MARSBUGS:  
The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter
Volume 5, Number 25, 4 December 1998.

Editors:

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

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

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The purpose of this newsletter is to provide a channel of 
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the editors, envision Marsbugs as a medium in which people can 
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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)	THE FROSTY PLAINS OF EUROPA
By Tony Philips

2)	SECOND ELEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION TO BE LAUNCHED
European Space Agency release 52-98

3)	1998 MARS SURVEYOR PROJECT STATUS REPORT
By John McNamee
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THE FROSTY PLAINS OF EUROPA
By Tony Philips
From NASA Space Science News

3 December 1998

As Galileo returns new images of Europa, NASA scientists prepare 
to study samples from a potentially similar environment here on 
Earth.  The large Jovian moon Europa may be hiding liquid water 
beneath its frozen crust.  We won't know for sure until robotic 
explorers one day venture below the surface of that icy moon in 
search of oceans and possibly life.  For now we must learn what we 
can from surface photos of Europa, like this one captured by the 
Galileo spacecraft, and from studies of a mysterious subterranean 
lake here on Earth.

[Galileo image of a region of Europa]
Above:  North is to the lower left of the picture and the sun 
illuminates the surface from the upper left.  The image, centered 
at 40 degrees north latitude and 225 degrees west longitude, 
covers an area approximately 800 by 350 kilometers (500 by 220 
miles).  The resolution is 230 meters (250 yards) per picture 
element. 

The picture above is a mosaic of images from Europa's southern 
hemisphere.  The brown, linear ridges extending across the scene 
are thought to be frozen remnants of cryo-volcanic activity.  
"Cryo-volcanoes" (cold volcanoes) occur when liquid or partially 
frozen water erupts onto the Europan surface, freezing instantly 
in the extremely low temperatures so far from our sun.

[A closer view of icy ridges and water ice on Europa] 
Left:  A closer view of the volcanic ridges and areas of blue that 
scientists believe are frozen water on Europa.

A geologically older, smoother surface, bluish in tone, underlies 
the ridge system.  The blue surface is composed of almost pure 
water ice, whereas the composition of the dark, brownish spots and 
ridges is not certain.  One possibility is that they contain 
mineral salts in a matrix of high water content.

Europa's frosty surface has intrigued scientists ever since the 
Voyager spacecraft missions flew through the Jupiter system in 
1979.  At -260 F, the moon's surface temperature could deep-
freeze an ocean over several million years, but it's possible that 
warmth from a tidal tug of war with Jupiter and neighboring moons 
could be keeping large parts of Europa's ocean liquid.  Tidal 
friction from Jupiter is also thought to be responsible for 
volcanic activity on Europa's neighbor Io, and for a similar 
underground ocean on Callisto.

The next best thing to being there

Many scientists would love to travel to Europa to study conditions 
there first-hand, but regular flights to Jupiter probably won't 
begin for some time.  Meanwhile, there is an environment right 
here on Earth with significant similarities to Europa and 
Callisto, a place called Lake Vostok.

Below:  In 1993 altimetric and radar data were used to trace this 
outline of Lake Vostok, located about 1000 miles from the South 
Pole.
[Image] 

In 1974 a team of scientists conducting airborne research passed 
over the Soviet research station Vostok in Antarctica.  Their 
sounding instruments detected an expanse of water beneath the ice 
roughly the size of Lake Ontario.  Although Antarctica records 
some of the coldest temperatures on Earth, Lake Vostok is buried 
under four kilometers of ice.  The ice sheet acts as a blanket, 
shielding the lake from cold temperatures on the surface.  It is 
also thought that geothermal heat helps keep the water liquid.

Earlier this year Richard Hoover of NASA's Marshall Space Sciences 
Lab and Dr. S. S. Abyzov of the Russian Academy of Sciences 
examined ice cores from above Lake Vostok for evidence of 
microbiotic life, using an Environmental Scanning Electron 
Microscope.  What they found surprised them.  "We've found some 
really bizarre things - things that we've never seen before," said 
Richard Hoover of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.  "There are 
all sorts of microorganisms in the ice.  Some are readily 
recognizable as cyanobacteria, bacteria, fungi, spores, pollen 
grains, and diatoms, but some are not recognizable as anything 
we've ever seen before," Hoover said.

[klingon]
Above, right:  One of the more exotic forms Hoover and Abyzov 
found in the deep ice.  Many of these microbes will undoubtedly 
fall into known categories when identifications are made.

Hoover is about to begin new studies of the deep ice 
microorganisms in collaboration with Academician Mikhail V.  
Ivanov, Director of the Institute of Microbiology of the Russian 
Academy of Sciences to search for microorganisms in very deep 
samples of Vostok ice.  Extremely deep ice samples from just 100 
meters above the surface of the lake were obtained earlier this 
year by Russian scientists from the St. Petersburg Mining 
Institute and The Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute.  The 
samples, which are about 400,000 years old, are due to arrive at 
the Marshall Space Sciences Lab in January 1999 for analysis with 
the ESEM.

According to Richard Hoover, "These are the deepest samples ever 
obtained, and the deepest that ever will be obtained until new 
technology allows us to actually penetrate the surface of Lake 
Vostok without contaminating it." Although scientists are anxious 
to know what lies within the pristine waters of the lake itself, 
they are contenting themselves for now with ice from above.  "Lake 
Vostok is an incredibly precious resource," Hoover continued, "and 
it would be a colossal mistake to take samples before we are 
absolutely sure we can do so without contaminating the waters."

Lake Vostok is clearly a valuable new laboratory for 
astrobiologists, and they intend to proceed very, very carefully.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo 
mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC.
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SECOND ELEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION TO BE LAUNCHED
European Space Agency release 52-98

1 December 1998

The second element of the new International Space Station is set 
to be launched on Thursday 3 December aboard the Space Shuttle 
Endeavour from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, less than two 
weeks after the first element was placed in orbit by a Russian 
Proton launcher from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (on 20 
November).  The two elements will be connected together in space 
to create the foundation for the new Space Station.  More than 100 
elements will be added over the next five years, requiring a total 
of 45 assembly flights using the Space Shuttle and two types of 
Russian launchers.

Europe, as one of the five partners in the International Space 
Station (together with the United States, Russia, Japan and 
Canada), will take part in 19 of the 45 planned assembly flights.  
In addition to supplying much technical and scientific equipment, 
ESA is contributing two major elements--the multi-purpose Columbus 
laboratory and a vehicle to be launched by Europe's Ariane 5 to 
transport supplies to the Space Station.

The first element of the Space Station in orbit, the Russian-built 
control module named Zarya, has been circling the Earth since its 
launch on 20 November while flight controllers checked out the 
performance of its systems in preparation for the arrival of the 
second element.  The second element, a U.S.-made connecting module 
named Unity, will be carried into orbit in Endeavour's cargo bay.  
It has six docking ports and will serve as the basic building 
block to which all future U.S.  modules will be attached.

On the third day of the flight, Endeavour will catch up with Zarya 
and, using the Shuttle's robotic arm, the astronauts onboard will 
capture Zarya and join it to Unity.  Two crewmembers will then 
perform three "spacewalks" on subsequent days to complete the 
connections between the two modules.  Endeavour will then separate 
and return home, leaving the new and as yet unpiloted station in 
orbit.

Endeavour's crew of six will include Russian cosmonaut Sergei 
Krikalev.  On the day before the final spacewalk, he and another 
crewmember will enter Unity-Zarya through the Shuttle's docking 
mechanism for the first time to transfer spare equipment and 
complete assembly work.  Krikalev will return to the Space Station 
in early 2000 when the first crew of three moves into the new 
station.

Endeavour is scheduled to be launched at 03:59 EST (09:59 Central 
European Time) on 03 December.  The exact launch time will be 
determined during the final hour of the launch countdown as NASA 
and Russian mission controllers identify Zarya's exact orbital 
position.

For further information, visit:  
http:/www.estec.esa.nl/spaceflight
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1998 MARS SURVEYOR PROJECT STATUS REPORT
By John McNamee, Mars Surveyor 98 project manager

30 November 1998

Mars Climate Orbiter:  Launch -10 days
The orbiter was transported to Launch Pad 17A (SLC 17A) and 
stacked successfully on the Delta launch vehicle.

Mars Polar Lander:  Launch -34 days
Electrical testing to close various open items was conducted 
successfully.

For more information on the Mars Surveyor 98 mission, please visit 
our web site at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98
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End Marsbugs Vol. 5, No. 25





