By Naomi Lubick

Despite long odds,= astronomer Jill C. Tarter forges ahead to improve the chances of picking= up signs of extraterrestrial intelligence

= http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?SID=3D= mail&articleID=3D0007E2F3-2454-1D9A-815A809EC5880000

------=_NextPart_001_0004_01C28193.3B39E220-- From owner-public@setileague.org Fri Nov 1 08:22:26 2002 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.2/8.11.4) with ESMTP id gA1GMPcv013910; Fri, 1 Nov 2002 08:22:26 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_22672)/8.9.3) id LAA01362 for public-list; Fri, 1 Nov 2002 11:13:32 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from flamingo.mail.pas.earthlink.net (flamingo.mail.pas.earthlink.net [207.217.120.232]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_22672)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id LAA01356; Fri, 1 Nov 2002 11:13:28 -0500 (EST) Received: from 1cust163.tnt3.loyalsock.pa.da.uu.net ([65.238.106.163] helo=office) by flamingo.mail.pas.earthlink.net with smtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 187eQH-000536-00; Fri, 01 Nov 2002 08:13:26 -0800 Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.20021101111216.01233bd8@mail.earthlink.net> X-Sender: drseti@mail.earthlink.net X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.1 (32) Date: Fri, 01 Nov 2002 11:12:16 -0500 To: public@setileague.org From: "Dr. H. Paul Shuch" Subject: Re: SETI public: An Ear to the Stars - Bio of Jill Tarter Cc: rcf@setileague.org In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk At 10:41 AM 11/1/02 -0500, Larry Klaes forwarded: >November 2002 issue of Scientific American >AN EAR TO THE STARS By Naomi Lubick Despite long odds, astronomer >Jill C. Tarter forges ahead to improve the chances of picking up signs of >extraterrestrial intelligence A good article, with one interesting discrepancy: "each dish of the Very Large Array in Socorro, N.M., cost $1 million, whereas the SETI Institute paid only $32,000 per dish for the Allen array. " But that's comparing apples to oranges. Of course, 26-meter dishes are going to cost considerably more than six-meter ones! What's important is the cost per capture area (which I am assuming is roughly equal between the ATA and the VLA). So 27 big dishes at $1M apiece cost -- er, let's see -- $27 M. And 350 small dishes at $32k apiece comes to just over $11 M. Which makes the ATA a good bargain, but not quite to the extent the article implies. -------------------------------- H. Paul Shuch, Ph.D., CFII, FBIS, FRCA Executive Director, The SETI League, Inc. 433 Liberty Street, PO Box 555 Little Ferry NJ 07643 USA voice (201) 641-1770; fax (201) 641-1771 n6tx@setileague.org www.setileague.org Project Argus station FN11LH "We Know We're Not Alone!" From owner-public@setileague.org Fri Nov 1 11:28:52 2002 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.2/8.11.4) with ESMTP id gA1JSocv014872; Fri, 1 Nov 2002 11:28:51 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_22672)/8.9.3) id OAA01432 for public-list; Fri, 1 Nov 2002 14:19:43 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (oe130.pav0.hotmail.com [64.4.33.123]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_22672)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id OAA01428; Fri, 1 Nov 2002 14:19:39 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Fri, 1 Nov 2002 11:19:08 -0800 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.168.13] From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Two BioAstronomy Conferences in 2003 Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 14:18:39 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MSN Explorer 7.02.0005.2201 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0000_01C281B1.93102AE0" Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 01 Nov 2002 19:19:08.0664 (UTC) FILETIME=[8D346F80:01C281DB] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk ------=_NextPart_001_0000_01C281B1.93102AE0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN IMPACT CRATERS >From Charles Cockell BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN IMPACT CRATERS March 29-April 1, 2003, Cambridge, UK The second announcement and registration materials are now available on t= he ESF website : http://pssri.open.ac.uk/ESF/Main.htm =20 The workshop, to be held in Cambridge, UK from March 29 to April 1 next y= ear will examine the ecological characteristics of impact craters and the biological processes that occur within them. The conference should be of interest to astrobiologists, impact scientists, geologists and others. As well as examining patterns of recovery in impact structures, the workshop will also explore themes such as the formation of hydrothermal vents with= in impact structures and the biological consequences. __________________________ Dr. Charles Cockell, British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge. CB3 0ET. UK Tel : + 44 1223 221560 e-mail : csco@bas.ac.uk =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D (6) TOWARDS OTHER EARTHS: DARWIN/TPF CONFERENCE 2003 >From Alan Penny Dear Benny, [This is a circular letter to people who signed a round-robin last year t= o ESA supporting Exoplanets and Astrobiology.] Toward Other Earths Darwin / TPF and the search for extra-solar terrestrial planets Heidelberg, Germany 22-25 April 2003 http://www.mpia-hd.mpg.de/DARWIN/ The conference "Toward Other Earths" is the first in a series of multi-disciplinary international meetings designed to provide a forum for scientists and engineers active in many different areas as well as manage= rs, representatives of the space agencies and industry working on the Darwin/= TPF mission. The aim of the conference is to exchange information, formulate = new ideas and propose new approaches towards the implementation of a multi-agency mission with the goal of detecting Earth-like planets orbiti= ng stars other than our Sun. The primary goal of the Darwin mission (and its NASA counterpart TPF) is to detect and characterize extrasolar Earth-like planets orbiting other stars, and to search for signs of life on these planets. This conference will focus almost exclusively on this goal. A secondary goal of Darwin is to provide imaging of astrophysical objects= in the mid-infrared at unprecedented angular scales. Regards, Alan Penny =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D (7) LIFE AMONG THE STARS >From Sky and Space, Oct/Nov 2002 =20 www.skyandspace.com.au More than two hundred scientists converged on Hamilton Island, Queensland, recently for a conference that was out of this world. Michael Paine reports... Every few years the International Astronomy Union holds a symposium on astrobiology - the study of life in outer space. This year the conference= , called Bioastronomy 2002: Life Among the Stars, was held on Hamilton Isla= nd, adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef. Not surprisingly many scientists made= an extra effort to attend a conference at such a glorious location. There we= re 70 speakers from 16 countries and well over two hundred participants. The wide range of topics covered included: =20 =B7 space chemistry, =20 =B7 the formation of planets, =20 =B7 planetary atmospheres and surfaces, =20 =B7 the search for planets around other stars, =20 =B7 origins of life on Earth, =20 =B7 the search for primitive life elsewhere in the solar system, =20 =B7 obstacles to the evolution of intelligent life; and =B7 the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). To non-scientists (like myself) some of the titles appeared a little daunting but it was pleasing to see that most speakers addressed the wide= r audience. Australian astronomer Chris Tinney set the standard by asking participants to hold up a yellow card if he lapsed into gobbledegook. Tho= se who dared to do this were rewarded with a chocolate frog. Later in the conference it was intriguing to see a few yellow cards raised but the speakers were oblivious to their purpose. Here is a taster for the smorgasbord of topics covered by the conference. Harrison (Jack) Schmitt, Apollo 17 astronaut and the only scientist to wa= lk on the Moon, opened the conference with a talk called "Life among the craters". He showed how the rocks returned from the Apollo 17 landing sit= e confirmed cataclysmic impacts on Earth nearly four billions years ago. La= ter he expressed scepticism about the giant impact hypothesis for formation o= f the Moon - that is, that a Mars-size planet collided with the Earth and t= he debris from the impact formed our Moon. Also comparing the surface of the Moon with Mars and Earth, he suggested there was strong evidence for a ma= jor ocean on Mars about three billion years ago. Barry Blumberg from the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) described how educational outreach is a major aim of NAI. Astrobiology covers many disciplines of science and humanities and there are great opportunities f= or incorporating it into educational programs. The Australian Centre for Astrobiology at Macquarie University is an affiliate of NAI. Blumberg had= a refreshing approach to the funding of scientific research. He said that N= AI funding allows for changes in direction of projects because 'scientists never do what they said they were going to do' when applying for funds. Planets Australian Chris Tinney gave a lively introduction to the search for extra-solar planets. He described the very poor odds of detecting an Earth-like planet with current techniques but was optimistic that the necessary technology would soon be developed - particularly with proposed space-based missions. He described the Kepler space mission that will loo= k for Earth-like planets at 'crazy precisions'. The proposed European Space Agency Darwin mission will use infrared interferometry but has some technical challenges. Similarly the NASA Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) mission is seen as ambitious. He cautions that TPF will target 150 nearby stars but if only 1 in 100 stars has an Earth-like planet then it is possible there is nothing for TPF to find. One technique that holds promise is 'gravitational microlensing', where a star with a planet passes in front of another star and the bending of lig= ht rays by gravity causes a brief brightening of the background star. This = is a very infrequent event and it requires exceptional luck. Several groups = are carrying out highly automated search for these events by piggy-backing on other (Earth-based) telescope projects. In some ways, the automated techniques are similar to those being used to search for Near Earth Asteroids. Later Penny Sackett from Mt Stromolo Observatory described Australian involvement in microlensing observations= . SETI Jill Tarter from the SETI Institute pointed out that SETI is looking for extraterrestrial technology - particularly information technology. There = may be signals that are intended to be intercepted by emerging civilisations = or unintended noise like the radio waves that are now radiating in a sphere away from the Earth - ''I Love Lucy' is broadcasting our intelligence!' SETI, she says, is founded on the scientific principle of repeatability. Other researchers must be able to independently confirm any discoveries. =20 She also suggested that if ET wants to be discovered then it would make sense to send a signal that was similar to a natural process and so it wo= uld be found during the normal course of science. This view may have been par= tly swayed by bitter experience in the USA, where in the early 1990s Congress short-sightedly banned NASA from spending any funds on SETI. SETI is now privately funded in the US and piggybacks on other radio-telescope projec= ts. The enormous success of the SETI@home computing project has proved that Congress was dead wrong about public support for SETI. Tarter said that the prospects for 'optical SETI' had recently been boost= ed by developments with Stars Wars Technology (US missile defence). Very sho= rt intense bursts of light could now be emitted and methods of detecting the= se bursts (possibly from ET) are being developed. In the long term she sees omni-directional detectors as the way to go - a radio 'fly's eye'. This would create a massive computational task but may be possible in about 15 years. She mentioned Project Argus, a proposal to build 5000 backyard receivers around the world to create a 'poor man's fly's eye'. Finally, t= he Allen Telescope Array is under construction in northern California. 'This will speed up the search by a factor of 100' she said. Mars and Europa Malcolm Walter, the head of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology, outli= ned the methods of searching for evidence of microbes on Mars, based on his research in Central Australia. He has studied ancient hydrothermal system= s that are similar to Yellowstone National Park in the USA. He explained th= at, on Earth, these systems are 'full of life' and that the chemicals in the water make fossilisation extremely efficient. In studying these ancient Earth systems he is developing techniques that could be used to examine similar systems on Mars. He said he would like to go the Daar Vallis area= of Mars because there are indications of hydrothermal deposits. Chris Chyba from the SETI Institute in California described the search fo= r life in the Solar System. He was excited about the recent evidence of 'a great deal of water on Mars' - frozen just under the harsh surface - and = the hundreds of ancient features that appear to show erosion by flowing water= . He is looking forward to the landing of the Beagle 2 spacecraft on Mars because that could resolve many of the tantalising unanswered questions resulting from the Viking Landers in the mid 1970s. He also pointed out t= hat scientists were still debating a definition of life. Chyba then turned to Europa. By precisely tracking spacecraft such as Galileo and Voyager, scientists have determined that the outer 100km of t= he surface of Europa has the density of water and the simplest explanation i= s that it is salty water. He explained that tidal forces from the giant pla= net Jupiter should be sufficient to maintain liquid water below Europa's ice crust, which is thought to be several kilometres thick. Based on the coun= t of impact craters the average age of this crust is no more than 50 millio= n years... so there must be some unknown processes that are refreshing the surface. There are signs of recent solidification of water and these migh= t be the best places to look for life. He said we can learn about the burie= d ocean and possibility of life by studying such sites rather than 'boring through th= e ice' (a current NASA proposal). If there is (or was) life on Europa there are two possible origins. First= ly it may have arisen independently, say in deep ocean vents. Alternatively = it may have been transferred from Earth, or perhaps Mars, via meteoroids blasted off the planet by large asteroid impacts (known as 'panspermia' o= r, more precisely 'transpermia'). Chyba explained that the icy crust and lac= k of atmosphere hindered both mechanisms on Europa - an asteroid or comet striking the solid ice surface at 20km/s or more would be instantly vaporised. However, some organic material such as non-biological amino acids could be expected to reach the surface intact = and find its way to the oceans. Over billions of years this may have provided sufficient raw material to support the development of life. During question time it was suggested that Jupiter might have been hotter billions of years ago (it still radiates more energy than it receives fro= m the Sun). Chyba said he was not aware of any studies of this mechanism. Later, over coffee, I discussed this possibility with him. He agreed that= a hotter Jupiter may have resulted in liquid water on the surface of Europa= . This would have generated an atmosphere which, in turn, would have slowed down fragments of asteroids and comets sufficiently to greatly increase t= he chances of intact material reaching the ocean. There is therefore the exciting possibility that three billion years ago the Earth, Mars and Eur= opa exchanged life-bearing rocks. Everett Gibson from NASA was one of the original authors to the controversial paper that claimed evidence of life in Martian meteorite ALH84001. Gibson went over the claims and counter-claims, focusing on the tiny magnetite crystals found deep inside the meteorite. He said that wit= hin the scientific community, six properties of magnetite had been identified= in order to establish that a crystal of magnetite was 'biogenic' (i.e. forme= d by a living organism). He claimed that some of the crystals in ALH84001 met all six properties. In other words, the deba= te about ALH84001 is far from over. Betty Pierazzo from Arizona University has been developing computer model= s to simulate the climatic effects of asteroid and comet impacts. She described her successful modelling of the Chicxulub impact in Mexico 65 million years ago. This is a well studied event associated with the extinction of the dinosaurs. Pierazzo then discussed mechanisms for delivery of organic material to th= e surface of planets and moons. She said that the smaller slower impacts delivered the most intact organic material and this 'was not good news fo= r Europa' with its current surface of ice. Later I discussed the environmental effects of impacts with her, since I had prepared a pos= ter paper [co-authored with Benny Peiser] on this topic [http://www4.tpg.com.au/users/tps-seti/bioastr2002.pdf] and had referred = to her work. To my surprise she said that her work was partially hampered by= a lack of access to the most advanced computing available in the USA... apparently because she was not born in the USA. Cosmologist Paul Davies from Macquarie University discussed the possible role of quantum mechanics in the origin of life. He explained that there = was nothing in classical physics that might 'fast track' the formation of lif= e. Making the building blocks of life, like amino acids, was straightforward and widespread in nature. He pointed out, however, that this was a long w= ay from a self-replicating molecules. =20 Davies said that when the theory of quantum mechanics was first developed= it was thought that it would eventually explain the origin of life. Fifty ye= ars on and quantum mechanics 'has no direct relevance' to the origin of life. But there are signs that information theory and quantum computing may provide some answers. Quantum computing [http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/aoaug/qtm_comp.html] harnesses the quirks = of quantum mechanics to provide an exponential improvement in computing powe= r. He said there was circumstantial evidence that nature uses quantum computations. There is therefore the possibility that the extraordinary power of quantum computing resulted in the first self-replicating molecul= e. =20 He cautioned, however, that the RNA/DNA on which life is based is a long = way from such a molecule. There is also the major problem of "decoherance", where the atomic environment interferes with the quantum processes and destroys the computation. Davies suggested that the developing fields of biotechnology and nanotechnology might provide some answers. There were many other fascinating talks during the week. It was remarkabl= e to hear from top scientists who tailored their talks to a general science audience and were evidently delighted to share their exciting discoveries= . c2002 Sky and Space ------=_NextPart_001_0000_01C281B1.93102AE0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

BIOLOGICAL PRO= CESSES IN IMPACT CRATERS

From Charles Cockell <csco@bas.ac.uk&g= t;

BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN IMPACT CRATERS
March 29-April 1, 200= 3, Cambridge, UK

The second announcement and registration material= s are now available on the
ESF website : http://pssri.open.ac.uk/ESF/M= ain.htm

The workshop, to be held in Cambridge, UK from March 29 t= o April 1 next year
will examine the ecological characteristics of imp= act craters and the
biological processes that occur within them. = The conference should be of
interest to astrobiologists, impact scien= tists, geologists and others. As
well as examining patterns of recover= y in impact structures, the workshop
will also explore themes such as = the formation of hydrothermal vents within
impact structures and the b= iological consequences.
__________________________
Dr. Charles Cock= ell,
British Antarctic Survey,
High Cross,
Madingley Road,
Ca= mbridge.
CB3 0ET. UK

Tel : + 44 1223 221560
e-mail : csco@ba= s.ac.uk

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
(6) TOWARDS = OTHER EARTHS: DARWIN/TPF CONFERENCE 2003

From Alan Penny <alan.= penny@rl.ac.uk>

Dear Benny,

[This is a circular letter t= o people who signed a round-robin last year to
ESA supporting Exoplane= ts and Astrobiology.]

Toward Other Earths

Darwin / TPF and = the search for extra-solar terrestrial planets

Heidelberg, Germany= 22-25 April 2003http://www.mpia-hd.mpg.de/DARWIN/

The conference "Toward Other E= arths" is the first in a series of
multi-disciplinary international me= etings designed to provide a forum for
scientists and engineers active= in many different areas as well as managers,
representatives of the s= pace agencies and industry working on the Darwin/TPF
mission. The aim = of the conference is to exchange information, formulate new
ideas and = propose new approaches towards the implementation of a
multi-agency mi= ssion with the goal of detecting Earth-like planets orbiting
stars oth= er than our Sun. The primary goal of the Darwin mission (and its
NASA = counterpart TPF) is to detect and characterize extrasolar Earth-like
p= lanets orbiting other stars, and to search for signs of life on these
= planets. This conference will focus almost exclusively on this goal.
<= BR>A secondary goal of Darwin is to provide imaging of astrophysical obje= cts in
the mid-infrared at unprecedented angular scales.

Regard= s, Alan Penny

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
(7) LIFE AMONG = THE STARS

From Sky and Space, Oct/Nov 2002
www.skyandspa= ce.com.au

More than two hundred scientists converged on Hamilton I= sland,
Queensland, recently for a conference that was out of this worl= d.

Michael Paine reports...

Every few years the Internation= al Astronomy Union holds a symposium on
astrobiology - the study of li= fe in outer space. This year the conference,
called Bioastronomy 2002:= Life Among the Stars, was held on Hamilton Island,
adjacent to the Gr= eat Barrier Reef. Not surprisingly many scientists made an
extra effor= t to attend a conference at such a glorious location. There were
70 sp= eakers from 16 countries and well over two hundred participants.

T= he wide range of topics covered included:
=B7 space chemistry,
=B7= the formation of planets,
=B7 planetary atmospheres and surfaces, =B7 the search for planets around other stars,
=B7 origins of life = on Earth,
=B7 the search for primitive life elsewhere in the solar sy= stem,
=B7 obstacles to the evolution of intelligent life; and
=B7 = the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).

To non-scient= ists (like myself) some of the titles appeared a little
daunting but i= t was pleasing to see that most speakers addressed the wider
audience.= Australian astronomer Chris Tinney set the standard by asking
partici= pants to hold up a yellow card if he lapsed into gobbledegook. Those
w= ho dared to do this were rewarded with a chocolate frog. Later in the
= conference it was intriguing to see a few yellow cards raised but the
= speakers were oblivious to their purpose.
Here is a taster for the smo= rgasbord of topics covered by the
conference.

Harrison (Jack) S= chmitt, Apollo 17 astronaut and the only scientist to walk
on the Moon= , opened the conference with a talk called "Life among the
craters". H= e showed how the rocks returned from the Apollo 17 landing site
confir= med cataclysmic impacts on Earth nearly four billions years ago. Laterhe expressed scepticism about the giant impact hypothesis for formation = of
the Moon - that is, that a Mars-size planet collided with the Earth= and the
debris from the impact formed our Moon. Also comparing the su= rface of the
Moon with Mars and Earth, he suggested there was strong e= vidence for a major
ocean on Mars about three billion years ago.
Barry Blumberg from the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) described how=
educational outreach is a major aim of NAI. Astrobiology covers many<= BR>disciplines of science and humanities and there are great opportunitie= s for
incorporating it into educational programs. The Australian Centr= e for
Astrobiology at Macquarie University is an affiliate of NAI. Blu= mberg had a
refreshing approach to the funding of scientific research.= He said that NAI
funding allows for changes in direction of projects = because 'scientists
never do what they said they were going to do' whe= n applying for funds.

Planets

Australian Chris Tinney gave = a lively introduction to the search for
extra-solar planets. He descri= bed the very poor odds of detecting an
Earth-like planet with current = techniques but was optimistic that the
necessary technology would soon= be developed - particularly with proposed
space-based missions. He de= scribed the Kepler space mission that will look
for Earth-like planets= at 'crazy precisions'. The proposed European Space
Agency Darwin miss= ion will use infrared
interferometry but has some technical challenges= . Similarly the NASA
Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) mission is seen a= s ambitious. He cautions
that TPF will target 150 nearby stars but if = only 1 in 100 stars has an
Earth-like planet then it is possible there= is nothing for TPF to find.

One technique that holds promise is '= gravitational microlensing', where a
star with a planet passes in fron= t of another star and the bending of light
rays by gravity causes a br= ief brightening of the background star. This is
a very infrequen= t event and it requires exceptional luck. Several groups are
carrying = out highly automated search for these events by piggy-backing on
other= (Earth-based) telescope projects. In some ways, the automated
techniq= ues are similar to those being used to search for Near Earth
Asteroids= . Later Penny Sackett from Mt Stromolo
Observatory described Australia= n involvement in microlensing observations.

SETI

Jill Tarte= r from the SETI Institute pointed out that SETI is looking for
extrate= rrestrial technology - particularly information technology. There may
= be signals that are intended to be intercepted by emerging civilisations = or
unintended noise like the radio waves that are now radiating in a s= phere
away from the Earth - ''I Love Lucy' is broadcasting our intelli= gence!'
SETI, she says, is founded on the scientific principle of repe= atability.
Other researchers must be able to independently confirm any= discoveries.

She also suggested that if ET wants to be discovere= d then it would make
sense to send a signal that was similar to a natu= ral process and so it would
be found during the normal course of scien= ce. This view may have been partly
swayed by bitter experience in the = USA, where in the early 1990s Congress
short-sightedly banned NASA fro= m spending any funds on SETI. SETI is now
privately funded in the US a= nd piggybacks on other radio-telescope projects.
The enormous success = of the SETI@home computing project has proved that
Congress was dead w= rong about public support for SETI.

Tarter said that the prospects= for 'optical SETI' had recently been boosted
by developments with Sta= rs Wars Technology (US missile defence). Very short
intense bursts of = light could now be emitted and methods of detecting these
bursts (poss= ibly from ET) are being developed. In the long term she sees
omni-dire= ctional detectors as the way to go - a radio 'fly's eye'. This
would c= reate a massive computational task but may be possible in about 15
yea= rs. She mentioned Project Argus, a proposal to build 5000 backyard
rec= eivers around the world to create a 'poor man's fly's eye'. Finally, the<= BR>Allen Telescope Array is under construction in northern California. 'T= his
will speed up the search by a factor of 100' she said.

Mars= and Europa

Malcolm Walter, the head of the Australian Centre for = Astrobiology, outlined
the methods of searching for evidence of microb= es on Mars, based on his
research in Central Australia. He has studied= ancient hydrothermal systems
that are similar to Yellowstone National= Park in the USA. He explained that,
on Earth, these systems are 'full= of life' and that the chemicals in the
water make fossilisation extre= mely efficient. In studying these ancient
Earth systems he is developi= ng techniques that could be used to examine
similar systems on Mars. H= e said he would like to go the Daar Vallis area of
Mars because there = are indications of hydrothermal deposits.

Chris Chyba from the SET= I Institute in California described the search for
life in the Solar S= ystem. He was excited about the recent evidence of 'a
great deal of wa= ter on Mars' - frozen just under the harsh surface - and the
hundreds = of ancient features that appear to show erosion by flowing water.
He i= s looking forward to the landing of the Beagle 2 spacecraft on Mars
be= cause that could resolve many of the tantalising unanswered questions
= resulting from the Viking Landers in the mid 1970s. He also pointed out t= hat
scientists were still debating a definition of life.

Chyba = then turned to Europa. By precisely tracking spacecraft such as
Galile= o and Voyager, scientists have determined that the outer 100km of the
= surface of Europa has the density of water and the simplest explanation i= s
that it is salty water. He explained that tidal forces from the gian= t planet
Jupiter should be sufficient to maintain liquid water below E= uropa's ice
crust, which is thought to be several kilometres thick. Ba= sed on the count
of impact craters the average age of this crust is no= more than 50 million
years... so there must be some unknown processes= that are refreshing the
surface. There are signs of recent solidifica= tion of water and these might
be the best places to look for life. He = said we can learn about the buried
ocean and
possibility of life by= studying such sites rather than 'boring through the
ice' (a current N= ASA proposal).

If there is (or was) life on Europa there are two p= ossible origins. Firstly
it may have arisen independently, say in deep= ocean vents. Alternatively it
may have been transferred from Earth, o= r perhaps Mars, via meteoroids
blasted off the planet by large asteroi= d impacts (known as 'panspermia' or,
more precisely 'transpermia'). Ch= yba explained that the icy crust and lack
of atmosphere hindered both = mechanisms on Europa - an asteroid or comet
striking the solid ice sur= face at 20km/s or more would be instantly
vaporised. However, some org= anic material such as
non-biological amino acids could be expected to = reach the surface intact and
find its way to the oceans. Over billions= of years this may have provided
sufficient raw material to support th= e development of life.

During question time it was suggested that = Jupiter might have been hotter
billions of years ago (it still radiate= s more energy than it receives from
the Sun). Chyba said he was not aw= are of any studies of this mechanism.
Later, over coffee, I discussed = this possibility with him. He agreed that a
hotter Jupiter may have re= sulted in liquid water on the surface of Europa.
This would have gener= ated an atmosphere which, in turn, would have slowed
down fragments of= asteroids and comets sufficiently to greatly increase the
chances of = intact material reaching the ocean. There is therefore the
exciting po= ssibility that three billion years ago the Earth, Mars and Europa
exch= anged life-bearing rocks.

Everett Gibson from NASA was one of the = original authors to the
controversial paper that claimed evidence of l= ife in Martian meteorite
ALH84001. Gibson went over the claims and cou= nter-claims, focusing on the
tiny magnetite crystals found deep inside= the meteorite. He said that within
the scientific community, six prop= erties of magnetite had been identified in
order to establish that a c= rystal of magnetite was 'biogenic' (i.e. formed
by a living organism).= He claimed that some of
the crystals in ALH84001 met all six properti= es. In other words, the debate
about ALH84001 is far from over.
Betty Pierazzo from Arizona University has been developing computer mode= ls
to simulate the climatic effects of asteroid and comet impacts. She=
described her successful modelling of the Chicxulub impact in Mexico = 65
million years ago. This is a well studied event associated with the=
extinction of the dinosaurs.

Pierazzo then discussed mechanism= s for delivery of organic material to the
surface of planets and moons= . She said that the smaller slower impacts
delivered the most intact o= rganic material and this 'was not good news for
Europa' with its curre= nt surface of ice. Later I discussed
the environmental effects of impa= cts with her, since I had prepared a poster
paper [co-authored with Be= nny Peiser] on this topic
[http://www4.tpg.com.au/users/tps-seti/bioas= tr2002.pdf] and had referred to
her work. To my surprise she said that= her work was partially hampered by a
lack of access to the most advan= ced computing available in the USA...
apparently because she was not b= orn in the USA.

Cosmologist Paul Davies from Macquarie University = discussed the possible
role of quantum mechanics in the origin of life= . He explained that there was
nothing in classical physics that might = 'fast track' the formation of life.
Making the building blocks of life= , like amino acids, was straightforward
and widespread in nature. He p= ointed out, however, that this was a long way
from a self-replicating = molecules.

Davies said that when the theory of quantum mechanics = was first developed it
was thought that it would eventually explain th= e origin of life. Fifty years
on and quantum mechanics 'has no direct = relevance' to the origin of life.
But there are signs that information= theory and quantum computing may
provide some answers. Quantum comput= ing
[http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/aoaug/qtm_comp.html] harnesses the = quirks of
quantum mechanics to provide an exponential improvement in c= omputing power.
He said there was circumstantial evidence that nature = uses quantum
computations. There is therefore the possibility that the= extraordinary
power of quantum computing resulted in the first self-r= eplicating molecule.

He cautioned, however, that the RNA/DNA on w= hich life is based is a long way
from such a molecule. There is also t= he major problem of "decoherance",
where the atomic environment interf= eres with the quantum processes and
destroys the computation. Davies s= uggested that the
developing fields of biotechnology and nanotechnolog= y might provide some
answers.

There were many other fascinating= talks during the week. It was remarkable
to hear from top scientists = who tailored their talks to a general science
audience and were eviden= tly delighted to share their exciting discoveries.

c2002 Sky and S= pace

------=_NextPart_001_0000_01C281B1.93102AE0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Fri Nov 1 15:34:37 2002 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.2/8.11.4) with ESMTP id gA1NYacv007892; Fri, 1 Nov 2002 15:34:36 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_22672)/8.9.3) id SAA01950 for public-list; Fri, 1 Nov 2002 18:26:23 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (oe141.pav0.hotmail.com [64.4.33.134]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_22672)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id SAA01946; Fri, 1 Nov 2002 18:26:19 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Fri, 1 Nov 2002 15:25:49 -0800 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.168.22] From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Pioneer 10 Status Report - October 29, 2002 Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 18:25:24 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MSN Explorer 7.02.0005.2201 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_000E_01C281D4.0B31AD10" Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 01 Nov 2002 23:25:49.0142 (UTC) FILETIME=[02FA2760:01C281FE] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk ------=_NextPart_001_000E_01C281D4.0B31AD10 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" We had another attempt to send a precession maneuver for Pioneer 10 last Friday night, but station DSS-14 at Goldstone, here in California, had a wave guide coolant leak and could not support a 400 KW up-link. We had the command file built using the Osprey PC standing in for the PDP 11/44 and we were ready to send the command file down to the DSN. I want to personally thank again Al Morgan of Strobe Data in Redmond Washington. The folks there have let me use their PDP emulator as I had run out of parts to cannibalize to fix the old PDP. The 486 processor on the emulator board runs the old RSX 11M+ plus operating system and the COSMOS program we have doesn't even know it is running on a PC. (stopped down to 9 meg Hz which is about twice as fast as the 8085 chip that is in the PDP.) http://www.strobedata.com/home/mainpage.htm Since Earth has rounded the horn and is coming back into Pioneer 10's antenna pattern, we should be able to get data in December with an up-link December 5th and the down link December 6th. SETI at Arecibo will look for the Pioneer 10 signal and DSS-63 in Spain will see if they can lock up on data. (DOY 340 0225 0255 0555 0610) (needs final verification of track schedule) Will see how it goes. We may be good through April of 2003 antenna pattern wise. Who knows how low the power can go on Pioneer 10 before you can't transmit. Without the precession maneuver the Sun will eventually drag us away from where Pioneer 10 is pointing and in fact, Pioneer 10 is also on a stretched out arc, so periodic re-pointing keeps you lined up with each other. Again, thanks to Strobe Data for providing the opportunity to command. We know the NOP commands that were sent earlier on worked and I am sure the CONSCAN commands would have gone also. Come next year the DSN will be changing the hardware configuration and we will lose the ability to command there. Still no one thought we would still be listening to the old bird this long and it gives one a warm fuzzy feeling when you see the data displayed on a program you wrote back in 1993. See LabVIEW display. - LRK - http://spaceprojects.arc.nasa.gov/Space_Projects/pioneer/PNStat.html Larry ------=_NextPart_001_000E_01C281D4.0B31AD10 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

We had another= attempt to send a precession maneuver for Pioneer 10
last Friday nig= ht, but station DSS-14 at Goldstone, here in
California, had a wave g= uide coolant leak and could not support a 400
KW up-link. We ha= d the command file built using the Osprey PC
standing in for the PDP = 11/44 and we were ready to send the command
file down to the DSN.
=
I want to personally thank again Al Morgan of Strobe Data in Redmond =
Washington. The folks there have let me use their PDP emulator = as I
had run out of parts to cannibalize to fix the old PDP.

T= he 486 processor on the emulator board runs the old RSX 11M+ plus
ope= rating system and the COSMOS program we have doesn't even know it
is = running on a PC. (stopped down to 9 meg Hz which is about twice as
fa= st as the 8085 chip that is in the PDP.)
http://www.strobedata.com/ho= me/mainpage.htm

Since Earth has rounded the horn and is coming bac= k into Pioneer 10's
antenna pattern, we should be able to get data in= December with an
up-link December 5th and the down link December 6th= .

SETI at Arecibo will look for the Pioneer 10 signal and DSS-63 i= n
Spain will see if they can lock up on data. (DOY 340 0225 0255 0555=
0610) (needs final verification of track schedule) Will = see how it
goes.

We may be good through April of 2003 antenna = pattern wise. Who knows
how low the power can go on Pioneer 10 = before you can't transmit.
Without the precession maneuver the Sun wi= ll eventually drag us away
from where Pioneer 10 is pointing and in f= act, Pioneer 10 is also on
a stretched out arc, so periodic re-pointi= ng keeps you lined up with
each other.

Again, thanks to Strobe= Data for providing the opportunity to
command. We know the NOP= commands that were sent earlier on worked
and I am sure the CO= NSCAN commands would have gone also. Come next
year the D= SN will be changing the hardware configuration and we will
lose the a= bility to command there. Still no one thought we would
still be= listening to the old bird this long and it gives one a warm
fuzzy fe= eling when you see the data displayed on a program you wrote
back in = 1993. See LabVIEW display. - LRK -

http://sp= aceprojects.arc.nasa.gov/Space_Projects/pioneer/PNStat.html

La= rry

------=_NextPart_001_000E_01C281D4.0B31AD10-- From owner-public@setileague.org Tue Nov 5 13:32:39 2002 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.2/8.11.4) with ESMTP id gA5LWccv013690; Tue, 5 Nov 2002 13:32:39 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_22672)/8.9.3) id QAA01428 for public-list; Tue, 5 Nov 2002 16:21:10 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (f29.pav0.hotmail.com [64.4.32.213]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_22672)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id QAA01423 for ; Tue, 5 Nov 2002 16:21:07 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Tue, 5 Nov 2002 13:20:37 -0800 Received: from 65.149.168.87 by pv0fd.pav0.hotmail.msn.com with HTTP; Tue, 05 Nov 2002 21:20:36 GMT X-Originating-IP: [65.149.168.87] From: "LARRY KLAES" To: public@setileague.org Subject: SETI public: Fwd: Space-Weather-Outlook Date: Tue, 05 Nov 2002 16:20:36 -0500 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 05 Nov 2002 21:20:37.0023 (UTC) FILETIME=[2F0EC2F0:01C28511] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk >From: Space Environment Center >To: advisory-list-send@dawn.sec.noaa.gov >Subject: Space-Weather-Outlook >Date: Tue, 5 Nov 2002 19:40:06 GMT > >Official Space Weather Advisory issued by NOAA Space Environment Center >Boulder, Colorado, USA > >SPACE WEATHER ADVISORY OUTLOOK #02- 45 >2002 November 05 at 12:29 p.m. MST (2002 November 05 1929 UTC) > >**** SPACE WEATHER OUTLOOK **** > >Summary For October 28-November 3 >Space weather reached strong levels. A category R3 (strong) radio >blackout occurred at 9:52 A.M MST (1652 UTC) on October 31st and >category R1 (minor) radio blackouts occurred on October 28th, 29th, and >November 1st. Category G1 (minor) geomagnetic storms were observed on >October 30th and November 2nd due to solar winds emanating from two >different coronal holes on the sun. For a list of adverse system >effects related to space weather storms, please refer to the NOAA Space >Weather Scales. > >Outlook For November 6-12 >Space weather is expected to reach the minor levels. A category R1 >(minor) radio blackout is possible during the week. Category G1 >(minor) geomagnetic storms are possible early in the week. > >Data used to provide space weather services are contributed by NOAA, >USAF, NASA, NSF, USGS, the International Space Environment Services >and other observatories, universities, and institutions. For more >information, including email services, see SEC's Space Weather >Advisories Web site http://sec.noaa.gov/advisories or (303) 497-5127. >The NOAA Public Affairs contact is Barbara McGehan at >Barbara.McGehan@noaa.gov or (303) 497-6288. _________________________________________________________________ Internet access plans that fit your lifestyle -- join MSN. http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/default.asp From owner-public@setileague.org Wed Nov 6 09:33:37 2002 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.2/8.11.4) with ESMTP id gA6HXacv023457; Wed, 6 Nov 2002 09:33:36 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_22672)/8.9.3) id MAA03191 for public-list; Wed, 6 Nov 2002 12:19:23 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (oe112.pav0.hotmail.com [64.4.33.105]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_22672)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id MAA03187 for ; Wed, 6 Nov 2002 12:19:20 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Wed, 6 Nov 2002 09:18:50 -0800 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.168.33] From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Subject: SETI public: Fw: SOLARIS: Internet Exclusive Trailer and Much More.... Date: Wed, 6 Nov 2002 12:18:45 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MSN Explorer 7.02.0005.2201 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0005_01C2858E.A6FF3AB0" Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 06 Nov 2002 17:18:50.0069 (UTC) FILETIME=[92A70050:01C285B8] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk ------=_NextPart_001_0005_01C2858E.A6FF3AB0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" ----- Original Message ----- From: 20th Century Fox Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2002 9:38 PM To: ljk4@msn.com Subject: SOLARIS: Internet Exclusive Trailer and Much More.... ************************************************ SOLARIS Update ************************************************ Internet Exclusive Trailer: Can only be seen on the official website! Click here to view. http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/solaris/ ************************************************ The Solaris Experience Is Now Online: Click on the link below to explore the SOLARIS space station. http://www.solaristhemovie.com ************************************************ SOLARIS November 27 - Only In Theatres ************************************************ ------=_NextPart_001_0005_01C2858E.A6FF3AB0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<= DIV>

http://www.bo= ston.com/dailyglobe2/307/focus/Lonely_planet+.shtml

Scientists= debate the existence of intelligent life beyond Cambridge

By Jasc= ha Hoffman, 11/3/2002

HERE ARE ABOUT 100 billion galaxies in the o= bservable universe, each with
hundreds of billions of stars. What are = the chances that there's any
interesting life out there?

In 19= 61, astronomer Frank Drake proposed a simple answer: We can assume thatsome stars have planets, some planets host single-celled life forms, so= me of
those life forms survive to develop intelligence, and some intel= ligent
beings leave an electromagnetic trace before they expire.
Carl Sagan once estimated that in the Milky Way alone there must be ove= r a
million detectable civilizations. Today, Drake sticks to his origi= nal
estimate of 10,000.

Peter Ward is sick of these loose overe= stimates. ''You can't turn on the TV
without seeing aliens,'' the co-a= uthor of ''Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is
Uncommon in the Universe'' = (Copernicus Books, 2000) complained to a
Cambridge auditorium packed w= ith astronomers, UFO enthusiasts, and other
onlookers last week. Ward = was facing off against Harvard paleontologist
Charles Marshall at a de= bate hosted by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics. In 199= 6, Ward and Marshall worked together on a paper arguing
that a major d= rop in sea level, in addition to the infamous asteroid, had
wiped out = the dinosaurs. But when it comes to the distribution of
intelligent li= fe in the universe, they couldn't agree less.

"Maybe I shouldn't c= ount myself as intelligent life," quipped Ward, a
professor of geology= at the University of Washington. ''The first stop on my
book tour was= a science fiction convention. A little girl told me I was the
devil f= or taking the aliens away.'' The Australia-born Marshall, for his
part= , retains the taste for discovery that propelled him from childhood
di= no-mania to a career in evolutionary biology. ''Life is capable of moretrajectories than physics or astronomy might predict,'' he said. ''I do= n't
know if life is teeming out there. But it could be.''

Ward = and Marshall agree that the universe is full of microbes. Recent
studi= es have shown that interstellar clouds can generate amino acids, the
b= uilding blocks of proteins. Meteors falling to earth usually contain avariety of organic compounds. And cells can survive under extremes oftemperature, pressure, and pH, and may be able to travel from planet to<= BR>planet on comets.

But to flourish, even simple life needs liqui= d water, and this limits it to
planets in the habitable zone: far enou= gh from a star not to be boiling, but
close enough not to be freezing.= And to get complex life - anything more
intricate than a flatworm - i= t seems that you need, first of all, a decent
atmosphere.

Here = on Earth, it took 3 billion years of steady temperatures to build up
e= nough oxygen to support animals. The fact that our planet lies in a
ha= bitable zone does not itself guarantee such steadiness. Ward thinks that<= BR>plate tectonics also do us a great service: When one plate slides unde= r
another, an updraft of magma brings carbon dioxide to the surface,eventually warming up the atmosphere through the greenhouse effect. But= once
the atmosphere gets warmer, excess carbon dioxide is removed by = the calcium
in the magma, and it gets cooler again. ''For billions of = years, we've been
bouncing around in a very fine temperature range bec= ause of the thermostat
of plate tectonics,'' he said. ''How common is = that in the universe? We
don't know.''

To survive long enough t= o evolve any complexity, Ward went on, life must
also avoid being dest= royed by space debris. Earth is shielded by Jupiter's
gravitational fi= eld, which slows down incoming comets. But in most solar
systems, a Ju= piter-sized planet has such an erratic orbit that it will
eventually f= ling any nearby planet away from the star. We may be uniquely
lucky to= live in such a safe neighborhood.

Marshall is unimpressed by scen= arios that emphasize life's fragility. "The
question is, how hard is i= t to sterilize a planet?" he asked. In the total
devastation following= the Mount Saint Helens eruption, biologists were
staggered to find pl= ants protected by animals that fell on them. Even at
Hiroshima, a few = people survived at close range to the explosion. ''We
should expect su= ch surprises,'' said Marshall. ''Life will find a way.''

Life also= makes its own way. Take the Cambrian explosion of 445 million
years a= go, when a host of scuttling sea creatures burst into a world that
had= n't seen much more than worms. What accounts for such rapid evolutionary<= BR>change? ''If you have a bunch of plant life, and someone is able to de= velop
a few genes for jaws, then everyone had better watch out,'' said= Marshall.
It's no surprise that eyes and legs, crucial for hiding fro= m predators,
appeared at the same time. ''With an increase in selectiv= e pressures,
complexity is bound to arise. You don't need special cond= itions.''

But Peter Ward was not convinced. ''If complexity is ine= vitable, then what
was going on for the three billion years between th= e first cell and the
Cambrian explosion?'' Just a slow and steady buil= dup of oxygen due to the
presence of simple life-forms and liquid wate= r. ''Without the thermostat of
plate tectonics, the right conditions j= ust don't last very long,'' he said.

Of course, there may be more = to life than what we can guess now. ''We have
some idea of what condit= ions were necessary for us to evolve,'' Marshall
said, ''but we don't = know if they're the only possible ones.'' While Ward
prefers to limit = the discussion to life as we know it - carbon-based
organisms with DNA= - Marshall thinks we should expect the unexpected.

Some audience = members found this approach a bit too vague. ''One data point
is bette= r than none,'' one said. ''Can you quantify the problem?''

Many sc= ientists are working on it. Astrobiology, defined broadly as the
study= of life in the universe, is now serious science. NASA and the NationalScience Foundation invest tens of millions of dollars every year in it.=
Astronomers search for new planets, geologists prospect for evidence = of
water on already known planets, and biochemists piece together the = origins
of life on earth. Still, it's mostly theory for now. And hitch= hiking to the
nearest star still takes 300,000 years.

''The fac= t that neither of us has any numbers, shows that we're going on
next t= o nothing,'' said Marshall. ''But my sense of faith is that the
univer= se is so unimaginably rich that it will turn out that life is common,
= and that scientific reasoning, while powerful, can lock us into a narrow<= BR>view of what is possible.''

Jascha Hoffman is a writer based in= Boston

This story ran on page D1 of the Boston Globe on 11/3/2002= .

Copyright 2002, The Boston Globe

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
(8) MOON MIGHT REVEAL FIRST LIFE ON EARTH

From = Nature Science Update, 2 November 2002
http://www.nature.com/nsu/02102= 8/021028-13.html

Lunar rocks retain memories long since lost down = here.

TOM CLARKE

The surface of the moon is spattered wit= h over 8 million tonnes of the
Earth, astronomers have estimated. A mi= ssion to collect and study this
planetary shrapnel could provide uniqu= e insights into the origins of life
and the planets, they say1.
Asteroids and comets have pelted the Earth, Mars and Venus since the Sol= ar
System formed. The barrage peaked during a period known as the Late= Heavy
Bombardment, around 3.9 billion years ago.

The moon "wit= nessed and recorded all this", says John Armstrong of the
University o= f Washington, Seattle. Our companion formed in a massive
collision bet= ween the Earth and a Mars-sized object around 4.5 billion years
ago.
Armstrong and his colleagues estimated the impacts on the Earth by = measuring
the number and size of craters on the Moon. They then calcul= ated how much of
the Earth these collisions would have hurled into spa= ce, and the probability
that this rubble hit the Moon.

A 100-sq= uare-kilometre patch of the Moon contains about 20 tonnes of Earth
fra= gments, the team reckons. The same area contains around 180 kilograms of<= BR>Mars and 80 of Venus.

Collecting pieces of the three planets wo= uld let us compare their origins.
"It could end all the speculation ab= out what the early planets were like,"
says Armstrong.

Reach fo= r the Moon

The origins of life on Earth are hotly debated, partly = because there are no
rocks older than about 3.8 billion years. Erosion= and continental drift have
wiped the slate clean over and over.
But the Moon has remained largely untouched - except by asteroids - sin= ce it
formed. Pieces of the Earth littering its surface would be of al= l ages,
although most would date from the Late Heavy Bombardment, says= Armstrong.
They could reveal the chemical signatures of life, and pos= sibly fossilized
bacteria.

A cheap, robotic foray such as the E= uropean Space Agency's SMART-1 mission,
due for launch in 2003, "could= achieve tonnes of great science", says
Armstrong.

Rocks would = have hit the moon at very high speeds, and fragments larger than
a gra= in of sand would be rare, comments Phil Bland, who studies meteorites
= at Imperial College, London.

But the material would undoubtedly b= e there. "It's certainly worth a go,"
Bland says. "You can get a hell = of a lot of information from even a
one-millimetre grain of stuff."
The form of carbon found in the Earth fragments would indicate wheth= er they
once hosted early life, says Bland.

References
Armst= rong, J. C., Wells, L. E. & Gonzalez, G. Rummaging through Earth'sattic for remains of ancient life. Icarus, 160, 183 - 196, (2002). |Arti= cle|

=A9 Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2002