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Haughton Mars Project Research Station Photo Report - Aerial Views, Mars Institute
"In February the Mars Institute undertook its annual trip to the high arctic for talks with local communities and had the opportunity for an aerial survey of the HMP Research Station. Some of those photographs are now online."
One of the most satisfying aspects of astrobiology is the quality of the students and young researchers it attracts. I am particularly gratified by the quality of a recent applicant pool to the NAI Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (a part of the NASA Postdoctoral Program administered by the Oak Ridge Associated Universities) and the individuals we were able to select. I'd like to tell you a little about them.
Oleg Abramov is going to be working with Steve Mojzsis of the NAI's University of Colorado team studying the "Habitability of Early Earth: Thermal Modeling of the Lithosphere During the Late Heavy Bombardment." He will assess the habitability of early Earth during the late heavy bombardment using ancient detrital zircons and solar system dynamics techniques to constrain the characteristics of the bombardment, and thermal modeling to assess how much of the near-surface may have been habitable and for what periods of time.
Oleg received his doctorate at the University of Arizona under David Kring, a professor in the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. Interestingly, Oleg's bachelor degree is in biology! Following that degree, he worked for a biotechnology company for two years. While a U of A graduate student, he continued his biological education with substantial coursework in microbiology. Oleg thus embodies the interdisciplinarity of astrobiology in a single individual. It is one of NAI's goals to help develop this kind of young researcher, and we are particularly pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to Oleg's career development and welcome him to the NAI.
Jennifer Biddle will be working with Andreas Teske of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a member of NAI's Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) team. Jen will be studying microbes in marine sediments, particularly those responsible for anaerobic methane oxidation. It was long thought that microbial methane oxidation occurred only aerobically. Since methane production may have been one of life's earliest metabolisms on Earth, it's important to understand both the potential sources and sinks of methane on other worlds. The discovery of anaerobic microbial methane oxidation raises the possibility that this process could also play a role in the methane balance on other planets with a microbial ecosystem and a reducing environment.
An attractive aspect of Jen's work is that it will develop and strengthen connections between several current and former NAI teams. Jen did her doctoral work in the NAI Penn State team, collaborating with members of the MBL team, as part of a larger project led by the University of Rhode Island alumni team. Her postdoctoral work will involve all of these teams as well as the UCLA team and, of course, the University of North Carolina. This will be a great contribution to NAI's continuing goal of building collaborative connections across the astrobiology community.
Curtis Cooper will be working with Alex Pavlov of the University of Arizona team. Interestingly, Alex is himself an alumnus of this same NAI Fellowship Program, making Curtis our first "2nd generation" Postdoctoral Fellow! Curtis will conduct "Three-dimensional modeling of habitable zones and the paleoclimates of the terrestrial planets." Much of the past work to define habitable zones around the sun and other stars—planet-star distances at which water can exist in liquid form on the planet's surface--has relied on one-dimensional radiative-convective atmospheric models. But as we all know, planetary atmospheres transfer the received stellar (or solar) energy from regions that receive a relatively large amount (e.g., the tropics on Earth) to regions that receive much less (e.g., Earth's poles). Three-dimensional models are therefore essential to understand more accurately the conditions likely to be present on extrasolar terrestrial planets, thus potentially affecting our understanding of extrasolar habitable zones, and the conditions that were present early in the history of the terrestrial planets in this solar system. We look forward to Curtis' contributions to these major problems in astrobiology.
Finally, Matt Pasek will address fundamental questions about the origin and early development of life on Earth with Jonathan Lunine of the University of Arizona team. One central question that Matt will address is "what was the phosphorus source that enabled the formation of the first phosphorylated biomolecules?" Such biomolecules, which include DNA, RNA, ATP, and phospholipids, are essential to life. Yet most mineral phosphate on Earth is inactive, incapable of reacting with organic compounds to form biomolecules. Matt's hypothesis is that meteoritic phosphorus, delivered to Earth in the form of schreibersite [(Fe,Ni)3P], a common mineral in iron-rich meteorites, reacts naturally with water to produce the active phosphorus needed for biomolecule-forming reactions. If Matt demonstrates that organophosphates could have been produced on early Earth by this mechanism, it will provide a possible pathway for the development of one of life's most central characteristics, and potentially link the early heavy bombardment (recall Oleg Abramov's study described above) with the origin and early evolution of life.
Please join me in welcoming these outstanding young researchers to the NAI.
Carl Pilcher
Director, NAI
[Source: NAI newsletter]
Recently produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Company, "The Virus Hunters" is a fascinating look at these creatures, from their role in disease to the possibility of being the oldest form of life on Earth. NAI Virus Focus Group Co-Chairs Ken Stedman and Baruch Blumberg, and their team, are featured during one of their field trips to Lassen Volcanic National Park. http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/virushunters.html [Source: NAI newsletter]
The American Society for Microbiology recently announced its 2007 General Meeting Award Laureates, and two NAI scientists have received honors. Mitch Sogin, PI of NAI's Marine Biological Laboratory Team, is presented with the USFCC/J. Roger Porter Award for his research in environmental microbial diversity. Norm Pace, from NAI's University of Colorado, Boulder Team, is presented with the Abbott/ASM Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions and research in the field of microbial ecology. Norm was nominated by none other than Carl Woese, and Mitch was nominated by his fellow awardee Norm Pace! Congratulations Mitch and Norm! [Source: NAI newsletter]
Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 7 p.m. Astronomer David Grinspoon of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, will give a non-technical, illustrated talk on: "Comparing Worlds: Climate Catastrophes in the Solar System" as part of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures in the Smithwick Theater, Foothill College, El Monte Road and Freeway 280, in Los Altos Hills, California.
Free and open to the public. Parking on campus costs $2.
No background in science is required for this talk.
This will be the Carl Sagan Medal Lecture of the American Astronomical Society.
What happened to the lost oceans of Mars and Venus? What have scientists been discovering about the thick atmosphere on Saturn's moon Titan? How has the climate changed on each of these worlds, and could what happened to them happen to our Earth? Take an entertaining and enlightening journey through the history of our solar system, discovering runaway greenhouses and snowball planets. And, most important, learn how studying the evolution of other planets can help us understand and predict climate change on Earth.
Dr. David Grinspoon is the recipient of the 2006 Carl Sagan Medal for Excellence in Public Communication, awarded by the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society. Among his many accomplishments, the awards committee cited his ability "to make science hip." He will receive his medal at the beginning of the program.
Dr. Grinspoon is the Curator of Astrobiology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, having previously been a Professor of Astronomy at the University of Colorado. He is Interdisciplinary Scientist on the European Venus Express mission, serves as an advisor to NASA on space exploration strategy, and studies the possible evolution of Earth-like planets elsewhere in the universe. He is the author of two popular books, "Lonely Planets" and "Venus Revealed" and gives many public lectures on planetary science around the country. Dr. Grinspoon appears regularly on television and radio, explaining planetary developments. He also played lead guitar for a band called "The Geeks."
Co-sponsored by:
* NASA Ames Research Center
* The Foothill College Astronomy Program
* The SETI Institute
* The Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Call the series hot-line at 650-949-7888 for more information and driving directions.
Past Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures are now available in MP3 format at:
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/podcast/index.html
If you would like to be notified of future NASA-related events and lectures, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/events/subscribe.html
We're getting AbGradCon back on track! The next installment of AbGradCon (The Astrobiology Graduate Conference) will be held July 14 & 15, 2007 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The goal of AbGradCon is to foster communication and collaboration within the broad astrobiology-related graduate student and postdoc community, and to give early graduate students a chance to practice speaking in a collegial atmosphere. AbGradCon 2007 @ Bioastronomy is being organized in cooperation with the IAU Bioastronomy Symposium being held July 16 - 20, one of the largest astrobiology-related conferences of 2007.
There will be approximately 20 short talks available to all participants, with several overview talks given by late-stage graduate students or early post-docs, as well as panel discussions/workshops about the future of AbGradCon and other issues important to young scientists in astrobiology-related career paths. We will also be hosting a dinner and an ice-breaker social event on Saturday night. There is no registration fee for AbGradCon, and we are working on travel support for participants who are selected to give talks; the abstract deadline for talk and travel support consideration is April 1st. AbGradCon participants are encouraged to attend Bioastronomy as well, but not required.
Help us build the AbGradCon community and develop connections for the future!
Visit the AbGradCon @ Bioastronomy 2007 website ( http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/UHNAI/bioast07-AbGradCon.htm ) for registration and more information.
[Source: NAI Newsletter]
The following new papers have been published recently by NAI members. These and other recent NAI funded research are presented on the NAI member portal and collected in the NAI Research Highlights Archive - http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/research/. In this archive, you can link to the papers and any press materials that may have been generated about them.
If you have an upcoming or recent publication, please tell us about it as soon as possible. We will work with your institution to produce press releases, publicize the paper on the NAI website, and pre-populate your team's annual report with your publication. Please send any information to Daniella Scalice dscalice@mail.arc.nasa.gov [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Applications are due May 15, 2007, for NASA's 19th Annual Planetary Science Summer School, which will hold two sessions this summer, July 23-27 and August 6-10, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.
Science and engineering post-doctoral and doctoral students with a strong interest in careers in planetary exploration are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or resident aliens ("green card" holders) and must be living within the U.S. at the time of application.
The student teams will develop the equivalent of an early concept study responsive to a typical NASA Announcement of Opportunity for robotic missions, prepare a presentation for a proposal authorization review, present it to a review board, and receive feedback. At the end of the week, students will have a clearer understanding of the relationships among mission design, cost, and schedule, and the trade-offs necessary to stay within cost and schedule while preserving the opportunity to acquire high-quality science. They will also understand the lifecycle of a robotic space mission.
Partial financial support is available to a limited number of individuals to help defray the expense of travel and lodging only. Applications are to be submitted electronically by May 15, 2007. For further information and to fill out an application, visit http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/pscischool/ or contact Ms. Anita M. Sohus, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, M/S 111-B29,4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109; phone 818-354-6613; e-mail Anita.M.Sohus@jpl.nasa.gov. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Special session at the 210th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Honolulu, Hawaii
Thursday May 31 (Morning) Convenors: Nader Haghighipour and Eric Gaidos (University of Hawaii NAI Lead Team)
The session will focus on Earth-mass (terrestrial) planets in orbits close to their parent stars, objects that could be detected by the COROT and Kepler missions and ground-based high-precision radial velocity surveys. Topics will include how such planets might form, how physically and chemically diverse they might be, how their properties might be determined, and whether any of them might be able to support recognizable life. The session will consist of several invited speakers and an associated poster session. Abstract deadline: March 21 (late abstracts April 18). http://www.aas.org/meetings/aas210/index.php
[Source: NAI Newsletter]
NAI's Marine Biological Laboratory and Carnegie Institution of Washington Teams are contributing authors on a new paper in Earth and Planetary Science Letters presenting a new model for the evolution of Proterozoic deep seawater composition based on rare earth elements. Their data suggest transitional, suboxic conditions in the deep ocean (vs. sulfidic), which likely limited nutrient concentrations in seawater and, consequently, may have constrained biological evolution. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Speaker: Drake Deming (Planetary Systems Laboratory & Goddard Center for Astrobiology, Goddard Space Flight Center) Date/Time: Monday, March 26, 2007 11AM PDT
Abstract: Two independent scientific groups have recently reported the first spectroscopy of planets orbiting other stars, using the Spitzer Space Telescope.
The planets (HD 209458b and HD 189733b) are "hot Jupiters" orbiting within 0.05 AU of solar-type stars, and with orbital periods from 2.2 to 3.5 days. Their orbital planes are close to our line of sight, so both planets pass in front of ("transit"), and disappear behind their stars, once each orbit. The Spitzer measurements were made by subtracting the spectrum of each star - with the planet in eclipse - from the combined infrared light of the system, to yield the infrared spectrum of the planet alone. Theorists expected that absorption by hot water vapor would dominate the spectra of these planets in the 7- 14-micron wavelength region. However, neither planet shows this expected signature, indicating that some process is masking the water absorption. One planet (HD 209458b) shows spectral features appearing in emission above a hot thermal continuum, indicating the likely presence of silicate clouds, and possibly more exotic compounds, at high altitudes in the planet's atmosphere.
The future launch of the James Webb Space Telescope will allow us to extend these measurements to spectra of transiting terrestrial planets in the habitable zones around lower main sequence stars. For more information and participation instructions, visit: http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/seminars/seminar_detail.cfm?ID=101 [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Special Session "Microbially mediated processes governing the redox cycling of metals" at the 2007 Goldschmidt Conference, Cologne (Germany) Session Organizers: Colleen Hansel, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University Andreas Kappler, Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tübingen
The session (S93) is a part of the "Mechanisms of Geochemical Processes in Nature and Experiment" symposium (Theme 14) to be held at the annual Goldschmidt 2007 Conference in Cologne, Germany.
This session will explore and discuss the diverse range of microbial-induced (e.g., enzymatic, metabolite-driven) mechanisms responsible for the cycling and (bio)mineralization of metals within terrestrial and aquatic environments. Topics will encompass both biological and chemical aspects of metal cycling, including coupled biotic-abiotic reaction networks, phylogenetic diversity of metal-respiring microbes, genetics of metabolic pathways, and speciation, reactivity, and stability of (bio)minerals.
People interested in participating in the session must submit an abstract by April 19, 2007. Registration and abstract guidelines can be found at the Goldschmidt 2007 website (http://www.goldschmidt2007.org/). Feel free to contact the session organizers should you have any questions. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Herb Thier, Ph.D., E/PO lead for NAI's UC Berkeley Team, has recently been selected as a scholar by the Fulbright Senior Specialists Program. Dr. Thier will work with the staff of the Clore Garden of Science, part of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, to design activities for teachers to enhance their field trips to the museum, as well as deliver a short course on science education curriculum development to graduate students at the Department of Science Teaching. Congratulations Herb! [Source: NAI Newsletter]
NAI graduate student Irene Schneider from Jim Kasting's group at Penn State has been selected by NASA/Mars Society as crew physicist for the upcoming expedition 61 for the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). MDRS Crew 61/Spaceward Bound Crew Five is a two week mission simulation carried out in the dessert of Utah where NASA, in collaboration with The Mars Society, runs simulations for future manned missions to the red planet. There she will be developing and helping implement the first EVA emergency radiation protocols. Congratulations Irene! [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Community input is solicited in the form of white papers on key lunar science goals/opportunities suitable for implementation during the period 2006-2023. This includes international cooperation opportunities, and lunar as well as non-lunar science which could be done on/from the Moon.
The National Research Council (NRC) of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences has been asked to evaluate the scientific opportunities presented by robotic and human exploration of the Moon during the initial phases of implementation of NASA's Vision for Space Exploration.
The specific focus of the study is on two primary tasks and several secondary tasks. The first task is to identify and prioritize a set of scientific goals that can be addressed in the near term by robotic lunar missions and in early phases of human exploration by human-robotic activities on the Moon. The second task is to suggest which of the identified scientific goals are most amenable to orbital measurements, in situ study, or terrestrial analysis via the return of lunar samples to the Earth. The scientific scope of the study encompasses the history of the Moon and the Earth-Moon system, the origin and evolution of the Sun and planets, and implications for the origin and evolution of life on Earth and elsewhere in the solar system. The study is currently underway by a committee of 15 members chaired by Dr. George Paulikas and co-chaired by Dr. Carle Pieters.
NAI members are encouraged to reply to this call, and to note NAI affiliation in their response. Papers are requested to be submitted as soon as possible to affect the preparation of a May 2007 Final Report of the Committee. White papers are to be sent to ssb@nas.edu with a Subject Line: NRC Lunar Science.
More information about the Scientific Context for the Exploration of the Moon Study Committee, and to access its Interim Report, go to: http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/projectview.aspx?key=48666
Intended for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, the 2007 Michelson Summer Workshop: "Planetary Transits: Detection to Characterization," will take place at the NASA Ames Conference Center, Moffett Field, CA July 23 - 27. The workshop will consist of a series of tutorial and scientific lectures covering techniques related to transits and extra-solar planet finding. More information, along with a preliminary agenda can be found on the workshop website: http://msc.caltech.edu/workshop/2007/ [source: NAI Newsletter]
From Hawai'i to Massachusetts, workshops offering hands-on, in-the-field, in-the-lab experiences for teachers are being held this summer by NAI teams and others. The workshops feature cutting edge astrobiology research delivered by scientists and education professionals, as well as inquiry- and standards-based activities ready for the classroom. Many offer stipends and/or education credits. Click here for offerings from NAI's Teams at MBL, Penn State, University of Hawai'i, and the SETI Institute, as well as the Lunar and Planetary Institute. http://nai.nasa.gov/teachers/index.cfm#7 [source: NAI Newsletter]
Continuing the Spaceward Bound series of field expeditions, in March a team of 40 teachers will be traveling to the Mojave Desert and working side-by-side with NASA scientists who search for life in extreme environments that closely approximate what they expect to find on other planets. Why the Mojave -- an inhospitable, sun-drenched spot in the California Desert? This natural setting presents scientists with opportunities to study environments that are analogous to what explorers will find on the Moon and Mars.
Teachers and scientists will perform scientific fieldwork in geology: morphology and it's relation to what we see on the Moon and Mars; desert soil: formation, microbiology and oxidants; photosynthesis: desert hypolithic algae, cyanobacteria, stromatolites; and remote sensing of caves, lava tubes and paelolakes.
Plan ahead to join these teachers during their many adventures, as they experience authentic field research with world-renowned planetary scientists living and working in another Moon/Mars analog research site. The expedition is planned for March 25 through 30 at the California State University Desert Research Station at Zzyzx California. The ultimate goal of Spaceward Bound is for teachers to leverage these field expedition experiences in their classrooms in new and exciting ways.
News and information is available at:
http://quest.nasa.gov/projects/spacewardbound/mojave2007/index.html
Teacher and Scientists bio are found at:
http://quest.nasa.gov/projects/spacewardbound/mojave2007/info.html
Journals and photos will posted as they occur.
Live Webcasts from the field will occur in:
English: March 28 @ 9:00 a.m. Pacific
Spanish: March 28 @ 11:00 a.m. Pacific