The SETI Observer

Dear SETI enthusiasts:

While the number may sound daunting to most of us, to an astronomer, 35 million miles away is just next door. This month, we have the rare opportunity to appreciate the exceptional proximity of our nearest neighbor in the solar system just by scanning the night sky. Mars catches your eye almost immediately as you step outside and look up—big, coppery white, tantalizingly close, yet poignantly just beyond reach for human explorers at this moment in history.

Still, on these balmy summer nights when I gaze upon the red planet, it thrills me to think about the many discoveries that lie ahead of us in the very near future thanks to a handful of robotic explorers rushing to meet the red planet—even as I write this greeting. And I am proud to be affiliated with the many fine SETI Institute scientists who study Mars. You've already met some of them in previous Voices, and this month you will meet Dr. Janice Bishop, a planetary scientist who studies the iron oxides responsible for the rusty hue of Martian soil and for the mysterious red bands in ancient terrestrial sedimentary rocks.

Mars-viewing is only the beginning of a summer's evening under the stars. I also find my gaze drifting to the constellations I can identify. I think about the ancient mythology that evolved from mankind's earliest interpretations of these patterns, and about the revelations provided by modern science. The sky is rich with stories and I am excited about the scientific narratives unfolding here at the SETI Institute.

I invite you now to explore the links in the SETI Observer.

Thomas Pierson
CEO, SETI Institute

Sunday, August 31
On television, Dr. Christopher Chyba, Carl Sagan Chair for the Study of Life in the Universe will be this weekend's guest on the CBS program, Sunday Morning. Check your local television listings for broadcast times in your area.

Mid-November
In the SETI Institute News, NASA Ames scientist, Dr. Lynn Rothschild will discuss the biological components of the research she is conducting with SETI Institute NAI scientists. TeamSETI supporters receive the SETI Institute News as a benefit of membership. If you'd like to advance the work of the SETI Institute while learning more about it, visit our TeamSETI Membership section

Be one of the first five to answer the following question correctly and get a cool SETI Institute t-shirt. We'll post the answer in next month's e-newsletter. Choose the phrase that best completes this statement and send your answer to newsletter@seti.org.

Which statement is FALSE?

• Dr. Friedemann Freund studies the "Imperfections that arise when crystals grow in the presence of, and interact with, water, carbon dioxide and nitrogen."
• Volcanic rock may have played a pivotal role in the evolution of complex life on early Earth because during normal rock weathering, tholins were released, prodding primitive life to develop oxygen tolerance.
• Research is a deeply satisfying experience for the creative spirit, according to Friedemann Freund.
• NASA Ames biologist, Dr. Lynn Rothschild is working with Dr. Friedemann Freund to explore the role rock weathering may have played in the development of oxygen tolerance in primitive life on early Earth.

Which statement about SETI Institute NAI projects is FALSE?

• Drs. Rocco Mancinelli, Amos Banin, David Summers, and Bishun Khare work on projects that focus on nitrogen, which is essential for life's formation.
• Drs. Janice Bishop and Lynn Rothschild (of NASA Ames) study the role of zinc oxide, which may have served as a "sun shield" protecting life on early Earth from damaging UV rays.
• Dr. Cynthia Phillips will use images from the Galileo spacecraft in her studies of geological change on Europa.
• SETI astronomer, Dr. Peter Backus is a co-investigator of a project that studies the habitability of M-stars, which are smaller and cooler than our sun.

The correct answer was B, as you can see from reading the current profile of Dr. Bishop in Voices.