Dear Reader,The Martian Chronicles aim to excite youth about

the exploration and near-future human settlement of Mars.

Please distribute The Chronicles freely!!! To beadded to the announcement list, or to receive paper cop-ies for distribution, contact MarsYouth@mit.edu .

This newsletter is produced by the Mars SocietyYouth Chapter and the MIT Mars Society Chapter.

Send us your submissions to MarsYouth@mit.edu .

Enjoy The Martian Chronicles!

Margarita Marinova, Editor

Contents Mars News (p1) ~ Word Search Puzzle (p2) ~ Cool

Links (p2) ~ Nozomi (p3) ~ Meet the Scientist -Dr. Jack Farmer (p4) ~ Extraterrestrial Life: Part I (p6) ~

Mission 2004: The Search for Life on Mars (p7) ~Associate Editor Wanted (p8) ~ Mars Q&A (p8)

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Issue 9Spring 2001

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Produced by: Mars Society Youth Chapter Mars Society MIT Chapter

Distribution funded by: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Martian Chronicles are

The Mars Society

Hebes Chasma

Mars NewsMargarita Marinova

Recently NASA put out a request for teams to submitproposals to study various Mars mission concepts whichcould be flown as part of the Mars Scout missions, startingin 2007. The interest in these missions was clearly evidentas 43 teams submitted proposals. The ideas ranges fromexploring the polar caps, to sending missionswhich would fly through the atmosphere forprolonged periods of time, to low-cost Marssample return missions. A significant numberof the proposals suggested deploying balloonsor planes on Mars, showing the great interestin aerial observations of Mars.

Of the 43 submitted proposals, 10 werefunded for further study. Some of these are:

* KittyHawk: Professor Wendy Calvin, University ofNevada- Reno. A mission involving three gliders wouldexplore the composition and stratigraphy of the walls ofValles Marineris in ways not possible for orbiters and landers.

* Urey: Dr. Jeff Plescia, U.S. Geological Survey,Flagstaff, AZ. A surface rover would allow the absoluteages of geological materials to be remotely determinedfor the first time on any planet.

* Pascal: Dr. Rob Haberle, NASA’s Ames ResearchCenter, Moffett Field, CA. A network of 24 weatherstations on the martian surface would provide more thantwo years of continuous monitoring of humidity, pressure

and temperature and othermeasurements.

* The Naiades: Dr. Bob Grimm,Blackhawk GeoServices, Golden,CO. Four landers will search forsubsurface liquid water using a novellow-frequency sounding method.

* CryoScout: Dr. Frank Carsey,JPL. This mission, designed to use

heated water jets to descend through martian polar icecaps, could potentially probe to depths of tens to hundredsof meters while measuring composition and searching fororganic compounds.

MAGE

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Word Search PuzzleAround Hellas, MarsFind the words from this list in the puzzle. Words can be right to left, left to right, top to bottom, bottom to top, ordiagonal, and can overlap other words. Category words are included. The word MARS is hidden at least 5 times.

© 2001 Julie A S EdwardsMC

S A L L E HS A L L E HS A L L E HS A L L E HS A L L E H P P S M O N T E S A P P S M O N T E S A P P S M O N T E S A P P S M O N T E S A P P S M O N T E S A H E L L E S P O N T U S R O U B H E L L E S P O N T U S R O U B H E L L E S P O N T U S R O U B H E L L E S P O N T U S R O U B H E L L E S P O N T U S R O U B N D A A H E H A R M A K H I S A N D A A H E H A R M A K H I S A N D A A H E H A R M A K H I S A N D A A H E H A R M A K H I S A N D A A H E H A R M A K H I S AS L N R N S L I A L S R A M C I R MS L N R N S L I A L S R A M C I R MS L N R N S L I A L S R A M C I R MS L N R N S L I A L S R A M C I R MS L N R N S L I A L S R A M C I R MS U I E I I M T H O L U S H M L N AS U I E I I M T H O L U S H M L N AS U I E I I M T H O L U S H M L N AS U I E I I M T H O L U S H M L N AS U I E I I M T H O L U S H M L N AM C E T T L I R R R T A A S A L A RM C E T T L I R R R T A A S A L A RM C E T T L I R R R T A A S A L A RM C E T T L I R R R T A A S A L A RM C E T T L I R R R T A A S A L A RO R S A I A T I U E N E N S M A R SO R S A I A T I U E N E N S M A R SO R S A I A T I U E N E N S M A R SO R S A I A T I U E N E N S M A R SO R S A I A T I U E N E N S M A R SD A T P A R C T H E B A R Z R V D ED A T P A R C T H E B A R Z R V D ED A T P A R C T H E B A R Z R V D ED A T P A R C T H E B A R Z R V D ED A T P A R C T H E B A R Z R V D ER T E L M T H E L E R L O B A A A AR T E L M T H E L E R L O B A A A AR T E L M T H E L E R L O B A A A AR T E L M T H E L E R L O B A A A AR T E L M T H E L E R L O B A A A A E N S A S E S R M E A I A Y N M E N S A S E S R M E A I A Y N M E N S A S E S R M E A I A Y N M E N S A S E S R M E A I A Y N M E N S A S E S R M E A I A Y N M R R S R U L L I H D E L G A R I R R S R U L L I H D E L G A R I R R S R U L L I H D E L G A R I R R S R U L L I H D E L G A R I R R S R U L L I H D E L G A R I S A E L A M I O U N S A E L A M I O U N S A E L A M I O U N S A E L A M I O U N S A E L A M I O U N H U X L E Y H U X L E Y H U X L E Y H U X L E Y H U X L E Y

Julie Edwards

PLANITIA CRATER HELLAS BARNARD GILBERTPLANUM GLEDHILL MALEA HUXLEY MITCHELPATERA NIESTEN AMPHITRITES RABE REDIMONTES SCHAEBERLE HELLESPONTUS SPALLANZANI TERBYVALLIS DAO THOLUS HARMAKHIS AUSTRALIS

4th Annual Mars Society Convention

To register, visit http://www.marssociety.orgReserve your dorm room today!

Stanford University, CaliforniaAugust 23-26, 2001

Golden Gate Bridge

Cool LinksMargaritaMarinova

1) http://www.pbs.org/lifebeyondearth/ - Lots of infor-mation about Life Beyond the Earth - the planets,moons, terraforming Mars - and many other related topics. From PBS.

2) http://mission2004.org - Contains the entire Mission 2004: TheSearch for Life on Mars project information (see pg. 7 of this is-sue).

3) http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/ - NASA Astrobiology Institute - Links to Astrobi-ology news, educational materials, learn more about the various member in-stitutions and members of the Institute, and other great links.

4) http://www.space.gc.ca/home/index.asp - Learn about the Canadian Space Agency andthe various projects that they are involved in! Learn about the building of the Canadarm2which is used to build the International Space Station.

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The Nozomi Mission to MarsAnthony M. Schilling

The Japanese Institute of Space and AstronauticalScience (ISAS) launched Nozomi/Planet B towards Marson July 4th, 1998 from the Kagoshima Space Center. Afterlaunch, the $80 million dollar, 535 kg (1,177lb) Planet Bprobe was renamed “Nozomi” (Hope). Japan became thethird country, after the US and Russia, to launch a Mars probe.

Saving the MissionNozomi’s original trajectory involved orbiting the Earth

for 4 months, then 2 lunar swingbys and a powered Earthswingby. The December 20, 1998 powered Earth swingbywas to put Nozomi on a transfer orbit with a scheduled arrivalat Mars for October 11, 1999. Unfortunately, a thruster valvemalfunction during the Earth swingby put the spacecraft intoan incorrect trajectory. To correct the error, the MissionControl team decided on a second firing, which placed

Nozomi back on a trajectorytoward Mars.

As a result of thesecond maneuver, Nozomino longer had enough fuel toplace itself into orbit aroundMars. The mission analysisteam found an alternativetrajectory to would save themission. Nozomi wouldperform two more swingbysof Earth - in December 2002and another in June 2003.This low fuel

consumption trajectory would put thespacecraft into orbit around Mars duringJanuary 2004. Upon arrival, Nozomi’s orbitwill range from a low of 96 miles to 27,000miles.

The mission scienceNozomi’s 2 year primary mission is to

investigate the motion and structure of theupper atmosphere and ionosphere of Mars.The probe will also study the interaction ofthe atmosphere, ionosphere, and solar wind.There are 14 experiments on the Nozomifrom 5 different countries, including a NASAneutral mass spectrometer. Other countriescontributing experiments include Canada,Germany, and Sweden.

NASA’s Neutral Mass Spectrometer(NMS) will study the vertical and horizontaldensity variations of the major neutralconstituents in the upper atmosphere of Mars.

The measurements will determine the existing dynamic,chemical, and thermal state. The highly elliptical orbitwill allow data to be taken in the low altitude atmospheresand ionosphere as well as the solar wind interactionregions.

Nozomi’s NMS results will be compared to resultsfrom the 1960’s Pioneer Venus mission, which used asimilar type of instrument.

Other instruments onboard include a Mars ImagingCamera from Kobe University and a Mars Dust Counterwhich will search for a dust ring along the orbit of Phobos.Nozomi’s orbit is designed to permit very close passesof Phobos and Deimos to observe the shape and surfacein detail. A Thermal Plasma Analyzer from Canada will

investigate the components,structure, temperature, andplasma waves of theionosphere. Other instrumentsfrom Japan will study theionosphere, magnetic field,and atmosphere of Mars.

Curr ent statusDespite its initial fuel

problem, Nozomi hasrecovered well and is midwaythrough its long journey.Nozomi is providingmeasurements of theinterplanetary medium as ittravels towards Mars. Thespacecraft and its instrumentsare in excellent health, andthey are expected to enter orbitaround Mars during January2004.

Nozomi

Nozomi’sLaunch

MC

Planet-B/Nozomigetting ready for

launch

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Meet the ScientistDr. Jack Farmer

ExobiologistArizona State University, Dept. of Geology

Veronica Ann ZabalaQ: What are your areas of research?A: Microbial biosedimentology and paleontology, early biosphereevolution, astrobiology.

Q: How did you choose your current research?A: I specialized in paleobiology and sedimentology in graduateschool. I began to work with microbial ecosystems and to apply thisknowledge to problems of early biosphere development during theearly 80’s when I was at UCLA. I moved into applications to Marsexploration in the early-90’s, after beginning work as a researchscientist at NASA Ames Research Center.

Q: How is your research related to studying Mars?A: I have been interested in how to apply our knowledge of earlybiosphere evolution based on the fossil record of Earth to strategicplanning for Mars exploration. We now have a record of life on Earththat goes back to the oldest rocks available for study. However,although life seems to exist about anywhere liquid water is available,preservation of fossil biosignatures is quite narrowly limited to onlycertain types of aqueous environments and their deposits. My researchhas been aimed at understanding the factors that control biosignaturepreservation and how that knowledge can be translated into anexploration strategy for Mars. When I began this research in themid-90’s, only a few of us had actively thought about such things,and essentially no one had considered the implications for strategicplanning. Out of that work came a new subdiscipline of astrobiologywhich I call exopaleontology. The past half dozen years have beenquite productive for Marsexopaleontology with theapplication of basicprinciples to developingexploration strategies forMars. Interest in the fieldwas consolidated with thereport of putativebiosignatures in martianmeteorite, ALH 84001 (stillcontroversial!). With thatdevelopment, the MarsProgram also became moreresponsive. In practicalterms, the exploration forpast life is now a primarydriver in the roboticprogram. I have hadnumerous opportunities the

past 6 years to provide input into Mars missionplanning through my involvement with numerousNASA mission planning activities.

Q: You are currently looking for future Marslanding sites: how is a landing site selected andwhat are the mission priorities?A: The selection of landing sites is a crucial stepfor implementing the strategy for Marsastrobiology. If we land in the wrong place, wewill not be able to access the most favorable pastor present environments for life. The searchinvolves the detection of sites where two thingscoincided: 1) conditions for persistence of lifeand 2) conditions for the capture and preservationof biosignatures. We know that the mostfundamental requirement for life is liquid water,so the search for sites is first and foremost drivenby the search for past or present water. But withinaqueous environments, we also know that specialconditions are required for the preservation ofbiosignatures. The two most important geologicalenvironments for biosignature preservation are1) sites of rapid mineral precipitation (e.g.mineralizing springs, evaporative lakes, etc.) and2) low energy, anoxic lake environments wherefine-grained, clay-rich sediments (e.g. shales,water-lain volcanic ash, etc.) were deposited.Virtually all fossil microbial biosignatures foundin the Precambrian record on Earth are found inthese settings. In concert with the aboverequirements, the goal in our site selection

Dr. Jack Farmer

been involved, and hasoccurred for a variety ofreasons. I thinkeveryone shares the goalto establish a stablefunding environmentwhere fullimplementation of whatare now very well-established science

goals, will be assured. Otherwise the ongoing investmentin research and strategic planning becomes an exercise infutility where we are called upon to “re-invent the wheel”every few years. I would say that the long-term solutionslie in Congress and the agency being willing to make a long-term commitment to implement the well-defined Programand science strategy by stabilizing the funding environmentso that the missions are protected against erosion. I alsothink we need to continue to protect Research and DataAnalysis Programs against cut-backs, and in fact findproductive ways to expand those programs to expand theopportunities for more scientists, particularly those just beingtrained, to become involved in missions.

Q:Where can we get more information about what you do?A: I would recommend ASU’sAstrobiology Program website(http://astrobiology.asu.edu/) which has alot of links to other interesting sites.

Q: If you were among the first to go toMars, what three items would you bringalong with you?A: A rock hammer, hand lens and a four-wheel drive mini-van!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Veronica Ann Zabala is an undergraduate student currentlyattending Arizona State University majoring in Geology.Veronica is the President of the Arizona State Universityand Phoenix Chapters of the Mars Society. She is currentlyanalyzing the aeolian dynamics of Mars from interpretationof data from Mariner 9, Viking Orbiter and Mars GlobalSurveyor (MOC) images. Along with atmosphericcirculation models, thedetermination of the aeolianhistory on Mars can beinvestigated to determines u r f a c e - a t m o s p h e r einteractions and aid in theselection of future landingsites on Mars.GeoBum@prodigy.net

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MC

research has been to locate and characterize the places onMars where liquid water was present on the surface forprolonged periods and where geological environmentswere also favorable for the capture and prolongedpreservation of fossil biosignatures. We approach the firststep (question of liquid water) primarily through theidentification and study of geomorphic features thatrepresent surface modification (erosion or deposition) byflowing or standing bodies of water. This involves carefulanalysis and interpretation of Viking and, more recently,Mars Observer Camera (MOC) orbital imaging of themartian surface. The question of favorable geologicalconditions (environments) for biosignature preservation ismore involved and requires the detection of certain classesof aqueously-formed minerals that are precisepaleoenvironmental indicators. The Thermal EmissionSpectrometer (TES) which is presently in orbit around Marsis providing a first global look at that type of information.Initial results suggest that certain sites where thegeomorphology indicates that water was once present, werealso sites of active aqueous mineral precipitation(specifically, specular hematite). But higher resolutionmapping will be needed to really identify and map thedistribution of other, potentially more important mineralslike carbonates and sulfates. This will be possible with theT H E M I Sinstrument on theMars Odysseyorbiter.

Q: What missionshave you beeninvolved with?A: I was involvedwith landing siteselection for Mars Pathfinder and the 2003 mission (I ama member of the NASA’s 2003 Landing Site SteeringCommittee). I was also a member of the science definitionteams for the Mars 2001 and 2005 missions. Over the pastyear, I also participated in the recent re-vamping of theMars Program architecture as Chair of the Life Subgroupfor NASA’s Mars Exploration Program (now Payload)Advisory Group. Finally, I am a member of the SpaceSciences Advisory Committee which advises NASA onhow to develop and implement the agency’s strategic planto explore the Solar System.

Q: How do the NASA cutbacks affect your research? Whatsolutions do you have for the future of Mars Exploration?A: Clearly, research requires funding. With cut-backs, theprocess always suffers. Perhaps the most limiting thing Ihave faced is overly cost constrained missions which requirecut-backs in science payload and mission scope. This hasbeen a persistent problem in the Mars Program since I have

Stromatolites

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Searching for Life on Other PlanetsPart I: Defining Life

Elizabeth TayFor centuries mankind has been scouring the skies in

search of extraterrestrial life. But what is “life”? How do weknow when we have found it? The Oxford Dictionary defineslife as the “capacity for growth, functional activity, andcontinuous change untildeath”. But scientistsfear that similar criteriafor identifying life maynot apply on otherplanets.

The first sign oflife elsewhere willprobably not be asobvious as little greenmen or purple eighty-legged animals. In fact,it is likely to bemicroscopic and maybe not at all similar to life on Earth. So,where and how should we search?

Criteria for Life.Before we begin our search, we have to work out what it

is exactly that we are searching for. The first criterion for life(as we know it) is energy. Life requires energy to perform life-sustaining processes such as respiration. This energy can be inpractically any form - geothermal heat, tidal energy, chemicalenergy, or sunlight. This does not appreciably narrow down theplaces where we should look.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) believes that the secret to life is liquid water, whichtranslates into location. “Life cannot survive in hot conditionslike on our sun. Life needs to be where it is not too hot and nottoo cold, and at a temperature at which liquid water can exist.”Thus, it is important to pay special attention to places whichcan support liquid water,either at the surface orsubsurface of the celestialbody.

The chemicals presentin the atmosphere of a planetor a moon are importantindicators of the presence oflife. As per James Lovelock’sGaia hypothesis, on anyplanet with thriving life, that life will have control over theatmospheric composition. This is because life will alter itssurroundings in order to optimize them. For Earth-like life, thisoptimization takes the atmosphere far from the equilibrium stateto a composition which cannot be achieved without the presence

of life. Therefore, certain ratios of carbon dioxide,water vapor, and oxygen in the atmosphere are possibleindicators that the astral body hosts life. While findinga non-equilibrium atmosphere is a sure sign of life,this is not a necessary condition. Oxygen appeared onEarth only about 500 million years ago, but we knowthat a whole world of bacteria thrived long before that,and life originated over 3.5 billion years ago.

Location, location, location

At 149.6 million kilometres from theSun, Earth is pretty much in the perfectspot. As a result of its location and itssignificant greenhouse effect (CO

2 and

water vapour in the atmosphere), Earthmaintains an average temperature of 15degrees Celsius – an ideal temperaturefor life to thrive.

Mars is the second most favourableplace for life, and human habitation. Thisis due to its relative similarity to Earth –

both are solid planets and are within the range ofdistances from the Sun which allow for liquid waterconditions (the habitable zone). Similar to Earth, Marsalso contains the elements required for Earth-like life- C, H, N, O, P, S, and water. Currently, Mars is toocold and has too thin an atmosphere to support liquidwater on its surface or in the near subsurface. However,Mars is believed to have been very much like the Earthwhen the planets formed - and life on Earth arose.The reason behind the significant differences betweenthe two planets today is thought to be Mars’ lack ofplate tectonics. The carbon dioxide responsible for thegreenhouse warming would have reacted with waterto form carbonate rocks, but could not be recycledback into the atmosphere; therefore, Mars could notmaintain a significant greenhouse warming.

Other celestial bodies with good prospects ofhosting life (as we know it) include four of Jupiter’smoons - Europa, Enceladus, Titan and Io.

…Next: The search for life supporting planets inthe search for extraterrestrial life… MC

An image of Io suggestsvolcanic activity - a possible

source of energy for life.

“Searching for Life”,a galaxy

The Mars Rover with trailers

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Is there lifeon Mars? How wouldyou begin to answerthis question?

In the Fall of2000, Mission 2004:The Search for LifeOn Mars was a newclass offered tofreshman as part of anI n s t i t u t e - w i d einitiative to expandthe horizons of MITu n d e r g r a d u a t eeducation. Whilemost first yearsubjects deal with the

typical “problem set” and lecture type atmosphere, Mission 2004, taughtby Professor Kip Hodges, provided a unique opportunity to experiencecross-disciplinary problem solving in a collaborative learning environment.The students were assigned the following task: Develop aviable mission plan for the exploration of Mars with the aimof finding evidence for the present or past existence of life.

In teams, the students tackled various technical,scientific, and political issues that would affect a Marsmission. Several questions were extensively discussed and debated. Forexample, how do we define life? We decided on five criteria for life, basedon the energy properties of living systems rather the than chemicalproperties.

The following five basic charactertics were used as the definitionof life for this mission design: (1) shows evidence of growth and replication;(2) shows evidence of purposeful energy transfer; (3) responds to stimuli;(4) acts in such a way as to ensure self-preservation; and (5) is significantlydifferent from the surrounding environment.

After the definitionof life was established and itwas decided that the missionshould be manned, thedetails of the missionarchitecture began to fall intoplace. But still numerousquestions remained - howwill the public react and howmuch would they be willingto pay for a mission in searchof life on Mars? The Mission2004 team looked into publicrelations through advertisingand public funding. Amission budget based on thepercentage that NASA gaveto the Apollo program in the1960’s and other Mars

CassieRodriquez

Looking for Mars relatedscience project ideas?

Or perhaps you have some ideas totell us about? Well the site to visit isMars Science Projects at http://w w w . m a r s c h a l l e n g e . c o m /marsprojects/ Browse the current listor let us know about your ideas! Andtell us about past projects you’ve done!

There are many interesting Marsprojects which will help us reach Mars,so get started today!

missions was estimated to be $140 billionover 20 years.

How do we get to Mars? Theextensive mission payload requiredadvanced propulsion systems to beadopted, separating experimentalequipment and the human crew. Surfacetransportation (rovers) were developed tohandle the experimental packages.Incorporated into all structures were lifesupport methods and communicationsystems. Life detecting methods includedgeological surveys, spectroscopic analysis,organic analysis, and biologicalexperiments. A timeline for the mission,which included a breakdown of research,manufacturing, launch windows, travel/stay time, was developed. Thiscomprehensive plan embodies thesemester of work entitled Mission 2004:

The Search for Life on Mars. The plan waspresented formally to the MIT communityand two leading NASA scientists - Dr. JackFarmer and Dr. Jim Garvin. The Mission2004 presentation and multi-mediawebsite, containing further information,can be viewed at: http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/home.html MC

The landing site:Diacria Crater

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The Mars Society Youth Chapter was created to provide Youth the opportunity to become

more involved in the Mars Society and other Mars-related issues, and to provide a more effective outreacheffort to other Youth. http://chapters.marssociety.org/youth/

The Mars Society is an international non-profit organization committed to furthering the goal of

robotic exploration and human settlement of the Red Planet. www.marssociety.org

Associate Editor WantedWould you like to be an Associate Editor for The

Martian Chronicles?We are currently looking for

a motivated and dedicated indi-vidual with a strong interest and/or experience who will be respon-sible for the collection of articles,ensuring the quality of these ar-ticles, and completing the layoutfor the issue. While others willhelp with these tasks, the timely release and distributionof The Chronicles will be the responsibility of the Asso-ciate Editor.

If interested, please send a short description of whyyou are interested in the position and any past experienceto MarsYouth@mit.edu .

Donate to The Martian ChroniclesWe currently distribute over 400 printed copies of The

Chronicles to countries all over the world, and our reach isexpanding! We need your help to continue the productionof the Martian Chronicles and to make it available to moreyoung people all over the globe!

We would greatly appreciate any help with the distri-bution of the Chronicles - this can be in the form for mon-etary donation, or through printing of the issues for no costor a very low cost. Large sponsorships will receive adver-tising space in The Chronicles.

To Donate, please contact MarsYouth@mit.edu, oryou can send checks made payable to MIT to

Mars Society - The Martian Chronicles77 Mass Ave., W20-401Cambridge, MA 02139

Mars Q&A

? & !Q: We use salt here on Earth to melt ice on our sidewalks and streets. Would it be possible to use asimilar technique to melt Mars’ polar ice caps? (Jennifer)A: Adding salt to water lowers its freezing point. This would be true on Mars as well as on Earth.The lowest that a salt salution can lower the freezing point is what is called the eutectic point. For

ordinary salt (Sodium chloride) the eutectic point is about -20C (about 0 F). Since the temperature on Mars is wellbelow this (average is -60C), this salt will not allow melting on Mars.

Q: How long would it take to make a phone call from Mars to Earth? (Ben Bern)A: It takes a signal 12-20 minutes to travel each way when Mars is on the same side of the Sun as us. Phone calls as weknow them cannot be made to Mars with this kind of delay.

Q: When man begins the process of terraforming Mars there will most likely be pro-testors that want to keep Mars as it is. How will we cope with that? (Brett)A: When terraforming Mars is seriously proposed by martian settlers, debate will rageall over both planets. Terraforming will probably still continue by the settlers who willbenefit from it the most. Some compromises can be made, such trying to limit thethickness of the atmosphere, thereby keeping areas at high elevations mostly pristine.But such limits are not a solution, even if we really did have the technological ability toenforce them. In the end it will be the first generations of Martians who will decided what happens to Mars. And whileterraforming Mars will certainly change the planet significantly, the many years that terraforming will take will givemuch time for the current beautiful, but lifeless, Mars to be explored through the eyes of artists and scientists.

Greening Mars(James Graham, Kandis Elliot)