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EVA Med Evac Sim experiment preparations
EVA Med Evac Simulation Objectives
Preparations are still underway for the EVA med evac sim, which will take place on Monday. The following is a breakdown of the objectives of the experiment, provided by Dr. Rick Scheuring, DO, MS, Advanced Projects/Flight Surgeon (NASA-JSC).
EVA Med Evac Simulation Update
"Progress continued today on the med evac simulation, and things are shaping up well for tomorrow's test."
A Closer Look at NASA's GeneBox Payload, SpaceRef
"This first flight of Genesis is primarily a proof of concept mission for larger inflatable modules. However, it also carries some interesting scientific hardware, which could serve as the basis for future small free flying satellites - often referred to as smallsats or nanosats. Named "GeneBox", this small payload was developed by NASA Ames Research Center to test out new ways to perform in-flight genomic analysis of living systems. Indeed, much of what is being flown aboard this satellite is cutting edge biotech - the likes of which have yet to fly aboard the International Space Station. Future versions will be even more capable."
Automated Drilling Field Demonstrations Exceed Goals, Go "Naked" in Haughton Crater 2006 DAME Tests
To look for ice or especially organics on Mars, we will need to drill below the oxidized and irradiated surface, probably at least 1-2m. Hardened subsurface ice layers aren't going to be addressed with lightweight scoops on manipulator arms, drills will be needed. But drilling is an art form on Earth, even "automated" offshore oil drilling platforms have control rooms full of people watching and adjusting the drilling.
The Mars Institute's Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse on Devon Island now has two webcams available for public viewing. One camera shows a view of the greenhouse and surroundings from the outside and the other shows some of the internal plant growth trays. Images are updated once a day. Click on image to enlarge
Cassini Radar Finds Hydrocarbon Lakes on Titan
"The Cassini spacecraft, using its radar system, has discovered very strong evidence for hydrocarbon lakes on Titan. Dark patches, which resemble terrestrial lakes, seem to be sprinkled all over the high latitudes surrounding Titan's north pole. Scientists have speculated that liquid methane or ethane might form lakes on Titan, particularly near the somewhat colder polar regions."
NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Gullied Recesses
"This image shows gullies on the wall of a martian south mid-latitude impact crater. The channels in each gully head beneath an eroding overhang of layered rock, providing support for the hypothesis that some—if not all—martian gullies result from release of groundwater to the surface."
Aerial Photo of the Haughton-Mars Project Research Station (HMP RS) on Devon Island, High Arctic, taken from a helicopter on July 20, 2006.
Towards the end of our summer expedition while flying back to Eureka from our camp on Axel Heiberg, I spotted a lake with what appeared to be green ice on it.
Seeing ice this color is particularly interesting since the color green tends to make an aquatic ecologist think of life - microbial life with chlorophyll. It also reminded me of a question I first heard posed by Chris McKay, a scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in California. During one of his presentations, Chris asked the question "why isn't Greenland green? Why is the ice-cap of Greenland, or the Antarctic for that matter, not covered with photosynthetic organisms tinting the snow and ice green despite the abundant availability of summer sun and 90% of the planet's fresh water?"
This observation points out a profound ecological reality for life on Earth - just having water available is not enough - it must be liquid water in order for life to carry out the chemistry of life. The snow and ice on the ice-caps do not support an abundance of photosynthesizers mainly because the water is present as a solid (ice) and for all practical purposes is not available for life to use. Despite the cubic kilometers of water within these ice-caps, they are vast frozen deserts. I did not have time to drop down to get a sample of the bright green ice, but as green as it was, I suspect that the tint must have been a result of the presence of chlorophyll. The difference between this lake ice and the ice-caps of Greenland and Antarctica being the abundance of liquid water on and within the small ice-cover as it melted away.
A couple of days after arriving in Eureka I travelled with Dr. Chris Omelon by ATV along a sandstone ridge in order to collect samples at several locations. Chris has been studying the microorganisms that colonize the pore space just below the surface of the sandstone rocks. These microorganisms are known as endoliths. I have a few images of these communities in my Arctic Photo album and in an antarctic album online at astrobiology.com in volumes 2 and 3. Along the way we met wildlife research biologist Dr. Dave Mech who was up again this summer observing and studying the wolves of Ellesmere Island. After a a bit of talk regarding his research, he told Chris and I about a raven that had been hanging around his study site. I did not think I would actually see it, but a short while later I met this very friendly raven, which you see perched on my boot at the end of my outstretched legs in the picture above. It was a pretty funny bird, and while Chris collected samples a few hundred meters away, it kept me company for about 35 min or so before wandering back over to the nearby wolf den (which Dave informed us was home to 5 pups and 7 other wolves). Encounters with nature like this do not come around too often so I counted myself lucky.
Residual icing/glacial discharge at Skaer Fiord
A few days before heading over to Eureka, we were checking out one of the spring sites that Wayne Pollard and I have been observing for the last couple of years. Springs are rare in regions of thick permafrost, particularly if the flow occurs year round. We know this one is flowing in late April, but we are not sure if it flows throughout the year. We hope to be onsite very early next year in order to see what the flow is doing (or not...). The discharge at the front of the glacier had formed a residual icing and a large icing blister which was hollow underneath and large enough for us to go inside.
Wayne Pollard, inside the icing blister at Skaer Fiord
It was like walking into an art gallery! The light diffusing from the ice above was red and green from the minerals associated with the water and on the floor was a garden of very delicate crystals that were 6-8 inches tall. The slightly orange-red hued crystals were quite beautiful and the muffled sound within the ice cave provided an erie background to it all. Someone mentioned that it reminded them of the scene from the film Alien when they first discovered the 'pods'. My first impression was of a diorama I had seen in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History that depicted Ediacara biota that dominated the late Precambrian marine ecosystem.
While waiting for everyone to regroup, the helicopter pilot Dave Bursey (of Universal Helicopters Newfoundland Limited) and I began talking about life in extreme environments. I mentioned that I was with the SETI Institute in Mountain View, CA and out of curiosity I asked Dave if he had seen the film Contact a story with SETI as its main theme.
Often we travel to remote places to investigate life in extreme environments, to help us better understand life on our own world and perhaps to help us gain insight about the possibilities for life elsewhere and I feel particularly lucky to be able to experience these unique settings. But so much happens along the way, meeting interesting people and sharing their experiences in life, witnessing nature in its rawest, unfiltered form; and it is so true, its not always the final destination that is important, but the voyage that takes you there.
"From an exploration perspective we found that HMP– despite the identified differences with a Lunar or Martian base – is an ideal research environment for interplanetary logistics, because it: ..."
Mars Institute HMP Research Station Astrobiology Update 21 July 2006
Dr. Richard Léveillé, Visiting Fellow in astrobiology at the Canadian Space Agency: "The first question I am investigating is did impact-induced hydrothermal systems (i.e. hot springs created by the force of the impact) at Haughton support chemosynthetic microbial ecosystems? The second question I am trying to answer is what is the nature and origin of Mars-like minerals in ancient lake sediments found in the Haughton Crater?"
The NAI has awarded $4000 to support student participation in "Changes in Ocean and Atmospheric redox state and the evolution of life" session of the 2006 GSA Annual Meeting.
Session co-conveners, Drs. Ganqing Jiang and Andrey Bekker, invite students to contribute papers that examine sedimentological, paleobiological, elemental, isotopic, and mineralogical redox indicators, and the global effects of life on composition of the atmosphere and ocean. Students interested in applying for travel funds should submit an abstract to the session, and should contact Dr. Ganqing Jiangjiangg@unlv.nevada.edu for further information.
This session is co-sponsored by the Paleontological Society and the GSA Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division, and is aimed at bringing together the ideas of specialists who are using various tools to constrain the redox state of modern, Phanerozoic, and Precambrian ocean and atmosphere. For more information about the 2006 GSA Annual meeting, visit http://www.geosociety.org/meetings/2006/. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
It's that time again for NAI's Annual Report. Annual report entries are collected by team and published on the NAI webpage in the "team" section. Reports include science projects, team members, and publications, as well as Education and Public Outreach, Focus Group activities, and other special projects.
See last year's entries at http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/team/index.cfm
For technical questions having to do with the annual report submission site, please contact Marco Boldt at mboldt@mail.arc.nasa.gov or (650) 604-3769. For all other questions, please contact Shige Abe at sabe@mail.arc.nasa.gov or (650) 604-1927. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Mars Institute HMP Research Station Update for July 19, 2006
Another busy day at the Haughton-Mars Project Research Station (HMP RS). As we approach the mid-point in the field season, researchers are making significant strides on a number of fronts for their respective projects. Traverses were led to the Trinity Lake region and into the Haughton Impact structure to study geology and biochemistry, while the DAME autonomous drilling team continued to refine their operations and attain new milestones. As reported yesterday, the CSA team working in the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse continued with their ambitious schedule and are continuing to report successes. Construction and upgrades to the HMP RS facility are also proceeding very well.
Click on image to view video (Quicktime required)
The Campbell Scientific met station (automated weather station) we installed last April at M.A.R.S includes an enclosed digital camera (CC640) that is programmed to acquire two images per day - one at 9 am and another at 1 pm local time.
Axel Heiberg is in the Central Time Zone for North America.
The complete set of images are stored on a SanDisk industrial grade 256mb memory card within the camera itself and up to four images are stored at any given time within the CR1000 memory for retrieval by Iridium phone when needed.
This summer I downloaded the images that we had collected between April 17 and June 22. Afterwards, I assembled the images into a QuickTime video in order to see the change in weather patterns during the collection period.
Note the subtle changes that take place with respect to the snow cover. As the temperatures warm from well below freezing to above, the snow begins to melt and the ground begins to appear. But snow falls again, and visibility drops noticeably as the low cloud cover and fog moves in and out.
The three drums mark the end of the runway with the ice-cover of Colour Lake being just behind and to the left. In the background is a ragged ridge known as Marie Antoinette which allows us to estimate cloud height and horizontal visibility which is very useful for deciding whether or not to send in an aircraft.
If there are people at the camp they can just radio in the conditions, but now we can also phone up the station to see what conditions are like before we go there, which can save a lot of time and money!
Join NAI for the Polycom and WebEx broadcast of the second annual Summer Student Seminar Series. The talks will be given on Friday, July 28th and Friday August 11th at 12:00pm PDT (9:00am HT/1:00pm MDT/2:00pm CDT/3:00pm EDT.)
Speakers will present from the University of Hawaii, the SETI Institute, the University of Tennessee, Goddard Space Flight Center and the University of Rhode Island. July 28th talks include:
For connection information, please contact Estelle Dodson kdodson@mail.arc.nasa.gov [Source: NAI Newsletter]
In October, 2005, NAI began an innovative, pilot project focused on creating educational materials that weave together NASA science and Navajo cultural teachings. To mark the end of the project and the beginning of new collaborations, NAI is hosting a "Sustainability Seminar" in Window Rock, Arizona - the seat of the Navajo Nation - on August 10-11, 2006.
The goal of this seminar is to bring together educators from NASA, the Navajo Nation, and other tribes to use the pilot project as a context for discussing issues with "dual-learning," share ideas and resources, and network toward future collaborations. Please contact Daniella Scalice for more information at dscalice@mail.arc.nasa.gov or (650) 604-4024. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
NAI Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Accepting Applications: Deadline August 1
A reminder applications are now being accepted for the August 1 cycle of the NAI Postdoctoral Program, administered by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU).
The NAI Postdoctoral Fellowship Program provides opportunities for Ph.D., Sc.D., or M.D. scientists and engineers of unusual promise and ability to perform research on problems largely of their own choosing, yet compatible with the research interests of NASA and the member teams of the NASA Astrobiology Institute.
NAI Postdoctoral Fellows become full members of the NAI, and, as such, are included in the NAI database and on-line directory, invited to attend and submit abstracts for NAI General Meetings, given access to NAI collaborative tools, and are eligible for additional NAI funding opportunities. NAI Fellows have, therefore, a wide spectrum of opportunities for further collaboration with NAI researchers, as well as the broader scientific community. In this role, NAI Fellows act as 'Ambassadors' amongst the NAI Teams, and between the NAI and the broader scientific community, - helping to define and lead the new discipline of astrobiology.
For additional information about the program see http://nasa.orau.org/postdoc. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Research Activities in the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse - July 2006 Update
"Our autonomous greenhouse in the Arctic produces and manages its own power, has its own communications system for command and telemetry, and a robust data acquisition and control system for making measurements and maintaining the environment in the greenhouse. This project began in 2002 and every year we improve the systems and make them more reliable and more robust."
Bigelow Spacecraft Carries NASA 'GeneBox' for Tests in Orbit, NASA ARC
"On July 12, a Russian rocket lofted 'GeneBox' into Earth orbit within Bigelow Corporation's Genesis I test spacecraft. Attached to the large inflatable spacecraft's internal structure, GeneBox contains a miniature laboratory. In future flights, it will analyze how the near weightlessness of space affects genes in microscopic cells and other small life forms."
During our trip north in April, we installed another Campbell Scientific met station (automated weather station) to replace the one that has been at the McGill Arctic Research Station (M.A.R.S.) since 1992.
The new station sports all new sensors and the latest datalogger from Campbell, the CR1000 as well as their enclosed digital camera (CC640).
We have also installed an Iridium satellite modem that provides a communication link to the station. Now we can download the data whenever we choose just by calling up the station.
The camera is set to take two images a day - one in the morning and another in the afternoon. The images are all stored on a SanDisc industrial grade 256mb memory card but we can also download up to four every two days using the onboard memory of the CR1000. If needed, we can command the station to take an image, and then download the picture afterwards.
As seen in the image, Claude Labine is using a small, ultra-rugged field computer made by Juniper Systems, Inc. This neat little computer called Archer is waterproof, shockproof, and is rated for use in temperatures as low as -30°C. For field work this is ideal.
Being able to carry a computer that is just a bit bigger than my Garmin GPS eTrex in a backpack, and not having to worry too much about power in cold weather is great - now if only Apple would squeeze down a Mac like this.....
The new met station gives us the ability to check the conditions at our site prior to sending in a flight. If no one is there to provide a weather synopsis, we can view the met data and also look at the camera image. Its pointed towards the end of our airstrip and there are mountains in the background that provide us with minimum visibility and cloud height information. Its pretty cool to be able to do this.
Now we can get data year round and check the weather before we go!
Undersea Vehicles to Study Formation of Gold and Other Precious Metals On the Pacific Ocean Floor, WHOI
"The joint expedition includes a 32-day WHOI research program funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation to the Pacmanus vent sites in the Eastern Manus Basin. The remotely operated vehicle Jason will be used to survey and map the vent areas around an Ocean Drilling Program hole drilled in 2000."
"We drove a half hour out of town to the first transect site. The teachers separated and went with different scientist to collect samples of the rocks and soil. Our sampling tools consisted of sterile spoons, plastic gloves and zip-lock baggies. The scientists are all passionate about their work here and the teachers are excited to be doing real science along side the scientists. We were still working out the kinks of cooperation and communication. We kept hearing the term "herding cats", which was a good description of the progress of our group."
Daily field reports are listed below:
Descent Into the Ice, NOVA, PBS
"A team of "glacionauts" ventures into a labyrinth of unexplored and hazardous glacier caves on France's Mt. Blanc."
Editor's note: Highly recommended.
"The amendment they will offer in Committee will provide $1 billion to the NASA Administrator to pay-back the costs of returning the Shuttle to flight and restore cuts to science, aeronautics and exploration programs that were cut in order to pay for the return to flight. The $1 billion will be declared an emergency under the terms of the budget act and budget resolution."
Legislative Action Memo From the American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology (ASGSB)
"Remember: Doing nothing will get us nothing."
SETI Institute to Astrobiology Community Regarding NASA Budget Process
"Once again we write you from the SETI Institute to alert you to an important moment in the NASA budget approval process. Your help is needed."
With NAI support, the Evolutionary Genomics Focus Group hosted a one-day symposium on Friday, May 26th, at Arizona State University. Blair Hedges (Penn State) organized the event, which featured 15 speakers from the U.S. and Europe and more than 100 participants, during the annual meeting for the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.
A "timetree" is a phylogenetic tree of organisms scaled to geologic time. The speakers discussed the history of this field (molecular clocks), methodology, and the latest information from fossils and molecular data for prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Several speakers highlighted evolution in the Precambrian, including snowball Earth events. The meeting generated unusual enthusiasm, and a publisher who attended has invited a book on the topic. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Researchers from NAI's University of Rhode Island Team and their colleagues have studied the use of phosphorus vs. sulfur in the membrane lipid sythesis pathways of organisms resident in the ocean's subtropical gyres.
Their data show that the dominant organism in the phytoplankton, a cyanobacterium, has evolved a "sulfur-for-phosphorus" strategy; producing a membrane lipid containing sulfate and sugar instead of phosphate. This adaptation may have been a major event in Earth's early history when the relative availability of sulfate and phosphate was different than in today's oceans. Their paper appears in the June 6th issue of PNAS. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
NAI's Virtual Planetary Laboratory Team have explored the possibility of detecting exovegetation on terrestrial planets orbiting M stars. They estimated the red-shift of this surface feature using leaf optical property spectra with a three photon photosynthetic scheme. The authors have produced a model wherein a pigment-derived surface signature such as exovegetation could be detected, but would be dependent upon the extent of the vegetation on the surface, cloud cover, and viewing angle.
Their paper is in the current issue of The Astrophysical Journal. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
July 24 - August 11, 2006, Honolulu, Hawaii. The University of Hawaii Astrobiology Institute (UH-NAI) is hosting the Computational Astrobiology Summer School from July 24 until August 11, 2006. This is an excellent opportunity for graduate students in computer science and related areas to learn about astrobiology, and to carry out substantial projects related to the field.
More information is available at http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/UHNAI/cass.htm [Source: NAI Newsletter]
The third Pale Blue Dot workshop will be held at the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum in Chicago from 17-20 September, 2006. (The first two Pale Blue Dot workshops were held at NASA Ames Research Center in 1996 and 1999.) Many NAI members are on the program organizing committee, including the Chair Vikki Meadows, and NAI is a co-convenor of the meeting along with Adler.
The third workshop will provide a venue for the development of ideas and methods that may be used for the detection of life beyond Earth. An additional goal of the workshop is to establish a two way dialog between scientists and the media that will facilitate lasting relationships, better media coverage of science, and enhanced public awareness and understanding of science. Registration is now open. The early registration deadline is July 14. The workshop is limited to 250 participants. Information and registration is available at: http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/pale_blue_dot/ [Source: NAI Newsletter]
16-18 Oct. 2006 Lyon, France The deadline for registration, abstract submission and travel grants applications has been extended to 14 July 2006. You can register and submit contributions to the 6th European Workshop on Astrobiology (16-18 Oct. 2006, Lyon, France) at http://eana06.univ-lyon1.fr/ [Source: NAI Newsletter]
The NAI will be video broadcasting a two-part series of seminars presented by students conducting research this summer with various NAI teams. Last year's series was a great success with high quality research, professionally presented.
This year's series should be equally impressive. The first in the series will be held on Friday, July 28th at 12:00pm PDT (9:00am HST/1:00pm MDT/2:00pm CDT/3:00pm EDT. The second in the series will be held two weeks later, Friday, August 11th at 12:00pm PDT (9:00am HST/1:00pm MDT/2:00pm CDT/3:00pm EDT. Details and presentation titles to follow. In the meantime, reserve your conference rooms now! Questions? Contact Estelle Dodson, kdodson@mail.arc.nasa.gov. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Oxygen Trapped in Europa's Icy Surface May Offer Clues to Moon's Habitability, Astrobiology
"Astrobiology is the leading peer-reviewed journal in its field. To promote this developing field, the Journal has teamed up with The Astrobiology Web to highlight one outstanding paper per issue of Astrobiology. This paper is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/ast and to visitors of The Astrobiology Web at www.astrobiology.com."
The Mars Institute Core Team Arrives in Resolute Bay, Nunavut
"The first charter plane arrived in Resolute Bay yesterday on schedule with the initial Mars Institute core team and cargo. Another charter with personnel and cargo is scheduled to arrive in Resolute on Wednesday, July 5th."
