[meteorite-list] Is there smelly life out there?/Pillinger

From: Mark Ford <mark.ford_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:02:15 -0000
Message-ID: <29A9DB45B84970458190D7D39BD42C494FAA07_at_gamma.ssl.atw>

Hi Doug,

Yes I have great respect for Dr Pillinger, and we certainly need more personalities in this area like him. A few more British mars missions (that worked) would also help with our national enthusiasm for space, but the country is practically bankrupt at the moment so I can't see us having a major UK funded mars mission anytime soon!

However we are still major partners with the European space Agency, (and of course work with Nasa etc), and the UK actually has quite a large Space technology capability, mainly in the commercial/small satellite area, most of the major satellites in orbit have British technology/expertise in them, many are even built here, (I was lucky enough to see the SOHO Space mission being built/tested at Portsmouth (just down the road from) me something I will remember for a long time, an amazing machine, and it's still going).

I suspect greater cooperation between the European space agency and NASA will ultimately simply have to happen if we are to make great strides in space exploration, I doubt the US will ever put men/women back on the moon or mars without multinational cooperation it would cost far too much to stomach words are easy but cash is less forthcoming, why should we all go it alone anyway?

Best,
Mark Ford
UK



-----Original Message-----
From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of mexicodoug at aim.com
Sent: 15 January 2009 19:49
To: ensoramanda at ntlworld.com; meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com; Mark Ford
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Is there smelly life out there?/Pillinger

Hello Graham,

Thanks for the kind words on Dr. Pillinger. I am sure he has faced very
difficult challenges throughout his career, considering the dependence
in the UK on politicians and external agencies for the success of such
forward looking endeavors.

It is sad to learn about his situation with MS and I hope even The Sun
is kind enough to be a little more discreet in its opportunism and
spinning of yarns that tie him to their half-truthed propaganda.

 From the national academy of science of the UK, here were Dr.
Pillinger's wishes for Christmas in 2007, in his own words:

A copy of Werner von Braun's book "the Mars project". (How the rocket
pioneer proposed to put humans on Mars, written the 1940/50s). I could
get this Tickets to Jeff Wayne's musical "War of the Worlds" at O2 on
December 22. This is based on H.G Wells book (still the best ever
science fiction story) and although Wayne's is a musical he has kept
the story line as HG wrote it, not transported it to USA (even though
Jeff is an American). His production is getting more and more
adventurous and I would love to see it. Tickets are all sold out so not
much hope unless I brazenly ring up jeff wayne and invite myself. (I
have met him a couple of times and interviewed him for THES). Now comes
the real wishful thinking. I would like the UK government to commit to
a real involvement in manned space activities starting20with a return to
the moon to create a permanent base. I was involved in the Apollo
programme and know just how much it inspired the World. I had always
believed the UK would be amongst the first on the Moon (see book
Journey into Space by Charles Chilton). The Nasa administrator, Mike
Griffin, is here in UK at the moment seeking UK to join NASA in a full
partnership. He said at a meeting last night he wants a full
partnership not UK to turn up in 2020 saying they would now like a
British astronaut on a flight. In my dreams we commit now to sharing in
this adventure and it goes ahead in time for Michael Foale (i.e.
someone with joint UK/US citizenship) is first Commander of the
permanent base on the Moon. If I can only have only one present I'll
have the last one. NB Even I am not so unrealistic as to believe asking
the UK government to pay for a Beagle 3 would get me anywhere except
committed to an Institution for the insane.

Best health,
Doug


-----Original Message-----
From: ensoramanda at ntlworld.com
To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com; mexicodoug at aim.com;
mark.ford at ssl.gb.com
Sent: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 1:15 pm
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Is there smelly life out there?/Pillinger



Hi All,

The Sun has always had a reputation for twisting the truth like
this....but as
for Colin Pillinger. I have met him several times and he is dedicated
to
inspiring youngsters to g
et involved with space and science...his early
work
involved the first studies of Allende in those early days.

He has a knack of turning around the negative publicity and quirky
press
coverage that the press generates in his/science's favour, exploiting
it in his
own way to promote public understanding. Last time I saw him he invited
me down
to PSSRI to look around the latest projects and see their new equipment
for
probing the latest space rocks and Stardust material , etc and was
promoting his
latest book "Space is a Funny Place" in which has used his lifelong
collection
of space press coverage and cartoons to illustrate many serious aspects
of
science...very entertaining.

I have signed copy sitting alongside my meteorite books.

see here..

http://colinpillinger.com/barnstormpr.co.uk/books.htm

Unfortunately he is slowly succumbing to MS and is fighting hard to
continue
promoting the new technologies created for the Beagle project both back
in Space
and here on earth in portable medical applications for the third world.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article545436.ece

Just regretting not making time for Tucson this year. Hope everyone
else out
there has a great time...perhaps next year when my pound might buy a
bit more!!
I live in hope.

Graham Ensor, UK
---- mexicodoug at aim.com wrote:
> Hi Mark and Darren,

Oh just another case of what happens when the scientific peer-review
proc
ess is omitted and the overall press tries to pick it up without
quoting their sources very noticeably or being purposefully sly with
their grammar to entertainingly dupe readers waiting in line at Tesco
and Wal-Mart. The conclusions regarding methane are twisted by one of
the most entertaining and comical UFO inspiring tabloid 'newspapers' on
the planet, none other than the National Inquirer's big brother,
Britain's "THE SUN". Always loved that name! The author is none other
than the Sun Spaceman who must have a blast at his job!

Below's the original article which is much more entertaining. I sense a
little sarcasm towards Expert Colin Pillinger, head of the "ill-fated
Beagle 2" - just look at his picture. :-)

The other British Space Expert (presented as "Britain's Top Space
Expert") quoted is Nick Pope, former head of Britian's government
sponsored "UFO program".

http://www.nickpope.net/biography.htm

Best Health,
Doug


http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2133475.ece

By PAUL SUTHERLAND
Sun Spaceman

Published: Today

ALIEN microbes living just below the Martian soil are responsible for a
haze of methane around the Red Planet, Nasa scientists believe.
The gas, belched in vast quantities in our world by cows, was detected
by orbiting spacecraft and from Earth using giant telescopes.

Discovery ... gas
around Mars

Nasa are today expected to confirm its presence during a briefing at
their Washington HQ.

And the find20is seen as exciting new evidence that Martian microbes are
still alive today.

To read more of our exclusive UFO stories click here.

Some scientists reckon methane is also produced by volcanic processes.
But there are NO known active volcanoes on Mars.

Furthermore, Nasa has found the gas in the same regions as clouds of
water vapour, the vital ?drink? needed to support life.

Mission ... probe on the surface of Mars

Experts speculate that the methane is being emitted as a waste product
by organisms called methanogens living in water beneath underground
ice.

And they would have to be alive today because the methane would
otherwise have been lost from the Martian atmosphere.

What a scoop ... Phoenix lander dug up chunks of ice last year

John Murray ? a member of the Mars Express European space probe team ?
believes the mini-Martians may be in a form of suspended animation and
could even be REVIVED.

He has found overwhelming evidence of a vast frozen ocean beneath the
dust near the Martian equator where simple life could have thrived as
microbes.

Today?s briefing will feature a star panel of Mars experts headed by
Michael Meyer, chief scientist for Nasa?s Mars programme.

UK Mars expert Professor Colin Pillinger believes=2
0the methane can only
point to the presence of life on the planet.

His ill-fated Beagle 2 probe was carrying a laboratory that would have
lo
oked directly for such signs of life when it crashed on Christmas Day
2003.

Prof Pillinger told The Sun last night: ?Methane is a product of
biology. For methane to be in Mars? atmosphere, there has to be a
replenishable source.

?The most obvious source of methane is organisms. So if you find
methane in an atmosphere, you can suspect there is life.

?It?s not proof, but it makes it worth a much closer look.?

Nasa?s findings confirm studies by Europe?s Mars Express probe, which
has been orbiting the planet for five years and also reported signs of
methane in 2004.

Britain?s top space expert Nick Pope last night hailed the new evidence
of life as ?the most important discovery of all time?.

He said: ?What could be more profound than to know it?s not just us out
there?

Expert ... Colin Pillinger

"We?ve really only scratched the surface ? it?s an absolute certainty
that there is life out there and we are not alone.

?If there is life on Mars then the logical conclusion is that there
must be life elsewhere too.

?If it?s happened here on Earth, then why shouldn?t it happen anywhere?
The implication is this is a20universal law.

?Mars is very similar to Earth. It?s about the same size, it?s a rocky
inner planet.

?Most scientists believe it probably has l
iquid water which is almost
universally agreed as the pre-requisite for life. I am certain there is
other life in the Universe and, most likely, intelligent life.?

The Red Planet has gripped the public imagination for more than a
century as a possible home for aliens.

But life could not survive on its surface because, unlike the Earth,
Mars has no magnetic shield to protect it against deadly sun radiation.

The planet resembles our own in many ways. It is made of rock, it has
an atmosphere and weather systems.

Although much smaller with a diameter of around 4,222 miles, Mars? day
is just 40 minutes longer than ours and its tilted axis gives it
seasons.

Water has been found in the form of buried ice and scientists believe
that two billion years ago, Mars was covered with liquid oceans.

Proof that water is still on Mars came in 2007 when Mars Express used
ground-piercing radar to study the region around the planet?s South
Pole.

Nasa?s latest lander Phoenix dug up chunks of Martian ice last year. It
swiftly evaporated into the thin atmosphere.

Nasa have controversially hit the headlines before for claiming
evidence for Martians.

In 1996, they said they had discovered fossilised organisms i
n a
meteorite from the planet.

But other scientists were sceptical.

Today?s conference will be broadcast live online by NASA TV
(www.nasa.gov/ntv) at 7pm.

----
-Original Message-----
From: Mark Ford
To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Sent: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:12 am
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Is there smelly life out there?
>Although there is a consensus among some scientists that methane is
also
>produced by volcanic processes, the lack of any active volcanoes on
Mars rules
>this possibility out.
So by that somewhat 'skewed logic' (imho) there's also life on Jupiter,
the moon, Titan, at least one exoplanet and Venus, oh or could it
perchance be that it is volcanic/geologic in origin, and we just haven't
located the source yet - but that doesn't grab the head lines I guess!!
Best,
Mark
-----Original Message-----
From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Darren
Garrison
Sent: 15 January 2009 15:36
To: meteorite list
Subject: [meteorite-list] Is there smelly life out there?
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24917099-401,00.html
Methane discovery suggests presence of life on Mars, say Nasa scientists
NASA scientists are expected to announce they may have proof there is
life on
Mars.
The scientists suspect alien microbes are alive and kicking just below
the soil
of the big planet, after=2
0large quantities of what is believed to be the
organisms' waste products were detected.
The organisms - called methanogens - are suspected to have been living
in water
beneath underground ice, wh
ere they are disgorging tonnes and tonnes of
methane.
On Earth, methane is produced in massive quantities by animals such as
cows,
sheep and goats.
Giant telescopes from Earth and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have
spotted
a haze of the gas surrounding Mars, and according to some scientists
this can
only point to the presence of life on Mars.
"Methane is a product of biology," UK Mars expert Professor Colin
Pillinger told
UK tabloid The Sun last night.
"For methane to be in Mars' atmosphere, there has to be a replenishable
source.
"The most obvious source of methane is organisms, so if you find methane
in an
atmosphere, you can suspect there is life.
"It's not proof, but it makes it worth a much closer look."
"What could be more profound than to know it's not just us out there?
"We've really only scratched the surface - it's an absolute certainty
that there
is life out there and we are not alone.
"If there is life on Mars then the logical conclusion is that there must
be life
elsewhere too."
Although there is a consensus among some scientists that methane is also
produced by volcanic processes, the lack of any active volcanoes on Mars
rules
this possibility out.
Methane plu
mes are very short-lived, it is chemically broken down by
sunlight
within a year. Something is replacing the methane, and quickly.
The fascination with the idea that Mars harbours life has perv
aded
popular
culture for over a century.
The public obsession with Martians began way back in 1877 when
astronomer
Giovanni Sciaparelli reported observations of large canali - meaning
"channels"
- on Mars, which he speculated must have been dug by an intelligent
race,
although this proved mistaken.
H.G. Wells classic 1898 novel of a Martian invasion of Earth War of the
Worlds
has been turned into two big budget Hollywood films and when staged as
1938
radio play by Orson Wells caused reportedly caused panic when some of
the
audience mistook it for a real newscast.
Director Tim Burton reimagined the scenario with playfully malignant
extraterrestrials in his blackly comic 1996 film Mars Attacks.
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Ford <mark.ford at ssl.gb.com>
To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Sent: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:12 am
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Is there smelly life out there?
>Although there is a consensus among some scientists that methane is
also
>produced by volcanic processes, the lack of any active volcanoes on
Mars rules
>this possibility out.
So by that somewhat 'skewed logic' (imho) there's also life on Jupiter,
the moon, Titan, at least one exoplanet and Venus, oh or could it
perchance b
e that it is volcanic/geologic in origin, and we just haven't
located the source yet - but that doesn't grab the head lines I guess!!
Best,
Mark
-----Origin
al Message-----
From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Darren
Garrison
Sent: 15 January 2009 15:36
To: meteorite list
Subject: [meteorite-list] Is there smelly life out there?
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24917099-401,00.html
Methane discovery suggests presence of life on Mars, say Nasa scientists
NASA scientists are expected to announce they may have proof there is
life on
Mars.
The scientists suspect alien microbes are alive and kicking just below
the soil
of the big planet, after large quantities of what is believed to be the
organisms' waste products were detected.
The organisms - called methanogens - are suspected to have been living
in water
beneath underground ice, where they are disgorging tonnes and tonnes of
methane.
On Earth, methane is produced in massive quantities by animals such as
cows,
sheep and goats.
Giant telescopes from Earth and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have
spotted
a haze of the gas surrounding Mars, and according to some scientists
this can
only point to the presence of life on Mars.
"Methane is a product of biology," UK Mars expert Professor Colin
Pillinger told
UK tabloid The Sun last night.
"For methane to be in Mars' atmosp
here, there has to be a replenishable
source.
"The most obvious source of methane is organisms, so if you find methane
in an
atmosphere, you can suspect there is life.
"It
's not proof, but it makes it worth a much closer look."
"What could be more profound than to know it's not just us out there?
"We've really only scratched the surface - it's an absolute certainty
that there
is life out there and we are not alone.
"If there is life on Mars then the logical conclusion is that there must
be life
elsewhere too."
Although there is a consensus among some scientists that methane is also
produced by volcanic processes, the lack of any active volcanoes on Mars
rules
this possibility out.
Methane plumes are very short-lived, it is chemically broken down by
sunlight
within a year. Something is replacing the methane, and quickly.
The fascination with the idea that Mars harbours life has pervaded
popular
culture for over a century.
The public obsession with Martians began way back in 1877 when
astronomer
Giovanni Sciaparelli reported observations of large canali - meaning
"channels"
- on Mars, which he speculated must have been dug by an intelligent
race,
although this proved mistaken.
H.G. Wells classic 1898 novel of a Martian invasion of Earth War of the
Worlds
has been turned into two big budget Hollywood films and when staged as
1938
radio play by Orson Wells caused reportedly caused panic
when some of
the
audience mistook it for a real newscast.
Director Tim Burton reimagined the scenario with playfully malignant
extraterrestrials in his blackly comic 1996 film Mars
 Attacks.
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Received on Fri 16 Jan 2009 05:02:15 AM PST