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Planetary Report Report The PLANETARYPLANETARY REPORT REPORT Volume XXV Number 5 September/October 2005 ATACAMA DESERT MarsMars AnalogsAnalogs VALLES MARINERIS Volume XXV Table of Number 5 Contents September/October 2005 A PUBLICATION OF Features From The Dry Earth, Wet Mars 6 Sometimes the best place to learn about Mars exploration is right here on Editor Earth. In Chile’s Atacama Desert, scientists have discovered an area so dry that organic material, and therefore evidence of life, is virtually undetectable. Study of he damage that Earth inflicts on her this parched Mars-like region on Earth may lead us to a better understanding of Tinhabitants—horribly demonstrated how to search for water and the elements of life in Martian soil. This year, The by Hurricane Katrina and the December Planetary Society cosponsored a field expedition to the Atacama Desert, sending tsunami—reminds us what fragile creatures graduate student Troy Hudson on a 1-week adventure with a team of scientists led we are, lucky to survive at all on this dynamic, by Society Board member Chris McKay. Here, Troy describes his experience. dispassionate ball of rock hurtling through space. 12 The Pioneer Anomaly: A Deep Space Mystery Our exploration of other worlds has As Pioneer 10 and 11 head toward the farthest reaches of our solar system, taught us that the potential for planetary something strange is happening—they are mysteriously slowing down. Scientists catastrophe is always with us. On Mars, do not yet know why the spacecraft aren’t acting as expected; however, The we’ve seen planet-rending gouges cut by Planetary Society has stepped in to help fund the effort to analyze roughly 25 years catastrophic floods. Every world of rock of data in hopes of solving the mystery. Society Vice President Bill Nye clearly and ice bears the scars of encounters with explains this complicated problem in terms that everyone can understand. comets and asteroids. Within the blink of an eye—geologically 14 Out of This World Books speaking—Earth will heal her shallow, Just in time for the busy holiday season, we have selected seven new insignificant wounds from wind and water, space-related books to share with you. From a user-friendly guide to astronomy but the damage to her human inhabitants and space exploration, to beautifully illustrated books showing us where we’ve will linger for what is, to them, a very, very been and where we’re going, to two children’s books written by famous astronauts, long time. there is something for everyone. The question is raised: what can we do to prevent other, even greater, catastrophes? In New Orleans and around the Indian Ocean Departments people are pursuing early warning systems and better means of flood control. Such 3 Members’ Dialogue things can and should be implemented. But we need also to look outward, into the solar 4 We Make It Happen! system; for example, some potentially lethal 18 World Watch rock may be heading for us now. A plane- tary perspective—that gift of the space 19 Society News age—can help us prepare for and possibly prevent an impact that could doom human 20 Questions and Answers civilization. This is what The Planetary Society works toward, even as we mourn our losses and look to the future. —Charlene M. Anderson Contact Us Mailing Address: The Planetary Society, 65 North Catalina Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91106-2301 On the Cover: General Calls: 626-793-5100 Sales Calls Only: 626-793-1675 Though Chile’s Atacama Desert is more thoroughly etched by past E-mail: [email protected] World Wide Web: http://planetary.org water than is the surface of Mars, it compares strikingly well with The Planetary Report (ISSN 0736-3680) is published bimonthly at the editorial offices of The Planetary Society, 65 North Catalina Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91106-2301, images from Mars at a variety of scales. This image of an inter- 626-793-5100. It is available to members of The Planetary Society. Annual dues in the US are $30 (US dollars); in Canada, $40 (Canadian dollars). Dues in other countries are $45 (US dollars). Printed in USA. Third-class postage at Pasadena, California, and at an additional mailing office. mountain drainage basin looks superficially similar to the walls Canada Post Agreement Number 87424. and floor of Mars’ Valles Marineris. Images: Jacek Wierzchos, Editor, CHARLENE M. ANDERSON Copy Editor, A. J. SOBCZAK Associate Editor, DONNA ESCANDON STEVENS Proofreader, LOIS SMITH University of Llieda (top) and ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum) Managing Editor, JENNIFER VAUGHN Art Director, BARBARA S. SMITH Technical Editor, JAMES D. BURKE Science Editor, BRUCE BETTS Viewpoints expressed in columns and editorials are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent positions of The Planetary Society, its officers, or its advisers. ©2005 by The Planetary Society. Cofounder CARL SAGAN 1934–1996 Board of Directors Members’ Chairman of the Board NEIL deGRASSE TYSON Astrophysicist and Director, Hayden Planetarium, Dialogue American Museum of Natural History President WESLEY T. HUNTRESS JR. Director, Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington Vice President BILL NYE Try Saving Voyager to interest private sponsors in Don’t Drop the Ball science educator Executive Director In both The Planetary Report trying again with the solar sail. Now the “ball is in NASA’s LOUIS D. FRIEDMAN (“World Watch” in May/June But raising private funds for court” regarding setting the ANN DRUYAN author and producer 2005) and in letters to the mem- space science and exploration stage for the necessary steps DAN GERACI President and Chief Executive Officer, bership, Louis Friedman notes has proved difficult. Nevertheless, to be taken to deflect asteroid Phoenix Investment Partners, Ltd. JOHN M. LOGSDON the threat of NASA shutting we are open to trying, and if 2004MN4 from ultimately Director, Space Policy Institute, down the monitoring of Voyager someone wants to fund Voyager hitting Earth (see “We Must George Washington University Advisory Council Chair CHRISTOPHER P. McKAY and states that the amount of operations, we want to talk to Decide to Do It!” in the planetary scientist money saved will be “very them. Then we’ll consider the July/August 2005 issue of BRUCE MURRAY Professor of Planetary Science and Geology, small—millions.” question of the DSN. The Planetary Report). Isn’t California Institute of Technology ELON MUSK If that is true, why don’t we —Louis D. Friedman, it still up to folks like you, Chairman, CEO, SpaceX JOSEPH RYAN pass the hat and take the mission Executive Director other related groups, and Executive Vice President and over from NASA? This was scientists all over the world General Counsel, Marriott International STEVEN SPIELBERG already done successfully in the A Better Design to press NASA and Congress director and producer MARIA T. ZUBER case of SETI, which is now pri- I’ve been following NASA’s to act on this situation and Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology vately run. The Society’s recent humans-in-space program since prevent them from “dropping Advisory Council JIHEI AKITA solar sail mission also involved its inception, and what a bucket the ball?” Executive Director, The Planetary Society, Japan BUZZ ALDRIN raising millions of dollars. of problems it has been. As Rusty Schweickart Apollo 11 astronaut It would be huge feather in First and foremost, NASA pointed out, in an earthquake- NORTON BELKNAP President, Paul Taylor Dance Company The Planetary Society’s cap to exchanged Wernher von Braun’s induced tsunami, there is really RICHARD BERENDZEN take over the Voyager mission’s liquid-fueled Saturn 5 for the no way to predict when this educator and astrophysicist JACQUES BLAMONT monitoring. Perhaps it could shuttle—a big mistake. Saturn would occur. But regarding Chief Scientist, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, France RAY BRADBURY still be funded partly by the gov- 5 was the smoothest and most an asteroid of this kind hitting poet and author DAVID BRIN ernment—for example, via a powerful rocket ever launched Earth, we know where the body author FRANKLIN CHANG-DIAZ direct grant from the National in the United States. Next, we is in its orbit, and we can cal- NASA, Astronaut Office Science Foundation. Americans allowed politicians culate the timing of its passage ARTHUR C. CLARKE author This country doesn’t need to replace a great rocket with a to near 100 percent accuracy. FRANK DRAKE President, SETI Institute; Professor of Astronomy and another special interest group— far lesser one. Those who con- So why not try to save this Astrophysics, University of California,Santa Cruz OWEN GARRIOTT which we are—clamoring for trolled the shuttle’s develop- planet from such a hit, if we former astronaut; Professor, more money for its pet projects. ment went for quick and cheap. can possibly do it? University of Alabama, Huntsville GARRY E. HUNT If we believe in the value of We’ve already lost 14 astro- —MIKE MARTINEZ, space scientist, United Kingdom BRUCE JAKOSKY Voyager’s remaining mission, nauts, proving that the shuttle Hudson, Wisconsin planetary scientist THOMAS D. JONES we should put our money is a poor design. planetary scientist, former astronaut, and author SERGEI KAPITSA where our mouths are. I want you to use your influ- Errata: Institute for Physical Problems, —JOHN CSEREP, ence to the fullest to convince Some of our July/August 2005 Russian Academy of Sciences CHARLES E. KOHLHASE JR. Valparaiso, Florida Washington and NASA that issues have an error on page 16 mission designer, author, and digital artist LAURIE LESHIN their next human orbiter must (“We Must Decide to Do It!”). planetary scientist JON LOMBERG It would be great if The Plane- be designed and built far, far The second photo caption artist tary Society could take over better than what we now have.
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