MARSBUGS:  
The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter
Volume 5, Number 26, 12 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

Marsbugs is published on a weekly to quarterly basis as warranted 
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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)	LABORATORY UNDER CONSTRUCTION:  NASA/MARSHALL BIOTECHNOLOGY 
MAY GET AN EARLY START ON SPACE STATION
By Dave Dooling

2)	MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR PROJECT STATUS REPORT OVERVIEW
By the Mars Surveyor Operations Project Manager

3)	1998 MARS SURVEYOR PROJECT STATUS REPORT
By John McNamee

4)	REVIEWS OF RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS
By Julian Hiscox

5)	PLANT BIOCHEMISTRY SUMMER COURSE
By Michael Kahn
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LABORATORY UNDER CONSTRUCTION:  NASA/MARSHALL BIOTECHNOLOGY MAY 
GET AN EARLY START ON SPACE STATION
By Dave Dooling
From NASA Space Science News

10 December 1998

While astronauts assemble and activate the first portion of the 
International Space Station, scientists working with NASA's 
Marshall Space Flight Center are preparing experiments that will 
take advantage of the most extensive space-based laboratory ever 
devised.  And although the U.S.  Laboratory Module won't be 
attached until the year 2000, research on board the space station 
should start by the end of 1999.  Their initial efforts will be 
modest, but eventually scientists will have tools that include 
everything but the kitchen sink.

"Most of our current inventory of payloads can fly very early," 
said Patton Downey, NASA discipline scientist for microgravity 
biotechnology research, a discipline that has had great success 
with experiments aboard the Space Shuttle and Russia's Mir space 
station.

Head start for biotechnology

Biotechnology is likely to be one of the first microgravity 
science payloads aboard space station.  

"We've had requests for payloads that could fly on the early space 
station assembly missions before the crew mans the station," 
continued Downey.  "The space station office is asking for 
payloads that can operate unattended for about two months."

The biotechnology program has several science payloads that grow 
protein crystals.  These are analyzed on Earth to determine the 
molecular structure so scientists can design drug therapies that 
target a specific problem with few or no side effects.  It's a bit 
like safe-cracking at the atomic level.  

Most of the protein crystal growth hardware requires little of the 
space station's resources and crew support.  They only need to be 
turned on, and days or months later, turned off.  If crew time is 
available, some photo documentation may be requested.

Tops on that list are payloads known as EGN and DCAM.  Each grows 
large quantities of crystals by slightly different techniques.  
These experiments will be conducted in an EXPRESS rack designed to 
handle experiments with minimal complexity, or in whatever space 
is available inside the Unity (Node 1) module, Zarya (the Russian-
built base module), and other elements as they are added.  

"After that, the rotating bioreactor experiments in cell science 
will start on one of the utilization flights," Downey continued.  
Bioreactor is more complex and will require some crew attention 
since the health and growth of the cell clusters inside must be 
monitored, and nutrient and waste bags replaced.
 
The NASA Bioreactor is like a rotating culture dish with a mini-
life support system attached.  In it, scientists can culture cells 
for long periods of time so they can grow in lifelike assemblies 
that should yield clues to how both healthy and cancerous tissues 
grow.  From that will come new knowledge of how to improve 
transplants and to fight cancer.

"What we would fly is much like what we flew on Russia's Mir," 
Downey said.  "It would be self-contained, with its own gas supply 
and other resources."

The Bioreactor is anticipated to use the EXPRESS rack during its 
initial experiments, then expand to use a dedicated facility.  
Bioreactor is the key hardware element in NASA's cell science 
program, which is managed at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Extra elbow room

Many of the microgravity experiments planned for space station got 
their start--or an important boost--from early work in the Middeck 
Glovebox, a tiny enclosure carried aboard the Space Shuttle and 
Mir.  In the glovebox, astronauts were able to conduct experiments 
that are highly promising, but don't quite warrant a full-fledged 
facility of their own.  They still need the personal touch.  
Aboard space station, a larger, more capable Microgravity Science 
Glovebox (MSG) will be installed soon after the Lab module is 
launched.

"It's going to be a little like pulling up to one of the 
workbenches in the laboratory here," said Charlie Baugher the MSG 
project scientist.  "It'll have everything but the kitchen sink."

Services provided by the new glovebox will include electrical 
power, air conditioning (to clean the air and cool equipment), 
pressurized nitrogen, a vacuum vent, color video, connections to 
the space station's own network and - through communications 
satellites and the Internet - to scientists at universities and 
government labs.

And lots of room.  Scientists using the Middeck Glovebox had to 
cram experiments into containers about the size of a lunch pail, 
and then astronauts had to conduct the experiments in a volume 
just a little bigger than the lunch box.  The new glovebox--with a 
large pull-out enclosure--will have openings 40 cm (16 in) wide to 
accommodate experiments as large as a carry-on bag, and more than 
enough room for astronauts to work around the apparatus.

"The beauty of the MSG is that it is so much more powerful than 
the original gloveboxes that scientists used and so more complete 
science can be done," said Dr. Don Gillies, the materials science 
discipline scientist.

On the rack(s)

The MSG will be joined by the larger Materials Science Research 
Facility (MSRF) which NASA/Marshall will develop and integrate.  
The MSRF is a modular facility comprising three autonomous 
Materials Science Research Racks (MSRR) for research in the 
microgravity environment on space station.  It will house 
materials processing furnaces and common systems required to 
operate the furnaces.  Each research rack will host on-orbit 
replaceable Experiment Modules, Module Inserts, investigation-
unique apparatus, and other equipment to conduct a wide variety of 
scientific investigations.

The research facility will accommodate the planned and evolving 
cadre of peer-reviewed science investigations.  The facility will 
provide the apparatus for satisfying near-term and long-range 
materials science discipline goals and objectives to be 
accomplished in the U.S.  Laboratory.

"It will handle a wide range of research in electronic crystals 
and advanced alloys," said Dr. Frank Szofran, the MSRF project 
scientist at NASA/Marshall.

The research facility will actually comprise three racks, each 
about 1 meter (40 inches) wide.  Although they can be replaced in 
orbit, NASA envisions keeping the racks in place as long as 
possible and exchanging experiment systems within the racks.  
MSRR-1, scheduled for launch in October 2002, will host several 
modules developed by NASA and the European Space Agency, one of 
the major space station partners.

The left side of the rack will be filled with experiments provided 
by NASA's Space Product Development Program, which is working with 
industry to develop commercial applications in space processing.  
The Space Product Development Experiment Module (SPDEM) being 
developed by the Consortium for Materials Development in Space at 
the University of Alabama in Huntsville will accommodate multiple 
furnace modules, including both transparent and opaque furnaces.

The right side will be filled with research equipment provided by 
NASA and the European Space Agency, which is also building its own 
lab, the Columbus Orbital Facility.  NASA and ESA are each working 
on two module inserts for the first MSRR.  These will take turns 
using the rack.

NASA and its partners are developing the full range of experiments 
and their schedules.  They deliberately avoided locking the 
experiments in place because science usually moves at an 
unpredictable rate, and today's discoveries can redirect 
tomorrow's plans.  Watch this space.  We'll have more on space 
station science activities as they develop.

[For more information on this topic, please see 
http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/msad10dec98_1.htm]
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MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR PROJECT STATUS REPORT OVERVIEW
By the Mars Surveyor Operations Project Manager
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

4 December 1998

Final signoff of the flight operations products for launch support 
of the Mars Climate Orbiter have been completed and the flight 
team is ready for the MCO launch on December 10th.  Mars Global 
Surveyor continues to make excellent progress in its aerobraking 
activities with the orbital period having been reduced to 4.75 
hours.  The spacecraft and the aerobraking management team 
continue their excellent performance without any cause for 
concern.  Approximately 9 minutes of positive margin exists 
against the baseline aerobraking plan.
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1998 MARS SURVEYOR PROJECT STATUS REPORT
By John McNamee, Mars Surveyor 98 project manager

6 December 1998

Mars Climate Orbiter:  Launch -4 days
The NASA Launch Readiness Review was conducted.  The orbiter was 
powered and a limited, accelerated countdown test was conducted 
successfully.  After completion of the test during power down 
activities, an anomaly occurred resulting in the stoppage of the 
downlink object and the computer rebooting.  The problem was 
repeated in the Spacecraft Test Laboratory (STL) and the cause 
determined to be a poorly configured command.  A flight rule will 
be established to prevent recurrence of the problem - no change is 
required on the spacecraft.

Mars Polar Lander:  Launch -28 days
No activity--day off for lander crew.

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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REVIEWS OF RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS
By Julian Hiscox

5 December 1998

Title:		Fluid and electrolyte regulation in spaceflight
Authors:		Carolyn S. Leach Huntoon
			Anatoliy I. Grigoriev
			Yuri V. Natochin
Publisher:	American Astronautical Society/Univelt
ISBN:		0-87703-442-7 (hard cover)
			0-87703-443-5 (soft cover)
Year:		1998
Pages:  		219
Publisher address:  Univelt Incorporated, PO Box 28130, San Diego, 
California 92198, USA.

Human space flight has consisted of a series of gradual steps 
towards a desired goal.  For example, the Apollo mission to the 
Moon first commenced with Project Gemini, the goal of which was to 
demonstrate and investigate many of the technologies and 
procedures required for successful lunar missions.  One of the 
principal objectives was to investigate whether humans could 
operate in space for the time required for a round trip to the 
Moon.  Launched on 4th December, 1965 the 13 day, 18 hour and 35 
minute Gemini 7 mission commanded by Frank Borman and piloted by 
James Lovell clearly demonstrated that this was feasible.  
Although with the advent of Skylab and the Salyut and Mir space 
stations has shown that micro-gravity has a pronounced effect on 
human physiology.  Some humans have spent over a year in orbit.

The effect of micro-gravity on human physiology has been studied 
in great detail and myriads of changes occur.  Much of this work 
is comprehensively presented in Fluid and Electrolyte Regulation 
in Spaceflight.  The authors have been intimately associated with 
their respective nations human space-flight programs since the 
inception of the space program.  The book is divided into a number 
of sections, presented in a clearly defined logical order.  The 
first section covers how the human body responds to a micro-
gravity environment, the differing effects of short and long 
duration space-flights are then covered, followed by simulations 
and animal experiments.  The book concludes with various 
countermeasures currently and historically used to mitigate the 
effects of micro-gravity.

Although of a technical nature, the book provides a fascinating 
insight into the research that has been conducted on human space 
flight.  I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in 
this subject.


Title:		Orbital mechanics:  Theory and Applications
Authors:		Tom Logsdon
Publisher:	Wiley-Interscience
Year:		1998
ISBN:		0-471-14636-6
Pages:  		268

On first inspection understanding orbital mechanics can cause 
severe headaches.  As Tom Logsdon points out in his preface to 
Orbital Mechanics if you are in a one hundred nautical-mile 
circular orbit and you press the accelerator, your space craft 
will immediately begin to speed up.  Seemingly without a grasp of 
complex mathematics and physics, to readers such as myself, 
understanding these processes can appear insurmountable.  This is 
a shame really because the principals behind these process govern 
the procession of the planets and indeed the universe.

Many books have been published which make an attempt at explaining 
orbital mechanics but none have presented these processes in a 
clear and simple manner.  Fortunately with his book Orbital 
Mechanics, Logsdon succeeds where some others have failed.  Not 
only are the principals themselves clearly explained, but also 
numerous examples are given.  The book is divided into ten 
chapters, followed by a comprehensive bibliography.  The book 
begins with an overview of orbital mechanics, illustrating the 
observations and contributions of a historical whos who of 
orbital mechanic history.  This list includes Galileo, Kepler and 
of course Newton.  Logsdon then proceeds to describe satellite 
orbits and the orbital environment.  Various orbital change 
manoeuvres are covered including the Hohmann transfer maneuver.  
The practical implications of these for space flight are also 
illustrated.

Orbital Mechanics also describes various boosters currently in use 
and future concepts such as solar sails and so called skyhooks.  
In todays era of global communications Logsdon describes how many 
communication satellites are needed for global coverage in a 
variety of orbits.  It is easy to recommend this book because the 
subject matter is so clearly presented, almost as if Logsdon is 
lecturing in front of you.


Title:		Managing Martians
Author:  		Donna Shirley (with Danielle Morton)
Publisher:	Broadway Books
ISBN:		0-7679-0240-8
Year:		1998
Pages:  		276

Managing Martians by Donna Shirley revolves around the robotic 
exploration of Mars, but more specifically is a clever 
intertwining of the management practices used by Shirley to 
successfully send a new generation rover, called Sojourner to Mars 
on what several years ago would be considered a shoe-string 
budget.

Shirley begins the book by recounting the day, July 4th 1997, when 
Mars Pathfinder successfully touched down on Mars and the 
jubilation that was apparent in mission control.  She conveys 
those exciting times very clearly and I found myself rapidly 
getting into the book.  Much of Shirleys career has been spent at 
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  Shirley recounts how in 1987 she 
started leading the research into martian rovers that culminated 
in Sojourner.  She briefly describes the history of rovers that 
have previously been used in exploring and returning samples from 
the surface of the Moon.

The later half to one third of the book focuses on Shirleys 
management style and the ins and outs of how to get a piece of 
hardware from the design stage to the actually flying.  
Interestingly, according to Shirley, there was a battle to avoid 
putting a rover of any description on the Pathfinder lander in 
preference to other instruments, and secondly she had to fight to 
get her rover on the spacecraft.  In fact Shirley pulls no punches 
in describing the run-ins.  A careful balancing act between the 
rover being a technology demonstrator platform versus scientific 
instrument was required.

One of the conclusions that is brought home at the end of the 
book, is that science and engineering involved in planetary 
exploration have to excite the public, after all it is they who 
ultimately foot the bill.  I would recommend this book to those 
people who are interested not only in finding out about Mars 
exploration but also long hard slog it takes to get there.
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PLANT BIOCHEMISTRY SUMMER COURSE
By Michael Kahn

10 December 1998

[While this is not space biology, per se, it may be of interest to 
people who are interested in space-related plant science.  -DJT]

DOE/NSF/USDA is sponsoring an Advanced Plant Biochemistry Course 
to be held at Washington State University, Pullman, WA from July 
11-24, 1999.  For more information about registration, see
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~ibc/pbrtc/99biochem.html or contact Karen 
Maertens at maertens@mail.wsu.edu

The course is fairly inexpensive and is an excellent review of 
topics in plant biochemistry for faculty wishing to update their 
lectures and for graduate students, post-docs, and industrial 
scientists wanting an overview of this field.

The 1997 course included lectures by a number of outstanding plant 
scientists (listed below).  A list for the 1999 course should be 
available early next year.

"Plant Biochemistry--Then", Paul Stumpf, Section of Molecular and 
Cellular Biology, University of California-Davis
"Plant Biochemistry IS Different:  Some Examples", Eric E. Conn, 
Section of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of 
California-Davis
"Angiosperm Relationships Inferred from Gene Sequence Data", Doug 
and Pam Soltis, Department of Botany, Washington State University
"Membrane Transport (Channels and Translocators)", William J.  
Lucas, Section of Plant Biology, University of California-Davis
"Plasmadesmata (Intercellular Transport)", William J. Lucas, 
Section of Plant Biology, University of California-Davis
"Mechanisms and Regulation of Membrane Transport", Leon Kochian, 
Soil and Nutrition Laboratory, Cornell University
"Photosynthesis Light Reactions", David Kramer, Institute of 
Biological Chemistry, Washington State University
"C" Photosynthesis and Photorespiration", David J. Oliver, 
Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Iowa State 
University
"C4 Photosynthesis", Maurice Ku, Department of Botany, Washington 
State University
"Starch Structure and Enzymology", Jack Preiss, Biochemistry 
Department, Michigan State University
"Metabolic Regulation and Cross-Talk", Bob Buchanan, Department of 
Plant Biology, University of California-Berkeley
"Inositol Metabolism", Frank Loewus, Institute of Biological 
Chemistry, Washington State University
"Biosynthesis of Lipids", John Ohlrogge, Department of Botany, 
Michigan State University
"Structure/Function of Lipids", John Browse, Institute of 
Biological Chemistry, Washington State University
"Synthesis of Cutins and Cuticular Waxes", Pappachan Kolattukudy,
Biotechnology Center, Ohio State University
"Overview of the Plant Cell Wall", Paul Bolwell, Department of 
Biochemistry, Royal Holloway Bedford New College, University of 
London, United Kingdom
"Biosynthetic Pathway of Cell Wall Carbohydrates", Malcolm Brown,
Department of Botany, University of Texas
"Nitrate Reductase/Nitrate Assimilation", Robert L. Warner, 
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University
"Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation", Michael L. Kahn, Institute of 
Biological Chemistry, Washington State University
"Amino Acid Metabolism in Plants", Robert Last, Boyce Thompson 
Institute Cornell University
"Iron, Sulfate, and Phosphate Metabolism", Mary Lou Guerinot, 
Biological Sciences Department, Dartmouth College
"Introduction/Phenylpropanoids", Norman G.  Lewis, Institute of 
Biological Chemistry, Washington State University
"Flavonoids/Isoflavonoids", Rick Dixon, Plant Biology Division, 
Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation
"Alkaloid Biosynthesis", Vincenzo (Vince) De Luca, Institut 
Botanique, University of Montreal
"Plant Isoprenoids:  Structure, Function, and Biosynthesis", David 
McCaskill, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State 
University 
"Protein Localization", John C. Rogers, Institute of Biological 
Chemistry, Washington State University
"Protein Transport", James C. Carrington, Institute of Biological 
Chemistry, Washington State University
"Gibberellic Acid", Russell Jones, Department of Plant Biology, 
University of California-Berkeley
"Abscisic Acid Biosynthesis, Metabolism, and Biological Activity", 
M.K.  Walker-Simmons, USDA-ARS, Washington State University
"Auxin Biosynthesis, Conjugation, and Metabolism", Terri Lomax, 
Department of Botany and Pathology, Oregon State University
"Polypeptide Hormones:  Animals, Yeast, and Plants", Gregg Howe, 
Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University
"Signaling Pathways for Plant Defensive Genes", Clarence A. Ryan, 
Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University
"Disease Resistance Genes of Plants", Greg Martin, Department of 
Horticulture, Purdue University
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End Marsbugs Vol. 5, No. 26
