[X] My Assistant

[Guest_BruceMoomaw_*]

http://mepag.jpl.nasa.gov/reports/Draft_SR-SAG_v25.doc

Ironically, because I don't have the "graphics conversion filter" for Wordpad, I can't read their definition directly -- but Table 9.1, near the end of the article, makes it clear:
____________________________________________

Classification of Martian environments by their potential to exceed the threshold conditions in temperature and water activity for microbial propagation (within the boundary conditions of the analysis):

A. Observed features for which there is a significant (but still unknown) probability of association with modern liquid water:

1 -- Recent gullies and gully-forming regions
2 -- Mid-latitude “pasted-on” terrain

B. Observed features for which there is a low, but non-zero, probability of a relationship to modern liquid water:

3 -- Low-latitude slope streaks
4 -- Low-latitude features hypothesized to be glaciers

C. Not known to exist, but if examples could be found, would have a high probability of association with modern liquid water:

5 -- Volcanic environments young enough to retain heat
6 -- Impact environments young enough and large enough to retain heat
7 -- Modern outflow channels

"Of these, only the mid-latitude pasted-on terrain and the gully-forming regions are thought to be of high enough concern for exceeding the threshold conditions during the next 100 years that the SR-SAG believes they should be treated as special regions for the purposes of planetary protection... The gullies and pasted-on terrain both occur at middle latitudes."

[ljk4-1]

What a difference in attitude from the bold early days of the Space Age.

A manned Mars mission plan from 1964 includes these plans for Martian life:

"Aeronutronic urges that the mission's first scientific research activity be "biological evaluation of life forms" in order "to allow pre-contamination studies before man alters the Mars environment." The biology study program would also assess martian life "for possible nutritional value."

Preserve native life forms? Heck, let's see if they go good with barbeque sauce!

The report summary here:

http://www.marsinstitute.info/rd/faculty/d...e/rtr/6406.html

FYI - This section from David S. F. Portree's Romance to Reality Web site includes
several links to project summaries on plans from the 1960s to retrieve surface
samples from Mars by using robot landers and bringing the samples to manned
spaceships in orbit.

http://www.marsinstitute.info/rd/faculty/d...rtr/rtr-60.html