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Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter
Volume 11, Number 22, 25 May 2004
Editor/Publisher: David J. Thomas, Ph.D., Science Division, Lyon College,
Batesville, Arkansas 72503-2317, USA. [email protected]
Marsbugs is published on a weekly to monthly basis as warranted by the number of articles and announcements. Copyright of this compilation exists with the editor,
except for specific articles, in which instance copyright exists with the author/authors. Opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors, and are not
necessarily endorsed by the editor or by Lyon College. E-mail subscriptions are free, and may be obtained by contacting the editor. Information concerning the scope
of this newsletter, subscription formats and availability of back-issues is available at http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs. The editor does not condone "spamming"
of subscribers. Readers would appreciate it if others would not send unsolicited e-mail using the Marsbugs mailing lists. Persons who have information that may be of
interest to subscribers of Marsbugs should send that information to the editor.
Articles and News
Announcements
Page 1
ROUND-TRIP SURVIVOR, ANOTHER REALITY SHOW
Edited from the testimony of Mary Frey
Page 5
SPACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE TAKES AIM AT HEALTH
CHALLENGES OF EXPLORATION
National Space Biomedical Research Institute release
Page 2
RESEARCHERS TAKE FRUITFUL LOOK AT SPACE
RADIATION HAZARDS TO BRAIN
By Tariq Malik
Page 5
NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY INDEX
By David J. Thomas
Page 2
BATTLING PERSONALITY IN OUTER SPACE
Australian National University release
Page 2
ASTEROID EATERS: ROBOTS TO HUNT SPACE ROCKS,
PROTECT EARTH
By Tariq Malik
Page 3
DEAD OR ALIVE?
By Jenny Hogan
Page 3
THEORY PROPOSES NEW VIEW OF SUN AND EARTH'S
CREATION
Arizona State University release
ROUND-TRIP SURVIVOR, ANOTHER REALITY SHOW
Edited from the testimony of Mary Frey
Mission Reports
Page 5
CASSINI SIGNIFICANT EVENTS
NASA/JPL release
Page 6
MARS ODYSSEY THEMIS IMAGES
NASA/JPL/ASU release
more about this radiation, about its effects on humans, including cancers and
genetic problems and cataracts and how to provide effective shielding and
other protective countermeasures.
18 May 2004
To the Presidential Commission on Moon, Mars and Beyond, Dr. Marianne
Frey, Professor Emeritus School of Aerospace Medicine, Wright State
University, presented her views about the challenges to long-duration human
exploration of the moon and Mars.
Our vision to send men and women to the moon and Mars can be an
inspiration and a unifier for the people of the United States of America and for
the world. However, exploration has risks. And ethically before these brave
pioneers embark, we must be able to minimize their risks. And maximize
their well-being, their ability to perform successfully in space, and their
chances to return to a normal life on earth.
The risks come from at least four sources. First, the reduced gravity
environment—from almost zero to about 1/3 earth's gravity, which will cause
fluid shifts in the body, loss of normal stress on the bones and muscles, and
changes in stimuli to the nervous system. Second, the environment inside the
vehicle or habitat poses threats from floating particles, which might be
inspired, toxic wastes, poor illumination, loud noise and poor thermal control.
Third, the environment outside the vehicle or habitat poses threats, including
radiation and meteorites or other debris. And fourth, the psychological and
psychosocial stresses will be extreme.
Two risk factors that will rise to major importance for long distance, longduration journeys are, first, the psychological and psychosocial challenges of
these missions will be huge. Crewmembers will be isolated at great distances
from earth with long lag times in communication. They'll be crowded into
close quarters they will be in danger. And their sleep will be degraded.
Interpersonal and group dynamics for intercultural and intergender groups
must be understood and appropriate countermeasures developed.
The cosmic and solar radiation encountered outside of earth's protective
magnetic field is unlike anything that we have here on earth. We must learn
Other risks of space flight, which were concerned in the short-duration
missions of the past and the present will be much greater threats in the
exploratory missions of the future. First the loss of bone mineral in space
flight—about 1% per month. That's 10 times what people lose as they're
aging. Cardiovascular changes, including arrhythmias and loss of exercise
capacity and tendency to faint when hitting gravity on the moon, Mars, or on
Earth. Muscle and strength loss. Neurological changes, including spatial
disorientation, space motion sickness and neuromuscular changes. The
immune system's reduced effectiveness in space and allergic responses.
Inadequate nutrition and food supply. And the requirement for extensive extra
vehicular activity, including risk of decompression sickness.
A related daunting challenge that is critical to astronaut health on a mission to
Mars is the necessity for advanced life support capability. This includes a
closed system for oxygen, water and food. And effective waste management
system. Accurate environmental monitoring, and user-friendly space suits and
gloves to protect the astronauts and to Enable them to do protective work and
to do productive work on the surface of the moon and on mars.
I've not addressed the very important challenge of providing medical care on
exploration missions. Potential countermeasures include exercise programs,
both aerobic and resistive. Pharmacological interventions, nutrition and diet,
light. Human factors design. Psychological testing and interventions.
Selection criteria, including genetic screening and training. And probably a
short-arm human centrifuge to provide artificial gravity.
The platforms for research and testing to allow us to meet these challenges
will include the following. The international space station will be of major
importance for testing countermeasures and for some of the research required
to understand the threats and to develop countermeasures. However, the ISS
will not be a useful platform unless it has a crew of at least seven, allowing at
least four to five crewmembers to be researchers and subjects. It must also
have necessary laboratory facilities. The moon could be a valuable laboratory
Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter, Volume 11, Number 22, 25 May 2004
for some research, and for some countermeasure testing for Mars. Knowledge
can be gained in living in less than one g [gravity] environment the effects of
transitions between g levels and radiation. And finally appropriate analogs on
earth, such as human studies in bed rest or in the Antarctic, and animal
research to learn about mechanisms of some of the medical and physiological
stresses.
A much greater level of commitment and of funding for biomedical research
and countermeasure research and development must be made than has ever
existed before. After all, we're talking about sending people to Mars, human
beings to Mars.
Read the original article at http://www.astrobio.net/news/article975.html.
RESEARCHERS TAKE FRUITFUL LOOK AT SPACE RADIATION
HAZARDS TO BRAIN
By Tariq Malik
From Space.com
In addition to packing their space suits for a long trip through space, future
astronauts may want to toss in some strawberries to take along for the ride.
Fruits and vegetables, researchers said Monday, could help protect
spacefaring humans from suffering severe neurological damage from radiation
once they leave the protection of the Earth's magnetic field, which shields the
Earth from harmful high-energy particles.
"[Radiation] may impair astronauts' ability to function, and may also continue
to affect them once they come back home," said James Joseph, lead scientist
for the Neuroscience Laboratory at the Human Nutrition Research Center on
Aging at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. "Maybe what we need
out there is also a bit of nutritional shielding."
Read the full article at
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/radiation_fruit_040518.html.
BATTLING PERSONALITY IN OUTER SPACE
Australian National University release
19 May 2004
Defiance, detachment, disagreement—harmful emotions in any small group
situation, but in Outer Space these feelings are particularly damaging and
possibly life endangering. ANU psychologists are preparing to gather unique
insights into the duress of space travel as part of a "Mars expedition" to be
staged in the Australian desert later this year. The way that small groups of
astronauts interact in the extreme, unfamiliar and isolating conditions of space
travel will be closely scrutinized by Dr. Rachael Eggins, Dr. Kate Reynolds
and Ph.D. student Mr. Phill Krins, from the Psychology Department in the
ANU Faculty of Science. The researchers are set to record the interactions of
participants of an expedition into the South Australian outback in August
organized by the Mars Society of Australia. This follows on from an initial
study of participants in a planetary simulation in the United States last year.
"The rigorous personality testing astronauts undergo in their relatively cozy,
comfortable labs can not measure how their personality might change in a
confined, socially stifling and unfamiliar space," Dr Eggins says. "In
everyday life we are very socially dynamic and belong to a number of groups,
such as family, work and friends. There are a number of psychological
advantages to having such a dynamic social
environment, which will be absent when people
spend long periods of time in isolation."
Mr. Krins and Dr. Steve Dawson, a research
psychologist with the Mars Society of Australia,
will travel into the desert with the expedition
and ask participants—who try and replicate as
closely as possible what it would be like living
and
working
on
Mars—to complete
questionnaires designed to monitor social
dynamics. Participants will undergo a daily
cortisol (a hormone produced by the body in
reaction to stress) measurement test and
cognitive testing to gauge stress and
performance levels. Mr. Krins will also keep a
daily journal to record important social events,
2
such as leadership changes, likely to affect the social dynamics of the
expedition.
"One thing we are interested in is the question of whether or not groups are
good or bad for your health," Dr Eggins says. "We know that in cohesive
groups people perform better, work harder and are more cooperative than in
loose-knit groups. But do cohesive groups make us work too hard and what
does that do to our stress levels?"
There are also other issues relating to the wrong sort of cohesion in a group,
and small sub-groups forming within larger groups.
"There is a danger groups may become too cohesive," Mr. Krins says. "When
this occurs there may be intense pressure for individual crew members to
behave in accordance with 'group norms'. For example, if there is a group
norm to not report safety breaches, this could put the entire crew in danger."
Also, past research on groups (whether isolated or not) has shown that it is
common for the larger group to splinter into smaller subgroups.
"A number of problems can occur when large groups split off into these
smaller groups," Dr. Eggins says. "Polarization can lead to infighting and
poor decision-making. But there are advantages—subgroups can become an
important source of creative new ideas benefiting the larger group. Subgroups
are also an important source of identity and pride for people. They then work
hard to achieve its goals, improving the mission as a whole."
With unmanned Mars missions underway and intensifying research interest in
the red planet, the ANU researchers believe the human element of space
exploration should be taken just as seriously as the technological or scientific.
The team's research will focus on developing guiding principles to avoid
problems associated with groups in such stressful circumstances.
"It is important that group differences are managed properly and don't become
a source of conflict or feelings of disenfranchisement," Dr. Eggins says.
"These principles will ensure that individuals maintain commitment to the
whole, have avenues for input into decision making and follow leadership
guidelines."
Contact:
Amanda Morgan
Media Liaison, Marketing and Communications
Phone: 02 6125 5575
E-mail: [email protected]
Read the original news release at
http://info.anu.edu.au/mac/Media/Media_Releases/_2004/May/_190504Group
s.asp.
An additional article on this subject is available at
http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/avoid_space_madness.html.
ASTEROID EATERS: ROBOTS TO HUNT SPACE ROCKS,
PROTECT EARTH
By Tariq Malik
From Space.com
19 May 2004
At the movies, the best way to stop an asteroid from wiping out Earth is to lob
a few nuclear missiles at the rocky beast or blow it apart from the inside with
megaton bombs. While those methods promise some fantastic explosions—
and maybe a blockbuster hit—a team of engineers are looking at a more
patient approach. Their weapon: a swarm of nuclear-powered robots that
could drill into an asteroid and hurl chunks of it into space with enough force
to gradually push it into a non-Earth impacting course.
"We're aiming to examine the whole idea of these robots," said Matthew
Graham, design project manager for the study at SpaceWorks Engineering,
Inc. (SEI), an engineering consulting and concept analysis firm in Atlanta,
Georgia.
Read the full article at
http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/madmen_techwed_040
519.html.
Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter, Volume 11, Number 22, 25 May 2004
3
DEAD OR ALIVE?
By Jenny Hogan
From New Scientist
20 May 2004
Doctors in the U.S. have come up with the best evidence yet for the existence
of nanobacteria, potentially a new form of life. Most scientists are sceptical
because many of the structures claimed to be nanobacteria are simply too
small to be alive—one biologist describes nanobacteria as "the cold fusion of
microbiology". But the latest research suggests that nanobacteria taken from
diseased arteries are not only capable of self-replication, but also contain
DNA and RNA. The work could have important implications, because some
claim nanobacteria cause a wide range of diseases in humans.
Left: nanobes can be as much as 10 times smaller than the smallest of these
bacteria. Image credit: Connecticut Food Protection Program. Right: closeup of a Mars meteorite, showing what some have argued appears to be
fossilized evidence of ancient microbial life. Image Credit: NASA
Read the full article at
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99995009.
Annotated photo of the Trifid Nebula showing the formation of low-mass stars
(YSO's—Young Solar Objects). Image credit: NASA/Hubble Space
Telescope/Jeff Hester.
An additional article on this subject is available at
http://www.astrobio.net/news/article983.html.
THEORY PROPOSES NEW VIEW OF SUN AND EARTH'S
CREATION
Arizona State University release
21 May 2004
Like most creation stories, this one is dramatic: we began, not as a mere
glimmer buried in an obscure cloud, but instead amidst the glare and turmoil
of restless giants. Or so says a new theory, supported by stunning
astronomical images and hard chemical analysis. For years most astronomers
have imagined that the Sun and Solar System formed in relative isolation,
buried in a quiet, dark corner of a less-than-imposing interstellar cloud. The
new theory challenges this conventional wisdom, arguing instead that the Sun
formed in a violent nebular environment—a byproduct of the chaos wrought
by intense ultraviolet radiation and powerful explosions that accompany the
short but spectacular lives of massive, luminous stars.
The new theory is described in a "Perspectives" article appearing in the May
21 issue of Science. The article was written by a group of Arizona State
University astronomers and meteorite researchers who cite recently
discovered isotopic evidence and accumulated astronomical observations to
argue for a history of development of the Sun, the Earth and our Solar System
that is significantly different from the traditionally accepted scenario. If borne
out by future work, this vision of our cosmic birth could have profound
implications for understanding everything from the size and shape of our solar
system to the physical makeup of the Earth and the development of the
chemistry of life.
"There are two different sorts of environment where low-mass stars like the
Sun form," explained ASU astronomer Jeff Hester, the essay's lead author.
"In one kind of star-forming environment, you have a fairly quiescent process
in which an undisturbed molecular cloud slowly collapses, forming a star
here, a star there. The other type of environment in which Sun-like stars form
is radically different. These are more massive regions that form not only lowmass stars, but luminous high-mass stars, as well."
More massive regions are very different because once a high-mass star forms,
it begins pumping out huge amounts of energy that in turn completely changes
the way Sun-like stars form in the surrounding environment.
Illustration showing a high-mass star's effect on a nearby molecular cloud,
resulting in the formation of a low-mass star like our Sun. Image credit: Jeff
Hester.
"People have long imagined that the Sun formed in the first, more quiescent
type of environment," Hester noted, "but we believe that we have compelling
evidence that this is not the case."
Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter, Volume 11, Number 22, 25 May 2004
4
Critical to the team's argument is the recent discovery in meteorites of patterns
of isotopes that can only have been caused by the radioactive decay of iron60, an unstable isotope that has a half life of only a million and a half years.
Iron-60 can only be formed in the heart of a massive star and thus the
presence of live iron-60 in the young Solar System provides strong evidence
that when the Sun formed (4.5 billion years ago) a massive star was nearby.
Hester's coauthors on the Science essay include Steve Desch, Kevin Healy,
and Laurie Leshin. Leshin is a cosmochemist and director of Arizona State
University's Center for Meteorite Studies.
The Trifid Nebula. Image credit: NASA/HST/Jeff Hester.
"Once we understood what we were looking at, we realized that we had a
number of images of EGGs caught just as they were turning into proplyds,"
said Hester. "The evolutionary tie between these two classes of objects is
clear."
The Eagle Nebula, as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. This
famous photo, often known as "The Pillars of Creation," shows giant nebular
clouds being evaporated by the ferocious energy of massive stars, exposing
emerging solar systems, much like our own. Image credit: NASA/HST/Jeff
Hester and Paul Scowen.
"One of the exciting things about the research is that it is truly
transdisciplinary, drawing from both astrophysics and the study of
meteorites—rocks that you can pick up and hold in your hand—to arrive at a
new understanding of our origins," noted Leshin.
When a massive star is born, its intense ultraviolet radiation forms an "HII
region"—a region of hot, ionized gas that pushes outward through interstellar
space. The Eagle Nebula, the Orion Nebula, and the Trifid Nebula are all
well-known examples of HII regions. A shock wave is driven in advance of
the expanding HII region, compressing surrounding gas and triggering the
formation of new low-mass stars.
"We see triggered low-mass star formation going on in HII regions today,"
said Healy, who recently completed a study of radio observations of this
process at work.
The star does not have much time to get its act together, though. Within
100,000 years or so, the star and what is left of its small natal cloud will be
uncovered by the advancing boundary of the HII region and exposed directly
to the harsh ultraviolet radiation from the massive star. "We see such objects
emerging from the boundaries of HII regions," Hester said. "These are the
'evaporating gaseous globules' or 'EGGs' seen in the famous Hubble image of
the Eagle Nebula."
EGGs do not live forever either. Within about ten thousand years an EGG
evaporates, leaving behind only the low-mass star and its now-unprotected
protoplanetary disk to face the brunt of the massive star's wrath. Like a chip
of dry ice on a hot day, the disk itself now begins to evaporate, forming a
characteristic tear-drop-shaped structure like the "proplyds" seen in Hubble
images of the Orion Nebula.
Within another ten thousand years or so the proplyd, too, is eroded away. All
that remains is the star itself, surrounded by the inner part of the disk
(comparable in size to our Solar System), which is able to withstand the
continuing onslaught of radiation. It is from this disk and in this environment
that planets may form.
The process leaves a Sun-like star and its surrounding disk sitting in the
interior of a low density cavity with a massive star close at hand. Massive
stars die young, exploding in violent events called "supernovas." When a
supernova explodes it peppers surrounding infant planetary systems with
newly synthesized chemical elements—including short-lived radioactive
isotopes such as iron-60.
"This is where the meteorite data come in," said Hester. "When we look at
HII regions we see that they are filled with young, Sun-like stars, many of
which are known to be surrounded by protoplanetary disks. Once you ask the
question, 'what is going to happen when those massive stars go supernova?'
the answer is pretty obvious. Those young disks are going to get enriched
with a lot of freshly-made elements."
"When you then pick up a meteorite and find a mix of materials that can only
be easily explained by a nearby supernova, you realize that you are looking at
the answer to a very longstanding question in astronomy and planetary
science," Desch added.
"So from this we now know that if you could go back 4.5 billion years and
watch the Sun and Solar System forming, you would see the kind of
environment that you see today in the Eagle or Trifid nebulas," said Hester.
"There are many aspects of our Solar System that seem to make sense in light
of the new scenario," notes Leshin. "For example, this might be why the outer
part of the Solar System—the Kuiper Belt—seems to end abruptly.
Ultraviolet radiation would also have played a role in the organic chemistry of
the young solar system, and could explain other peculiar effects such as
anomalies in the abundances of isotopes of oxygen in meteorites."
One of the most intriguing speculations is that the amount of radioactive
material injected into the young solar system by a supernova might have
profoundly influenced the habitability of Earth itself. Heat released by the
decay of this material may have been responsible for "baking out" the
Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter, Volume 11, Number 22, 25 May 2004
planetesimals from which the earth formed, and in the process determining
how much water is on Earth today.
"It is kind of exciting to think that life on Earth may owe its existence to
exactly what sort of massive star triggered the formation of the Sun in the first
place, and exactly how close we happened to be to that star when it went
supernova," mused Hester. "One thing that is clear is that the traditional
boundaries between fields such as astrophysics, meteoritics, planetary science,
and astrobiology just got less clear-cut. This new scenario has a lot of
implications, and makes a lot of new predictions that we can test."
5
School of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Rice University, Texas
A&M University, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, University of
Pennsylvania Health System and University of Washington. Nearly half of
the projects are slated for universities and laboratories outside the consortium.
Contact:
Kathy Major
National Space Biomedical Research Institute
Phone: 713-798-5893
E-mail: [email protected]
If it is accepted, the new theory may also be of use in looking for life in the
universe beyond. "We want to know how common Earth-like planets are.
The problem with answering that question is that if you don't know how
Earth-like planets are formed—if you don't understand their connection with
astrophysical environments—then all you can do is speculate," Hester said.
NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY INDEX
By David J. Thomas
http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/astrobiology/
"We think that we're starting to see a very specific causal connection between
astrophysical environments and the things that have to be in place to make a
planet like ours."
Terrestrial extreme environments articles
http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/astrobiology/online_articles2.html
Contacts:
James Hathaway
Phone: 480-965-6375
E-mail: [email protected]
Jeff Hester
Phone: 480-965-0741
E-mail: [email protected]
Laurie Leshin
Phone: 480-965-0796
E-mail: [email protected]
Read the original news release at
http://www.asu.edu/asunews/research/sun_earth_creation.htm.
Additional articles on this subject are available at:
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/sun_birth_040520.html
http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/new_theory_solar_system_formati
on.html
SPACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE TAKES AIM AT HEALTH
CHALLENGES OF EXPLORATION
National Space Biomedical Research Institute release
20 May 2004
The National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) selected 48
research projects to continue its mission to resolve the health and medical
challenges related to long-duration space missions.
"As our nation looks toward longer space missions and exploration of the
moon and Mars, these projects tightly focus on the health issues, technologies,
and medical assessment and care needed for such missions," said Dr. Jeffrey
P. Sutton, NSBRI director.
The 48 projects, funded for three-to-four years, will be led by investigators at
30 institutions. A list of all selected projects by state is available at
http://www.nsbri.org/NewsPublicOut/bystate0504.html.
Selected from a group of 111 research proposals, each project underwent peer
review by panels of scientists not affiliated with the Institute and were
evaluated for relevance to the NSBRI program. The proposals were in
response to a joint NASA and NSBRI research announcement (NRA 03OBPR-04). The projects address critical issues such as bone and muscle loss,
cardiovascular changes, remote medical care, sleep and human performance,
immunology and infection, balance and orientation, neurobehavioral and
psychosocial issues, nutrition and physical fitness. Research findings will also
impact the understanding and treatment of similar medical conditions
experienced on Earth.
Established in 1997 through a NASA competition, the NSBRI is a consortium
of leading biomedical institutions including Baylor College of Medicine,
Brookhaven National Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, The Johns
Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Morehouse
25 May 2004
R. Buchanan, 2004. Utah microbes point to Mars. BBC News.
J. Hogan, 2004. Nanobes: a new form of life? Astrobiology Magazine.
Human space flight articles
http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/astrobiology/online_articles3.html
Australian National University, 2004.
Universe Today.
How to avoid space madness.
M. Frey, 2004. Round-trip survivor, another reality show.
Magazine.
Astrobiology
T. Malik, 2004. Researchers take fruitful look at space radiation hazards to
brain. Space.com.
Evolution (biological, chemical and cosmological) articles
http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/astrobiology/online_articles5.html
Arizona State University, 2004.
formation. Universe Today.
New theory proposed for Solar System
Arizona State University, 2004.
Earth's creation. SpaceDaily.
Theory proposes new view of Sun and
R. R. Britt, 2004.
Space.com.
Origins revealed: Sun and Earth born amid chaos.
J. J. Hester, S. J. Desch, K. R. Healy and L. A. Leshin, 2004. The cradle of
the Solar System. Science, 304(5674):1116-1117.
Planetary protection articles
http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/astrobiology/online_articles6.html
T. Malik, 2004. Asteroid eaters: robots to hunt space rocks, protect Earth.
Space.com.
CASSINI SIGNIFICANT EVENTS
NASA/JPL release
13-19 May 2004
The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Goldstone
tracking station on Wednesday, May 19. The Cassini spacecraft is in an
excellent state of health and is operating normally. Information on the present
position and speed of the Cassini spacecraft may be found on the "Present
Position" web page located at http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/operations/presentposition.cfm.
After activating, loading instrument expanded blocks, and initializing various
instruments, S01, the first tour sequence, began data collection activities.
Unique activities in S01 include trajectory correction maneuvers 20 and 21,
the first Inertial Vector Propagator (IVP) live update, and the only Phoebe
encounter in the tour.
Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter, Volume 11, Number 22, 25 May 2004
6
actions being accepted, but the consensus of both was that the Project is well
postured for the upcoming SOI.
Members of the flight team traveled to the DSN complex at Goldstone,
California, to perform an Emergency Control Center (ECC) demonstration.
These demos occur periodically to confirm that emergency command
capability is still active and available should the need arise. Unfortunately, a
reoccurrence of a 2-way acquisition failure at DSS-25 invalidated the demo.
The team is currently looking at options for rescheduling the test.
A new version of the Multi-Mission Image Processing Laboratory software set
was accepted for operations at a Delivery Review. Four approved additions
were made to enhance robustness and eliminate some uplink workarounds.
Additional reviews were held for Spacecraft Operations Office tools
Telemetry Input Gap Analyzer and Reporter V1.0, Kinematic Prediction Tool
10.3.5, and IVP 10.3.3.
On-board activities this week included the Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS)
Titan movie, which searches for evidence of cloud motion to measure winds.
ISS also continued to study the orbits of the known satellites to improve
understanding of short- and long-term dynamical evolution. The Ultraviolet
Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) continues to map the Saturn magnetosphere in
neutral and ion photon emissions to derive the distribution and density of
atomic and molecular species. The Composite and Infrared Spectrometer
(CIRS) collected the first in a series of long integrations of Saturn for
temperature data. The ISS continued with some standard searches for
satellites embedded in the outer part of the rings and outside the main rings.
On Saturday, May 15th, the first Radio Science Subsystem (RSS) activity
during tour took place. This consisted of a 4-hour long Ultra Stable
Oscillator (USO) characterization, and was also an opportunity to continue
with the Ka-band Translator recovery attempts.
In the last week, 684 ISS images arrived and were distributed along with 77
Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) cubes. The total number
of ISS images acquired since the start of Approach Science is now 6655, and
the number of VIMS cubes is 843.
In support of the Phoebe encounter, the flight team is holding an Operations
Readiness Test (ORT) for the Phoebe Live Update Process. This week an
ORT walk-through was held along with a Live Update ORT Go/No-Go
meeting, and a Phoebe ORT Command approval meeting. Once complete, the
files generated during this test will be run through the Integrated Test
Laboratory for validation.
Approximately 40,000 guests visited JPL and the Cassini display last weekend
for the laboratory's annual open house. The Cassini display included a halfscale model of the spacecraft, and screened the planetarium show "Ring
World." Members from the flight team volunteered time at the different
Cassini exhibits throughout the weekend.
This week's image is a single filter narrow angle camera view of Titan. This
and previous images can be accessed at http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov.
Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and
the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the
California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA, manages the Cassini
mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC.
Additional articles on this subject are available at:
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/cassini-04g.html
http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/cassini_another_look_titan.html
MARS ODYSSEY THEMIS IMAGES
NASA/JPL/ASU release
17-21 May 2004
Nili Fossae Crater (Released 17 May 2004)
http://themis.la.asu.edu/zoom-20040517a.html
Syrtis Major (Released 18 May 2004)
http://themis.la.asu.edu/zoom-20040518a.html
Tinjar Vallis (Released 19 May 2004)
http://themis.la.asu.edu/zoom-20040519a.html
Sequence development of S02 continued this week with release for review of
the S02 Preliminary Sequence Integration and Validation 2 (PSIV) stripped
subsequence products.
Ten sequence change requests (SCR) were
dispositioned at the S02 PSIV SCR approval meeting. A kick-off meeting
was held for the S03 Science and Sequence Update Process.
Rampart Crater (Released 20 May 2004)
http://themis.la.asu.edu/zoom-20040520a.html
The Science Operations Plan (SOP) Implementation process for tour
sequences S31 and S32 began this week. Sequences S27 and S28 wrapped
up, and S29 and S30 were merged for official port #1 and are currently being
reviewed.
All of the THEMIS images are archived at http://themis.la.asu.edu/latest.html.
An updated Cassini reference trajectory was released on 13 May 2004. The
new trajectory results from improvements in satellite ephemeris knowledge,
and enables the navigation team to maintain key science objectives while
controlling propellant expenditure within acceptable limits.
SOI readiness reviews this week included a presentation to the Tom Young
committee and an internal Project review. Both reviews resulted in some
Crater Ejecta (Released 21 May 2004)
http://themis.la.asu.edu/zoom-20040521a.html
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission
for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. The Thermal
Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State
University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote
Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at
Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the
prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter.
Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from
JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
End Marsbugs, Volume 11, Number 22.