors:

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

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

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.  Article 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 and Word97 files suitable for 
printing may be obtained via anonymous FTP at 
ftp.uidaho.edu/pub/mmbb/marsbugs or at the official Marsbugs web 
page at http://members.aol.com/marsbugs/marsbugs.html.

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.

Astrobiology 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 and astrobiology (life on other 
planets), the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), 
ecopoeisis and 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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CONTENTS

1)	AQUARIUM TEST HELPS SCIENTISTS LOOK FOR LIFE IN EXTREME 
ENVIRONMENTS
JPL release

2)	RESEARCHERS ASSESS BIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF MARS, EARLY EARTH 
AND EUROPA
University of Colorado release

3)	SEARCHING FOR LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
By Bruce Jakosky

4)	UF AIR REVITALIZATION RESEARCH SHOWS PROMISE FOR MANNED MARS 
MISSION
By Aaron Hoover

5)	JBIS LIFE ON MARS PREVIEW AND SYMPOSIUM ANNOUNCEMENT
From the Mars Underground News

6)	SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF GIANT CANADIAN RESEARCH BALLOON TO STUDY 
OZONE LAYER DEPLETION
Canadian Space Agency release

7)	MARS SOCIETY SPECIAL BULLETIN #7

8)	NASA OLMSA RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES HOMEPAGE UPDATE
NASA release

9)	THIS WEEK ON GALILEO
JPL release

10)	1998 MARS SURVEYOR PROJECT STATUS REPORT 
By John McNamee

11)	STARDUST STATUS REPORTS
By Ken Atkins
------------------------------------------------------------------

AQUARIUM TEST HELPS SCIENTISTS LOOK FOR LIFE IN EXTREME 
ENVIRONMENTS
JPL release

20 August 1998

NASA's search for life elsewhere in the solar system is bringing 
space scientists to the giant kelp forest exhibit at the Monterey 
Bay Aquarium to test a new scientific probe that might one day 
look for life in oceans that may exist on Jupiter's icy moon 
Europa.  Researchers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are 
conducting these first-time engineering tests at the California 
aquarium as a precursor to an experiment that will place a 
scientific probe in an underwater Hawaiian volcanic vent later 
this year.  The Lo'ihi Underwater Volcanic Vent Mission Probe will 
investigate an undersea volcano located 27 kilometers (20 miles) 
east of the Big Island of Hawaii at a depth of about 1,300 meters 
(4,250 feet).

"The purpose of using the Monterey Bay Aquarium kelp tank is to 
begin testing the instruments in an aquatic environment that 
contains some biological material that will stimulate and test the 
hardware," said JPL's Dr. Lonne Lane, principal investigator for 
the experiment.  "The information to be gathered from these 
experiments at the aquarium and later in Hawaii will prepare us 
for future missions to difficult places like Antarctica's Lake 
Vostok (under 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) of ice), and below the 
surface of Jupiter's ice-encrusted moon Europa."

The use of the aquarium also provides a cost-effective, controlled 
environment for this first experiment.  Open ocean opportunities 
with deep-diving submersibles are extremely limited and often 
expensive, Lane explained.

"As part of JPL's new astrobiology effort, we are bringing new 
instrumentation and approaches to areas that in the past have been 
deemed either very difficult or impossible to explore," he said.

"The long-range goal of this experiment is a multi-faceted 
investigation of deep ocean volcanic vents and sea floor cracks 
from which very hot water flow out into the deep ocean.  The 
foremost question we are trying to answer is:  can and do simple 
biological species exist within the hot water vents?  If so, what 
are the temperature limits for their survival and what are the 
chemical conditions they need for growth?" Lane said.

The search for life and organisms in extreme environments has 
prompted scientists to examine the thin, gelatinous (jellyfish-
like) veils of material that have been previously observed at 
underwater volcanic hot water vents.  Although there have been 
only a few observations of this material, on at least one occasion 
the white material has appeared to actually come from the vent 
throat.  Measurements of thermal conditions inside the vents have 
produced a range of temperatures from near 80 C (176 F) to almost 
350 C (662 F).  The presence of life forms inside these vents 
would challenge what scientists believe is the accepted 
temperature range for life to exist.  Currently the accepted 
temperature range is about -5 C to 110 C (23 F to 230 F), 
according to Lane.  After the August tests in Monterey, the team 
will take the probe to Hawaii in October.

"The goal of the Lo'ihi mission in Hawaii is to develop an 
instrumented underwater probe that can be placed inside these 
deep, hot water vents.  The probe will determine temperature, 
chemical state, nutrient supply, the identity of organic material 
and conduct limited visual imaging," said JPL's Lloyd French, 
project lead and system architect for the probe mission.  "The 
first experiments will concentrate on temperature and imaging the 
vent walls, while the chemical and spectroscopic instruments are 
being developed for the second year deployment.  The scientific 
probe will be placed inside the underwater vent by a robotic arm 
controlled from within an underwater submersible."

The Lo'ihi mission is a joint venture between JPL and the 
University of Hawaii, with involvement from Hawaii Undersea 
Research Laboratories and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  JPL, a 
division of the California Institute of Technology, is conducting 
the tests for NASA's Office of Space Sciences, Washington, DC.
------------------------------------------------------------------

RESEARCHERS ASSESS BIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF MARS, EARLY EARTH AND 
EUROPA
University of Colorado release

25 August 1998

The potential amount of life that could have existed on Mars is 
tiny compared to the biomass early in Earth's history, say two 
experts from the University of Colorado at Boulder and Washington 
University in St. Louis.  Professor Bruce Jakosky of CU's 
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics and Professor Everett 
Shock of WU's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences modeled 
geochemical reactions from rock weathering.  They also estimated 
Martian volcanic activity over time and the associated activity of 
hydrothermal vents.  They concluded a surprisingly small amount of 
life could have been produced through chemical reactions over 
billions of years.

"There has been a revolution in biology that has changed ideas 
about early life on Earth," Jakosky said.  "These new ideas came 
after recent discoveries of life on Earth in extreme conditions 
where organisms use geochemistry rather than photosynthesis for 
energy."

Such organisms live on chemical energy obtained from near-boiling 
water created by mid-ocean rifts and continental hot springs like 
Yellowstone.

"We used this new knowledge as a springboard to estimate the 
amount of chemical energy available on Mars," said Jakosky, a 
science team member on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft now 
orbiting the "Red Planet."

"This is the first modern estimate for the potential amount of 
life on Mars, past or present, and was calculated by using what we 
know about the planet's geological history," he said.  The NASA-
funded study will be published in the August 25th issue of the 
Journal of Geophysics Research.

The researchers assumed that life requires water, access to 
elements like carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and sulfur to build complex 
molecules, and a source of energy.  The source can be either 
natural chemical reactions or photosynthesis, and provide energy 
that organisms can use for metabolism.

Earth can produce about 20 grams of organisms per square 
centimeter of land every 1,000 years because of the powerful 
forces of photosynthesis, according to Shock, an expert on 
chemical energy processes on Earth.  But it would take Mars four 
billion years to produce that same 20 grams, assuming the 
organisms were using chemical energy.  This massive difference in 
the possible biomass produced on Earth relative to Mars is due 
almost entirely to the occurrence of photosynthesis on Earth, they 
said.  "But there's no evidence of life on Mars yet, much less 
photosynthesis," said Jakosky, also a professor in geological 
sciences.

Jakosky and Shock estimated the amount of geochemical energy that 
has been available through time on Mars from evidence involving 
volcanism, the circulation of water on Mars that once flowed 
through its hydrothermal systems, and the weathering on the 
planet's surface and crust.  It appears the amount of volcanic 
rock that has erupted on Mars over its lifetime is several hundred 
times less than that on early Earth.  Therefore, the global amount 
of energy accessible through hydrothermal vents would likely have 
been proportionately less on Mars as well, Jakosky said.

Within the next decade NASA plans to bring Mars samples back Earth 
to look for evidence of life.  "However, the probable low 
abundance of life on Mars, if any, will make this difficult," 
Jakosky said.  "The chance of picking up rocks containing fossils 
or even life during sample-return missions is small.

"Our best hope lies in targeting and exploring fossil or active 
hydrothermal systems, aqueous systems that could be exposed in 
walls of Mars' deep canyons, or active springs discharging at the 
surface," he said.

Jakosky and Shock also evaluated the potential biomass that could 
have been created on Europa, a moon of Jupiter.  Europa gained 
attention in recent months when Galileo spacecraft scientists 
discovered what they believe to evidence for liquid water under 
thick sheets of ice.  Jakosky believes if there is even a slim 
chance for finding life there, it would not be in the water but in 
rocks underlying the water where internal heat sources may 
transfer energy for life.  They estimate, however, that the energy 
available on Europa is even lower than on Mars.
------------------------------------------------------------------

SEARCHING FOR LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
By Bruce Jakosky

What would it mean to us, as individuals or as a society, to find 
extraterrestrial life? Finding even simple microbes on another 
planet would tell us that life has originated somewhere 
independently of life on Earth.  My own view is that the 
occurrence of even a single example of another life-bearing planet 
would be as significant as the discovery of intelligent beings 
elsewhere in the galaxy.

Others see the question a little differently.  For example, I 
asked my undergraduate "extraterrestrial life" class last semester 
what they felt the significance of finding life elsewhere would 
be.  Although not a scientific poll, especially coming at the end 
of the semester, the results are very enlightening.  The types of 
answers spanned a broad range of views, including:

-Finding bacteria elsewhere would be scientifically interesting, 
but only finding extraterrestrial intelligence would be truly 
profound (this was the most common theme).

-It won't really make any difference nor have much meaning to most 
people; their lives will go on pretty much as before.

-We should solve our own problems on Earth before we even go 
looking for life elsewhere.

-Extraterrestrial intelligence will help us to save the world by 
solving all of our current problems.

-Extraterrestrial intelligence will destroy our civilization, 
either by intent or by accident.

-The existence of extraterrestrial life or intelligence would be 
inconsistent with the views espoused by modern religions.

-Modern religions will adapt to deal with the discovery of life or 
intelligence elsewhere, as they have in order to deal with other 
discoveries and societal changes in the past.

-We've already discovered extraterrestrial life and the government 
is hiding it, probably in a hangar in New Mexico (this was the 
other most common theme).

-We may not have discovered it yet, but the government is covering 
up anyway.

Clearly, the imagined impact of finding life depends on the 
individual, and is a reflection of their personal outlook and 
beliefs.  Is there a difference between scientists and non-
scientists?  When I started writing this piece, I thought that 
there would be substantial differences.

From the scientific perspective, a very reasonable case can be 
made that life might be widespread.  Several of the relevant 
scientific advances have made front-page headlines during the last 
year or two.  These include the discovery of planets orbiting 
around other stars, finding evidence within martian meteorites for 
possible fossil life there, finding life on Earth that thrives in 
extremely harsh environments, and finding a potential liquid-water 
habitat for life on Jupiter's satellite Europa.

For scientists, these issues represent only the tip of the 
iceberg.  Over the past two decades, they have been developing the 
details behind these discoveries.  The evidence suggests that the 
origin of life was both rapid and straightforward on the early 
Earth, and that similar processes could be expected to have 
occurred on other planets, either in our solar system or around 
other stars.

Thinking it plausible, though, and discovering that it is true are 
very different things.  Finding proof that life is not unique to 
the Earth would cement our place in the galaxy as just another 
result of especially interesting chemistry.

This is where I initially thought that various views would begin 
to diverge.  I thought that scientists working in the field of 
exobiology (the study of life and the potential for life 
elsewhere) would tend to treat any life the same in terms of its 
philosophical significance.  It would not matter, then, whether 
the life was microbial or intelligent.  Since intelligent life 
evolved on Earth from microbial life, microbial life on other 
planets would tell us that life exists elsewhere, that it had had 
an independent origin, and that there was nothing unique about 
life on Earth.  In contrast, my survey suggests that most non-
scientists think that the discovery of extraterrestrial bacteria 
would be interesting but not terribly exciting, and that it would 
take the discovery of intelligent beings elsewhere to get the 
world's attention.

We must recognize that, if there is life elsewhere, it is most 
likely to be bacteria-like.  Microbes were the first organisms to 
evolve on the Earth and the only ones that were present at all for 
billions of years.  Only in the last 1/6 or so of the Earth's 
history did organisms that were substantially more complicated 
evolve, and only during the last 0.01 % or so have humans existed.  
Although it is not yet widely recognized, bacteria may continue to 
dominate the biosphere today in terms of total numbers of species 
or organisms or their total mass.

We have the highest probability of finding extraterrestrial life 
in our lifetime on Mars.  Mars seems to have (or to have had) all 
of the ingredients necessary for an origin of life, and possibly 
for its continued existence today.  And, we can send spacecraft 
there relatively easily.  Of course, searching for life on Mars 
but finding no evidence of it would have significant implications 
for our understanding of the origin of life on Earth.  If there 
has never been martian life, we would have to seriously question 
our current views of the origin of life on Earth and the 
possibility of widespread life in the universe.

What about the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence?  
Regular viewers of Star Trek or the X-Files may suspect that 
intelligent beings populate the entire galaxy.  Intelligence is 
extremely difficult to define but, as we understand it, has to be 
described by awareness of self, the capability for abstract 
thought, and the presence of hopes, dreams, and desires.  
Physically, though, it is the size of our brain in comparison to 
our body size that sets humans apart from other terrestrial 
species, rather than, say, our ability to use tools or to 
recognize contingencies in our actions.  Carl Sagan has argued 
that increased intelligence would be so advantageous to any 
species that it is likely to evolve wherever there is life.  This 
result may not be obvious, however.  Considering the multitudes of 
species that have existed on Earth without developing either large 
brains or enhanced self-awareness, there certainly does not seem 
to be an automatic imperative toward intelligence.  Rather, there 
seems to be an imperative toward species developing brains that 
are no bigger than necessary in order to operate their bodies.  
And, even if large brains were to evolve in a species on another 
planet, it does not automatically follow that intelligence would 
result.

Even as we debate the many possibilities, we are continuing our 
exploration.  We are sending spacecraft to Mars within the next 
decade to look for life.  The Cassini spacecraft is en route to 
Saturn where it will explore its satellite Titan to understand the 
nature of its surface and atmosphere and of its "prebiological" 
chemistry.  We are continuing to search for, discover, and 
understand the nature of planets that are orbiting around other 
stars, and we are beginning to develop the technology that will 
allow us to look for and observe Earth-like planets.

In the course of completing this essay, though, and listening to 
some of the debates on the issues of life elsewhere, it has become 
clear to me that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is 
just as important as the search for microbial life.  Although 
microbial life may be more widespread throughout the galaxy, or 
easier to find in our solar system, the discovery of intelligent 
life elsewhere would have tremendously profound implications.

The real significance of the search for life, however,
intelligent or microbial, is the search itself and what it means 
for us here on Earth.  Searching for life says that we as a 
society want to do more than just get by, more than just survive 
our day-to-day existence.  It means that we want to understand how 
we fit into the world around us, to understand what it means to be 
human.  As one of my students put it, with several layers of 
meaning, "We are looking for ourselves".  The fact that these 
questions resonate so strongly with so many people, both non-
scientists and scientists, underscores our need to find and 
understand our place in the universe, whatever the implications 
might be.

It is humbling to realize that we are only at the beginning of our 
exploration of the Universe.  The 5000-year written record of 
human civilization really spans only about 250 generations! It is 
impossible to predict what will happen on Earth in the next 
hundred years, let alone thousand, million or billion years.  
Likewise, it is impossible to predict what else might be out 
there--we have to search in order to find out.

To paraphrase one intellectual discussing extraterrestrial life, 
"Either there is life elsewhere or there isn't.  Both 
possibilities are equally frightening."

[Bruce Jakosky is a Professor of Geology at the University of 
Colorado at Boulder and a member of the Mars Global Surveyor 
science team.  Cambridge University Press will publish his book, 
The Search for Life on Other Planets, this summer.  A version 
similar to this article appeared in the Planetary Report, which is 
published by the Planetary Society.  We are grateful to both the 
Planetary Society and Dr. Jakosky for allowing us to reproduce 
this article.
--Eds.]
------------------------------------------------------------------

UF AIR REVITALIZATION RESEARCH SHOWS PROMISE FOR MANNED MARS 
MISSION
By Aaron Hoover, University of Florida

20 August 1998

With hermetically sealed walls and numerous life support systems, 
spacecraft are intended to protect astronauts from deadly 
conditions outside.  But the high-tech cocoons can become 
dangerous or difficult to work in if the air occupants breathe 
becomes contaminated.  Scientists and engineers have devised 
methods to guard against the problem on short space flights or 
aboard space stations, but air revitalization ranks as a major 
technical challenge for extended missions such as a planned trip 
to Mars next century.

Now, a University of Florida chemical engineering professor is 
reporting early success with a revolutionary new technology that 
could one day remove deadly carbon dioxide and other harmful gases 
from air on a Mars-bound vehicle or on Martian or lunar colonies.

"We think there's a lot of potential here," said Ranga Narayanan, 
a specialist in fluid dynamics and applied mathematics at UF.

NASA uses chemical and filtration methods to purify air on space 
flights, Narayanan said.  Space stations also replenish air 
revitalization equipment with supplies flown in from Earth.  A 
Mars mission requires new technologies because transporting the 
amount of chemicals and filters needed for the estimated six- to 
nine-month trip, 500-day stay and six- to nine-month return trip 
would be impossible or very expensive, Narayanan and NASA 
officials said.  Resupply from Earth, meanwhile, would be 
impossible.  Funded with a $230,000 grant from NASA, Narayanan and 
several chemical engineering graduate students designed, built and 
are testing a machine that could revitalize air on long missions 
or planetary visits without chemicals, Narayanan said.

The stainless-steel-and-aluminum machine works by separating gases 
through "oscillating flow," or moving them back and forth in 
closed chambers, Narayanan said.  Mark Jaeger, a UF professor of 
physiology, and Ulrich Kurzweg, a UF professor of aerospace 
engineering, mechanics and engineering science pioneered the 
concept, he said.

The researchers pump precisely measured doses of gases into two 
sealed aluminum chambers connected by a hollow metal tube.  A 
machine moves the tube back and forth at varying speeds, with the 
researchers measuring changes in the gases.  Narayanan said the 
device had successfully separated large proportions of carbon 
dioxide from helium in one chamber and transferred the gas to the 
other chamber, an indication it could remove carbon dioxide or 
other gases from air.  Any remaining carbon dioxide could then be 
removed using filters or other technology, he said.

"The advantage is you don't need to treat large volumes of diluted 
gas," he said.  "You can now treat lesser volumes of more 
concentrated gas, so you're saving energy."

Much remains to be studied before the technology could ever be 
used on a Mars mission, Narayanan cautioned.  Besides confirming 
the device will work with air, researchers also must determine how 
much energy it may require, how heavy it will be and whether it 
would continue to function in a low-gravity space environment, he 
said.  Negative results on any of these steps could scuttle the 
idea, he said.

Narayanan's machine is one of several air revitalization 
alternative technologies NASA is pursuing, said Guy Fogleman, lead 
for advanced human support technology in NASA's Office of Life and 
Microgravity Sciences and Applications in Washington, D.C.  
Fogleman said the office's goal is to cut down the materials and 
equipment needed for survival in space, reducing the cost of a 
trip to Mars and making it more practical.

"For every pound I send to Mars, I'm going to need 40 pounds in 
low earth orbit, and it takes a lot of energy to get the 40 pounds 
up there," Fogleman said.  "Our goal is to reduce the overall mass 
required per person per year by a factor of two or three."

New technologies resulting from the NASA office's efforts also 
could prove useful for the planned International Space Station, 
Fogleman said.

"If I can increase the amount of time needed between resupply 
missions, it would make the station more self-sufficient," he 
said.

Color or black & white photo available with this story.  For 
information, please call News & Public Affairs photography at 
(352) 392-9092.

PHOTO CAPTION:  [http://www.napa.ufl.edu/ufnews/spaceph.htm]
Ranga Narayanan, a specialist in fluid dynamics and applied 
mathematics at the University of Florida, demonstrates a machine 
that someday could provide breathable air for a manned mission to 
Mars.  Narayanan and several chemical engineering graduate 
students designed, built and are testing the device, which has 
shown early success.  Space stations currently replenish air 
revitalization equipment with supplies flown in from Earth.  A 
Mars mission would require new technologies because transporting 
the amount of chemicals and filters needed for the estimated six- 
to nine-month trip, 500-day stay and six- to nine-month return 
trip would be impossible or very expensive.  Resupply from Earth, 
meanwhile, would be impossible.  (UF photo by Jeff Gage)
------------------------------------------------------------------

JBIS LIFE ON MARS PREVIEW AND SYMPOSIUM ANNOUNCEMENT
From the Mars Underground News

The 1999 Special Issue of the Journal of the British 
Interplanetary Society is devoted to "Life on Mars".  This issue 
is based upon the "Life on Mars" symposium to be held at the BIS 
on November 11th, 1998.  Further details about the symposium 
and/or the JBIS special issue can be obtained from the conference 
organizers Julian Hiscox (julian.hiscox@bbsrc.ac.uk) and Richard 
Taylor (rlst@cix.compulink.co.uk).  Alternatively contact the BIS 
directly at:  bis.bis@virgin.net

"Life on Mars" Special Issue.  Provisional Contents.  
Editor:  Dr. Julian A. Hiscox
Note:  Symposium speakers are indicated by *.

CHAPTER 1:  LIFE ON MARS--A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 
*Richard Taylor, Probability Research Group

For some centuries now scientists and philosophers have been 
speculating about the possibility of life on Mars.  Before the 
space age the scientific investigation of Mars was limited to 
telescopic observation and theoretical modeling.  The 
interpretation for or against life on Mars was hotly contested.  
These observations and how the inferences drawn from them shaped 
the Mariner and Viking missions are reviewed.


CHAPTER 2:  UNDERSTANDING THE ORIGIN OF LIFE ON EARTH, AND MARS?
*Julian A. Hiscox, Division of Molecular Biology, IAH Compton 
Laboratory

Studies of Earth's earliest biosphere have suggested a close 
coupling between the evolution of early life forms and the 
physical and chemical evolution of the planetary surface.  From a 
biological perspective, there were many similarities between early 
Earth and early Mars.  This has led to the idea that life may also 
have arisen on Mars.  Various theories have been advanced to 
explain the origin of life on Earth.  These will be briefly 
reviewed with relevance to Earth and possibly Mars.


CHAPTER 3:  ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION, CLIMATE CHANGE AND LIFE ON 
MARS
B. Lee Lindner, University of Charleston

We will show how the composition of the martian atmosphere has 
changed dramatically and frequently throughout time (much more so 
than on Earth), and how this change in composition could adversely 
or positively affect life on the surface of Mars.  It is not our 
intent to have an extended article covering all aspects of this 
topic, but rather to focus on a few key issues, such as the amount 
of ozone and carbon dioxide.

CHAPTER 4:  ON THE INEVITABILITY OF LIFE'S EMERGENCE ON MARS 
*Michael J. Russell and Allan J. Hall, University of Glasgow

Reaction between the reduced mafic Martian crust and water from 
the Martian ocean in equilibrium with several bars of carbon 
dioxide would have led inevitably to the onset of geochemical 
metabolism at hot submarine seepages 4.5 to 4 billion years ago.  
The co-development of an internally-stored program would have 
afforded the cellular metabolists the propensity to evolve, 
eventually to find new energy sources, including solar photons.


CHAPTER 5:  AN UNDERGROUND MODEL FOR PRESENT DAY LIFE ON MARS 
Penny Boston, Complex Systems, Inc.

The question of extant microbial life on Mars is re-examined in 
light of the most recent information about the planet and the 
presence of non- photosynthetic microbial ecosystems on Earth.  On 
Mars, protected subsurface niches associated with hydrothermal 
activity could have continued to support life even after surface 
conditions became inhospitable.  Geochemical evidence from the SNC 
meteorites and geomorphological evidence for recent volcanism 
suggest that such habitats could persist to present day.


CHAPTER 6:  LIFE IN EXTREME THERMAL ENVIRONMENTS
*Don Cowan, University College London

Extreme thermal ecosystems carry our deepest insights into 
earliest life on Earth, and maybe to the origin of life.  The 
study of organisms found within extreme thermal environments can 
provide pointers as to where to look on Mars for such habitats and 
the forms of life that may have arisen and the remains they may 
have left behind.


CHAPTER 7:  ANTARCTICA AS A MODEL FOR ANCIENT MARS 
*David Wynn-Williams, British Antarctic Survey

Since the evaluation of the Viking landers in the Dry Valleys of 
Antarctica 25 years ago, hydrological models for Mars suggest four 
epochs dating from 4.2 Gya:  Abundant water, water restricted to 
ice- covered lakes; water restricted to porous rocks; and present 
surface desert.  These all have current Antarctic analogues which 
are currently being characterized for functional biomolecules in 
situ by the novel remote application of far-IR laser FT-Raman 
spectroscopy, suitable for future landers and micro-spatial 
analysis of returned Martian samples.


CHAPTER 8:  PROSPECTING FOR THE OLDEST MICRO-FOSSILS ON EARTH AND 
THE LESSONS FOR MARS
Malcolm Walter, Macquarie University

The history of the search for microbial fossils on Earth is 
crowded with stories of false trails.  After more than century of 
making mistakes, paleobiologists have become skilled and canny, 
but controversies still rage around the interpretation of key 
fossils.  An essential part of every interpretation is the 
collecting of information in the field to minimize the chance of 
mistakes and to maximize the collection of corroborative 
information, such as that on the environments in which the rocks 
formed.


CHAPTER 9:  EXOBIOLOGICAL PROSPECTING ON MARS
Jack Farmer, NASA Ames

In the case with Mars the scientific starting point for selecting 
a site for investigation begins with orbital images of the 
planets surface features.  This is an area in which our 
understanding is still limited.  A major goal of upcoming missions 
is to reconstruct the history of volatiles, climate and hydrology 
of Mars, and using this information, pinpoint potential landing 
sites that have the best chance of harboring signs of life.


CHAPTER 10:  THE SEARCH FOR LIFE IN ALH84001
*Monica Grady, The Natural History Museum

On Earth we have samples of the martian geological record, 
represented in the form of the twelve SNC meteorites thought to 
have originated on Mars.  These have been subject to direct 
investigation in the laboratory.  ALH84001, at nearly 3.9 billion 
years old is the oldest SNC meteorite discovered and represents a 
time on Mars when the climate might have resembled the climate on 
primordial Earth.  Indeed there is currently a lively debate 
concerning the possibility that ALH84001 contains traces on an 
ancient martian life.  Almost two years have past since the 
initial announcement and all of the interpretations for life have 
been challenged (or supported) and it is timely to review these 
new developments.

CHAPTER 11:  APPLICATION OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY TO EXOBIOLOGICAL 
PROSPECTING
*Howell Edwards, University of Bradford

The potential of Raman spectroscopic techniques for the 
characterization of molecular compounds of geological and 
biological relevance is assessed.  The hostility of the martian 
environment for extraterrestrial organisms is described and 
parallels drawn with harsh conditions on Earth.  The broad 
requirements of lander-based Raman spectroscopic systems are 
outlined with reference to known conditions from observations of 
the martian atmosphere and surface geology; the stringent criteria 
of small mass and size, with those of a laser excitation remote 
sensing system are highlighted.  Finally, some examples are shown 
from our own laboratory-based Raman spectroscopic studies of 
cryptoendolithic and epilithic lichen communities from Antarctica 
and the martian Nakhla meteorite.


CHAPTER 12:  DEVELOPING A SURFACE SCIENCE PACKAGE FOR MARS LANDERS 
*Ian Wright and *Colin Pillinger, The Open University [to be 
confirmed]


CHAPTER 13:  THE SEARCH FOR LIFE ON MARS:  THE ROLE OF MOBILE 
ROBOTS 
Carol Stoker, NASA Ames

Mobile robots will be a key requirement for future exploration of 
Mars for evidence of life.  The strategy for the search for life 
divides into four major objectives:  1) understanding the history 
of the Martian climate in terms of whether conditions on the 
Martian surface were ever conducive to life, 2) finding evidence 
of chemical evolution, 3) searching for evidence of past life, 4) 
searching for evidence of living organisms on Mars.  The paper 
discusses the requirements for mobility, sample manipulation, and 
science analysis capabilities for mobile robots to achieve these 
objectives.


CHAPTER 14:  THE HUMAN EXPLORATION OF MARS--AN ANALYSIS 
Penny Boston, Complex Systems Inc.

An analysis of exactly what are the benefits and drawbacks of 
human involvement will be assessed.  Most discussions of this 
subject are distinctly partisan, e.g.  we must versus we should 
never.  An objective view of the issue will be presented.


CHAPTER 15:  LOW-COST MISSIONS USING ION PROPULSION 
*David Fearn, DERA

As with any interplanetary mission, the cost of visiting Mars is 
high owing to the need to provide a very large velocity increment 
to the spacecraft.  This requires the use of a considerable mass 
of chemical propellant, which must first be launched into Earth 
orbit.  This mass can be reduced by a factor of 10 or more by 
employing ion propulsion, thereby reducing overall cost 
substantially.  This Chapter describes this technology and its 
possible application to both manned and unmanned missions to Mars.
------------------------------------------------------------------

SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF GIANT CANADIAN RESEARCH BALLOON TO STUDY 
OZONE LAYER DEPLETION
Canadian Space Agency release

24 August 1998

The Canadian Space Agency and Environment Canada, in partnership 
with universities and industry, successfully launched today a 
giant research balloon called MANTRA (Middle Atmosphere Nitrogen 
TRend Assessment) from Vanscoy, Saskatchewan, in an effort to 
settle major issues about the thinning of the Earth's ozone layer.  
The MANTRA research project is a collaborative effort between the 
Canadian Space Agency, Environment Canada, the Centre for Research 
in Earth and Space Technology (CRESTech), the University of 
Toronto, York University, and the University of Denver.  
Scientific Instrumentation Limited (SIL) of Saskatoon is providing 
payload and launch support.  The science team is led, on behalf of 
the Canadian Space Agency, by Principal Investigator, Kimberly 
Strong, of the University of Toronto and Co-Investigator, Tom 
McElroy, Environment Canada research scientist.

The balloon, as tall as a 25-storey building and made of 
transparent polyethylene as thin as sandwich wrap, is carrying a 
package of instruments up through the ozone layer to the top of 
the atmosphere.  The 340,000 cubic meter unmanned balloon was 
launched before sunrise to reach its float altitude of about 40 km 
in time to allow several of the instruments to track the rising 
sun.  The rest of the day will be spent scanning the Earth's 
horizon through a range of altitudes, recording spectra of 
scattered sunlight, which indicate the composition of the 
atmosphere.  Shortly after sunset, the balloon payload will begin 
its slow parachute descent, allowing the team to recover all of 
the instruments.  The MANTRA balloon system includes a balloon, a 
parachute, and the "gondola" containing six scientific 
instruments, three of which were flown on balloons in the 1970s 
and early 1980s by Environment Canada and three that have been 
built recently.  This approach will allow the team to study 
changes in atmospheric composition that have occurred over the 
last 15 to 20 years.  The primary balloon launch was accompanied 
by 10-15 smaller balloon launches as part of an intensive study of 
the ozone layer over Saskatoon this month.

This study will help researchers determine the effectiveness of 
measures to reduce ozone-depleting chemicals undertaken since the 
Montreal Protocol, a global agreement to protect the ozone layer.  
This environmental treaty, initiated in 1987 and since signed by 
over 160 countries, used scientific research to set limits for the 
worldwide production of ozone-depleting substances to ensure that 
ozone levels return to normal and do not become threatened again 
in the future.  The extent of global ozone depletion is a cause of 
concern among scientists, because it is larger than predicted by 
the research that formed the scientific basis for the Montreal 
Protocol.  About half of the observed ozone loss can be definitely 
attributed to known human-made ozone depleting chemicals; whether 
the remaining half is caused by these chemicals or other factors 
is not yet known.

The Government of Canada is working with the international 
scientific community to determine the extent and causes of 
atmospheric changes that threaten human health and safety.  Sound 
scientific data is essential to finding effective solutions to 
problems such as depletion of the ozone layer and climate change.  
Environment Canada's studies of the ozone layer, which began in 
the 1930s, support a world-wide research and atmospheric 
monitoring program.  And, through the leadership of the Canadian 
Space Agency, Canada is also involved in research studying the 
ozone layer from space.

Canadian scientists are world leaders in studies of the 
atmospheric dynamics involved in ozone depletion.  In March 1999, 
the Canadian Space Agency will fly another Canadian instrument 
called OSIRIS on Odin, a Swedish satellite.  As Odin orbits the 
earth, OSIRIS will measure ozone around the world.  OSIRIS- 
related instruments were also launched by the Canadian Space 
Agency on the ACTIVE rocket earlier this year from Churchill, 
Manitoba, to gather data that will help to analyze the OSIRIS 
measurements.

For more information:

Isabelle Hudon
Manager, Media Relations
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone :  (450) 926-4350
Cellular :  (514) 943-6808

Heather MacKey
Communications
Environment Canada
416-739-4555

A backgrounder on MANTRA is available at 
http://www.space.gc.ca/ENG/News_Releases/980824M.html
------------------------------------------------------------------

MARS SOCIETY SPECIAL BULLETIN #7

19 August 1998

For further information see the website at www.marssociety.org
Address inquiries to mzubrin@aol.com

In this issue:
	Mars Society Founding Convention a Total Success
	The Founding Declaration of the Mars Society
	Australian, Canadian, and German Chapters form
	Mars Books Available for Sale by Chapters
	Notes to Chapters, Projects, and Volunteers

MARS SOCIETY FOUNDING CONVENTION A TOTAL SUCCESS

The Mars Society Founding Convention held August 13-16, 1998 at 
the University of Colorado at Boulder was a complete success.  
Over 700 people drawn from 40 countries around the globe were in 
attendance.  There were 180 speakers, covering topics ranging from 
spacecraft engineering and Mars science to politics, economics, 
law, and the cultural and ethical issues surrounding Mars 
exploration and settlement.  Every NASA center, every US national 
lab, and many of America's top universities was represented by the 
speakers, as was every principal country in Europe, the Far East, 
North and South America, Australia, and New Zealand.  The 
conference was covered by much of the world's leading press, 
including the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Washington 
Post, the London Times, ABC news, the Discover Channel, the BBC, 
the CBC, National Public Radio, Agency France Press, UPI, CBS 
radio, German Public Radio, WCNN radio, KBCO radio, Discover 
Magazine, Reason Magazine, Popular Mechanics, Space News, the 
Rocky Mountain News, the Denver Post, the Boulder Camera, and many 
others.

As of this writing, the Denver/Boulder papers, the Boston Globe 
(Aug 16), and the New York Times (August 18) and the CBC, CBS, 
KBCO and WCNN radio have all run coverage.  Discovery News will 
air a segment on national TV on the evening of Friday, August 21.

The conference was opened on August 13 by Dr. Robert Zubrin, the 
president of the Mars Society, who electrified the plenary 
audience with his talk explaining how and why humans could be sent 
to Mars within a decade.  Zubrin was followed by Dr. Everett 
Gibson, of the Johnson Space Center ALH84001 Mars meteorite team, 
who presented dramatic new evidence buttressing the team's case 
that the phenomenon observed in the meteorite represents evidence 
for past Martian microbial life.  Gibson was followed by Dr. 
Pascal Lee, of NASA Ames Research Center, an exobiologist and 
Arctic explorer, who made the case that the Society should adopt 
as its first project the construction of a simulated Mars 
Exploration base in the Canadian Arctic.  Lee was followed by Rob 
Manning, the Chief Engineer of Jet Propulsion Lab's robotic Mars 
exploration program, who described JPL's plans for future 
missions.  Manning received a solid round of applause when he 
thanked the assembled conference for the work the Mars Society had 
done in helping to restore $20 million in funds that had been cut 
from the 2001 Mars mission.

After lunch, Dr. Jacques Blamont of the French CNES explained the 
possibilities for dramatic exploration of Mars with balloons, and 
revealed negotiations now underway for a joint US-French program 
of expanded robotic Mars exploration.  Blamont's talk was followed 
by the division of the conference into five parallel tracks, 
during which multitudes of speakers addressed audiences on topics 
ranging from Mars dust cycles, to in-situ propellant production 
technology, to methods of raising funds to support privately 
funded Mars missions.  These talks were then followed by the 
reception, which was attended by over 500 people, including former 
Gemini, Apollo, and Shuttle Astronaut John Young.  Following the 
reception, at 8 PM, the ballroom auditorium was filled again to 
hear a special panel on Mars exploration, led by Prof.  Bruce 
Jakosky, of CU, who laid out the case why Mars must be considered 
a suspect for life.  The panel also included a very incisive talk 
by Dr. Carol Stoker, of NASA Ames, showing why both humans and 
robots were absolutely necessary for the proper exploration of 
Mars.  Another very interesting presentation at the panel was 
given by Larry Lemke, also of NASA Ames, who discussed the 
possibilities of flying robotic airplanes on Mars and proposed 
that such a vehicle be dispatched to Mars in 2003 to fly down the 
slot of the Valles Marineris on the 100th anniversary of the first 
airplane flight by the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk.

Friday's morning plenary session was led by Dr. Mike Griffin, the 
former Associate Administrator of NASA for Space Exploration, who 
discussed the Political and Cultural preconditions for a humans to 
Mars program.  Griffin agreed with Zubrin's assertion made on the 
first day of the conference that all the technology required for a 
humans-to-Mars program was basically in hand, a point later 
subscribed to in subsequent talks but other expert speakers 
including Livermore Lab's Dr. Lowell Wood and Johnson Space 
Center's John Connolly.  Griffin was followed by John Young, 
currently Associate Director of Johnson Space Center, who roused 
the audience to cheers with his gung-ho call for aggressively 
pushing the human exploration of space.  The final talk of the 
morning was by JPL's Dr. Matt Golombek, the Pathfinder mission 
project scientist, who described the engineering and science 
results of that mission and then signed copies of his new book 
"Mars:  Uncovering the Secrets of the Red Planet." All 200 copies 
of Golombek's book available were sold, with the full profit of 
nearly $4000 donated by the National Geographic Society to the 
Mars Society.

In the course of Friday Afternoon, 45 more speakers addressed 5 
parallel tracks on a host of topics.  As on Thursday, and right 
through to the end of the conference Sunday, all of the track 
talks were well attended, some in fact being so packed that people 
had to wait on line to get in.  Perhaps one of the most remarkable 
presentations of Friday afternoon was given by Kathleen Bohne, a 
12-year-old home-schooled girl from Colorado who gave a 
brilliantly eloquent talk to the education session on how the 
prospect of exploring Mars had inspired her.

On Friday evening, nearly 500 people gathered to hear and 
participate in a spirited debate on "the ethics of terraforming," 
chaired by Dr. Chris McKay, of NASA Ames.  The debate generated a 
lot of heat, but what became evident afterwards, as noted by Dr. 
Zubrin, was that what was in debate was not terraforming, which 
nearly all in attendance seemed to support, but the metaphors with 
which it was described.  For some, it was manifest destiny; for 
others such ideas were disturbing and instead preferred seeing it 
as giving birth or creating a garden.  A healthy diversity of 
background mental frameworks of the conference attendees, ranging 
from right to left, and technophile to environmentalist was 
clearly in evidence, putting real life into the discussion.

Saturday morning's session was led by Chris McKay, discussing the 
possibly of life on Mars both in the past and in the future.  
McKay was followed by Jim Benson, of the SpaceDev corporation, who 
put forward his ideas on how Mars exploration could be conducted 
for profit, and by Rick Tumlinson, of the Space Frontier 
Foundation, who discussed what the division of roles between the 
government and private sector should be in space.  Basically, 
according to Tumlinson, the government should leave readily 
commercial activities in low Earth orbit to private development, 
and instead, in the tradition of Lewis and Clark, focus its 
efforts on the far frontier, such as Mars.  Tumlinson was followed 
by Lt. Col. Scott Horowitz, an active duty astronaut, who gave his 
perspective on a human Mars mission from the point of view of 
someone who might actually do it.  Basically, Horowitz said he and 
many other astronauts were prepared to accept the risks involved.  
Horowitz was followed by John Connolly, of NASA Johnson Space 
Center, who discussed how and why NASA's current robotic space 
program could and should be used to demonstrate key technologies 
and acquire knowledge critical to human Mars exploration missions.

All Saturday afternoon, numerous talks were given to packed 
audiences in the parallel tracks, with possibly the track 
attracting the greatest interest being the session on the 
biomedical challenges of the human Mars mission.  This session 
culminated in a special expert plenary panel on biomedical 
challenges of spaceflight chaired by Dr. Jeff Jones, of the 
University of Texas, Galveston Medical Center.  As members of the 
Jones panel made clear, none of the biomedical hazards sometimes 
quoted as reasons for avoiding Mars flights are really show 
stoppers, and we have ways and means for dealing with all the 
risks involved.

The highpoint of the conference was reached on Saturday night, at 
the banquet, which was attended by 500 people.  There, after some 
good food, and some fun space folk-song entertainment offered by 
Wendy Savitz, a fine musician from New York, the conference 
approached its climax.  First the Hakluyt Prize was awarded to 
Adrian Hon, a 16 year old from West Kirby, England, who read parts 
of his award-winning letter to world leaders advocating humans-to-
Mars, and then received, in addition to his conference trip, a 
well-made 4.5 inch Newtonian telescope provided by the Bushnell 
Company.  Maggie Zubrin was then given the "Dejah Thoris Award"--
flowers and a standing ovation for her work in puling the 
conference together.  Then, after Kathleen Bohne was invited to 
the podium to give a few short remarks, and British Mars society 
leaders Philip Dembo and Bo Maxwell gave their report on the 
growing British organization, Dr. Robert Zubrin read out the 
Founding Declaration of the Mars Society.  This was received with 
a clamorous standing ovation, after which a vote was taken and the 
document was unanimously ratified by the Convention.  Zubrin then 
presented the results of the Steering Committee meeting, which had 
taken place Saturday afternoon.

The Steering Committee recommended that the Mars Society;
1.	Establish permanent organization with chapter organizations 
being set up on regional and national bases, as appropriate.
2.	That international task forces be established in the areas of  
outreach, education, technology, private initiatives, 
political action, and fundraising.
3.	That the Mars Society initiate as its first major project to 
build a Mars simulation base in the Canadian Arctic, as 
recommended by Pascal Lee on Thursday.  The proposed schedule 
would be to have the base built and operating by the summer 
of 2000.
4.	That this project be followed by a second project flying a 
payload to Mars, probably as a hitchhiker on a NASA or 
European Mars mission in 2003.  The payload would by 
determined by competitive selection, with the Mars Society 
beginning the process by issuing a request for proposals this 
fall.  In addition to obtaining key science or engineering 
data, the purpose of this project would be to earn the Mars 
Society sufficient credibility to allow the raising of enough 
funds to finance a complete robotic Mars exploration mission 
of its own.  This third project would raise the level of 
credibility and international recognition of the Mars Society 
still further, allowing a succession of ever more ambitious 
projects up to and including human Mars exploration.
5.	That simultaneously with our private initiatives, that the 
Mars society begin a political campaign with three 
components.  These are:
	5a.	Double the funding of US robotic exploration and improve 
its usefulness by knocking down the firewall currently 
blocking NASA manned spaceflight (Code M) funds from 
being used to support Mars exploration.
	5b.	Campaign in Europe for initiation and expansion of 
independent European robotic Mars exploration efforts.  
	5c.	Conduct a systematic campaign both in the US, Canada, 
and Europe, educating politicians and their advisors, to 
prepare the groundwork for a decision for a government 
led humans-to-Mars initiative in 2001.
	6.	That another international convention would be held the 
following summer, and probably every year from now on.

Dr. Zubrin then opened the banquet up into a town meeting to 
discuss these initiatives, alternative ideas, and means for their 
implementation.  For the next two hours, dozens of Mars Society 
members stood up to the microphones to add their input to the 
decision process.  The Steering Committee initiatives received 
strong support, and many creative ideas were advanced for their 
implementation.  In addition, it was suggested and agreed that the 
Mars Society should undertake an additional initiative, sponsoring 
a rover contest analogous to the tour-du-sol solar car race.  This 
would spark tremendous creative activity among students, give the 
Mars society much useful publicity, and show the world how 
effective Mars is as an inspiration for educational achievement 
among youth.

At 10:30 PM, Zubrin closed the general discussion and placed a 
viewgraph on the screen depicting a map of the banquet ballroom, 
which different locations labeled for various countries, regions 
and states.  He then asked those assembled to proceed to the 
indicated locations to meet the others from their regions to form 
local chapters.  This proceeded forthwith, and within half an 
hour, dozens state, regional, or international chapters had been 
founded.  When the ballroom closed at 11 PM.  most of the chapters 
moved out onto the patio outside the building and continued to 
meet and plan into the wee hours of the night.

The conference concluded on Sunday, with an opening plenary talk 
by Lowell Wood on Pilgrims to Mars, followed by numerous track 
talks.  Especially prominent among Sunday's discussions were 
numerous talks on the significance of the Martian frontier for the 
development of human society and human culture.  At noon, student 
members from around d the world gathered in the East ballroom to 
form an international student section, and task force groups also 
formed, with a large number of volunteers for each task force 
requested by the Steering Committee.  The afternoon was filled 
with more packed talks and ended with a final plenary at which 
Pascal Lee gave a report on the already substantial progress of 
the Arctic base task force.  By 5 PM Sunday, the primary 
requirements had been developed.  In addition, Kurt Micheels, an 
architect drawn from the Mars Society membership had already 
volunteered to make a set of design sketches for the base and 
develop a preliminary cost estimate for the project within two 
weeks.  Zubrin then read a beautiful letter by Kristin Boekhoff, a 
management consultant from New York City, about the meaning of 
terraforming Mars.  "We are the custodians of life," Boekhoff 
wrote.  " This is an awesome power and even greater 
responsibility.  As custodians, we have the responsibility to 
enhance, preserve, and promote life, and what better way to do it 
than to revive a dead world."

Zubrin then closed the convention with a brief emotional reminisce 
on the conference and its creation and a reflection on the quality 
of people who had attended, concluding to a final massive ovation; 
"We're going to win.  Knock em flat!"

In a word, the conference was not merely successful; it was epic.


FOUNDING DECLARATION OF THE MARS SOCIETY

The time has come for humanity to journey to Mars.

We're ready.  Though Mars is distant, we are far better prepared 
today to send humans to Mars than we were to travel to the Moon at 
the commencement of the space age.  Given the will, we could have 
our first teams on Mars within a decade.

The reasons for going to Mars are powerful.

We must go for the knowledge of Mars.  Our robotic probes have 
revealed that Mars was once a warm and wet planet, suitable for 
hosting life's origin.  But did it? A search for fossils on the 
Martian surface or microbes in groundwater below could provide the 
answer.  If found, they would show that the origin of life is not 
unique to the Earth, and, by implication, reveal a universe that 
is filled with life and probably intelligence as well.  From the 
point of view learning our true place in the universe, this would 
be the most important scientific enlightenment since Copernicus.

We must go for the knowledge of Earth.  As we begin the twenty-
first century, we have evidence that we are changing the Earth's 
atmosphere and environment in significant ways.  It has become a 
critical matter for us better to understand all aspects of our 
environment.  In this project, comparative planetology is a very 
powerful tool, a fact already shown by the role Venusian 
atmospheric studies played in our discovery of the potential 
threat of global warming by greenhouse gases.  Mars, the planet 
most like Earth, will have even more to teach us about our home 
world.  The knowledge we gain could be key to our survival.

We must go for the challenge.  Civilizations, like people, thrive 
on challenge and decay without it.  The time is past for human 
societies to use war as a driving stress for technological 
progress.  As the world moves towards unity, we must join 
together, not in mutual passivity, but in common enterprise, 
facing outward to embrace a greater and nobler challenge than that 
which we previously posed to each other.  Pioneering Mars will 
provide such a challenge.  Furthermore, a cooperative 
international exploration of Mars would serve as an example of how 
the same joint-action could work on Earth in other ventures.

We must go for the youth.  The spirit of youth demands adventure.  
A humans-to-Mars program would challenge young people everywhere 
to develop their minds to participate in the pioneering of a new 
world.  If a Mars program were to inspire just a single extra 
percent of today's youth to scientific educations, the net result 
would be tens of millions more scientists, engineers, inventors, 
medical researchers and doctors.  These people will make 
innovations that create new industries, find new medical cures, 
increase income, and benefit the world in innumerable ways to 
provide a return that will utterly dwarf the expenditures of the 
Mars program.

We must go for the opportunity.  The settling of the Martian New 
World is an opportunity for a noble experiment in which humanity 
has another chance to shed old baggage and begin the world anew; 
carrying forward as much of the best of our heritage as possible 
and leaving the worst behind.  Such chances do not come often, and 
are not to be disdained lightly.

We must go for our humanity.  Human beings are more than merely 
another kind of animal; we are life's messengers.  Alone of the 
creatures of the Earth, we have the ability to continue the work 
of creation by bringing life to Mars, and Mars to life.  In doing 
so, we shall make a profound statement as to the precious worth of 
the human race and every member of it.

We must go for the future.  Mars is not just a scientific 
curiosity; it is a world with a surface area equal to all the 
continents of Earth combined, possessing all the elements that are 
needed to support not only life, but also technological society.  
It is a New World, filled with history waiting to be made by a new 
and youthful branch of human civilization that is waiting to be 
born.  We must go to Mars to make that potential a reality.  We 
must go, not for us, but for a people who are yet to be.  We must 
do it for the Martians.

Believing therefore that the exploration and settlement of Mars is 
one of the greatest human endeavors possible in our time, we have 
gathered to found this Mars Society, understanding that even the 
best ideas for human action are never inevitable, but must be 
planned, advocated, and achieved by hard work.  We call upon all 
other individuals and organizations of like-minded people to join 
with us in furthering this great enterprise.  No nobler cause has 
ever been.  We shall not rest until it succeeds.


The declaration above was ratified and signed by the 700 attendees 
at the Founding Convention of the Mars Society, held August 13-16, 
1998 at the University of Colorado at Boulder.  If you would like 
to add your name to the list of signatures, you can do so 
electronically by using the sign-up form on the website at 
www.marssociety.org.

AUSTRALIAN, CANADIAN, AND GERMAN CHAPTERS FORM

Among the many chapters of the Mars Society formed at the 
convention were three new international ones, in Australia, 
Canada, and Germany.  Those interested in participating in the 
work of these new chapters can contact them through the 
individuals listed below.

Australia, Andrew Hamilton:  ahamilto@nsw.bigpond.net.au Canada, 
Marc Boucher:  marc@aterra.com
Deutchland/Germany, Michael Bosch:  Michael.Bosch@wiwi.uni-
regensburg.de

A list of US state and regional chapters and other international 
chapters will be posted on the website at www.marssociety.org 
shortly.


MARS BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR SALE BY CHAPTERS

Simon and Schuster has agreed to make copies of "The Case for 
Mars" by Zubrin and Wagner available to Mars Society chapters at 
50% off the retail price of $13 if ordered in lots of 25 or more.  
Chapters can keep the profit from book sales to help fund local 
activities or donate it to support Mars Society projects at the 
international level.  Those desiring to order copies should 
contact Jaime Ariza by phone at 212-632-4910, or via e-mail at 
jaime_ariza@prenhall.com.

Negotiations are currently underway with National Geographic to 
create a similar arrangement for obtaining the book "Mars:  
Uncovering the Secrets of the Red Planet," by Raeburn and 
Golombek.  Watch the website for details as they become available.


NOTES TO CHAPTERS, PROJECTS, AND VOLUNTEERS

Thanks to everyone who is helping form a local Mars Society 
Chapter or a special Task Force.  For those who were not at the 
convention, a later bulletin will include the list of new 
Chapters, and advice on forming a chapter if there are none near 
you.

If you offered to be a 'contact person', and have not already done 
so, please confirm your address and phone with both:  Maggie,
MZubrin@aol.com, and Bruce, BMackenzie@alum.mit.edu

Be sure that you receive a confirmation back from Bruce.

The outpouring of volunteers is very gratifying, and overwhelming.  
We need to match all of you willing to help with jobs needing to 
be done.  In particular, some Chapters and Task Forces still need 
people to keep track of members, plan projects, or arrange 
meetings & local publicity.

If you want to devote a few hours per month laying groundwork to 
explore and settle Mars, please join our 'Volunteers' e-mail list.  
As Chapters and Task Forces develop, their organizers will keep 
you informed of the status and how you can help.

To signup for this 'Volunteers' Mars Society e-mail list, send the 
following message from your own e-mail account.  This message is 
handled automatically, so do not include personal notes.

If you specifically wish to help with the internet web sites, 
newsgroups, or e-mail lists, also subscribe to the interNet 
Special Interest Group, by including the last line "subscribe Net-
sig", otherwise omit it.

Similar e-mail lists are available for various Task Forces and 
Chapters, but we need volunteers for them before they can be used.

(message-header)
To:  MajorDomo@nw.net
Subject:  anything

(message-body)
subscribe Volunteers
subscribe Net-sig

For further information, see the Mars Society website at 
www.marssociety.org Address inquiries to mzubrin@aol.com
------------------------------------------------------------------

NASA OLMSA RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES HOMEPAGE UPDATE
NASA release

The NASA OLMSA Research Opportunities homepage has been updated to 
assist potential proposers in responding to NASA Research 
Announcement 98-HEDS-02 (Gravitational Biology and Ecology, and 
Biomedical Research and Countermeasures Programs).

The first update is the posting of a well-written, complete 
"example" proposal.  This "example" proposal is a modification of 
a proposal that was previously selected by NASA for funding.  
Although the proposal has been substantially modified from the 
original submittal, it effectively illustrates the level of detail 
required for a successful, organized proposal.  The example 
proposal is in .pdf format, and can be downloaded at:
http://peer1.idi.usra.edu/peer_review/nra/life_science/98_H 
EDS_02_sample.pdf.

A second site of interest is a link to the Principal Investigator 
(PI)-in-a-Box Project homepage.  Developed by Dr. Laurence Young 
of MIT, the purpose of the PI-in-a-Box Project is to improve the 
quality of scientific investigations through the application of 
knowledge-based systeMs. Since Astronauts are often required to 
perform experiments outside their fields of expertise, PI-in-a-Box 
assists astronauts in conducting such experiments in space.  
Further information on PI-in-a-Box can be obtained at:  
http://web.mit.edu/afs/athena.mit.edu/org/a/aeroastro/www/l 
abs/MVL/NEW/MVL/PIHomepage/PIHome.html, or through the "Whats 
New" section at http://peer1.idi.usra.edu.

As a reminder, proposals for the 98-HEDS-02 NRA (Gravitational 
Biology and Ecology, and Biomedical Research and Countermeasures 
Programs) are due October 1, 1998.  Further information on this 
NRA can found at http://peer1.idi.usra.edu.
------------------------------------------------------------------

THIS WEEK ON GALILEO
JPL release

24-30 August 1998

This week Galileo continues on the inbound leg of its orbit around 
Jupiter, heading towards its next encounter with Jupiter's moon 
Europa.  The encounter is scheduled for late September and will be 
the sixth of the Galileo Europa Mission.  On Monday, the 
spacecraft executes a small flight path correction.  The 
correction is used to fine tune the spacecraft's orbit as it heads 
back into the heart of the Jupiter system.  Immediately following 
the flight path correction, flight team controllers will send a 
command to the spacecraft to pause processing and transmission to 
Earth of data stored on the spacecraft's tape recorder.  This is 
done to support a real-time observation by the fields and 
particles instruments of Jupiter's magnetotail region.

During this real-time observation, data is gathered from the 
fields and particles instruments and placed in an onboard memory 
buffer for packaging, and is then transmitted to Earth.  This 
buffer is also used for processing and packaging of recorded data.  
Pausing tape recorder playback gives the real-time data exclusive 
use of this memory buffer, allowing data acquisition to bridge 
across all or parts of the gaps that exist in Galileo's Deep Space 
Network antenna schedule.  This, in turn, increases the amount and 
continuity of magnetospheric data that can be returned to Earth 
successfully.

Jupiter's magnetosphere is defined as that part of space where 
Jupiter's magnetic field dominates the magnetic field of the solar 
wind.  The magnetotail is the part of the magnetosphere that has 
been "pushed" into a long, streaming tail by the solar wind.  
Studies of this region were conducted about one year ago, during 
Galileo's primary mission, to understand how the magnetotail 
evolves and interacts with the middle and inner portions of the 
magnetosphere, and with the solar wind.  The information obtained 
during this year's real-time observation will help identify 
changes in the magnetosphere over the period of the last year, and 
will add to the understanding of how plasma escapes from the inner 
portions of the magnetosphere.

The fields and particles observation actually spans several weeks.  
It started about a week ago and will continue into September.  
This week's tape recorder playback interruption provides enhanced 
data gathering during a time of great interest.  Additional 
playback interruptions are under consideration, but may be 
hampered by the need to perform other spacecraft operations.  Stay 
tuned!

For more information on the Galileo spacecraft and its mission to 
Jupiter, please visit the Galileo home page at 
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo
------------------------------------------------------------------

1998 MARS SURVEYOR PROJECT STATUS REPORT 
By John McNamee, Mars Surveyor 98 project manager

21 August 1998

Mars Climate Orbiter:

Orbiter integration and test activities continue to proceed on 
schedule.  The Pressure Modulator InfraRed Radiometer (PMIRR) 
instrument continues to operate nominally on the orbiter and has 
accumulated in excess of 120 operating hours since re-integration.  
The solar array passive restraint test was conducted very 
successfully on August 15.  This test verifies the insertion and 
removal of the solar array from a restraint as required each orbit 
during the aerobrake phase of the orbiter mission.  Mission System 
Testing of the aerobrake phase was conducted successfully on 
August 19.  Mapping phase testing is scheduled for August 22 and a 
repeat of launch/initialization with fault cases included is 
scheduled for August 25.  The flight batteries were installed on 
August 21.  The orbiter is on schedule for shipment to Kennedy 
Space Center on September 10.  1900 powered on operating hours 
have been accumulated on the orbiter as of August 15.

Mars Polar Lander:

The lander is being assembled into the cruise configuration and is 
on schedule to begin cruise thermal vacuum testing on September 2.  
All flight instruments are stowed and are ready for flight.  The 
lander pre-ship review is planned for September 15.  Shipment to 
Kennedy Space Center is planned for October 12.  1325 powered-on 
operating hours have been accumulated on the lander as of August 
15.

For more information on the Mars Surveyor 98 mission, please visit 
our website at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/
------------------------------------------------------------------

STARDUST STATUS REPORTS
By Ken Atkins, STARDUST project manager

14 August 1998

Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations (ATLO) activities:  
The principal activities this week were completion of pre-
environmental test functional testing, frequency survey, dynamic 
propellant simulation load, and acoustics testing.  The frequency 
survey and the acoustic tests were about checking the spacecraft's 
ability to avoid any natural harmonics that could damage it, or 
seeing if any induced vibration (waves) can damage it, 
respectively.  Some of you may recall old film clips showing how a 
suspension bridge over a river was destroyed when winds excited 
some unstable natural frequencies in the bridge structure.  The 
vibration caused the bridge to swing and gallop so wildly it 
crashed.  We want to be sure Stardust doesn't have anything like 
that in its character.  So....we test.  Then in the acoustics case 
we want to be sure things like vibrations from the rumbling rocket 
engines transferring up to where we are riding in the shroud don't 
shake apart our spacecraft.  So...  we test.  In both cases this 
week, we were very successful.  Our bird looks pretty tough! The 
flight system continues to show no hardware functional problems as 
we prepare for the environmental test.  The environmental test is 
when we put the whole system in a big vacuum chamber and simulate 
just what Stardust will see in the hostile environment of deep 
space...  hot, cold and nothing to breathe.

We also had some great work by the Aerogel Team this week.  They 
completed successfully loading the aerogel tiles into the cometary 
side of the flight aerogel collector.  Recall that the collector 
is a two-layered assembly.  A thinner tray holding the aerogel to 
collect the interstellar particles is attached back-to-back with 
the thicker tray holding the cometary aerogel tiles.  It's sort of 
like two ice trays in your refrigerator with the bottoms glued 
together.  One of course being much thinner.  The team now is 
working hard on getting the interstellar tray filled.  Once that's 
done they will be ready to ship it to Lockheed Martin in Denver.

Outreach:  
STARDUST Name Count:  1,149,427.  
This "taking of reservations" has been extremely exciting and lots 
of fun.  We get some great mail from folks asking about things 
like "in-flight meals" and "luggage handling policies." And we 
have received some poignant thoughts about the heros who fell in 
Vietnam.  It's an honor for us to provide honor and remembrance.  
Now we must begin the process of transferring names onto the 
silicon chip meeting the schedule for us all to get to the "gate" 
and aboard the Sample Return Capsule.  Stay tuned to the web site 
to keep up on how that process is done and perhaps see some 
pictures of it.

21 August 1998

Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations (ATLO) activities:  
The principal activities this week were completion of post-
acoustic-test functional check out, launch vehicle separation 
pyro-shock test, checking the Payload Adapter Fitting (PAF) from 
the Delta rocket, and unloading the simulated propellant 
(isopropyl alcohol).  The PAF is the device that "hooks" us up on 
the rocket and keeps us there 'til we are ready to get off.  It's 
kind of a "seatbelt" for our rocket ride to space.  It has to fit 
with our adapter ring on the main spacecraft shield.  It's 
important to check the fit ahead of time...  because we found out 
we need some minor adjustments made.  So our partners at Boeing 
will make the fix and we will check it again in a couple of weeks.  
The use of the isopropyl alcohol as a "stand-in" for the real 
stuff allowed us to check the dynamics of the propellant load in 
the tests I described last week.  Next we will begin some testing 
to see how electromagnetic radiation (stuff like static) interacts 
with STARDUST.  The flight system continues to show no hardware 
functional problems as we continue to prepare for the upcoming 
environmental test.

Outreach:  
STARDUST Final Name Count:  
After removal of duplicate names and undesirable/joke words, the 
name count for the second chip dropped to 1,040,924, and these are 
now on-line elsewhere on the website.  The sorted names were 
delivered to the laser-etching folks this morning, and they are 
preparing to write the names to the microchip.

For more information on the STARDUST mission--the first ever comet 
sample return mission--please visit the STARDUST home page at 
http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov
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End Marsbugs Vol. 5, No. 18

