Projects: Space Information
The Planetary Report
Volume XXVII, Number 3, May/June 2007
May / June 2007
Credit: NASA / JPL / Cornell
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On the Cover
The Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity,
were designed to last three months on the surface of the Red Planet. Three
years and more than 180,000 images of Mars later, these hardworking robotic
explorers are still making thrilling discoveries. Opportunity's Panoramic
Camera (Pancam) imaged these sand dunes at the bottom of Endurance crater
on sol (Martian day) 211. Some of these dunes are more than a meter tall
from crest to trough. The image is processed in false color for mineral analysis.
From The Editor
I admit it—I’m not objective about SETI@home. My feelings for
this scientific research project are close to maternal.
When David Anderson and Dan Werthimer, the project’s leaders, came
to us with their proposal, not everyone here could see what to me was glaringly
obvious: even if it was audacious and revolutionary, SETI@home could involve
the public in scientific research on the widest scale ever.
So, when the response was leaning toward “No,” I declared that “No” was
not an appropriate answer, twisted arms every which way, and with a few stouthearted
cohorts found the start-up money. The SETI@home project now acknowledges The
Planetary Society’s
role by calling our group its “founding sponsor.” Of course, when
all this started, we had no inkling of how big SETI@home could get, guessing
that maybe a few hundred thousand people would volunteer their
personal computers to search for a sign of extraterrestrial
intelligence -- which shows you can sometimes set
your expectations far too low. More than 5.5 million
people signed up for SETI@home -- public participation
beyond our wildest dreams.
Now we’re seeing another spectacular return on
investment in the form of spin-offs. When undertaking
any project, one can hope for but not count on spin-offs.
Once again, SETI@home exceeded any reasonable
expectation. In this issue, you’ll read how SETI@home
spawned research projects around the world that are
now seeking cures for cancer, modeling climate change,
and in many other ways working to improve life on
Earth.
And The Planetary Society made it happen. We can
all be proud.
—Charlene M. Anderson
Features
The Pioneer Anomaly -- A Mystery of Cosmic Proportions
by Bruce Betts
Searching for E.T. and the Cure for Cancer
by Amir Alexander and Charlene M. Anderson
Martian Geologists
by Matt Golombek
Departments
World Watch
We Make It Happen!
Questions and Answers
Society News
Members’ Dialogue
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