Mars Society Special Bulletin No. 38 – March 1, 2001
In this Issue:
** MARS SOCIETY BULLETINS UPDATE
** CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FLASHLINE MARS ARCTIC
RESEARCH STATION A HUGE SUCCESS
** EVIDENCE MOUNTS FOR PAST MICROBIAL LIFE ON MARS
– Announcement and Background Information
– Comments by Dr. Chris McKay, NASA AMES and Live Interview
Opportunity Today
– Dr. Imre Friedman to Give Special Plenary Presentation at the Mars
Society Convention on his Teams New Results
** SOUTHWEST MARS RESEARCH STATION PROGRESS
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MARS SOCIETY BULLETINS UPDATE
Up until now the Mars Society has usually sent out bulletins on a
monthly basis. Starting now the volume of bulletins will increase to
weekly so that we can keep you better informed of all the activities
which are taking place in the Mars Society.
Our next bulletin will comment on the NASA budget and the Mars
Society plans to increase funding for humans to Mars exploration. We
will also provide you with information on an upcoming special Mars
Society fundraiser to be held in May with James Cameron.
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CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FLASHLINE MARS ARCTIC
RESEARCH STATION A HUGE SUCCESS
The recent call for volunteers was a huge success. We received over
250 applications from around the globe. The quality of the
applications was fantastic and the Flashline Committee had a very
difficult time selecting volunteers.
We will shortly announce the candidates that were selected and our
plan for this years field season in the Arctic.
Although we could only select a handful of volunteers for this years
field season it should be noted that other opportunities will be
available next year and with the coming Southwest Station.
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** EVIDENCE MOUNTS FOR PAST MICROBIAL LIFE ON MARS
NASA announced on Monday that a team of scientists led by Dr. Imre
Friedman have determined that small magnetite crystals in the
now-famous ALH84001 Martian meteorite were almost certainly produced
by living organisms – organisms that must have lived on Mars.
According to the researchers: “these crystals are interpreted as
Martian magneto fossils and constitute evidence of the oldest life
yet found.”
Dr. Imre Friedman will give a special plenary presentation on August
24th at the Mars Society Convention on his teams new results.
You can register by clicking here:
https://commerce.maplesquare.com/marssociety/
Dr. Chris McKay, NASA AMES will be available for a live interview
today. For more information view the NASA press release;
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3971
Comments by Dr. Chris McKay, NASA AMES
Magnetotactic bacteria on Mars.
The recent paper by Imre Friedman and co-authors in PNAS (PNAS vol 98
page 2176, 2001) reports finding chains of magnetite that are
consistent with a biological origin. This agrees with the results on
the size and shape of the individual magnetite grains as published in
the same issue of PNAS by Kathie Thomas-Keptra and co-authors (PNAS
vol 98, 2164, 2001). The size and shape is also consistent with a
biological origin.
In the original publication (1996) of the ALH84001 paper by David
McKay and co-authors they listed 4 lines of evidence suggesting
biological origin 1. microfossils, 2. PAH organics, 3. carbonate
isotopes, 4. magnetite crystals. At the time it seemed to me that of
these four only the magnetite crystals provided a credible link to
biogenic origin. Since then it has been widely recognized that the
magnetite had the only possibility of providing good evidence for
biogenic origins. The present papers therefore follow up on this
important lead.
At the present time then there are two lines of evidence that
indicate biological origin of the magnetite in the ALH84001: 1) the
size and shape of each individual magnetite crystal 2) the presence
of chains of magnetite.
To me this evidence is now strong enough that we should begin to
consider the implications of a biological origin for this magnetite
on Mars 3.9 Gyr ago. These implications include: 1) what was the O2
level on Mars at the time these magnetotactic bacterial were present.
On Earth magnetotactic bacteria use their magnetitic navigation to
position themselves with respect to a O2 gradient 2) what were the
sources of magnetic fields 3) what would be the expected density of
magnetotactic bacteria such that their remnants are widespread enough
that they are found in volcanic rocks 4) is there any biological
origin of the magnetic fraction of the current martian soil.
Announcement Related Links:
Scientists Finds Evidence of Ancient Microbial Life on Mars, NASA ARC
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3942
NASA Announces New Evidence Regarding Past Life on Mars (SpaceRef)
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=293
Case For Life on Mars Withstands Criticism, Gains Scientific Support,
NASA JSC
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3939
Photographic Comparison of Terrestrial and Martian Magnetite Crystal
Chains, NASA ARC
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3948
New Evidence Strengthens Claims of Ancient Life on Mars – Study of
Martian Meteorite Reveals Magentic Fossils, NASA JSC
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3937
NASA JSC Background Information on PNAS ALH84001 Magenetite Paper,
NASA JSC
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3938
Truncated Hexaoctahedral Magnetite Crystals in ALH84001: Presumptive
Biosignatures, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
[abstract – subscription required for access to full article]
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/98/5/2164
Chains of magnetite crystals in the meteorite ALH84001: Evidence of
biological origin, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
[abstract – subscription required for access to full article]
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/98/5/2176
NSF official describes hunt for antarctic meteorites related to new
meteorite evidence of primitive life on Mars, NSF
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3946
Background Information:
New report links meteorite to possibility that microscopic life
existed on Mars, NSF
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=3343
British Researchers Try to Challenge Evidence of Mars Meteorite
Fossils – But Don’t Make Their Case, SpaceRef
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=195
Search for Past Life on Mars: Possible Relic Biogenic Activity in
Martian Meteorite ALH84001, D. S. McKay, E. K. Gibson Jr., K. L.
Thomas-Keprta, H. Vali, C. S. Romanek, S. J. Clemett, X. D. F.
Chillier, C. R. Maechling, R. N. Zare, Science, Volume 273, Number
5277
http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/antmet/marsmets/SearchForLife/
SearchForLife.htm
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SOUTHWEST MARS RESEARCH STATION PROGRESS
The Mars Society is close to securing the funding necessary to build
and occupy the next Mars analog research station. We hope to announce
the details within a month. In the meantime a team of dedicated Mars
Society volunteers and members of the Flashline Committee have spent
a
considerable amount of time scouting for a location in the U.S.
south-west. For those people who applied for positions in the arctic
station but did not get a placement opportunities will be available
later this year to conduct research in this new Mars analog research
station.
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On to Mars
Marc Boucher, Mars Society
mailto:webmaster@marssociety.org
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