"The 2006 Annual Meeting is coming up soon (November 2-5)*, and we look forward to recognizing our most outstanding members at the Annual Meeting with the Society's traditional four awards."

The deadline for nominations for the 2006 ASGSB awards is 5:00 PM PDT, October 1. Nominations for any of the following awards should be accompanied by the name, professional address, and short CV, along with a paragraph outlining why the candidate is particularly deserving of the award. The most direct mechanism for submission is by e-mail to Dr. Emily Holton, Chair, Awards Committee (eholton@mail.arc.nasa.gov).

The ASGSB Founder's Award is given to persons who have made outstanding scientific contributions to the field of space and gravitational biology

The Thora W. Halstead Young Investigator's Award was established in 1994 to honor a young scientist who exemplifies Thora's drive and enthusiasm for science, and who has made significant contributions to the field of space biology.

The Orr E. Reynolds Distinguished Service Award is for distinguished service to the American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology.

The Linda D. Barber Award for the Best Research Associate Publication was established at the 1995 Annual meeting to honor Linda for her years of dedication to the Research Associates Program. At the 1995 meeting, Linda was given a special award from ASGSB to honor her outstanding contributions and dedication to the NASA Space Biology Research Associate program. Her personal interest and emotional support for all the Program participants nurtured the comradeship that exists within the Program. Linda served from 1980, the beginning of the Program, until 1995, as Administrative Research Assistant. This award is given annually to a NASA Space Biology Research Associate for excellence in the preparation of a peer-reviewed paper.

The past recipients of each of these awards are listed on Page 8 of the Spring 2006 ASGSB Newsletter (Vol. 22, No. 2), available electronically at http://asgsb.org/newsletter/v22_2/v22n2.pdf.

Emily Morey-Holton, Ph.D.
Emeritus Staff Scientist for the Life Science Division
M/S 236-7
NASA Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000
Phone: 650/604-5471
Fax: 650/604-3159
Email: eholton@mail.arc.nasa.gov

*For more information about the 2006 Annual Meeting, in Arlington, VA, see the Spring newsletter. You can find a registration form here: http://www.asgsb.org/notices/2006Registration.pdf

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Kirsten Fristad's NASA Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition Field Reports

"I stand at the window looking out over Sassenfjord. Our trip has come to an end. The sky is cool and the mountains around Longyearbyen are dark in comparison to the white glaciers in the distance. I am exhausted from the late nights and early mornings of the expedition, but am completely overcome by the beauty of this place."

Recent Reports:

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Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition - AMASE 2006 Updates

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Astrobiology August 2006 issue: Seasonal Changes and Ice Melt on Mars Explain Spider Formations on Martian Surface

"Dark spiders" on the surface of Mars might be explained by seasonal temperature changes that melt surface ice and salt, causing erosion, according to a provocative new theory presented in the August 2006 issue (Volume 6, Number 4) issue of Astrobiology"

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Editor's note: I have spent the last few days as a participant in the NASA Next Generation Exploration Conference at NASA ARC - a fascinating assembly of young space professionals and students from around the U.S. - and the world. This has been a refreshing break from the cynicism I usually encounter as I "watch" NASA. These folks see their future in space - and they are determined to make it happen. A moment ago I made an offer to all participants to post anything they might wish to send me about this conference - and what they'd like to see come from it.

More at A Bright Ray of Hope, NASA Watch

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To the Gravitational and Space Biology Family: We have all been saddened by the passing of Guy Etheridge this week. His death is a great loss for NASA and especially for KSC. We will miss him in many ways.

The arrangements for Guy's services are as follows:

Two viewings are scheduled:

Thursday, August 17, from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. @ Wylie-Baxley
Friday, August 18, from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. @ Wylie-Baxley
Wylie-Baxley Merritt Island Funeral Home (452-6565) 1360 N. Courtenay Pkwy, Merritt Island, FL

Funeral Mass will be held at Our Saviour Catholic Church, Friday, August 18, 2006, @ 12:00 Noon.
Our Saviour Catholic Church (799-3677)
5301 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach, FL

Burial will follow mass at Florida Memorial Cemetery, Rockledge, FL

The family is asking in lieu of flowers that donations be sent to a college scholarship fund which is being set up as follows:

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
c/o Guy Etheridge Memorial Fund
5500 Wabash Avenue
Terre Haute, IN 47803
POC: David Haynes 812-877-8453

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Kirsten Fristad's NASA Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition Field Reports

"The last two days have been very busy with instrument testing, gathering last minute supplies and attending an arctic training course. The cold temperatures here pose a serious challenge to our instruments here as it can greatly affect our power consumption, pressure readings and pumping capabilities."

NASA Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition Field Reports:

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Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition (AMASE) 2006, NASA

"In August, members of the Sample Analysis of Mars (SAM) Lab team will spend two and a half weeks in Svalbard. The objective of the Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition (AMASE) is to characterize the geology, geophysical features, biosignatures, and possible life forms of volcanic centers, warm springs, and perennial rivers, settings thought to be analogous to sites on ancient Mars. AMASE targets the Bockfjorden area of the Norwegian island of Svalbard, in hot-spring-deposited carbonate terraces."

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Join us for the final two segments of the 2006 NAI Student Seminar Series on Friday August 11th and Friday August 18th at 12:00pm PDT (9:00am HT/1:00pm MDT/2:00pm CDT/3:00pm EDT). In this ninety minute program broadcast by NAI, students will be presenting their summer research from University of Rhode Island, University of Arizona and the SETI Institute. For more information, please contact Estelle Dodson, kdodson@mail.arc.nasa.gov

CONNECTION INFORMATION: (NOTE new telephone passcode)

With a Polycom....RSVP to Estelle Dodson (kdodson@mail.arc.nasa.gov) and connect to WebEx as instructed below. If you need Polycom help during the live event, call the videoconferencing help-desk at (650) 604-6412

The slides from the seminar can be accessed real-time using WebEx at:

https://nasa.webex.com

Enter the meeting number: 922 024 444
Hit the "join now" button.
Enter your name or site name (this is not an assigned log-in name, please use your institution name or your first and last name), email and the password: 1K*Falcon (case sensitive)If you've never joined a WebEx meeting before, please allow an extra 5-10 minutes to install the plug-in.You may participate without a Polycom system by listening to the seminar on the telephone while viewing the slides in WebEx (see WebEx instructions above). The NASA conference phone number and password will be given out in the WebEx meeting- please note it when you first log on. [Source NAI Newsletter]

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ROSES-06 Amendment No. 12: Due date delay for PLANETARY INSTRUMENT DEFINITION AND DEVELOPMENT 2006 -The proposal due date for proposals to the Planetary Instrument Definition and Development program (PIDDP) described in Appendix C.17 of the NASA Research Announcement (NRA) entitled "Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2006", NNH06ZDA001N, released January 23, 2006, have been changed. The due date for PIDDP proposals is changed from August 18, 2006, to September 27, 2006.

This change is made in anticipation of the announcement of selections from the 2005 solicitation for the Planetary Instrument Definition and Development program being made prior to September 1, 2006.

Further information about this Program Element is available from Dr. Marilyn Lindstrom, Planetary Science Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546-0001; Telephone: (202) 358-1254; E-mail: Marilyn.Lindstrom-1@nasa.gov [Source NAI Newsletter]

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ROSES-06 Amendment 13: New proposal opportunity for Concept Studies for Lunar Sortie Science Opportunities - With this amendment to ROSES-2006, NASA establishes a new program element in Appendix E.4 entitled "Concept Studies for Lunar Sortie Science Opportunities (LSSO)."

The first science opportunities enabled by the human exploration program may be autonomous instrument packages that are deployed on the lunar surface by astronauts late in the next decade. In order to begin planning for such an opportunity, and to identify any requirements that may impact planning for human exploration of the moon, NASA is soliciting concept studies for lunar surface experiments. Lunar sortie missions may provide opportunities to conduct science investigations that are relevant to NASA's established science priorities as described in the National Research Council decadal surveys, other NRC reports, and the 2006 NASA Strategic Plan.

NASA is seeking to identify and define investigations that utilize minimal resources -- such as upmass, downmass, volume, and astronaut crew time -- while delivering compelling science returns from the lunar surface. This new program element solicits proposals for concept studies for Lunar Sortie Science Opportunities (LSSO) that may help define these future science investigations. These studies should describe future autonomous surface experiments that can be deployed by lunar astronauts during sorties to the moon late in the next decade. In general, the experiments should seek to minimize resource requirements while maximizing science return. Notices of Intent to propose are due August 25, 2006, and proposals are due October 27, 2006.

On or about July 28, 2006, Amendment No. 13 to the NASA Research Announcement "Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2006" (NNH06ZDA001N) will be posted on the NASA research opportunity homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ (select "Solicitations" then "Open Solicitations" then "NNH06ZDA001N").

Questions may be addressed to Dr. Thomas Morgan, Planetary Science Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546-0001; Telephone: (202) 358-0828; E-mail: Thomas.H.Morgan@nasa.gov. [Source NAI Newsletter]

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"The deadline for submission of abstracts for making presentations at the ASGSB (American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology) annual meeting in November has been extended to August 6. Any abstracts received after that will be too late for inclusion in the program. We look forward to seeing you in November and hearing about your recent work." [source: ASGSB]

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Editor's note:Two new HMP Research Station webcams are now online and updating every 10 minutes. This brings a total of four webcams now available from Devon Island including the two from the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse.

MarsCam2

MarsCam3

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Underwater robots work together without human input, Princeton University

"This August in Monterey Bay, Calif., an entire fleet of undersea robots will for the first time work together without the aid of humans to make detailed and efficient observations of the ocean. The mathematical system that allows the undersea robots to self-choreograph their movements in response to their environment might one day power other robotic teams that - without human supervision - could explore not just oceans, but deserts, rain forests and even other planets."

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