From owner-public@setileague.org Thu Oct 2 09:01:28 2003 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h92G1QrN006537; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 09:01:27 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id LAA09595 for public-list; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 11:46:18 -0400 (EDT) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav58.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.88]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id LAA09591; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 11:46:15 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 08:45:44 -0700 Received: from 65.149.176.25 by bay4-dav58.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Thu, 02 Oct 2003 15:45:43 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.25] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: NASA publishes Astrobiology Roadmap Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2003 11:45:37 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MSN Explorer 7.02.0011.2700 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0008_01C388DA.B25FD9A0" Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 02 Oct 2003 15:45:44.0334 (UTC) FILETIME=[3D9CFAE0:01C388FC] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk ------=_NextPart_001_0008_01C388DA.B25FD9A0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable EXO LIFE - NASA Details Short-Term Astrobiology Objectives http://www.spacedaily.com/news/life-03zy.html Larchmont - Oct 01, 2003 - NASA has outlined its high-priority scientific= objectives for the next three to five years with the publication of its = Astrobiology Roadmap. The Roadmap is published in the Summer 2003 (Volume= 3, Number 2) issue of Astrobiology, a peer-reviewed journal published by= Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. ------------ SPACE TRAVEL - Heinlein Estate Offers Substantial Prize Money For Space Innovations http://www.spacedaily.com/news/spacetravel-03e.html Bremen - Oct 02, 2003 - The Heinlein Prize, a major new award for practic= al accomplishments in commercial space activities, was announced today at= the 54th International Aeronautical Congress underway in Bremen, Germany= . Trustees of the Robert A. and Virginia Heinlein Prize Trust revealed th= at the first Heinlein Prize award has been set at $500,000 USD. - Russia Welcomes Plans For First Chinese Manned Flight http://www.spacedaily.com/2003/031001135822.5hllzg9t.html ---------- TERRADAILY - Huge Antarctic Iceberg Makes A Big Splash On Sea Life http://www.spacedaily.com/news/icebergs-03a.html Greenbelt - Oct 02, 2003 - NASA satellites have observed the calving, or = breaking off, of one of the largest icebergs ever recorded. Named "C-19" = - the iceberg separated from the western face of the Ross Ice Shelf in An= tarctica in May 2002, splashed into the Ross Sea, and virtually eliminate= d a valuable food source for marine life. The event was unusual, because = it was the second-largest iceberg to calve in the region in 26 months. - Second wave of violent quakes hits Russia's southwest Siberia http://www.terradaily.com/2003/031001073041.rjgmbmby.html - Summer forest fires ravage 63,000 hectares in France, worst in 30 years http://www.terradaily.com/2003/030930155151.4ddl6q8l.html ------=_NextPart_001_0008_01C388DA.B25FD9A0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
EXO LIFE
- NASA Details Short-Term Astrobiology Objectives

http:/= /www.spacedaily.com/news/life-03zy.html

Larchmont - Oct 01, 2003 -= NASA has outlined its high-priority scientific objectives for the next t= hree to five years with the publication of its Astrobiology Roadmap. The = Roadmap is published in the Summer 2003 (Volume 3, Number 2) issue of Ast= robiology, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
------------
SPACE TRAVEL

- Heinlein Estate Offers Substan= tial Prize Money For Space Innovations
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/= spacetravel-03e.html

Bremen - Oct 02, 2003 - The Heinlein Prize, a= major new award for practical accomplishments in commercial space activi= ties, was announced today at the 54th International Aeronautical Congress= underway in Bremen, Germany. Trustees of the Robert A. and Virginia Hein= lein Prize Trust revealed that the first Heinlein Prize award has been se= t at $500,000 USD.

- Russia Welcomes Plans For First Chinese Manne= d Flight
http://www.spacedaily.com/2003/031001135822.5hllzg9t.html
=
----------
TERRADAILY

- Huge Antarctic Iceberg Makes A Big = Splash On Sea Life
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/icebergs-03a.html
Greenbelt - Oct 02, 2003 - NASA satellites have observed the calving= , or breaking off, of one of the largest icebergs ever recorded. Named "C= -19" - the iceberg separated from the western face of the Ross Ice Shelf = in Antarctica in May 2002, splashed into the Ross Sea, and virtually elim= inated a valuable food source for marine life. The event was unusual, bec= ause it was the second-largest iceberg to calve in the region in 26 month= s.

- Second wave of violent quakes hits Russia's southwest Siberia=
http://www.terradaily.com/2003/031001073041.rjgmbmby.html

- Su= mmer forest fires ravage 63,000 hectares in France, worst in 30 years
= http://www.terradaily.com/2003/030930155151.4ddl6q8l.html

------=_NextPart_001_0008_01C388DA.B25FD9A0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Thu Oct 2 09:19:09 2003 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h92GJ7rN025436; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 09:19:08 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id MAA10107 for public-list; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 12:10:26 -0400 (EDT) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav110.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.140]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id MAA10103; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 12:10:23 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 09:09:52 -0700 Received: from 65.149.176.25 by bay4-dav110.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Thu, 02 Oct 2003 16:09:52 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.25] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Fw: The Goldilocks Zone Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2003 12:09:36 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MSN Explorer 7.02.0011.2700 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_000C_01C388DE.0C482DC0" Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 02 Oct 2003 16:09:52.0553 (UTC) FILETIME=[9CD1A990:01C388FF] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk ------=_NextPart_001_000C_01C388DE.0C482DC0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" ----- Original Message ----- From: NASA Science News Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2003 1:59 AM To: NASA Science News Subject: The Goldilocks Zone NASA Science News for October 2, 2003 Researchers are finding that life can thrive in some unexpected places on Earth--and perhaps elsewhere in the Universe, too. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/02oct_goldilocks.htm?list662745 This is a free service. Home page: http://science.nasa.gov ------=_NextPart_001_000C_01C388DE.0C482DC0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
<= BLOCKQUOTE style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5= px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
----- Original Message -----
From: NASA Science New= s
Sent: Thursday, October 02= , 2003 1:59 AM
To: NASA Scie= nce News
Subject: The Goldil= ocks Zone
 
NASA Science News for October 2, 2003
Researchers are finding that life can thrive in some unexpected plac= es on
Earth--and perhaps elsewhere in the Universe, too.

FULL S= TORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/02oct_goldilocks.h= tm?list662745


This is a free service.

Home page: http:/= /science.nasa.gov
------=_NextPart_001_000C_01C388DE.0C482DC0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Thu Oct 2 09:32:38 2003 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h92GWarN013606; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 09:32:37 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id MAA10250 for public-list; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 12:16:30 -0400 (EDT) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav7.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.170.111]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id MAA10245; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 12:16:27 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 09:15:52 -0700 Received: from 65.149.176.25 by bay4-dav7.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Thu, 02 Oct 2003 16:15:52 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.25] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: Today on SPACE.com -- Thursday, October 2, 2003 Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2003 12:15:36 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MSN Explorer 7.02.0011.2700 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_000D_01C388DE.E2A901F0" Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 02 Oct 2003 16:15:52.0735 (UTC) FILETIME=[738112F0:01C38900] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk ------=_NextPart_001_000D_01C388DE.E2A901F0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message ----- From: spaceupdate@SPACE.COM Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2003 10:59 AM To: SPACECOM-TEXTY@LISTSERV.SPACE.COM Subject: Today on SPACE.com -- Thursday, October 2, 2003 Today on SPACE.com -- Thursday, October 2, 2003 -- http://www.space.com/ In today's issue: /------------------------------------- The Commercial Space Age. A new book describing current advancements in c= ommercializing the space frontier. X-Prize, satellites, reusable rockets= , tourism, energy, mining, manufacturing, and more. Fully illustrated. Click here for more information http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1410720756/qid=3D1061872661= /sr=3D1-1/ref=3Dsr_1_1/103-8516925-9966226?v=3Dglance&s=3Dbooks -------------------------------------/ Science/Astronomy: * Antarctic Astronomy: Exoplanet Hunt Moves Way Down Under * Image of the Day: A Hat, by Hubble * SPACE.com Exclusive: Mars Agenda Needs Work, Report Concludes * The Sky Isn't Falling, But Pieces Sure Are Spaceflight: * Inspections Could Delay Next Shuttle to September * Astronotes: Canadian Astronauts Win Stamp of Approval * Tech Today: Flight of the Navigator * Europe's SMART-1 Lunar Probe Ignites Ion Engine Recent Headlines: * Dream Machine: Quantum Step to Mars Set for 2005 * Virtual Space Tour presented by Acura * Sea Launch Zenit 3SL Orbits Single Bird for Pair of Users * NASA Chief Says Station Can Operate With Small Crews * New Image Gallery: SpaceShipOne's Race to Space Plus... * Uplink, SPACE.com TV and NightSky * Starry Night, TeamSETI ----------------------------------- Science/Astronomy: * Antarctic Astronomy: Exoplanet Hunt Moves Way Down Under http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_planets_031002.html Sometimes being left out in the cold is a good thing. Or so thinks SETI I= nstitute astrophysicist, Dr. Douglas Caldwell, whose planet hunting team = has set up shop in one of the most cold, remote areas of the planet, the = South Pole. * Image of the Day: A Hat, by Hubble http://www.space.com/imageoftheday/image_of_day_031002.html The Sombrero galaxy, officially named Messier 104 (M104), is widely photo= graphed. And now the Hubble Space Telescope has provided a rich new view. * SPACE.com Exclusive: Mars Agenda Needs Work, Report Concludes http://www.space.com/news/mars_report_031001.html NASA faces thorny technological problems and money woes in furthering its= Mars exploration agenda over the years to come, SPACE.com has learned. * The Sky Isn't Falling, But Pieces Sure Are http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/chicken_little_031001.html A host of mostly coincidental recent events make Chicken Little sound eve= r-so-slightly more credible. ----------------------------------- Spaceflight: * Inspections Could Delay Next Shuttle to September http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/sts114_fl_031002.html NASA is set to push its first post-Columbia shuttle launch back to mid-Ju= ly, but work to make certain Atlantis is safe to fly could ultimately pro= mpt a delay until next September or later. * Astronotes: Canadian Astronauts Win Stamp of Approval http://www.space.com/astronotes/astronotes.html Canada sure loves its local spacefarers - all eight of them. The nation's= official letter carrying service, Canada Post, has issued a series of st= amps commemorating those Canadians who have made the leap into space. * Tech Today: Flight of the Navigator http://www.space.com/techtoday/tech_today.html Road trips usually mean relying on cumbersome maps or a shotgun buddy who= barks bad directions between nacho-induced naps. Now, however, there's t= he Navman iCN 630, a digital wingman that changes that whole road trip dy= namic. * Europe's SMART-1 Lunar Probe Ignites Ion Engine http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/smart1_ion_031001.html Europe's first science probe to the Moon successfully test fired its ion = thruster this week and all other systems are checking out fine, program o= fficials reported Wednesday. ---------------------------------- Recent Headlines: * Dream Machine: Quantum Step to Mars Set for 2005 http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/mars_recon_031001-1.html Save a lot of room in your Mars picture book. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance = Orbiter (MRO) is a you-haven't-seen-anything-yet spacecraft. * Virtual Space Tour presented by Acura http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/virtualspacetour/ SPACE.com's animated encyclopedia reveals all the secrets of our neighbor= ing worlds. * Sea Launch Zenit 3SL Orbits Single Bird for Pair of Users http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/zenit_launch_031001.html Sea Launch successfully staged a satellite delivery mission early Wednesd= ay from its platform on the equator in the Pacific Ocean. * NASA Chief Says Station Can Operate With Small Crews http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/iss_sn_030930.html NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe on Tuesday suggested that the Internation= al Space Station can be operated and produce sufficient science with far = fewer than the six or seven astronauts initially planned. * New Image Gallery: SpaceShipOne's Race to Space http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagegallery/archive.php?category=3Ds= e Get an inside look at the SpaceShipOne's journey to capture the X PRIZE. ---------------------------------- * SpaceTV: http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/spacetv/ * NightSky: http://www.space.com/spacewatch/ * Uplink: Share your opinion! http://uplink.space.com/ ------------------------------------- Sign up to become part of the greatest search in history! Join TeamSETI: http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_science_page.html Be a desktop astronomer! Starry Night is the world's leading astronomy so= ftware -- choose between Beginner, Backyard, or Pro! http://www.starrynight.com/space ------------------------------------- Feedback We welcome your comments and suggestions at thoughts@space.com To Unsubscribe: http://www.space.com/php/email/unsubscribe.php Share Your Space Forward this newsletter to your friends! ------=_NextPart_001_000D_01C388DE.E2A901F0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
<= DIV> 
=
----- Original Message -----
From: spaceupdate@SPACE.COM
Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2003 10:59 AM
To: SPACECOM-TEXTY@LISTSERV.SPACE.COM
Subject: Today on SPACE.com -- Thursday, October 2, 2= 003
 
Today on SPACE.com --  Thursday, October = 2, 2003 -- http://www.space.com/

In today's issue:

/-------= ------------------------------

The Commercial Space Age. A new boo= k describing current advancements in commercializing the space frontier.&= nbsp; X-Prize, satellites, reusable rockets, tourism, energy, mining, man= ufacturing, and more. Fully illustrated.
Click here for more informati= on
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1410720756/qid=3D1061= 872661/sr=3D1-1/ref=3Dsr_1_1/103-8516925-9966226?v=3Dglance&s=3Dbooks=

-------------------------------------/

Science/Astronomy:<= BR>* Antarctic Astronomy: Exoplanet Hunt Moves Way Down Under
* Image = of the Day: A Hat, by Hubble
* SPACE.com Exclusive: Mars Agenda Needs = Work, Report Concludes
* The Sky Isn't Falling, But Pieces Sure Are
Spaceflight:
* Inspections Could Delay Next Shuttle to September<= BR>* Astronotes: Canadian Astronauts Win Stamp of Approval
* Tech Toda= y: Flight of the Navigator
* Europe's SMART-1 Lunar Probe Ignites Ion = Engine

Recent Headlines:
* Dream Machine: Quantum Step to Mars = Set for 2005
* Virtual Space Tour presented by Acura
* Sea Launch Z= enit 3SL Orbits Single Bird for Pair of Users
* NASA Chief Says Statio= n Can Operate With Small Crews
* New Image Gallery: SpaceShipOne's Rac= e to Space

Plus...

* Uplink, SPACE.com TV and NightSky
*= Starry Night, TeamSETI

-----------------------------------
Science/Astronomy:

* Antarctic Astronomy: Exoplanet Hunt Moves Wa= y Down Under
http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_planets_031002.ht= ml

Sometimes being left out in the cold is a good thing. Or so thi= nks SETI Institute astrophysicist, Dr. Douglas Caldwell, whose planet hun= ting team has set up shop in one of the most cold, remote areas of the pl= anet, the South Pole.

* Image of the Day: A Hat, by Hubble
http= ://www.space.com/imageoftheday/image_of_day_031002.html

The Sombre= ro galaxy, officially named Messier 104 (M104), is widely photographed. A= nd now the Hubble Space Telescope has provided a rich new view.

* = SPACE.com Exclusive: Mars Agenda Needs Work, Report Concludes
http://w= ww.space.com/news/mars_report_031001.html

NASA faces thorny techno= logical problems and money woes in furthering its Mars exploration agenda= over the years to come, SPACE.com has learned.

* The Sky Isn't Fa= lling, But Pieces Sure Are
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/chick= en_little_031001.html

A host of mostly coincidental recent events = make Chicken Little sound ever-so-slightly more credible.

--------= ---------------------------

Spaceflight:

* Inspections Coul= d Delay Next Shuttle to September
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches= /sts114_fl_031002.html

NASA is set to push its first post-Columbia= shuttle launch back to mid-July, but work to make certain Atlantis is sa= fe to fly could ultimately prompt a delay until next September or later.<= BR>
* Astronotes: Canadian Astronauts Win Stamp of Approval
http://= www.space.com/astronotes/astronotes.html

Canada sure loves its loc= al spacefarers - all eight of them. The nation's official letter carrying= service, Canada Post, has issued a series of stamps commemorating those = Canadians who have made the leap into space.

* Tech Today: Flight = of the Navigator
http://www.space.com/techtoday/tech_today.html
Road trips usually mean relying on cumbersome maps or a shotgun buddy wh= o barks bad directions between nacho-induced naps. Now, however, there's = the Navman iCN 630, a digital wingman that changes that whole road trip d= ynamic.

* Europe's SMART-1 Lunar Probe Ignites Ion Engine
http:= //www.space.com/missionlaunches/smart1_ion_031001.html

Europe's fi= rst science probe to the Moon successfully test fired its ion thruster th= is week and all other systems are checking out fine, program officials re= ported Wednesday.

----------------------------------

Recent= Headlines:

* Dream Machine: Quantum Step to Mars Set for 2005
= http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/mars_recon_031001-1.html

S= ave a lot of room in your Mars picture book. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance O= rbiter (MRO) is a you-haven't-seen-anything-yet spacecraft.

* Virt= ual Space Tour presented by Acura
http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/= virtualspacetour/

SPACE.com's animated encyclopedia reveals all th= e secrets of our neighboring worlds.

* Sea Launch Zenit 3SL Orbits= Single Bird for Pair of Users
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/ze= nit_launch_031001.html

Sea Launch successfully staged a satellite = delivery mission early Wednesday from its platform on the equator in the = Pacific Ocean.

* NASA Chief Says Station Can Operate With Small Cr= ews
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/iss_sn_030930.html

NAS= A Administrator Sean O'Keefe on Tuesday suggested that the International = Space Station can be operated and produce sufficient science with far few= er than the six or seven astronauts initially planned.

* New Image= Gallery: SpaceShipOne's Race to Space
http://www.space.com/php/multim= edia/imagegallery/archive.php?category=3Dse

Get an inside look at = the SpaceShipOne's journey to capture the X PRIZE.

---------------= -------------------

* SpaceTV:
http://www.space.com/php/multime= dia/spacetv/

* NightSky:
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/
* Uplink: Share your opinion!
http://uplink.space.com/

------= -------------------------------

Sign up to become part of the grea= test search in history!
Join TeamSETI: http://www.space.com/searchforl= ife/seti_science_page.html

Be a desktop astronomer! Starry Night i= s the world's leading astronomy software -- choose between Beginner, Back= yard, or Pro!

http://www.starrynight.com/space

------------= -------------------------

Feedback
We welcome your comments and= suggestions at thoughts@space.com

To Unsubscribe:
http://www.s= pace.com/php/email/unsubscribe.php

Share Your Space
Forward thi= s newsletter to your friends!
------=_NextPart_001_000D_01C388DE.E2A901F0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Thu Oct 2 16:25:20 2003 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h92NPIrN001888; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 16:25:19 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id TAA18735 for public-list; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 19:14:59 -0400 (EDT) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav48.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.78]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id TAA18731; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 19:14:57 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 16:14:26 -0700 Received: from 65.149.176.49 by bay4-dav48.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Thu, 02 Oct 2003 23:14:25 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.49] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Cosmic Company: The Search for Life in the Universe Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2003 19:14:15 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MSN Explorer 7.02.0011.2700 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0007_01C38919.5F173510" Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 02 Oct 2003 23:14:26.0223 (UTC) FILETIME=[EC4F3BF0:01C3893A] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk ------=_NextPart_001_0007_01C38919.5F173510 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable http://titles.cambridge.org/catalogue.asp?isbn=3D0521822335 Cosmic Company The Search for Life in the Universe =20 Seth Shostak, Alexandra Barnett =C2=A319.95 October 2003 | Hardback | 162 pages 18 half-tones 97 colour plates | ISBN= : 0521822335 Not yet published - available from October 2003 | Stock level updated: 02= Oct 17:57 BST Is there life elsewhere in the universe? What might it be like and how wi= ll we ever find it? Cosmic Company ponders the possibility of aliens visi= ting the Earth, as well as what it would mean if we were to pick up a sig= nal from the cosmos that would prove we're neither alone, nor the smartes= t creatures in creation. It explains why scientists think life might be p= lentiful on other worlds, and how we might get in touch. Containing a tho= rough overview of the science and technology behind the search for life, = the book highlights current and future space missions and research, which= are aiming to answer some of the greatest questions mankind has ever ask= ed. This easy-to-read book, by two experienced writers of popular astrono= my, is suitable for anyone who ever wondered whether there=E2=80=99s anyb= ody out there=E2=80=A6 ------=_NextPart_001_0007_01C38919.5F173510 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

http://titl= es.cambridge.org/catalogue.asp?isbn=3D0521822335

Cosmic Compa= ny

The Search for Life in the Universe

Seth Shos= tak, Alexandra Barnett

=C2=A319.95

October 2003 | Hardback | 162 pages 18 half-tones 97 colour pla= tes | ISBN: 0521822335

Not yet published - avail= able from October 2003 | Stock level updated: 02 Oct 17:57 BST

<= P>Is there life elsewhere in the universe? What might it be like and how = will we ever find it? Cosmic Company ponders the possibility of aliens vi= siting the Earth, as well as what it would mean if we were to pick up a s= ignal from the cosmos that would prove we're neither alone, nor the smart= est creatures in creation. It explains why scientists think life might be= plentiful on other worlds, and how we might get in touch. Containing a t= horough overview of the science and technology behind the search for life= , the book highlights current and future space missions and research, whi= ch are aiming to answer some of the greatest questions mankind has ever a= sked. This easy-to-read book, by two experienced writers of popular astro= nomy, is suitable for anyone who ever wondered whether there=E2=80=99s an= ybody out there=E2=80=A6

 

------=_NextPart_001_0007_01C38919.5F173510-- From owner-public@setileague.org Thu Oct 2 17:04:43 2003 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h9304frN024150; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 17:04:42 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id TAA19507 for public-list; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 19:51:33 -0400 (EDT) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav29.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.59]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id TAA19503; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 19:51:29 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 16:50:58 -0700 Received: from 65.149.176.49 by bay4-dav29.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Thu, 02 Oct 2003 23:50:58 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.49] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Fw: Cornell News: hydrocarbon lakes on Titan Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2003 19:50:48 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MSN Explorer 7.02.0011.2700 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_000B_01C3891E.79C34390" Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 02 Oct 2003 23:50:58.0816 (UTC) FILETIME=[07326000:01C38940] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk ------=_NextPart_001_000B_01C3891E.79C34390 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" ----- Original Message ----- From: cunews@cornell.edu Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2003 3:52 PM To: CUNEWS-PHYSICAL_SCIENCE-L@cornell.edu; CUNEWS-SCIENCE-L@cornell.edu Subject: Cornell News: hydrocarbon lakes on Titan Cornell-led astronomers cut through Titan's atmosphere to find evidence for hydrocarbon lakes EMBARGOED UNTIL THURSDAY, OCT. 2, 2003, AT 2 P.M. EDT Contact: Blaine P. Friedlander Jr. Office: 607-255-3290 E-mail: bpf2@cornell.edu ARECIBO, P.R. -- The smog-shrouded atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, has been parted by Earth-based radar to reveal the first evidence of liquid hydrocarbon lakes on its surface. The observations are reported by a Cornell University-led astronomy team working with the world's largest radio/radar telescope at the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Arecibo Observatory. The radar observations, reported in the journal Science on its Science Express Web site (Oct. 2, 2003), detected specular -- or mirrorlike -- glints from Titan with properties that are consistent with liquid hydrocarbon surfaces. Cornell astronomer Donald Campbell, who led the observation team, does not rule out that the reflections could be from very smooth solid surfaces. "The surface of Titan is one of the last unstudied parcels of real estate in the solar system, and we really know very little about it," he says. The observations were made possible by the 1997 upgrade of the telescope's 305-meter (1,000 feet) diameter dish, which has greatly increased the sensitivity of what was already the world's most powerful radar system. The observatory is managed by the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC), based at Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y., which has been operating the huge telescope for the NSF since 1971. Campbell, who is associate director of NAIC as well as a Cornell professor of astronomy, notes that for more than two decades astronomers have speculated that the interaction of the sun's ultraviolet radiation with methane in Titan's upper atmosphere -- photochemical reactions similar to those that cause urban smog -- could have resulted in large amounts of liquid and solid hydrocarbons raining onto Titan's frigid surface (minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 179 degrees Celsius). Campbell explains that radar signals would specularly reflect -- or glint -- from liquid surfaces on Titan, similar to sunlight glinting off the ocean. Although Titan's underlying surface is thought to be water ice, the complex chemistry in the upper atmosphere might have resulted in the icy surface being at least partly covered in liquid ethane and methane and solid hydrocarbons, says Campbell. One class of the solid hydrocarbons, often referred to as Titan tholins, was artificially created in a campus laboratory by a team led by the late Cornell astronomer Carl Sagan. Titan, which is about 50 percent larger than the Earth's moon, is the only satellite in the solar system with a dense atmosphere. This atmosphere is transparent to radio/radar waves and partially transparent at short infrared wavelengths but is opaque at visible wavelengths. The observations were made in November and December of both 2001 and 2002. The radar signal takes 2.25 hours to travel to Titan and back. The Arecibo radar operates at a 13-centimeter wavelength (2,380 megahertz), and the transmitted power is close to one megawatt (the equivalent of about 1,000 microwave ovens). Both the Arecibo telescope and the NSF's new 100-meter Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope were used to receive the extremely weak radar echoes. Next summer, NASA's Cassini spacecraft, launched in 1997, is scheduled to go into orbit around Saturn and its moons for four years. The piggybacking Huygens probe is scheduled to plunge into the hazy Titan atmosphere and land on the moon's surface. On Campbell's team for the Arecibo radar observations of Titan were Gregory Black, the University of Virginia; Lynn Carter, Cornell graduate student; and Steven Ostro, Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Arecibo Observatory part of NAIC which is operated by Cornell University under a cooperative agreement with the NSF. NASA provides partial support for Arecibo's planetary radar program. The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope is part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, an NSF supported institution operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities Inc. -30- The web version of this release may be found at http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/Oct03/Titan.Campbell.bpf.html -- Cornell University News Service Surge 3 Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 607-255-4206 cunews@cornell.edu http://www.news.cornell.edu ------=_NextPart_001_000B_01C3891E.79C34390 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
<= DIV> 
=
----- Original Message -----
From: cunews@cornell.edu
Sent: T= hursday, October 02, 2003 3:52 PM
<= B>To: CUNEWS-PHYSICAL_SCIENCE-L@cornell.edu; CUNEWS-SCIENCE-L@cornell= .edu
Subject: Cornell News: = hydrocarbon lakes on Titan
 
Cornell-led astronomers= cut through Titan's atmosphere to find
evidence for hydrocarbon lake= s

EMBARGOED UNTIL THURSDAY, OCT. 2, 2003, AT 2 P.M. EDT

Con= tact:  Blaine P. Friedlander Jr.
Office:  607-255-3290
E-= mail:  bpf2@cornell.edu


ARECIBO, P.R. -- The smog-shroude= d atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's
largest moon, has been parted by Eart= h-based radar to reveal the
first evidence of liquid hydrocarbon lake= s on its surface. The
observations are reported by a Cornell Universi= ty-led astronomy team
working with the world's largest radio/radar te= lescope at the
National Science Foundation's (NSF) Arecibo Observator= y.

The radar observations, reported in the journal Science on its =
Science Express Web site (Oct. 2, 2003), detected specular -- or
= mirrorlike -- glints from Titan with properties that are consistent
w= ith liquid hydrocarbon surfaces. Cornell astronomer Donald Campbell,
= who led the observation team, does not rule out that the reflections
= could be from very smooth solid surfaces. "The surface of Titan is
on= e of the last unstudied parcels of real estate in the solar system,
a= nd we really know very little about it," he says.

The observations= were made possible by the 1997 upgrade of the
telescope's 305-meter = (1,000 feet) diameter dish, which has greatly
increased the sensitivi= ty of what was already the world's most
powerful radar system. The ob= servatory is managed by the National
Astronomy and Ionosphere Center = (NAIC), based at Cornell in Ithaca,
N.Y., which has been operating th= e huge telescope for the NSF since
1971.

Campbell, who is asso= ciate director of NAIC as well as a Cornell
professor of astronomy, n= otes that for more than two decades
astronomers have speculated that = the interaction of the sun's
ultraviolet radiation with methane in Ti= tan's upper atmosphere --
photochemical reactions similar to those th= at cause urban smog --
could have resulted in large amounts of liquid= and solid hydrocarbons
raining onto Titan's frigid surface (minus 29= 0 degrees Fahrenheit, or
minus 179 degrees Celsius). Campbell explain= s that radar signals
would specularly reflect -- or glint -- from liq= uid surfaces on
Titan, similar to sunlight glinting off the ocean. Al= though Titan's
underlying surface is thought to be water ice, the com= plex chemistry
in the upper atmosphere might have resulted in the icy= surface being
at least partly covered in liquid ethane and methane a= nd solid
hydrocarbons, says Campbell. One class of the solid hydrocar= bons,
often referred to as Titan tholins, was artificially created in= a
campus laboratory by a team led by the late Cornell astronomer Car= l
Sagan.

Titan, which is about 50 percent larger than the Eart= h's moon, is the
only satellite in the solar system with a dense atmo= sphere. This
atmosphere is transparent to radio/radar waves and parti= ally
transparent at short infrared wavelengths but is opaque at visib= le
wavelengths.

The observations were made in November and Dec= ember of both 2001 and
2002. The radar signal takes 2.25 hours to tra= vel to Titan and back.
The Arecibo radar operates at a 13-centimeter = wavelength (2,380
megahertz), and the transmitted power is close to o= ne megawatt (the
equivalent of about 1,000 microwave ovens). Both the= Arecibo
telescope and the NSF's new 100-meter Robert C. Byrd Green B= ank
Telescope were used to receive the extremely weak radar echoes.
Next summer, NASA's Cassini spacecraft, launched in 1997, is
sc= heduled to go into orbit around Saturn and its moons for four
years. = The piggybacking Huygens probe is scheduled to plunge into the
hazy T= itan atmosphere and land on the moon's surface.

On Campbell's team= for the Arecibo radar observations of Titan were
Gregory Black, the = University of Virginia; Lynn Carter, Cornell
graduate student; and St= even Ostro, Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The Arecibo Observatory par= t of NAIC which is operated by Cornell
University under a cooperative= agreement with the NSF. NASA provides
partial support for Arecibo's = planetary radar program. The Robert C.
Byrd Green Bank Telescope is p= art of the National Radio Astronomy
Observatory, an NSF supported ins= titution operated under cooperative
agreement by Associated Universit= ies Inc.

-30-



The web version of this release may b= e found at
http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/Oct03/Titan.Campbell.= bpf.html
--

Cornell University News Service
Surge 3
Corn= ell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
607-255-4206
cunews@cornell.edu<= BR>http://www.news.cornell.edu

------=_NextPart_001_000B_01C3891E.79C34390-- From owner-public@setileague.org Thu Oct 2 21:13:51 2003 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h934DnrN032010; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 21:13:49 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id XAA24464 for public-list; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 23:59:10 -0400 (EDT) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav121.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.151]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id XAA24459; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 23:59:08 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Thu, 2 Oct 2003 20:58:37 -0700 Received: from 65.149.176.49 by bay4-dav121.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Fri, 03 Oct 2003 03:58:36 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.49] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Did Comets Make Life on Earth Possible? Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2003 23:58:21 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MSN Explorer 7.02.0011.2700 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0013_01C38941.0F4670A0" Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 03 Oct 2003 03:58:37.0142 (UTC) FILETIME=[9F72FF60:01C38962] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk ------=_NextPart_001_0013_01C38941.0F4670A0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/10/1002_031002_cometstudy.ht= ml Did Comets Make Life on Earth Possible? =20 Stefan Lovgren for National Geographic News October 2, 2003 An ambitious new NASA research project aims to answer perhaps the most ve= xing and profound of scientific mysteries: How did life on Earth begin? =20 The multimillion-dollar undertaking, led by the NASA Goddard Space Flight= Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, brings together an interdisciplinary team= of scientists from around the world to study how organic molecules are c= reated in interstellar clouds and delivered to planets as they form. =20 The research will focus on the role of comets. Many scientists believe th= ere is increasing evidence that comets supplied at least part of the raw = material for the origin of life on Earth. The theory is changing the way = scientists think about life in the universe and raises the possibility of= alien worlds. =20 "Our mission is to gain a greater understanding of the origin and evoluti= on of organic material on Earth," said Michael Mumma, a comet expert and = director of the Goddard Center for Astrobiology, NASA Astrobiology Instit= ute, who is leading the research. "The key question is: Were water and or= ganic molecules delivered to Earth by cometary impact and does [that proc= ess] extend to planets elsewhere?" =20 Dirty Snowballs =20 Astronomers believe that stars, planets, and comets form in a massive cha= in reaction that begins when a cloud of interstellar material collapses u= nder its own gravity. Some of the material forms the star=E2=80=94like ou= r sun=E2=80=94and some of it gets spread out in a disk around the nascent= star. =20 Some material in this disk later aggregates and forms planets. Close to t= he sun, where it's warm, leftover debris (rocky material) turns into aste= roids. In the outer regions, where it's cold, icy chunks of rock and dust= turn into comets. =20 It is generally believed that organic molecules, which contain carbon ato= ms and are present in all life forms known to science, are trapped in lar= ge amounts in both interstellar clouds and comets. =20 "We have extremely definite evidence from our radio observations that the= re's quite an array of organic molecules in interstellar space," said Bil= l Irvine, a professor of astronomy at the University of Massachusetts in = Amherst, who is measuring radio waves from celestial objects as part of t= he research effort. =20 There's other evidence that comets contain organic material. When Europea= n spacecraft analyzed dust particles from the Halley comet in 1986, it tu= rned out to be some of the most organic-rich material measured in the sol= ar system. Meteorites that have hit Earth contain a whole suite of molecu= les, including amino acids, which play an important role in terrestrial b= iology. =20 "If such material exists in meteorites, which come from a class of astero= ids, there's every reason to think it must also exist in comets," Irvine = said. =20 Panspermia Goes Primordial =20 Most scientists have long believed that life on Earth began as a "primord= ial soup" in a lake or pond some four billion years ago. According to thi= s theory, chemicals from the atmosphere combined with some form of energy= necessary to make amino acids=E2=80=94the building blocks of proteins=E2= =80=94to create the first primitive organisms, kicking off the evolution = of Earth's species. =20 But the primordial soup theory is being increasingly disputed. Many geoph= ysicists now say the Earth did not have enough gases, like ammonia and me= thane, from which organic material like amino acids could be produced. =20 Instead, a growing cadre of scientists believes the organic material need= ed to create life may not have been produced on Earth, but was instead br= ought here by comets. The newly formed Earth was likely subjected to a fi= erce bombardment of comets four billion years ago. These comets may have = brought with them the organic compounds that later evolved into living ma= tter. =20 According to the most radical theory, known as "panspermia," life in a re= ady-made form is ubiquitous in the galaxy and is brought by comets to new= planets. Few scientists subscribe to this hypothesis, however. =20 Perhaps the main question is whether organic molecules can survive space = travel or if they break up and contribute the atoms that are necessary to= ultimately make biological material and water? =20 "Our museums contain examples of primitive meteorites that likely are ver= y similar to the material delivered by comets," said Mumma. "The key poin= t is that small bodies deliver their organics intact to Earth's surface. = This must have been a common event on the early Earth." =20 Many scientists are now leaning toward a combination of the comet impact = theory and the primordial soup thesis. Some chemical building blocks may = have come from comets, but the assembly into life took place on Earth. =20 "The comet impact theory fits in with the primordial soup theory," Mumma = said. "They can be complimentary." =20 Drilling Into Comets =20 Scientists will measure the molecular make-up of comets to better underst= and what chemical reactions formed them. This may provide clues to the ev= olution of carbon-based chemistry on Earth in its early history. =20 The new research will combine laboratory experiments, observations with t= elescopes and spacecraft, and missions to sample comet and asteroid mater= ial. A European mission not associated with NASA is even going to land on= a comet and drill into it as the comet journeys toward the sun. =20 An important part of the project will focus on water, which is seen as an= essential ingredient of life. Scientists want to know if the Earth's wat= er was incorporated into the Earth as the planet formed or if the water a= rrived on Earth as a result of cometary impacts after the Earth was alrea= dy formed. =20 "Earth's new oceans were filthy, and should have been full of organic mol= ecules and dust particles carried to our planet by comets and primitive m= eteorites," said Mumma. "We want to learn how significant their contribut= ion was to the genesis of life on Earth." =20 The comet research could have a tremendous impact on the quest to find li= fe on other planets. After all, comets have slammed into many other plane= ts. If they supplied the raw material to form life on Earth, what is to s= ay the same thing hasn't happened on other planets? =20 One thing is for sure, however. Finding out exactly how life on Earth beg= an, and if it extends elsewhere, will take some time. The first stage of = the NASA project will last five years, but Mumma thinks it could take as = much as 25 years before scientists have a definite answer about the origi= n of life on Earth. =20 ------=_NextPart_001_0013_01C38941.0F4670A0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/10/1002_031002_cometstudy.h= tml

Did Comets Make Life on Earth Possible?

Stefan Lovgren
for National Geographic Ne= ws
October 2, 2003

An amb= itious new NASA research project aims to answer perhaps the most vexing a= nd profound of scientific mysteries: How did life on Earth begin?

The= multimillion-dollar undertaking, led by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Ce= nter in Greenbelt, Maryland, brings together an interdisciplinary team of= scientists from around the world to study how organic molecules are crea= ted in interstellar clouds and delivered to planets as they form.

The= research will focus on the role of comets. Many scientists believe there= is increasing evidence that comets supplied at least part of the raw mat= erial for the origin of life on Earth. The theory is changing the way sci= entists think about life in the universe and raises the possibility of al= ien worlds.

"Our mission is to gain a greater u= nderstanding of the origin and evolution of organic material on Earth," s= aid Michael Mumma, a comet expert and director of the Goddard Center for = Astrobiology, NASA Astrobiology Institute, who is leading the research. "= The key question is: Were water and organic molecules delivered to Earth = by cometary impact and does [that process] extend to planets elsewhere?" =

Dirty Snowballs

Astronomers believe that stars, planets, a= nd comets form in a massive chain reaction that begins when a cloud of in= terstellar material collapses under its own gravity. Some of the material= forms the star=E2=80=94like our sun=E2=80=94and some of it gets spread o= ut in a disk around the nascent star.

Some material in this disk late= r aggregates and forms planets. Close to the sun, where it's warm, leftov= er debris (rocky material) turns into asteroids. In the outer regions, wh= ere it's cold, icy chunks of rock and dust turn into comets.

It is ge= nerally believed that organic molecules, which contain carbon atoms and a= re present in all life forms known to science, are trapped in large amoun= ts in both interstellar clouds and comets.

"We have extremely definit= e evidence from our radio observations that there's quite an array of org= anic molecules in interstellar space," said Bill Irvine, a professor of a= stronomy at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, who is measuring = radio waves from celestial objects as part of the research effort.

Th= ere's other evidence that comets contain organic material. When European = spacecraft analyzed dust particles from the Halley comet in 1986, it turn= ed out to be some of the most organic-rich material measured in the solar= system. Meteorites that have hit Earth contain a whole suite of molecule= s, including amino acids, which play an important role in terrestrial bio= logy.

"If such material exists in meteorites, which come from a class= of asteroids, there's every reason to think it must also exist in comets= ," Irvine said.

Panspermia Goes Primordial

Most scientists= have long believed that life on Earth began as a "primordial soup" in a = lake or pond some four billion years ago. According to this theory, chemi= cals from the atmosphere combined with some form of energy necessary to m= ake amino acids=E2=80=94the building blocks of proteins=E2=80=94to create= the first primitive organisms, kicking off the evolution of Earth's spec= ies.

But the primordial soup theory is being increasingly disputed. M= any geophysicists now say the Earth did not have enough gases, like ammon= ia and methane, from which organic material like amino acids could be pro= duced.

Instead, a growing cadre of scientists believes the organic ma= terial needed to create life may not have been produced on Earth, but was= instead brought here by comets. The newly formed Earth was likely subjec= ted to a fierce bombardment of comets four billion years ago. These comet= s may have brought with them the organic compounds that later evolved int= o living matter.

According to the most radical theory, known as "pans= permia," life in a ready-made form is ubiquitous in the galaxy and is bro= ught by comets to new planets. Few scientists subscribe to this hypothesi= s, however.

Perhaps the main question is whether organic molecules ca= n survive space travel or if they break up and contribute the atoms that = are necessary to ultimately make biological material and water?

"Our = museums contain examples of primitive meteorites that likely are very sim= ilar to the material delivered by comets," said Mumma. "The key point is = that small bodies deliver their organics intact to Earth's surface. This = must have been a common event on the early Earth."

Many scientists ar= e now leaning toward a combination of the comet impact theory and the pri= mordial soup thesis. Some chemical building blocks may have come from com= ets, but the assembly into life took place on Earth.

"The comet impac= t theory fits in with the primordial soup theory," Mumma said. "They can = be complimentary."

Drilling Into Comets

Scientists will me= asure the molecular make-up of comets to better understand what chemical = reactions formed them. This may provide clues to the evolution of carbon-= based chemistry on Earth in its early history.

The new research will = combine laboratory experiments, observations with telescopes and spacecra= ft, and missions to sample comet and asteroid material. A European missio= n not associated with NASA is even going to land on a comet and drill int= o it as the comet journeys toward the sun.

An important part of the p= roject will focus on water, which is seen as an essential ingredient of l= ife. Scientists want to know if the Earth's water was incorporated into t= he Earth as the planet formed or if the water arrived on Earth as a resul= t of cometary impacts after the Earth was already formed.

"Earth's ne= w oceans were filthy, and should have been full of organic molecules and = dust particles carried to our planet by comets and primitive meteorites,"= said Mumma. "We want to learn how significant their contribution was to = the genesis of life on Earth."

The comet research could have a tremen= dous impact on the quest to find life on other planets. After all, comets= have slammed into many other planets. If they supplied the raw material = to form life on Earth, what is to say the same thing hasn't happened on o= ther planets?

One thing is for sure, however. Finding out exactly how= life on Earth began, and if it extends elsewhere, will take some time. T= he first stage of the NASA project will last five years, but Mumma thinks= it could take as much as 25 years before scientists have a definite answ= er about the origin of life on Earth.

 

------=_NextPart_001_0013_01C38941.0F4670A0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Fri Oct 3 14:35:10 2003 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h93LZ8rN003031; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 14:35:09 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id RAA15691 for public-list; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 17:23:32 -0400 (EDT) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from lynchburg.net (mail.lynchburg.net [216.207.176.4]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id RAA15687 for ; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 17:23:30 -0400 (EDT) Received: from BIRCHLR [63.237.91.217] by lynchburg.net with ESMTP (SMTPD32-8.03) id A9301B60126; Fri, 03 Oct 2003 17:25:04 -0400 From: "Keith & Patty Birchfield" To: Subject: SETI public: Newbie Question Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 17:23:22 -0400 Message-ID: <000401c389f4$933e3920$0401a8c0@BIRCHLR> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook, Build 10.0.2616 Importance: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2727.1300 X-Declude-Sender: UpOnTheMountain@lynchburg.net [63.237.91.217] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk Hello all, I have two basic questions : 1. How can I tell If I've had/measured an event that is worth further investigation? 2. After contributing 1372 hours of computer time, Have I really actually contributed at all? Keith Birchfield Keith Birchfield --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.516 / Virus Database: 313 - Release Date: 9/1/2003 From owner-public@setileague.org Fri Oct 3 15:41:44 2003 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h93MferN021194; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 15:41:43 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id SAA17187 for public-list; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 18:31:44 -0400 (EDT) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from djwhome.demon.co.uk (root@djwhome.demon.co.uk [158.152.19.5]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id SAA17183 for ; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 18:31:40 -0400 (EDT) Received: (from david@localhost) by djwhome.demon.co.uk (8.11.4/8.11.4) id h93MVbr04643 for public@setileague.org; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 23:31:37 +0100 From: David Woolley Message-Id: <200310032231.h93MVbr04643@djwhome.demon.co.uk> Subject: SETI public: How do I know if I have made a valuable contribution to SETI@Home (was: Newbie Question) To: public@setileague.org Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 23:31:37 +0100 (BST) In-Reply-To: <000401c389f4$933e3920$0401a8c0@BIRCHLR> from "Keith & Patty Birchfield" at Oct 03, 2003 05:23:22 PM X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.5 PL3] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk > 1. How can I tell If I've had/measured an event that is worth further > investigation? This list is about SETI in general and has very little on it about the SETI@Home project, but your questions suggest that you are asking about SETI@Home, so I'll answer on that basis. You cannot tell if you have detected a signal that will be confirmed to have been of intelligent extra-terrestial origin, although, given that the most likely outcome will be that there are no verifiable detectable signals within the current search parameters, you can be almost sure that you have not. The catch is that you cannot be absolutely sure. Anything that is included in the results file is potentially interesting, but Berkeley need to check it for machine error in your PC, by comparing it to other results, eliminate known test signals, eliminate known interfering signals, correlate it with other detections from the same location at a different time and then prioritise these for dedicated followup time. They will almost certainly have set the levels at which signals get reported to produce slightly more than they need, but not so much more as to overwhelm them in signals that are too weak ever to be considered a candidate. The one possible exception is low bandwidth signals with near zero chirp, which are almost certainly from the earth's surface. (The uncertainty in the chirp is too high for high bandwidth signals to make this distinction.) Signals too weak to be reported may be of intelligent extra-terretial origin, but the number of such detections due to noise artefacts becomes very large. Unverified signals might, for example, be a planetary radar (asteroid tracking) beam that happens to cross the earth once; you will never know. > > 2. After contributing 1372 hours of computer time, Have I really > actually contributed at all? Assuming that you return results reasonably promptly, of course it has. If everyone felt that their small part was wasted, there would be nobody involved at all. Please, though, don't confuse SETI@Home with the whole of SETI. It's only a part of the radio SETI that Berkeley do, and Berkeley also do optical SETI. Berkeley are only one of many organisations (including the SETI League that hosts this list) that are involved in many different SETI projects. From owner-public@setileague.org Fri Oct 3 16:52:07 2003 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h93Nq5rN016460; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 16:52:06 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id TAA18483 for public-list; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 19:37:44 -0400 (EDT) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (law10-oe40.law10.hotmail.com [64.4.14.97]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id TAA18479 for ; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 19:37:41 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 16:37:10 -0700 Received: from 66.159.183.88 by law10-oe40.law10.hotmail.com with DAV; Fri, 03 Oct 2003 23:37:07 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [66.159.183.88] X-Originating-Email: [n1yvv@hotmail.com] From: "David Ocame" To: References: <200310032231.h93MVbr04643@djwhome.demon.co.uk> Subject: Re: SETI public: How do I know if I have made a valuable contribution to SETI@Home (was: Newbie Question) Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 19:37:06 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1158 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 03 Oct 2003 23:37:10.0976 (UTC) FILETIME=[442DC400:01C38A07] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk Keith, Patty, Again, you are most welcome on this list, and are encouraged to find out more about what we do. SETI is very challenging (and downright frustrating, at times;). The chief difference between the SETILeague and the SETI@home project is that we are developing a worldwide network of small radio telescopes to cover all directions of the sky at once. We have a long way to go in this regard. But, we are collecting data in 'real' time, whereas SETI@home participants are not. Check out www.setileague.org to find out more. And, of course, ask questions. Even better, join us! The League is primarily membership supported and in need of new people, all the time. Thanks again, Dave Ocame, N1YVV Argus Station FN31ng -72.53856 longitude 41.16797 latitude From owner-public@setileague.org Fri Oct 3 19:08:36 2003 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h9428XrN016657; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 19:08:34 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id VAA21310 for public-list; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 21:57:27 -0400 (EDT) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav140.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.170]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id VAA21306; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 21:57:24 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Fri, 3 Oct 2003 18:56:53 -0700 Received: from 65.149.176.64 by bay4-dav140.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Sat, 04 Oct 2003 01:56:52 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.64] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: [DarlingsSpace] David Darling's Newsletter #15 Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 21:56:39 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MSN Explorer 7.02.0011.2700 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0001_01C389F9.38F68D50" Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 04 Oct 2003 01:56:53.0817 (UTC) FILETIME=[C8BDCA90:01C38A1A] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk ------=_NextPart_001_0001_01C389F9.38F68D50 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" ----- Original Message ----- From: daviddarling123 Sent: Friday, October 03, 2003 9:49 PM To: DarlingsSpace@yahoogroups.com Subject: [DarlingsSpace] David Darling's Newsletter #15 DAVID DARLING'S NEWSLETTER -------------------------------------------------- Issue #15 October 3, 2003 e-mail: darling@uslink.net website: http://www.daviddarling.info -------------------------------------------------- Contents 1. Meanderings 2. Life on Mars 3. Bookends -------------------------------------------------- 1. Meanderings A belated greetings, everyone. The Yahoo Groups site has been down for a bit, so, for the benefit of those who receive it that way, I was holding off with the newsletter until the glitch was resolved. This last week has seen the first blast of wintery air arrive in Minnesota, with temperatures dipping well below freezing at night and the leaves rapidly changing to a delightful mixture of reds, oranges, golds, and browns. It would be perfect except for the thought that we'll soon be running our annual five-month-long Pluto simulation! With a great deal of help from my son-in-law, Murray Etherington, I've now set up a new version of my website hosted by Globat which will allow for a lot more expansion, traffic, and nifty facilities. As I write, the domain name www.daviddarling.info is in the process of being transferred to this new location. This means that if you've been accessing my site via www.daviddarling.info, instead of the more cumbersome www.angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling, you'll automatically go to the new version when the switchover takes effect. I'll still be maintaining the old angelfire-based site for a couple of months to allow for a smooth transfer of traffic, but if you have a bookmark that points to the old URL or to any of the pages within the angelfire site, I suggest you update this to point to the new address. Let me know if you run into any problems or if seems like I'm talking Greek. At first glance, when you go to the new site, you'll notice nothing different. But if you look more closely in the menu items at the top of the front page (and on every other page of the site), you'll see that a new item has appeared: "bulletin board". This is something that people have been asking that I set up for quite a while. It's a multithread forum hosted by PHP and is a great way to get involved in a discussion or argument on any topic related to the site -- astronomy, life in the universe, spaceflight, faster-than-light travel, time machines, cosmology, teleportation, the nature of consciousness, my books, you name it. In fact, you can literally name it by setting up your own thread and starting a new dialog. These things tend to be organic by nature, so I've no idea how it will develop. I'm putting up a few topics to get started, but you can take it anywhere you like. It'll make the site a lot more interactive and fun. Don't be shy -- please plunge in and have your say. I'm hoping especially that newsletter subscibers will get involved so that I can learn more about you and your interests. Incidentally, if you've something you want to say right away, without waiting for the www.daviddarling.info name to hop over, you can access the new site by going to stcroix.globat.com/~daviddarling.info. Please drop me a line if you run into any broken links or other anomalies -- there are bound to be a few. You can also check out a couple of pictures I took on our summer trip to England by going to the "me" page on the new site and following the link from there. (Apologies to Mike B. from Australia who asked that I visit the Green Slate Company in Honister Pass, just for him. I didn't make it this time -- my wife refuses to travel by road on Honister or Hardnott and Wrynose Pass after an unfortunate encounter with a sheep some years ago. But I'll get there next time!) In the last issue of the newsletter I rambled on about time travel (past newsletters are also available on the new site, by the way), and asked if anyone could remember who wrote the old classic science fiction tale in which a time traveler goes back to the age of the dinosaurs, inadvertently steps on a bug, and because of that, alters the future course of the world. Thanks to Larry Klaes and Daniel Handlin for supplying the missing data: the bug was a butterfly, the story was "A Sound of Thunder," it was first published in 1952 in R is for Rocket, and the author was none other than Ray Bradbury. In fact, you can read the story here: http://www.sba.muohio.edu/snavely/415/thunder.htm And so to this issue's topic. Even as we speak, four spacecraft are converging on the planet Mars to try to pry away some more of its intriguing secrets. They're the European Mars Express (http://www.angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling/MarsExpress.htm), carrying the Beagle 2 lander (http://www.angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling/Beagle2.htm), the twin NASA Mars Exploration Rovers (http://www.angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling/MarsExplorationRovers.htm) , and Japan's Nozomi orbiter (http://www.angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling/Nozomi.htm). What will they find when they arrive? Most importantly, will they uncover evidence of life? ------------------------------------------------- 2. Life on Mars The question of Martian biology goes back centuries, but first became a hot topic in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, when Schiaparelli (http://www.angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling/Schiaparelli.htm) and others, most notably, Percival Lowell (http://www.angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling/LowellP.htm), thought they'd seen water channels or even canals on the surface of the fourth planet. Lowell's obsession with advanced Martian intelligence and a civilization that had built a complex irrigation system to carry meltwater from the polar caps to the arid regions of the planet fired the popular imagination. And I don't think that fascination with a dying extraterrestrial civilization on our cosmic doorstep has ever really gone away. Here's my illustrated encyclopedia page on the canals saga: http://www.angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling/Marscanals.htm. It's a story that, while, unfortunately, long discredited by observational evidence, is too compelling and exciting to relinquish its place in the romance of the Solar System. We badly want it to be true that there was a companion technological race on the Red Planet, and so we still seek signs for it in space probe imagery at the edge of resolution just as Lowell strained to see what he wanted to see in the faint, small disk of Mars imaged by the 24-inch Clark refractor at his purpose-built observatory at Flagstaff. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not averse to people poring over photos of Mars sent back by Mars Global Surveyor and, more recently, by Mars Odyssey, in the hope of seeing ruined monuments, cities, and even extant life. I regularly receive requests to look at shots, processed or otherwise, that purport to show Martian pyramids, "glass tubes," colossal sand worms (a la Dune), and so forth. I never pour scorn on these pictures or their senders. (In fact, any "anomalists" are cordially invited to present and defend their case on the new bulletin board!) As soon as a scientist refuses to look at any data with a fresh eye and mind, he may as well pack up his bags and leave town. But I'll always, without fail, apply Occam's Razor. That is, faced with an unknown or indeterminate phenomenon, I'll always go for the most mundane explanation -- the one that calls for the least spectacular and number of explanations. Lowell thought he saw hundreds of networked straight lines and took them to be canals. He was wrong: they were an optical illusion. Armchair theorists today argue that they can see geometric shapes, alignments, forests of banyan-like trees, megalithic humanoid faces, etc -- evidence of advanced life. I hope they're right. I strongly suspect they're wrong. I know that Mars has a long history of kidding people into thinking that it harbors visible traces of life, animal and vegetable. That isn't Mars' fault. It's ours, because we (me included) so desperately want to find those traces. It's a very human failing that when we want to believe in something badly enough, our minds work hard to invent or suitably interpret the data needed to shore up that belief. Well, our outward-bound probes aren't going on a hunt for lost Martian cities or technological remains. But one of them at least, Beagle 2, is going to be sniffing the air and sampling the soil of the Red Planet to see if there are any signatures of microbial life. If it finds a minute dash of methane in the atmosphere, for example, that would be very suggestive (though not proof) of methanogenic bacterial action. If Beagle detects traces of organic material in the soil, collected by a miniature "mole," that too will point the finger in the direction of life. Remember, there are still many unanswered questions about the results sent back by the twin Viking probes (http://www.angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling/Viking.htm). So what are the chances for Martian biology? The good news is that, in its early stages, Mars was a lot more like the Earth than it is now. It was certainly warmer and had liquid water on its surface in the form of run-off channels, lakes, and possibly extensive seas. It would have been much more geologically and tectonically active, and possibly had hydrothermal vents of the type that, on Earth, are on the list of "genesis sites" -- locations where life may first have emerged and developed. In fact, as I argue in my book Life Everywhere, it might be more puzzling if we find no evidence of any Martian biology at all, past or present. If Mars never acquired life, what was it about Earth that was so special? What did we have, four billion years ago or thereabouts, that Mars didn't. I'd personally put the odds of past Mars life at better than 75% because of the similar conditions. What about life on Mars today? That's a lot more problematic. Mars today isn't too friendly, at least on or just below the surface, to the kind of life we know. It's bone dry, very cold for the most part, and, worst of all, is strafed continually by high-energy solar radiation. Harsh solar UV, cosmic rays, and the like, have surely sterilized the soil at ground level and down to at an indeterminate depth. There's a very good chance that the surface regolith is rich in highly oxidizing compounds, such as superoxides, that would be devastating to terrestrial biology. These powerful oxidants may very well (but not conclusively) explain the anomalous Viking lander results. They may also frustrate Beagle 2's attempts to find biological matter. But set against these negatives is the possibly that if life had emerged on Mars in the remote past it might have gradually adapted to the current harsh regime (we have some bacteria on Earth, such as Deinococcus radiodurans, that are incredibly resistant to high doses of radiation) and/or retreated to a more clement environment deeper underground. Getting at deep subterranean (or "subareolian") life, tens of millions of miles from Earth, might be a bit tricky, calling for advanced penetrator probes or even a human-crewed drilling rig. But I suspect that several hundred meters, or even a kilometer or more, down is where we have our best chance of encountering living Martians. Our search for life, at least within the Solar System, is first and foremost a search for liquid water. Good old H-Two-O is a sine qua non of life as we know it. We can speculate about life based on a different solvent, such as ammonia or hydrochloric acid. But we really haven't a clue how it would work biochemically and we certainly wouldn't know what biomarkers to look for. (We have a hard enough time searching for small traces of Earth-like life!) The fact is that we know of at least one form of life that depends critically on the availability of water in its liquid form and we know that water has some extraordinary properties that make it hard to replace in a biological context. So, it makes sense to look for water first and then ask if there might be life nearby. That's why astrobiologists are so excited about Jupiter's moon Europa, because there are strong signs that it has a sub-ice watery ocean. Mars is harder to read on this point. Its atmospheric pressure is extremely low -- around 7 milllibars, on average, which is less than one- thousandth the surface pressure on Earth. Water just vaporizes -- essentially boils -- away very quickly under these conditions. So you really can't hope to find watery pools lying around Mars today. On top of this, of course, it's pretty cold in most places on Mars, most of the time. Pick a time and location on Mars at random and the chances are it would make Antarctica seem balmy. And yet we know Mars has lots of water ice. Most of its poles and much of its rocks seem to be rich in the stuff. So, if there are mechanisms to temporarily melt this ice, you could have liquid water on or just beneath the surface for brief periods. If you go to the front page of my website you can find an image that seems to show dark stains that have appeared on extensive regions of the Martian surface quite suddenly, over a period of a year or so. We don't know what these stains are or what has caused them. One theory is that they represent water melted by tectonic activity. Another theory, put forward by NASA's Chris McKay, is that they may be due to the spread of bacterial colonies during a short spell when moisture becomes available. McKay, incidentally, has also suggested that plenty of free oxygen may have been available on Mars in its early stages, opening up the possibility that not only life, but possibly advanced life could have evolved there between 3.5 and 4 billion years ago. So, the door is slightly ajar to you anomalists! And then there are those Martian meteorites. Do they really contain evidence of life as some researchers claim? It gets down to the origin of certain magnetite crystals in meteorites such as ALH84001 (http://www.angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling/ALH84001.htm). The pro- life claim is that exactly the same kind of crystals are produced biologically -- and only biologically -- on Earth; so, given that they almost certainly came from Mars, they were probably laid down by magnetotactic bacteria on the fourth planet. Well, maybe. But it's pretty thin evidence when stacked up against such a momentous issue: the question of the existence of life beyond Earth. Maybe there are ways to produce these crystal chains by purely chemical means that we don't know about. Maybe they're contaminants (though this seems unlikely). We're not going to settle the problem of Martian life, once and for all, to everyone's satisfaction, through rocks that have been blasted our way, have spent millions of years floating around in space, and have lain around on Earth for thousands more years. We need pristine material from the Red Planet itself: we need to find life, or its remains, in situ. Perhaps that's what Beagle and the other space hounds currently bound for Mars will do. ---------------------------------------------- 3. Bookends Where can you find the latest, greatest guide to the astronomical world, complete with more than 3,000 cross-referenced entries and 230 illustrations (including 8 pages of color photos)? What is the most complete and up-to-date encyclopedia of this astonishing cosmos in which we live? Why, The Universal Book of Astronomy, of course! More on this newest book of mine, about to be published by Wiley and a companion to last year's Complete Book of Spaceflight, on my website, at Amazon.com, and Barnes&Noble.com. Buy your copy now, while stocks last! Until next time, Best wishes, David Darling ------=_NextPart_001_0001_01C389F9.38F68D50 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
<= DIV> 
=
----- Original Message -----
From: daviddarling123
Sent: Frid= ay, October 03, 2003 9:49 PM
To:= DarlingsSpace@yahoogroups.com
= Subject: [DarlingsSpace] David Darling's Newsletter #15
 

 

DAVID DARLING'S NEWSLETTER
------------= --------------------------------------

Issue #15
October 3, 20= 03
e-mail: darling@uslink.net
website: http://www.daviddarling.info=


--------------------------------------------------

Con= tents

1. Meanderings
2. Life on Mars
3. Bookends


= --------------------------------------------------

1. Meanderings<= BR>
A belated greetings, everyone. The Yahoo Groups site has been down=
for a bit, so, for the benefit of those who receive it that way, I <= BR>was holding off with the newsletter until the glitch was resolved. This last week has seen the first blast of wintery air arrive in
Min= nesota, with temperatures dipping well below freezing at night
and th= e leaves rapidly changing to a delightful mixture of reds,
oranges, g= olds, and browns. It would be perfect except for the
thought that we'= ll soon be running our annual five-month-long Pluto
simulation!
With a great deal of help from my son-in-law, Murray Etherington,
I= 've now set up a new version of my website hosted by Globat which
wil= l allow for a lot more expansion, traffic, and nifty facilities.
As I= write, the domain name www.daviddarling.info is in the process
of be= ing transferred to this new location. This means that if you've
been = accessing my site via www.daviddarling.info, instead of the
more cumb= ersome www.angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling, you'll
automatically go to= the new version when the switchover takes
effect. I'll still be main= taining the old angelfire-based site for a
couple of months to allow = for a smooth transfer of traffic, but if
you have a bookmark that poi= nts to the old URL or to any of the
pages within the angelfire site, = I suggest you update this to point
to the new address. Let me know if= you run into any problems or if
seems like I'm talking Greek.
At first glance, when you go to the new site, you'll notice nothing
= different. But if you look more closely in the menu items at the top
= of the front page (and on every other page of the site), you'll see
t= hat a new item has appeared: "bulletin board". This is something
that= people have been asking that I set up for quite a while. It's a
mult= ithread forum hosted by PHP and is a great way to get involved
in a d= iscussion or argument on any topic related to the site --
astronomy, = life in the universe, spaceflight, faster-than-light
travel, time mac= hines, cosmology, teleportation, the nature of
consciousness, my book= s, you name it. In fact, you can literally
name it by setting up your= own thread and starting a new dialog.
These things tend to be organi= c by nature, so I've no idea how it
will develop. I'm putting up a fe= w topics to get started, but you
can take it anywhere you like. It'll= make the site a lot more
interactive and fun. Don't be shy -- please= plunge in and have your
say. I'm hoping especially that newsletter s= ubscibers will get
involved so that I can learn more about you and yo= ur interests.
Incidentally, if you've something you want to say right= away,
without waiting for the www.daviddarling.info name to hop over= , you
can access the new site by going to
stcroix.globat.com/~dav= iddarling.info. Please drop me a line if you
run into any broken link= s or other anomalies -- there are bound to
be a few. You can also che= ck out a couple of pictures I took on our
summer trip to England by g= oing to the "me" page on the new site and
following the link from the= re. (Apologies to Mike B. from Australia
who asked that I visit the G= reen Slate Company in Honister Pass,
just for him. I didn't make it t= his time -- my wife refuses to
travel by road on Honister or Hardnott= and Wrynose Pass after an
unfortunate encounter with a sheep some ye= ars ago. But I'll get
there next time!)

In the last issue of t= he newsletter I rambled on about time travel
(past newsletters are al= so available on the new site, by the way),
and asked if anyone could = remember who wrote the old classic science
fiction tale in which a ti= me traveler goes back to the age of the
dinosaurs, inadvertently step= s on a bug, and because of that, alters
the future course of the worl= d. Thanks to Larry Klaes and Daniel
Handlin for supplying the missing= data: the bug was a butterfly, the
story was "A Sound of Thunder," i= t was first published in 1952 in R
is for Rocket, and the author was = none other than Ray Bradbury. In
fact, you can read the story here:
http://www.sba.muohio.edu/snavely/415/thunder.htm

And so to = this issue's topic. Even as we speak, four spacecraft are
converging = on the planet Mars to try to pry away some more of its
intriguing sec= rets. They're the European Mars Express
(http://www.angelfire.com/on2= /daviddarling/MarsExpress.htm),
carrying the Beagle 2 lander
(htt= p://www.angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling/Beagle2.htm), the twin
NASA Ma= rs Exploration Rovers
(http://www.angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling/Mars= ExplorationRovers.htm)
, and Japan's Nozomi orbiter
(http://www.an= gelfire.com/on2/daviddarling/Nozomi.htm). What will
they find when th= ey arrive? Most importantly, will they uncover
evidence of life?
<= BR>-------------------------------------------------

2. Life on Ma= rs

The question of Martian biology goes back centuries, but first =
became a hot topic in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, when Schiaparelli
(http://www.angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling/Schiapa= relli.htm) and
others, most notably, Percival Lowell
(http://www.= angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling/LowellP.htm), thought
they'd seen wate= r channels or even canals on the surface of the
fourth planet. Lowell= 's obsession with advanced Martian intelligence
and a civilization th= at had built a complex irrigation system to
carry meltwater from the = polar caps to the arid regions of the
planet fired the popular imagin= ation. And I don't think that
fascination with a dying extraterrestri= al civilization on our cosmic
doorstep has ever really gone away. Her= e's my illustrated
encyclopedia page on the canals saga:
http://w= ww.angelfire.com/on2/daviddarling/Marscanals.htm. It's a
story that, = while, unfortunately, long discredited by observational
evidence, is = too compelling and exciting to relinquish its place in
the romance of= the Solar System. We badly want it to be true that
there was a compa= nion technological race on the Red Planet, and so
we still seek signs= for it in space probe imagery at the edge of
resolution just as Lowe= ll strained to see what he wanted to see in
the faint, small disk of = Mars imaged by the 24-inch Clark refractor
at his purpose-built obser= vatory at Flagstaff.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not averse to pe= ople poring over photos
of Mars sent back by Mars Global Surveyor and= , more recently, by
Mars Odyssey, in the hope of seeing ruined monume= nts, cities, and
even extant life. I regularly receive requests to lo= ok at shots,
processed or otherwise, that purport to show Martian pyramids, "glass tubes," colossal sand worms (a la Dune), and so
for= th. I never pour scorn on these pictures or their senders. (In
fact, = any "anomalists" are cordially invited to present and defend
their ca= se on the new bulletin board!) As soon as a scientist
refuses to look= at any data with a fresh eye and mind, he may as
well pack up his ba= gs and leave town. But I'll always, without fail,
apply Occam's Razor= . That is, faced with an unknown or indeterminate
phenomenon, I'll al= ways go for the most mundane explanation -- the
one that calls for th= e least spectacular and number of explanations.
Lowell thought he saw= hundreds of networked straight lines and took
them to be canals. He = was wrong: they were an optical illusion.
Armchair theorists today ar= gue that they can see geometric shapes,
alignments, forests of banyan= -like trees, megalithic humanoid faces,
etc -- evidence of advanced l= ife. I hope they're right. I strongly
suspect they're wrong. I know t= hat Mars has a long history of
kidding people into thinking that it h= arbors visible traces of life,
animal and vegetable. That isn't Mars'= fault. It's ours, because we
(me included) so desperately want to fi= nd those traces. It's a very
human failing that when we want to belie= ve in something badly
enough, our minds work hard to invent or suitab= ly interpret the data
needed to shore up that belief.

Well, ou= r outward-bound probes aren't going on a hunt for lost
Martian cities= or technological remains. But one of them at least,
Beagle 2, is goi= ng to be sniffing the air and sampling the soil of
the Red Planet to = see if there are any signatures of microbial life.
If it finds a minu= te dash of methane in the atmosphere, for example,
that would be very= suggestive (though not proof) of methanogenic
bacterial action. If B= eagle detects traces of organic material in
the soil, collected by a = miniature "mole," that too will point the
finger in the direction of = life. Remember, there are still many
unanswered questions about the r= esults sent back by the twin Viking
probes (http://www.angelfire.com/= on2/daviddarling/Viking.htm).

So what are the chances for Martian = biology? The good news is that,
in its early stages, Mars was a lot m= ore like the Earth than it is
now. It was certainly warmer and had li= quid water on its surface in
the form of run-off channels, lakes, and= possibly extensive seas. It
would have been much more geologically a= nd tectonically active, and
possibly had hydrothermal vents of the ty= pe that, on Earth, are on
the list of "genesis sites" -- locations wh= ere life may first have
emerged and developed. In fact, as I argue in= my book Life
Everywhere, it might be more puzzling if we find no evi= dence of any
Martian biology at all, past or present. If Mars never a= cquired
life, what was it about Earth that was so special? What did w= e have,
four billion years ago or thereabouts, that Mars didn't. I'd =
personally put the odds of past Mars life at better than 75% because =
of the similar conditions.

What about life on Mars today? That= 's a lot more problematic. Mars
today isn't too friendly, at least on= or just below the surface, to
the kind of life we know. It's bone dr= y, very cold for the most
part, and, worst of all, is strafed continu= ally by high-energy solar
radiation. Harsh solar UV, cosmic rays, and= the like, have surely
sterilized the soil at ground level and down t= o at an indeterminate
depth. There's a very good chance that the surf= ace regolith is rich
in highly oxidizing compounds, such as superoxid= es, that would be
devastating to terrestrial biology. These powerful = oxidants may very
well (but not conclusively) explain the anomalous V= iking lander
results. They may also frustrate Beagle 2's attempts to = find
biological matter. But set against these negatives is the possib= ly
that if life had emerged on Mars in the remote past it might have =
gradually adapted to the current harsh regime (we have some bacteria =
on Earth, such as Deinococcus radiodurans, that are incredibly
re= sistant to high doses of radiation) and/or retreated to a more
clemen= t environment deeper underground. Getting at deep subterranean
(or "s= ubareolian") life, tens of millions of miles from Earth, might
be a b= it tricky, calling for advanced penetrator probes or even a
human-cre= wed drilling rig. But I suspect that several hundred
meters, or even = a kilometer or more, down is where we have our best
chance of encount= ering living Martians.

Our search for life, at least within the So= lar System, is first and
foremost a search for liquid water. Good old= H-Two-O is a sine qua
non of life as we know it. We can speculate ab= out life based on a
different solvent, such as ammonia or hydrochlori= c acid. But we
really haven't a clue how it would work biochemically = and we
certainly wouldn't know what biomarkers to look for. (We have = a hard
enough time searching for small traces of Earth-like life!) Th= e fact
is that we know of at least one form of life that depends crit= ically
on the availability of water in its liquid form and we know th= at
water has some extraordinary properties that make it hard to repla= ce
in a biological context. So, it makes sense to look for water firs= t
and then ask if there might be life nearby. That's why
astrobio= logists are so excited about Jupiter's moon Europa, because
there are= strong signs that it has a sub-ice watery ocean. Mars is
harder to r= ead on this point. Its atmospheric pressure is extremely
low -- aroun= d 7 milllibars, on average, which is less than one-
thousandth the sur= face pressure on Earth. Water just vaporizes --
essentially boils -- = away very quickly under these conditions. So
you really can't hope to= find watery pools lying around Mars today.
On top of this, of course= , it's pretty cold in most places on Mars,
most of the time. Pick a t= ime and location on Mars at random and the
chances are it would make = Antarctica seem balmy. And yet we know
Mars has lots of water ice. Mo= st of its poles and much of its rocks
seem to be rich in the stuff. S= o, if there are mechanisms to
temporarily melt this ice, you could ha= ve liquid water on or just
beneath the surface for brief periods. If = you go to the front page
of my website you can find an image that see= ms to show dark stains
that have appeared on extensive regions of the= Martian surface quite
suddenly, over a period of a year or so. We do= n't know what these
stains are or what has caused them. One theory is= that they
represent water melted by tectonic activity. Another theor= y, put
forward by NASA's Chris McKay, is that they may be due to the = spread
of bacterial colonies during a short spell when moisture becom= es
available. McKay, incidentally, has also suggested that plenty of =
free oxygen may have been available on Mars in its early stages,
= opening up the possibility that not only life, but possibly advanced
= life could have evolved there between 3.5 and 4 billion years ago.
So= , the door is slightly ajar to you anomalists!

And then there are = those Martian meteorites. Do they really contain
evidence of life as = some researchers claim? It gets down to the
origin of certain magneti= te crystals in meteorites such as ALH84001
(http://www.angelfire.com/= on2/daviddarling/ALH84001.htm). The pro-
life claim is that exactly th= e same kind of crystals are produced
biologically -- and only biologi= cally -- on Earth; so, given that
they almost certainly came from Mar= s, they were probably laid down
by magnetotactic bacteria on the four= th planet. Well, maybe. But
it's pretty thin evidence when stacked up= against such a momentous
issue: the question of the existence of lif= e beyond Earth. Maybe
there are ways to produce these crystal chains = by purely chemical
means that we don't know about. Maybe they're cont= aminants (though
this seems unlikely). We're not going to settle the = problem of
Martian life, once and for all, to everyone's satisfaction= , through
rocks that have been blasted our way, have spent millions o= f years
floating around in space, and have lain around on Earth for <= BR>thousands more years. We need pristine material from the Red Planet itself: we need to find life, or its remains, in situ. Perhaps
that= 's what Beagle and the other space hounds currently bound for
Mars wi= ll do.

----------------------------------------------

3. B= ookends

Where can you find the latest, greatest guide to the astro= nomical
world, complete with more than 3,000 cross-referenced entries= and
230 illustrations (including 8 pages of color photos)? What is t= he
most complete and up-to-date encyclopedia of this astonishing cosm= os
in which we live? Why, The Universal Book of Astronomy, of course!=
More on this newest book of mine, about to be published by Wiley and=
a companion to last year's Complete Book of Spaceflight, on my
w= ebsite, at Amazon.com, and Barnes&Noble.com. Buy your copy now,
w= hile stocks last!

Until next time,

Best wishes,

Davi= d Darling


------=_NextPart_001_0001_01C389F9.38F68D50-- From owner-public@setileague.org Sat Oct 4 10:55:48 2003 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h94HtgrN029693; Sat, 4 Oct 2003 10:55:46 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id NAA10329 for public-list; Sat, 4 Oct 2003 13:42:22 -0400 (EDT) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav15.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.170.119]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id NAA10324 for ; Sat, 4 Oct 2003 13:42:19 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Sat, 4 Oct 2003 10:41:48 -0700 Received: from 65.149.176.86 by bay4-dav15.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Sat, 04 Oct 2003 17:41:48 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.86] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Subject: SETI public: Fw: HERITAGE PROJECT CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS OF HARVESTING THE BEST IMAGES FROM HU Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2003 13:41:39 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MSN Explorer 7.02.0011.2700 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0003_01C38A7D.3CB70BC0" Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 04 Oct 2003 17:41:48.0883 (UTC) FILETIME=[C9A25230:01C38A9E] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk ------=_NextPart_001_0003_01C38A7D.3CB70BC0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message ----- From: INBOX ASTRONOMY: NEWS ALERT Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2003 12:43 PM To: public@stsci.edu Subject: HERITAGE PROJECT CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS OF HARVESTING THE BEST IM= AGES FROM HUBBLE (STScI-PR03-28-Heritage) FOR RELEASE: October 2, 2003 CONTACT: Ray Villard Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD (Phone: 410-338-4514; E-mail: villard@stsci.edu) Keith Noll Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD (Phone: 410-338-1828; E-mail: noll@stsci.edu) PRESS RELEASE NO.: STScI-PR03-28 HERITAGE PROJECT CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS OF HARVESTING THE BEST IMAGES FROM HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE The Hubble Heritage team of astronomers, who assemble many of the NASA Hubble Space Telescope's most stunning pictures, is celebrating its five-year anniversary with the release of the picturesque Sombrero galaxy. One of the largest Hubble mosaics ever assembled, this magnificent galaxy is nearly one-fifth the diameter of the full moon. The team used Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys in May-June 2003 to take six pictures of the galaxy and then stitched them together to create the final composite image. The photo reveals a swarm of stars in a pancake-shaped disk as well as a glowing central halo of stars. Image Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) To see and read more, please click on http://hubblesite.org/news/2003/28 http://heritage.stsci.edu/2003/28 The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA), for NASA, under contract with the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). To receive STScI Inbox Astronomy: News Alert messages, visit http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/mailing.php or send an e-mail to public-request@stsci.edu. Leave the subject line blank, and type the word SUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. The system will respond with instructions on how to confirm your subscription. Once you follow the instructions, you will receive news alerts as they are issued. Alerts will be sent to the e-mail address you use to subscribe. To unsubscribe, send e-mail to public-request@stsci.edu. Leave the subject line blank, and type the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. Please unsubscribe using the email account that you used to subscribe to the list. ------=_NextPart_001_0003_01C38A7D.3CB70BC0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
<= DIV> 
=
----- Original Message -----
From: INBOX ASTRONOMY: NEWS ALERT
Se= nt: Saturday, October 04, 2003 12:43 PM
To: public@stsci.edu
To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: The Moon, Mars, and Auroras Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2003 13:56:20 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MSN Explorer 7.02.0011.2700 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0003_01C38B48.74655510" Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 05 Oct 2003 17:56:31.0218 (UTC) FILETIME=[01F5B520:01C38B6A] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk ------=_NextPart_001_0003_01C38B48.74655510 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" ----- Original Message ----- From: SpaceWeather.com Sent: Sunday, October 05, 2003 1:49 PM To: SpaceWeather.com Subject: The Moon, Mars, and Auroras Space Weather News for Oct. 5, 2003 http://spaceweather.com THE MOON AND MARS: They're the two brightest objects in the night sky, and tonight you can see them pleasingly close together. The Moon will glide by Mars after sunset on Sunday, Oct 5th. Visit Spaceweather.com for observing tips and a recent snapshot of the Moon and Mars captured by NASA astronaut Ed Lu onboard the International Space Station. AURORA WATCH: Earth is heading for a solar wind stream flowing from a coronal hole on the Sun. First contact with the stream is possible on Oct. 6th or 7th. High-latitude sky watchers--e.g., people in Canada, Alaska and US northern-border states like Michigan and Wisconsin--should be alert for auroras. ------=_NextPart_001_0003_01C38B48.74655510 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
<= DIV> 
=
----- Original Message -----
From: SpaceWeather.com
Sent: Sun= day, October 05, 2003 1:49 PM
To= : SpaceWeather.com
Subject:<= /B> The Moon, Mars, and Auroras
 
Space Weather News= for Oct. 5, 2003
http://spaceweather.com

THE MOON AND MARS:&nb= sp; They're the two brightest objects in the night sky,
and tonight yo= u can see them pleasingly close together.  The Moon will
glide by= Mars after sunset on Sunday, Oct 5th. Visit Spaceweather.com for
obse= rving tips and a recent snapshot of the Moon and Mars captured by NASAastronaut Ed Lu onboard the International Space Station.

AURORA W= ATCH:  Earth is heading for a solar wind stream flowing from a
co= ronal hole on the Sun.  First contact with the stream is possible on=
Oct. 6th or 7th.  High-latitude sky watchers--e.g., people in Ca= nada,
Alaska and US northern-border states like Michigan and Wisconsin= --should
be alert for auroras.

------=_NextPart_001_0003_01C38B48.74655510-- From owner-public@setileague.org Sun Oct 5 11:18:33 2003 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h95IIV3U022138; Sun, 5 Oct 2003 11:18:32 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id OAA09774 for public-list; Sun, 5 Oct 2003 14:06:03 -0400 (EDT) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav104.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.134]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id OAA09770; Sun, 5 Oct 2003 14:06:00 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Sun, 5 Oct 2003 11:05:29 -0700 Received: from 65.149.176.50 by bay4-dav104.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Sun, 05 Oct 2003 18:05:29 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.50] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Beam Us Up, General Clark Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2003 14:05:19 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MSN Explorer 7.02.0011.2700 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0008_01C38B49.B584AB30" Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 05 Oct 2003 18:05:29.0896 (UTC) FILETIME=[43097280:01C38B6B] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk ------=_NextPart_001_0008_01C38B49.B584AB30 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable At least Clark has some concept of science. Beam Us Up, General Clark October 5, 2003 By DENNIS OVERBYE =20 Weird things certainly happen during election season, but it's doubtful that even the most hardened seen-it-all pundit would have dreamed that Einstein's theory of relativity would turn up as an issue in an American presidential campaign. =20 Yet last week a leading Democratic candidate, Gen. Wesley Clark, expressed the hope that spaceships might one day be engineered to go faster than the speed of light, a staple of science fiction. =20 In a discussion of NASA's future at a recent gathering in New Hampshire, General Clark ventured a look into the far, far future. "I still believe in E=3Dmc2," he said, according to Wired.com, "but I can't believe that in all of human history, we'll never, ever be able to go beyond the speed of light." =20 Saying he had argued with some physicists and friends about the idea, the general described it as "my only faith-based initiative." =20 Soon afterward, The New York Post pictured the general in a "Star Trek" uniform, pointing out that such a proposition would violate the laws of physics. =20 If we could go faster than light, Einstein once said, we could send a telegram into the past, and everyone knows time travel is impossible. =20 Or do they? =20 In recent years, time travel has become a serious topic in theoretical physics, debated at conferences and explicated in popular books like "Black Holes and Timewarps," by the Caltech theorist Kip S. Thorne, and "Time Travel in Einstein's Universe," by the Princeton astrophysicist J. Richard Gott. Last year, the topic came up at a 60th-birthday symposium in honor of Stephen Hawking, the Cambridge cosmologist and author. =20 So don't be too quick to consign the general to a Star Fleet command, a few physicists suggested last week. =20 Einstein's special theory of relativity, which he propounded from a patent office in 1905, did establish the speed of light - about 186,000 miles per second - as the cosmic speed limit for matter and information. =20 But the general theory of relativity, which Einstein published in 1916, holds out the possibility of a loophole. That theory describes gravity as the bending of space-time by matter and energy. Space-time, the theory maintains, can be bent into wormholes and other shapes that could provide shortcuts through space and time, allowing a traveler to beat a light beam that took a route through regular space. =20 "This weirdness of space allows in principle for the possibility of time travel," said Lawrence M. Krauss, an astrophysicist at Case Western Reserve University, and the author of "The Physics of Star Trek." =20 One of the first to realize that Einstein's universe had room for such strangeness was the mathematician and logician Kurt Gvdel, who wrote a paper about it in 1949. Wormhole travel was featured prominently in the movie "Contact," starring Jodie Foster and based on the novel of the same name by the astronomer Carl Sagan. =20 Nobody knows whether such things are actually possible in the real world. One obstacle is the "grandmother paradox," which raises the theoretical possibility of going back in time and killing your own grandmother. And the resources required to build a wormhole, even if possible, would be gargantuan, physicists say. "It's expensive," Dr. Gott said, "but that is a question for politicians." =20 Describing faster-than-light travel as a faith-based initiative was accurate, Dr. Krauss said. "At this point the details are not known, so in some sense it is all a matter of faith," he acknowledged. "But I wouldn't bet on it." =20 http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/05/weekinreview/05OVER.html?ex=3D106637620= 1&ei=3D1&en=3D22694d9640b14333 ------=_NextPart_001_0008_01C38B49.B584AB30 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
At least Clark= has some concept of science.
 
 
<= DIV>Beam Us Up, General Clark

October 5, 2003
By DENNIS OVERBYE=


Weird things certainly happen during election season, butit's doubtful that even the most hardened seen-it-all
pundit would ha= ve dreamed that Einstein's theory of
relativity would turn up as an is= sue in an American
presidential campaign.

Yet last week a lead= ing Democratic candidate, Gen. Wesley
Clark, expressed the hope that s= paceships might one day be
engineered to go faster than the speed of l= ight, a staple
of science fiction.

In a discussion of NASA's f= uture at a recent gathering in
New Hampshire, General Clark ventured a= look into the far,
far future. "I still believe in E=3Dmc2," he said,= according
to Wired.com, "but I can't believe that in all of human
= history, we'll never, ever be able to go beyond the speed
of light." <= BR>
Saying he had argued with some physicists and friends about
the= idea, the general described it as "my only faith-based
initiative." <= BR>
Soon afterward, The New York Post pictured the general in a
"St= ar Trek" uniform, pointing out that such a proposition
would violate t= he laws of physics.

If we could go faster than light, Einstein on= ce said, we
could send a telegram into the past, and everyone knowstime travel is impossible.

Or do they?

In recent years, = time travel has become a serious topic in
theoretical physics, debated= at conferences and explicated
in popular books like "Black Holes and = Timewarps," by the
Caltech theorist Kip S. Thorne, and "Time Travel in=
Einstein's Universe," by the Princeton astrophysicist J.
Richard G= ott. Last year, the topic came up at a
60th-birthday symposium in hono= r of Stephen Hawking, the
Cambridge cosmologist and author.

So= don't be too quick to consign the general to a Star
Fleet command, a = few physicists suggested last week.

Einstein's special theory of = relativity, which he
propounded from a patent office in 1905, did esta= blish the
speed of light - about 186,000 miles per second - as the
= cosmic speed limit for matter and information.

But the general th= eory of relativity, which Einstein
published in 1916, holds out the po= ssibility of a loophole.
That theory describes gravity as the bending = of space-time
by matter and energy. Space-time, the theory maintains, = can
be bent into wormholes and other shapes that could provide
shor= tcuts through space and time, allowing a traveler to
beat a light beam= that took a route through regular space.

"This weirdness of spac= e allows in principle for the
possibility of time travel," said Lawren= ce M. Krauss, an
astrophysicist at Case Western Reserve University, an= d the
author of "The Physics of Star Trek."

One of the first t= o realize that Einstein's universe had
room for such strangeness was t= he mathematician and
logician Kurt Gvdel, who wrote a paper about it i= n 1949.
Wormhole travel was featured prominently in the movie
<o= bject.title class=3D"Movie" idsrc=3D"nyt_ttl"
value=3D"155654;156934"&= gt;"Contact,"</object.title> starring
Jodie Foster and based on = the novel of the same name by the
astronomer Carl Sagan.

Nobod= y knows whether such things are actually possible in
the real world. O= ne obstacle is the "grandmother paradox,"
which raises the theoretical= possibility of going back in
time and killing your own grandmother. A= nd the resources
required to build a wormhole, even if possible, would= be
gargantuan, physicists say. "It's expensive," Dr. Gott
said, "b= ut that is a question for politicians."

Describing faster-than-li= ght travel as a faith-based
initiative was accurate, Dr. Krauss said. = "At this point
the details are not known, so in some sense it is all a=
matter of faith," he acknowledged. "But I wouldn't bet on
it."
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/05/weekinreview/05OVER.html?ex=3D1066= 376201&ei=3D1&en=3D22694d9640b14333


------=_NextPart_001_0008_01C38B49.B584AB30-- From owner-public@setileague.org Mon Oct 6 06:28:27 2003 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h96DSP3U016460; Mon, 6 Oct 2003 06:28:26 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id JAA03009 for public-list; Mon, 6 Oct 2003 09:15:31 -0400 (EDT) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav98.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.128]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id JAA02996; Mon, 6 Oct 2003 09:15:28 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Mon, 6 Oct 2003 06:14:57 -0700 Received: from 65.149.176.42 by bay4-dav98.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Mon, 06 Oct 2003 13:14:57 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.42] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Space Environment Center (SEC) Funding in Jeopardy Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2003 09:14:48 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MSN Explorer 7.02.0011.2700 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0001_01C38BEA.4A831AA0" Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 06 Oct 2003 13:14:57.0796 (UTC) FILETIME=[D71BD440:01C38C0B] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk ------=_NextPart_001_0001_01C38BEA.4A831AA0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Space Environment Center Funding in Jeopardy NEWINGTON, CT, Oct 3, 2003--With final action pending by the US House and= Senate on a Fiscal Year 2004 federal budget bill, the fate of the Space = Environment Center (SEC) in Boulder, Colorado, hangs in the balance. The = FY 2004 Senate appropriations bill eliminates funds for the SEC and for a= ll space weather-related activities in the center's parent agency, the Na= tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The House version o= f the appropriations bill holds the center's funding at $5.2 million--a 4= 0-percent reduction from FY 2002 levels. President George W. Bush request= ed $8.3 million for the SEC. Seattle-based ARRL propagation bulletin edit= or Tad Cook, K7RA, says the possible loss of Space Environment Center fun= ding has him very concerned. =20 The rest of the story is here: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/10/03/3/?nc=3D1 ------=_NextPart_001_0001_01C38BEA.4A831AA0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Space Env= ironment Center Funding in Jeopardy

NEWINGTON, CT, Oct 3, 2003--W= ith final action pending by the US House and Senate on a Fiscal Year 2004= federal budget bill, the fate of the Space Environment Center (SEC) in Boulder, Colorado, hangs in the ba= lance. The FY 2004 Senate appropriations bill eliminates funds for the SE= C and for all space weather-related activities in the center's parent age= ncy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Hous= e version of the appropriations bill holds the center's funding at $5.2 m= illion--a 40-percent reduction from FY 2002 levels. President George W. B= ush requested $8.3 million for the SEC. Seattle-based ARRL propagation bu= lletin editor Tad Cook, K7RA, says the possible loss of Space Environment= Center funding has him very concerned.

 
The rest of the story is here:
 
 
------=_NextPart_001_0001_01C38BEA.4A831AA0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Mon Oct 6 06:58:06 2003 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h96Dw23U003071; Mon, 6 Oct 2003 06:58:05 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id JAA03770 for public-list; Mon, 6 Oct 2003 09:48:15 -0400 (EDT) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav130.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.160]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id JAA03756; Mon, 6 Oct 2003 09:48:12 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Mon, 6 Oct 2003 06:47:41 -0700 Received: from 65.149.176.42 by bay4-dav130.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Mon, 06 Oct 2003 13:47:41 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.42] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Our Lonely Galaxy Part 2 Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2003 09:47:32 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MSN Explorer 7.02.0011.2700 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0009_01C38BEE.DD127EC0" Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 06 Oct 2003 13:47:41.0680 (UTC) FILETIME=[69ACBF00:01C38C10] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk ------=_NextPart_001_0009_01C38BEE.DD127EC0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Our Lonely Galaxy: Part II (Date: 2003-10-06 00:01:20) Topic: Extrasolar Life URL: http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.php?op=3Dmodload&name=3DNews&fi= le=3Darticle&sid=3D621 You can read interesting articles on Astrobiology Magazine http://www.astrobio.net/news/ ------=_NextPart_001_0009_01C38BEE.DD127EC0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Our Lonely Gal= axy: Part II
(Date: 2003-10-06 00:01:20)
To= pic: Extrasolar Life
URL: http://www.astrobio.net/news/mod= ules.php?op=3Dmodload&name=3DNews&file=3Darticle&sid=3D621You can read interesting articles on Astrobiology Magazine
http://www= .astrobio.net/news/
------=_NextPart_001_0009_01C38BEE.DD127EC0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Tue Oct 7 12:46:29 2003 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id h97JkR3U031897; Tue, 7 Oct 2003 12:46:28 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id PAA09299 for public-list; Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:18:17 -0400 (EDT) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav70.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.100]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id PAA09286; Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:18:13 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Tue, 7 Oct 2003 12:17:33 -0700 Received: from 65.149.176.82 by bay4-dav70.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Tue, 07 Oct 2003 19:17:33 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.82] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "europa" , "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Delving Into the Liquid Intrigue of Saturn's Biggest Moon Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:17:20 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MSN Explorer 7.02.0011.2700 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0003_01C38CE6.1A072B30" Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 07 Oct 2003 19:17:33.0529 (UTC) FILETIME=[A8F2FC90:01C38D07] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk ------=_NextPart_001_0003_01C38CE6.1A072B30 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Delving Into the Liquid Intrigue of Saturn's Biggest Moon Oc