Life On Mars..? (I'm not making this up, honestly...) (off topic)

[Bryan Irby]

Sorry for the off-topic subject folks, but thought everyone might find this
interesting.

BEGIN INCLUDED MESSAGE:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donald Savage
Headquarters, Washington, DC                   August 6, 1996

James Hartsfield
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX

David F. Salisbury
Stanford University, CA

NOTE TO EDITORS:  N96-53

NASA BRIEFING WEDNESDAY ON DISCOVERY OF POSSIBLE EARLY MARTIAN LIFE

        A team of NASA and Stanford scientists will discuss
its findings showing strong circumstantial evidence of
possible early Martian life, including microfossil remains
found in a Martian meteorite, at a news conference scheduled
for 1:00 p.m. EDT, August 7, at NASA Headquarters, 300 E. St.
SW, Washington, DC.  The team's findings will be published in
the August 16 issue of Science magazine.

        Panelists will be:

-  Dr. Wesley Huntress, Jr., NASA Assoc. Administrator for Space Science,
         Washington, DC
-  Dr. David McKay, principal author, NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC),
         Houston, TX
-  Dr. Everett Gibson, NASA JSC, Houston, TX
-  Dr. Richard N. Zare, Professor of Chemistry, Stanford University, CA
-  Kathy Thomas-Keprta, Lockheed-Martin, JSC, Houston, TX
-  Dr. William Schopf, Professor, Department of Earth and Space Sciences,
         Univ. of California, Los Angeles

        The briefing will be carried live on NASA TV with two-
way question-and-answer capability for reporters covering the
event from participating NASA centers.  Audio of the
broadcast will be available on voice circuit at the Kennedy
Space Center by calling 407/867-1260.

        NASA Television is broadcast on Spacenet 2,
transponder 5, channel 9, C-Band, located at 69 degrees West
longitude, with horizontal polarization.  Frequency will be
on 3880.0 megahertz, with audio on 6.8 megahertz.

                                                                                 - end -

                                                                                STATEMENT FROM DANIEL S. GOLDIN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR

        "NASA has made a startling discovery that points to the
possibility that a primitive form of microscopic life may
have existed on Mars more than three billion years ago.  The
research is based on a sophisticated examination of an ancient
Martian meteorite that landed on Earth some 13,000 years ago.

        The evidence is exciting, even compelling, but not
conclusive.  It is a discovery that demands further
scientific investigation.  NASA is ready to assist the
process of rigorous scientific investigation and lively
scientific debate that will follow this discovery.

        I want everyone to understand that we are not talking
about 'little green men.'  These are extremely small, single-
cell structures that somewhat resemble bacteria on Earth.
There is no evidence or suggestion that any higher life form
ever existed on Mars.

        The NASA scientists and researchers who made this
discovery will be available at a news conference tomorrow to
discuss their findings.  They will outline the step-by-step
"detective story" that explains how the meteorite arrived
here from Mars, and how they set about looking for evidence
of long-ago life in this ancient rock.  They will also
release some fascinating images documenting their research.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------