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June 30, 2006
June 29, 2006
Astrobiology (journal) June 2006
Astrobiology Science News 29 June 2006
June 28, 2006
Astrobiology Science News 28 June 2006
June 27, 2006
Astrobiology Science News 27 June 2006
ASGSB 2006 Annual Meeting Abstract Deadline
"To ASGSB members: Please submit your abstract for the 2006 Annual Meeting. The deadline for submission is July 7, 2006, and abstracts can be submitted via the society's homepage (http://www.asgsb.org/)."
"The 2006 Annual Meeting will be held Thursday, Nov. 2, to Sunday, Nov. 5, 2006, at the Sheraton National Hotel, Arlington, VA. All members are strongly urged to attend to show their support for space life sciences.
In addition, a workshop on "Small Satellites for Science" will be held on Nov. 2, registration day for the Annual Meeting, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., at the meeting hotel. Representatives of providers and NASA-based planners will be presenting. This workshop is open and free to anyone registered for the ASGSB Annual Meeting; tickets are otherwise available at $150 per participant from Ken Souza at Kenneth.A.Souza@nasa.gov.
John Z. Kiss
2006 Program Chair
kissjz@muohio.edu"
June 26, 2006
Astrobiology Science News 26 June 2006
June 23, 2006
Astrobiology Science News 23 June 2006
June 22, 2006
Astrobiology Science News 22 June 2006
Europa on Earth: Expedition to the Sulfur Springs of Ellesmere Island
"A four-person team departs today for an expedition to the top of the world, where mineral-rich waters seep from the top of a 200-meter-thick glacier. Sulfur-bearing compounds precipitate from the waters and stain the glacial ice of Borup Fiord Pass, marking the locations of the springs with bright yellow splotches that are easily visible from the air. The place calls to mind the ruddy, sulfur-rich stains on the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa, and one of the expedition members is traveling there to gather samples and data that will help with the planning of future Europa missions."
News story
Backgrounder
[Source: Planetary Society]
June 21, 2006
Astrobiology Science News 21 June 2006
NAI Congratulates New Minority Institution Research Support Selectee: Michael Ceballos
The Minority Institution Research Support (MIRS) Program is pleased to announce the selection of Michael Ceballos of Salish Kootenai College (Pablo, Montana) to participate in a faculty sabbatical in virology with Ken Stedman of Portland State University, co-chair of the NAI Virus Focus Group and Forest Rohwer, of San Diego State University. The MIRS program, funded by NAI, provides opportunities for researchers, from qualified minority serving institutions, to initiate joint partnerships with researchers in the field of astrobiology.
Ceballos is an instructor of chemistry, physics and biology and the Director of the Molecular Biology Research Laboratory at Salish Kootenai College, a tribal College in western Montana. He also maintains a faculty position in the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of Montana (UM) under UM's National Science Foundation EPSCoR program. Ceballos' research this summer will focus on examining viral genomes to elucidate viral protein structure-function interactions, and relate these data to viral ecology and evolution. Ceballos has established the first basic science research laboratory in molecular biology and biochemistry at a tribal college in the US. Congratulations Michael. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Astrobiology Science News 21 June 2006
June 20, 2006
Amino Acids Found in Antarctic Meteorites
Researchers from NAI's NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Team and their colleagues publish their analysis of two meteorites in the current issue of Meteoritics and Planetary Science. Their study revealed a suite of amino acids present in the meteorites that are not present in the Antarctic ice on which they were found. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Graduate Research Seminar - Origin of Life (Gordon Research Conference)
In conjunction with the 2006 GRC Origin of Life conference, organizers are offering the first Origin of Life Graduate Research Seminar. The Graduate Research Seminar is designed to identify top young talent in diverse fields and encourage them to present cutting edge research in origin of life contexts.
The Graduate Research Seminar will be held July 21-23, 2006 at Bates College, prior to the regular conference.
Abstract submissions for poster presentations are currently being accepted. Some financial support is available, and everyone who is accepted to the seminar will be considered for financial reimbursement.
To learn more about the conference, to submit an abstract, and to apply for the conference, please visit http://www.grc.org/programs/2006/gradorig.htm. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Field Report from Dale Andersen 20 June 2006
Keith: We are going to give it a try this morning, the weather looking a bit better. The conditions at Expedition appear somewhat wet so we will take the twin to a gravel strip at Strand Fiord and will then ferry our gear to our camp at Expedition Fiord by helicopter. If we cannot make it in, we will head to Eureka for a few days. I'll try to give you a ring via sat phone later if possible for an update. Our studies of the perennial springs, massive ground ice and pingos will begin shortly.
Astrobiology Science News 20 June 2006
June 19, 2006
Field Report from Dale Andersen 19 June 2006
Keith: We arrived in Resolute Friday evening but we are still in here awaiting better weather. Its been cloudy with periods of light snow and rain along with low cloud and fog so getting north has been a bit problematic. But that is life in the fast lanes... We may try to get up to Eureka later today but I am not betting the farm.
Hard to believe that we started blogging from the McMurdo Dry Valleys in the Antarctic nearly ten years ago. I know that "blog" along with the images have been available online at your astrobiology website since.
Well, now I am finally getting around to blogging from the Canadian High Arctic. We arrived in Resolute Friday evening but we are still in here awaiting better weather. Its been cloudy with periods of light snow and rain along with low cloud and fog so getting north has been a bit problematic. But that is life in the fast lanes... We may try to get up to Eureka later today but I am not betting the farm.
We have a camera installed on our met station at Expedition Fiord that allows me to retrieve images along with the data from the station via an Iridium satellite connection. This helps take some of the guesswork out of getting our flights into the camp when there is no one there to report the local conditions, visibility etc. Now we can pull up the most recent image, see visibility markers in the distance to gauge visibility and cloud height etc. Pretty neat. Enclosed is a shot I retrieved on the 17th which shows the camp with low cloud which would make getting a twin or helicopter to the camp difficult. We have pretty much the same weather today.
More later if I get time to send a note. Perhaps I will try to update you by Iridium phone from our field camp once we arrive.
Cheers
Dale
Update 19 June 2006 1:30 pm EDT
Keith: I just downloaded the most recent image from our met station at Expedition Fiord. The ceiling is still pretty low.
Astrobiology Science News 19 June 2006
Carbon Isotope Record from ~2.2 Ga Rocks in the Great Lakes Area
Andrey Bekker of NAI's Carnegie Institution of Washington Team and his colleagues have an article in press for Precambrian Research which details the carbon isotope record for the carbonate platform in the Great Lakes area.
Observed carbon isotope values from the Lake Superior area may correspond to those from Griqualand West Basin, South Africa, supporting the notion of three global glaciations in the Paleoproterozoic Era. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
June 16, 2006
Astrobiology Science News 16 June 2006
June 15, 2006
Astrobiology Science News 15 June 2006
June 14, 2006
Astrobiology Science News 14 June 2006
June 13, 2006
Astrobiology Poetry
"The First", by Stuart Atkinson
Maybe you're on Mars, inside
or hiding beneath a rock, many rocks,
exiled by the lethal blue-leeched sky
to a world of damp and dark,
A crystalline, Noachian dungeon where
"water" is just a scent and Time runs slow:
one billion sols... two billion sols...
between each breath a billion more...
Astrobiology Science News 13 June 2006
Outer Planets Assessment Group Meeting
NASA Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG) Meeting Report May 4-5th 2006
The Outer Planets Assessment Group is a NASA-supported forum for scientists and engineers to discuss exploration of the outer solar system and to enhance communication between community and NASA. The meeting of the Outer Planets Assessment Group held at the Westin Hotel, Pasadena, CA 4-5th, 2005 was attended by ~80 people.
June 12, 2006
Astrobiology Science News 12 June 2006
June 10, 2006
ASGSB Journal Available Online
All ASGSB (American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology) members are encouraged to ask their university/institution libraries to include Gravitational and Space Biology on their list of online journals. Former iterations of the journal are also available online, i.e., ASGSB Bulletin and Gravitational and Space Biology Bulletin. Use the following URL when making this request: http://asgsb.org/publications.html [Source: ASGSB Newsletter]
June 9, 2006
NRC Speaks Out On Astrobiology's Value
NRC Report: An Assessment of Balance in NASA's Science Programs
Astrobiology: NASA's astrobiology program is built around three overarching scientific questions:
1. How does life begin and evolve?
2. Does life exist elsewhere in the universe?
3. What is life's future on Earth and beyond?
The program consists of four independent R&A elements—the exobiology and evolutionary biology program, the Astrobiology Science and Technology Instrument Development program, the Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets program, and the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI). Together, these were funded in FY 2006 at a combined level of $65 million, already down 13 percent from the FY 2005 program. The FY 2007 budget would cut the program again, to half its current level. This is projected to be a permanent reduction in the size of the program.
Prospects for Progress Toward Goals
The cuts in FY 2006 are expected to be absorbed by protecting existing contracts and grants, but selecting no new awards. Each of the four program elements has had a proposal solicitation in FY 2006, and so those proposers would all be shut out of the program. The deeper cuts for FY 2007 will require a combination of no new awards plus the reduction or cancellation of some existing contracts and grants.
The decadal surveys for astrophysics and for solar system exploration both embraced astrobiology as a key component of their programs, with the questions encompassed by astrobiology serving as overarching themes for the programs as a whole. The missions put forward in the solar system exploration survey are all key missions in astrobiology, whether they are labeled as such or not. And issues and missions related to astrobiology represent one of the key areas of interest identified in the astronomy and astrophysics communities.
Astrobiology provides the intellectual connections between otherwise disparate enterprises. NASA's astrobiology program creates an integrated whole and supports the basic interdisciplinary nature of the field. Further, the Vision is, at its heart, largely an astrobiology vision with regard to the science emphasis.18 In developing the future of the program, the missions actually feed forward from the basic science. Astrobiology is just beginning the type of synthesis and integration that will allow it to provide science input for future mission development. Without it, the science and the scientific personnel will not be in place to support the missions when they do fly.
At a time of increasing desire for cross-disciplinary programs, astrobiology represents an outstanding example of the development of a successful new interdisciplinary area. Universities across the country have established new programs in astrobiology and appointed numerous faculty members. A generation of undergraduate and graduate students has been inspired by the intellectual challenges and the Vision to undertake courses and research projects in broad areas of space science. The United States has been the leader in this developing field and has triggered large efforts in other countries, notably in Britain, Spain, Australia, and Russia. The strong U.S. leadership will be lost under the current plan.
In a new discipline that has a larger than average number of early career participants, the proposed cuts will have a disproportionate impact on young people (students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty) and will strongly discourage new entries into space research. Highly trained and creative people are the heart of the space program. Yet training of the very best people takes years, and drastic cuts now will mean that scientists will not be there to support future missions. The proposed halving of the program is a complete reversal of years of NASA efforts and will be counterproductive to any long- term space exploration strategy.
18 The NASA document, The Vision for Space Exploration, cited a number of actions that were to be taken to implement the Vision, including the following scientific activities with an emphasis on searches for life:
- Conduct robotic exploration of Mars to search for evidence of life, to understand the history of the solar system, and to prepare for future human exploration;
- Conduct robotic exploration across the solar system for scientific purposes and to support human exploration. In particular, explore Jupiter's moons, asteroids, and other bodies to search for evidence of life, to understand the history of the solar system, and to search for resources; and
- Conduct advanced telescope searches for Earth-like planets and habitable environments around other stars.
Astrobiology Science News 9 June 2006
June 8, 2006
Enceladus Focus Group
Following on the recent Cassini discoveries of geysers, organics, and excess heat emanating from the south polar terrain of Enceladus, and the exciting implications of these findings for possible subterranean chambers of liquid water, we are forming an Enceladus Focus group to begin a community-wide conversation about this fascinating moon.
The goal is to provide a forum devoted to the dissemination and in- depth discussion of recent Enceladus observations, and their bearing on the interior/thermal structure and history, geologic history, chemistry, geyser mechanisms, and other physical properties and processes, all with an eye towards examining Enceladus as a body of astrobiological interest and a target for future planetary exploration.
This group will also consider the questions:
What future observations should be made with Cassini in its extended mission that would be useful for astrobiological investigations?
What should be the goals and mission scenarios of future robotic exploration of Enceladus?
If you are interested in being a part of this discussion, please send an email to
majordomo at ciclops.org
with the following in the body of the email:
subscribe EnceladusFocus
This will put you on an email list, which is the first step. If there is sufficient interest, the plan would be to hold our inaugural meeting at the upcoming October DPS meeting.
We hope you join us.
Carolyn Porco, CICLOPS/Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO
Chris McKay, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Small Satellites as Platforms for Science
A satellite session is scheduled for November 2, 2006, from 2-5 p.m., the day before the 22nd annual ASGSB meeting officially starts. The title of the session is "Small Satellites as Platforms for Science."
The session is intended to inform the ASGSB membership and guests about the emerging opportunities to obtain relatively low cost access to space quickly, repeatedly, and reliably. The session will be chaired by Dr. S. Pete Worden, Director, NASA-Ames Research Center, and will include presentations from industry, government, commercial, and the international communities.
There is no charge to attend this session for those registered to attend the ASGSB meeting. Cost to attend the sesssion to those not attending the ASGSB meeting is $150.
Please contact session organizer Ken Souza, Kenneth.A.Souza@nasa.gov, if you plan on attending this session or for further information. [Source: ASGSB Newsletter]
Partial Listing of Space Life Science Publications in 2006
Editor's note:The following list of 49 journal articles is a subset of life science research focusing on microgravity and spaceflight published in 2006. This is derived from a simple keyword search using PubMed.
Astrobiology Science News 8 June 2006
Senate Hearing on NASA Science
Statement by Charles Bolden
Statement by Peter Voorhees
Statement by Roy Torbert
Statement by James Pawelczyk
"The next generations of space life scientists perceive a bitter lesson that is difficult to assuage: as the result of a shell game of agency-wide reorganization, life science is no longer recognized or valued within NASA."
"Musculoskeletal deconditioning remains a paramount concern. In the past two years our ability to differentiate the trabecular bone network in the hip has helped us to appreciate that the risk to bone during spaceflight may be even greater than we previously anticipated. The rate of osteoporosis in astronauts equal patients with spinal cord injury, and exceeds that seen in post-menopausal women by a factor of 10 or more."
"Extrapolating from published studies of astronauts and cosmonauts spending up to six months in low-earth orbit, we can offer preliminary estimates of the changes that would occur if humans made a 30-month trip to Mars today:
100% of crew members would lose more than 15% of their bone mineral in the femur and hip; Approximately 80% would lose more than 25% of their bone mineral; More than 40% would lose greater than 50% of their bone mineral; Approximately 20% would lose more than 25% of their exercise capacity; Approximately 40% would lose experience a decline in leg muscle strength of 30% or more.
Each of these predictions takes into the account the fact that astronauts would be using the best countermeasures available currently!
To my knowledge, no engineer would accept a spaceflight system where such degradation is expected. Nor should it be so for astronauts."
NASA History Division and National Air and Space Museum Division of Space History
19-21 September 2006 Hirshhorn Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC - Purpose: The purpose of this conference is to undertake a broad overview of the societal impact of space exploration, especially as illuminated by historical research. The purpose is not to conduct an exercise in public affairs or a debate over public policy, but to examine with rigorous research what the impact has been, both nationally and internationally.
This is an enormous topic, so we cannot be comprehensive, but we can be broadly representative of the major areas of impact.
Audience: Scholars and the general public in an auditorium venue that will hold approximately 250 people.
Proceedings: Selected papers (5,000-7,000 words, fully referenced) will be included in proceedings available to a wide audience.
More information: http://history.nasa.gov/socimpactconf/index.html
June 7, 2006
Astrobiology Summer Workshops for Educators Kick Off in Canada
Led by the E/PO Leads from NAI's University of Arizona, teachers from across the country convened in Alberta, Canada this past weekend for a two day professional development experience focused on astrobiology science and the latest research in pedagogy, curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
NAI Teams are also offering workshops for teachers this summer in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. For more information on upcoming workshops for teachers, and other classroom resources in astrobiology, please visit: http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/teachers/ [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Solomon Receives Caltech Distinguished Alumni Award
NAI congratulates Dr. Sean C. Solomon, Principal Investigator of Carnegie Institution of Washington's NASA Astrobiology Institute and Director of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of CIW, on his receipt of the Caltech Distinguished Alumni Award on May 20.
Since 1966, only 207 awards have been granted in recognition of graduates who have displayed "a particular achievement of noteworthy value, a series of such achievements, or a career of noteworthy accomplishment," and is the highest honor the Institute bestows upon a graduate, according to Caltech's Alumni Association. The 2006 keynote speaker was Professor Mike Brown, who delivered his talk entitled "Beyond Pluto: Discovery of the 10th Planet."
Solomon received a B.S. in Geology (with honors) from California Institute of Technology in 1966. He received his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1971, and was a member of the MIT faculty for more than 20 years. Solomon has been Director of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism since 1992, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences since 2000. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Astrobiology Science News 7 June 2006
June 6, 2006
Call for Papers: European Planetary Science Congress 2006
Europlanet #1, European Planetary Science Congress 2006, Berlin, Germany, 18 - 22 September 2006 - The intention of the European Planetary Science Congress 2006 is to cover a broad area of science topics related to planetary science and planetary missions. The program of the congress will contain oral and poster sessions, and it will emphasize workshops and panel discussions in order to have a strong interaction between the participants.
The deadline for the abstract submission is 14 June 2006. For more information: http://meetings.copernicus.org/epsc2006/ [Source: NAI Newsletter]
ISBOX II- UHNAI Expedition to Iceland
The ISBOX-II expedition lead by Eric Gaidos of the University of Hawaii NAI team will drill and sample a subglacial lake for microbiology and geochemistry. The expedition takes place June 6-13, 2006. Details and progress of "ISBOX 2" can be found at: http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/UHNAI/isbox2.htm [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Astrobiology Science News 6 June 2006
June 5, 2006
Hazen Publishes New Book on the Origin of Life
Reviewed this week in Science, Robert Hazen's new work, "Genesis: The Search for Life's Origin" was published recently with Joseph Henry Press. Hazen, from NAI's Carnegie Institution of Washington Team, has woven together a look at life in the Geophysical Laboratory and the history of origin of life theory and debate for an "...engaging, sometimes dramatic tale." To read the review, go here. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Preview of This Week's Space Science Announcement
"NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT Wednesday, June 7, about the discovery of carbon-rich gas around a young star that may be forming terrestrial planets. The discovery was made with NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer spacecraft and will be featured in the June 8 issue of Nature."
The Carbon-Rich Gas in the Beta Pictoris Circumstellar Disk
"Here we report the detection of singly and doubly ionized carbon (CII, CIII) and neutral atomic oxygen (OI) gas in the Beta Pic disk; measurement of these abundant volatile species permits a much more complete gas inventory. Carbon is extremely overabundant relative to every other measured element.[Accepted for publication in Nature]."
Astrobiology Science News 5 June 2006
June 4, 2006
Student Summer Opportunity in Subseafloor Microbiology
Dave Goldberg at Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, and his colleague Howard Shuman, Professor of Microbiology at Columbia University, have funding and an immediate opening for a summer student / intern at Columbia on a microbiology project involving subseafloor samples. If you have a student who is looking for an interesting summer job, please contact Dave directly at 845-365-8674 or goldberg@ldeo.columbia.edu [Source: NAI Newsletter]
June 2, 2006
Astrobiology Science News 2 June 2006
June 1, 2006
Astrobiology Science News 1 June 2006
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