From owner-public@setileague.org Mon Mar 1 14:15:23 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i21MFLOr028447; Mon, 1 Mar 2004 14:15:22 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id QAA15399 for public-list; Mon, 1 Mar 2004 16:46:13 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from out006.verizon.net (out006pub.verizon.net [206.46.170.106]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id QAA15356; Mon, 1 Mar 2004 16:45:44 -0500 (EST) Received: from setileague.org ([209.158.54.60]) by out006.verizon.net (InterMail vM.5.01.06.06 201-253-122-130-106-20030910) with ESMTP id <20040301214543.XMMH1634.out006.verizon.net@setileague.org>; Mon, 1 Mar 2004 15:45:43 -0600 Message-ID: <4043AF05.9090300@setileague.org> Date: Mon, 01 Mar 2004 16:45:41 -0500 From: "Dr. H. Paul Shuch" Organization: The SETI League, Inc. User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win98; en-US; rv:1.4) Gecko/20030624 Netscape/7.1 (ax; CDonDemand-Dom) X-Accept-Language: en-us, en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: "'Factor, Richard'" Subject: SETI public: SETI League 2004 membership directory Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Authentication-Info: Submitted using SMTP AUTH at out006.verizon.net from [209.158.54.60] at Mon, 1 Mar 2004 15:45:41 -0600 Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk SETIzens, The 2004 membership directory has been posted to the Members Only section of The SETI League website, at . You must use an assigned password to access this section. New passwords were sent out via post to all SETI League members in good standing on 1 February 2004, and are subsequently included in renewal packets. If you have not yet received your password, it probably means that your 2004 membership dues have not yet been remitted. Please remember that the contents of the Membership Directory are considered privileged information, not for distribution outside of our little family. Please respect the privacy of your fellow members, and use this information only for coordination and collaboration of SETI activities. -- H. Paul Shuch, Ph.D. Executive Director, The SETI League, Inc. 433 Liberty Street, PO Box 555, Little Ferry NJ 07643 USA voice (201) 641-1770; fax (201) 641-1771; URL http://www.setileague.org email work: n6tx@setileague.org; home: drseti@cal.berkeley.edu "We Know We're Not Alone!" From owner-public@setileague.org Tue Mar 2 05:33:23 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i22DXMOr006590; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 05:33:23 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id IAA04572 for public-list; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 08:19:59 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav147.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.177]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id IAA04568; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 08:19:56 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 05:19:25 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.25 by bay4-dav147.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Tue, 02 Mar 2004 13:19:25 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.25] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: NASA Schedules 'Rush' Announcement About Mars for 2 PM ET Tue Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 08:19:20 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0013_01C4002F.0FCF6710" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 08:19:20 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 02 Mar 2004 13:19:25.0577 (UTC) FILETIME=[FBDAF790:01C40058] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0013_01C4002F.0FCF6710 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable From: "james oberg" = > To: = > Subject: [FPSPACE] NASA Schedules 'Rush'=20 Announcement 2 PM ET Tuesday Date sent: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 13:19:57 -0600 [ Double-click this line for list subscription options ]=20 NASA Schedules 'Rush' Announcement 2 PM ET Tuesday msnbc.com (Alan Boyle w/ Jim Oberg) . March 1, 2004 | 1:45 p.m. ET see = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3217961/ for live links to earlier stories Big news from Mars: After a weekend of escalating buzz, NASA has scheduled a rush news conference at 2 p.m. ET Tuesday at its Washington headquarters to announce dramatic new findings about=20 water on Mars. The specifics are being held back for the briefing, but clearly they have to do with evidence sent back from the Mars rovers relating to the role liquid water played - and may still be playing - on the Red Planet. If there is even a bit of salty liquid water beneath the surface of Mars, as hinted last month, that theoretically could open the way for life to exist there even today. Among the clues are the threadlike features seen in some of the microscopic imagery, which could have been laid down by mineral- rich water percolating through the soil; the fine-layered appearance of Martian bedrock around Opportunity's landing site, which points=20 toward a sedimentary origin; and fancifully nicknamed geological = features such as blueberries and macaroni. The rover missions' principal scientific investigator, Cornell astronomer Steve Squyres, will be among the speakers at Tuesday's briefing, NASA spokesman Don Savage told MSNBC.com.=20 Arrangements for the briefing were firmed up over the weekend - and = Savage said the plans were made so hastily because the news couldn't be held back=20 much longer, "not that we would want to hold it." So stay tuned for the news as it happens, via MSNBC's live video coverage. ------=_NextPart_000_0013_01C4002F.0FCF6710 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
From:           = "james=20 oberg" <joberg@houston.rr.com>
To= :            = =20 <fpspace@friends-partners.org= >
Subject:       =20 [FPSPACE] NASA Schedules 'Rush'
Announcement 2 PM ET Tuesday
Date = sent:      Mon, 1 Mar 2004 13:19:57 = -0600

[=20 Double-click this line for list subscription options ]

NASA = Schedules=20 'Rush' Announcement 2 PM ET Tuesday

msnbc.com (Alan Boyle w/ Jim=20 Oberg)         . March 1, 2004 | = 1:45
p.m. ET see http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id= /3217961/=20 for live links to
earlier stories

Big news from Mars: After a = weekend=20 of escalating buzz, NASA has
scheduled a rush news conference at 2 = p.m. ET=20 Tuesday at its
Washington headquarters to announce dramatic new = findings=20 about
water on Mars.

The specifics are being held back for = the=20 briefing, but clearly they
have to do with evidence sent back from = the Mars=20 rovers relating to
the role liquid water played - and may still be = playing -=20 on the Red
Planet. If there is even a bit of salty liquid water = beneath=20 the
surface of Mars, as hinted last month, that theoretically could=20 open
the way for life to exist there even today.

Among the = clues are=20 the threadlike features seen in some of the
microscopic imagery, = which could=20 have been laid down by mineral-
rich water percolating through the = soil; the=20 fine-layered appearance of
Martian bedrock around Opportunity's = landing site,=20 which points
toward a sedimentary origin; and fancifully nicknamed=20 geological features
such as blueberries and macaroni.

The = rover=20 missions' principal scientific investigator, Cornell
astronomer Steve = Squyres, will be among the speakers at Tuesday's
briefing, NASA = spokesman Don=20 Savage told MSNBC.com.
Arrangements for the briefing were firmed up = over the=20 weekend - and Savage said the
plans were made so hastily because the = news=20 couldn't be held back
much longer, "not that we would want to hold = it." So=20 stay tuned for the
news as it happens, via MSNBC's live video=20 coverage.

------=_NextPart_000_0013_01C4002F.0FCF6710-- From owner-public@setileague.org Tue Mar 2 05:48:17 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i22DmFOr011454; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 05:48:16 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id IAA04718 for public-list; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 08:24:36 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav75.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.105]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id IAA04714; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 08:24:34 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 05:24:03 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.25 by bay4-dav75.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Tue, 02 Mar 2004 13:24:03 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.25] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Fw: NASA MARS ROVER OPPORTUNITY NEWS BRIEFING MARCH 2 Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 08:21:48 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0030_01C4002F.687E0A10" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 08:21:48 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 02 Mar 2004 13:24:03.0341 (UTC) FILETIME=[A16A63D0:01C40059] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0030_01C4002F.687E0A10 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: NASANews@Ames=20 To: = ames-releases@lists.arc.nasa.gov= =20 Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 6:46 PM Subject: NASA MARS ROVER OPPORTUNITY NEWS BRIEFING MARCH 2 Michael Mewhinney=20 March 1, 2004 NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. Phone: 650/604-3937 or 650/604-9000 E-mail: Michael.Mewhinney@nasa.gov NOTE TO EDITORS: 04-14AR NASA MARS ROVER OPPORTUNITY NEWS BRIEFING MARCH 2 Significant findings from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity,=20 now exploring Meridiani Planum on Mars, will be announced at a news=20 briefing at 11 a.m. PST, Tuesday, March 2, 2004, at NASA=20 Headquarters, Washington, D.C. and broadcast live to NASA Ames=20 Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. The briefing will originate from the James E. Webb Auditorium, 300 E=20 St., S.W., Washington, and will be carried live on NASA TV with=20 two-way question-and-answer capability for reporters covering the=20 event at NASA Ames. Reporters can view the broadcast at NASA Ames in=20 the main auditorium, Bldg. N-201. NASA Ames Mars scientists will be=20 available for interviews following the broadcast. Dr. Ed Weiler, associate administrator, Office of Space Science at=20 NASA Headquarters, will make opening remarks. The panelists include: --Professor Steve Squyres, Mars Exploration Rover (MER) principal=20 investigator, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. --Professor John Grotzinger, MER science team geologist,=20 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass. --Dr. Benton C. Clark III, MER science team member and chief=20 scientist of space exploration, Lockheed Martin Space Systems=20 Astronautics Operations, Denver --Dr. Joy Crisp, MER project scientist, NASA's Jet Propulsion=20 Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. --Dr. Jim Garvin, lead scientist for Mars and the moon, NASA = Headquarters To reach NASA Ames, take the Moffett Field exit off U.S. 101 and=20 drive east to the main gate, Moffet Field. Reporters will need to=20 show a photo ID to gain entry. After entering the gate, take the=20 first left and drive to the main administration building with the=20 flags out front. The auditorium is located directly behind the=20 administration building. =20 NASA Television is available on AMC-9, transponder 9C, C-Band,=20 located at 85 degrees west longitude. The frequency is 3880.0 MHz.=20 Polarization is vertical, and audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz. Audio of=20 the broadcast will be available on voice circuit at the Kennedy Space=20 Center on 321/867-1220. For a live Webcast of the briefing and information about NASA TV on=20 the Internet, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv -end- To receive Ames news releases, send an e-mail with the word=20 "subscribe" in the subject line to:=20 ames-releases-request@lists.arc.nasa.gov. To unsubscribe, send an=20 e-mail to the same address with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.=20 Also, the NASA Ames News homepage at URL,=20 http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov includes = news releases and JPEG images=20 in AP Leaf Desk format minus embedded captions ------=_NextPart_000_0030_01C4002F.687E0A10 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 6:46 PM
Subject: NASA MARS ROVER OPPORTUNITY NEWS BRIEFING MARCH=20 2


Michael Mewhinney
March 1, 2004
NASA Ames = Research=20 Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Phone: 650/604-3937 or = 650/604-9000
E-mail:=20 Michael.Mewhinney@nasa.gov=

NOTE=20 TO EDITORS:  04-14AR

NASA MARS ROVER OPPORTUNITY NEWS = BRIEFING MARCH=20 2

Significant findings from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover = Opportunity,=20
now exploring Meridiani Planum on Mars, will be announced at a news=20
briefing at 11 a.m. PST, Tuesday, March 2, 2004, at NASA =
Headquarters,=20 Washington, D.C. and broadcast live to NASA Ames
Research Center, = Moffett=20 Field, Calif.

The briefing will originate from the James E. Webb=20 Auditorium, 300 E
St., S.W., Washington, and will be carried live on = NASA TV=20 with
two-way question-and-answer capability for reporters covering = the=20
event at NASA Ames.  Reporters can view the broadcast at NASA = Ames in=20
the main auditorium, Bldg. N-201.  NASA Ames Mars scientists = will be=20
available for interviews following the broadcast.

Dr. Ed = Weiler,=20 associate administrator, Office of Space Science at
NASA = Headquarters, will=20 make opening remarks. The panelists include:

--Professor Steve = Squyres,=20 Mars Exploration Rover (MER) principal
investigator, Cornell = University,=20 Ithaca, N.Y.
--Professor John Grotzinger, MER science team geologist, =
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
--Dr. = Benton C.=20 Clark III, MER science team member and chief
scientist of space = exploration,=20 Lockheed Martin Space Systems
Astronautics Operations, = Denver
--Dr. Joy=20 Crisp, MER project scientist, NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, = Pasadena,=20 Calif.
--Dr. Jim Garvin, lead scientist for Mars and the moon, NASA=20 Headquarters

To reach NASA Ames, take the Moffett Field exit off = U.S. 101=20 and
drive east to the main gate, Moffet Field.  Reporters will = need to=20
show a photo ID to gain entry.  After entering the gate, take = the=20
first left and drive to the main administration building with the =
flags=20 out front.  The auditorium is located directly behind the=20
administration building. 

NASA Television is available = on=20 AMC-9, transponder 9C, C-Band,
located at 85 degrees west longitude. = The=20 frequency is 3880.0 MHz.
Polarization is vertical, and audio is = monaural at=20 6.80 MHz. Audio of
the broadcast will be available on voice circuit = at the=20 Kennedy Space
Center on 321/867-1220.

For a live Webcast of = the=20 briefing and information about NASA TV on
the Internet, = visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

-end-=

To=20 receive Ames news releases, send an e-mail with the word
"subscribe" = in the=20 subject line to:
ames-releases-re= quest@lists.arc.nasa.gov. =20 To unsubscribe, send an
e-mail to the same address with = "unsubscribe" in the=20 subject line.
Also, the NASA Ames News homepage at URL,
http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov = includes=20 news releases and JPEG images
in AP Leaf Desk format minus embedded=20 captions

------=_NextPart_000_0030_01C4002F.687E0A10-- From owner-public@setileague.org Tue Mar 2 09:07:03 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i22H6uOr009770; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 09:06:59 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id LAA09247 for public-list; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 11:49:42 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav49.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.79]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id LAA09243; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 11:49:40 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 08:49:08 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.25 by bay4-dav49.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Tue, 02 Mar 2004 16:49:08 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.25] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Intelligent Design - the new big tent for Evolution's critics Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 11:48:55 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0224_01C4004C.576F8F60" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 11:48:55 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 02 Mar 2004 16:49:08.0770 (UTC) FILETIME=[4805D820:01C40076] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0224_01C4004C.576F8F60 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable INTELLIGENT DESIGN: THE NEW 'BIG TENT' FOR EVOLUTION'S CRITICS By Terry Devitt=20 University of Wisconsin--Madison release 16 February 2004 Since the advent of Darwinism in the mid-19th century, a variety of=20 movements have jousted for the intellectual high ground in the epic=20 evolution versus creationism debate. At one end of the spectrum reside the "naturalistic evolutionists" who argue that life neither = requires nor benefits from a divine creator. At the other pole, "scientific=20 creationists" compress the entire history of the cosmos into 6,000 years and insist that the heavens and Earth and all life arose in one six-day creation event. Somewhere in the middle, are "theistic = evolutionists" who argue for a creator, but see no reason why God could not have made = the world by means of evolution. =20 And in the last decade or so, yet another movement has forged a claim in the high-stakes contest for intellectual primacy in the apparently=20 ceaseless battle over the origins of life. The newest combatants, known as "intelligent-design theorists," reject both theistic and naturalistic evolution and, instead, claim evidence of the hand of an = unknown=20 "intelligent designer" in the genesis of life. =20 But for Ron Numbers, the leading historian of the struggle between=20 Darwinism and the anti-evolution movements of the past 140 years,=20 intelligent design is simply the latest effort to create a "big tent for all people critical of evolution." As he views it, there are significant differences between scientific creationism and intelligent = design. First, adherents of intelligent design scrupulously avoid biblical = arguments to undermine evolutionary theory and argue instead that the subcellular=20 complexity of life demands a knowing designer. What's more, many who=20 subscribe to intelligent design have no problem accepting the great=20 antiquity of life on Earth. =20 "They do create some problems for people (strict creationists) who take the Bible seriously," says Numbers, a professor of history of = science and medicine at UW-Madison. "They argue that the emphasis of young = Earth=20 creationists has been divisive."=20 But those big differences notwithstanding, the intelligent design=20 movement, like the more biblically oriented creationist movements, has the same ambitious agenda: to influence how science is taught in the nation's schools. In particular, they seek to weaken or eliminate the = teaching of evolution--the dominant, unifying theory of modern biology--in public = schools. Despite friction between the two camps, strict creationists and intelligent design adherents have at times joined forces to advance their educational agenda, the most recent example in Georgia, where a proposal for middle and high school science classrooms calls for = deemphasizing=20 evolution. Addressing scientists February 14, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Numbers gave historical context to the intelligent design movement, a = movement that comes from no particular religious point of view, but nonetheless argues for a supernatural hand in the creation of life. =20 "They couldn't care less about Genesis, and it is big enough that it can even appeal to some Jews and Muslims," says Numbers. "Its appeal is the complex nature of the world."=20 At the root of intelligent design theory is that life, at its most basic biochemical level, is too complex to understand. That science has = not unraveled many of the biochemical secrets of life is evidence that an=20 "intelligent designer" has intervened, its theorists assert. This=20 argument, says Numbers, ups the antievolution ante by arguing that science itself must change to accommodate the things it cannot explain. = "They are claiming this is a scientific discovery, so it should be taught with other scientific claims in the schools," Numbers explains. = "They are saying science should change its most fundamental rule, that science = admits only naturalistic explanations." "The intelligent design people are saying that if the goal of science is to discover the truth, why should scientists, a priori, reject the theory of intelligent design? There must be intelligent design in the = face of irreducible complexity." "They have made a tremendous splash," says Numbers. "They want to change the way science is done, but so far as I know, there has yet to = appear an article in a scientific journal that makes this broader claim."=20 The odds that the intelligent design movement--even with some scientist subscribers--will change the way science is done are slim, = Number asserts. =20 "To change science, they'll need to convince the scientific community, and they don't have a snowball's chance in hell of doing that."=20 But the likelihood that intelligent design theory will make inroads into the public science classroom and into textbooks is good, Numbers believes. =20 "It is very likely to influence science teaching. Intelligent design=20 doesn't talk about God explicitly, so in some cases it might pass legal muster. They're trying to get into the schools that way, and they = may be successful, I think."=20 Scientists and other proponents of evolution, tend to conflate creationism and intelligent design. "They see intelligent design as = little more than gussied up creationism, despite the significant differences," = Numbers=20 says. =20 Either way, the stakes in the classroom are too high, he argues, to ignore the intellectual arguments of intelligent design as an answer to=20 evolution. Read the original news release at = http://www.news.wisc.edu/9450.html. An additional article on this subject is available at=20 http://www.spacedaily.com/news/life-04p.html. ------=_NextPart_000_0224_01C4004C.576F8F60 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
INTELLIGENT DESIGN: THE NEW 'BIG TENT' FOR EVOLUTION'S = CRITICS

By Terry Devitt
University of Wisconsin--Madison = release

16=20 February 2004

Since the advent of Darwinism in the mid-19th = century, a=20 variety of
movements have jousted for the intellectual high ground = in the=20 epic
evolution versus creationism debate.  At one end of the=20 spectrum
reside the "naturalistic evolutionists" who argue that life = neither=20 requires
nor benefits from a divine creator.  At the other pole, = "scientific
creationists" compress the entire history of the cosmos = into=20 6,000
years and insist that the heavens and Earth and all life arose = in=20 one
six-day creation event.  Somewhere in the middle, are = "theistic=20 evolutionists"
who argue for a creator, but see no reason why God = could not=20 have made the
world by means of evolution. 

And in the = last=20 decade or so, yet another movement has forged a claim
in the = high-stakes=20 contest for intellectual primacy in the apparently
ceaseless battle = over the=20 origins of life.  The newest combatants,
known as = "intelligent-design=20 theorists," reject both theistic and
naturalistic evolution and, = instead,=20 claim evidence of the hand of an unknown
"intelligent designer" in = the=20 genesis of life. 

But for Ron Numbers, the leading = historian of the=20 struggle between
Darwinism and the anti-evolution movements of the = past 140=20 years,
intelligent design is simply the latest effort to create a = "big=20 tent
for all people critical of evolution."  As he views it, = there=20 are
significant differences between scientific creationism and = intelligent=20 design.
First, adherents of intelligent design scrupulously avoid = biblical=20 arguments
to undermine evolutionary theory and argue instead that the = subcellular
complexity of life demands a knowing designer.  = What's=20 more, many who
subscribe to intelligent design have no problem = accepting the=20 great
antiquity of life on Earth. 

"They do create some = problems for people (strict creationists) who
take the Bible = seriously," says=20 Numbers, a professor of history of science
and medicine at = UW-Madison. =20 "They argue that the emphasis of young Earth
creationists has been=20 divisive."

But those big differences notwithstanding, the = intelligent=20 design
movement, like the more biblically oriented creationist = movements,=20 has
the same ambitious agenda: to influence how science is taught in=20 the
nation's schools.  In particular, they seek to weaken or = eliminate=20 the teaching
of evolution--the dominant, unifying theory of modern=20 biology--in public
schools.  Despite friction between the two = camps,=20 strict creationists
and intelligent design adherents have at times = joined=20 forces to advance
their educational agenda, the most recent example = in=20 Georgia, where a
proposal for middle and high school science = classrooms calls=20 for deemphasizing
evolution.  Addressing scientists February = 14, at the=20 annual meeting
of the American Association for the Advancement of = Science=20 (AAAS),
Numbers gave historical context to the intelligent design = movement, a=20 movement
that comes from no particular religious point of view, but=20 nonetheless
argues for a supernatural hand in the creation of = life. =20

"They couldn't care less about Genesis, and it is big enough = that=20 it
can even appeal to some Jews and Muslims," says Numbers.  = "Its appeal=20 is
the complex nature of the world."

At the root of = intelligent=20 design theory is that life, at its most
basic biochemical level, is = too=20 complex to understand.  That science has not
unraveled many of = the=20 biochemical secrets of life is evidence that an
"intelligent = designer" has=20 intervened, its theorists assert.  This
argument, says Numbers, = ups the=20 antievolution ante by arguing that
science itself must change to = accommodate=20 the things it cannot explain. 

"They are claiming this is a = scientific discovery, so it should be
taught with other scientific = claims in=20 the schools," Numbers explains.  "They
are saying science should = change=20 its most fundamental rule, that science
admits only naturalistic=20 explanations."

"The intelligent design people are saying that if = the goal=20 of science
is to discover the truth, why should scientists, a priori, = reject=20 the
theory of intelligent design?  There must be intelligent = design in=20 the face
of irreducible complexity."

"They have made a = tremendous=20 splash," says Numbers.  "They want to
change the way science is = done,=20 but so far as I know, there has yet to appear
an article in a = scientific=20 journal that makes this broader claim."

The odds that the = intelligent=20 design movement--even with some
scientist subscribers--will change = the way=20 science is done are slim, Number
asserts. 
"To change science, they'll need to convince the scientific=20 community,
and they don't have a snowball's chance in hell of doing = that."=20

But the likelihood that intelligent design theory will make=20 inroads
into the public science classroom and into textbooks is good, = Numbers
believes. 

"It is very likely to influence = science=20 teaching.  Intelligent design
doesn't talk about God = explicitly, so in=20 some cases it might pass
legal muster.  They're trying to get = into the=20 schools that way, and they may
be successful, I think." =

Scientists=20 and other proponents of evolution, tend to conflate
creationism and=20 intelligent design.  "They see intelligent design as little = more
than=20 gussied up creationism, despite the significant differences," Numbers=20
says. 

Either way, the stakes in the classroom are too = high, he=20 argues, to
ignore the intellectual arguments of intelligent design as = an=20 answer to
evolution.

Read the original news release at http://www.news.wisc.edu/9450= html.

An=20 additional article on this subject is available at
http://www.spacedai= ly.com/news/life-04p.html.
 
------=_NextPart_000_0224_01C4004C.576F8F60-- From owner-public@setileague.org Tue Mar 2 11:54:57 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i22JspOr009352; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 11:54:53 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id OAA12858 for public-list; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 14:39:27 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav10.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.170.114]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id OAA12854; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 14:39:20 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 11:38:45 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.47 by bay4-dav10.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Tue, 02 Mar 2004 19:38:44 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.47] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Fw: Opportunity Rover Finds Strong Evidence Meridiani Planum was Wet Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 14:38:35 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0098_01C40064.0B14F930" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 14:38:35 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 02 Mar 2004 19:38:45.0092 (UTC) FILETIME=[F9955A40:01C4008D] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0098_01C40064.0B14F930 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory=20 To: ljk4@msn.com=20 Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 2:10 PM Subject: Opportunity Rover Finds Strong Evidence Meridiani Planum was = Wet MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DfWswR8U-lQJO-3BCLCXxIg.. = http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DNYjN6CGa2yxO-3BCLCXxIg.. Guy Webster (818) 354-5011 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Donald Savage (202) 358-1547 NASA Headquarters, Washington March 2, 2004 =20 NEWS RELEASE: 2004-074 =20 OPPORTUNITY ROVER FINDS STRONG EVIDENCE MERIDIANI PLANUM WAS WET Scientists have concluded the part of Mars that NASA's Opportunity rover is exploring was soaking wet in the past. Evidence the rover found in a rock outcrop led scientists to the conclusion. Clues from the rocks' composition, such as the presence of sulfates, and the rocks' physical appearance, such as niches where crystals grew, helped make the case for a watery history. "Liquid water once flowed through these rocks. It changed their texture, and it changed their chemistry," said Dr. Steve Squyres of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., principal investigator for the science instruments on Opportunity and its twin, Spirit. "We've been able to read the tell-tale clues the water left behind, giving us confidence in that conclusion." Dr. James Garvin, lead scientist for Mars and lunar exploration at NASA Headquarters, Washington, said, "NASA launched the Mars Exploration Rover mission specifically to check whether at least one part of Mars ever had a persistently wet environment that could possibly have been hospitable to life. Today we have strong evidence for an exciting answer: Yes." Opportunity has more work ahead. It will try to determine whether, besides being exposed to water after they formed, the rocks may have originally been laid down by minerals precipitating out of solution at the bottom of a salty lake or sea. The first views Opportunity sent of its landing site in Mars' Meridiani Planum region five weeks ago delighted researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., because of the good fortune to have the spacecraft arrive next to an exposed slice of bedrock on the inner slope of a small crater. The robotic field geologist has spent most of the past three weeks surveying the whole outcrop, and then turning back for close-up inspection of selected portions. The rover found a very high concentration of sulfur in the outcrop with its alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, which identifies chemical elements in a sample. "The chemical form of this sulfur appears to be in magnesium, iron or other sulfate salts," said Dr. Benton Clark of Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver. "Elements that can form chloride or even bromide salts have also been detected." At the same location, the rover's Moessbauer spectrometer, which identifies iron-bearing minerals, detected a hydrated iron sulfate mineral called jarosite. Germany provided both the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer and the Moessbauer spectrometer. Opportunity's miniature thermal emission spectrometer has also provided evidence for sulfates. On Earth, rocks with as much salt as this Mars rock either have formed in water or, after formation, have been highly altered by long exposures to water. Jarosite may point to the rock's wet history having been in an acidic lake or an acidic hot springs environment. The water evidence from the rocks' physical appearance comes in at least three categories, said Dr. John Grotzinger, sedimentary geologist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge: indentations called "vugs," spherules and crossbedding. Pictures from the rover's panoramic camera and microscopic imager reveal the target rock, dubbed "El Capitan," is thoroughly pocked with indentations about a centimeter (0.4 inch) long and one-fourth or less that wide, with apparently random orientations. This distinctive texture is familiar to geologists as the sites where crystals of salt minerals form within rocks that sit in briny water. When the crystals later disappear, either by erosion or by dissolving in less-salty water, the voids left behind are called vugs, and in this case they conform to the geometry of possible former evaporite minerals. Round particles the size of BBs are embedded in the outcrop. From shape alone, these spherules might be formed from volcanic eruptions, from lofting of molten droplets by a meteor impact, or from accumulation of minerals coming out of solution inside a porous, water-soaked rock. Opportunity's observations that the spherules are not concentrated at particular layers in the outcrop weigh against a volcanic or impact origin, but do not completely rule out those origins. Layers in the rock that lie at an angle to the main layers, a pattern called crossbedding, can result from the action of wind or water. Preliminary views by Opportunity hint the crossbedding bears hallmarks of water action, such as the small scale of the crossbedding and possible concave patterns formed by sinuous crestlines of underwater ridges. The images obtained to date are not adequate for a definitive answer. So scientists plan to maneuver Opportunity closer to the features for a better look. "We have tantalizing clues, and we're planning to evaluate this possibility in the near future," Grotzinger said.=20 JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover project for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington. For information about NASA and the Mars mission on the Internet, visit http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3Ddrr8TcNFgrZO-3BCLCXxIg.. .=20 = http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3D9SXWnKhv9wlO-3BCLCXxIg.. Images and additional information about the project are also available at = http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DLM2hDVipO_lO-3BCLCXxIg.. and = http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3D8PlPuuV05AZO-3BCLCXxIg.. . = http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DJkLv39BN9UhO-3BCLCXxIg.. = http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3Dzq_wv4t2sTFO-3BCLCXxIg.. -end- ------=_NextPart_000_0098_01C40064.0B14F930 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 2:10 PM
Subject: Opportunity Rover Finds Strong Evidence Meridiani = Planum=20 was Wet

MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION = LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA=20 INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE=20 ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109  TELEPHONE (818) = 354-5011
http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DfWswR8U-lQJO-3BCLCXxIg..
 http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DNYjN6CGa2yxO-3BCLCXxIg..

Guy=20 Webster  (818) 354-5011
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena,=20 Calif.

Donald Savage  (202) 358-1547
NASA Headquarters,=20 Washington       March 2,=20 2004
    
NEWS RELEASE:=20 2004-074
    
OPPORTUNITY ROVER FINDS STRONG = EVIDENCE=20 MERIDIANI PLANUM WAS WET

Scientists have concluded the part of = Mars that=20 NASA's Opportunity
rover is exploring was soaking wet in the=20 past.

Evidence the rover found in a rock outcrop led scientists = to=20 the
conclusion. Clues from the rocks' composition, such as the = presence=20 of
sulfates, and the rocks' physical appearance, such as niches=20 where
crystals grew, helped make the case for a watery=20 history.

"Liquid water once flowed through these rocks. It = changed=20 their
texture, and it changed their chemistry," said Dr. Steve = Squyres=20 of
Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., principal investigator for=20 the
science instruments on Opportunity and its twin, Spirit. "We've=20 been
able to read the tell-tale clues the water left behind, giving=20 us
confidence in that conclusion."

Dr. James Garvin, lead = scientist=20 for Mars and lunar exploration at
NASA Headquarters, Washington, = said, "NASA=20 launched the Mars
Exploration Rover mission specifically to check = whether at=20 least one
part of Mars ever had a persistently wet environment that=20 could
possibly have been hospitable to life. Today we have strong=20 evidence
for an exciting answer: Yes."

Opportunity has more = work=20 ahead. It will try to determine whether,
besides being exposed to = water after=20 they formed, the rocks may have
originally been laid down by minerals = precipitating out of solution at
the bottom of a salty lake or=20 sea.

The first views Opportunity sent of its landing site in=20 Mars'
Meridiani Planum region five weeks ago delighted researchers at = NASA's
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., because of the=20 good
fortune to have the spacecraft arrive next to an exposed slice=20 of
bedrock on the inner slope of a small crater.

 The = robotic=20 field geologist has spent most of the past three weeks
surveying the = whole=20 outcrop, and then turning back for close-up
inspection of selected = portions.=20 The rover found a very high
concentration of sulfur in the outcrop = with its=20 alpha particle X-ray
spectrometer, which identifies chemical elements = in a=20 sample.
"The chemical form of this sulfur appears to be in magnesium, = iron=20 or
other sulfate salts," said Dr. Benton Clark of Lockheed Martin=20 Space
Systems, Denver. "Elements that can form chloride or even=20 bromide
salts have also been detected."

At the same location, = the=20 rover's Moessbauer spectrometer, which
identifies iron-bearing = minerals,=20 detected a hydrated iron sulfate
mineral called jarosite. Germany = provided=20 both the alpha particle
X-ray spectrometer and the Moessbauer = spectrometer.=20 Opportunity's
miniature thermal emission spectrometer has also = provided=20 evidence for
sulfates.

On Earth, rocks with as much salt as = this Mars=20 rock either have formed
in water or, after formation, have been = highly=20 altered by long
exposures to water. Jarosite may point to the rock's = wet=20 history
having been in an acidic lake or an acidic hot springs=20 environment.

The water evidence from the rocks' physical = appearance comes=20 in at
least three categories, said Dr. John Grotzinger,=20 sedimentary
geologist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, = Cambridge:
indentations called "vugs," spherules and=20 crossbedding.

Pictures from the rover's panoramic camera and = microscopic=20 imager
reveal the target rock, dubbed "El Capitan," is thoroughly = pocked=20 with
indentations about a centimeter (0.4 inch) long and one-fourth = or=20 less
that wide, with apparently random orientations. This=20 distinctive
texture is familiar to geologists as the sites where = crystals of=20 salt
minerals form within rocks that sit in briny water. When the=20 crystals
later disappear, either by erosion or by dissolving in=20 less-salty
water, the voids left behind are called vugs, and in this = case=20 they
conform to the geometry of possible former evaporite=20 minerals.

Round particles the size of BBs are embedded in the = outcrop.=20 From
shape alone, these spherules might be formed from volcanic=20 eruptions,
from lofting of molten droplets by a meteor impact, or=20 from
accumulation of minerals coming out of solution inside a=20 porous,
water-soaked rock. Opportunity's observations that the = spherules=20 are
not concentrated at particular layers in the outcrop weigh = against=20 a
volcanic or impact origin, but do not completely rule out=20 those
origins.

Layers in the rock that lie at an angle to the = main=20 layers, a pattern
called crossbedding, can result from the action of = wind or=20 water.
Preliminary views by Opportunity hint the crossbedding bears=20 hallmarks
of water action, such as the small scale of the = crossbedding=20 and
possible concave patterns formed by sinuous crestlines of=20 underwater
ridges.

The images obtained to date are not = adequate for a=20 definitive answer.
So scientists plan to maneuver Opportunity closer = to the=20 features for
a better look. "We have tantalizing clues, and we're = planning=20 to
evaluate this possibility in the near future," Grotzinger said.=20

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in=20 Pasadena,
manages the Mars Exploration Rover project for NASA's = Office of=20 Space
Science, Washington.

For information about NASA and the = Mars=20 mission on the Internet, visit
http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3Ddrr8TcNFgrZO-3BCLCXxIg..=20
 http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3D9SXWnKhv9wlO-3BCLCXxIg..

Images=20 and additional information about the project are also available
at http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DLM2hDVipO_lO-3BCLCXxIg..  =20 and http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3D8PlPuuV05AZO-3BCLCXxIg..=20
 http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DJkLv39BN9UhO-3BCLCXxIg..
 http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3Dzq_wv4t2sTFO-3BCLCXxIg..

-end-

------=_NextPart_000_0098_01C40064.0B14F930-- From owner-public@setileague.org Tue Mar 2 18:48:12 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i232mAOr024312; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 18:48:11 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id VAA21293 for public-list; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 21:34:56 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav116.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.146]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id VAA21289; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 21:34:53 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 18:34:14 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.14 by bay4-dav116.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Wed, 03 Mar 2004 02:34:13 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.14] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: Space-Weather-Outlook Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 21:34:06 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_000D_01C4009E.17084FF0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 21:34:06 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 03 Mar 2004 02:34:14.0229 (UTC) FILETIME=[0481C850:01C400C8] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000D_01C4009E.17084FF0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Space Environment Center=20 To: = advisory-list-send@dawn.sec.noaa.gov=20 Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 10:10 AM Subject: Space-Weather-Outlook Official Space Weather Advisory issued by NOAA Space Environment Center Boulder, Colorado, USA SPACE WEATHER ADVISORY OUTLOOK #04- 9 2004 March 02 at 8:04 a.m. MST (2004 March 02 1504 UTC) **** SPACE WEATHER OUTLOOK **** Summary For February 23-29 Category R2 (moderate) and R3 (strong) significant space weather occurred on 26 February due solar flare activity from an active sunspot region known as Region 564. Category G1 (minor) occurred on 28 and 29 February due to high-speed solar winds from a coronal hole on the Sun.=20 For a list of adverse system effects related to space weather storms, please refer to the NOAA Space Weather Scales. Outlook For March 3-9 Space weather for the next week may reach minor to moderate levels. There is a slight chance for Category R1 (minor) radio blackouts early in the week due to significant flare activity from active sunspot Region 564.=20 For current space weather conditions please refer to: http://www.sec.noaa.gov/SWN/=20 http://www.sec.noaa.gov/alerts/ Data used to provide space weather services are contributed by NOAA,=20 USAF, NASA, NSF, USGS, the International Space Environment Services=20 and other observatories, universities, and institutions. For more=20 information, including email services, see SEC's Space Weather=20 Advisories Web site = http://sec.noaa.gov/advisories or (303) = 497-5127. ------=_NextPart_000_000D_01C4009E.17084FF0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 10:10 AM
Subject: Space-Weather-Outlook

Official Space Weather Advisory issued by NOAA Space = Environment=20 Center
Boulder, Colorado, USA

SPACE WEATHER ADVISORY OUTLOOK = #04-=20 9
2004 March 02 at 8:04 a.m. MST (2004 March 02 1504 UTC)

**** = SPACE=20 WEATHER OUTLOOK ****

Summary For February 23-29
Category R2 = (moderate)=20 and R3 (strong) significant space weather
occurred on 26 February due = solar=20 flare activity from an active sunspot
region known as Region = 564. =20 Category G1 (minor) occurred on 28 and 29
February due to high-speed = solar=20 winds from a coronal hole on the Sun.
For a list of adverse system = effects=20 related to space weather storms,
please refer to the NOAA Space = Weather=20 Scales.

Outlook For March 3-9
Space weather for the next week = may=20 reach minor to moderate levels.
There is a slight chance for Category = R1=20 (minor) radio blackouts early
in the week due to significant flare = activity=20 from active sunspot
Region 564.

For current space weather = conditions=20 please refer to:
http://www.sec.noaa.gov/SWN/ =
http://www.sec.noaa.gov/alerts/<= /A>

Data=20 used to provide space weather services are contributed by NOAA, =
USAF, NASA,=20 NSF, USGS, the International Space Environment Services
and other=20 observatories, universities, and institutions. For more
information, = including email services, see SEC's Space Weather
Advisories Web = site http://sec.noaa.gov/advisories or=20 (303) 497-5127.
------=_NextPart_000_000D_01C4009E.17084FF0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Tue Mar 2 18:49:27 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i232nNOr021035; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 18:49:26 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id VAA21338 for public-list; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 21:36:34 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav153.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.183]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id VAA21334; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 21:36:32 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 18:36:01 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.14 by bay4-dav153.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Wed, 03 Mar 2004 02:36:00 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.14] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: New Evidence for Water on Mars Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 21:35:53 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_005C_01C4009E.5712F730" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 21:35:53 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 03 Mar 2004 02:36:01.0133 (UTC) FILETIME=[443A09D0:01C400C8] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_005C_01C4009E.5712F730 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: NASA Science News=20 To: NASA Science News=20 Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 4:47 PM Subject: New Evidence for Water on Mars NASA Science News for March 2, 2004 Today scientists presented strong evidence that NASA's Mars rover Opportunity landed in a place that was once drenched in liquid water. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/02mar_meridianiwater.htm?list6627= 45 Check out our RSS feed at = http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml! This is a free service. Home page: http://science.nasa.gov ------=_NextPart_000_005C_01C4009E.5712F730 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 4:47 PM
Subject: New Evidence for Water on Mars

NASA Science News for March 2, 2004

Today = scientists=20 presented strong evidence that NASA's Mars rover
Opportunity landed = in a=20 place that was once drenched in liquid water.

FULL STORY = at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/02mar_meridianiwater.= htm?list662745


Check=20 out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml<= /A>!


This=20 is a free service.

Home page: http://science.nasa.gov
------=_NextPart_000_005C_01C4009E.5712F730-- From owner-public@setileague.org Tue Mar 2 18:58:53 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i232wnOr010732; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 18:58:52 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id VAA21734 for public-list; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 21:51:03 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav123.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.153]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id VAA21717; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 21:50:59 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 18:50:28 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.14 by bay4-dav123.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Wed, 03 Mar 2004 02:50:28 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.14] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Fw: Marsbugs Vol. 11, No. 10 Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 21:50:19 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_00A2_01C400A0.5B440BD0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 21:50:19 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 03 Mar 2004 02:50:28.0730 (UTC) FILETIME=[495AD5A0:01C400CA] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00A2_01C400A0.5B440BD0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Dr. David J. Thomas=20 To: dthomas@lyon.edu=20 Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 4:51 PM Subject: Marsbugs Vol. 11, No. 10 Text: = http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040302.txt PDF: http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040302.pdf Word: = http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040302.doc Table of Contents (page numbers refer to PDF/Word format) Articles and News Page 1 FAREWELL TO PROJECT PHOENIX By Thomas Pierson Page 2 MAGNETIC FIELDS AND WATER ON EUROPA By Cynthia Phillips Page 2 PALEONTOLOGY MUSEUM LAUNCHES NEW WEB SITE ON EVOLUTION=20 By Robert Sanders Page 3 ASTROPHYSICISTS OBSERVE ANOMALIES IN MAKEUP OF INTERPLANETARY DUST PARTICLE Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory release Page 4 ASTRONOMERS FIND NEAREST AND YOUNGEST STAR WITH A DUSTY DEBRIS DISK, BUT ARE THERE PLANETS? By Robert Sanders Page 5 NASA EARTH CREW WEBCAST SPOTLIGHTS SPACE FOOD NASA release 04-075 Page 5 BIOSPHERE UNDER THE GLASS >From Astrobiology Magazine Page 6 KEY TO MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE FOUND Joint Astronomy Centre release Page 7 TITAN IN A TEST TUBE: INTERVIEW WITH JEAN-MICHEL BERNARD >From Astrobiology Magazine Page 8 NASA SCIENTISTS WIN GRANTS FOR NEW RESEARCH NASA/ARC release 04-13AR Page 9 OPPORTUNITY ROVER FINDS STRONG EVIDENCE MERIDIANI PLANUM WAS WET NASA/JPL release 2004-074 =20 Announcements Page 10 NASA UPDATES SPACE STATION IMPLEMENTATION PLAN NASA note N04-035 Page 11 JPL ANNOUNCES NEW EXPLORATION OFFICE, MANAGEMENT CHANGES NASA/JPL release 2004-072 Page 11 CONTACT THE PRESIDENT'S SPACE COMMISSION By Chris Carberry Page 11 NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY INDEX By David J. Thomas Mission Reports Page 12 CASSINI SIGNIFICANT EVENTS NASA/JPL release Page 12 CASSINI CAPTURES STUNNING VIEW OF SATURN NASA/JPL release 04-073 Page 13 MARS EXPLORATION ROVERS UPDATES NASA/JPL releases Page 14 MARS EXPRESS: HECATES THOLUS VOLCANO IN 3D ESA release Page 14 MARS ODYSSEY THEMIS IMAGES NASA/JPL/ASU release Page 15 ESA'S ROSETTA LAUNCH RE-SCHEDULED ESA release 13-2004 Page 15 ROSETTA BEGINS ITS 10-YEAR JOURNEY TO THE ORIGINS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM ESA release 14-2004 David J. Thomas, PhD Asst. Professor of Biology Lyon College, Science Division 2300 Highland Road Batesville, AR 72501 USA Phone: 870-698-4269 Fax: 870-698-4692 http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/ambassador Editor of Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs =20 ------=_NextPart_000_00A2_01C400A0.5B440BD0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 4:51 PM
Subject: Marsbugs Vol. 11, No. 10

Text: http://w= ww.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040302.txt
PDF:
http://w= ww.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040302.pdf
Word:=20 http://w= ww.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040302.doc

Table=20 of Contents (page numbers refer to PDF/Word format)

Articles and=20 News

Page 1 FAREWELL TO PROJECT PHOENIX
By Thomas = Pierson

Page=20 2 MAGNETIC FIELDS AND WATER ON EUROPA
By Cynthia Phillips

Page = 2=20 PALEONTOLOGY MUSEUM LAUNCHES NEW WEB SITE ON EVOLUTION
By Robert=20 Sanders

Page 3 ASTROPHYSICISTS OBSERVE ANOMALIES IN MAKEUP OF=20 INTERPLANETARY
DUST PARTICLE
Lawrence Livermore National = Laboratory=20 release

Page 4 ASTRONOMERS FIND NEAREST AND YOUNGEST STAR WITH A = DUSTY=20 DEBRIS
DISK, BUT ARE THERE PLANETS?
By Robert Sanders

Page = 5 NASA=20 EARTH CREW WEBCAST SPOTLIGHTS SPACE FOOD
NASA release = 04-075

Page 5=20 BIOSPHERE UNDER THE GLASS
From Astrobiology Magazine

Page 6 = KEY TO=20 MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE FOUND
Joint Astronomy Centre release

Page 7 = TITAN=20 IN A TEST TUBE: INTERVIEW WITH JEAN-MICHEL BERNARD
From Astrobiology=20 Magazine

Page 8 NASA SCIENTISTS WIN GRANTS FOR NEW = RESEARCH
NASA/ARC=20 release 04-13AR

Page 9 OPPORTUNITY ROVER FINDS STRONG EVIDENCE = MERIDIANI=20 PLANUM WAS
WET
NASA/JPL release=20 2004-074
 
Announcements

Page 10 NASA UPDATES SPACE = STATION=20 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
NASA note N04-035

Page 11 JPL ANNOUNCES = NEW=20 EXPLORATION OFFICE, MANAGEMENT CHANGES
NASA/JPL release = 2004-072

Page=20 11 CONTACT THE PRESIDENT'S SPACE COMMISSION
By Chris = Carberry

Page 11=20 NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY INDEX
By David J. = Thomas

Mission=20 Reports

Page 12 CASSINI SIGNIFICANT EVENTS
NASA/JPL=20 release

Page 12 CASSINI CAPTURES STUNNING VIEW OF = SATURN
NASA/JPL=20 release 04-073

Page 13 MARS EXPLORATION ROVERS = UPDATES
NASA/JPL=20 releases

Page 14 MARS EXPRESS: HECATES THOLUS VOLCANO IN = 3D
ESA=20 release

Page 14 MARS ODYSSEY THEMIS IMAGES
NASA/JPL/ASU=20 release

Page 15 ESA'S ROSETTA LAUNCH RE-SCHEDULED
ESA release=20 13-2004

Page 15 ROSETTA BEGINS ITS 10-YEAR JOURNEY TO THE ORIGINS = OF THE=20 SOLAR
SYSTEM
ESA release 14-2004

David J. Thomas, = PhD
Asst.=20 Professor of Biology
Lyon College, Science Division
2300 Highland=20 Road
Batesville, AR 72501 USA
Phone: 870-698-4269
Fax:=20 870-698-4692
http://www.lyon.edu/we= bdata/users/dthomas

NASA/JPL=20 Solar System Ambassador
http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/amb= assador
Editor=20 of Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter
http://www.lyon.edu/projec= ts/marsbugs
 

------=_NextPart_000_00A2_01C400A0.5B440BD0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Tue Mar 2 19:09:38 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2339YOr012377; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 19:09:36 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id WAA21980 for public-list; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 22:00:47 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav108.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.138]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id WAA21976; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 22:00:44 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Tue, 2 Mar 2004 19:00:13 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.14 by bay4-dav108.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Wed, 03 Mar 2004 03:00:12 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.14] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: Physics News Update 675 Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 21:59:57 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_00AF_01C400A1.B39270F0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 21:59:57 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 03 Mar 2004 03:00:13.0167 (UTC) FILETIME=[A5B4D7F0:01C400CB] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00AF_01C400A1.B39270F0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: physnews@aip.org=20 To: ljk4@MSN.COM=20 Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 2:50 PM Subject: Physics News Update 675 PHYSICS NEWS UPDATE The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Physics News Number 675 March 3, 2004 by Phillip F. Schewe, Ben Stein =20 THE ACCELERATING EXPANSION of the universe, the notion that the big bang enlargement of spacetime is not slowing down but actually gathering speed, has received new experimental support in the form of supernova observations made by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Previous evidence for such a cosmic acceleration consisted of studies of the dimness of remote supernovas (http://www.aip.org/enews/physnews/1998/split/pnu355-1.htm), and represented a major revision for some scientists who had long thought that the mutual gravity among galaxies would slow or even reverse the cosmological expansion. The new HST observations consist of reexaminations of 170 previously studied supernovas and the announcement of 16 new objects, including 6 of the 7 most distant type Ia supernovas yet recorded. The new data are in line with the accelerating-expansion hypothesis employing the mysterious mechanism usually referred to as "dark energy." The energy of the universe would be divided up as follows: 29% in the form of matter (dark plus luminous) and 71% as dark energy. (NASA press conference, 20 Feb; Riess et al., preprint astro-ph/0402512 ) =20 SUB-WAVELENGTH LENSING in flat panels of left-hand materials (LHM) has been seen in two new experiments. What this means is that a planar sheet---and not something that has to be machined into a traditional lens shape---can be used to focus light into a tight spot. The size of this spot, furthermore, is less than half the wavelength of the light being used. Getting around the venerable "diffraction limit" (whereby an object smaller than the wavelength is difficult to image) would be a boon to optics (in the microwave range, for example, wireless communications would benefit at the level of cell phones and base stations) and is normally achieved only by parking the object very close to the source of the illumination. Left hand materials (so called because the "right hand rule" used by physicists to picture the relation between a light pulse's electric and magnetic fields and its line of propagation is here reversed) possess a negative index of refraction. This fact, in turn, means that a light ray approaching from air into the LHM material will be deflected not toward but back and away from a line drawn perpendicular to the surface of the material. It is this bizarre deflection that leads to novel optical effects. When the idea of the LHM phenomenon was first propounded, many felt that such materials could not exist. Even after the first experiments were reported (www.aip.org/enews/physnews/2000/split/pnu476-1.htm) skepticism lingered. Later more evidence arrived showing preliminary lensing effects with flat panels, the hallmark of LHM optical abilities (http://www.aip.org/enews/physnews/2003/split/628-1.html). Now, two groups have more direct evidence for flat-panel lensing and for better-than-wavelength focusing. George Eleftheriades and his colleagues at the University of Toronto = (gelefth@waves.toronto.edu; 416-946-3564; = www.waves.utoronto.ca/prof/gelefth/main.html), using a material devised from printed metallic strips mounted on a plane and sandwiched between two patterned sheets, show that a source of microwaves can be lensed better than the diffraction-limit would allow, but not into a "perfect focus" called for in some LHM theories. On the positive side, the energy losses in the material which some commentators had predicted would hamper prospective LHM lenses (and their potential use in medical imaging or radar sets, say), were actually quite minimal. Meanwhile, Vladimir Kissel and his associates at the Institute for Theoretical and Applied Electromagnetics in Moscow = (kis_v@mail.ru, +7(095)4842644) have also observed "superresolution" in their lensing of microwaves with a flat panel, achieving a spatial resolution as good as one-tenth the wavelength. (Toronto group, Grbic and Eleftheriades, Physical Review Letters, upcoming article; Moscow group, Lagarkov and Kissel, Physical Review Letters, 20 February 2004) BUBBLE FUSION, the apparent generation of fusion energy through the violent collapse of bubbles in a liquid tank, has been reported in a paper about to be published in Physical Review E (Taleyarkhan et al., upcoming, probably March 2004). The paper, a followup to a controversial report published two years ago (http://www.aip.org/enews/physnews/2002/split/579-2.html), reports "statistically significant neutron and gamma ray emissions" after sound waves and pulsed neutrons hit a chilled liquid acetone tank spiked with deuterium fuel. The researchers (Rusi Taleyarkhan, formerly at Oak Ridge but now at Purdue, 765-494-0198, rusi@purdue.edu ) report the observation of = flashes of light (sonoluminescence) as well as the emission of neutrons with energies of less than or equal to 2.5 MeV---what you would expect if pairs of deuterium atoms were fusing together to produce energy in their setup. While the researchers describe various improvements to their experimental setup, in response to comments received in their original paper 2 years ago, critics (including Aaron Galonsky, Michigan State, galonsky@nscl.msu.edu, = 850-267-8976 by phone until April 1) still have a number of concerns. According to Galonsky, the data for neutron emissions is lumped together with data of gamma-ray emissions. While separating neutron and gamma-ray signals is challenging, it is necessary to have a clean neutron-only spectrum to have an unambiguous demonstration of nuclear fusion. Willy Moss of Livermore (925-422-7302, = wmoss@llnl.gov) says "Although I believe that thermonuclear sonofusion [not to be confused with cold fusion] may not be impossible...I am still not convinced... I believe that additional tests need to be done and many should have been performed and discussed in the paper, for example...if neutrons are being generated, then how about moving the scintillator further away from the sample to see if the signal decreases, due to the decreasing solid angle of the detector?" (Other experts, Richard Lahey, RPI, = laheyr@rpi.edu , 518-276-6614, a co-author on the paper; Mike Saltmarsh, Oak Ridge, 865-576-6915, saltmars@mail.phy.ornl.gov, co-author = of a paper that attempted to duplicate the initial results but reported a null result---see Shapira and Saltmarsh, Phys Rev Lett, 19 August 2002) *********** PHYSICS NEWS UPDATE is a digest of physics news items arising from physics meetings, physics journals, newspapers and magazines, and other news sources. It is provided free of charge as a way of broadly disseminating information about physics and physicists. For that reason, you are free to post it, if you like, where others can read it, providing only that you credit AIP. Physics News Update appears approximately once a week. AUTO-SUBSCRIPTION OR DELETION: By using the expression "subscribe physnews" in your e-mail message, you will have automatically added the address from which your message was sent to the distribution list for Physics News Update. If you use the "signoff physnews" expression in your e-mail message, the address in your message header will be deleted from the distribution list. Please send your message to: listserv@listserv.aip.org (Leave the "Subject:" line blank.) ------=_NextPart_000_00AF_01C400A1.B39270F0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 2:50 PM
Subject: Physics News Update 675

PHYSICS NEWS UPDATE
The American Institute of Physics = Bulletin=20 of Physics News
Number 675 March 3, 2004  by Phillip F. Schewe, = Ben=20 Stein
          &nbs= p;    =20
THE ACCELERATING EXPANSION of the universe, the notion that the = big
bang=20 enlargement of spacetime is not slowing down but actually
gathering = speed,=20 has received new experimental support in the form
of supernova = observations=20 made by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST).
Previous evidence for such = a cosmic=20 acceleration consisted of
studies of the dimness of remote = supernovas
(http:/= /www.aip.org/enews/physnews/1998/split/pnu355-1.htm),=20 and
represented a major revision for some scientists who had = long
thought=20 that the mutual gravity among galaxies would slow or even
reverse the = cosmological expansion.  The new HST observations
consist of=20 reexaminations of 170 previously studied supernovas and
the = announcement of=20 16 new objects, including 6 of the 7 most
distant type Ia supernovas = yet=20 recorded.  The new data are in line
with the = accelerating-expansion=20 hypothesis employing the mysterious
mechanism usually referred to as = "dark=20 energy."  The energy of the
universe would be divided up as = follows: 29%=20 in the form of matter
(dark plus luminous) and 71% as dark energy. = (NASA=20 press conference,
20 Feb; Riess et al., preprint astro-ph/0402512=20 )
           &n= bsp;           &nb= sp;           &nbs= p;   =20
SUB-WAVELENGTH LENSING in flat panels of left-hand materials = (LHM)
has=20 been seen in two new experiments.  What this means is that = a
planar=20 sheet---and not something that has to be machined into a
traditional = lens=20 shape---can be used to focus light into a tight
spot.  The size = of this=20 spot, furthermore, is less than half the
wavelength of the light = being=20 used.  Getting around the venerable
"diffraction limit" (whereby = an=20 object smaller than the wavelength
is difficult to image) would be a = boon to=20 optics (in the microwave
range, for example, wireless communications = would=20 benefit at the
level of cell phones and base stations) and is = normally=20 achieved
only by parking the object very close to the source of=20 the
illumination. Left hand materials (so called because the "right=20 hand
rule" used by physicists to picture the relation between a=20 light
pulse's electric and magnetic fields and its line of = propagation=20 is
here reversed) possess a negative index of refraction. This fact,=20 in
turn, means that a light ray approaching from air into the = LHM
material=20 will be deflected not toward but back and away from a line
drawn=20 perpendicular to the surface of the material.  It is = this
bizarre=20 deflection that leads to novel optical effects.
When the idea of the = LHM=20 phenomenon was first propounded, many felt
that such materials could = not=20 exist.  Even after the first
experiments were reported
(www.ai= p.org/enews/physnews/2000/split/pnu476-1.htm)=20 skepticism
lingered.  Later more evidence arrived showing = preliminary=20 lensing
effects with flat panels, the hallmark of LHM optical=20 abilities
(http://w= ww.aip.org/enews/physnews/2003/split/628-1.html).  =20 Now,
two groups have more direct evidence for flat-panel lensing and=20 for
better-than-wavelength focusing.  George Eleftheriades and=20 his
colleagues at the University of Toronto (gelefth@waves.toronto.edu;<= BR>416-946-3564;=20 www.waves.ut= oronto.ca/prof/gelefth/main.html),=20 using a
material devised from printed metallic strips mounted on a = plane=20 and
sandwiched between two patterned sheets, show that a source=20 of
microwaves can be lensed better than the diffraction-limit = would
allow,=20 but not into a "perfect focus" called for in some LHM
theories.  = On the=20 positive side, the energy losses in the material
which some = commentators had=20 predicted would hamper prospective LHM
lenses (and their potential = use in=20 medical imaging or radar sets,
say), were actually quite=20 minimal.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Kissel and his associates at the = Institute=20 for
Theoretical and Applied Electromagnetics in Moscow (kis_v@mail.ru,
+7(095)4842644) have = also=20 observed "superresolution" in their
lensing of microwaves with a flat = panel,=20 achieving a spatial
resolution as good as one-tenth the wavelength. = (Toronto=20 group,
Grbic and Eleftheriades, Physical Review
Letters, upcoming = article;=20 Moscow group, Lagarkov and Kissel,
Physical Review Letters, 20 = February=20 2004)

BUBBLE FUSION, the apparent generation of fusion energy = through=20 the
violent collapse of bubbles in a liquid tank, has been reported = in=20 a
paper about to be published in Physical Review E (Taleyarkhan = et
al.,=20 upcoming, probably March 2004).  The paper, a followup to=20 a
controversial report published two years ago
(http://w= ww.aip.org/enews/physnews/2002/split/579-2.html),=20 reports
"statistically significant neutron and gamma ray emissions"=20 after
sound waves and pulsed neutrons hit a chilled liquid acetone=20 tank
spiked with deuterium fuel.  The researchers (Rusi=20 Taleyarkhan,
formerly at Oak Ridge but now at Purdue, = 765-494-0198,
rusi@purdue.edu )=20 report the observation of flashes of light
(sonoluminescence) as well = as the=20 emission of neutrons with energies
of less than or equal to 2.5 = MeV---what=20 you would expect if pairs of
deuterium atoms were fusing together to = produce=20 energy in their
setup.  While the researchers describe various=20 improvements to their
experimental setup, in response to comments = received in=20 their
original paper 2 years ago, critics (including Aaron=20 Galonsky,
Michigan State, galonsky@nscl.msu.edu, = 850-267-8976 by=20 phone until
April 1) still have a number of concerns.   = According=20 to Galonsky,
the data for neutron emissions is lumped together with = data=20 of
gamma-ray emissions. While separating neutron and gamma-ray = signals
is=20 challenging, it is necessary to have a clean neutron-only
spectrum to = have an=20 unambiguous demonstration of nuclear fusion.
Willy Moss of Livermore=20 (925-422-7302, wmoss@llnl.gov) says
"Although = I =20 believe that thermonuclear sonofusion [not to be
confused with cold = fusion]=20 may not be impossible...I am still not
convinced... I believe that = additional=20 tests need to be done and
many should have been performed and = discussed in=20 the paper, for
example...if neutrons are being generated, then how = about=20 moving the
scintillator further away from the  sample to see if = the=20 signal
decreases, due to the decreasing solid angle of the=20 detector?"
(Other experts, Richard Lahey, RPI, laheyr@rpi.edu , 518-276-6614, = a
co-author=20 on the paper; Mike Saltmarsh, Oak Ridge, 865-576-6915,
saltmars@mail.phy.ornl.gov= ,=20 co-author of a paper that attempted to
duplicate the initial results = but=20 reported a null result---see
Shapira and Saltmarsh, Phys Rev Lett, 19 = August=20 2002)

***********
PHYSICS NEWS UPDATE is a digest of physics = news=20 items arising
from physics meetings, physics journals, newspapers=20 and
magazines, and other news sources.  It is provided free of=20 charge
as a way of broadly disseminating information about physics=20 and
physicists. For that reason, you are free to post it, if you=20 like,
where others can read it, providing only that you credit=20 AIP.
Physics News Update appears approximately once a=20 week.

AUTO-SUBSCRIPTION OR DELETION: By using the=20 expression
"subscribe physnews" in your e-mail message, you
will = have=20 automatically added the address from which your
message was sent to = the=20 distribution list for Physics News Update.
If you use the "signoff = physnews"=20 expression in your e-mail message,
the address in your message header = will be=20 deleted from the
distribution list.  Please send your message = to:
listserv@listserv.aip.org(Leave=20 the "Subject:" line blank.)

------=_NextPart_000_00AF_01C400A1.B39270F0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Thu Mar 4 16:13:31 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i250DT9S015288; Thu, 4 Mar 2004 16:13:30 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id TAA18003 for public-list; Thu, 4 Mar 2004 19:02:31 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav94.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.124]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id TAA17999; Thu, 4 Mar 2004 19:02:28 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Thu, 4 Mar 2004 16:01:57 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.101 by bay4-dav94.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Fri, 05 Mar 2004 00:01:57 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.101] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: The British radio telescope - the Very Small Aray (VSA) Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2004 19:01:20 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_003E_01C4021B.14C67720" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Thu, 4 Mar 2004 19:01:20 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 05 Mar 2004 00:01:57.0660 (UTC) FILETIME=[13837DC0:01C40245] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_003E_01C4021B.14C67720 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/physics_astronomy/report-2= 6508.html Towards a better understanding of the very early universe=20 =20 Using a British radio telescope called the Very Small Array (VSA), = located on the flanks of Mount Teide in Tenerife, astronomers from the = Universities of Manchester and Cambridge and the Instituto de = Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) have made measurements of the Cosmic = Microwave Background (CMB) - radiation left over from the Big Bang - = which shed new light on events in the first minute fraction of the = Universe's existence.=20 By combining their results with those of NASA's Wilkinson = Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite, they have been able to = constrain the behaviour of the Universe during the 'inflationary' phase = believed to have taken place when it was only 10(-35) seconds old. If = confirmed, these results will significantly challenge our current views = of inflation and the first moments of creation.=20 Dr. Richard Davis of Jodrell Bank Observatory, University of = Manchester, who was involved in the design and building of the VSA and = leads the Jodrell Bank team, said, "From the holiday island of Tenerife = we have probed the first moment of creation, when the Universe was a = million-million-millionth of the size of the atom. Using this = British-funded instrument, we see echoes of the crazy expansion which = took place in the early Universe; it is quite incredible!"=20 The idea of inflation is that the Universe expanded extremely = quickly during its very early existence, creating a Universe whose = properties are very uniform on the largest scales. However Quantum = Mechanics, the theory of the sub-atomic world, would have created minute = fluctuations in the density of the early Universe which eventually led = to the formation of galaxies such as our own Milky Way. These = fluctuations also imprinted minute temperature variations on the = observed CMB, so allowing them to be studied by extremely sensitive = instruments such as the VSA.=20 The Quantum Mechanical fluctuations produced variations in density = and temperature over a very wide range of scale sizes. The finer detail = of the VSA observations, as compared with those of WMAP, has enabled a = better understanding of how the distribution of these fluctuations = varies as a function of size.=20 Previous ideas had suggested that, once the subsequent history of = the Universe is accounted for, the distribution of fluctuations would be = independent of scale. However, the current results show that the = fluctuations are most apparent at an angular scale of about 1/2 degree, = the size of the Moon in the night sky. On both larger (the size of the = Universe) and smaller (the size of a cluster of galaxies) scales, these = variations in density and temperature are much less.=20 "The most popular inflation models predict much smaller variations = than those seen in the new observations," said Dr. Richard Battye = (Jodrell Bank Observatory), who was involved in the analysis and = interpretation of the data. "The increasing sensitivity of instruments = such as the VSA is enabling us to test these inflation models. The = results are not totally conclusive at this stage, but if true they will = require a complete re-think of the prevailing view of the first moments = of creation."=20 The results from the VSA have been confirmed by a concurrent = experiment, the Cosmic Background Imager (CBI), which is located high in = the Chilean Andes and operated by the California Institute of = Technology. The results at this stage are highly suggestive, but it is = hoped that further measurements by the VSA, CBI and eventually the = PLANCK satellite, will allow more definitive conclusions to be drawn. = PLANCK, which is due to be launched by the European Space Agency in = 2007, will employ highly sensitive receivers built by engineers at the = Jodrell Bank Observatory. =20 ------=_NextPart_000_003E_01C4021B.14C67720 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/physics= _astronomy/report-26508.html
 
Towards a better = understanding=20 of the very early universe


Using a British radio telescope called the Very Small Array = (VSA),=20 located on the flanks of Mount Teide in Tenerife, astronomers from = the=20 Universities of Manchester and Cambridge and the Instituto de = Astrofisica=20 de Canarias (IAC) have made measurements of the Cosmic Microwave=20 Background (CMB) - radiation left over from the Big Bang - which = shed new=20 light on events in the first minute fraction of the Universe=92s = existence.=20

By combining their results with those of NASA=92s = Wilkinson=20 Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite, they have been able = to=20 constrain the behaviour of the Universe during the = =92inflationary=92 phase=20 believed to have taken place when it was only 10(-35) seconds old. = If=20 confirmed, these results will significantly challenge our current = views of=20 inflation and the first moments of creation.

Dr. Richard = Davis of=20 Jodrell Bank Observatory, University of Manchester, who was = involved in=20 the design and building of the VSA and leads the Jodrell Bank = team, said,=20 "From the holiday island of Tenerife we have probed the first = moment of=20 creation, when the Universe was a million-million-millionth of the = size of=20 the atom. Using this British-funded instrument, we see echoes of = the crazy=20 expansion which took place in the early Universe; it is quite = incredible!"=20

The idea of inflation is that the Universe expanded = extremely=20 quickly during its very early existence, creating a Universe whose = properties are very uniform on the largest scales. However Quantum = Mechanics, the theory of the sub-atomic world, would have created = minute=20 fluctuations in the density of the early Universe which eventually = led to=20 the formation of galaxies such as our own Milky Way. These = fluctuations=20 also imprinted minute temperature variations on the observed CMB, = so=20 allowing them to be studied by extremely sensitive instruments = such as the=20 VSA.

The Quantum Mechanical fluctuations produced = variations in=20 density and temperature over a very wide range of scale sizes. The = finer=20 detail of the VSA observations, as compared with those of WMAP, = has=20 enabled a better understanding of how the distribution of these=20 fluctuations varies as a function of size.

Previous ideas = had=20 suggested that, once the subsequent history of the Universe is = accounted=20 for, the distribution of fluctuations would be independent of = scale.=20 However, the current results show that the fluctuations are most = apparent=20 at an angular scale of about 1/2 degree, the size of the Moon in = the night=20 sky. On both larger (the size of the Universe) and smaller (the = size of a=20 cluster of galaxies) scales, these variations in density and = temperature=20 are much less.

"The most popular inflation models predict = much=20 smaller variations than those seen in the new observations,=94 = said Dr.=20 Richard Battye (Jodrell Bank Observatory), who was involved in the = analysis and interpretation of the data. =93The increasing = sensitivity of=20 instruments such as the VSA is enabling us to test these inflation = models.=20 The results are not totally conclusive at this stage, but if true = they=20 will require a complete re-think of the prevailing view of the = first=20 moments of creation.=94

The results from the VSA have been = confirmed=20 by a concurrent experiment, the Cosmic Background Imager (CBI), = which is=20 located high in the Chilean Andes and operated by the California = Institute=20 of Technology. The results at this stage are highly suggestive, = but it is=20 hoped that further measurements by the VSA, CBI and eventually the = PLANCK=20 satellite, will allow more definitive conclusions to be drawn. = PLANCK,=20 which is due to be launched by the European Space Agency in 2007, = will=20 employ highly sensitive receivers built by engineers at the = Jodrell Bank=20 Observatory.

 
 
------=_NextPart_000_003E_01C4021B.14C67720-- From owner-public@setileague.org Fri Mar 5 05:15:10 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i25DF7s5017510; Fri, 5 Mar 2004 05:15:08 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id IAA06445 for public-list; Fri, 5 Mar 2004 08:02:56 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav62.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.92]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id IAA06441; Fri, 5 Mar 2004 08:02:52 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Fri, 5 Mar 2004 05:02:18 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.19 by bay4-dav62.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Fri, 05 Mar 2004 13:02:17 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.19] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" , "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: [DarlingsSpace] David Darling's Newsletter #19 Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 08:02:01 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0039_01C40288.245BA490" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 08:02:02 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 05 Mar 2004 13:02:18.0121 (UTC) FILETIME=[16AEDF90:01C402B2] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0039_01C40288.245BA490 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: daviddarling123=20 To: DarlingsSpace@yahoogroups.com=20 Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2004 3:16 PM Subject: [DarlingsSpace] David Darling's Newsletter #19 DAVID DARLING'S NEWSLETTER --------------------------------------------------=20 Issue #19 March 4, 2004 e-mail: = daviddarling@daviddarling.info website: http://www.daviddarling.info -------------------------------------------------- Contents 1. Meanderings 2. Higher Dimensions 3. Bookends -------------------------------------------------- 1. Meanderings There's just a hint of spring in the air here in Minnesota -- the=20 snow and ice are finally melting, squirrels are out digging up the=20 acorns they stashed away last autumn (how on Earth do they remember=20 where they put them?), and there's a general feeling of waking up=20 after the long winter hibernation. A couple of weeks ago I had my=20 first taste of snow-shoeing thanks to my friend John, who lives=20 nearby. Now I can add this to my list of strange and unique=20 experiences, which include accidentally standing in front of the=20 exposed neutron beam from a nuclear reactor (still awaiting the=20 consequences!), having my name in lights on Broadway, encountering a=20 giant crab on the south coast of England, meeting a Vulcan in=20 Yellowstone Park, and being abducted by aliens. Only one of these=20 isn't true (yes, really); I'll tell you which next time. Amazing data continue to pour in from the Mars rovers and from the=20 orbiting Mars Express. We now know, beyond doubt, that at the=20 Opportunity rover site there was once enough water to support life=20 as we know it. This is really the first time that we've had proof of=20 long-standing liquid water anywhere beyond Earth and it's a crucial=20 step forward in the search for extraterrestrial life. Anyhow, more=20 on this and all the other new discoveries from the Red Planet next=20 month. In this issue I want to chat a bit about a subject that's=20 always fascinated me, ever since as a young lad I read a book called=20 Flatland by Edwin Abbott. ------------------------------------------------- 2. Higher Dimensions We live -- or seem to live -- in a world of three dimensions: up- down, forward-backward, and side-to-side. The key thing about these=20 is that they lie at right angles to one another. So, what could=20 possibly be meant by a fourth dimension? Can you imagine another=20 direction that's at right angles to the three we're familiar with?=20 How can you think in four (let alone five, six, or more dimensions)=20 when you only have a three-dimensional brain? Well, plenty of books=20 have been written and a number of schemes devised to nudge our=20 imaginations into thinking four-dimensionally. One of the oldest and=20 best is the book I just mentioned -- Flatland written in 1884 by=20 Edwin A. Abbott, an English clergyman, under the pseudonym "A.=20 Square". As the title suggests it's all about an imaginary two- dimensional world in which the inhabitants have no concept of up and=20 down. Flatlanders appear to each other as mere points or lines (try=20 looking along the edge of a sheet of paper to get the idea). But=20 from our privileged, three-dimensional perspective we can look down=20 on Flatland and see that its people are "really" a variety of=20 shapes, including straight lines (females), narrow isosceles=20 triangles (soldiers and workmen), equilateral triangles (lower=20 middle-class men), squares and pentagons (professional men,=20 including the author of the tale), hexagons and other regular=20 polygons with still more sides (the nobility), and circles=20 (priests). The whole thing is a satire as well as a scientific=20 romance and Abbott uses these geometrical distinctions, especially=20 the appearance of Flatland females and the working class, as a=20 commentary on the discrimination against women, the rigid class=20 system, and the lack of tolerance for "irregularity" that was=20 prevalent in Victorian Britain. In a dream, A. Square visits the one- dimensional world of Lineland where he tries, without success, to=20 persuade the king of Lineland that there really is such a thing as a=20 second dimension. In turn, the incredulous Mr. Square is told of=20 three-dimensional space by a sphere who moves slowly through the=20 plane of Flatland, growing and shrinking as his cross-section=20 changes in size. Now step up a dimension. Imagine what would happen=20 if a hypersphere -- a four-dimensional sphere -- were to cut through=20 our 3-d space. It would first appear as a tiny bubble, grow to a=20 sphere of maximum size, and then shrink again. What we saw as a=20 growing and shrinking sphere would really be cross-sections of the=20 hypersphere as it passed through our universe. Higher dimensions were all the rage in Victorian times.=20 Spiritualists latched on to the idea of the fourth dimension as a=20 home for the spirits of the departed. And why not? It would neatly=20 explain how ghosts could pass through walls, disappear and reappear=20 at will, and see what was invisible to mere three-dimensional=20 mortals. Some scientists lent their weight to these claims, often=20 after being duped by clever conjuring tricks. There was the=20 astronomer Karl Z=F6llner, for instance, who wrote about the four- dimensional spirit world in his Transcendental Physics (1881) after=20 attending s=E9ances by Henry Slade, the fraudulent American medium.=20 Recently, an ingenious person suggested to me that the oddly=20 changing shapes sometimes reported in connection with UFOs could be=20 the result of us seeing various cross sections of these objects as=20 they intersected our reality from a higher plane. A good plot for a=20 science fiction story, at least -- and who knows? For most us, analogy is the closest we're likely to come to mentally=20 capturing the fourth dimension. Here's another example. A sketch of=20 a cube is a 2-d perspective of a real cube, right? So a real cube=20 can be thought of as a perspective of a 4-d cube, or tesseract. At a=20 movie, a 2-d picture represents a 3-d world, whereas if you were to=20 watch the action on the set live, in three-dimensions, this would be=20 like a screen projection in four dimensions. H. G. Wells dabbled in the fourth dimension in The Time Machine=20 (1895), and also in The Invisible Man (1897), in which the central=20 character drinks a potion "involving four dimensions," and in "The=20 Plattner Story" (1876), in which the hero of the tale, Gottfried=20 Plattner, is hurled into the fourth dimension by a school chemistry=20 experiment that goes wrong and comes back with all his internal=20 organs switched around. Just as we could lift a right-handed 2-d=20 glove out of Flatland, flip it over in our third dimension, and put=20 it back as a left-handed glove, so a four-dimensional being could=20 flip over one of our 3-d gloves or shoes, or, as in Plattner's case,=20 our entire body, and make it the mirror image of the original. Could you train yourself to see in four dimensions? Some people=20 think so. Charles Hinton, an eccentric English-born mathematician,=20 became obsessed with the problem. Early in his career he taught for=20 a few years at Uppingham School. Another teacher there was Howard=20 Candler, who was a friend of Edwin Abbott, so there may have some=20 cross-fertilization of ideas. Anyhow, in the early 1880s Hinton=20 published a series of pamphlets starting with "What is the Fourth=20 Dimension?" and "A Plane World", which were reprinted in the two- volume Scientific Romances (1884). And he became convinced that it=20 was possible to learn to see in four dimensions. He built an amazing=20 set of little colored cubes to represent the various cross sections=20 of a tesseract (a name he may actually have coined) -- versions were=20 sold commercially -- and then he memorized the cubes and all their=20 possible orientations so that he could (he claimed) mentally=20 reconstruct the fourth dimension. I said he was eccentric. At the=20 time he was teaching in England, he married Mary Everest Boole, the=20 eldest daughter of George Boole, the founder of mathematical logic.=20 Unfortunately, he also married a Maud Wheldon and ended up being=20 tried at the Old Bailey for bigamy. After serving a day in prison,=20 he fled with his (first) family to Japan, taught there for some=20 years, and then took up a post at Princeton where he built a species=20 of cannon for automatically pitching baseballs. Crazy guy! One thing that people don't give a lot of consideration to is that=20 it's almost as difficult to think in two dimensions as in four. Try=20 to imagine what Flatlanders would actually see. Abbott is aware that=20 he cheats a bit in his description of this. In the preface to the=20 second edition, he gives a lengthy but not-too-convincing reply to=20 the objection, raised by some readers, that a Flatlander, "seeing a=20 Line, sees something that must be thick to the eye as well as long=20 to the eye (otherwise it would not be visible...)." No matter how=20 hard we try we can't imagine being able to see a line of zero=20 thickness! Of course, higher dimensions are very fashionable in physics these=20 days. But the interest goes way back to an early attempt to unify=20 gravity with electromagnetism. In 1919 Theodor Kaluza pointed out=20 that if you extend general relativity theory (Einstein's theory of=20 gravity) from the normal 4-d spacetime to a 5-d spacetime, the=20 equations can be separated out into ordinary 4-d gravitation plus an=20 extra set, which is equivalent to Maxwell's equations for the=20 electromagnetic field, plus an additional field known as the=20 dilaton. So electromagnetism is explained as a manifestation of=20 curvature in a fourth dimension of space, in the same way that=20 gravitation is explained in Einstein's theory as a manifestation of=20 curvature in the first three. In 1926 Oskar Klein suggested that the=20 reason the extra spatial dimension isn't seen is that=20 it's "compact" -- curled up like a ball with a fantastically small=20 radius. Then, in the 1980s and '90s, the Kaluza-Klein theory was=20 revived and is now embedded in modern string theory. But that's=20 another story. ---------------------------------------------- 3. Bookends More about higher, lower, and fractional dimensions, as well as=20 infinity, surreal numbers, impossible figures, Carrollian=20 conundrums, and goodness-knows-what-else, in my new book The=20 Universal Book of Mathematics, to be published by Wiley in August.=20 I'll soon be setting up some pages on my website with puzzles,=20 paradozes, and other mathematical curiosities to amuse you and=20 perhaps even tempt you into buying the book. You have been warned!=20 Meanwhile, I heartily recommend getting hold of a copy of Abbott's=20 Flatland from the library or bookstore (I believe Princeton UP do a=20 reprint). Until next time, Best wishes, David Darling =20 Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: = http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DarlingsSpace/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: = DarlingsSpace-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: = http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ =20 ------=_NextPart_000_0039_01C40288.245BA490 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2004 3:16 PM
Subject: [DarlingsSpace] David Darling's Newsletter = #19

DAVID DARLING'S=20 NEWSLETTER

--------------------------------------------------=20

Issue #19
March 4, 2004

e-mail: daviddarling@daviddarling.= info
website:=20 http://www.daviddarling.info
--------------------------------------------------

Contents
1.=20 Meanderings
2. Higher Dimensions
3.=20 Bookends

--------------------------------------------------
1.=20 Meanderings

There's just a hint of spring in the air here in = Minnesota --=20 the
snow and ice are finally melting, squirrels are out digging up = the=20
acorns they stashed away last autumn (how on Earth do they remember=20
where they put them?), and there's a general feeling of waking up =
after=20 the long winter hibernation. A couple of weeks ago I had my
first = taste of=20 snow-shoeing thanks to my friend John, who lives
nearby. Now I can = add this=20 to my list of strange and unique
experiences, which include = accidentally=20 standing in front of the
exposed neutron beam from a nuclear reactor = (still=20 awaiting the
consequences!), having my name in lights on Broadway,=20 encountering a
giant crab on the south coast of England, meeting a = Vulcan in=20
Yellowstone Park, and being abducted by aliens. Only one of these =
isn't=20 true (yes, really); I'll tell you which next time.

Amazing data = continue=20 to pour in from the Mars rovers and from the
orbiting Mars Express. = We now=20 know, beyond doubt, that at the
Opportunity rover site there was = once enough=20 water to support life
as we know it. This is really the first time = that=20 we've had proof of
long-standing liquid water anywhere beyond Earth = and it's=20 a crucial
step forward in the search for extraterrestrial life. = Anyhow, more=20
on this and all the other new discoveries from the Red Planet next=20
month. In this issue I want to chat a bit about a subject that's =
always=20 fascinated me, ever since as a young lad I read a book called =
Flatland by=20 Edwin = Abbott.

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

2= =20 Higher Dimensions

We live -- or seem to live -- in a world of = three=20 dimensions: up-
down, forward-backward, and side-to-side. The key = thing about=20 these
is that they lie at right angles to one another. So, what = could=20
possibly be meant by a fourth dimension? Can you imagine another=20
direction that's at right angles to the three we're familiar with? =
How=20 can you think in four (let alone five, six, or more dimensions)
when = you=20 only have a three-dimensional brain? Well, plenty of books
have been = written=20 and a number of schemes devised to nudge our
imaginations into = thinking=20 four-dimensionally. One of the oldest and
best is the book I just = mentioned=20 -- Flatland written in 1884 by
Edwin A. Abbott, an English = clergyman, under=20 the pseudonym "A.
Square". As the title suggests it's all about an = imaginary=20 two-
dimensional world in which the inhabitants have no concept of up = and=20
down.

Flatlanders appear to each other as mere points or = lines (try=20
looking along the edge of a sheet of paper to get the idea). But =
from=20 our privileged, three-dimensional perspective we can look down
on = Flatland=20 and see that its people are "really" a variety of
shapes, including = straight=20 lines (females), narrow isosceles
triangles (soldiers and workmen),=20 equilateral triangles (lower
middle-class men), squares and = pentagons=20 (professional men,
including the author of the tale), hexagons and = other=20 regular
polygons with still more sides (the nobility), and circles=20
(priests). The whole thing is a satire as well as a scientific =
romance=20 and Abbott uses these geometrical distinctions, especially
the = appearance of=20 Flatland females and the working class, as a
commentary on the=20 discrimination against women, the rigid class
system, and the lack = of=20 tolerance for "irregularity" that was
prevalent in Victorian = Britain. In a=20 dream, A. Square visits the one-
dimensional world of Lineland where = he=20 tries, without success, to
persuade the king of Lineland that there = really=20 is such a thing as a
second dimension. In turn, the incredulous Mr. = Square=20 is told of
three-dimensional space by a sphere who moves slowly = through the=20
plane of Flatland, growing and shrinking as his cross-section =
changes in=20 size. Now step up a dimension. Imagine what would happen
if a = hypersphere --=20 a four-dimensional sphere -- were to cut through
our 3-d space. It = would=20 first appear as a tiny bubble, grow to a
sphere of maximum size, and = then=20 shrink again. What we saw as a
growing and shrinking sphere would = really be=20 cross-sections of the
hypersphere as it passed through our=20 universe.

Higher dimensions were all the rage in Victorian times. =
Spiritualists latched on to the idea of the fourth dimension as a =
home=20 for the spirits of the departed. And why not? It would neatly =
explain how=20 ghosts could pass through walls, disappear and reappear
at will, and = see=20 what was invisible to mere three-dimensional
mortals. Some = scientists lent=20 their weight to these claims, often
after being duped by clever = conjuring=20 tricks. There was the
astronomer Karl Z=F6llner, for instance, who = wrote about=20 the four-
dimensional spirit world in his Transcendental Physics = (1881) after=20
attending s=E9ances by Henry Slade, the fraudulent American medium.=20
Recently, an ingenious person suggested to me that the oddly =
changing=20 shapes sometimes reported in connection with UFOs could be
the = result of us=20 seeing various cross sections of these objects as
they intersected = our=20 reality from a higher plane. A good plot for a
science fiction = story, at=20 least -- and who knows?

For most us, analogy is the closest we're = likely=20 to come to mentally
capturing the fourth dimension. Here's another = example.=20 A sketch of
a cube is a 2-d perspective of a real cube, right? So a = real=20 cube
can be thought of as a perspective of a 4-d cube, or tesseract. = At a=20
movie, a 2-d picture represents a 3-d world, whereas if you were to=20
watch the action on the set live, in three-dimensions, this would be =
like a screen projection in four dimensions.

H. G. Wells = dabbled in=20 the fourth dimension in The Time Machine
(1895), and also in The = Invisible=20 Man (1897), in which the central
character drinks a potion = "involving four=20 dimensions," and in "The
Plattner Story" (1876), in which the hero = of the=20 tale, Gottfried
Plattner, is hurled into the fourth dimension by a = school=20 chemistry
experiment that goes wrong and comes back with all his = internal=20
organs switched around. Just as we could lift a right-handed 2-d =
glove=20 out of Flatland, flip it over in our third dimension, and put
it = back as a=20 left-handed glove, so a four-dimensional being could
flip over one = of our=20 3-d gloves or shoes, or, as in Plattner's case,
our entire body, and = make it=20 the mirror image of the original.

Could you train yourself to see = in four=20 dimensions? Some people
think so. Charles Hinton, an eccentric = English-born=20 mathematician,
became obsessed with the problem. Early in his career = he=20 taught for
a few years at Uppingham School. Another teacher there = was Howard=20
Candler, who was a friend of Edwin Abbott, so there may have some=20
cross-fertilization of ideas. Anyhow, in the early 1880s Hinton=20
published a series of pamphlets starting with "What is the Fourth=20
Dimension?" and "A Plane World", which were reprinted in the = two-
volume=20 Scientific Romances (1884). And he became convinced that it
was = possible to=20 learn to see in four dimensions. He built an amazing
set of little = colored=20 cubes to represent the various cross sections
of a tesseract (a name = he may=20 actually have coined) -- versions were
sold commercially -- and then = he=20 memorized the cubes and all their
possible orientations so that he = could (he=20 claimed) mentally
reconstruct the fourth dimension. I said he was = eccentric.=20 At the
time he was teaching in England, he married Mary Everest = Boole, the=20
eldest daughter of George Boole, the founder of mathematical logic.=20
Unfortunately, he also married a Maud Wheldon and ended up being =
tried=20 at the Old Bailey for bigamy. After serving a day in prison,
he fled = with=20 his (first) family to Japan, taught there for some
years, and then = took up a=20 post at Princeton where he built a species
of cannon for = automatically=20 pitching baseballs. Crazy guy!

One thing that people don't give a = lot of=20 consideration to is that
it's almost as difficult to think in two = dimensions=20 as in four. Try
to imagine what Flatlanders would actually see. = Abbott is=20 aware that
he cheats a bit in his description of this. In the = preface to the=20
second edition, he gives a lengthy but not-too-convincing reply to =
the=20 objection, raised by some readers, that a Flatlander, "seeing a =
Line, sees=20 something that must be thick to the eye as well as long
to the eye=20 (otherwise it would not be visible...)." No matter how
hard we try = we can't=20 imagine being able to see a line of zero
thickness!

Of = course, higher=20 dimensions are very fashionable in physics these
days. But the = interest goes=20 way back to an early attempt to unify
gravity with electromagnetism. = In 1919=20 Theodor Kaluza pointed out
that if you extend general relativity = theory=20 (Einstein's theory of
gravity) from the normal 4-d spacetime to a = 5-d=20 spacetime, the
equations can be separated out into ordinary 4-d = gravitation=20 plus an
extra set, which is equivalent to Maxwell's equations for = the=20
electromagnetic field, plus an additional field known as the =
dilaton. So=20 electromagnetism is explained as a manifestation of
curvature in a = fourth=20 dimension of space, in the same way that
gravitation is explained in = Einstein's theory as a manifestation of
curvature in the first = three. In=20 1926 Oskar Klein suggested that the
reason the extra spatial = dimension isn't=20 seen is that
it's "compact" -- curled up like a ball with a = fantastically=20 small
radius. Then, in the 1980s and '90s, the Kaluza-Klein theory = was=20
revived and is now embedded in modern string theory. But that's =
another=20 story.

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

3.=20 Bookends

More about higher, lower, and fractional dimensions, as = well as=20
infinity, surreal numbers, impossible figures, Carrollian =
conundrums,=20 and goodness-knows-what-else, in my new book The
Universal Book of=20 Mathematics, to be published by Wiley in August.
I'll soon be = setting up=20 some pages on my website with puzzles,
paradozes, and other = mathematical=20 curiosities to amuse you and
perhaps even tempt you into buying the = book.=20 You have been warned!
Meanwhile, I heartily recommend getting hold = of a copy=20 of Abbott's
Flatland from the library or bookstore (I believe = Princeton UP=20 do a
reprint).

Until next time,
Best wishes,
David=20 Darling




 

Yahoo! Groups = Links

<*> To=20 visit your group on the web, go to:
     http://groups.yahoo= com/group/DarlingsSpace/

<*>=20 To unsubscribe from this group, send an email = to:
     DarlingsSpace-u= nsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*>=20 Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
     http://docs.yahoo.com/info/ter= ms/
 


------=_NextPart_000_0039_01C40288.245BA490-- From owner-public@setileague.org Fri Mar 5 06:09:20 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i25E9Is5024426; Fri, 5 Mar 2004 06:09:19 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id IAA07936 for public-list; Fri, 5 Mar 2004 08:59:55 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav148.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.178]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id IAA07932; Fri, 5 Mar 2004 08:59:53 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Fri, 5 Mar 2004 05:59:22 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.19 by bay4-dav148.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Fri, 05 Mar 2004 13:59:21 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.19] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Save Hubble Resolution Introduced to House Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 08:59:15 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_009E_01C40290.22C02360" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 08:59:15 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 05 Mar 2004 13:59:22.0160 (UTC) FILETIME=[0F91C300:01C402BA] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_009E_01C40290.22C02360 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Science/Astronomy: * Save Hubble Resolution Introduced in House http://www.space.com/news/congress_hubble_040304.html A Colorado congressman and seven colleagues introduced a resolution in = the U.S. House of Representatives March 3 urging NASA to establish an = independent panel of experts to review its recent decision to forgo any = further servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope. * Making Tracks on Mars http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_devore_tracks_040304.html Eight weeks ago, Spirit had yet roll off the lander onto the surface of = Mars but the view was grand. ------=_NextPart_000_009E_01C40290.22C02360 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Science/Astronomy:

* Save Hubble Resolution Introduced in=20 House
http://www= space.com/news/congress_hubble_040304.html

A=20 Colorado congressman and seven colleagues introduced a resolution in the = U.S.=20 House of Representatives March 3 urging NASA to establish an independent = panel=20 of experts to review its recent decision to forgo any further servicing = of the=20 Hubble Space Telescope.


* Making Tracks on Mars
http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_devore_tracks_040304.html
Eight=20 weeks ago, Spirit had yet roll off the lander onto the surface of Mars = but the=20 view was grand.

------=_NextPart_000_009E_01C40290.22C02360-- From owner-public@setileague.org Fri Mar 5 11:17:50 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i25JHls5009736; Fri, 5 Mar 2004 11:17:48 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id OAA15477 for public-list; Fri, 5 Mar 2004 14:05:26 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav89.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.119]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id OAA15473; Fri, 5 Mar 2004 14:05:23 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Fri, 5 Mar 2004 11:04:52 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.31 by bay4-dav89.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Fri, 05 Mar 2004 19:04:52 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.31] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Seeking Life as We Know It Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 14:04:35 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0144_01C402BA.CAB92380"; type="multipart/alternative" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 14:04:36 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 05 Mar 2004 19:04:52.0818 (UTC) FILETIME=[BD7E3320:01C402E4] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0144_01C402BA.CAB92380 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0145_01C402BA.CAB92380" ------=_NextPart_001_0145_01C402BA.CAB92380 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-water5mar05,0,3560838.story?co= ll=3Dla-news-science Seeking Life as We Know It To all appearances, it has to start with water -- but does it? What is = the likelihood of an ammonia-based alien somewhere in space? By K.C. Cole, Times Staff Writer Albert Einstein once famously wondered whether God had a choice in how = he created the universe. His unanswered question drives physics to this = day. The same question could be asked about the biological universe - = especially now that the rover Opportunity has found signs of ancient = standing water on Mars. NASA's search for alien life is based on the strategy "follow the = water," and for obvious reasons. The only life we know is built on a scaffolding of carbon that floats in = bags of water. Bacteria or brontosaurus, we're all made from the same = basic recipe. But did life have a choice? Could it have evolved from entirely = different ingredients? In looking for water-based life in worlds beyond, = are we making the mistake of peering into a mirror? Why not life in ethanol? suggested Cornell University's Roald Hoffmann, = a Nobel laureate in chemistry. Or ammonia?=20 "Now life in liquid ammonia, that would be colorful," said Hoffmann, = explaining that metals can dissolve in ammonia, "giving bright blue = solutions." And why does the scaffolding have to be carbon?=20 Why not silicon, its neighbor on the periodic table of elements? "We're so dumb about what life is because we only have one example," = said astrobiologist Chris McKay of NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett = Field, near the Bay Area city of Mountain View. "It may be true that we = sail through the universe and everything we find is carbon and water, = but I would hesitate to conclude that based on the one example we have." As a practical matter, NASA's strategy of following the water makes good = sense. "We don't know how to do anything better," McKay said. "We're too stupid = to look for things if we don't know what they are." At $820 million, the twin rover missions have to look at what's most = likely. "If you had to bet, what would you bet on?" asked Stanford = chemist Richard Zare. Still, one has to wonder what else might be out there. The search is complicated by the fact that scientists aren't even sure = what life is exactly. Bizarre new species are discovered on Earth all = the time in the most unlikely places.=20 "We even have trouble understanding what's alive and what's dead," Zare = said. "People still wonder what a virus is." All life as we know it is spun from carbon-based threads swimming in = water solutions. Both carbon and water have unique - some say magical - = properties. Indeed, physics and chemistry strongly suggest that life = might not have had a choice. Water is the most eccentric of liquids. "It's this elusive, magical, = mystery molecule," said James Garvin, lead scientist for the Mars = exploration program at NASA headquarters in Washington. On the face of it, water seems a rather silly molecule - two hydrogen = atoms attached to an oxygen atom in a way that looks like the head of = Mickey Mouse. Even children know its chemical formula: H2O. But the bonds it forms with itself and other molecules are anything but = ordinary.=20 Atoms normally bond by sharing the negatively charged electrons that = buzz around their positively charged nuclei, like people sharing popcorn = at a movie. In water, the oxygen shares one electron with each of its hydrogens, = leaving four extras. These clump together as "lone pairs" that can grab = onto other molecules like prehensile feet. At the same time, the two positive hydrogen nuclei stick out the other = side like arms. The "feet" of one water molecule grab the "arms" of the = other, forming abnormally strong networks. Where one water molecule = goes, the others tend to follow. Thus, water can climb tall trees - hand = over foot, as it were - in defiance of gravity, carrying nutrients from = the soil to the leaves. Chemists say they would expect water to be a gas at room temperature = because it's made up of just a few light atoms. But the strong bonds = make the molecules stick together in a liquid form. Luckily, the bonds aren't so sticky that they form a viscous gel - = something that Boston University physicist Eugene Stanley initially = found perplexing. Water flows freely, he and others discovered, because = water molecules stick to each other only briefly, let go, grab another = partner - whirling an ever-changing cast of partners around in a = molecular square dance.=20 The upshot is that water stays watery over a remarkable range of = temperatures (32 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, to be exact). This is a liquid bonanza for life, which seems to need some form of = fluid to transport things from place to place. In solids, molecules = stick together and can't go much of anywhere. In gases, the molecules = don't get close enough to interact. Water's unbalanced geometry - positive charges on one side, negative on = the other - also gives it a distinctively schizophrenic personality = (although chemists, like psychiatrists, prefer the term bipolar). This = makes it an excellent solvent.=20 One side of a molecule grabs on to negative charges; the other side = grabs the positive. This pulls most things apart, so water can dissolve = almost anything. (If things didn't dissolve, they'd sink to the bottom, = or rise to the top - not good for a free flow of chemical reactions.) Why doesn't life just disintegrate altogether in water then? While water = is one of the most strongly bipolar molecules, it is not the most = reactive - meaning it can make things fall apart (dissolve) without = changing their composition (react). So the parts can be endlessly = rearranged.=20 And as it turns out, the few things water doesn't dissolve are equally = important in assembling life's building blocks. Water hates fat. "It = won't dissolve a spot of grease on my nice silk tie," Stanley said. Water herds these hydrophobic (water-hating) and hydrophilic = (water-loving) molecules into structures such as cells. The hydrophobes = point away from each other, while the hydrophiles look inward. "It's = like circling the wagons," McKay said. Water, in other words, gives living things outsides and insides. The = hostile outside is kept at bay, while inside, the proteins behind nearly = all of life's mechanisms go about their business. "You have 3,000 proteins, minimally, in every cell," said University of = Massachusetts biologist Lynn Margulis, "and every reaction requires = water. Everything else is negotiable." What's the water doing with the proteins exactly? "Everything," Margulis = said. "It's like a loom that you can do the weaving in. It's the matrix = that's holding things in place. Nothing can go on without it."=20 The magical molecule does a whole lot more: For example, it absorbs heat = slowly, and holds on to it for a long time. This stabilizes temperatures = not only in the oceans, but also inside living things - which, lest we = forget, are made mainly of water.=20 Finally, water expands when it freezes, contrary to nearly every other = substance known. That's why ice floats, allowing it to form an = insulating blanket on lakes and ponds for life beneath. Without it, fish = would freeze before they hit the grocer's shelves. Of course, it's hard to ignore one obvious reason life may depend on = water. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. Helium is = the second, but it's inert - so standoffish it doesn't bond with other = atoms at all. Oxygen comes third. Maybe life is made of water simply = because it's there. But some otherwise habitable worlds just don't have water. Are they out = of luck?=20 Not necessarily. "Water's a wonderful molecule," McKay said, "but there = are other wonderful molecules." Ethanol, or grain alcohol, would probably work, concurred UCLA chemist = Ken Houk. Proteins and nucleic acids are soluble in ethanol. But the = liquid is rare in nature because the chemistry needed to produce it is = complicated.=20 In contrast, water "is the easiest fluid to make," Garvin said. As for ammonia (used in smelling salts), it's scarce on Earth, but "you = could easily have an ocean of ammonia," Houk said. In fact, scientists = speculate that Saturn's moon Titan could have such an ocean. Life could = certainly exist at the cold temperatures at which ammonia is liquid = (between minus 28 degrees and minus 108 degrees on Earth). Like water, = ammonia is polar, and an excellent solvent.=20 Even if water does turn out to be the beverage of choice for quenching = life's insatiable thirst, does that mean carbon has to be in the mix = too?=20 Many scientists think it does. "I feel more strongly about carbon than about water," said David Des = Marais, an astrobiologist at NASA Ames Research Center. Again, there's an abundance argument. Carbon is the fourth-most common = element. And life grabs the ingredients at hand. Carbon also has unique properties that allow it to form long chains and = rings easily.=20 Think of carbon as a small atom with four Velcro (actually electronic) = attachment points. One, two or three of these can form links with other = atoms, giving carbon enormous versatility. Almost anything can find a way to attach. So carbon just naturally makes = the kinds of complex molecules life needs.=20 Like water, carbon is a Goldilocks substance: It forms strong, stable = bonds, but not so strong that those bonds can't break off and attach to = something else. "You have this kind of texture," Margulis said, "a range = of properties that change in very subtle ways." Carbon's closest competitor, silicon, is not so subtle. Sitting right = below carbon on the periodic table of elements, it also has four = attachment points, but it's heavier and has different chemical = properties. It can make long chains if you add oxygen, for example. But then = everything it touches turns to stone. "It locks on to things, and folks, = it's over," Zare said. "It's very hard to break the bonds. It's like = rigor mortis." So virtually any attempt at metabolism as we know it = would produce something solid. Solid silicon compounds are already familiar - as rocks, glass, gels, = bricks and, of course, medical implants. Life seems to have ignored silicon, except here and there as structural = material in rice, grasses and microscopic algae. How ironic, Hoffmann = noted, that the silicon worlds we build ourselves (computers, = electronics) now dominate our lives. "This is silicon's revenge!"=20 If there were such a thing as silicon life, it would have to be built on = an entirely different biological model. It probably would be stiff - = unable to breathe, for example, as we do. "You'd have to give up not just carbon but the whole pattern," McKay = said. "We live as bags of liquid. A better model [for silicon life] is = more like computers, a rigid life form that gets its energy from some = electrochemical means directly." Just because we do our chemistry on the inside, he said, doesn't mean = all life does. Silicon life might do its chemistry on the surface. But if silicon life appeared on ancient Earth along with carbon life, as = some speculate (rather wildly) that it might have, it wouldn't stand a = chance from an evolutionary perspective. "You might be able to make living things out of different materials," = said UCLA planetary scientist David Paige. "But I'm comfortable with the = idea that the life we are is the best that we could do given the = constraints of our environment and the laws of physics and chemistry." Those laws of physics and chemistry apply to the entire universe, so = life elsewhere, Paige speculates, might well look familiar. "If we find = a planet that's covered with water, the life forms are likely to look = like fish, because there's a good reason fish look like fish and = dolphins and submarines." Of course, life can't spring from carbon and water alone. At a minimum, life also needs some form of energy - the kind we use from = the sun, or the heat of radioactive decay from deep inside the Earth, or = tidal friction that comes from being a large moon (like Titan) orbiting = a large planet.=20 Life, at its essence, is a mechanism for turning energy into order.=20 Many purely physical processes do that as well: Gravity herds stars into = galaxies. The late Columbia University physicist Gerald Feinberg and New = York University biochemist Robert Shapiro speculated that what they = called "physical life" could exist in solid hydrogen, in neutron stars, = even in interstellar clouds, living on the energy of radiation. This = "radiant life" would consist of individual beings they called = "radiobes." "It may be difficult to think of such systems of being alive," they = acknowledged in an article included in the collection = "Extraterrestrials: Where Are They?" But our own biochemistry - based on = proteins and nucleic acids - does little "to convey the wonders, such as = elephants and Sequoia trees, that ultimately arise from it." Would we recognize these alternative life forms if we saw them? Probably = not. "Our imagination is biased by what we're able to see," Paige said. "We = can't be as clever as the universe. So we have to be careful." One of the mistakes of the 1976 Viking missions to Mars, Paige said, was = looking for life that was "too lifelike." Life, for example, that eats = familiar kinds of food, thrives in similar environments. Since that time, scientists have discovered bizarre new biological = worlds of so-called extremophiles on Earth, thriving in places where = life was thought to be impossible - such as boiling-hot vents at the = bottom of the ocean, shut off from sunlight, subsisting on hydrogen = sulfide.=20 These life forms (giant tube worms, for example) came as a complete = surprise. Now, many scientists believe they may be our earliest = ancestors. More surprises are certainly in store. "We still don't understand how = life works," Houk said. "It's utterly miraculous. Even though it's = sitting there and staring us in the face, we don't understand it." ------=_NextPart_001_0145_01C402BA.CAB92380 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-= water5mar05,0,3560838.story?coll=3Dla-news-science
 
Seeking Life as We Know It

3D*=20 To all appearances, it has to start with water -- but does = it? What is=20 the likelihood of an ammonia-based alien somewhere in = space?

By K.C. Cole, Times Staff Writer
Albert Einstein once famously wondered whether God = had a=20 choice in how he created the universe. His unanswered question drives = physics to=20 this day.

The same question could be asked about the biological = universe=20 =97 especially now that the rover Opportunity has found signs of ancient = standing=20 water on Mars.

NASA's search for alien life is based on the = strategy=20 "follow the water," and for obvious reasons.

The only life we = know is=20 built on a scaffolding of carbon that floats in bags of water. Bacteria = or=20 brontosaurus, we're all made from the same basic recipe.

But did = life=20 have a choice? Could it have evolved from entirely different = ingredients? In=20 looking for water-based life in worlds beyond, are we making the mistake = of=20 peering into a mirror?

Why not life in ethanol? suggested Cornell = University's Roald Hoffmann, a Nobel laureate in chemistry. Or ammonia?=20

"Now life in liquid ammonia, that would be colorful," said = Hoffmann,=20 explaining that metals can dissolve in ammonia, "giving bright blue=20 solutions."

And why does the scaffolding have to be carbon? =

Why=20 not silicon, its neighbor on the periodic table of = elements?

"We're so=20 dumb about what life is because we only have one example," said = astrobiologist=20 Chris McKay of NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, near the Bay = Area=20 city of Mountain View. "It may be true that we sail through the universe = and=20 everything we find is carbon and water, but I would hesitate to conclude = that=20 based on the one example we have."

As a practical matter, NASA's = strategy=20 of following the water makes good sense.

"We don't know how to do = anything better," McKay said. "We're too stupid to look for things if we = don't=20 know what they are."

At $820 million, the twin rover missions = have to=20 look at what's most likely. "If you had to bet, what would you bet on?" = asked=20 Stanford chemist Richard Zare.

Still, one has to wonder what else = might=20 be out there.

The search is complicated by the fact that = scientists=20 aren't even sure what life is exactly. Bizarre new species are = discovered on=20 Earth all the time in the most unlikely places.

"We even have = trouble=20 understanding what's alive and what's dead," Zare said. "People still = wonder=20 what a virus is."

All life as we know it is spun from = carbon-based=20 threads swimming in water solutions. Both carbon and = water have=20 unique =97 some say magical =97 properties. Indeed, physics and = chemistry strongly=20 suggest that life might not have had a choice.

Water is = the most=20 eccentric of liquids. "It's this elusive, magical, mystery molecule," = said James=20 Garvin, lead scientist for the Mars exploration program at NASA = headquarters in=20 Washington.

On the face of it, water seems a rather silly = molecule =97 two=20 hydrogen atoms attached to an oxygen atom in a way that looks like the = head of=20 Mickey Mouse. Even children know its chemical formula: H2O.

But = the bonds=20 it forms with itself and other molecules are anything but ordinary.=20

Atoms normally bond by sharing the negatively charged electrons = that=20 buzz around their positively charged nuclei, like people sharing popcorn = at a=20 movie.

In water, the oxygen shares one electron with each of its=20 hydrogens, leaving four extras. These clump together as "lone pairs" = that can=20 grab onto other molecules like prehensile feet.

At the same time, = the two=20 positive hydrogen nuclei stick out the other side like arms. The "feet" = of one=20 water molecule grab the "arms" of the other, forming abnormally strong = networks.=20 Where one water molecule goes, the others tend to follow. Thus, water = can climb=20 tall trees =97 hand over foot, as it were =97 in defiance of gravity, = carrying=20 nutrients from the soil to the leaves.

Chemists say they would = expect=20 water to be a gas at room temperature because it's made up of just a few = light=20 atoms. But the strong bonds make the molecules stick together in a = liquid=20 form.

Luckily, the bonds aren't so sticky that they form a = viscous gel =97=20 something that Boston University physicist Eugene Stanley initially = found=20 perplexing. Water flows freely, he and others discovered, because water=20 molecules stick to each other only briefly, let go, grab another partner = =97=20 whirling an ever-changing cast of partners around in a molecular square = dance.=20

The upshot is that water stays watery over a remarkable range of = temperatures (32 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, to be exact).

This is = a=20 liquid bonanza for life, which seems to need some form of fluid to = transport=20 things from place to place. In solids, molecules stick together and = can't go=20 much of anywhere. In gases, the molecules don't get close enough to=20 interact.

Water's unbalanced geometry =97 = positive charges=20 on one side, negative on the other =97 also gives it a distinctively = schizophrenic=20 personality (although chemists, like psychiatrists, prefer the term = bipolar).=20 This makes it an excellent solvent.

One side of = a=20 molecule grabs on to negative charges; the other side grabs the = positive. This=20 pulls most things apart, so water can dissolve almost anything. (If = things=20 didn't dissolve, they'd sink to the bottom, or rise to the top =97 not = good for a=20 free flow of chemical reactions.)

Why doesn't life just = disintegrate=20 altogether in water then? While water is one of the most strongly = bipolar=20 molecules, it is not the most reactive =97 meaning it can make things = fall apart=20 (dissolve) without changing their composition (react). So the parts can = be=20 endlessly rearranged.

And as it turns out, the = few=20 things water doesn't dissolve are equally important in assembling life's = building blocks. Water hates fat. "It won't dissolve a spot of grease on = my nice=20 silk tie," Stanley said.

Water herds these hydrophobic = (water-hating) and=20 hydrophilic (water-loving) molecules into structures such as cells. The=20 hydrophobes point away from each other, while the hydrophiles look = inward. "It's=20 like circling the wagons," McKay said.

Water, in other words, = gives=20 living things outsides and insides. The hostile outside is kept at bay, = while=20 inside, the proteins behind nearly all of life's mechanisms go about = their=20 business.

"You have 3,000 proteins, minimally, in every cell," = said=20 University of Massachusetts biologist Lynn Margulis, "and every reaction = requires water. Everything else is negotiable."

What's the water = doing=20 with the proteins exactly? "Everything," Margulis said. "It's like a = loom that=20 you can do the weaving in. It's the matrix that's holding things in = place.=20 Nothing can go on without it."

The magical molecule does a whole = lot=20 more: For example, it absorbs heat slowly, and holds on to it for a long = time.=20 This stabilizes temperatures not only in the oceans, but also inside = living=20 things =97 which, lest we forget, are made mainly of water. =

Finally, water=20 expands when it freezes, contrary to nearly every other substance known. = That's=20 why ice floats, allowing it to form an insulating blanket on lakes and = ponds for=20 life beneath. Without it, fish would freeze before they hit the grocer's = shelves.

Of course, it's hard to ignore one obvious reason life = may=20 depend on water. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. = Helium=20 is the second, but it's inert =97 so standoffish it doesn't bond with = other atoms=20 at all. Oxygen comes third. Maybe life is made of water simply because = it's=20 there.

But some otherwise habitable worlds just don't have water. = Are=20 they out of luck?

Not necessarily. "Water's a wonderful = molecule," McKay=20 said, "but there are other wonderful molecules."

Ethanol, or = grain=20 alcohol, would probably work, concurred UCLA chemist Ken Houk. Proteins = and=20 nucleic acids are soluble in ethanol. But the liquid is rare in nature = because=20 the chemistry needed to produce it is complicated.

In contrast, = water=20 "is the easiest fluid to make," Garvin said.

As for ammonia (used = in=20 smelling salts), it's scarce on Earth, but "you could easily have an = ocean of=20 ammonia," Houk said. In fact, scientists speculate that Saturn's moon = Titan=20 could have such an ocean. Life could certainly exist at the cold = temperatures at=20 which ammonia is liquid (between minus 28 degrees and minus 108 degrees = on=20 Earth). Like water, ammonia is polar, and an excellent solvent. =

Even if=20 water does turn out to be the beverage of choice for quenching life's = insatiable=20 thirst, does that mean carbon has to be in the mix too?

Many = scientists=20 think it does.

"I feel more strongly about carbon than about = water," said=20 David Des Marais, an astrobiologist at NASA Ames Research = Center.

Again,=20 there's an abundance argument. Carbon is the fourth-most common element. = And=20 life grabs the ingredients at hand.

Carbon also has unique = properties=20 that allow it to form long chains and rings easily.

Think of = carbon as a=20 small atom with four Velcro (actually electronic) attachment points. = One, two or=20 three of these can form links with other atoms, giving carbon enormous=20 versatility.

Almost anything can find a way to attach. So carbon = just=20 naturally makes the kinds of complex molecules life needs.

Like = water,=20 carbon is a Goldilocks substance: It forms strong, stable bonds, but not = so=20 strong that those bonds can't break off and attach to something else. = "You have=20 this kind of texture," Margulis said, "a range of properties that change = in very=20 subtle ways."

Carbon's closest competitor, silicon, is not so = subtle.=20 Sitting right below carbon on the periodic table of elements, it also = has four=20 attachment points, but it's heavier and has different chemical=20 properties.

It can make long chains if you add oxygen, for = example. But=20 then everything it touches turns to stone. "It locks on to things, and = folks,=20 it's over," Zare said. "It's very hard to break the bonds. It's like = rigor=20 mortis." So virtually any attempt at metabolism as we know it would = produce=20 something solid.

Solid silicon compounds are already familiar =97 = as rocks,=20 glass, gels, bricks and, of course, medical implants.

Life seems = to have=20 ignored silicon, except here and there as structural material in rice, = grasses=20 and microscopic algae. How ironic, Hoffmann noted, that the silicon = worlds we=20 build ourselves (computers, electronics) now dominate our lives. "This = is=20 silicon's revenge!"

If there were such a thing as silicon life, = it would=20 have to be built on an entirely different biological model. It probably = would be=20 stiff =97 unable to breathe, for example, as we do.

"You'd have = to give up=20 not just carbon but the whole pattern," McKay said. "We live as bags of = liquid.=20 A better model [for silicon life] is more like computers, a rigid life = form that=20 gets its energy from some electrochemical means directly."

Just = because=20 we do our chemistry on the inside, he said, doesn't mean all life does. = Silicon=20 life might do its chemistry on the surface.

But if silicon life = appeared=20 on ancient Earth along with carbon life, as some speculate (rather = wildly) that=20 it might have, it wouldn't stand a chance from an evolutionary=20 perspective.

"You might be able to make living things out of = different=20 materials," said UCLA planetary scientist David Paige. "But I'm = comfortable with=20 the idea that the life we are is the best that we could do given the = constraints=20 of our environment and the laws of physics and chemistry."

Those = laws of=20 physics and chemistry apply to the entire universe, so life elsewhere, = Paige=20 speculates, might well look familiar. "If we find a planet that's = covered with=20 water, the life forms are likely to look like fish, because there's a = good=20 reason fish look like fish and dolphins and submarines."

Of = course, life=20 can't spring from carbon and water alone.

At a minimum, life also = needs=20 some form of energy =97 the kind we use from the sun, or the heat of = radioactive=20 decay from deep inside the Earth, or tidal friction that comes from = being a=20 large moon (like Titan) orbiting a large planet.

Life, at its = essence,=20 is a mechanism for turning energy into order.

Many purely = physical=20 processes do that as well: Gravity herds stars into galaxies. The late = Columbia=20 University physicist Gerald Feinberg and New York University biochemist = Robert=20 Shapiro speculated that what they called "physical life" could exist in = solid=20 hydrogen, in neutron stars, even in interstellar clouds, living on the = energy of=20 radiation. This "radiant life" would consist of individual beings they = called=20 "radiobes."

"It may be difficult to think of such systems of = being=20 alive," they acknowledged in an article included in the collection=20 "Extraterrestrials: Where Are They?" But our own biochemistry =97 based = on=20 proteins and nucleic acids =97 does little "to convey the wonders, such = as=20 elephants and Sequoia trees, that ultimately arise from = it."

Would we=20 recognize these alternative life forms if we saw them? Probably = not.

"Our=20 imagination is biased by what we're able to see," Paige said. "We can't = be as=20 clever as the universe. So we have to be careful."

One of the = mistakes of=20 the 1976 Viking missions to Mars, Paige said, was looking for life that = was "too=20 lifelike." Life, for example, that eats familiar kinds of food, thrives = in=20 similar environments.

Since that time, scientists have discovered = bizarre=20 new biological worlds of so-called extremophiles on Earth, thriving in = places=20 where life was thought to be impossible =97 such as boiling-hot vents at = the=20 bottom of the ocean, shut off from sunlight, subsisting on hydrogen = sulfide.=20

These life forms (giant tube worms, for example) came as a = complete=20 surprise. Now, many scientists believe they may be our earliest=20 ancestors.

More surprises are certainly in store. "We still don't = understand how life works," Houk said. "It's utterly miraculous. Even = though=20 it's sitting there and staring us in the face, we don't understand=20 it."
 
------=_NextPart_001_0145_01C402BA.CAB92380-- ------=_NextPart_000_0144_01C402BA.CAB92380 Content-Type: image/gif; name="blackpix.gif" Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 Content-Location: http://www.latimes.com/images/standard/blackpix.gif R0lGODdhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs= ------=_NextPart_000_0144_01C402BA.CAB92380-- From owner-public@setileague.org Fri Mar 5 13:16:39 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i25LGbs5024600; Fri, 5 Mar 2004 13:16:38 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id QAA18505 for public-list; Fri, 5 Mar 2004 16:07:31 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav53.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.83]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id QAA18501; Fri, 5 Mar 2004 16:07:29 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Fri, 5 Mar 2004 13:06:58 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.31 by bay4-dav53.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Fri, 05 Mar 2004 21:06:58 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.31] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Atlantic Monthly article on Mars by Percival Lowell from 1895 online Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 16:06:47 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0267_01C402CB.DC710EB0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 16:06:47 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 05 Mar 2004 21:06:58.0273 (UTC) FILETIME=[CBCDED10:01C402F5] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0267_01C402CB.DC710EB0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Amid the seemingly countless stars that on a clear night spangle the = vast dome overhead, there appeared last autumn to be a new-comer, a very = large and ruddy one, that rose at sunset through the haze about the = horizon. That star was the planet Mars, so conspicuous when in such = position as often to be taken for a portent. Large as he then looked, = however, he is in truth but a secondary planet traveling round a = secondary sun; but his interest for us is out of all proportion to his = actual size or his relative importance in the cosmos. For that sun is = our own; and that planet is, with the exception of the moon, our next to = nearest neighbor in space, Venus alone ever approaching us closer. From = him, therefore, of all the heavenly bodies, may we expect first to learn = something beyond celestial mechanics, beyond even celestial chemistry; = something in answer to the mute query that man instinctively makes as he = gazes at the stars, whether there be life in worlds other than his own. For the rest... http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/1895may/lowell.htm ------=_NextPart_000_0267_01C402CB.DC710EB0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Amid the seemingly countless stars that on a clear night spangle = the vast=20 dome overhead, there appeared last autumn to be a new-comer, a very = large and=20 ruddy one, that rose at sunset through the haze about the horizon. That = star was=20 the planet Mars, so conspicuous when in such position as often to be = taken for a=20 portent. Large as he then looked, however, he is in truth but a = secondary planet=20 traveling round a secondary sun; but his interest for us is out of all=20 proportion to his actual size or his relative importance in the cosmos. = For that=20 sun is our own; and that planet is, with the exception of the moon, our = next to=20 nearest neighbor in space, Venus alone ever approaching us closer. From = him,=20 therefore, of all the heavenly bodies, may we expect first to learn = something=20 beyond celestial mechanics, beyond even celestial chemistry; something = in answer=20 to the mute query that man instinctively makes as he gazes at the stars, = whether=20 there be life in worlds other than his own.
For the rest...
 
------=_NextPart_000_0267_01C402CB.DC710EB0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Sat Mar 6 11:46:00 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i26Jjws5004751; Sat, 6 Mar 2004 11:45:59 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id OAA20825 for public-list; Sat, 6 Mar 2004 14:35:45 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav86.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.116]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id OAA20821; Sat, 6 Mar 2004 14:35:42 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Sat, 6 Mar 2004 11:35:11 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.14 by bay4-dav86.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Sat, 06 Mar 2004 19:35:11 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.14] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Could Mars have sulfur-lovig microbes? Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2004 14:35:01 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_00C4_01C40388.353D4560" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Sat, 6 Mar 2004 14:35:01 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 06 Mar 2004 19:35:11.0516 (UTC) FILETIME=[23EF3DC0:01C403B2] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00C4_01C40388.353D4560 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Mars, A Sulfate Salty Planet -=20 Could It Have Sulfate-Loving Microbes? March 5, 2004 Pasadena, California - When the Opportunity rover's rock = abrasion tool (RAT) drilled a hole in a piece of Martian bedrock called = "McKittrick" in late February, NASA/JPL scientists were surprised that = the sulfur content jumped up four times higher than the amount = registered on the surface of the rock. When the rover moved over to = another piece of bedrock called "Guadalupe," the sulfur amount jumped up = to five times more than measured in the soil. At this week's NASA press = conference in Washington, D. C., respected geochemist, Benton C. Clark, = member of the Mars Explorer Rover (MER) science team and Chief Scientist = of Space Exploration at Lockheed Martin said, "This supposed rock now = looks like it is a chemical sediment." Sedimentation of high = concentrations of sulfur and sulfate salts on earth means solution in = water, the water evaporated, and left the salts.=20 At the press conference, geochemist Clark compared the surprisingly high = bedrock sulfur concentration to a common household product on Earth. http://www.earthfiles.com/news/news.cfm?ID=3D676&category=3DScience ------=_NextPart_000_00C4_01C40388.353D4560 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Mars, A Sulfate Salty Planet -
Could It = Have=20 Sulfate-Loving Microbes?
 
March 5, 2004  Pasadena, California = - When the Opportunity rover's rock abrasion tool (RAT) = drilled a hole=20 in a piece of Martian bedrock called "McKittrick" in late February, = NASA/JPL=20 scientists were surprised that the sulfur content jumped up four times = higher=20 than the amount registered on the surface of the rock. When the rover = moved over=20 to another piece of bedrock called "Guadalupe," the sulfur amount jumped = up to=20 five times more than measured in the soil. At this week's NASA press = conference=20 in Washington, D. C., respected geochemist, Benton C. Clark, member of = the Mars=20 Explorer Rover (MER) science team and Chief Scientist of Space = Exploration at=20 Lockheed Martin said, "This supposed rock now looks like it is a = chemical=20 sediment." Sedimentation of high concentrations of sulfur and sulfate = salts on=20 earth means solution in water, the water evaporated, and left the = salts.=20

At the press conference, geochemist Clark compared = the=20 surprisingly high bedrock sulfur concentration to a common household = product on=20 Earth.

 
http://www.earthfiles.com/news/news.cfm?ID=3D676&category=3DS= cience
 
 
------=_NextPart_000_00C4_01C40388.353D4560-- From owner-public@setileague.org Sat Mar 6 13:11:32 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i26LBVs5002339; Sat, 6 Mar 2004 13:11:32 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id PAA22722 for public-list; Sat, 6 Mar 2004 15:55:29 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav19.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.170.123]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id PAA22703; Sat, 6 Mar 2004 15:55:25 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Sat, 6 Mar 2004 12:54:54 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.14 by bay4-dav19.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Sat, 06 Mar 2004 20:54:54 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.14] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Mars Rover Opportunity Captures First Solar Transit of Deimos Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2004 15:54:45 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0154_01C40393.589370B0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Sat, 6 Mar 2004 15:54:45 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 06 Mar 2004 20:54:54.0529 (UTC) FILETIME=[46D51B10:01C403BD] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0154_01C40393.589370B0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Opportunity Mars rover used its Panoramic Camera to watch the rare solar = crossing of the Sun by the martian moon Deimos Thursday. The rare solar transit of the martian moon occurs only twice per Mars = year (one Mars year equals roughly two Earth years).=20 Deimos is a dark body that appears to be composed of C-type surface = materials, similar to that of asteroids found in the outer asteroid = belt. Named after the Roman God of dread, Deimos is the smaller of Mars' = two moons. Deimos whirls around Mars every 30 hours. The natural moon is = 10 by 7.5 miles (16 by 12 kilometers) in size.=20 http://space.com/scienceastronomy/deimos_transit_040305.html ------=_NextPart_000_0154_01C40393.589370B0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Opportunity Mars rover used its Panoramic = Camera to=20 watch the rare solar crossing of the Sun by the martian moon Deimos=20 Thursday.

The rare solar transit of the martian = moon occurs=20 only twice per Mars year (one Mars year equals roughly two Earth years). =

Deimos is a dark body that appears to be = composed of=20 C-type surface materials, similar to that of asteroids found in the = outer=20 asteroid belt. Named after the Roman God of dread, Deimos is the smaller = of=20 Mars' two moons. Deimos whirls around Mars every 30 hours. The natural = moon is=20 10 by 7.5 miles (16 by 12 kilometers) in size.

 
 
 
------=_NextPart_000_0154_01C40393.589370B0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Sun Mar 7 07:39:39 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i27Fdbs5003175; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 07:39:38 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id KAA18925 for public-list; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 10:28:36 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav135.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.165]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id KAA18921; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 10:28:33 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 07:28:02 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.22 by bay4-dav135.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Sun, 07 Mar 2004 15:28:01 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.22] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Icarus Rising Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2004 10:27:58 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_004C_01C4042E.DC907D40" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Sun, 7 Mar 2004 10:27:58 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 07 Mar 2004 15:28:02.0114 (UTC) FILETIME=[C755D220:01C40458] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_004C_01C4042E.DC907D40 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Icarus Rising: Why the Discovery of Water on Mars Is Great Turning = Point in Human History =20 An excerpt: And that brings us to Tuesday's news: a family murdered in the South; = hundreds killed in a bombing in Iraq; the latest updates on the Kobe and = Martha trials; Bernie Ebbers does the perp walk; The Passion of the = Christ is boffo box office; Barry Bonds may have bought steroids, . oh, = and they found evidence of water on Mars.=20 All riveting stuff, just like the news every day. But it was that last = one that drew me up straight in my office chair. Did I just hear the = doors of history creak open again? Or am I just too sensitized about = this stuff?=20 Certainly the newscasters didn't think it that big of a deal. They = covered the NASA press conference for a couple of minutes, then quickly = cut to Super Tuesday coverage and Peyton Manning's new Colts contract.=20 And, in terms of its impact on our lives today, next week or even next = year, Martian water seems mighty low on the personal priority list.=20 And yet, could this be our Mus=E9e des Beaux Arts moment? Are we the = ploughman so focused (in his case literally, in ours figuratively) on = the rear end of horse, that we ignore the gods at work around us?=20 = http://abcnews.go.com/sections/SciTech/SiliconInsider/SiliconInsider-2.ht= ml ------=_NextPart_000_004C_01C4042E.DC907D40 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

 Icarus Rising:  Why the Discovery of Water on Mars Is = Great=20 Turning Point in Human History  

 
An excerpt:

And that brings us to Tuesday's news: a family murdered in the South; = hundreds killed in a bombing in Iraq; the latest updates on the Kobe and = Martha=20 trials; Bernie Ebbers does the perp walk; The Passion of the = Christ is=20 boffo box office; Barry Bonds may have bought steroids, =85 oh, and they = found=20 evidence of water on Mars.=20

All riveting stuff, just like the news every day. But it was that = last one=20 that drew me up straight in my office chair. Did I just hear the doors = of=20 history creak open again? Or am I just too sensitized about this stuff?=20

Certainly the newscasters didn't think it that big of a deal. They = covered=20 the NASA press conference for a couple of minutes, then quickly cut to = Super=20 Tuesday coverage and Peyton Manning's new Colts contract.=20

And, in terms of its impact on our lives today, next week or even = next year,=20 Martian water seems mighty low on the personal priority list.=20

And yet, could this be our Mus=E9e des Beaux Arts moment? Are we the = ploughman=20 so focused (in his case literally, in ours figuratively) on the rear end = of=20 horse, that we ignore the gods at work around us?

 http://abcnews.go.com/sections/SciTech/SiliconInsider/Silicon= Insider-2.html
 
 
------=_NextPart_000_004C_01C4042E.DC907D40-- From owner-public@setileague.org Sun Mar 7 08:25:31 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i27GPTs5027342; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 08:25:30 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id LAA20105 for public-list; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 11:17:19 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav32.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.62]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id LAA20101; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 11:17:17 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 08:16:46 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.22 by bay4-dav32.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Sun, 07 Mar 2004 16:16:45 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.22] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: An Anomalous SETI Signal - The SETI League in APOD Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2004 11:16:39 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_00CC_01C40435.A94CB190" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Sun, 7 Mar 2004 11:16:39 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 07 Mar 2004 16:16:46.0087 (UTC) FILETIME=[9628B170:01C4045F] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00CC_01C40435.A94CB190 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040307.html An Anomalous SETI Signal=20 Credit & Copyright: SETI = League=20 Explanation: No one knows for sure what caused this = signal. There is a = slight possibility that it just might originate from an extraterrestrial = intelligence. The bright = colors on the blue background indicate that an anomalous signal was = received here on Earth by a radio = telescope involved in a = Search for Extraterrestrial = Intelligence (SETI). A = search for these signals is ongoing by several = groups including = volunteer members of the SETI = League. Time labels the = vertical axis of the above plot, = and frequency marks the horizontal axis. Although this strong = signal was never positively = identified, astronomers have identified in it many attributes = characteristic of a more mundane and ultimately terrestrial origin. In = this case, a leading = possibility is that the signal originates from an unusual modulation = between a GPS satellite and an = unidentified Earth-based source. Many unusual = signals from space remain = unidentified. No signal = has yet been strong enough or run long enough to be unambiguously = identified as originating from an = extraterrestrial intelligence.=20 ------=_NextPart_000_00CC_01C40435.A94CB190 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
An Anomalous SETI Signal
Credit & = Copyright:=20 SETI=20 League

Explanation: No one knows for sure what caused this signal. = There is a=20 slight possibility that it just might originate from an extraterrestrial = intelligence. The bright colors on the blue background indicate that = an=20 anomalous signal was received here on Earth by a radio = telescope=20 involved in a Search for=20 Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). A search for these signals is = ongoing=20 by several = groups=20 including volunteer members of the SETI League. Time = labels=20 the vertical axis of the above plot, and = frequency=20 marks the horizontal axis. Although this strong = signal was=20 never positively identified, astronomers have identified in it many = attributes=20 characteristic of a more mundane and ultimately terrestrial origin. In = this case, a = leading=20 possibility is that the signal originates from an unusual modulation = between a=20 GPS satellite and an=20 unidentified Earth-based source. Many unusual signals = from space=20 remain unidentified. No signal has = yet been=20 strong enough or run long enough to be unambiguously identified as = originating from an=20 extraterrestrial = intelligence.

 

------=_NextPart_000_00CC_01C40435.A94CB190-- From owner-public@setileague.org Sun Mar 7 09:30:30 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i27HUSs5024931; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 09:30:29 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id MAA21560 for public-list; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 12:17:03 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav111.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.141]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id MAA21553; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 12:16:58 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 09:16:26 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.23 by bay4-dav111.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Sun, 07 Mar 2004 17:16:26 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.23] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Space and time, strings attached Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2004 12:16:03 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0150_01C4043D.F5EA84C0"; type="multipart/alternative" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Sun, 7 Mar 2004 12:16:03 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 07 Mar 2004 17:16:26.0573 (UTC) FILETIME=[EC4B7FD0:01C40467] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0150_01C4043D.F5EA84C0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0151_01C4043D.F5EA84C0" ------=_NextPart_001_0151_01C4043D.F5EA84C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-bk-cole7mar07,0,5382023.story?coll= =3Dla-news-science Space and time, strings attached The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality, = Brian Greene, Alfred A. Knopf: 574 pp., $28.95 By K.C. Cole, K.C. Cole is a science writer for The Times and author of = "Mind Over Matter: Conversations With the Cosmos" and "The Hole in the = Universe: How Scientists Peered Over the Edge of Emptiness and Found Ev A few years ago, Brian Greene, a mathematician and physicist at Columbia = University, wrote a witty, deep, yet wholly accessible book on the = remote subject of string theory, which deservedly became a bestseller = and made Greene the closest thing to a rock star in his field. He was = even the host of a TV show based on the book, "The Elegant Universe: = Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory." Such a debut is hard to live up to, and Greene's new book, "The Fabric = of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality," does lack some = of the loveliness of his first. The difficulty comes with the territory: = This book covers all of space and time - which includes just about = everything in physics and sometimes reads that way. At his best, though, = Greene is as elegant as ever, cutting through the fog of complexity with = insight and clarity; space and time, you might even say, become putty in = his hands. In the end, Greene confirms our worst fears: Rumors of the doom of space = and time have not been exaggerated. They've been unraveling ever since = Albert Einstein, and the worst is yet to come. Understanding the "why" = requires confronting a question that has blown minds for millenniums: = What are space and time, anyway? Begin by leaving your smug notions of = "reality" at the door. "It's easy to be seduced by the face nature = reveals directly to our senses," writes Greene, who compares everyday = reality to a magic act in which nature tricks us with her clever = sleights of hand. "In recent years, physicists have expended much effort = in trying to explain nature's ruse." What they've found is enough to turn your insides out. Take space. Is it = real? The argument has raged for centuries. Isaac Newton unambiguously = asserted that space is "out there" like a chess board on which we play = our lives; philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz scoffed, saying = space is merely a way to order relationships between objects - no more = real than a family tree. Einstein turned Newton's solid space to taffy, = showing that it stretched and shrank depending on the relative motion of = observers. Then he warped it, and so explained gravity. But even = Einstein wasn't willing to believe the implications of quantum = mechanics, which predicted that two particles having no contact = whatsoever can somehow be in touch over arbitrarily large swaths of = space - an obvious absurdity. Yet laboratory experiments have since = demonstrated that particles do just that. And what is "space" if it = doesn't separate one thing from another? As for time, it too feels intuitively "out there." Newton saw it as a = cosmic metronome that orders events: Future follows present follows = past. But Einstein showed that two observers can't even agree on which = events are simultaneous - never mind how fast time flows. "These theories," Greene writes, "showed that we each pick up a shard of = Newton's old universal time and carry it with us." Worse, we can't even = pass from one moment to the next because all moments are ever-present. Consider: Someone writes you a letter from New York, saying it's snowing = "now." Two days later, you receive the letter. Is it snowing "now"? When = is "now," anyway? And where?=20 You don't have to decide because each moment exists for always somewhere = in space-time. "If you were having a great time at the stroke of = midnight on New Year's Eve, 1999," Greene writes, "you still are." = Wherever you go, it's here. Whenever it is, it's now. This is not your = grandfather's clock. Between relativity and quantum mechanics, there's = no where to stand; no when to stand, either. Greene explains much of this through the imaginary adventures of Marge, = Bart, Lisa, Homer and a large cast of other characters drawn from = popular culture. In "The Elegant Universe," Isaac and Albert, George and = Gracie, played similar roles. But many of his "thought experiments" in = "The Fabric of the Cosmos" are so overwrought that they become = confusing. It's hard to imagine a story starring Scully and Mulder = that's harder to follow than an episode of "The X-Files." But here it = is.=20 Soon enough, though, Greene woos us back, explaining ideas in clear, = direct, often poetic language. For example, one of the ways our everyday = notions of "here" and "now" may emerge from the state of all heres, all = nows, is through the act of observation. Once we note something, we pin = it down. The underlying reason is that particles are really probability waves, = and waves don't occupy a single time or space. Your observation "breaks" = the wave - bringing about what physicists call the "collapse of the wave = function." The description of how all this works (and how it doesn't) is = as good as it gets. And yet, Greene writes, "[a]fter more than seven = decades, no one understands how or even whether the collapse of a = probability wave really happens."=20 However it happens, the implications are freaky: When you break the = wave, you not only determine the future, you also determine, in a sense, = the past - because you've "pruned" all the possible heres and nows that = didn't lead to the present you observe.=20 When Greene turns to big-time space-time, or cosmology, the book loses = focus, embracing so much that the picture blurs, points get diluted. An = entire chapter is devoted to the notion that time is the direction of = increasing disorder, which is why eggs don't unscramble. The punch line = here is important: The laws of physics don't tell time which way to go. = So where does the arrow come from? Somehow, the fiery big bang put the = universe into an almost impossibly ordered state, from which it has been = running down ever since. "A splattered egg," he writes, "tells us = something very deep about the big bang."=20 Very nicely put. But how many times - and in how many ways - do we need = to be told that ice cubes melt rather than spontaneously appear out of = warm water? Another chapter is devoted to the Higgs field, a kind of universal = molasses physicists think all particles slog through, thus acquiring = mass. True, the "freezing" of the Higgs field did happen in space and = time, and has to do with infusing order into the universe, but this = discussion does little to illuminate the fundamental nature of space = itself. (By the time he gets to the pile of worms in the hot bowl with = the frog, you want to jump in yourself.) It's also hard to imagine a reader sophisticated enough to enjoy this = book who won't be annoyed by such statements as: "When things get hot or = cold, they sometimes change."=20 There are other tics: Too much is described as "bizarre," "profound," = "mind-boggling," "shocking." Greene is at his best when he seems to be = trying the least: Imagining space-time as a warm loaf of bread, for = example. He's most endearing when he allows himself to contemplate = things quietly. Do particles really take all possible paths through = space and time, or is this just a story physicists use to make sense of = the facts? "I wish I could give you a definitive answer," he writes, = palpably wistful. "But I can't." Or: "One can't help feeling that the = fantastic predictive power of quantum mechanics means that it is tapping = into a hidden reality that underlies the workings of the universe."=20 We can't yet see this hidden reality - the magician behind the special = effects. But there is some hope, perhaps through string theory, Greene's = specialty, which describes everything from gravity to garbage as "loops = and snippets of energy." Perhaps string theory eventually will allow = physicists to pull back the curtain all the way to the big bang and = reveal at last how the universe got so orderly. (For now, the most = probable answer is that this was merely a probabilistic fluke - like = tossing a coin and getting 10 heads in a row.) In the meantime, string theory has, among other things, increased the = number of spatial dimensions to 10. Creepier still, extensions of string = theory imply that descriptions of reality using, say, four dimensions = are equivalent to descriptions of the same reality using three or five.=20 "More and more," Greene writes, "these clues point toward the conclusion = that the form of space-time is an adorning detail that varies from one = formulation of a physical theory to the next, rather than being a = fundamental element of reality."=20 None of this is science if not proved by experiment, and Greene = describes some of the ways this might, in fact, happen. Perhaps, the = evidence is right in front of our noses, encoded in the cosmic microwave = background, the afterglow of the big bang. "Maybe," Greene writes, "the universe has already drawn out the = microscopic fibers of the fabric of the cosmos and unfurled them clear = across the sky, and all we need do is learn how to recognize the = pattern." Sheer loveliness. .=20 * (BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX) >From 'The Fabric of the Cosmos' Physicists spend a large part of their lives in a state of confusion. = It's an occupational hazard. To excel in physics is to embrace doubt = while walking the winding road to clarity. The tantalizing discomfort of = perplexity is what inspires otherwise ordinary men and women to = extraordinary feats of ingenuity and creativity; nothing quite focuses = the mind like dissonant details awaiting harmonious resolution. But en = route to explanation . theorists must tread with considered step through = the jungle of bewilderment, guided mostly by hunches, inklings, clues = and calculations.. Nature does not give up her secrets lightly.=20 ------=_NextPart_001_0151_01C4043D.F5EA84C0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-bk-col= e7mar07,0,5382023.story?coll=3Dla-news-science
 
Space and time, strings = attached

3D*=20 The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of = Reality,=20 Brian Greene, Alfred A. Knopf: 574 pp., $28.95
By K.C. Cole, K.C. = Cole is a=20 science writer for The Times and author of "Mind Over Matter: = Conversations With=20 the Cosmos" and "The Hole in the Universe: How Scientists Peered Over = the Edge=20 of Emptiness and Found Ev
A few years ago, Brian Greene, a mathematician and = physicist=20 at Columbia University, wrote a witty, deep, yet wholly accessible book = on the=20 remote subject of string theory, which deservedly became a bestseller = and made=20 Greene the closest thing to a rock star in his field. He was even the = host of a=20 TV show based on the book, "The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden=20 Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory."

Such a debut = is hard=20 to live up to, and Greene's new book, "The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, = Time,=20 and the Texture of Reality," does lack some of the loveliness of his = first. The=20 difficulty comes with the territory: This book covers all of space and = time =97=20 which includes just about everything in physics and sometimes reads that = way. At=20 his best, though, Greene is as elegant as ever, cutting through the fog = of=20 complexity with insight and clarity; space and time, you might even say, = become=20 putty in his hands.

In the end, Greene confirms our worst fears: = Rumors=20 of the doom of space and time have not been exaggerated. They've been = unraveling=20 ever since Albert Einstein, and the worst is yet to come. Understanding = the=20 "why" requires confronting a question that has blown minds for = millenniums: What=20 are space and time, anyway? Begin by leaving your smug notions of = "reality" at=20 the door. "It's easy to be seduced by the face nature reveals directly = to our=20 senses," writes Greene, who compares everyday reality to a magic act in = which=20 nature tricks us with her clever sleights of hand. "In recent years, = physicists=20 have expended much effort in trying to explain nature's = ruse."

What=20 they've found is enough to turn your insides out. Take space. Is it = real? The=20 argument has raged for centuries. Isaac Newton unambiguously asserted = that space=20 is "out there" like a chess board on which we play our lives; = philosopher=20 Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz scoffed, saying space is merely a way to = order=20 relationships between objects =97 no more real than a family tree. = Einstein turned=20 Newton's solid space to taffy, showing that it stretched and shrank = depending on=20 the relative motion of observers. Then he warped it, and so explained = gravity.=20 But even Einstein wasn't willing to believe the implications of quantum=20 mechanics, which predicted that two particles having no contact = whatsoever can=20 somehow be in touch over arbitrarily large swaths of space =97 an = obvious=20 absurdity. Yet laboratory experiments have since demonstrated that = particles do=20 just that. And what is "space" if it doesn't separate one thing from=20 another?

As for time, it too feels intuitively "out there." = Newton saw it=20 as a cosmic metronome that orders events: Future follows present follows = past.=20 But Einstein showed that two observers can't even agree on which events = are=20 simultaneous =97 never mind how fast time flows.

"These = theories," Greene=20 writes, "showed that we each pick up a shard of Newton's old universal = time and=20 carry it with us." Worse, we can't even pass from one moment to the next = because=20 all moments are ever-present.

Consider: Someone writes you a = letter from=20 New York, saying it's snowing "now." Two days later, you receive the = letter. Is=20 it snowing "now"? When is "now," anyway? And where?

You don't = have to=20 decide because each moment exists for always somewhere in space-time. = "If you=20 were having a great time at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, = 1999,"=20 Greene writes, "you still are." Wherever you go, it's here. Whenever it = is, it's=20 now. This is not your grandfather's clock. Between relativity and = quantum=20 mechanics, there's no where to stand; no when to stand, = either.

Greene=20 explains much of this through the imaginary adventures of Marge, Bart, = Lisa,=20 Homer and a large cast of other characters drawn from popular culture. = In "The=20 Elegant Universe," Isaac and Albert, George and Gracie, played similar = roles.=20 But many of his "thought experiments" in "The Fabric of the Cosmos" are = so=20 overwrought that they become confusing. It's hard to imagine a story = starring=20 Scully and Mulder that's harder to follow than an episode of "The = X-Files." But=20 here it is.

Soon enough, though, Greene woos us back, explaining = ideas=20 in clear, direct, often poetic language. For example, one of the ways = our=20 everyday notions of "here" and "now" may emerge from the state of all = heres, all=20 nows, is through the act of observation. Once we note something, we pin = it=20 down.

The underlying reason is that particles are really = probability=20 waves, and waves don't occupy a single time or space. Your observation = "breaks"=20 the wave =97 bringing about what physicists call the "collapse of the = wave=20 function." The description of how all this works (and how it doesn't) is = as good=20 as it gets. And yet, Greene writes, "[a]fter more than seven decades, no = one=20 understands how or even whether the collapse of a probability wave = really=20 happens."

However it happens, the implications are freaky: When = you=20 break the wave, you not only determine the future, you also determine, = in a=20 sense, the past =97 because you've "pruned" all the possible heres and = nows that=20 didn't lead to the present you observe.

When Greene turns to = big-time=20 space-time, or cosmology, the book loses focus, embracing so much that = the=20 picture blurs, points get diluted. An entire chapter is devoted to the = notion=20 that time is the direction of increasing disorder, which is why eggs = don't=20 unscramble. The punch line here is important: The laws of physics don't = tell=20 time which way to go. So where does the arrow come from? Somehow, the = fiery big=20 bang put the universe into an almost impossibly ordered state, from = which it has=20 been running down ever since. "A splattered egg," he writes, "tells us = something=20 very deep about the big bang."

Very nicely put. But how many = times =97 and=20 in how many ways =97 do we need to be told that ice cubes melt rather = than=20 spontaneously appear out of warm water?

Another chapter is = devoted to the=20 Higgs field, a kind of universal molasses physicists think all particles = slog=20 through, thus acquiring mass. True, the "freezing" of the Higgs field = did happen=20 in space and time, and has to do with infusing order into the universe, = but this=20 discussion does little to illuminate the fundamental nature of space = itself. (By=20 the time he gets to the pile of worms in the hot bowl with the frog, you = want to=20 jump in yourself.)

It's also hard to imagine a reader = sophisticated=20 enough to enjoy this book who won't be annoyed by such statements as: = "When=20 things get hot or cold, they sometimes change."

There are other = tics:=20 Too much is described as "bizarre," "profound," "mind-boggling," = "shocking."=20 Greene is at his best when he seems to be trying the least: Imagining = space-time=20 as a warm loaf of bread, for example. He's most endearing when he allows = himself=20 to contemplate things quietly. Do particles really take all possible = paths=20 through space and time, or is this just a story physicists use to make = sense of=20 the facts? "I wish I could give you a definitive answer," he writes, = palpably=20 wistful. "But I can't." Or: "One can't help feeling that the fantastic=20 predictive power of quantum mechanics means that it is tapping into a = hidden=20 reality that underlies the workings of the universe."

We can't = yet see=20 this hidden reality =97 the magician behind the special effects. But = there is some=20 hope, perhaps through string theory, Greene's specialty, which describes = everything from gravity to garbage as "loops and snippets of energy." = Perhaps=20 string theory eventually will allow physicists to pull back the curtain = all the=20 way to the big bang and reveal at last how the universe got so orderly. = (For=20 now, the most probable answer is that this was merely a probabilistic = fluke =97=20 like tossing a coin and getting 10 heads in a row.)

In the = meantime,=20 string theory has, among other things, increased the number of spatial=20 dimensions to 10. Creepier still, extensions of string theory imply that = descriptions of reality using, say, four dimensions are equivalent to=20 descriptions of the same reality using three or five.

"More and = more,"=20 Greene writes, "these clues point toward the conclusion that the form of = space-time is an adorning detail that varies from one formulation of a = physical=20 theory to the next, rather than being a fundamental element of reality." =

None of this is science if not proved by experiment, and Greene=20 describes some of the ways this might, in fact, happen. Perhaps, the = evidence is=20 right in front of our noses, encoded in the cosmic microwave background, = the=20 afterglow of the big bang.

"Maybe," Greene writes, "the universe = has=20 already drawn out the microscopic fibers of the fabric of the cosmos and = unfurled them clear across the sky, and all we need do is learn how to = recognize=20 the pattern." Sheer loveliness. =95 

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF = INFOBOX)

From 'The Fabric of the = Cosmos'

Physicists=20 spend a large part of their lives in a state of confusion. It's an = occupational=20 hazard. To excel in physics is to embrace doubt while walking the = winding road=20 to clarity. The tantalizing discomfort of perplexity is what inspires = otherwise=20 ordinary men and women to extraordinary feats of ingenuity and = creativity;=20 nothing quite focuses the mind like dissonant details awaiting = harmonious=20 resolution. But en route to explanation =85 theorists must tread with = considered=20 step through the jungle of bewilderment, guided mostly by hunches, = inklings,=20 clues and calculations=85. Nature does not give up her secrets lightly. =
 
 
------=_NextPart_001_0151_01C4043D.F5EA84C0-- ------=_NextPart_000_0150_01C4043D.F5EA84C0 Content-Type: image/gif; name="blackpix.gif" Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 Content-Location: http://www.latimes.com/images/standard/blackpix.gif R0lGODdhAQABAIAAAAAAAAAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs= ------=_NextPart_000_0150_01C4043D.F5EA84C0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Sun Mar 7 09:49:35 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i27HnXs5027442; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 09:49:34 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id MAA22102 for public-list; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 12:40:21 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav95.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.125]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id MAA22098; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 12:40:18 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 09:39:47 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.78 by bay4-dav95.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Sun, 07 Mar 2004 17:39:47 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.78] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: NASA deluged by amateurs' discoveries on Mars Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2004 12:39:37 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_017F_01C40441.40DBF9C0"; type="multipart/alternative" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Sun, 7 Mar 2004 12:39:38 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 07 Mar 2004 17:39:47.0766 (UTC) FILETIME=[2F789560:01C4046B] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_017F_01C40441.40DBF9C0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0180_01C40441.40DBF9C0" ------=_NextPart_001_0180_01C40441.40DBF9C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/8124461.htm NASA deluged by civilians' Mars `discoveries' BY FAYE FLAM Knight Ridder Newspapers PHILADELPHIA - (KRT) - Forget about ancient traces of water on Mars. = There's a little white bunny up there. And stone tools. And dinosaur fossils. Plants, art, even letters of the alphabet. While NASA scientists pore over the latest Red Planet images for shreds = of evidence that it might have supported algae or pond scum, thousands = of earnest civilians are scanning the same pictures and pointing out all = sorts of things the professionals missed or haven't acknowledged. Ever since the robot rovers Spirit and Opportunity landed on Mars in = January, NASA has been flooded with hundreds of daily calls and e-mails = from people eager to share their own dramatic discoveries. Medford, N.J., resident George Filer says he has spotted letters similar = to E and G, written on Martian rocks. Filer and his associates at MUFON = (Mutual UFO Network) believe these are the creations of intelligent = beings. He's been trying to tell NASA, without success. "They keep a lot from the public," said Filer, a retired Air Force = pilot. Another observer called The Philadelphia Inquirer to report he'd seen = fossils of dinosaurs and their eggs, and a multitude of marine fossils - = whales, fish and giant squid. "You have to know how to look," he said. = Others have seen rocks they say appear to have been fashioned into = primitive stone tools. Never before have earthlings had such sharp pictures from another world, = or such easy access to chat rooms, Web sites and virtual communities to = discuss the fossils, tools, letters and the bunny. Especially the bunny. A white rabbitlike image appeared in some of the first pictures beamed = back from Opportunity, caught in three-quarter profile, long ears erect. "Some Web sites have detailed spatial analysis on the bunny," said = project scientist Phil Christensen of Arizona State University. Christensen says he saw the bunny in the early shots beamed back from = Opportunity. He said he lobbied to have the rover take a closer look, = but the bunny disappeared. NASA scientists believe the "bunny" was probably a piece of the landing = air bag or some other bit of human-generated trash, Christensen said. On = one Web site, an outraged writer accused NASA of intentionally running = over the bunny with the rover. The notion of bunnies on Mars may seem far-fetched now, but it wasn't = all that long ago that even eminent scientists speculated about Martian = trees, animals, even intelligent beings. In the 1960s, popular = astronomer and author Carl Sagan talked up the prospect of life on both = Mars and Venus. A closer look at Venus showed it was more than 800 degrees at the = surface. And then in 1965, the spacecraft Mariner 4 flew by Mars and = snapped the first close-up pictures of Mars - which were both amazing = and disheartening. They revealed nothing but a dry, dead landscape. "There was nowhere to hide large, conspicuous organisms," said Harvard = biologist Andrew Knoll. But Sagan and other scientists didn't give up hope; perhaps life was = there in a more subtle form. When the Viking spacecraft landed on Mars in 1976, it ran a series of = tests for life. A robotic arm on Viking mixed nutrients with the Martian = soil to see whether any microbes would metabolize them and spit out = telltale gases. The tests came back positive. Scientists waffled for months over whether the tests could possibly = indicate life. Meanwhile, pictures came back that showed a rock etched = with a shape similar to a letter B, said Christensen, who worked as a = NASA intern at the time. The NASA guys thought it was funny, he said, but many in the public = believed the B was carved by Martians. "We learned our lesson," said = Christensen. "For a lot of people, this wasn't funny." NASA scientists did more analyses of the Viking landing site and found = surprises in the chemistry of the Martian soil. They decided it was an = unanticipated chemical reaction that made their life-test come out = positive. Adding to the bleak picture, they determined that the = atmosphere was less than 1 percent as thick as ours. According to "Captured by Aliens, by Joel Achenbach, Sagan pretty much = killed the B theory when he told talk-show host Johnny Carson it was = very unlikely that Martians would use the same alphabet as Americans. But in 1976 NASA did it again. In pictures beamed back from the Viking = Orbiter, it noticed a hill that looked like a huge face with a solemn = expression. The agency printed and released the picture: a cute artifact = of light. It got little attention at first. Eight years later, in 1984, the face stared out at millions of = supermarket shoppers from the cover of the Weekly World News. Former CBS = science consultant Richard Hoagland wrote a book speculating that the = face, as well as several pyramids, were carved by an ancient Martian = civilization. Thousands of people still believe aliens made the face, though a later = view of Mars from the Mars Global Surveyor found that, from a different = angle, it just looked like a hill. George Filer is not deterred. In a boulder photographed by Spirit on its = 44th Martian day, he said, there's a distinct white E and a G, though = the E may be closed off at the top, like a P. The letters appear to be 3 = to 4 inches tall, Filer said. In his living room, he enlarged the picture on his wide-screen = television. He still had to point out the E and the G. They looked like = they might have been chiseled or spray-painted or they might have been = created by streaks of light that happened to look like letters. "I could see easily how NASA would miss them," he said. "What we do is = blow them up, so to speak, on the computer, using Photoshop and the = like. If you believe there's something out there, you look for = evidence." Christensen said NASA can't make announcements about such observations = unless scientists rule out more mundane explanations. They have to be = wary of belief. As physicist Richard Feynman once said: The first = principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest = person to fool. Some people at NASA probably know about the letters and much more, Filer = said. "I was in the military and there are a lot of things you can't = talk about." He believes NASA is trying to hide that Mars and the = universe are teeming with life. NASA's Michelle Viotti, the agency's manager for Mars public engagement, = said she's not ignoring Filer; it's just that the phones are ringing off = the hook, and the space agency is still sorting through the more than = 15,000 e-mails it got from the public in January. NASA is not hiding = anything, she said. "Secretly, deep down, we all hope there's life beyond our own home = planet." --- ------=_NextPart_001_0180_01C40441.40DBF9C0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 

NASA deluged by civilians' Mars `discoveries'


BY FAYE FLAM

Knight Ridder=20 Newspapers

PHILADELPHIA -=20 (KRT) - Forget about ancient traces of water on Mars. There's = a=20 little white bunny up there.

And stone tools.

And dinosaur fossils.

Plants, art, even letters of the alphabet.

While NASA scientists pore over the latest Red Planet images for = shreds of=20 evidence that it might have supported algae or pond scum, thousands of = earnest=20 civilians are scanning the same pictures and pointing out all sorts of = things=20 the professionals missed or haven't acknowledged.

Ever since the robot rovers Spirit and Opportunity landed on Mars in = January,=20 NASA has been flooded with hundreds of daily calls and e-mails from = people eager=20 to share their own dramatic discoveries.

Medford, N.J., resident George Filer says he has spotted letters = similar to E=20 and G, written on Martian rocks. Filer and his associates at MUFON = (Mutual UFO=20 Network) believe these are the creations of intelligent beings. He's = been trying=20 to tell NASA, without success.

"They keep a lot from the public," said Filer, a retired Air Force = pilot.

Another observer called The Philadelphia Inquirer to report he'd seen = fossils=20 of dinosaurs and their eggs, and a multitude of marine fossils - whales, = fish=20 and giant squid. "You have to know how to look," he said. Others have = seen rocks=20 they say appear to have been fashioned into primitive stone tools.

Never before have earthlings had such sharp pictures from another = world, or=20 such easy access to chat rooms, Web sites and virtual communities to = discuss the=20 fossils, tools, letters and the bunny. Especially the bunny.

A white rabbitlike image appeared in some of the first pictures = beamed back=20 from Opportunity, caught in three-quarter profile, long ears erect.

"Some Web sites have detailed spatial analysis on the bunny," said = project=20 scientist Phil Christensen of Arizona State University.

Christensen says he saw the bunny in the early shots beamed back from = Opportunity. He said he lobbied to have the rover take a closer look, = but the=20 bunny disappeared.

NASA scientists believe the "bunny" was probably a piece of the = landing air=20 bag or some other bit of human-generated trash, Christensen said. On one = Web=20 site, an outraged writer accused NASA of intentionally running over the = bunny=20 with the rover.

The notion of bunnies on Mars may seem far-fetched now, but it wasn't = all=20 that long ago that even eminent scientists speculated about Martian = trees,=20 animals, even intelligent beings. In the 1960s, popular astronomer and = author=20 Carl Sagan talked up the prospect of life on both Mars and Venus.

A closer look at Venus showed it was more than 800 degrees at the = surface.=20 And then in 1965, the spacecraft Mariner 4 flew by Mars and snapped the = first=20 close-up pictures of Mars - which were both amazing and disheartening. = They=20 revealed nothing but a dry, dead landscape.

"There was nowhere to hide large, conspicuous organisms," said = Harvard=20 biologist Andrew Knoll.

But Sagan and other scientists didn't give up hope; perhaps life was = there in=20 a more subtle form.

When the Viking spacecraft landed on Mars in 1976, it ran a series of = tests=20 for life. A robotic arm on Viking mixed nutrients with the Martian soil = to see=20 whether any microbes would metabolize them and spit out telltale gases. = The=20 tests came back positive.

Scientists waffled for months over whether the tests could possibly = indicate=20 life. Meanwhile, pictures came back that showed a rock etched with a = shape=20 similar to a letter B, said Christensen, who worked as a NASA intern at = the=20 time.

The NASA guys thought it was funny, he said, but many in the public = believed=20 the B was carved by Martians. "We learned our lesson," said Christensen. = "For a=20 lot of people, this wasn't funny."

NASA scientists did more analyses of the Viking landing site and = found=20 surprises in the chemistry of the Martian soil. They decided it was an=20 unanticipated chemical reaction that made their life-test come out = positive.=20 Adding to the bleak picture, they determined that the atmosphere was = less than 1=20 percent as thick as ours.

According to "Captured by Aliens, by Joel Achenbach, Sagan pretty = much killed=20 the B theory when he told talk-show host Johnny Carson it was very = unlikely that=20 Martians would use the same alphabet as Americans.

But in 1976 NASA did it again. In pictures beamed back from the = Viking=20 Orbiter, it noticed a hill that looked like a huge face with a solemn=20 expression. The agency printed and released the picture: a cute artifact = of=20 light. It got little attention at first.

Eight years later, in 1984, the face stared out at millions of = supermarket=20 shoppers from the cover of the Weekly World News. Former CBS science = consultant=20 Richard Hoagland wrote a book speculating that the face, as well as = several=20 pyramids, were carved by an ancient Martian civilization.

Thousands of people still believe aliens made the face, though a = later view=20 of Mars from the Mars Global Surveyor found that, from a different = angle, it=20 just looked like a hill.

George Filer is not deterred. In a boulder photographed by Spirit on = its 44th=20 Martian day, he said, there's a distinct white E and a G, though the E = may be=20 closed off at the top, like a P. The letters appear to be 3 to 4 inches = tall,=20 Filer said.

In his living room, he enlarged the picture on his wide-screen = television. He=20 still had to point out the E and the G. They looked like they might have = been=20 chiseled or spray-painted or they might have been created by streaks of = light=20 that happened to look like letters.

"I could see easily how NASA would miss them," he said. "What we do = is blow=20 them up, so to speak, on the computer, using Photoshop and the like. If = you=20 believe there's something out there, you look for evidence."

Christensen said NASA can't make announcements about such = observations unless=20 scientists rule out more mundane explanations. They have to be wary of = belief.=20 As physicist Richard Feynman once said: The first principle is that you = must not=20 fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool.

Some people at NASA probably know about the letters and much more, = Filer=20 said. "I was in the military and there are a lot of things you can't = talk=20 about." He believes NASA is trying to hide that Mars and the universe = are=20 teeming with life.

NASA's Michelle Viotti, the agency's manager for Mars public = engagement, said=20 she's not ignoring Filer; it's just that the phones are ringing off the = hook,=20 and the space agency is still sorting through the more than 15,000 = e-mails it=20 got from the public in January. NASA is not hiding anything, she = said.

"Secretly, deep down, we all hope there's life beyond our own home=20 planet."

---

------=_NextPart_001_0180_01C40441.40DBF9C0-- ------=_NextPart_000_017F_01C40441.40DBF9C0 Content-Type: image/gif; name="spacer.gif" Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 Content-Location: http://www.centredaily.com/images/common/spacer.gif R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAEZGRgAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== ------=_NextPart_000_017F_01C40441.40DBF9C0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Sun Mar 7 10:05:04 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i27I52s5009468; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 10:05:03 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id MAA22522 for public-list; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 12:57:13 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav54.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.84]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id MAA22518; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 12:57:11 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Sun, 7 Mar 2004 09:56:40 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.78 by bay4-dav54.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Sun, 07 Mar 2004 17:56:40 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.78] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: How the Little Green Men Met Their Makers Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2004 12:56:25 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_01AF_01C40443.996ACDD0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Sun, 7 Mar 2004 12:56:25 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 07 Mar 2004 17:56:40.0377 (UTC) FILETIME=[8B08C290:01C4046D] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_01AF_01C40443.996ACDD0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable How the Little Green Men Met Their Makers March 7, 2004 By KENNETH CHANG=20 =20 NOW that there's conclusive evidence that at least part of Mars was once a water-soaked place where living things could have wriggled, swam or slithered, it takes only a few more leaps of speculation to wonder how they might have died.=20 Did their eyes bug out like Arnold Schwarzenegger's in "Total Recall"? Not likely - hypothetical Martian creatures probably wouldn't have had enough time to evolve eyes before the planet became the cold and arid place it is today.=20 In the optimistic picture of life on Mars, a thick blanket of carbon dioxide created a greenhouse effect that warmed the planet for its first billion years or so, and lakes and oceans dotted the surface. (The pessimistic view is that it was always cold and lifeless.)=20 But for at least 500 million years, Mars, like Earth, endured a period known as "heavy bombardment," when it was repeatedly whacked by meteors large enough to vaporize the oceans.=20 Life probably wouldn't have had enough time to gain a foothold between impacts, and even if it had, it would have been boiled and steamed to oblivion by the next meteor. Thus, life on Mars would likely have had, at best, a run of a few hundred million years.=20 Even so, some scientists speculate that life could have been more precocious on Mars than on Earth. Life on Earth started between 3.9 billion and 3.5 billion years ago. Mars, only half as wide as Earth and with only one-tenth its mass, would have been a smaller target for meteors and might have become habitable sooner.=20 In addition, Mars doesn't have plate tectonics, and some scientists have argued that the lack of movement in the planet's crust could have led to a different chemistry in the air and rocks, leading to an early build-up of oxygen produced by the photosynthesis of plants.=20 While life remained stuck at the single-celled level for a billion years on an oxygen-poor Earth, evolution on Mars might have led much more quickly to microscopic animals. But then, about 3.5 billion years ago, the planet turned chilly, and the Martians - if they ever existed - would have been snuffed out in any of several ways:=20 They froze. Most of the planet's carbon dioxide either leaked into space or was permanently transformed, via chemical reactions, into rock. On Earth, through plate tectonics, whatever rock goes down comes back up through volcanoes, and the carbon dioxide is returned to the air. On Mars, it's a one-way street, and its carbon dioxide, locked into place, disappeared from the air.=20 As the carbon dioxide vanished, so did the greenhouse effect. As a result, Mars today is like an Antarctica without an atmosphere.=20 They dried up. Even at Meridiani Planum, the place where scientists said last week the Mars rover Opportunity had found evidence of "soaked" rocks, the discovery of vast quantities of sulfur salts suggests the former presence of a wet area like a lake that dried up.=20 They suffocated. If Martian life reached the animal level, with creatures able to live off oxygen produced by plants, they died off as the plant life dried up or froze. Kill off Earth's plant life, and animals here would run out of stuff to breathe, too.=20 They starved. As the planet's flowing water froze or dried up, Martian microbes chomped up all the available food. "You need phosphate," said Dr. Andrew Knoll of Harvard University. "You need nitrogen. It's not clear to me that biologically useful forms of those nutrients would be abundant."=20 They were fried. Mars does not have a magnetic field to deflect the solar wind, and its thin atmosphere does not block out ultraviolet light. Thus, Martian organisms were done in by sunburn and cancer.=20 They went underground. The truly optimistic say life could persist underground on Mars, just as microbes fill the top few miles of Earth's crust. The overlying soil would protect them from the cosmic and ultraviolet radiation, and liquid water would be available from underground ice melted by heat from the interior. "It could easily have migrated to the subsurface and exist today," said Dr. Bruce Jakosky, a professor of geological sciences at the University of Colorado.=20 They are us. Billions of pieces of Mars, blasted into space by meteors, have landed on Earth. Scientists have shown that the interior of a Martian meteorite found in Antarctica never reached temperatures hot enough to kill bacteria.=20 If life actually did arise on Mars, then at least some Martians possibly made it here.=20 At least one species of earthly bacteria, Bacillus subtilis, is capable of surviving the rigors of space travel. In one experiment, 10 percent of this species sent into orbit on a satellite survived six years in the vacuum of space. Other experiments show that Bacillus subtilis, as well as another common bacterium, Deinococcus radiodurans, can also survive the tremendous jolt of being blasted into space by a meteor - up to 100,000 times the normal pull of gravity on Earth - as well as the bombardment of cosmic radiation during the trip.=20 In a Martian rock that originally carried a few million microbes, a 10 percent survival rate would still leave a few hundred thousand Martian microbes to populate Earth.=20 Or maybe there never were native Martians or Earthlings at all, and life originated from a third planet.=20 "We can always blame it on Venus,'' Dr. Jakosky said. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/07/weekinreview/07mars.html?ex=3D107968189= 0&ei=3D1&en=3Dbf2f1464572159a5 ------=_NextPart_000_01AF_01C40443.996ACDD0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
How the Little Green Men Met Their Makers

March 7, = 2004
 By=20 KENNETH CHANG 

 

NOW that there's conclusive = evidence=20 that at least part of
Mars was once a water-soaked place where living = things
could have wriggled, swam or slithered, it takes only a = few
more=20 leaps of speculation to wonder how they might have
died.

Did = their=20 eyes bug out like Arnold Schwarzenegger's in
"Total Recall"? Not = likely -=20 hypothetical Martian creatures
probably wouldn't have had enough time = to=20 evolve eyes
before the planet became the cold and arid place it = is
today.=20

In the optimistic picture of life on Mars, a thick blanket
of = carbon=20 dioxide created a greenhouse effect that warmed
the planet for its = first=20 billion years or so, and lakes and
oceans dotted the surface. (The=20 pessimistic view is that it
was always cold and lifeless.) =

But for at=20 least 500 million years, Mars, like Earth,
endured a period known as = "heavy=20 bombardment," when it was
repeatedly whacked by meteors large enough = to=20 vaporize the
oceans.

Life probably wouldn't have had enough = time to=20 gain a
foothold between impacts, and even if it had, it would = have
been=20 boiled and steamed to oblivion by the next meteor.
Thus, life on Mars = would=20 likely have had, at best, a run of
a few hundred million years. =

Even=20 so, some scientists speculate that life could have
been more = precocious on=20 Mars than on Earth. Life on Earth
started between 3.9 billion and 3.5 = billion=20 years ago.
Mars, only half as wide as Earth and with only = one-tenth
its=20 mass, would have been a smaller target for meteors and
might have = become=20 habitable sooner.

In addition, Mars doesn't have plate = tectonics, and=20 some
scientists have argued that the lack of movement in = the
planet's=20 crust could have led to a different chemistry in
the air and rocks, = leading=20 to an early build-up of oxygen
produced by the photosynthesis of = plants.=20

While life remained stuck at the single-celled level for = a
billion=20 years on an oxygen-poor Earth, evolution on Mars
might have led much = more=20 quickly to microscopic animals.
But then, about 3.5 billion years = ago, the=20 planet turned
chilly, and the Martians - if they ever existed - = would
have=20 been snuffed out in any of several ways:

They froze. Most of the = planet's carbon dioxide either
leaked into space or was permanently=20 transformed, via
chemical reactions, into rock. On Earth, through=20 plate
tectonics, whatever rock goes down comes back up = through
volcanoes,=20 and the carbon dioxide is returned to the air.
On Mars, it's a = one-way=20 street, and its carbon dioxide,
locked into place, disappeared from = the air.=20

As the carbon dioxide vanished, so did the greenhouse
effect. = As a=20 result, Mars today is like an Antarctica
without an atmosphere. =

They=20 dried up. Even at Meridiani Planum, the place where
scientists said = last week=20 the Mars rover Opportunity had
found evidence of "soaked" rocks, the=20 discovery of vast
quantities of sulfur salts suggests the former = presence=20 of
a wet area like a lake that dried up.

They suffocated. If = Martian=20 life reached the animal level,
with creatures able to live off oxygen = produced by plants,
they died off as the plant life dried up or = froze. Kill=20 off
Earth's plant life, and animals here would run out of stuff
to = breathe, too.

They starved. As the planet's flowing water froze = or=20 dried
up, Martian microbes chomped up all the available food.
"You = need=20 phosphate," said Dr. Andrew Knoll of Harvard
University. "You need = nitrogen.=20 It's not clear to me that
biologically useful forms of those = nutrients would=20 be
abundant."

They were fried. Mars does not have a magnetic = field=20 to
deflect the solar wind, and its thin atmosphere does not
block = out=20 ultraviolet light. Thus, Martian organisms were
done in by sunburn = and=20 cancer.

They went underground. The truly optimistic say life=20 could
persist underground on Mars, just as microbes fill the = top
few miles=20 of Earth's crust. The overlying soil would
protect them from the = cosmic and=20 ultraviolet radiation, and
liquid water would be available from = underground=20 ice melted
by heat from the interior. "It could easily have = migrated
to=20 the subsurface and exist today," said Dr. Bruce Jakosky,
a professor = of=20 geological sciences at the University of
Colorado.

They are = us.=20 Billions of pieces of Mars, blasted into space
by meteors, have = landed on=20 Earth. Scientists have shown
that the interior of a Martian meteorite = found=20 in
Antarctica never reached temperatures hot enough to = kill
bacteria.=20

If life actually did arise on Mars, then at least = some
Martians=20 possibly made it here.

At least one species of earthly bacteria, = Bacillus
subtilis, is capable of surviving the rigors of = space
travel. In=20 one experiment, 10 percent of this species sent
into orbit on a = satellite=20 survived six years in the vacuum
of space. Other experiments show = that=20 Bacillus subtilis, as
well as another common bacterium, Deinococcus=20 radiodurans,
can also survive the tremendous jolt of being blasted=20 into
space by a meteor - up to 100,000 times the normal pull = of
gravity on=20 Earth - as well as the bombardment of cosmic
radiation during the = trip.=20

In a Martian rock that originally carried a few = million
microbes, a=20 10 percent survival rate would still leave a
few hundred thousand = Martian=20 microbes to populate Earth.

Or maybe there never were native = Martians or=20 Earthlings at
all, and life originated from a third planet. =

"We can=20 always blame it on Venus,'' Dr. Jakosky said.


http://www.nytimes.com/20= 04/03/07/weekinreview/07mars.html?ex=3D1079681890&ei=3D1&en=3Dbf2= f1464572159a5


------=_NextPart_000_01AF_01C40443.996ACDD0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Mon Mar 8 10:46:56 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i28Ikss5005119; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 10:46:55 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id NAA28676 for public-list; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 13:33:24 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav132.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.162]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id NAA28637; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 13:31:39 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 10:31:07 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.52 by bay4-dav132.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Mon, 08 Mar 2004 18:31:07 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.52] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "BioAstro" , "setipublic" Cc: "Michael Paolucci" , "Robert J. Bradbury" , "Dr. Stuart A. Kingsley" Subject: SETI public: Deepest View of the Universe Yet to be shown on March 9, 2004 Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 13:31:01 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_00F5_01C40511.99534290" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 13:31:01 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 08 Mar 2004 18:31:07.0991 (UTC) FILETIME=[85D75E70:01C4053B] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00F5_01C40511.99534290 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable The Deepest View of the Universe Ever/ESA TV Exchanges/09-03-2004=20 http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=3D12120=20 "On 9 March the deepest view of the Universe ever, the NASA/ESA Hubble = Ultra Deep Field, will be unveiled.=20 American and European astronomers have pointed Hubble to a single region = of the sky for 28 days and the=20 resulting Ultra Deep Field will show galaxies that are 2.5-3 times = fainter than any existing images, enabling the=20 study of thousands of hitherto unseen galaxies at the earliest times." =20 -- NASA Creates Portrait of Life and Death in the Universe=20 http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3D13791=20 =20 "The nebula, Henize 2006, and the remnants of the exploding star that = created it, is pictured in superb detail in a=20 new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Henize 206 sits just = outside our own galaxy, the Milky Way, in a=20 satellite galaxy 163,000 light-years away called the Large Magellanic = Cloud. It is home to hundreds and possibly=20 thousands of stars, ranging in age from two to 10 million years old."=20 After the Impact Event: A World Ruled by Fungi=20 http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3D13787=20 Towards A Better Understanding of the Very Early Universe=20 http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3D13783=20 Particle Physicists Look to the Future=20 http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3D13782=20 NASA Hubble Space Telescope Image: Space phenomenon imitates art=20 http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3D13780=20 =20 ------=_NextPart_000_00F5_01C40511.99534290 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
The Deepest View of the Universe Ever/ESA TV Exchanges/09-03-2004=20
http://www.= spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=3D12120=20

"On 9 March the deepest view of the Universe ever, the NASA/ESA = Hubble=20 Ultra Deep Field, will be unveiled.
American and European = astronomers have=20 pointed Hubble to a single region of the sky for 28 days and the =
resulting=20 Ultra Deep Field will show galaxies that are 2.5-3 times fainter than = any=20 existing images, enabling the
study of thousands of hitherto unseen = galaxies=20 at the earliest times." 


-- NASA Creates Portrait of = Life and=20 Death in the Universe

http://www.= spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3D13791=20
 
"The nebula, Henize 2006, and the remnants of the = exploding=20 star  that created it, is pictured in superb detail in a
new=20 image  from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Henize 206 sits = just =20 outside our own galaxy, the Milky Way, in a
satellite galaxy  = 163,000=20 light-years away called the Large Magellanic Cloud. It  is home to = hundreds=20 and possibly
thousands of stars, ranging in  age from two to 10 = million=20 years old."

After the Impact Event: A World Ruled by Fungi =
http://www.= spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3D13787=20

Towards A Better Understanding of the Very Early Universe
http://www.= spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3D13783=20

Particle Physicists Look to the Future
http://www.= spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3D13782=20

NASA Hubble Space Telescope Image: Space phenomenon imitates art =
http://www.= spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3D13780 
 
------=_NextPart_000_00F5_01C40511.99534290-- From owner-public@setileague.org Mon Mar 8 11:39:14 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i28JdCs5011919; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 11:39:13 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id OAA00176 for public-list; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 14:26:53 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav158.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.188]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id OAA00172; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 14:26:50 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 11:26:19 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.52 by bay4-dav158.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Mon, 08 Mar 2004 19:26:19 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.52] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Image may show Beagle 2 debris Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 14:26:02 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0184_01C40519.48E27B20" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 14:26:02 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 08 Mar 2004 19:26:19.0960 (UTC) FILETIME=[3BEDBB80:01C40543] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0184_01C40519.48E27B20 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable This article is also available on the web at: http://www.spacetoday.net/getsummary.php?id=3D2238 . Image may show Beagle 2 debris =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Posted: Mon, Mar 8 1:06 PM ET (1806 GMT) Images from an orbiting spacecraft have revealed several objects that could be debris from the failed Beagle 2 Mars lander, scientists in London said Monday. Speaking at a conference at the Royal Society, project officials said an image from an unspecified spacecraft of Beagle 2's planned landing site showed four bright spots arrayed in a "string of pearls" that could be debris from the lander. Colin Pillinger, head of the Beagle 2 project, was skeptical, saying the bright spots could instead be electronic noise artifacts and not real objects. Beagle 2 was scheduled to land on Mars on December 25, but no signals were ever received from the spacecraft and the mission was written off last month. Scientists suggest that a dust storm may have reduced the density of the atmosphere at the time Beagle 2 arrived, keeping the spacecraft from slowing down as quickly as planned and perhaps preventing the lander's radar altimeter from turning on and sending a signal to deploy the lander's airbags. An analysis of images taken by Mars Express as Beagle 2 separated show another, unidentified object; scientists don't know if the object is real and, if so, how it might affected the lander. =20 Related Links: -------------- BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3543295.stm Reuters article: http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=3DscienceNews&storyID=3D4= 520215§ion=3Dnews Cordis News article: http://dbs.cordis.lu/cgi-bin/srchidadb?CALLER=3DNHP_EN_NEWS&ACTION=3DD&SE= SSION=3D&RCN=3DEN_RCN_ID:21702 AP article: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=3Dstory&cid=3D624&ncid=3D624&e=3D1&= u=3D/ap/20040308/ap_on_sc/europe_mars_mission Visit http://www.spacetoday.net/ to get the = latest space news summaries and links to space news articles published throughout the web. If you have any questions about this service, please contact us at = info@spacetoday.net. =20 ------=_NextPart_000_0184_01C40519.48E27B20 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
This article is also available on the web at:
http://www.sp= acetoday.net/getsummary.php?id=3D2238=20

Image may show Beagle 2=20 debris
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Posted:=20 Mon, Mar 8 1:06 PM ET (1806 GMT)

Images from an orbiting = spacecraft have=20 revealed several
objects that could be debris from the failed Beagle = 2=20 Mars
lander, scientists in London said Monday. Speaking at = a
conference at=20 the Royal Society, project officials said an
image from an = unspecified=20 spacecraft of Beagle 2's planned
landing site showed four bright = spots=20 arrayed in a "string
of pearls" that could be debris from the lander. = Colin
Pillinger, head of the Beagle 2 project, was = skeptical,
saying the=20 bright spots could instead be electronic noise
artifacts and not real = objects. Beagle 2 was scheduled to
land on Mars on December 25, but = no=20 signals were ever
received from the spacecraft and the mission was = written=20 off
last month. Scientists suggest that a dust storm may = have
reduced the=20 density of the atmosphere at the time Beagle 2
arrived, keeping the=20 spacecraft from slowing down as quickly
as planned and perhaps = preventing the=20 lander's radar
altimeter from turning on and sending a signal to = deploy=20 the
lander's airbags. An analysis of images taken by Mars
Express = as=20 Beagle 2 separated show another, unidentified
object; scientists = don't know=20 if the object is real and, if
so, how it might affected the=20 lander.
 
Related Links:
--------------
BBC = article:
http://new= s.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3543295.stm
Reuters=20 article:
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArtic= le.jhtml?type=3DscienceNews&storyID=3D4520215&section=3Dnews<= BR>Cordis=20 News article:
http://dbs.cordis.lu/= cgi-bin/srchidadb?CALLER=3DNHP_EN_NEWS&ACTION=3DD&SESSION=3D&= RCN=3DEN_RCN_ID:21702
AP=20 article:
ht= tp://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=3Dstory&cid=3D624&ncid=3D624&= amp;e=3D1&u=3D/ap/20040308/ap_on_sc/europe_mars_mission

Visit=20 http://www.spacetoday.net/ to = get the=20 latest space
news summaries and links to space news articles=20 published
throughout the web.  If you have any questions about=20 this
service, please contact us at info@spacetoday.net.
 
------=_NextPart_000_0184_01C40519.48E27B20-- From owner-public@setileague.org Mon Mar 8 14:15:08 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i28MF6s5006950; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 14:15:07 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id RAA04044 for public-list; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 17:03:20 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav125.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.155]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id RAA04040; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 17:03:17 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 14:02:46 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.3 by bay4-dav125.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Mon, 08 Mar 2004 22:02:46 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.3] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: Marsbugs Vol. 11, No. 11 Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 17:02:39 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0222_01C4052F.29DFEF80" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 17:02:39 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 08 Mar 2004 22:02:46.0921 (UTC) FILETIME=[16FE4F90:01C40559] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0222_01C4052F.29DFEF80 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Dr. David J. Thomas=20 To: dthomas@lyon.edu=20 Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 2:27 PM Subject: Marsbugs Vol. 11, No. 11 Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter, Volume 11, Number 11 is now available. Text: = http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040308.txt PDF: http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040308.pdf Word: = http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040308.doc Articles and News Page 1 NASA'S IMPROVED WEB-RESOURCE ON THE WORLD'S CHANGING CLIMATE=20 NASA/GSFC release Page 2 SHOULD PUBLICLY FUNDED RESEARCH BE FREE AND AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC? TWO PROMINENT STANFORD SCIENTISTS OFFER THEIR VIEWS=20 By Patrick Brown and Donald Kennedy Page 4 NASA EMBARKS ON A SWEEPING AIRBORNE EXPEDITION NASA release 2004-076 Page 4 NASA GOES LUNAR: ROBOT CRAFT, HUMAN OUTPOST PLANS By Leonard David Page 4 TUMBLEWEED ROVER GOES ON A ROLL AT SOUTH POLE NASA release 2004-078 Page 5 NASA RESEARCH SHOWS HEAVY SMOKE "CHOKES" CLOUDS NASA release 2004-081 Page 6 NO "SHOWSTOPPERS" FOR HUMANS ON MARS >From Reuters and CNN Page 7 ASTEROID BILL PASSES >From Universe Today Page 7 NEW ETHIOPIAN FOSSILS ARE FROM 6-MILLION-YEAR-OLD HOMINID LIVING JUST AFTER SPLIT FROM CHIMPANZEES=20 By Robert Sanders Page 8 FIRST SILICATE STARDUST FOUND IN A METEORITE By Linda Sage Page 9 MESSAGES FROM MARS: NEW FINDINGS CHANGE FOCUS OF FUTURE EXPLORATION By Leonard David Page 9 THE FUNGI REVIVED DAMAGED EARTH >From Astrobiology Magazine Page 9 NASA CREATES PORTRAIT OF LIFE AND DEATH IN THE UNIVERSE NASA release 2004-082 Announcements Page 10 OXYGEN IN THE TERRESTRIAL PLANETS=20 Workshop announcement Page 10 NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY INDEX By David J. Thomas Mission Reports Page 11 CASSINI SIGNIFICANT EVENTS NASA/JPL release Page 12 VOLCANIC ROCK IN MARS' GUSEV CRATER HINTS AT PAST WATER NASA/JPL release 2004-079 Page 13 MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR IMAGES NASA/JPL/MSSS release Page 14 MARS ODYSSEY THEMIS IMAGES NASA/JPL/ASU release Page 14 ROSETTA IN GOOD HEALTH ESA release David J. Thomas, PhD Asst. Professor of Biology Lyon College, Science Division 2300 Highland Road Batesville, AR 72501 USA Phone: 870-698-4269 Fax: 870-698-4692 http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/ambassador Editor of Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs =20 ------=_NextPart_000_0222_01C4052F.29DFEF80 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 2:27 PM
Subject: Marsbugs Vol. 11, No. 11

Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter, Volume = 11,=20 Number 11
is now available.

Text: http://w= ww.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040308.txt
PDF:
http://w= ww.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040308.pdf
Word:=20 http://w= ww.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040308.doc

Articles=20 and News

Page 1 NASA'S IMPROVED WEB-RESOURCE ON THE WORLD'S = CHANGING=20 CLIMATE
NASA/GSFC release

Page 2 SHOULD PUBLICLY FUNDED = RESEARCH BE=20 FREE AND AVAILABLE TO THE
PUBLIC?  TWO PROMINENT STANFORD = SCIENTISTS=20 OFFER THEIR VIEWS
By Patrick Brown and Donald Kennedy

Page 4 = NASA=20 EMBARKS ON A SWEEPING AIRBORNE EXPEDITION
NASA release = 2004-076

Page 4=20 NASA GOES LUNAR: ROBOT CRAFT, HUMAN OUTPOST PLANS
By Leonard=20 David

Page 4 TUMBLEWEED ROVER GOES ON A ROLL AT SOUTH = POLE
NASA=20 release 2004-078

Page 5 NASA RESEARCH SHOWS HEAVY SMOKE "CHOKES"=20 CLOUDS
NASA release 2004-081

Page 6 NO "SHOWSTOPPERS" FOR = HUMANS ON=20 MARS
From Reuters and CNN

Page 7 ASTEROID BILL PASSES
From = Universe=20 Today

Page 7 NEW ETHIOPIAN FOSSILS ARE FROM 6-MILLION-YEAR-OLD=20 HOMINID
LIVING JUST AFTER SPLIT FROM CHIMPANZEES
By Robert=20 Sanders

Page 8 FIRST SILICATE STARDUST FOUND IN A METEORITE
By = Linda=20 Sage

Page 9 MESSAGES FROM MARS: NEW FINDINGS CHANGE FOCUS OF=20 FUTURE
EXPLORATION
By Leonard David

Page 9 THE FUNGI = REVIVED=20 DAMAGED EARTH
From Astrobiology Magazine

Page 9 NASA CREATES = PORTRAIT=20 OF LIFE AND DEATH IN THE UNIVERSE
NASA release=20 2004-082

Announcements

Page 10 OXYGEN IN THE TERRESTRIAL = PLANETS=20
Workshop announcement

Page 10 NEW ADDITIONS TO THE = ASTROBIOLOGY=20 INDEX
By David J. Thomas

Mission Reports

Page 11 = CASSINI=20 SIGNIFICANT EVENTS
NASA/JPL release

Page 12 VOLCANIC ROCK IN = MARS'=20 GUSEV CRATER HINTS AT PAST WATER
NASA/JPL release = 2004-079

Page 13=20 MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR IMAGES
NASA/JPL/MSSS release

Page 14 MARS = ODYSSEY=20 THEMIS IMAGES
NASA/JPL/ASU release

Page 14 ROSETTA IN GOOD=20 HEALTH
ESA release

David J. Thomas, PhD
Asst. Professor of=20 Biology
Lyon College, Science Division
2300 Highland = Road
Batesville,=20 AR 72501 USA
Phone: 870-698-4269
Fax: 870-698-4692
http://www.lyon.edu/we= bdata/users/dthomas

NASA/JPL=20 Solar System Ambassador
http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/amb= assador
Editor=20 of Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter
http://www.lyon.edu/projec= ts/marsbugs
 

------=_NextPart_000_0222_01C4052F.29DFEF80-- From owner-public@setileague.org Mon Mar 8 15:48:33 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i28NmTs5020848; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 15:48:32 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id SAA06256 for public-list; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 18:36:57 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav36.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.66]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id SAA06252; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 18:36:55 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 15:36:24 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.3 by bay4-dav36.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Mon, 08 Mar 2004 23:36:23 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.3] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: Space-Weather-Outlook Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 18:36:17 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0256_01C4053C.3E164500" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 18:36:17 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 08 Mar 2004 23:36:24.0000 (UTC) FILETIME=[2B088C00:01C40566] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0256_01C4053C.3E164500 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Space Environment Center=20 To: = advisory-list-send@dawn.sec.noaa.gov=20 Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 4:10 PM Subject: Space-Weather-Outlook Official Space Weather Advisory issued by NOAA Space Environment Center Boulder, Colorado, USA SPACE WEATHER ADVISORY OUTLOOK #04- 10 2004 March 08 at 02:05 p.m. MST (2004 March 08 2105 UTC) **** SPACE WEATHER OUTLOOK **** Summary For March 1-7 Category R1 (minor) space weather occurred on 06 March due to solar flare activity from an active sunspot region known as Region 570.=20 Category G1 (minor) geomagnetic activity occurred on 03 March due to high-speed solar winds from a coronal hole on the Sun. For a list of adverse system effects related to space weather storms, please refer to the NOAA Space Weather Scales. Outlook For March 10-16 Space weather for the next week is expected to reach minor levels. There is a chance for Category R1 (minor) radio blackouts due to additional flare activity from Region 570 and Category G1 (minor) geomagnetic activity due to high-speed solar winds from a coronal hole.=20 For current space weather conditions please refer to: http://www.sec.noaa.gov/SWN/=20 http://www.sec.noaa.gov/alerts/ Data used to provide space weather services are contributed by NOAA,=20 USAF, NASA, NSF, USGS, the International Space Environment Services=20 and other observatories, universities, and institutions. For more=20 information, including email services, see SEC's Space Weather=20 Advisories Web site = http://sec.noaa.gov/advisories or (303) = 497-5127. ------=_NextPart_000_0256_01C4053C.3E164500 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 4:10 PM
Subject: Space-Weather-Outlook

Official Space Weather Advisory issued by NOAA Space = Environment=20 Center
Boulder, Colorado, USA

SPACE WEATHER ADVISORY OUTLOOK = #04-=20 10
2004 March 08 at 02:05 p.m. MST (2004 March 08 2105 = UTC)

**** SPACE=20 WEATHER OUTLOOK ****

Summary For March 1-7
Category R1 (minor) = space=20 weather occurred on 06 March due to solar
flare activity from an = active=20 sunspot region known as Region 570.
Category G1 (minor) geomagnetic = activity=20 occurred on 03 March due to
high-speed solar winds from a coronal = hole on the=20 Sun.  For a list of
adverse system effects related to space = weather=20 storms, please refer to
the NOAA Space Weather Scales.

Outlook = For=20 March 10-16
Space weather for the next week is expected to reach = minor=20 levels. There
is a chance for Category R1 (minor) radio blackouts due = to=20 additional
flare activity from Region 570 and Category G1 (minor)=20 geomagnetic
activity due to high-speed solar winds from a coronal = hole.=20

For current space weather conditions please refer to:
http://www.sec.noaa.gov/SWN/ =
http://www.sec.noaa.gov/alerts/<= /A>

Data=20 used to provide space weather services are contributed by NOAA, =
USAF, NASA,=20 NSF, USGS, the International Space Environment Services
and other=20 observatories, universities, and institutions. For more
information, = including email services, see SEC's Space Weather
Advisories Web = site http://sec.noaa.gov/advisories or=20 (303) 497-5127.
------=_NextPart_000_0256_01C4053C.3E164500-- From owner-public@setileague.org Mon Mar 8 17:12:54 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i291Cqs5004666; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 17:12:53 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id TAA07732 for public-list; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 19:31:19 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav36.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.66]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id TAA07720; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 19:31:16 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 16:30:45 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.3 by bay4-dav36.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Tue, 09 Mar 2004 00:30:45 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.3] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: NASA Rovers Watching Solar Eclipses by Mars Moons Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 19:30:36 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0290_01C40543.D5218CF0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 19:30:36 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 09 Mar 2004 00:30:45.0844 (UTC) FILETIME=[C33E7140:01C4056D] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0290_01C40543.D5218CF0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory=20 To: ljk4@msn.com=20 Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 7:21 PM Subject: NASA Rovers Watching Solar Eclipses by Mars Moons MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DmjjjoveWomRO-3BCLCXxIg.. = http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DC707-7_NpH5O-3BCLCXxIg.. Guy Webster (818) 354-5011 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. =20 Donald Savage (202) 358-1547 NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. NEWS RELEASE: 2004-081 March 8, 2004 NASA Rovers Watching Solar Eclipses by Mars Moons NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers have become eclipse watchers. Though the Viking landers in the 1970s observed the shadow of one of Mars' two moons, Phobos, moving across the landscape, and Mars Pathfinder in 1997 observed Phobos emerge at night from the shadow of Mars, no previous mission has ever directly observed a moon pass in front of the Sun from the surface of another world. The current rovers began their eclipse-watching campaign this month. Opportunity's panoramic camera caught Mars' smaller moon, Deimos, as a speck crossing the disc of the Sun on March 4. The same camera then captured an image of the larger moon, Phobos, grazing the edge of the Sun's disc on March 7. Rover controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., are planning to use the panoramic cameras on both Opportunity and Spirit for several similar events in the next six weeks. Dr. Jim Bell of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., lead scientist for those cameras, expects the most dramatic images may be the one of Phobos planned for March 10. "Scientifically, we're interested in timing these events to possibly allow refinement of the orbits and orbital evolution of these natural satellites," Bell said. "It's also exciting, historic and just plain cool to be able to observe eclipses on another planet at all." Depending on the orientation of Phobos as it passes between the Sun and the rovers, the images might also add new information about the elongated shape of that moon. Phobos is about 27 kilometers long by about 18 kilometers across its smallest dimension (17 miles by 11 miles). Deimos' dimensions are about half as much, but the pair's difference in size as they appear from Mars' surface is even greater, because Phobos travels in a much lower orbit.=20 The rovers' panoramic cameras observe the Sun nearly every martian day as a way to gain information about how Mars' atmosphere affects the sunlight. The challenge for the eclipse observations is in the timing. Deimos crosses the Sun's disc in only about 50 to 60 seconds. Phobos moves even more quickly, crossing the Sun in only 20 to 30 seconds. Scientists use the term "transit" for an eclipse in which the intervening body covers only a fraction of the more-distant body. For example, from Earth, the planet Venus will be seen to transit the Sun on June 8, for the first time since 1882. Transits of the Sun by Mercury and transits of Jupiter by Jupiter's moons are more common observations from Earth. >From Earth, our Moon and the Sun have the appearance of almost identically sized discs in the sky, so the Moon almost exactly covers the Sun during a total solar eclipse. Because Mars is farther from the Sun than Earth is, the Sun looks only about two-thirds as wide from Mars as it does from Earth. However, Mars' moons are so small that even Phobos covers only about half of the Sun's disc during an eclipse seen from Mars. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover project for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Images of the March 4 and March 7 eclipses are available online at http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DakW0LnbN51RO-3BCLCXxIg.. Other images from the rovers and additional information about the project are available from JPL at = http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DtEaedB21n_FO-3BCLCXxIg.. and from Cornell University at = http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DkbRJjsTjViJO-3BCLCXxIg.. . = http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DEabiiEbolI5O-3BCLCXxIg.. = http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DJVmBt6GI2IlO-3BCLCXxIg.. -end- ------=_NextPart_000_0290_01C40543.D5218CF0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 7:21 PM
Subject: NASA Rovers Watching Solar Eclipses by Mars=20 Moons

MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION = LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA=20 INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE=20 ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. TELEPHONE (818) = 354-5011
http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DmjjjoveWomRO-3BCLCXxIg..
 http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DC707-7_NpH5O-3BCLCXxIg..

Guy=20 Webster (818) 354-5011
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena,=20 Calif.   

Donald Savage (202) 358-1547
NASA=20 Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

NEWS RELEASE:=20 2004-081           = ; March=20 8, 2004

NASA Rovers Watching Solar Eclipses by Mars = Moons

NASA's=20 Mars Exploration Rovers have become eclipse watchers.

Though the = Viking=20 landers in the 1970s observed the shadow of one of
Mars' two moons, = Phobos,=20 moving across the landscape, and Mars
Pathfinder in 1997 observed = Phobos=20 emerge at night from the shadow of
Mars, no previous mission has ever = directly observed a moon pass in
front of the Sun from the surface of = another=20 world.

The current rovers began their eclipse-watching campaign = this=20 month.
Opportunity's panoramic camera caught Mars' smaller moon, = Deimos, as=20 a
speck crossing the disc of the Sun on March 4. The same camera=20 then
captured an image of the larger moon, Phobos, grazing the edge = of=20 the
Sun's disc on March 7.

Rover controllers at NASA's Jet = Propulsion=20 Laboratory, Pasadena,
Calif., are planning to use the panoramic = cameras on=20 both Opportunity
and Spirit for several similar events in the next = six=20 weeks.  Dr. Jim
Bell of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., lead = scientist=20 for those
cameras, expects the most dramatic images may be the one of = Phobos
planned for March 10.

"Scientifically, we're interested = in=20 timing these events to possibly
allow refinement of the orbits and = orbital=20 evolution of these natural
satellites," Bell said. "It's also = exciting,=20 historic and just plain
cool to be able to observe eclipses on = another planet=20 at all."

Depending on the orientation of Phobos as it passes = between the=20 Sun
and the rovers, the images might also add new information about=20 the
elongated shape of that moon.

Phobos is about 27 = kilometers long=20 by about 18 kilometers across its
smallest dimension (17 miles by 11 = miles).=20 Deimos' dimensions are
about half as much, but the pair's difference = in size=20 as they appear
from Mars' surface is even greater, because Phobos = travels in=20 a much
lower orbit.

The rovers' panoramic cameras observe the = Sun=20 nearly every martian day
as a way to gain information about how Mars' = atmosphere affects the
sunlight. The challenge for the eclipse = observations=20 is in the timing.
Deimos crosses the Sun's disc in only about 50 to = 60=20 seconds. Phobos
moves even more quickly, crossing the Sun in only 20 = to 30=20 seconds.

Scientists use the term "transit" for an eclipse in = which=20 the
intervening body covers only a fraction of the more-distant body. = For
example, from Earth, the planet Venus will be seen to transit the = Sun
on June 8, for the first time since 1882.  Transits of the = Sun=20 by
Mercury and transits of Jupiter by Jupiter's moons are more=20 common
observations from Earth.

From Earth, our Moon and the = Sun have=20 the appearance of almost
identically sized discs in the sky, so the = Moon=20 almost exactly covers
the Sun during a total solar eclipse. Because = Mars is=20 farther from the
Sun than Earth is, the Sun looks only about = two-thirds as=20 wide from
Mars as it does from Earth. However, Mars' moons are so = small=20 that
even Phobos covers only about half of the Sun's disc during an=20 eclipse
seen from Mars.

JPL, a division of the California = Institute of=20 Technology in Pasadena,
manages the Mars Exploration Rover project = for NASA's=20 Office of Space
Science, Washington, D.C.

Images of the March = 4 and=20 March 7 eclipses are available online at
http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DakW0LnbN51RO-3BCLCXxIg..
.=20 Other images from the rovers and additional information about = the
project are=20 available from JPL at http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DtEaedB21n_FO-3BCLCXxIg..=20 and
from Cornell University at http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DkbRJjsTjViJO-3BCLCXxIg..=20
 http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DEabiiEbolI5O-3BCLCXxIg..
 http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DJVmBt6GI2IlO-3BCLCXxIg..

-end-

------=_NextPart_000_0290_01C40543.D5218CF0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Mon Mar 8 17:40:57 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i291ets5024121; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 17:40:56 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id UAA09185 for public-list; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 20:32:08 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav40.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.70]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id UAA09181; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 20:32:05 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 17:30:29 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.52 by bay4-dav40.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Mon, 08 Mar 2004 17:32:39 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.52] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Hubble improving view worth servicing mission, AW&ST Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 12:32:31 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_003F_01C40509.6D005780" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 12:32:31 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 09 Mar 2004 01:30:29.0607 (UTC) FILETIME=[1B554770:01C40576] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_003F_01C40509.6D005780 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hubble's Improving View Worth Servicing Mission Risk, Argue Astronomers Aviation Week & Space Technology 03/08/2004, page 56 Frank Morring, Jr. Washington Astronomers press Hubble servicing mission, arguing telescope's view = outweighs risk Lost Vision Astronomers angry and confused at NASA's decision not to mount another = servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope say Administrator Sean = O'Keefe has cut down the orbiting observatory in its prime, using = specious reasoning about the risk of a mission at a time when the = telescope may offer answers to some very basic questions about the = Universe. New Hubble-bound instruments grounded by O'Keefe's decision would give = scientists their best chance yet to answer the riddle of so-called "dark = energy" that is believed to make up some 70-75% of the Universe. Yet = many of the safety concerns cited for not returning to Hubble to install = the new instruments appear to hold as well for the International Space = Station. That is the planned destination for 25-35 missions--including = some of the most complex ever attempted--before the space shuttle is = retired after 2010. "They're planning to have the same failure they had before," said George = N. (Pinky) Nelson, a former astronaut who flew on the first shuttle = mission after the 1986 Challenger accident. "If they haven't fixed that = one, they probably shouldn't be launching anyway." NASA has pushed its earliest return-to-flight date back to Mar. 6, 2005, = to give engineers more time to fix the big shuttle external tank so it = won't shed the insulating foam blamed in the Columbia disaster, and to = harden the orbiter against any foam or other debris that does strike it = (AW&ST Feb. 23, p. 98). Also in the works are upgrades that would enable = a shuttle crew to inspect for damage while in orbit and repair the = damage if necessary, requirements set by the Columbia Accident = Investigation Board (CAIB) for return to flight. With the shuttle now set for retirement "by the end of the decade," the = Hubble servicing mission is unique on the flight manifest in that the = International Space Station would not be available as a repair station = or as a "safe haven" for the crew of an irreparable orbiter. CAIB set = on-orbit inspection and repair as a return-to-flight requirement, and = NASA has developed ways to inspect most of the orbiter using a camera = and laser sensor mounted on a 50-ft. boom attached to the end of the = robot arm. Late last month engineers at Johnson Space Center validated two = different ways to repair the reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) panels that = protect the orbiter from the highest heat of reentry (and that cracked = on Columbia when hit by loose foam), subjecting them to 900 sec. of = arc-jet heating that mimicked the reentry environment. The techniques = --a patch and anchor-bolt combination for small cracks and holes, and a = carbon silicon carbide composite overwrap for larger damage--still must = be engineered for flight operations and manufactured, according to Steve = Poulos, manager of the Orbiter Project Office at JSC. Poulos said the boom is not sturdy enough to support an astronaut = working at its end, since it would take only an estimated 2 lb. of force = from there to overpower a fully extended arm's brakes. Nor is the = arm/boom combination able to cover the entire orbiter. Because of the = lack of visual cues when the arm is reaching across the open payload bay = door to extend the boom along the starboard side of the orbiter, 20-30% = of that side would be out of reach of the boom sensors. Present plans = call for using the ISS arm to complete the inspection, and to support an = astronaut if repairs are needed. Still to be developed is a way to inspect and repair the orbiter if it = achieves orbit but fails to reach the station, a condition critics like = Nelson point out would leave it in the same circumstance as a Hubble = servicing mission. Poulos said one idea would be to attach an adhesive = mat near the end of the boom to anchor it during repairs, but much work = remains. "I've got a much better feel today for how we're going to repair and = those types of things while we're attached to station, but the = autonomous repair part is not as clear to me yet," Poulos said. Without a way to conduct repairs away from the ISS, the crew of a = damaged shuttle would find itself just as stranded as Columbia's crew = would have been had it known of the fatal hole in the RCC protecting = their orbiter's left wing. NASA is making preparations to send a second = orbiter aloft within 90 days to rescue a stranded crew that has reached = the ISS, but no provisions have been made for one that fails to reach = the station haven (AW&ST Feb. 23, p. 27). Skeptics like Nelson don't believe NASA would actually take the risk of = a rescue mission in the wake of a mishap "that would typically ground = the fleet for a couple of years." "Safety's got to be your most important function, but to me, if you = determine the shuttle is safe to fly, then it's just as safe to fly to = the space station as to the telescope," said Nelson. Adm. (ret.) Harold Gehman, who was the CAIB chairman, is expected to = offer his view on the risk of another Hubble servicing mission as early = as this week. O'Keefe sought Gehman's opinion after Sen. Barbara = Mikulski (D-Md.) questioned the mission cancellation, but the NASA = administrator left little hope he would change his mind (AW&ST Feb. 2, = p. 21). That approach doesn't sit well with astronomers accustomed to the = peer-review process that determines who gets to use major observatories = like the Hubble and whether the resulting scientific papers are = published. "You don't shut it down by doing an in-house discussion and = announcing your results," said Garth D. Illingworth, an astronomer at = the University of California, Santa Cruz, who sits on the NASA Advisory = Council's space science panel. "I think you have to set up an open = process which involves talented, knowledgeable people from outside as = well as inside." ILLINGWORTH WORKS with the Hubble's advanced-cameras team. As part of a = $158-million instrument upgrade during the cancelled servicing mission, = the Wide Field Camera 3 was to have been installed on the telescope in = mid-2006 along with a new "Cosmic Origins Spectrograph" with optimized = capability in the far ultraviolet wavelength. That new camera would be = particularly useful in researching dark energy because of its wide field = of view and high angular resolution, which would allow astronomers to = seek and pinpoint the supernovae "standard candles" they use to measure = the expansion rate of the Universe. Dark energy is the term astrophysicists use to explain why the Universe = is expanding at accelerating rates that don't make sense given the = effect of gravity. A recent Hubble survey discovered 42 new supernovae, = providing researchers with data that suggest Albert Einstein's idea of a = "cosmological constant" counteracting gravity might have been correct, = even though Einstein himself later rejected the idea as his "greatest = blunder." "Nobody knows what this stuff is," said Bruce Margon, associate director = for science at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which operates the = Hubble science program for NASA. "The Hubble has just returned the first = quantitative constraints on what it might be and what it might not be. = It's still a huge mystery, but Hubble is actively homing in on it. = Nothing else can tackle this problem the way Hubble can." Margon argues that the Hubble "gets better with age" as servicing = missions upgrade its instruments and scientists use them to follow up on = questions raised earlier in its service lifetime. His institute has = counted almost 3,600 scientific papers published in refereed journals = over the first 12 years of Hubble observations, the number steadily = growing from year to year (see chart above). --__--__-- Message: 6 Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 08:33:01 -0500 (GMT-05:00) From: DwayneDay = > Reply-To: DwayneDay = > To: fpspace@friends-partners.org Subject: [FPSPACE] Hubble safety explained Because I perceived a lack of a comprehensive explanation of NASA's = decision to cancel the Hubble Servicing Mission due to safety concerns, = I wrote the following summary: http://www.thespacereview.com/article/111/1 This is simply a factual recounting of the safety decision, not a = commentary piece. Also at The Space Review you can find a discussion of NASA's new Code T = exploration office. DDAY ------=_NextPart_000_003F_01C40509.6D005780 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hubble's Improving View Worth Servicing Mission Risk, Argue=20 Astronomers
Aviation Week & Space Technology
03/08/2004, page = 56

Frank=20 Morring, Jr.
Washington

Astronomers press Hubble servicing = mission,=20 arguing telescope's view outweighs risk

Lost = Vision

Astronomers=20 angry and confused at NASA's decision not to mount another servicing = mission to=20 the Hubble Space Telescope say Administrator Sean O'Keefe has cut down = the=20 orbiting observatory in its prime, using specious reasoning about the = risk of a=20 mission at a time when the telescope may offer answers to some very = basic=20 questions about the Universe.

New Hubble-bound instruments = grounded by=20 O'Keefe's decision would give scientists their best chance yet to answer = the=20 riddle of so-called "dark energy" that is believed to make up some = 70-75% of the=20 Universe. Yet many of the safety concerns cited for not returning to = Hubble to=20 install the new instruments appear to hold as well for the International = Space=20 Station. That is the planned destination for 25-35 missions--including = some of=20 the most complex ever attempted--before the space shuttle is retired = after=20 2010.

"They're planning to have the same failure they had = before," said=20 George N. (Pinky) Nelson, a former astronaut who flew on the first = shuttle=20 mission after the 1986 Challenger accident. "If they haven't fixed that = one,=20 they probably shouldn't be launching anyway."

NASA has pushed its = earliest return-to-flight date back to Mar. 6, 2005, to give engineers = more time=20 to fix the big shuttle external tank so it won't shed the insulating = foam blamed=20 in the Columbia disaster, and to harden the orbiter against any foam or = other=20 debris that does strike it (AW&ST Feb. 23, p. 98). Also in the works = are=20 upgrades that would enable a shuttle crew to inspect for damage while in = orbit=20 and repair the damage if necessary, requirements set by the Columbia = Accident=20 Investigation Board (CAIB) for return to flight.

With the shuttle = now set=20 for retirement "by the end of the decade," the Hubble servicing mission = is=20 unique on the flight manifest in that the International Space Station = would not=20 be available as a repair station or as a "safe haven" for the crew of an = irreparable orbiter. CAIB set on-orbit inspection and repair as a=20 return-to-flight requirement, and NASA has developed ways to inspect = most of the=20 orbiter using a camera and laser sensor mounted on a 50-ft. boom = attached to the=20 end of the robot arm.

Late last month engineers at Johnson Space = Center=20 validated two different ways to repair the reinforced carbon-carbon = (RCC) panels=20 that protect the orbiter from the highest heat of reentry (and that = cracked on=20 Columbia when hit by loose foam), subjecting them to 900 sec. of arc-jet = heating=20 that mimicked the reentry environment. The techniques --a patch and = anchor-bolt=20 combination for small cracks and holes, and a carbon silicon carbide = composite=20 overwrap for larger damage--still must be engineered for flight = operations and=20 manufactured, according to Steve Poulos, manager of the Orbiter Project = Office=20 at JSC.

Poulos said the boom is not sturdy enough to support an = astronaut=20 working at its end, since it would take only an estimated 2 lb. of force = from=20 there to overpower a fully extended arm's brakes. Nor is the arm/boom=20 combination able to cover the entire orbiter. Because of the lack of = visual cues=20 when the arm is reaching across the open payload bay door to extend the = boom=20 along the starboard side of the orbiter, 20-30% of that side would be = out of=20 reach of the boom sensors. Present plans call for using the ISS arm to = complete=20 the inspection, and to support an astronaut if repairs are = needed.

Still=20 to be developed is a way to inspect and repair the orbiter if it = achieves orbit=20 but fails to reach the station, a condition critics like Nelson point = out would=20 leave it in the same circumstance as a Hubble servicing mission. Poulos = said one=20 idea would be to attach an adhesive mat near the end of the boom to = anchor it=20 during repairs, but much work remains.

"I've got a much better = feel today=20 for how we're going to repair and those types of things while we're = attached to=20 station, but the autonomous repair part is not as clear to me yet," = Poulos=20 said.

Without a way to conduct repairs away from the ISS, the = crew of a=20 damaged shuttle would find itself just as stranded as Columbia's crew = would have=20 been had it known of the fatal hole in the RCC protecting their = orbiter's left=20 wing. NASA is making preparations to send a second orbiter aloft within = 90 days=20 to rescue a stranded crew that has reached the ISS, but no provisions = have been=20 made for one that fails to reach the station haven (AW&ST Feb. 23, = p.=20 27).

Skeptics like Nelson don't believe NASA would actually take = the risk=20 of a rescue mission in the wake of a mishap "that would typically ground = the=20 fleet for a couple of years."

"Safety's got to be your most = important=20 function, but to me, if you determine the shuttle is safe to fly, then = it's just=20 as safe to fly to the space station as to the telescope," said=20 Nelson.

Adm. (ret.) Harold Gehman, who was the CAIB chairman, is = expected=20 to offer his view on the risk of another Hubble servicing mission as = early as=20 this week. O'Keefe sought Gehman's opinion after Sen. Barbara Mikulski = (D-Md.)=20 questioned the mission cancellation, but the NASA administrator left = little hope=20 he would change his mind (AW&ST Feb. 2, p. 21).

That approach = doesn't=20 sit well with astronomers accustomed to the peer-review process that = determines=20 who gets to use major observatories like the Hubble and whether the = resulting=20 scientific papers are published. "You don't shut it down by doing an = in-house=20 discussion and announcing your results," said Garth D. Illingworth, an=20 astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who sits on the = NASA=20 Advisory Council's space science panel. "I think you have to set up an = open=20 process which involves talented, knowledgeable people from outside as = well as=20 inside."

ILLINGWORTH WORKS with the Hubble's advanced-cameras = team. As=20 part of a $158-million instrument upgrade during the cancelled servicing = mission, the Wide Field Camera 3 was to have been installed on the = telescope in=20 mid-2006 along with a new "Cosmic Origins Spectrograph" with optimized=20 capability in the far ultraviolet wavelength. That new camera would be=20 particularly useful in researching dark energy because of its wide field = of view=20 and high angular resolution, which would allow astronomers to seek and = pinpoint=20 the supernovae "standard candles" they use to measure the expansion rate = of the=20 Universe.

Dark energy is the term astrophysicists use to explain = why the=20 Universe is expanding at accelerating rates that don't make sense given = the=20 effect of gravity. A recent Hubble survey discovered 42 new supernovae,=20 providing researchers with data that suggest Albert Einstein's idea of a = "cosmological constant" counteracting gravity might have been correct, = even=20 though Einstein himself later rejected the idea as his "greatest=20 blunder."

"Nobody knows what this stuff is," said Bruce Margon, = associate=20 director for science at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which = operates=20 the Hubble science program for NASA. "The Hubble has just returned the = first=20 quantitative constraints on what it might be and what it might not be. = It's=20 still a huge mystery, but Hubble is actively homing in on it. Nothing = else can=20 tackle this problem the way Hubble can."

Margon argues that the = Hubble=20 "gets better with age" as servicing missions upgrade its instruments and = scientists use them to follow up on questions raised earlier in its = service=20 lifetime. His institute has counted almost 3,600 scientific papers = published in=20 refereed journals over the first 12 years of Hubble observations, the = number=20 steadily growing from year to year (see chart=20 above).

--__--__--

Message: 6
Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 = 08:33:01=20 -0500 (GMT-05:00)
From: DwayneDay <zirconic1@earthlink.net>Reply-To:=20 DwayneDay <zirconic1@earthlink.net>To: fpspace@friends-partners.org=
Subject:=20 [FPSPACE] Hubble safety explained

Because I perceived a lack of a = comprehensive explanation of NASA's decision to cancel the Hubble = Servicing=20 Mission due to safety concerns, I wrote the following summary:

http://www.thespacer= eview.com/article/111/1

This=20 is simply a factual recounting of the safety decision, not a commentary=20 piece.

Also at The Space Review you can find a discussion of = NASA's new=20 Code T exploration = office.


DDAY


------=_NextPart_000_003F_01C40509.6D005780-- From owner-public@setileague.org Tue Mar 9 04:56:09 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i29Cu7s5008878; Tue, 9 Mar 2004 04:56:08 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id HAA24700 for public-list; Tue, 9 Mar 2004 07:35:54 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav5.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.170.109]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id HAA24696; Tue, 9 Mar 2004 07:35:51 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Tue, 9 Mar 2004 04:35:12 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.52 by bay4-dav5.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Tue, 09 Mar 2004 12:35:12 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.52] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: [badastronomy] Bad Astronomy Newsletter Issue #49 (Mar. 8, 2004) Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 07:35:05 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_00B5_01C405A9.0A528A90" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 07:35:05 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 09 Mar 2004 12:35:12.0631 (UTC) FILETIME=[F777C870:01C405D2] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00B5_01C405A9.0A528A90 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Phil Plait, aka The Bad = Astronomer=20 To: badastronomy@yahoogroups.com=20 Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 12:51 AM Subject: [badastronomy] Bad Astronomy Newsletter Issue #49 (Mar. 8, = 2004) THE BAD ASTRONOMY NEWSLETTER Issue #49 March 8, 2004 http://www.badastronomy.com http://groups.yahoo.com/group/badastronomy * * * * * * * * * * * * Bad Astronomy Newsletter #49 Contents: 1) Debunking Richard Hoagland's Mars Nonsense=20 2) Mars Had Standing Water! 3) Hubble's Deepest View Ever 4) Subscribe/Unsubscribe info * * * * * * * * * * * * 1) Debunking Richard Hoagland's Mars Nonsense This has been a long, long time coming.=20 Richard Hoagland is better known as the "Face on Mars" guy. For years=20 he has been relentlessly pounding his message that the face on Mars is an alien artifact, that there is am ancient city on Mars that can give us the key to a whole new field of physics, that NASA is involved in a giant conspiracy (involving the Masons, at least) to keep all this from the brainwashed masses, and a host of other=20 nonsense. He has appeared on "Coast to Coast AM" many times, as well as other radio shows and the odd TV show as well. Well, after all these years, I've had enough. With all the good science coming from JPL and NASA about Mars, I decided I couldn't sit by and=20 let him spout all this foolishness without rebuttal. To be sure, other = sites exist which take him to task, but none that I could find really gives a broad overview and specifics; usually they debunk one or two of his=20 claims. I am tackling quite a few, as well as giving what I hope is a clear explanation of exactly why he is wrong. And he *is* wrong, often and emphatically. Here is the place to start: http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/hoagland/index.html I encourage comments, with the usual caveat that I get about a zillion emails, and the queue right now is at about 400 waiting to be answered. If there is something you think I should add, or change, feel free to = let me know, but to save time and effort, please tell me if I can use your name so I can cite you ("Bad Reader Percival Lowell noted..."). * * * * * * * * * * * * 2) Mars Had Standing Water! The press conference I mentioned in the last newsletter was pretty interesting. Mars used to have standing water! We all suspected this,=20 I guess, but it's nice to have evidence to back it up. Basically, the rocks analyzed by Opportunity have evidence that they soaked in water for a long time (though they are not sure if the rocks formed in the water, or were later flooded). The little balls of rock, called "blueberries", are concretions, mineral deposits which grow with time. The rock was porous, and and the blueberries grew in the vacant spots.=20 The rocks contained sulfate salts, which form in water. The rocks have a much higher content of sulfates and bromine than the soil, again indicating the rocks were under water for some time.=20 Spirit, the other rover, also found more evidence of water where it landed, though not as much as where Opportunity is. Scientists wouldn't say how long ago the water was there, or how long it was there. It seems fair to say it was a long time ago, perhaps a billions years ago, but no one is giving a definite number = yet. For more info, you can read the NASA press release at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2004/74.cfm or articles at space.com: http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/opportunity_news_040302.html and=20 http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/spirit_water_040305.html * * * * * * * * * * * * 3) Hubble's Deepest View Ever On Tuesday, March 9 (today, as many of you read this!) NASA will release a Hubble image that represents the deepest view of the Universe ever = taken. I have not yet seen it as I write this, so I cannot comment too much on = it, except to say that my friends who work on Hubble data who have seen it=20 get a knowing smile on their face when I asked them about it recently.=20 This must be one dynamite image. The press conference will be streamed at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern) at http://www.stsci.edu/institute/center/information/streaming/HubbleUltraDe= epField and you can download images at http://hubblesite.org/news/2004/07 at 9:30 a.m, after the press conference. * * * * * * * * * * * * 4) Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information If, for some weird reason, you want to unsubscribe to this=20 newsletter, just send email to = badastronomy-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com with no body text. Make sure you send it from the address to which the newsletter is sent! Alternatively, you can unsubscribe from the=20 Yahoo!Groups website. Go to http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/groups-32.html=20 for more info. Remember, the newsletters are archived on the website at http://www.badastronomy.com/newsletter/index.html so even if you unsubscribe you can still read them there. I suggest staying subscribed so you get them as soon as I send them. Also, I do *not* sell your email addresses, but I am pretty sure the = evil Yahoo! people, which is why I am moving this newsletter to my own website = eventually. Take a gander at the Yahoo!Groups privacy message if it makes you feel better, or worse:=20 http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/=20 Note that the email addresses *are* visible to me, but I have no = prurient=20 use for them. If that makes you nervous for whatever reason, feel free = to=20 unsubscribe and simply read the archived newsletters at the website = listed above. ************************** Phil Plait The Bad Astronomer badastro@badastronomy.com http://www.badastronomy.com =20 =20 Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: = http://groups.yahoo.com/group/badastronomy/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: = badastronomy-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: = http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ =20 ------=_NextPart_000_00B5_01C405A9.0A528A90 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 12:51 AM
Subject: [badastronomy] Bad Astronomy Newsletter Issue #49 = (Mar. 8,=20 2004)



THE BAD ASTRONOMY NEWSLETTER

Issue = #49
March 8,=20 2004
http://www.badastronomy.com
<= A=20 title=3Dhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/badastronomy=20 href=3D"http://groups.yahoo.com/group/badastronomy">http://groups.yahoo.c= om/group/badastronomy


*    =20 *     *     = *    =20 *     *     = *    =20 *     *     = *    =20 *     *


Bad Astronomy Newsletter=20 #49

Contents:

   1) Debunking Richard Hoagland's = Mars=20 Nonsense
   2) Mars Had Standing Water!
   3) = Hubble's Deepest View Ever
   4) Subscribe/Unsubscribe=20 info


*     *    =20 *     *     = *    =20 *     *     = *    =20 *     *     = *    =20 *


1) Debunking Richard Hoagland's Mars Nonsense

This = has been=20 a long, long time coming.

Richard Hoagland is better known as = the "Face=20 on Mars" guy. For years
he has been relentlessly pounding his = message that=20 the face on Mars
is an alien artifact, that there is am ancient city = on Mars=20 that can
give us the key to a whole new field of physics, that NASA=20 is
involved in a giant conspiracy (involving the Masons, at = least)
to keep=20 all this from the brainwashed masses, and a host of other
nonsense. = He has=20 appeared on "Coast to Coast AM" many times,
as well as other radio = shows and=20 the odd TV show as well.

Well, after all these years, I've had = enough.=20 With all the good science
coming from JPL and NASA about Mars, I = decided I=20 couldn't sit by and
let him spout all this foolishness without = rebuttal. To=20 be sure, other sites
exist which take him to task, but none that I = could find=20 really gives a
broad overview and specifics; usually they debunk one = or two=20 of his
claims. I am tackling quite a few, as well as giving what I = hope=20 is
a clear explanation of exactly why he is wrong. And he *is*=20 wrong,
often and emphatically.

Here is the place to = start:

http://= www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/hoagland/index.html

I=20 encourage comments, with the usual caveat that I get about a = zillion
emails,=20 and the queue right now is at about 400 waiting to be answered.
If = there is=20 something you think I should add, or change, feel free to let
me = know, but to=20 save time and effort, please tell me if I can use your
name so I can = cite you=20 ("Bad Reader Percival Lowell = noted...").


*    =20 *     *     = *    =20 *     *     = *    =20 *     *     = *    =20 *     *


2) Mars Had Standing = Water!

The=20 press conference I mentioned in the last newsletter was = pretty
interesting.=20 Mars used to have standing water! We all suspected this,
I guess, = but it's=20 nice to have evidence to back it up.

Basically, the rocks = analyzed by=20 Opportunity have evidence that
they soaked in water for a long time = (though=20 they are not
sure if the rocks formed in the water, or were later=20 flooded).
The little balls of rock, called "blueberries", are=20 concretions,
mineral deposits which grow with time. The rock was = porous,=20 and
and the blueberries grew in the vacant spots.

The rocks = contained=20 sulfate salts, which form in water. The rocks
have a much higher = content of=20 sulfates and bromine than the soil,
again indicating the rocks were = under=20 water for some time.

Spirit, the other rover, also found more = evidence=20 of water
where it landed, though not as much as where Opportunity=20 is.

Scientists wouldn't say how long ago the water was there, or=20 how
long it was there. It seems fair to say it was a long time=20 ago,
perhaps a billions years ago, but no one is giving a definite = number=20 yet.

For more info, you can read the NASA press release = at

http://www.jpl.nasa= gov/releases/2004/74.cfm

or=20 articles at space.com:

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/opportunity_news_040302.html=

and=20

h= ttp://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/spirit_water_040305.html

=
*    =20 *     *     = *    =20 *     *     = *    =20 *     *     = *    =20 *     *


3) Hubble's Deepest View = Ever

On=20 Tuesday, March 9 (today, as many of you read this!) NASA will = release
a=20 Hubble image that represents the deepest view of the Universe ever = taken.
I=20 have not yet seen it as I write this, so I cannot comment too much on=20 it,
except to say that my friends who work on Hubble data who have = seen it=20
get a knowing smile on their face when I asked them about it = recently.=20
This must be one dynamite image.

The press conference will be = streamed at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern) at

http://www.stsci.edu/institute/center/information/stream= ing/HubbleUltraDeepField

and=20 you can download images at

http://hubblesite.org/news/20= 04/07

at=20 9:30 a.m, after the press = conference.


*    =20 *     *     = *    =20 *     *     = *    =20 *     *     = *    =20 *     *


4) Subscribe/Unsubscribe=20 Information

If, for some weird reason, you want to unsubscribe to = this=20
newsletter, just send email to badastronomy-uns= ubscribe@yahoogroups.com
with=20 no body text. Make sure you send it from the address to which = the
newsletter=20 is sent! Alternatively, you can unsubscribe from the
Yahoo!Groups = website.=20 Go to

http://help.= yahoo.com/help/us/groups/groups-32.html=20

for more info.

Remember, the newsletters are archived on = the=20 website at

http://www.bad= astronomy.com/newsletter/index.html

so=20 even if you unsubscribe you can still read them there. I = suggest
staying=20 subscribed so you get them as soon as I send them.

Also, I do = *not* sell=20 your email addresses, but I am pretty sure the evil Yahoo!
people, = which is=20 why I am moving this newsletter to my own website eventually.
Take a = gander=20 at the Yahoo!Groups privacy message if it makes you
feel better, or = worse:=20

http://privacy.yahoo.com/pr= ivacy/us/=20

Note that the email addresses *are* visible to me, but I have no = prurient
use for them. If that makes you nervous for whatever = reason, feel=20 free to
unsubscribe and simply read the archived newsletters at the = website=20 listed
above.

**************************

Phil = Plait
The Bad=20 Astronomer
badastro@badastronomy.comhttp://www.badastronomy.com = ; =20





 

Yahoo! Groups = Links

<*> To=20 visit your group on the web, go to:
     http://groups.yahoo.= com/group/badastronomy/

<*>=20 To unsubscribe from this group, send an email = to:
     badastronomy-uns= ubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*>=20 Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
     http://docs.yahoo.com/info/ter= ms/
 


------=_NextPart_000_00B5_01C405A9.0A528A90-- From owner-public@setileague.org Tue Mar 9 09:56:45 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i29Huds5016314; Tue, 9 Mar 2004 09:56:43 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id MAA01985 for public-list; Tue, 9 Mar 2004 12:32:14 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav13.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.170.117]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id MAA01981; Tue, 9 Mar 2004 12:32:11 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Tue, 9 Mar 2004 09:31:40 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.23 by bay4-dav13.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Tue, 09 Mar 2004 17:31:40 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.23] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Avoiding the F Word on Mars - Fossils Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 12:31:29 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_00DF_01C405D2.724C4A90" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 Seal-Send-Time: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 12:31:29 -0500 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 09 Mar 2004 17:31:40.0488 (UTC) FILETIME=[61DB5C80:01C405FC] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00DF_01C405D2.724C4A90 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable msnbc.com (Oberg): "Avoiding the 'F word' on Mars -- F*SSIL" NASA won't speculate about possibility of fossils, but that doesn't mean = others aren't http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4480097/ photo: This artist's illustration shows a whimsical vision of a future = Mars astronaut with a startling exo-paleontological discovery. Credit: NASA = and Patrick Rawlings For more space illustrations, go to http://www.patrawlings.com. COMMENTARY // By James Oberg, NBC News space analyst // Special to MSNBC People have imagined Mars as an abode of life for so long - centuries at least, probably much longer - that NASA's recent self-styled = "significant" announcement of strong evidence for liquid water long ago was, let's = face it, pretty ho-hum to both space enthusiasts and the general public. So where did the breathless Internet rumors come from? Where was the evidence for current water, such as brine springs? Are those microscopic threads really just debris from the airbags, and if so, why do they seem = to keep appearing even as Spirit moves farther away from the landing site? = And aside from the junk that the two rovers brought with them and strewed = across the landscape (didn't the NASA science team expect to be confused by = some of that?), are there any other shapes seen in the images that look, well, organic? Sure, intellectually, it really is "significant" that the evidence is = now in that there's a location somewhere off Earth where "life as we know it" = could once have survived if it had developed at all. It's the first, but by no means the last, such location that our explorations will encounter. But a habitat that's only "potential" is empty, and leaves an emptiness inside us too. There is a seductive urge to fill that emptiness with imaginations in the suggestive shapes that the rovers have been seeing. The one that intrigues me most - so far - was referred to by "New = Scientist" magazine's veteran space writer David Chandler with the delicate, = neutral phrase, "resembling a piece of curly macaroni." It's also been called = "the rotini pasta," and similar gastronomic analogies. There's a word for what it might be. Everybody knows it, but it's too = risky to use it lest you get bundled up with the crackpot Martian visions of = bunny rabbits, ski jumps, ribbed sandworms, capital letters, and stone faces = that have been flooding the Net. The word is "fossil". But using it seems to be generally thought of as = some sort of Howard Stern impersonation that could get a careless scientist ostracized for life. Almost saying the forbidden word -- Now, twice during NASA's news conference, scientists danced very close = to this line. They had the word on their minds, it seems, and they were determined not to pronounce it. Instead, they talked around it. With what looked to me with a gleam in his eye, project scientist = Stephen Squyres gave some background about the mineralogy in the crater that Opportunity had done its exploring of the bedrock layers. "What kind of rocks preserve signs of ancient life?" he mused. "Minerals that precipitated from water. They can trap the evidence for that." And = the minerals at Opportunity's site are exactly such minerals, the results indicate. MIT's Dr. John Grotzinger, in response to a question, cautioned that = even on Earth, fossils were very rare in ancient rocks. But he too mentioned off-hand that "these minerals [provide] ideal candidates to be time capsules, to preserve something that was there." "Fossils are rare in rocks from the era before multicellular life," a = NASA scientist explained to me privately, agreeing that microorganisms would = be very difficult to ever find. "But larger fossils are fairly common in = more recent strata. If Mars ever had macroscopic life, whether truly multicellular or in the form of large colonies like stromatolytes, = fossils would be discoverable with a reasonable search." Another NASA geologist, and an old friend, chortled as he recounted the official reaction to questions the week before about the millimeter-long "curly macaroni," which was seen in a cross section after Opportunity = dug a hole into the rock. It not only had a spiral shape but appeared to be at = the head of a burrow. "This feature has the team in Pasadena squirming," my old friend told = me. "They want it to be an artifact [that is, not 'real']." More recent suggestions are that the curlicue wasn't rock at all, but something created by the abrasion of the drill. How long was Mars 'alive'? --=20 There's one big problem with accepting even the possibility of fossils = in Martian rocks: The most recent models of the geologic evolution of Mars = don' t allow anywhere near the time spans for life that were needed on Earth = to produce recognizable fossils. Here on Earth, there was a more than 2 = billion year gap between the first single-cell life and the development of = organisms big and hard enough to leave recognizable traces. Mars didn't have anywhere near that long. Even if it had been "warm and = wet" when young (or even "cold and damp," as newer thinking suggests), the thicker atmosphere that provided a warming greenhouse effect would be = torn away by asteroid impacts and wind-blasted away by a solar wind = unconstrained by the planet's dwindling magnetic field. Once this process was well advanced, the surface would become - and remain - far too cold for any biology. If there were oceans, or even lakes, they might conceivably have lasted anywhere from a few years to millions or perhaps tens of millions of = years - but not hundreds of millions, or even a billion or two. Could they have given birth to creatures that would have left recognizable fossils? For a quarter of a century, as friend, colleague and co-conspirator, = I've enjoyed the insights and imaginations of Chris McKay, whose dreams of = Mars shaped his entire life. Now a senior planetary geologist at NASA's Ames Research Center in California, he has long argued that the unique = geology of Mars might have allowed a faster path to multicellular life than the one followed on Earth. Earth's early living things remained trapped small by the planet's = rapacious devouring of oxygen produced by the organisms. The energizing gas could = not accumulate since it was being sucked up by the rocks as they eroded, circulated via plate tectonics, and formed vast seabed deposits. But = Mars lacked those processes, and so any early life there could have much more quickly created enough free oxygen to permit the big step up to multi-cellular forms. The time scale on which this migth have happened, at best, seems shorter than the time scale on which any open oceans might have frozen up and = eroded away, again at best. Likely? No. But impossible? No, too. Looking at the pictures --=20 Unconstrained by scientific propriety, but still dedicated to testable theories, a number of non-NASA space enthusiasts have tackled the = "fossil" theory head-on. One of the more impressive websites is "Mars Fossils, Pseudofossils or Problematica?", by Canadian scientist Michael Davidson. "If these are fossils, which is not certain but possible, then it is = likely these organisms evolved during the watery epoch of Mars ..." he writes. = What the rover found, he suggests, is "a marine reef of hard-shelled but = eroded organism debris." But even in private, most NASA scientists cautioned against overinterpretation of suggestive shapes. "I would be extremely cautious about ascribing biological significance to any features that may be = found in the rock," one told me. "Since the geology is somewhat different than = that of Earth, novel geologic features will occur." More good advice was provided by Oliver Morton at his blog = "MainlyMartian." Morton, author of "Mapping Mars: Science, Imagination and the Birth of a World," offered a summary of the press conference that suggested we = might indeed find out if there were fossils in the rocks. "Unlikely, but not inconceivable," he concluded. "If there are fossils, though," he continued, "in order to be recognised = as such they'll have to meet 'the Knoll criterion.'" This is named after Andrew Knoll, an expert on fossilised Earth bacteria who is on the = mission science team. He is the author of "Life on a Young Planet." Morton explains: "The Knoll criterion is that anything being put forward = as a fossil must not only look like something that was once alive -- it = must also not look like anything that can be made by non-biological means." And so far, on Mars, we've obviously just scratched the surface on the non-biological surprises that the planet has to offer. So however much = we may be tempted by exotic shapes, we aren't justified in classifying them with what on Earth we can prove were formed by living things. Fossils? No, at least not yet. But something in "the form of fossils", = with many of the apparent visual characteristics of fossils? THAT's a concept = we can coin a useful word for, and I so propose: the fossiloids of Mars. ------=_NextPart_000_00DF_01C405D2.724C4A90 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
msnbc.com (Oberg): "Avoiding the 'F word' on Mars -- = F*SSIL"
NASA won't speculate about possibility of fossils, but that doesn't = mean=20 others aren't

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4480097= /

photo:=20 This artist's illustration shows a whimsical vision of a future=20 Mars
astronaut with a startling exo-paleontological discovery. = Credit: NASA=20 and
Patrick Rawlings For more space illustrations, go to

http://www.patrawlings.com.
COMMENTARY=20 // By James Oberg, NBC News space analyst // Special to = MSNBC

People have=20 imagined Mars as an abode of life for so long - centuries at
least, = probably=20 much longer - that NASA's recent self-styled = "significant"
announcement of=20 strong evidence for liquid water long ago was, let's face
it, pretty = ho-hum=20 to both space enthusiasts and the general public.

So where did = the=20 breathless Internet rumors come from? Where was the
evidence for = current=20 water, such as brine springs? Are those microscopic
threads really = just=20 debris from the airbags, and if so, why do they seem to
keep = appearing even=20 as Spirit moves farther away from the landing site? And
aside from = the junk=20 that the two rovers brought with them and strewed across
the = landscape=20 (didn't the NASA science team expect to be confused by some = of
that?), are=20 there any other shapes seen in the images that look,=20 well,
organic?

Sure, intellectually, it really is = "significant" that=20 the evidence is now in
that there's a location somewhere off Earth = where=20 "life as we know it" could
once have survived if it had developed at = all.=20 It's the first, but by no
means the last, such location that our = explorations=20 will encounter.

But a habitat that's only "potential" is empty, = and=20 leaves an emptiness
inside us too. There is a seductive urge to fill = that=20 emptiness with
imaginations in the suggestive shapes that the rovers = have=20 been seeing.

The one that intrigues me most - so far - was = referred to by=20 "New Scientist"
magazine's veteran space writer David Chandler with = the=20 delicate, neutral
phrase, "resembling a piece of curly macaroni." = It's also=20 been called "the
rotini pasta," and similar gastronomic=20 analogies.

There's a word for what it might be. Everybody knows = it, but=20 it's too risky
to use it lest you get bundled up with the crackpot = Martian=20 visions of bunny
rabbits, ski jumps, ribbed sandworms, capital = letters, and=20 stone faces that
have been flooding the Net.

The word is = "fossil". But=20 using it seems to be generally thought of as some
sort of Howard = Stern=20 impersonation that could get a careless scientist
ostracized for=20 life.

Almost saying the forbidden word --

Now, twice during NASA's news conference, scientists danced = very close=20 to
this line. They had the word on their minds, it seems, and they=20 were
determined not to pronounce it. Instead, they talked around=20 it.

With what looked to me with a gleam in his eye, project = scientist=20 Stephen
Squyres gave some background about the mineralogy in the = crater=20 that
Opportunity had done its exploring of the bedrock = layers.

"What=20 kind of rocks preserve signs of ancient life?" he mused. = "Minerals
that=20 precipitated from water. They can trap the evidence for that." And=20 the
minerals at Opportunity's site are exactly such minerals, the=20 results
indicate.

MIT's Dr. John Grotzinger, in response to a=20 question, cautioned that even on
Earth, fossils were very rare in = ancient=20 rocks. But he too mentioned
off-hand that "these minerals [provide] = ideal=20 candidates to be time
capsules, to preserve something that was=20 there."

"Fossils are rare in rocks from the era before = multicellular=20 life," a NASA
scientist explained to me privately, agreeing that=20 microorganisms would be
very difficult to ever find. "But larger = fossils are=20 fairly common in more
recent strata. If Mars ever had macroscopic = life,=20 whether truly
multicellular or in the form of large colonies like=20 stromatolytes, fossils
would be discoverable with a reasonable=20 search."

Another NASA geologist, and an old friend, chortled as = he=20 recounted the
official reaction to questions the week before about = the=20 millimeter-long
"curly macaroni," which was seen in a cross section = after=20 Opportunity dug a
hole into the rock. It not only had a spiral shape = but=20 appeared to be at the
head of a burrow.

"This feature has the = team in=20 Pasadena squirming," my old friend told me.
"They want it to be an = artifact=20 [that is, not 'real']."

More recent suggestions are that the = curlicue=20 wasn't rock at all, but
something created by the abrasion of the=20 drill.

How long was Mars 'alive'? --

There's one big problem with accepting even the possibility of = fossils=20 in
Martian rocks: The most recent models of the geologic evolution of = Mars=20 don'
t allow anywhere near the time spans for life that were needed = on Earth=20 to
produce recognizable fossils. Here on Earth, there was a more than = 2=20 billion
year gap between the first single-cell life and the = development of=20 organisms
big and hard enough to leave recognizable = traces.

Mars=20 didn't have anywhere near that long. Even if it had been "warm and = wet"
when=20 young (or even "cold and damp," as newer thinking suggests), = the
thicker=20 atmosphere that provided a warming greenhouse effect would be = torn
away by=20 asteroid impacts and wind-blasted away by a solar wind = unconstrained
by the=20 planet's dwindling magnetic field. Once this process was = well
advanced, the=20 surface would become - and remain - far too cold for = any
biology.

If=20 there were oceans, or even lakes, they might conceivably have = lasted
anywhere=20 from a few years to millions or perhaps tens of millions of years = -
but not=20 hundreds of millions, or even a billion or two. Could they have
given = birth=20 to creatures that would have left recognizable fossils?

For a = quarter of=20 a century, as friend, colleague and co-conspirator, I've
enjoyed the = insights=20 and imaginations of Chris McKay, whose dreams of Mars
shaped his = entire life.=20 Now a senior planetary geologist at NASA's Ames
Research Center in=20 California, he has long argued that the unique geology of
Mars might = have=20 allowed a faster path to multicellular life than the one
followed on=20 Earth.

Earth's early living things remained trapped small by the = planet's=20 rapacious
devouring of oxygen produced by the organisms. The = energizing gas=20 could not
accumulate since it was being sucked up by the rocks as = they=20 eroded,
circulated via plate tectonics, and formed vast seabed = deposits. But=20 Mars
lacked those processes, and so any early life there could have = much=20 more
quickly created enough free oxygen to permit the big step up=20 to
multi-cellular forms.

The time scale on which this migth = have=20 happened, at best, seems shorter
than the time scale on which any = open oceans=20 might have frozen up and eroded
away, again at best. Likely? No. But=20 impossible? No, too.

Looking at the pictures --

Unconstrained by scientific propriety, but still dedicated to=20 testable
theories, a number of non-NASA space enthusiasts have = tackled the=20 "fossil"
theory head-on. One of the more impressive websites is "Mars = Fossils,
Pseudofossils or Problematica?", by Canadian scientist = Michael=20 Davidson.

"If these are fossils, which is not certain but = possible, then=20 it is likely
these organisms evolved during the watery epoch of Mars = .." he=20 writes. What
the rover found, he suggests, is "a marine reef of = hard-shelled=20 but eroded
organism debris."

But even in private, most NASA = scientists=20 cautioned against
overinterpretation of suggestive shapes. "I would = be=20 extremely cautious
about ascribing biological significance to any = features=20 that may be found in
the rock," one told me. "Since the geology is = somewhat=20 different than that
of Earth, novel geologic features will=20 occur."

More good advice was provided by Oliver Morton at his = blog=20 "MainlyMartian."
Morton, author of "Mapping Mars: Science, = Imagination and=20 the Birth of a
World," offered a summary of the press conference that = suggested we might
indeed find out if there were fossils in the = rocks.=20 "Unlikely, but not
inconceivable," he concluded.

"If there are = fossils, though," he continued, "in order to be recognised as
such = they'll=20 have to meet 'the Knoll criterion.'"  This is named after
Andrew = Knoll,=20 an expert on fossilised Earth bacteria who is on the mission
science = team. He=20 is the author of "Life on a Young Planet."

Morton explains: "The = Knoll=20 criterion is that anything being put forward as
a fossil must not = only look=20 like something that was once alive -- it must
also not look like = anything=20 that can be made by non-biological means."

And so far, on Mars, = we've=20 obviously just scratched the surface on the
non-biological surprises = that the=20 planet has to offer. So however much we
may be tempted by exotic = shapes, we=20 aren't justified in classifying them
with what on Earth we can prove = were=20 formed by living things.

Fossils? No, at least not yet. But = something in=20 "the form of fossils", with
many of the apparent visual = characteristics of=20 fossils? THAT's a concept we
can coin a useful word for, and I so = propose:=20 the fossiloids of Mars.


------=_NextPart_000_00DF_01C405D2.724C4A90-- From owner-public@setileague.org Wed Mar 10 10:59:29 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2AIxMs5004326; Wed, 10 Mar 2004 10:59:25 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id NAA06895 for public-list; Wed, 10 Mar 2004 13:36:23 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav55.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.85]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id NAA06891; Wed, 10 Mar 2004 13:36:21 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Wed, 10 Mar 2004 10:35:50 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.50 by bay4-dav55.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Wed, 10 Mar 2004 18:35:49 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.50] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: Cornell News: Atacama agreement Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 13:35:40 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0079_01C406A4.94600360" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 13:35:40 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 10 Mar 2004 18:35:50.0243 (UTC) FILETIME=[82E71B30:01C406CE] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0079_01C406A4.94600360 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: cunews@cornell.edu=20 To: = CUNEWS-PHYSICAL_SCIENCE-L@cornell.edu ; = CUNEWS-SCIENCE-L@cornell.edu=20 Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 5:39 PM Subject: Cornell News: Atacama agreement Cornell and Caltech agree to study building of new sub-millimeter=20 telescope on high mountain plateau in Chile FOR RELEASE: March 9, 2004 Contact: David Brand Office: 607-255-3651 E-mail: deb27@cornell.edu ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell University and the California Institute of=20 Technology (Caltech) have signed an agreement committing the two=20 institutions to collaborate on the planning for a 25-meter infrared=20 telescope high in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The universities will focus on the first phase of telescope=20 development, says Riccardo Giovanelli, professor of astronomy at=20 Cornell and project director. During the $2 million study phase,=20 Cornell and Caltech researchers will outline the technical and=20 financial resources required to construct the new telescope. Fred=20 Young, an active Cornell alumnus and retired businessman from Racine,=20 Wisc., will fund most of Cornell's share of the study. The estimated total cost of the telescope will be $60 million and is=20 expected see "first light" in 2012. The Atacama site, about 1,000=20 miles north of Santiago, is more than 5,000 meters (16,500 feet)=20 above sea level. The Atacama telescope will be sensitive to light with wavelengths=20 longer than 200 microns, or 0.2 millimeters. These wavelengths=20 (called far-infrared or sub-millimeter) are too long to be perceived=20 by the human eye, but are shorter than the waves that transmit radio=20 and television signals. Because these waves are absorbed by water vapor in the Earth's=20 atmosphere, they are difficult to detect from the ground. The high=20 Atacama Desert will position the telescope above most of the water=20 vapor in the atmosphere, making the site one of the best on Earth for=20 far-infrared astronomy. The new telescope will be "by far the most sensitive sub-millimeter=20 telescope in the world," says Cornell astronomy professor Gordon=20 Stacey, who studies infrared astronomy and instrumentation and has=20 been a major advocate for the project. Because the telescope will be=20 so sensitive -- 30 times more sensitive than current sub-millimeter=20 telescopes -- it will be able to probe star formation during the=20 epoch of galaxy formation, the time in the universe's history at=20 which galaxies first appeared, says Stacey. Cornell and Caltech researchers also will use the new telescope to=20 study the origin of the large-scale structure of the universe, a=20 filamentary web that Giovanelli describes as a "bowl of spaghetti."=20 Also on the telescope's agenda are circumstellar disks, the rotating=20 pancakes of dust and gas in which planets form. These planetary=20 nurseries are shrouded from optical telescopes by light-absorbing=20 dust, but they emit an infrared glow that could reveal hidden planets. Giovanelli notes that the telescope will take advantage of the=20 "coming of age" of new sub-millimeter detector technology. Called=20 large format bolometer arrays, these detectors will sensitively=20 measure radiation collected by the telescope over tens of thousands=20 of pixels. Current detectors have only a few hundred pixels and, just=20 as with digital cameras or computer monitors, more pixels create=20 sharper images. A steering committee, headed by Giovanelli and staffed by four=20 members from both participating universities will direct the project.=20 The study phase is expected to be complete in two years or less,=20 followed by engineering development and construction. "Caltech is just a wonderful partner, with their long history in=20 sub-millimeter astronomy," says Stacey. Though the agreement does not=20 formally commit Cornell and Caltech to collaboration beyond the study=20 phase, Giovanelli notes that it spells out the universities'=20 intentions to work together to bring the project to completion. This release was reported and written by Cornell News Service science=20 writer intern Kate Becker. -30- The web version of this release, with accompanying photos, may be=20 found at=20 http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/March04/Atacama.Giovanelli.deb.html<= http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/March04/Atacama.Giovanelli.deb.html>= --=20 Cornell University News Service Surge 3 Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 607-255-4206 cunews@cornell.edu http://www.news.cornell.edu ------=_NextPart_000_0079_01C406A4.94600360 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 5:39 PM
Subject: Cornell News: Atacama agreement

Cornell and Caltech agree to study building of new = sub-millimeter=20
telescope on high mountain plateau in Chile

FOR = RELEASE:  March=20 9, 2004

Contact:  David Brand
Office: =20 607-255-3651
E-mail:  deb27@cornell.edu


ITHACA= , N.Y. --=20 Cornell University and the California Institute of
Technology = (Caltech) have=20 signed an agreement committing the two
institutions to collaborate = on the=20 planning for a 25-meter infrared
telescope high in the Atacama = Desert of=20 northern Chile.

The universities will focus on the first phase of = telescope
development, says Riccardo Giovanelli, professor of = astronomy at=20
Cornell and project director. During the $2 million study phase, =
Cornell=20 and Caltech researchers will outline the technical and
financial = resources=20 required to construct the new telescope. Fred
Young, an active = Cornell=20 alumnus and retired businessman from Racine,
Wisc., will fund most = of=20 Cornell's share of the study.

The estimated total cost of the = telescope=20 will be $60 million and is
expected see "first light" in 2012. The = Atacama=20 site, about 1,000
miles north of Santiago, is more than 5,000 meters = (16,500=20 feet)
above sea level.

The Atacama telescope will be = sensitive to=20 light with wavelengths
longer than 200 microns, or 0.2 millimeters. = These=20 wavelengths
(called far-infrared or sub-millimeter) are too long to = be=20 perceived
by the human eye, but are shorter than the waves that = transmit=20 radio
and television signals.

Because these waves are = absorbed by=20 water vapor in the Earth's
atmosphere, they are difficult to detect = from the=20 ground. The high
Atacama Desert will position the telescope above = most of=20 the water
vapor in the atmosphere, making the site one of the best = on Earth=20 for
far-infrared astronomy.

The new telescope will be "by far = the=20 most sensitive sub-millimeter
telescope in the world," says Cornell=20 astronomy professor Gordon
Stacey, who studies infrared astronomy = and=20 instrumentation and has
been a major advocate for the project.  = Because=20 the telescope will be
so sensitive -- 30 times more sensitive than = current=20 sub-millimeter
telescopes -- it will be able to probe star formation = during=20 the
epoch of galaxy formation, the time in the universe's history at =
which galaxies first appeared, says Stacey.

Cornell and = Caltech=20 researchers also will use the new telescope to
study the origin of = the=20 large-scale structure of the universe, a
filamentary web that = Giovanelli=20 describes as a "bowl of spaghetti."
Also on the telescope's agenda = are=20 circumstellar disks, the rotating
pancakes of dust and gas in which = planets=20 form. These planetary
nurseries are shrouded from optical telescopes = by=20 light-absorbing
dust, but they emit an infrared glow that could = reveal=20 hidden planets.

Giovanelli notes that the telescope will take = advantage=20 of the
"coming of age" of new sub-millimeter detector technology. = Called=20
large format bolometer arrays, these detectors will sensitively =
measure=20 radiation collected by the telescope over tens of thousands
of = pixels.=20 Current detectors have only a few hundred pixels and, just
as with = digital=20 cameras or computer monitors, more pixels create
sharper = images.

A=20 steering committee, headed by Giovanelli and staffed by four
members = from=20 both participating universities will direct the project.
The study = phase is=20 expected to be complete in two years or less,
followed by = engineering=20 development and construction.

"Caltech is just a wonderful = partner, with=20 their long history in
sub-millimeter astronomy," says Stacey. Though = the=20 agreement does not
formally commit Cornell and Caltech to = collaboration=20 beyond the study
phase, Giovanelli notes that it spells out the=20 universities'
intentions to work together to bring the project to=20 completion.

This release was reported and written by Cornell News = Service=20 science
writer intern Kate Becker.

-30-



The = web=20 version of this release, with accompanying photos, may be
found at =
http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/March04/Atacama.Giovanelli.= deb.html
--=20

Cornell University News Service
Surge 3
Cornell=20 University
Ithaca, NY 14853
607-255-4206
cunews@cornell.edu
http://www.news.cornell.edu
<= BR>
------=_NextPart_000_0079_01C406A4.94600360-- From owner-public@setileague.org Sun Mar 14 14:20:09 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2EMK8s5027198; Sun, 14 Mar 2004 14:20:08 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id RAA18607 for public-list; Sun, 14 Mar 2004 17:08:56 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav79.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.109]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id RAA18603; Sun, 14 Mar 2004 17:08:49 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Sun, 14 Mar 2004 14:08:18 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.2 by bay4-dav79.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Sun, 14 Mar 2004 22:08:18 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.2] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Report: large KBO discovered Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2004 17:08:16 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_005F_01C409E6.F0DE6010" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Sun, 14 Mar 2004 17:08:16 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 14 Mar 2004 22:08:18.0672 (UTC) FILETIME=[DB35FF00:01C40A10] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_005F_01C409E6.F0DE6010 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable This article is also available on the web at: http://www.spacetoday.net/getsummary.php?id=3D2252 . Report: large KBO discovered =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Posted: Sun, Mar 14 2:15 PM ET (1915 GMT) NASA is scheduled to announced Monday the discovery of a distant Kuiper Belt object (KBO) nearly as large as the planet Pluto, an Australian newspaper reported Sunday. An article in The Australian revealed that astronomers had found an object provisionally called Sedna -- the Inuit goddess of the sea -- orbiting the Sun at a distance of ten billion kilometers. Observations suggest the object may be 2,000 kilometers in diameter, which would make it not only the largest KBO but nearly as large as the planet Pluto.=20 NASA announced Friday that it would hold a press conference Monday at 1 pm EST (1800 GMT) to discuss what it called an "unusual solar object" that was the most distant body found to date orbiting the Sun, but offered no other details.=20 While The Australian article offered no details regarding how the object was discovered, the NASA announcement of the press conference includes links (not yet activated) to the web site of the Spitzer Space Telescope, an infrared observatory launched last year. =20 Related Links: -------------- The Australian article: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8968352%255= E29098,00.html NASA announcement of press conference : http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/mar/HQ_n04040_solar_object.html Visit http://www.spacetoday.net/ to get the = latest space news summaries and links to space news articles published throughout the web. If you have any questions about this service, please contact us at = info@spacetoday.net. =20 ------=_NextPart_000_005F_01C409E6.F0DE6010 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
This article is also available on the web at:
http://www.sp= acetoday.net/getsummary.php?id=3D2252=20

Report: large KBO=20 discovered
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Posted:=20 Sun, Mar 14 2:15 PM ET (1915 GMT)

NASA is scheduled to announced = Monday=20 the discovery of a
distant Kuiper Belt object (KBO) nearly as large = as=20 the
planet Pluto, an Australian newspaper reported Sunday. =20 An
article in The Australian revealed that astronomers had
found = an object=20 provisionally called Sedna -- the Inuit
goddess of the sea -- = orbiting the=20 Sun at a distance of ten
billion kilometers.  Observations = suggest the=20 object may be
2,000 kilometers in diameter, which would make it not=20 only
the largest KBO but nearly as large as the planet Pluto. =
NASA=20 announced Friday that it would hold a press conference
Monday at 1 pm = EST=20 (1800 GMT) to discuss what it called an
"unusual solar object" that = was the=20 most distant body found
to date orbiting the Sun, but offered no = other=20 details.
While The Australian article offered no details = regarding
how=20 the object was discovered, the NASA announcement of the
press = conference=20 includes links (not yet activated) to the
web site of the Spitzer = Space=20 Telescope, an infrared
observatory launched last = year.
 
Related=20 Links:
--------------
The Australian article:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story= _page/0,5744,8968352%255E29098,00.html
NASA=20 announcement of press conference :
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/mar/HQ_n04040_solar_object.html=


Visit=20 http://www.spacetoday.net/ to = get the=20 latest space
news summaries and links to space news articles=20 published
throughout the web.  If you have any questions about=20 this
service, please contact us at info@spacetoday.net.
 
------=_NextPart_000_005F_01C409E6.F0DE6010-- From owner-public@setileague.org Sun Mar 14 14:45:01 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2EMj0s5000878; Sun, 14 Mar 2004 14:45:01 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id RAA19180 for public-list; Sun, 14 Mar 2004 17:34:21 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav23.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.53]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id RAA19176; Sun, 14 Mar 2004 17:34:18 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Sun, 14 Mar 2004 14:33:47 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.2 by bay4-dav23.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Sun, 14 Mar 2004 22:33:47 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.2] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Adios Arecibo: Project Phoenix Moves On Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2004 17:33:45 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_00B8_01C409EA.8083E020" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Sun, 14 Mar 2004 17:33:45 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 14 Mar 2004 22:33:47.0806 (UTC) FILETIME=[6AA553E0:01C40A14] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00B8_01C409EA.8083E020 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Science/Astronomy: * Adios Arecibo: Project Phoenix Moves On http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_arecibo_040311.html There are no good good-byes. Separations that warrant recognition are = inevitably edged with sadness. So it is with bittersweet poignancy that = I, as a member of the Project Phoenix team, now depart the Arecibo = Observatory at the conclusion of our final run. * U.S. Senators Demand Reviews of NASA Hubble Decision http://www.space.com/news/hubble_senators_040311.html The leaders of the Senate subcommittee that controls NASA's purse = strings have requested separate, independent reviews of the agency's = decision to cancel plans for a space shuttle servicing mission to the = Hubble Space Telescope. * Private Detectives Investigate Mars http://www.space.com/spacewatch/mars_detectives_040311.html The unmatched imagery being relayed from the two NASA Mars rovers -- = Spirit and Opportunity have made it possible for amateur investigators = to explore the red planet as never before. ------=_NextPart_000_00B8_01C409EA.8083E020 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Science/Astronomy:

* Adios Arecibo: Project Phoenix Moves = On

http= ://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_arecibo_040311.html

There = are no good good-byes. Separations that warrant recognition are = inevitably edged=20 with sadness. So it is with bittersweet poignancy that I, as a member of = the=20 Project Phoenix team, now depart the Arecibo Observatory at the = conclusion of=20 our final run.

* U.S. Senators Demand Reviews of NASA Hubble Decision
http://www= space.com/news/hubble_senators_040311.html

The=20 leaders of the Senate subcommittee that controls NASA's purse strings = have=20 requested separate, independent reviews of the agency's decision to = cancel plans=20 for a space shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space = Telescope.

*=20 Private Detectives Investigate Mars
http= ://www.space.com/spacewatch/mars_detectives_040311.html

The=20 unmatched imagery being relayed from the two NASA Mars rovers -- Spirit = and=20 Opportunity have made it possible for amateur investigators to explore = the red=20 planet as never before.

------=_NextPart_000_00B8_01C409EA.8083E020-- From owner-public@setileague.org Mon Mar 15 04:44:28 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2FCiRs5022630; Mon, 15 Mar 2004 04:44:28 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id HAA05592 for public-list; Mon, 15 Mar 2004 07:30:11 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from krypton.melitacable.com (ns.melitacable.com [212.56.128.132]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id HAA05564; Mon, 15 Mar 2004 07:28:10 -0500 (EST) From: albonnici@vol.net.mt Received: from webmail.onvol.net ([212.56.128.200]) by krypton.melitacable.com (8.12.3/8.12.3) with SMTP id i2FCXXtn004623; Mon, 15 Mar 2004 13:33:34 +0100 (MET) Reply-To: albonnici@vol.net.mt To: "setipublic" , "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Astronomers Find New Planet Round Sun! Cc: "setipublic" , "BioAstro" Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 13:26:49 +0100 Message-Id: <4055a10908c5b7.59446308@vol.net.mt> References: X-IP-Address: [62.173.8.10] MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk Astronomers have discovered a new world circling the Sun farther away than other planets. Found in an outer Solar System survey by the recently launched Spitzer Space Telescope, it has been called Sedna after the Inuit goddess of the ocean. Observations show it is about 2,000 km across, and it may even be larger than Pluto which is 2,250 km across. The Hubble Space Telescope has also seen it. Details will be announced by the US space agency NASA on Monday. Sedna is the largest object found circling the Sun since the discovery of Pluto in 1930. Its size is uncertain. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3511678.stm From owner-public@setileague.org Wed Mar 17 05:28:39 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2HDSbs5008124; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 05:28:38 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id HAA07283 for public-list; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 07:51:01 -0500 (EST) 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 HAA07273; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 07:50:57 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 04:50:56 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.43 by bay4-dav7.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 12:50:55 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.43] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Fw: William H. Pickering, Former Director of JPL, Dies Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 07:50:43 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_005F_01C40BF4.8CF74E80" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 07:50:43 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 17 Mar 2004 12:50:56.0066 (UTC) FILETIME=[7D1A8A20:01C40C1E] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_005F_01C40BF4.8CF74E80 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory=20 To: ljk4@msn.com=20 Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2004 5:57 PM Subject: William H. Pickering, Former Director of JPL, Dies MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3D6UVlgasFVEVO-3BCLCXxIg.. = http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DUf2kbkT-A9dO-3BCLCXxIg.. Veronica McGregor (818) 354-9452 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. NEWS RELEASE: 2004-086 March 16, 2004 William H. Pickering, Former Director of JPL, Dies Dr. William H. Pickering, a central figure in the U.S. space race and former director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., from 1954 to 1976, has died. =20 Pickering -- known affectionately as "Mr. JPL" and an original "Rocket Man," and one of few public figures to appear twice on the cover of Time magazine -- passed away Monday of pneumonia at his home in La Canada Flintridge, Calif. He was 93. "Dr. Pickering was one of the titans of our nation's space program," said Dr. Charles Elachi, the current director of JPL. "It was his leadership that took America into space and opened up the moon and planets to the world." "He brought a vision and passion to space exploration that was remarkable," said Dr. Ed Weiler, NASA's associate administrator for space science. "His pioneering work is the very foundation we have built upon to explore our solar system and beyond." In 1958, as director of JPL, Pickering led the successful effort to place the first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, into Earth orbit.=20 Following on the success of Explorer 1, Pickering was instrumental in leading a new era of robotic space exploration, including the first missions to the moon and the planets. Dr. Pickering began at JPL in 1944, at a time when the Laboratory was developing missile systems for the U.S. Army. He organized the electronics efforts at JPL to support guided missile research and development, becoming project manager for Corporal, the first operational missile JPL developed. It was not a simple project. In an interview in 1994, Pickering joked about the trials and tribulations of testing the early guidance systems. "For the 100th Corporal that we tested, I pushed the [launch] button -- and the darn thing went east instead of north. I never pushed the button again," he recalled. Eventually, under Pickering's direction, the Sergeant solid-propellant missile was designed and developed at JPL.=20 In 1954, Pickering was named director of JPL, and he soon had his hands full with the space race. Following the first Soviet Sputnik launch, JPL and the Army Ballistic Missile Agency were given the assignment in November 1957 to place the first U.S. satellite in orbit. Pickering directed the JPL effort, which, in just 83 days, provided the satellite, telecommunications, and the upper rocket stages that lofted Explorer 1 into orbit on January 31, 1958. It was considered one of Pickering's greatest achievements and laid the groundwork for future robotic exploration of the moon and planets.=20 In 1975, Dr. Pickering recalled the achievement of Explorer 1 and its impact on a new era of space exploration. "The event was symbolic of the mixing process between engineering and science, between the world and the research laboratory ... it had mixed rocket technology with the universe, and reduced astronautics to practice at last." Under Pickering the Laboratory, managed by the California Institute of Technology, was transferred from the jurisdiction of the Army to the newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1958.=20 Under the new agency, family members recall, he was given the choice of heading either human or robotic space exploration, and chose the latter. In succeeding years, JPL conducted an intensive series of space probes -- Ranger and Surveyor missions to the moon, and the Mariner missions to Earth's neighboring planets. On December 14, 1962, the Mariner 2 spacecraft successfully completed a flyby of the planet Venus, culminating a 109-day journey of more than 290 million kilometers (180 million miles): humankind's first penetration to the vicinity of another planet. On July 14, 1965, following a 228-day journey of more than 525 million kilometers (325 million miles) by Mariner 4, Dr. Pickering's team obtained the first close-up pictures of Mars. Four more Mariner missions reached Venus and Mars before Pickering retired from JPL in 1976. On January 1, 1963, following the successful flyby of Venus by the Mariner 2 spacecraft, Pickering rode as Grand Marshall of the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. His two appearances on the cover of Time magazine were in 1963 and again in 1965 following Mariner IV's encounter with Mars.=20 Dr. Pickering was honored by numerous awards throughout his career, including NASA's Distinguished Service Medal. In 1975, he was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Gerald Ford, and in 1976 he was given honorary knighthood from the Queen of England. He also named to the Order of New Zealand, that country's highest honor. He also received awards from numerous science and engineering societies. Pickering was born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1910 and immigrated to the United States in 1929 to study at Caltech. He obtained his bachelors and masters degrees in electrical engineering, then a Ph.D. in physics from Caltech before becoming a professor of electrical engineering there in 1946. Pickering became a U.S. citizen in 1941. A memorial service will be held Saturday, March 20, at 3 p.m. in Beckman Auditorium on the Caltech campus in Pasadena. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the William H. Pickering Scholarship for New Zealand Graduate Students at Caltech. He is survived by his wife, Inez Chapman Pickering, and a daughter, Elizabeth Pickering Mezitt. His son, William Balfour, passed away two days before Dr. Pickering's death. - end - ------=_NextPart_000_005F_01C40BF4.8CF74E80 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2004 5:57 PM
Subject: William H. Pickering, Former Director of JPL,=20 Dies

MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION = LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA=20 INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE=20 ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3D6UVlgasFVEVO-3BCLCXxIg..
 http://j= pl.convio.net/site/R?i=3DUf2kbkT-A9dO-3BCLCXxIg..

Veronica=20 McGregor   (818) 354-9452
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, = Pasadena,=20 Calif.

NEWS RELEASE: 2004-086      March = 16,=20 2004

William H. Pickering, Former Director of JPL, = Dies

Dr.=20 William H. Pickering, a central figure in the U.S. space race = and
former=20 director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.,
from = 1954 to=20 1976, has died.
 
Pickering -- known affectionately as "Mr. = JPL" and=20 an original "Rocket
Man," and one of few public figures to appear = twice on=20 the cover of
Time magazine -- passed away Monday of pneumonia at his = home in=20 La
Canada Flintridge, Calif.  He was 93.

"Dr. Pickering = was one=20 of the titans of our nation's space program,"
said Dr. Charles = Elachi, the=20 current director of JPL.  "It was his
leadership that took = America into=20 space and opened up the moon and
planets to the world."

"He = brought a=20 vision and passion to space exploration that was
remarkable," said = Dr. Ed=20 Weiler, NASA's associate administrator for
space science. "His = pioneering=20 work is the very foundation we have
built upon to explore our solar = system=20 and beyond."

In 1958, as director of JPL, Pickering led the = successful=20 effort to
place the first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, into Earth = orbit.=20
Following on the success of Explorer 1, Pickering was instrumental=20 in
leading a new era of robotic space exploration, including the=20 first
missions to the moon and the planets.

Dr. Pickering = began at JPL=20 in 1944, at a time when the Laboratory was
developing missile systems = for the=20 U.S. Army.  He organized the
electronics efforts at JPL to = support=20 guided missile research and
development, becoming project manager for = Corporal, the first
operational missile JPL developed.   It = was not=20 a simple project.  In
an interview in 1994, Pickering joked = about the=20 trials and
tribulations of testing the early guidance = systems.

"For=20 the 100th Corporal that we tested, I pushed the [launch] button
-- = and the=20 darn thing went east instead of north.  I never pushed = the
button=20 again," he recalled.   Eventually, under Pickering's = direction,
the=20 Sergeant solid-propellant missile was designed and developed at
JPL.=20

In 1954, Pickering was named director of JPL, and he soon had=20 his
hands full with the space race.  Following the first Soviet=20 Sputnik
launch, JPL and the Army Ballistic Missile Agency were given=20 the
assignment in November 1957 to place the first U.S. satellite=20 in
orbit.  Pickering directed the JPL effort, which, in just 83=20 days,
provided the satellite, telecommunications, and the upper=20 rocket
stages that lofted Explorer 1 into orbit on January 31, = 1958.  It=20 was
considered one of Pickering's greatest achievements and laid=20 the
groundwork for future robotic exploration of the moon and = planets.=20

In 1975, Dr. Pickering recalled the achievement of Explorer 1 = and=20 its
impact on a new era of space exploration. "The event was symbolic = of
the mixing process between engineering and science, between the=20 world
and the research laboratory ... it had mixed rocket technology=20 with
the universe, and reduced astronautics to practice at=20 last."

Under Pickering the Laboratory, managed by the California=20 Institute of
Technology, was transferred from the jurisdiction of the = Army to=20 the
newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration in = 1958.=20
Under the new agency, family members recall, he was given the = choice
of=20 heading either human or robotic space exploration, and chose=20 the
latter.  In succeeding years, JPL conducted an intensive = series=20 of
space probes -- Ranger and Surveyor missions to the moon, and=20 the
Mariner missions to Earth's neighboring planets.

On = December 14,=20 1962, the Mariner 2 spacecraft successfully completed
a flyby of the = planet=20 Venus, culminating a 109-day journey of more
than 290 million = kilometers (180=20 million miles): humankind's first
penetration to the vicinity of = another=20 planet.  On July 14, 1965,
following a 228-day journey of more = than 525=20 million kilometers (325
million miles) by Mariner 4, Dr. Pickering's = team=20 obtained the first
close-up pictures of Mars.  Four more Mariner = missions reached Venus
and Mars before Pickering retired from JPL in=20 1976.

On January 1, 1963, following the successful flyby of Venus = by=20 the
Mariner 2 spacecraft, Pickering rode as Grand Marshall of=20 the
Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena.  His two appearances = on=20 the
cover of Time magazine were in 1963 and again in 1965=20 following
Mariner IV's encounter with Mars.

Dr. Pickering was = honored=20 by numerous awards throughout his career,
including NASA's = Distinguished=20 Service Medal.  In 1975, he was awarded
the National Medal of = Science by=20 President Gerald Ford, and in 1976 he
was given honorary knighthood = from the=20 Queen of England.  He also
named to the Order of New Zealand, = that=20 country's highest honor.  He
also received awards from numerous = science=20 and engineering societies.

Pickering was born in Wellington, New = Zealand=20 in 1910 and immigrated
to the United States in 1929 to study at=20 Caltech.  He obtained his
bachelors and masters degrees in = electrical=20 engineering, then a Ph.D.
in physics from Caltech before becoming a = professor=20 of electrical
engineering there in 1946.  Pickering became a = U.S.=20 citizen in 1941.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, March = 20, at 3=20 p.m. in
Beckman Auditorium on the Caltech campus in Pasadena.  = The=20 family has
requested that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made = to=20 the
William H. Pickering Scholarship for New Zealand Graduate = Students=20 at
Caltech.

He is survived by his wife, Inez Chapman = Pickering, and a=20 daughter,
Elizabeth Pickering Mezitt.  His son, William Balfour, = passed=20 away two
days before Dr. Pickering's death.

- end=20 -


------=_NextPart_000_005F_01C40BF4.8CF74E80-- From owner-public@setileague.org Wed Mar 17 05:29:45 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2HDThs5031433; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 05:29:44 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id HAA07279 for public-list; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 07:51:00 -0500 (EST) 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 HAA07271; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 07:50:56 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 04:50:21 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.43 by bay4-dav7.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 12:50:21 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.43] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: Space-Weather-Outlook Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 07:50:13 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0055_01C40BF4.7B2785D0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 07:50:13 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 17 Mar 2004 12:50:21.0363 (UTC) FILETIME=[686B4830:01C40C1E] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0055_01C40BF4.7B2785D0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Space Environment Center=20 To: = advisory-list-send@dawn.sec.noaa.gov=20 Sent: Monday, March 15, 2004 2:10 PM Subject: Space-Weather-Outlook Official Space Weather Advisory issued by NOAA Space Environment Center Boulder, Colorado, USA SPACE WEATHER ADVISORY OUTLOOK #04- 11 2004 March 15 at 12:07 p.m. MST (2004 March 15 1907 UTC) **** SPACE WEATHER OUTLOOK **** Summary For March 8-14 Category G2 (major) geomagnetic activity occurred on 10 March due to high-speed solar winds from a coronal hole on the Sun. For a list of adverse system effects related to space weather storms, please refer to the NOAA Space Weather Scales. Outlook For March 17-23 Space weather for the next week is expected to reach minor levels. There is a chance for Category R1 (minor) radio blackouts due to additional flare activity from Region 570 and old Region 564. Data used to provide space weather services are contributed by NOAA,=20 USAF, NASA, NSF, USGS, the International Space Environment Services=20 and other observatories, universities, and institutions. For more=20 information, including email services, see SEC's Space Weather=20 Advisories Web site = http://sec.noaa.gov/advisories or (303) = 497-5127. ------=_NextPart_000_0055_01C40BF4.7B2785D0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Monday, March 15, 2004 2:10 PM
Subject: Space-Weather-Outlook

Official Space Weather Advisory issued by NOAA Space = Environment=20 Center
Boulder, Colorado, USA

SPACE WEATHER ADVISORY OUTLOOK = #04-=20 11
2004 March 15 at 12:07 p.m. MST (2004 March 15 1907 = UTC)

**** SPACE=20 WEATHER OUTLOOK ****

Summary For March 8-14
Category G2 = (major)=20 geomagnetic activity occurred on 10 March due to
high-speed solar = winds from=20 a coronal hole on the Sun.  For a list of
adverse system effects = related=20 to space weather storms, please refer to
the NOAA Space Weather=20 Scales.

Outlook For March 17-23
Space weather for the next = week is=20 expected to reach minor levels. There
is a chance for Category R1 = (minor)=20 radio blackouts due to additional
flare activity from Region 570 and = old=20 Region 564.

Data used to provide space weather services are = contributed=20 by NOAA,
USAF, NASA, NSF, USGS, the International Space Environment = Services=20
and other observatories, universities, and institutions. For more=20
information, including email services, see SEC's Space Weather=20
Advisories Web site http://sec.noaa.gov/advisories or=20 (303) 497-5127.
------=_NextPart_000_0055_01C40BF4.7B2785D0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Wed Mar 17 05:55:51 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2HDtos5003681; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 05:55:51 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id IAA07834 for public-list; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 08:09:49 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav145.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.175]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id IAA07830; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 08:09:46 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 05:09:07 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.43 by bay4-dav145.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 13:09:06 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.43] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: BBC: Europa Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 08:09:01 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_00D7_01C40BF7.1B2F7860" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 08:09:01 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 17 Mar 2004 13:09:07.0181 (UTC) FILETIME=[077579D0:01C40C21] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00D7_01C40BF7.1B2F7860 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Re: BBC: Europa ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Chris German=20 To: europa@klx.com=20 Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 3:53 AM Subject: Re: BBC: Europa Another contribution imminent from the BBC... http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-perl/whatson/prog_parse.cgi?FILENAME=3D20040318/= 20040318_2100_49700_24705_30 The Cosmic Ocean =20 =20 Thu 18 Mar, 21:00 - 21:30 30 mins =20 =20 Everywhere that modern science looks, it is finding secret reservoirs of = the most precious liquid known to humankind: water. From recent = discoveries on Mars to the darkest corners of our galaxy, astronomers = are discovering water in quantities never previously imagined. In The = Cosmic Ocean, Leo Enright probes the furthest reaches of the cosmos in = search of the elixir of life and asks why water seems to be so = pervasive. NB: 1) Time is GMT (=3D 20:00 in Westerern Europe, 1600 on US East Coast, = 1300 on US West Coast) 2) Should be able to stream this live over the web anywhere in the world = (in theory) 3) Part 2 follows 7 days later. --=20 _____________________ Prof. Chris German, MBE Southampton Oceanography Centre Tel: +44 (0)2380 596542 = =20 European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH Fax: +44 (0)2380 596554 http://www.soc.soton.ac.uk/CHD/chemgrp/index.html ------=_NextPart_000_00D7_01C40BF7.1B2F7860 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Re: BBC: Europa
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 3:53 AM
Subject: Re: BBC: Europa

Another = contribution=20 imminent from the BBC...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-perl/whats= on/prog_parse.cgi?FILENAME=3D20040318/20040318_2100_49700_24= 705_30

The Cosmic=20 Ocean       =20        =20        =20
       =20        =20         =
Thu 18=20 Mar, 21:00 - 21:30  30 mins     =20        =20        =20
       =20        =20         =
Everywhere=20 that modern science looks, it is finding secret reservoirs of the most = precious=20 liquid known to humankind: water. From recent discoveries on Mars to the = darkest=20 corners of our galaxy, astronomers are discovering water in quantities = never=20 previously imagined. In The Cosmic Ocean, Leo Enright probes the = furthest=20 reaches of the cosmos in search of the elixir of life and asks why water = seems=20 to be so pervasive.

NB:
1) Time is GMT (=3D 20:00 in Westerern Europe, 1600 on US East = Coast, 1300 on=20 US West Coast)
2) Should be able to stream this live over the web anywhere in the = world=20 (in theory)
3) Part 2 follows 7 days later.
--=20
_____________________
Prof. Chris German, MBE
Southampton = Oceanography Centre =20         = Tel:  +44=20 (0)2380 596542       =20         =
European Way, Southampton, SO14=20 3ZH     Fax: +44 (0)2380 = 596554
http://www.soc.soton.ac.uk/CHD/chemgrp/index.html
<= /DIV> ------=_NextPart_000_00D7_01C40BF7.1B2F7860-- From owner-public@setileague.org Wed Mar 17 08:38:52 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2HGcos5003666; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 08:38:51 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id KAA11691 for public-list; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 10:48:34 -0500 (EST) 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 KAA11687; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 10:48:32 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 07:48:01 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.7 by bay4-dav29.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 15:48:01 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.7] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Mira Variable Star Symposium in Boston on April 26, 2004 Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 10:47:55 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_028C_01C40C0D.4DD688B0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 10:47:55 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 17 Mar 2004 15:48:01.0278 (UTC) FILETIME=[3A3939E0:01C40C37] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_028C_01C40C0D.4DD688B0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable The AAVSO (American Association of Variable Star Observers) is=20 sponsoring a free symposium on Mira Variable Star Companions & Planets=20 to be held Monday, 26 April, at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for=20 Astrophysics. Details can be found at: http://www.aavso.org/aavso/meetings/mira2004.shtml "Scientific truth enobles us. It tells us who we are, where we've been=20 and where we're going. I believe the truth will only be found when all=20 scientists are free to pursue it." -Dr. Ellie Bartlett "Eppur Si Muove" The West Wing ------=_NextPart_000_028C_01C40C0D.4DD688B0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
The AAVSO (American Association of Variable Star Observers)  = is=20
sponsoring a free symposium on Mira Variable Star Companions & = Planets=20
to be held Monday, 26 April, at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for=20
Astrophysics. Details can be found at:
"Scientific truth enobles us. It tells us who we are, where we've = been=20
and where we're going. I believe the truth will only be found when = all=20
scientists are free to pursue it."

-Dr. Ellie Bartlett
"Eppur Si Muove"
The West=20 Wing

------=_NextPart_000_028C_01C40C0D.4DD688B0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Wed Mar 17 11:14:17 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2HJEGs5015464; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 11:14:17 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id OAA16484 for public-list; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 14:00:55 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav113.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.143]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id OAA16479; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 14:00:52 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 11:00:21 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.10 by bay4-dav113.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 19:00:21 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.10] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Is the lunar surface a good place to conduct astronomy? Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 14:00:13 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0052_01C40C28.2B4824F0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 14:00:13 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 17 Mar 2004 19:00:21.0657 (UTC) FILETIME=[18D35090:01C40C52] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0052_01C40C28.2B4824F0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Does the Lunar Surface Still Offer Value As a Site for Astronomical = Observatories?=20 http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=3D12183=20 An X-ray measurement of Titan's atmospheric extent from its transit of = the Crab Nebula=20 http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=3D12182=20 NASA Mars Spirit Rover Image: Earth as seen from Mars=20 http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=3D12179=20 ------=_NextPart_000_0052_01C40C28.2B4824F0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Does the Lunar Surface Still Offer Value As a Site for Astronomical = Observatories?


An X-ray measurement of Titan's atmospheric extent from its = transit=20 of the Crab Nebula
http://www.= spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=3D12182=20

NASA Mars Spirit Rover Image: Earth as seen from Mars
http://www.= spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=3D12179=20

------=_NextPart_000_0052_01C40C28.2B4824F0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Wed Mar 17 11:25:06 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2HJP5s5028545; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 11:25:06 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id NAA16129 for public-list; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 13:48:50 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav90.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.120]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id NAA16124; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 13:48:47 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 10:48:16 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.10 by bay4-dav90.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 18:48:16 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.10] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Scientist Attacks Alien Claims Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 13:48:10 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0047_01C40C26.7BFD1290" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 13:48:10 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 17 Mar 2004 18:48:16.0539 (UTC) FILETIME=[689F16B0:01C40C50] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0047_01C40C26.7BFD1290 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Science/Astronomy: * War of the Words: Scientist Attacks Alien Claims http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mystery_monday_040315.html Astronomer Philip Plait is tired of radio personality Richard Hoagland's = claims. He's had enough of Hoagland's assertions that NASA is covering = up evidence of extraterrestrial life, that the infamous Face on Mars was = built by sentient aliens and, of late, that otherworldly machine parts = are embedded in the red planet's dirt. * Adios Arecibo: Project Phoenix Moves On http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_arecibo_040311.html * Mars Rovers See Earth, Moons and Stars http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mars_earth_040311.html ------=_NextPart_000_0047_01C40C26.7BFD1290 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Science/Astronomy:

* War of the Words: Scientist Attacks = Alien=20 Claims

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mystery_monday_040315.html
=
Astronomer=20 Philip Plait is tired of radio personality Richard Hoagland's claims. = He's had=20 enough of Hoagland's assertions that NASA is covering up evidence of=20 extraterrestrial life, that the infamous Face on Mars was built by = sentient=20 aliens and, of late, that otherworldly machine parts are embedded in the = red=20 planet's dirt.

* Adios Arecibo: Project Phoenix Moves On
http= ://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_arecibo_040311.html

*=20 Mars Rovers See Earth, Moons and Stars
htt= p://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mars_earth_040311.html

------=_NextPart_000_0047_01C40C26.7BFD1290-- From owner-public@setileague.org Wed Mar 17 12:07:50 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2HK7ms5006406; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 12:07:49 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id OAA16816 for public-list; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 14:13:09 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav113.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.143]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id OAA16812; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 14:13:06 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 11:12:36 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.10 by bay4-dav113.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 19:12:36 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.10] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" , "europa" Subject: SETI public: Fw: Marsbugs Vol. 11, No. 12 Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 14:12:25 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_007B_01C40C29.DFC1A9A0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 14:12:26 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 17 Mar 2004 19:12:36.0150 (UTC) FILETIME=[CE9E0D60:01C40C53] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_007B_01C40C29.DFC1A9A0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Dr. David J. Thomas=20 To: dthomas@lyon.edu=20 Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2004 2:59 PM Subject: Marsbugs Vol. 11, No. 12 The 16 March 2004 issue of Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter is now available. Text: = http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040316.txt PDF: http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040316.pdf Word: = http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040316.doc Articles and News Page 1 NEW EVIDENCE SUGGESTS EARLY OCEANS BEREFT OF OXYGEN FOR EONS; EARLY LIFE MAY HAVE LIVED VERY DIFFERENTLY THAN LIFE TODAY NSF release 04-028 Page 2 SPACE STATION RESEARCH YIELDS NEW INFORMATION ABOUT BONE LOSS=20 NASA release 04-084 Page 2 MARS UNDERGROUND: THE HARSH REALITY OF LIFE BELOW By Robert Roy Britt Page 3 MARS: GOLDILOCKS' OASIS? THINKING LOCALLY, BEFORE ACTING GLOBALLY >From Astrobiology Magazine Page 5 PRIVATE DETECTIVES INVESTIGATE MARS By Leonard David Page 5 MARS HORIZON, THE BIG PLANS >From Astrobiology Magazine Page 7 ADIOS ARECIBO: PROJECT PHOENIX MOVES ON By Seth Shostak Page 7 LOOKING TOWARDS CREATION Based on Hubble/STScI report=20 Page 8 OUTBREAK ALERTS FROM SPACE By Patrick L. Barry Page 9 CLUES TO LIFE IN THE MINES OF MURGUL By Leslie Mullen=20 Page 11 WAR OF THE WORDS: SCIENTIST ATTACKS ALIEN CLAIMS By Robert Roy Britt =20 Announcements Page 11 STUDENT SIGNATURES IN SPACE (S3) 2004=20 >From Astronomylinks.com Page 12 JIMO UPDATE >From the Lunar and Planetary Institute Page 12 NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY INDEX By David J. Thomas Mission Reports Page 13 SCIENTISTS EXAMINE IMAGE OF MARS BEAGLE 2 LANDER By Jane Wardell Page 13 CASSINI SIGNIFICANT EVENTS NASA/JPL release Page 14 MARS EXPLORATION ROVERS UPDATES NASA/JPL releases Page 15 MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR IMAGES NASA/JPL/MSSS release Page 15 MARS ODYSSEY THEMIS IMAGES NASA/JPL/ASU release Page 15 ACTIVATING ROSETTA ESA release Page 16 TWO ASTEROID FLY-BYS FOR ROSETTA ESA release 15-2004 David J. Thomas, PhD Asst. Professor of Biology Lyon College, Science Division 2300 Highland Road Batesville, AR 72501 USA Phone: 870-698-4269 Fax: 870-698-4692 http://www.lyon.edu/webdata/users/dthomas NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/ambassador Editor of Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs =20 ------=_NextPart_000_007B_01C40C29.DFC1A9A0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2004 2:59 PM
Subject: Marsbugs Vol. 11, No. 12

The 16 March 2004 issue of Marsbugs: The Electronic=20 Astrobiology
Newsletter is now available.
Text: http://w= ww.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040316.txt
PDF:
http://w= ww.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040316.pdf
Word:=20 http://w= ww.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs/2004/20040316.doc

Articles=20 and News

Page 1 NEW EVIDENCE SUGGESTS EARLY OCEANS BEREFT OF = OXYGEN FOR=20 EONS;
EARLY LIFE MAY HAVE LIVED VERY DIFFERENTLY THAN LIFE = TODAY
NSF=20 release 04-028

Page 2 SPACE STATION RESEARCH YIELDS NEW = INFORMATION ABOUT=20 BONE LOSS
NASA release 04-084

Page 2 MARS UNDERGROUND: THE = HARSH=20 REALITY OF LIFE BELOW
By Robert Roy Britt

Page 3 MARS: = GOLDILOCKS'=20 OASIS?  THINKING LOCALLY, BEFORE ACTING
GLOBALLY
From = Astrobiology=20 Magazine

Page 5 PRIVATE DETECTIVES INVESTIGATE MARS
By Leonard = David

Page 5 MARS HORIZON, THE BIG PLANS
From Astrobiology=20 Magazine

Page 7 ADIOS ARECIBO: PROJECT PHOENIX MOVES ON
By = Seth=20 Shostak

Page 7 LOOKING TOWARDS CREATION
Based on Hubble/STScI = report=20

Page 8 OUTBREAK ALERTS FROM SPACE
By Patrick L. = Barry

Page 9=20 CLUES TO LIFE IN THE MINES OF MURGUL
By Leslie Mullen

Page 11 = WAR OF=20 THE WORDS: SCIENTIST ATTACKS ALIEN CLAIMS
By Robert Roy=20 Britt
 
Announcements

Page 11 STUDENT SIGNATURES IN = SPACE (S3)=20 2004
From Astronomylinks.com

Page 12 JIMO UPDATE
From the = Lunar=20 and Planetary Institute

Page 12 NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ASTROBIOLOGY = INDEX
By David J. Thomas

Mission Reports

Page 13 = SCIENTISTS=20 EXAMINE IMAGE OF MARS BEAGLE 2 LANDER
By Jane Wardell

Page 13 = CASSINI=20 SIGNIFICANT EVENTS
NASA/JPL release

Page 14 MARS EXPLORATION = ROVERS=20 UPDATES
NASA/JPL releases

Page 15 MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR=20 IMAGES
NASA/JPL/MSSS release

Page 15 MARS ODYSSEY THEMIS=20 IMAGES
NASA/JPL/ASU release

Page 15 ACTIVATING ROSETTA
ESA=20 release

Page 16 TWO ASTEROID FLY-BYS FOR ROSETTA
ESA release=20 15-2004

David J. Thomas, PhD
Asst. Professor of = Biology
Lyon=20 College, Science Division
2300 Highland Road
Batesville, AR 72501=20 USA
Phone: 870-698-4269
Fax: 870-698-4692
http://www.lyon.edu/we= bdata/users/dthomas

NASA/JPL=20 Solar System Ambassador
http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/amb= assador
Editor=20 of Marsbugs: The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter
http://www.lyon.edu/projec= ts/marsbugs
 

------=_NextPart_000_007B_01C40C29.DFC1A9A0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Wed Mar 17 15:54:57 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2HNsrs5000473; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 15:54:56 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id SAA22162 for public-list; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 18:39:10 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav37.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.67]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id SAA22158; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 18:39:07 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 15:38:36 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.32 by bay4-dav37.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Wed, 17 Mar 2004 23:38:36 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.32] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: AAVSO Alert Notice 303 - Possible Nova in Sagittarius Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 18:38:27 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_005D_01C40C4F.094EDED0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 18:38:27 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 17 Mar 2004 23:38:36.0819 (UTC) FILETIME=[F7EADE30:01C40C78] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_005D_01C40C4F.094EDED0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: aavso@aavso.org=20 To: aavso@aavso.org=20 Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 5:21 PM Subject: AAVSO Alert Notice 303 THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF VARIABLE STAR OBSERVERS 25 Birch Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA INTERNET: = aavso@aavso.org Tel. 617-354-0484 Fax 617-354-0665 AAVSO ALERT NOTICE 303 (March 17, 2004) SUBJECT: 1813-28B NOVA SAGITTARII 2004 - POSSIBLE NOVA IN SAGITTARIUS Event: Possible nova Announced in: IAU Circular 8306, 17 March 2004 Discovered independently by: - Hideo Nishimura, Kakegawa, Shizuoka-ken, Japan (reported via S. = Nakano, Sumoto, Japan, IAUC 8306) - William Liller, Vina del Mar, Chile Discovery Magnitude: - Nishimura: magnitude 9.4 (two Fuji T-Max films taken with a Pentax 200-mm f/4 lens) (IAUC 8306) - Liller: magnitude 8.2: (two Technical Pan films taken with an 85-mm Nikon camera lens + red filter) Discovery Date: - Nishimura: both films taken around Mar. 15.82 UT (IAUC 8306) - Liller: Mar. 17.342 and 17.346 UT Position (equinox 2000.0): - Nishimura: R.A. =3D 18h 19m 28s, Decl. =3D -28o 35' 34" (IAUC 8306) - Liller: R.A. =3D 18h 19.6m, Decl. =3D -28o 35' - Doug West, Mulvane, KS, provides the following precise position from = a CCDV image taken by him March 17.489 UT: R.A. =3D 18h 19m 32.29s,=20 Decl. =3D -28o 36' 35.7"; image posted on AAVSO website (see Notes, = below) Magnitude History: - Nishimura: nothing visible at this location on patrol films taken Mar. 12.82 UT (limiting mag 10.5) (IAUC 8306) - Liller: nothing visible at this location on exposures taken Feb. = 26.38=20 UT (limiting mag 11.0) - West: nothing visible at this location on a red Digitized Sky Survey image (limiting mag approximately 17.5) AAVSO Chart(s): 'd' scale chart, based on West's position, available at http://www.aavso.org/cgi-bin/searchcharts3.pl?name=3Dn%20sgr%2004 Report Object to the AAVSO as: 1813-28B N SGR 04 Additional Observations Reported to the AAVSO: MAR 17.4889 UT, 8.38 CCDV (+/- 0.07), D. West, Mulvane, KS; 17.5556, 8.1, R. Royer, Springville, = CA; 17.6313, 8.5, J. Bedient, Honolulu, HI; 17.821, 8.7, A. Pearce, = Nedlands, W. Australia. Spectra: none to date Notes: AAVSO website page at = http://www.aavso.org/news/nsgr04.shtml SUBMIT OBSERVATIONS TO THE AAVSO We encourage observers to submit observations via our web site (online data submission tool WebObs), or by email in AAVSO format to observations@aavso.org. If you do not = have AAVSO Observer Initials, please contact Headquarters so we may assign them to you. The answering machine at AAVSO Headquarters is on nights and weekends; use our charge-free number (888-802-STAR =3D 888-802-7827) to report your observations, or report them via fax (617-354-0665). Many thanks for your valuable astronomical contributions and your = efforts. Good observing! Elizabeth O. Waagen Interim Director ------=_NextPart_000_005D_01C40C4F.094EDED0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 5:21 PM
Subject: AAVSO Alert Notice 303

         &nbs= p; =20 THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF VARIABLE STAR=20 OBSERVERS
          =        =20 25 Birch Street, Cambridge, MA 02138=20 USA
           =             &= nbsp;=20 INTERNET:  aavso@aavso.org
   =             &= nbsp; =20 Tel. 617-354-0484       Fax=20 617-354-0665

         = ;         =20 AAVSO ALERT NOTICE 303 (March 17, 2004)


SUBJECT: 1813-28B = NOVA=20 SAGITTARII 2004 - POSSIBLE NOVA IN SAGITTARIUS

Event: Possible=20 nova

Announced in: IAU Circular 8306, 17 March = 2004

Discovered=20 independently by:
 - Hideo Nishimura, Kakegawa, Shizuoka-ken, = Japan=20 (reported via S. Nakano,
Sumoto, Japan, IAUC 8306)
 - William = Liller,=20 Vina del Mar, Chile

Discovery Magnitude:
 - Nishimura: = magnitude=20 9.4 (two Fuji T-Max films taken with a Pentax
200-mm f/4 lens) (IAUC=20 8306)
 - Liller: magnitude 8.2: (two Technical Pan films taken = with an=20 85-mm
Nikon camera lens + red filter)

Discovery = Date:
 -=20 Nishimura: both films taken around Mar. 15.82 UT (IAUC 8306)
 - = Liller:=20 Mar. 17.342 and 17.346 UT

Position (equinox 2000.0):
 -=20 Nishimura: R.A. =3D 18h 19m 28s, Decl. =3D -28o 35' 34" (IAUC = 8306)
 -=20 Liller:    R.A. =3D 18h 19.6m,   Decl. =3D -28o = 35'
 - Doug West, Mulvane, KS, provides the following precise = position=20 from a
CCDV image taken by him March 17.489 UT: R.A. =3D 18h 19m = 32.29s,=20
Decl. =3D -28o 36' 35.7"; image posted on AAVSO website (see Notes,=20 below)

Magnitude History:
 - Nishimura: nothing visible = at this=20 location on patrol films taken
Mar. 12.82 UT (limiting mag 10.5) = (IAUC=20 8306)
 - Liller: nothing visible at this location on exposures = taken=20 Feb. 26.38
UT (limiting mag 11.0)
 - West: nothing visible = at this=20 location on a red Digitized Sky Survey
image (limiting mag = approximately=20 17.5)

AAVSO Chart(s): 'd' scale chart, based on West's position,=20 available at
http://www.aavso.org/cgi-bin/searchcharts3.pl?name=3Dn%20sgr%2004
Report=20 Object to the AAVSO as: 1813-28B  N SGR 04

Additional = Observations=20 Reported to the AAVSO: MAR 17.4889 UT, 8.38 CCDV
(+/- 0.07), D. West, = Mulvane, KS; 17.5556, 8.1, R. Royer, Springville, CA;
17.6313, 8.5, = J.=20 Bedient, Honolulu, HI; 17.821, 8.7, A. Pearce, Nedlands,
W.=20 Australia.

Spectra: none to date

Notes: AAVSO website page = at http://www.aavso.org/news= /nsgr04.shtml

SUBMIT=20 OBSERVATIONS TO THE AAVSO

We encourage observers to submit = observations=20 via our web site (online
data submission tool WebObs), or by email in = AAVSO=20 format to
observations@aavso.org. If = you do not=20 have AAVSO Observer Initials, please
contact Headquarters so we may = assign=20 them to you. The answering machine
at AAVSO Headquarters is on nights = and=20 weekends; use our charge-free
number (888-802-STAR =3D 888-802-7827) = to report=20 your observations, or
report them via fax (617-354-0665).

Many = thanks=20 for your valuable astronomical contributions and your = efforts.

Good=20 observing!


Elizabeth O. Waagen
Interim=20 Director


------=_NextPart_000_005D_01C40C4F.094EDED0-- From owner-public@setileague.org Fri Mar 19 05:07:06 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2JD74s5005777; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 05:07:05 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id HAA05768 for public-list; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 07:48:12 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav158.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.171.188]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id HAA05764; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 07:48:09 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 04:47:38 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.23 by bay4-dav158.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 12:47:38 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.23] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: AstroAlert: Closest flyby ever Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 07:47:28 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0028_01C40D86.6DCBFB80" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 07:47:29 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 19 Mar 2004 12:47:38.0421 (UTC) FILETIME=[5C1FCE50:01C40DB0] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0028_01C40D86.6DCBFB80 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Roger W. Sinnott=20 To: asteroid@SkyandTelescope.com=20 Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 10:55 PM Subject: AstroAlert: Closest flyby ever =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D This Is SKY & TELESCOPE's AstroAlert for Minor Planets =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D CLOSEST FLYBY EVER Less than 24 hours from the time this message is being issued, a tiny, = newly discovered asteroid will make the closest flyby past Earth that = has ever been predicted by astronomers. The object, dubbed 2004 FH, is probably only about 20 meters in diameter = (the size of a house). An electronic circular issued late on March 17th = by the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, indicates that = it will definitely not hit the Earth. It will pass about 49,000 = kilometers (30,500 miles) from Earth's center, which is one-eighth the = distance of the Moon. This object was discovered on March 16th by astronomers of MIT's Lincoln = Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) survey in Socorro, New Mexico. = Further observations made on the 17th at Klet Observatory (Czech = Republic), Starkenburg Observatory (Germany), and Modra Observatory = (Slovenia) helped the Minor Planet Center compute its exact trajectory. The flyby scenario for 2004 FH goes like this: * At 18 hours Universal Time on March 18th, the asteroid will be 12th = magnitude as it glides just south of the star Spica in Virgo, heading = west. * By 22 hours UT on the 18th, it will have brightened to 10th = magnitude when it passes closest to Earth in the constellation Antlia. * At 0 hours UT on March 19th -- which is around the time darkness = falls on the East Coast of North America on Thursday, March 18th -- it = will have faded back to 12th magnitude as it shoots by Sirius near the = open star cluster Messier 41. By then it will be receding from Earth and = heading back into space. Because 2004 FH will be passing so close, it is not practical for me to = include a detailed ephemeris in this message. Its path across the sky = depends greatly on an observer's vantage point on Earth (owing to the = parallax effect). Observers who wish to locate it in small telescopes = should use the Minor Planet Center's Ephemeris Service to make detailed = predictions for their own geographic location: = http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/MPEph/MPEph.html=20 According to the orbit calculated by Gareth Williams, associate director = of the Minor Planet Center, 2004 FH belongs to the Aten class of = asteroids. It circles the Sun in just under 9 months in very nearly the = same plane as Earth's orbit. At perihelion it swings well inside the = orbit of Venus; at aphelion (as currently) it ranges just outside that = of the Earth. Roger W. Sinnott Senior Editor SKY & TELESCOPE =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D AstroAlert is a free service of SKY & TELESCOPE, the Essential Magazine of Astronomy = (http://SkyandTelescope.com/). This e-mail was sent to AstroAlert subscribers. If you feel you received it in error, or to unsubscribe from AstroAlert, please send a plain- text e-mail to = majordomo@SkyandTelescope.com with = the following line -- and nothing else -- in the body of the message: unsubscribe asteroid e-mail@address.com replacing "e-mail@address.com" with your = actual e-mail address. =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D ------=_NextPart_000_0028_01C40D86.6DCBFB80 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 10:55 PM
Subject: AstroAlert: Closest flyby ever

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
This=20 Is SKY & TELESCOPE's AstroAlert for Minor=20 Planets
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

 = ;            =          =20 CLOSEST FLYBY EVER

Less than 24 hours from the time this message = is being=20 issued, a tiny, newly discovered asteroid will make the closest flyby = past Earth=20 that has ever been predicted by astronomers.

The object, dubbed = 2004 FH,=20 is probably only about 20 meters in diameter (the size of a house). An=20 electronic circular issued late on March 17th by the Minor Planet Center = in=20 Cambridge, Massachusetts, indicates that it will definitely not hit the = Earth.=20 It will pass about 49,000 kilometers (30,500 miles) from Earth's center, = which=20 is one-eighth the distance of the Moon.

This object was = discovered on=20 March 16th by astronomers of MIT's Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research = (LINEAR)=20 survey in Socorro, New Mexico. Further observations made on the 17th at = Klet=20 Observatory (Czech Republic), Starkenburg Observatory (Germany), and = Modra=20 Observatory (Slovenia) helped the Minor Planet Center compute its exact=20 trajectory.

The flyby scenario for 2004 FH goes like=20 this:

   * At 18 hours Universal Time on March 18th, = the=20 asteroid will be 12th magnitude as it glides just south of the star = Spica in=20 Virgo, heading west.

   * By 22 hours UT on the 18th, = it will=20 have brightened to 10th magnitude when it passes closest to Earth in the = constellation Antlia.

   * At 0 hours UT on March 19th = -- which=20 is around the time darkness falls on the East Coast of North America on=20 Thursday, March 18th -- it will have faded back to 12th magnitude as it = shoots=20 by Sirius near the open star cluster Messier 41. By then it will be = receding=20 from Earth and heading back into space.

Because 2004 FH will be = passing=20 so close, it is not practical for me to include a detailed ephemeris in = this=20 message. Its path across the sky depends greatly on an observer's = vantage point=20 on Earth (owing to the parallax effect). Observers who wish to locate it = in=20 small telescopes should use the Minor Planet Center's Ephemeris Service = to make=20 detailed predictions for their own geographic=20 location:

    http://cfa-www.h= arvard.edu/iau/MPEph/MPEph.html=20

According to the orbit calculated by Gareth Williams, associate = director=20 of the Minor Planet Center, 2004 FH belongs to the Aten class of = asteroids. It=20 circles the Sun in just under 9 months in very nearly the same plane as = Earth's=20 orbit. At perihelion it swings well inside the orbit of Venus; at = aphelion (as=20 currently) it ranges just outside that of the Earth.


Roger W. = Sinnott
Senior Editor
SKY &=20 TELESCOPE

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Ast= roAlert=20 is a free service of SKY & TELESCOPE, the Essential
Magazine of = Astronomy=20 (http://SkyandTelescope.com/). = This=20 e-mail
was sent to AstroAlert subscribers. If you feel you received = it
in=20 error, or to unsubscribe from AstroAlert, please send a plain-
text = e-mail to=20 majordomo@SkyandTelescope.c= om=20 with the following
line -- and nothing else -- in the body of the=20 message:
unsubscribe asteroid e-mail@address.com
replacing = "e-mail@address.com" with your = actual e-mail=20 address.
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
------=_NextPart_000_0028_01C40D86.6DCBFB80-- From owner-public@setileague.org Fri Mar 19 06:01:46 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2JE1is5026982; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 06:01:45 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id IAA06881 for public-list; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 08:45:53 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav17.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.170.121]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id IAA06877; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 08:45:50 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 05:45:19 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.23 by bay4-dav17.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 13:45:19 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.23] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Fw: KurzweilAI.net Daily Newsletter Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 08:45:08 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0095_01C40D8E.7C18BE50" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 08:45:09 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 19 Mar 2004 13:45:19.0282 (UTC) FILETIME=[6AF54920:01C40DB8] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0095_01C40D8E.7C18BE50 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: KurzweilAI.net=20 To: ljk4@msn.com=20 Sent: Friday, March 19, 2004 6:22 AM Subject: KurzweilAI.net Daily Newsletter KURZWEILAI.NET NEWSLETTER NEW ARTICLES =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D ************************* Immaterial Girl Phil Bowermaster 03/18/2004 ************************* Surprise, embarrassment, and misunderstanding are all hallmarks of a real conversation, a journalist notes after conversing with KurzweilAI.net's chatbot host, Ramona. http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/artRedirect.html?artID=3D617&m=3D7610 NEWS =3D=3D=3D=3D ************************* A Grand plan for brainy robots BBC News Mar. 18, 2004 ************************* On a good day, Lucy can tell a banana apart from an apple. And that's handy skill to have if you are an orangutan. Even a robotic... http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3099&m=3D7610<= http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3099&m=3D7610>= ************************* Nokia Edges Toward Phone Blogging Wired News Mar. 18, 2004 ************************* Nokia has unveiled Lifeblog, software designed to integrate and organize words, audio, pictures and even video from your mobile phone. Uploading your life to a weblog may be the next... http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3098&m=3D7610<= http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3098&m=3D7610>= ************************* Earth Safe from Ultra-close Asteroid Flyby Today Space.com March 18, 2004 ************************* A 100 feet asteroid passed closer to Earth than ever recorded: just 26,500 miles away. An object of this size, where it to take direct aim, would likely break apart or explode in the atmosphere, astronomers say. The result could cause local damage. Something just slightly larger could survive to... http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3097&m=3D7610<= http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3097&m=3D7610>= ************************* Tiny 'elevator' most complex nanomachine yet NewScientist.com news March 18, 2004 ************************* Nanoscale elevators made of two interlinking organic molecules have been built and operated by US and Italian scientists. They are the most complex molecular machines built yet, consisting of a platform flanked by three rings that thread through three vertical rods. The force of an acid-base... http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3096&m=3D7610<= http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3096&m=3D7610>= ************************* Earth faces sixth mass extinction NewScientist.com news March 18, 2004 ************************* The Earth may be on the brink of a sixth mass extinction on a par with the five others that have punctuated its history. There is growing concern over the rate at which species of plants and animals are disappearing around the world. The current extinction is being precipitated by the widespread... http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3095&m=3D7610<= http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3095&m=3D7610>= ************************* Robolympics contestants shoot for gold Nature Science Update Mar. 18, 2004 ************************* The world's first Robolympics kicks off in San Francisco this weekend. The 414 robots will compete for prizes in various categories, such as the Humanoid Robot World Cup Soccer Tournament and Ribbon Climber, in which robots race up a carbon-fiber ribbon, designed to inspire "space elevator"... http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3094&m=3D7610<= http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3094&m=3D7610>= ************************* Seeing Pessimism, Not Science, as the Enemy New York Times March 19, 2004 ************************* Bypassing restricted federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research, New Jersey Gov. James E. McGreevey has signed a law permitting stem-cell research. He also intends to provide $6.5 million as part of a five-year, $50 million plan to place New Jersey (and Rutgers University) at the... http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3093&m=3D7610<= http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3093&m=3D7610>= ************************* Hello, is there anybody out there? Seattle Post-Intelligencer March 19, 2004 ************************* Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen announced a gift of $13.5 million to begin construction of an unprecedented new radio astronomy telescope in Northern California primarily dedicated to SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. The gift is in addition to his earlier donation of $11.5... http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3092&m=3D7610<= http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3092&m=3D7610>= *************************************************************************= ****** To see all news items and new articles, please visit = http://www.kurzweilai.net If you have news or editorial related questions, please reply to: = news@kurzweilai.net ------=_NextPart_000_0095_01C40D8E.7C18BE50 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
----- Original = Message -----=20
Sent: Friday, March 19, 2004 6:22 AM
Subject: KurzweilAI.net Daily Newsletter

KURZWEILAI.NET NEWSLETTER

NEW=20 ARTICLES
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

*****************= ********
Immaterial=20 Girl
Phil = Bowermaster
03/18/2004
*************************
Surprise,=20 embarrassment, and
misunderstanding are all hallmarks
of a real=20 conversation, a journalist
notes after conversing = with
KurzweilAI.net's=20 chatbot host,
Ramona.
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/artRedirect.html?artID=3D617&am= p;m=3D7610



NEWS
=3D=3D=3D=3D

***************= **********
A=20 Grand plan for brainy robots
BBC News Mar. 18,=20 2004
*************************
On a good day, Lucy can tell = a
banana=20 apart from an apple. And
that's handy skill to have if you
are an=20 orangutan. Even a robotic...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3= 099&m=3D7610



*************************
Nokia=20 Edges Toward Phone Blogging
Wired News Mar. 18,=20 2004
*************************
Nokia has unveiled = Lifeblog,
software=20 designed to integrate and
organize words, audio, pictures and
even = video=20 from your mobile phone.
Uploading your life to a weblog may
be the = next...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3= 098&m=3D7610



*************************
Earth=20 Safe from Ultra-close
Asteroid Flyby Today
Space.com March 18,=20 2004
*************************
A 100 feet asteroid passed = closer
to=20 Earth than ever recorded: just
26,500 miles away. An object of = this
size,=20 where it to take direct aim,
would likely break apart or = explode
in the=20 atmosphere, astronomers say.
The result could cause local=20 damage.
Something just slightly larger could
survive to...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3= 097&m=3D7610



*************************
Tiny=20 'elevator' most complex
nanomachine yet
NewScientist.com news = March 18,=20 2004
*************************
Nanoscale elevators made of=20 two
interlinking organic molecules have
been built and operated by = US=20 and
Italian scientists. They are the
most complex molecular=20 machines
built yet, consisting of a platform
flanked by three = rings that=20 thread
through three vertical rods. The
force of an = acid-base...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3= 096&m=3D7610



*************************
Earth=20 faces sixth mass extinction
NewScientist.com news March 18,=20 2004
*************************
The Earth may be on the brink of = a
sixth=20 mass extinction on a par with
the five others that have = punctuated
its=20 history. There is growing
concern over the rate at which
species = of plants=20 and animals are
disappearing around the world. The
current = extinction is=20 being
precipitated by the widespread...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3= 095&m=3D7610



*************************
Robolymp= ics=20 contestants shoot for
gold
Nature Science Update Mar. 18,=20 2004
*************************
The world's first Robolympics = kicks
off=20 in San Francisco this weekend.
The 414 robots will compete = for
prizes in=20 various categories, such
as the Humanoid Robot World Cup
Soccer = Tournament=20 and Ribbon
Climber, in which robots race up a
carbon-fiber ribbon, = designed to
inspire "space elevator"...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3= 094&m=3D7610



*************************
Seeing=20 Pessimism, Not Science, as
the Enemy
New York Times March 19,=20 2004
*************************
Bypassing restricted = federal
funding for=20 human embryonic stem
cell research, New Jersey Gov. James
E. = McGreevey has=20 signed a law
permitting stem-cell research. He
also intends to = provide=20 $6.5 million
as part of a five-year, $50 million
plan to place New = Jersey=20 (and
Rutgers University) at the...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3= 093&m=3D7610



*************************
Hello,=20 is there anybody out there?
 Seattle Post-Intelligencer  = March 19,=20 2004
*************************
Microsoft Corp. co-founder = Paul
Allen=20 announced a gift of $13.5
million to begin construction of=20 an
unprecedented new radio astronomy
telescope in Northern=20 California
primarily dedicated to SETI, the
Search for=20 Extraterrestrial
Intelligence. The gift is in
addition to his = earlier=20 donation of
$11.5...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=3D3= 092&m=3D7610



*************************************= ******************************************
To=20 see all news items and new articles, please visit http://www.kurzweilai.net

I= f you=20 have news or editorial related questions, please reply to: news@kurzweilai.net
------=_NextPart_000_0095_01C40D8E.7C18BE50-- From owner-public@setileague.org Fri Mar 19 07:17:59 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2JFHvs5006943; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 07:17:58 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id JAA08360 for public-list; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 09:55:51 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from hotmail.com (bay4-dav21.bay4.hotmail.com [65.54.170.125]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id JAA08356; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 09:55:48 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 06:55:17 -0800 Received: from 65.149.176.23 by bay4-dav21.bay4.hotmail.com with DAV; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 14:55:17 +0000 X-Originating-IP: [65.149.176.23] X-Originating-Email: [ljk4@msn.com] X-Sender: ljk4@msn.com From: "LARRY KLAES" To: "setipublic" Cc: "BioAstro" Subject: SETI public: Allen helps speed search for alien life: $13.5 million for telescope Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 09:54:54 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_00C3_01C40D98.3A977110" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: MSN 9 X-MimeOLE: Produced By MSN MimeOLE V9.00.0013.2101 Seal-Send-Time: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 09:54:54 -0500 Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 19 Mar 2004 14:55:17.0752 (UTC) FILETIME=[3170F780:01C40DC2] Sender: owner-public@setileague.org Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00C3_01C40D98.3A977110 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Allen helps speed search for alien life: $13.5 million for telescope Full story: = http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001883133_et19m.html By Sandi Doughton Seattle Times staff reporter The Seattle billionaire who is building a sci-fi museum complete with = Capt. Kirk's chair is now giving a new boost to the search for = intelligent life in the universe. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is donating $13.5 million to help build = a radio telescope that will scan up to a million stars for any glimmer = of civilization. "Obviously, if you could discover a signal, that would be one of the = breakthroughs of all time," said Allen, who is credited with saving the = search for alien life when NASA yanked funding in the early 1990s. "The subject of a lot of science fiction is actual contact with alien = races, and, of course, all that is very special and fun to me," he said = yesterday. But even if ET never phones, the Allen Telescope Array will expand the = frontiers of astronomy, allowing researchers to study quasars, cosmic = explosions and the birth of stars with greater flexibility than ever = before, Allen said. "We can get a lot of bang for our research buck," = said the philanthropist, who is adding a science-fiction wing to his = Experience Music Project at Seattle Center. His funding comes at a time when interest in extraterrestrial life is = growing and the field of astrobiology, once dismissed as crackpot, is = gaining respectability. The NASA rovers on Mars are beaming back daily evidence that the Red = Planet may once have been hospitable to life, and studies on Earth have = uncovered microbes that thrive in boiling ocean vents and other = environments believed uninhabitable. The argument that our solar system = is unique has been dismissed by recent discoveries of more than 100 = planets orbiting distant stars. The Allen telescope will accelerate the search for aliens, scanning the = heavens 300 times faster than any previous instrument and reaching = farther into space, said Jill Tarter, research director for the SETI = Institute and one of the inspirations for the character Jodie Foster = played in the movie "Contact." (The institute's initials stand for = Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.) "We'll get to explore more of the galaxy at much greater speed," she = said. "And we'll be able to use the telescope 24 hours a day, seven days = a week right from the start." In the past, Tarter and her fellow alien-stalkers had to compete for = time on one of the handful of large radio telescopes around the world. = Even those limited efforts were threatened when Congress objected to the = use of taxpayers' money to search for what some members called "little = green men," but Allen stepped in with $3 million in the early 1990s to = save the program. SETI recently completed a nine-year study to scan about 750 nearby = stars. With the new telescope, it should be possible to scan up to a = million stars in a decade — the same time period, Tarter said. But first, SETI and its partner, the Radio Astronomy Lab at the = University of California, Berkeley, must find other private donors to = ante up more than $30 million more to complete the array of needed radio = dishes. Mounted atop a remote lava bed in Northern California, the Allen = Telescope Array will be made up of 350, 20-foot radio dishes hooked = together electronically to form the equivalent of a giant telescope. = Three dishes are already built and have been tested over the past two = years, thanks to an earlier gift of $11.5 million from Allen. By the end = of this year, Tarter hopes to have 32 dishes conducting scientific = experiments. The entire array won't be done until the end of the decade. Originally conceived as a cheaper instrument that would focus strictly = on the hunt for ET, the Allen telescope's scientific breadth has been = expanded to attract the interest of other researchers and possible = donors, Tarter added. Alien hunters search for radio signals because they believe any = civilization trying to make contact would probably send out a radio = beacon, said University of Washington astronomy professor Woodruff = Sullivan. And it might also be possible to detect radio signals that = leak into space from an inhabited planet, even if its inhabitants are = not deliberately reaching out. But many other objects in space also generate radio signals, including = the gaseous nurseries where stars are born and black holes consuming = stars. Because of its unique design and state-of-the-art electronics, = the Allen Telescope Array will offer astronomers a wider view of these = events than conventional radio telescopes — while simultaneously = searching for alien beacons, said Leo Blitz , director of the Radio = Astronomy Lab. Tarter, who says she's not discouraged by decades of fruitless listening = for a message from beyond, hopes the Allen telescope will also help = inspire the next generation of SETI scientists. "You could say we've hardly begun to search," she said. "We're looking = for a needle in a cosmic haystack that's vast indeed." Sandi Doughton: 206-464-2491 or = sdoughton@seattletimes.com ------=_NextPart_000_00C3_01C40D98.3A977110 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Allen helps speed search for alien life: $13.5 million for=20 telescope
Full story: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001883133_et19m.ht= ml

By=20 Sandi Doughton
Seattle Times staff reporter



The = Seattle=20 billionaire who is building a sci-fi museum complete with Capt. Kirk's = chair is=20 now giving a new boost to the search for intelligent life in the=20 universe.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is donating $13.5 = million to=20 help build a radio telescope that will scan up to a million stars for = any=20 glimmer of civilization.

"Obviously, if you could discover a = signal, that=20 would be one of the breakthroughs of all time," said Allen, who is = credited with=20 saving the search for alien life when NASA yanked funding in the early=20 1990s.

 "The subject of a lot of science fiction is actual = contact=20 with alien races, and, of course, all that is very special and fun to = me," he=20 said yesterday.

But even if ET never phones, the Allen Telescope = Array=20 will expand the frontiers of astronomy, allowing researchers to study = quasars,=20 cosmic explosions and the birth of stars with greater flexibility than = ever=20 before, Allen said. "We can get a lot of bang for our research buck," = said the=20 philanthropist, who is adding a science-fiction wing to his Experience = Music=20 Project at  Seattle Center.

His funding  comes at a = time when=20 interest in extraterrestrial life is growing and the field of = astrobiology, once=20 dismissed as crackpot, is gaining respectability.

 The NASA = rovers=20 on Mars are beaming back daily evidence that the Red Planet may once = have been=20 hospitable to life, and studies on Earth have uncovered microbes that = thrive in=20 boiling ocean vents and other environments believed uninhabitable. The = argument=20 that our solar system is unique has been dismissed by recent discoveries = of more=20 than 100 planets orbiting distant stars.

The Allen = telescope  will=20 accelerate the search for aliens, scanning the heavens 300 times faster = than any=20 previous instrument and reaching farther into space, said Jill Tarter, = research=20 director for the SETI Institute and one of the inspirations for the = character=20 Jodie Foster played in the movie  "Contact." (The institute's = initials=20 stand for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.)

"We'll get = to=20 explore more of the galaxy at much greater speed," she said. "And we'll = be able=20 to use the telescope 24 hours a day, seven days a week right from the=20 start."

In the past, Tarter and her fellow alien-stalkers had to = compete=20 for time on one of the handful of large radio telescopes around the = world. Even=20 those limited efforts were threatened when Congress objected to the use = of=20 taxpayers' money to search for what some members called "little green = men," but=20 Allen stepped in with $3 million in the early 1990s to save the=20 program.

SETI recently completed a nine-year study to scan about = 750=20 nearby stars. With the new telescope, it should be possible to scan up = to a=20 million stars in a decade &#151; the same time period, Tarter=20 said.

But first, SETI and its partner, the Radio Astronomy Lab at = the=20 University of California, Berkeley, must find other private donors to = ante up=20 more than $30 million more to complete the array of needed radio=20 dishes.

Mounted atop a remote lava bed in Northern California, = the Allen=20 Telescope Array will be made up of 350, 20-foot radio dishes hooked = together=20 electronically to form the equivalent of a giant telescope. Three dishes = are=20 already built and have been tested over the past two years, thanks to an = earlier=20 gift of $11.5 million from Allen. By the end of this year, Tarter hopes = to have=20 32 dishes conducting scientific experiments. The entire array won't be = done=20 until the end of the decade.

Originally conceived as a cheaper = instrument=20 that would focus strictly on the hunt for ET, the Allen telescope's = scientific=20 breadth has been expanded to attract the interest of other researchers = and=20 possible donors, Tarter added.

Alien hunters search for radio = signals=20 because they believe any civilization trying to make contact would = probably send=20 out a radio beacon, said University of Washington astronomy professor = Woodruff=20 Sullivan. And it might also be possible to detect radio signals that = leak into=20 space from an inhabited planet, even if its inhabitants are not = deliberately=20 reaching out.

But many other objects in space also generate radio = signals, including the gaseous nurseries where stars are born and black = holes=20 consuming stars. Because of its unique design and state-of-the-art = electronics,=20 the Allen Telescope Array will offer astronomers a wider view of these = events=20 than conventional radio telescopes &#151; while simultaneously = searching for=20 alien beacons, said Leo Blitz , director of the Radio Astronomy=20 Lab.

Tarter, who says she's not discouraged by decades of = fruitless=20 listening for a message from beyond, hopes the Allen telescope  = will also=20 help inspire the next generation of SETI scientists.

"You could = say we've=20 hardly begun to search," she said. "We're looking for a needle in a = cosmic=20 haystack that's vast indeed."

Sandi Doughton: 206-464-2491 or sdoughton@seattletimes.com=


------=_NextPart_000_00C3_01C40D98.3A977110-- From owner-public@setileague.org Fri Mar 19 11:54:48 2004 Received: from seti1.setileague.org ([204.176.91.10]) by Sentry.net (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id i2JJsjs5007297; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 11:54:46 -0800 (PST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) id OAA14297 for public-list; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 14:34:21 -0500 (EST) X-Authentication-Warning: seti1.setileague.org: majordom set sender to owner-public@seti1.setileague.org using -f Received: from setileague.org (d198-53-189-194.abhsia.telus.net [198.53.189.194]) by seti1.setileague.org (8.9.3 (PHNE_24419+JAGae58098)/8.9.3) with ESMTP id OAA14293 for ; Fri, 19 Mar 2004 14:34:18 -0500 (EST) From: duh@sentry.net Message-Id: <200403191934.OAA14293@seti1.setileague.org> To: public@setileague.org Subject: SETI public: Re: Your music Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 12:34:05 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; 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