~28~4______NEVVS ______N_A_TU~R_E_V_O~L~.~3~28~23~J~U~L~Y~1~9~87 NASA explores its options for British accident future space programme practice with Washington heavy-lift vehicle. There will also be a radium A REPORT to be delivered to James need for rockets designed to move pay­ London Fletcher, administrator of the National loads around once in orbit, and to carry THE British Ministry of Defence admitted Aeronautics and Space Administration them out of orbit. last week that it has been using a• (NASA), setting out potential new initia­ New technology development is also emitting radioactive materials in nuclear tives for NASA, will undoubtedly add fire critical. Apart from special application weapons training exercises. The exercises, to the debate over the direction of the US satellites, much of NASA's hardware is at undisclosed locations over several space programme. Prepared by astronaut based on technology from the late 1960s years, are designed to simulate accidents Sally Ride, the report will present options and early 1970s. Space hardware for the involving aircraft or ground vehicles. ranging from a manned mission to Mars to 1990s must include more modern com­ Roger Freeman, Parliamentary Under renewed unmanned exploration of Earth. ponents. Renewed emphasis on life Secretary for the Armed Forces, told a But the report emphasizes that there are sciences in space is also critical, especially stormy House of Commons last week that certain steps NASA must take before any if longer-term missions are undertaken. liquids containing radium-233 (with a new programmes can reasonably be con­ The report also concludes that a space radioactive half-life of about 12 days) have sidered. station of some description will be needed been sprayed around an accident site to The Ride report attempts to answer the for both manned and unmanned missions. make the simulations "as realistic as question of what it means to achieve The emphasis on Earth-observing possible". The ministry says that stringent leadership in space. Reaching the Moon missions will bring smiles to faces at the safety procedures are followed, and that first provided the United States with one National Science Foundation, where Earth "there is no harmful effect". type of space leadership, but unmanned sciences have recently been reorganized The existence of the Nuclear Accident exploration and advanced technology under the banner of Global Geosciences. Response Organization, which has con­ development has provided another, per­ Those involved in the International Geo­ ducted the exercises, was revealed by The haps longer lasting, type of leadership. sphere-Biosphere Program will see noth­ Independent newspaper. Some members In addition to the Mars and Earth ing amiss in NASA emphasizing Earth of parliament complained at the use of any options, the report examines a possible sciences. Planning has already begun at kind of radioactivity, but some research­ manned lunar base and unmanned planet­ NASA for a fleet of four polar orbiting ers, accepting the need for "something to ary exploration. Along with the Mars and platforms, two provided by NASA, one Earth-observing initiatives, these are by the European Space Agency and one 'r6v should COvy\j- ~ov('.se..I\Jes intended to represent the spectrum of by Japan. These platforms will be serviced Ivvl\~ t-Je. cf,dn'r vse.. ('~o.l options for NASA. Although no option by the space station, and used for Earth Miss·lle.s ... receives unqualified support, the lunar observations. There are also plans for five base and the Earth-observation options geostationary platforms. seem more reasonable short-term goals. The lunar base may be more controver­ But the report stresses that virtually any sial, but the Ride report sees it as a critical activity NASA may undertake between first step if Mars is to be an ultimate goal. now and the end of the century will Certainly it will be more expensive than require certain basic improvements. The enhanced Earth observation, although launch fleet will have to be expanded not as costly as a trip to Mars would be. beyond the shuttle, probably to include a Joseph PaIca

make the geiger counters tick", think it Enthusiasm for return to Mars would have been better to avoid a• Washington executive director of the Planetary Society, emitters. "A simple fJ- or y-emitter would IF the National Aeronautics and Space says part ofthe video conference was domi­ have been better", says Dr Murdoch Administration is uncertain about whether nated by the life issue. He says the pre­ Baxter of the Scottish University Re­ returning to Mars in force should be a goal sumption is that by taking samples from search Centre. of the US space programme, such doubts further below the surface than those drawn The ministry says that radium-233 is did not exist for participants in this week's by the US Viking landers warmer, wetter used "typically" but not exclusively on "Case for Mars III" conference in Boulder, material might be found by Soviet probes. training exercises, when it is mixed with Colorado. Nor was there doubt about con­ But Friedman adds that there is no clear barium sulphate and aluminium oxide. tinued Mars exploration during a unique, evidence to suggest that such conditions Contaminated soil is removed, and "after four-hour video conference between Soviet would in fact exist. three or four months, no trace of radio­ and US space scientists, engineers and There was no unanimity of opinion on activity is left". 'explorers' sponsored by the Planetary the timing for a manned mission to Mars. The hazards of the practice are dis­ Society. The video conference, dubbed Former US astronaut Buzz Aldrin argued puted. Dr Barrie Lambert, lecturer in Spacebridge, took place last Saturday, to that such a mission was achievable before radiobiology at St Bartholomew's Hosp­ coincide with the Mars conference. the end of the century, but others felt that ital in London, says that the use of radium- About 25 participants from each was far too optimistic. In mission design 233 is "unjustifiable", given the bone­ country discussed issues ranging from the discussions, the possibility of cooperating seeking tendency of the material. But the value of international cooperation in on an engineering model of the martian ministry says that the maximum radio­ planetary exploration to engineering surface was raised. Cooperation was also active dose that could be received during details for future missions. Soviet interest proposed as an efficient way of solving an exercise is the equivalent of smoking a in searching for life on Mars surprised navigational problems related to landing single cigarette (radioactive on account of some US participants. Louis Friedman, on Mars. Joseph PaIca polonium), which is estimated at 50 microsievert. Kathy Johnston

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