1 - March 21, 2007: Mars Technology Is Now Benefiting Earth

Just as Earthbound humans wear protective lotion to prevent sunburn, future
Mars explorers will need to shield themselves against high-energy radiation
from the sun and the rest of the cosmos.

More at: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/spotlight/20070321.html

2 - Mars Odyssey Mission Status

Engineers for NASA's Mars Odyssey mission are examining data from the orbiter
to determine whether onboard backup systems never used by the 6-year-old
spacecraft could still be available if needed.

More at:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/newsroom/pressreleases/20070327a.html

3 - Global warming hits Mars
April 04, 2007 12:00
By Marlowe Hood

GLOBAL warming could be heating Mars four times faster than Earth due to a
mutually reinforcing interplay of wind-swept dust and changes in reflected heat
from the Sun, according a study.

More at:
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21504254-5006007,00.html

4 - Reposted From: <mars-norcal@yahoogroups.com>

Mars Simulation Project 2.80 Released

Posted by: "Scott Davis" mars.sim@...
Tue Apr 3, 2007 7:22 PM (PST)

Hi, Last Friday I released a new version of the Mars Simulation Project, an
open source software project I founded and am the lead developer for. It is an
artificial society simulation of future Martian settlement that you can run
on a computer.

This latest release includes a new mission tool that allows you create,
modify and end rover missions in the simulation.

It can run on most operating systems, but requires a Java Runtime Engine
(JRE) of 5.0 or higher, which can be downloaded for free from Sun:
http://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

Mars Simulation Project website: http://mars-sim.sf.net

Let me know what you think.

Thanks, Scott

5 - Europe to Join 500-Day Mock Mission to Mars
April 3, 2007
By Tom Chao Staff Writer Space.com

The European Space Agency (ESA) will partner with Russian researchers to lock
a crew of six people in metal tubes for a simulated trip to Mars.
Known as Mars500, the simulated space mission will take place in an isolation
facility in Russia, allowing organizers to study the difficulties presented
by such a lengthy spaceflight. The participants, selected from a pool of
volunteers, will attempt to re-create all elements of an actual mission,
including
launch, an outboard journey, a research trip to the planet’s surface, and the
return trip—all of which will take 500 days.

More at: http://www.space.com/news/070402_mars500_esa.html











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