Monthly Archives: June 2022

Less than a decade from now, a spacecraft from Mars may swing by Earth to drop off precious cargo: samples of the Red Planets rocks, soil and even air to be scoured for signs of alien life by a small army of researchers right here on our terra firma. Orchestrated by NASA and the European Space Agency, this fast-paced, multibillion-dollar enterprise, formally known as the Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign, is the closest thing to a holy grail that planetary scientists have ever pursued.

In many respects, MSR is already well underway: NASAs Perseverance rover is wheeling aroundan ancient river delta in Marss Jezero Crater, gathering choice specimens of potential astrobiological interest for future pick-up by a fetch rover. Then theres the design and testing of the Mars Ascent Vehicle for lifting those retrieved samples into orbit for subsequent ferrying to Earth that is proceeding apace. But one crucial aspect of the project remains troublingly unresolved: How exactly should the returned samples be handledand at what cost, given the potential risk of somehow contaminating Earths biosphere with imported Martian bugs?

So-far-elusive answers to these questions could profoundly shape not only MSR but also the hoped-for follow-on of sending humans to Marss surface. Can astronauts live and work there without inadvertently introducing earthly microbes to the Red Planet? And perhaps more importantly, can they eventually return home with the certainty that they carry no microscopic Martian hitchhikers? The protocols hammered out for MSR will be a crucial component in resolving those eventual quandaries.

NASAs present proposal for MSR calls for an as-yet-unbuilt interplanetary ferry to release a cone-shaped, sample-packed capsulecalled the Earth Entry Systemhigh above our planets atmosphere. The capsule will then endure a fiery plunge to Earth, sans parachute, ultimately landing in a dry lake bed within the Utah Test and Training Range. Despite impacting at roughly 150 kilometers per hour, the capsule will be designed to keep its samples intact and isolated. Once recovered, it will be placed in its own environmentally controlled protective container and then shipped to an off-site sample-receiving facility. Such a facility could resemble todays biolabs that study highly infectious pathogens, incorporating multilayered decontamination measures, air-filtration systems, negative-pressure ventilation and myriad other safeguards.

Citing the findings of multiple expert panels, NASA presently deems the ecological and public-safety risks of this proposal as extremely low. But not everyone agrees. Earlier this year the space agency solicited public commentary on an associated draft environmental impact statement, netting 170 remarks, most of which were negative regarding a direct-to-Earth, express mail concept of Mars collectibles.

Are you out of your minds? Not just no, but hell no, suggested one commenter. No nation should put the whole planet at risk, another said. And another third opined, Public opposition will surely rise drastically as the knowledge of [NASAs] intentions are spread beyond the smaller space community. Many of the respondents suggested that any shipment of specimens should somehow be first received and studied off-Earthan approach that, while certainly prudent, could easily become a logistic and budgetary nightmare.

Contrast this with the blunt opinion of Steven Benner, a prominent astrobiologist and founder of the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution in Alachua, Fla.: I do not see any need for long discussions about how samples from Mars should be stored once they reach our planet, he says. Thats because space rocks striking Mars routinely eject material that ultimately ends up on Earth. Current estimates hold that about 500 kilograms of Martian rocks land on our planet every year, Benner says. He even has a five-gram hunk of Mars decorating his desk that alludes to that fact.

In the over 3.5 billion years since life appeared on Earth, trillions of other rocks have made similar journeys, Benner says. If Mars microbiota exist and can wreak havoc on Earths biosphere, it has already happened, and a few more kilograms from NASA will not make any difference.

Noting his service on many of the very same expert panels NASA now cites for its extremely low assessment of MSRs risks, Benner says the space agency seems caught in a public relations trap of its own making, honor bound to endlessly debate the supposed complexities of what should really be considered simple, settled science. NASA now knows how to look for life on Mars, where to look for life on Mars and why the likelihood of finding life on Mars is high, he observes. But NASA committees, seeking consensus and conformity over the fundamentals of chemistry, biology and planetary science that must drive the search for Martian life, displace the science in favor of discussions of these nonissues, unnecessarily increasing the cost and delaying the launch of missions.

They end up ensuring that NASA never flies any life-detection missions, Benner says.

Such statements reflect a growing sense of urgency among U.S. planetary scientists about making MSR a reality. In April NASA received the latest Decadal Survey on planetary science and astrobiology, an influential report produced by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that las out near-future priorities for the field. One of the reports main recommendations calls for the agency to shore up its plans for handling MSRs samples, with an emphasis on readying a Mars Sample Receiving Facility in time to receive material from the Red Planet by 2031.

To meet that deadline, NASA must start designingand buildingsuch a facility immediately, says Philip Christensen, a professor at Arizona State University and co-chair of the new Decadal Surveys steering committee.

Our recommendation was to not go off and build a very fancy, very complicated, very instrument-rich receiving facility, Christensen says. Instead make it as simple as possible. The number-one job is to verify that the samples are safe, then let them go to labs around the world that already have very sophisticated instrumentation.

John Rummel, a now retired astrobiologist who previously helmed NASAs planetary protection efforts for its interplanetary missions, agrees that simplicity can save time but at uncertain costs. Nobody wants to spend all the money in the world on a Taj Mahal for [sample-return] science, he says. Building a bare-bones facility could backfire, however, by failing to allow scientists to properly investigate whether any returned samples harbor evidence of life.

More fundamentally, Rummel says, it simply isnt true that we know enough about Mars to quantify MSRs risks of interplanetary contagion. In the first place, we dont know everything we want to know about Mars. Thats why we want the samples, Rummel says. We keep finding Earth organisms doing new things that are quite interesting from the standpoint of potential life elsewhere. So why dont we think we need to be careful? The answer is that we do need to be careful, as repeatedly emphasized by the National [Academies].... People have to have some kind of respect for the unknown. If you have that respect, then you can do a credible job, and the public is well-served by your caution.

Although MSRs true risks for interplanetary ecological catastrophe may be unknown, the threat that negative public opinion poses for the mission is clear to most participating scientists. Even so, engagement with the public should be welcomed, says Penny Boston, an astrobiologist at NASAs Ames Research Center. What better way to push forward the research needed to fill in knowledge gaps about planetary protection, she reasons, than getting people interested in the topic and its weighty stakes? That will allow us to both optimally protect Earths biosphere and humans while still making the best full use of the analyses of the Mars samples to answer the science questions, Boston says.

Similarly, while a chilling effect from harsh handling restrictions for MSRs samples seems more probable than the eruption of some otherworldly pandemic from lax biosafety protocols, some argue that, in absolute budgetary terms, erring on the side of caution simply isnt very expensive.

According to astrobiologist Cassie Conley, who succeeded Rummel as NASAs planetary protection officer from 2006 to 2017, by the time MSRs capsule impacts in a dry lake bed in Utah, taxpayers will have invested at least $10 billion to bring these samples to Earth. So isnt it worthwhile to spend 1 percent more to construct the best possible facilities and instrumentation for studying these samples while also ensuring that MSR doesnt cause something bad to happen to the only planet we can live on?

There is, however, one additional concern complicating the debate: MSR is no longer alone in its quest for fresh Red Planet rocks, and other projects may not abide by its still-emerging rules. China recently announced its own independent plans to bring Martian material directly to Earth, perhaps earlier than the NASA/ESA Mars Sample Return campaign, and there is also the wild card of Elon Musks Mars-focused SpaceX efforts leading to human voyages to Mars and back far sooner than most experts anticipate.

Chinas entry in particular worries Barry DiGregorio, an astrobiologist and founding director of the International Committee Against Mars Sample Return (ICAMSR). Unless [returning samples from Mars] is done as a global effort in order to share the findings in real time with all spacefaring nations instead of as a national goal, no single country will know what the other has found or what problems they are having with containment, he says.

Thats why DiGregorio contends priority should be given to ruling out each and every samples prospects for harming Earths biosphere before it is brought back to our planetsomething best done in a dedicated space station or even an astrobiology research lab built as part of a lunar base. Of course, he adds, given increasingly high global geopolitical tensions, this concept will likely be a hard sellbut now is the critical time to consider it.

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Controversy Grows Over whether Mars Samples Endanger Earth

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June 22 (UPI) -- NASA's InSight Mars received a reprieve allowing it to conduct science for another several weeks before shutting down as it nears the end of its battery life.

The agency announced Tuesday that instead of automatically shutting down its last operational scientific instrument, the seismometer, at the end of June as planned, the device will continue operating until late August or early September.

Had it shut down the seismometer later this month, the InSight Mars lander would have been able to conserve energy and survive through til December. Running the seismometer longer, though, will cause the lander to discharge its batteries and run out of power when the seismometer dies.

Doing so allows the seismometer several more weeks to detect possible marsquakes, NASA said.

"InSight hasn't finished teaching us about Mars yet," said Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division in Washington, D.C. "We're going to get every last bit of science we can before the lander concludes operations."

In order to allow InSight's seismometer to run for as long as possible, NASA is shutting down the lander's fault protection system, which, if operating, allows ground controllers to react to sudden, unexpected events on Mars.

"The goal is to get scientific data all the way to the point where InSight can't operate at all, rather than conserve energy and operate the lander with no science benefit," said Chuck Scott, InSight's project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

NASA announced in May that it expected InSight to run out of power sometime this summer because dust had covered its solar panels. Scientists hoped the lander might be hit by a Martian dust devil, which could clear dust off the panels and possibly allow it to properly charge up.

Bruce Banerdt, principal investigator for the InSight mission and a principal scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said the possibility of this happening isn't likely, but it's not entirely out of the question.

InSight touched down on Mars' surface in 2018 with the primary goal of studying seismology, weather, soil and the planet's magnetic field. Since the beginning of its mission, it has detected more than 1,300 marsquakes.

NASAs Curiosity Mars rover used two different cameras to create this panoramic selfie, comprised of 60 images, in front of Mont Mercou, a rock outcrop that stands 20 feet tall on March 26, 2021, the 3,070th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. These were combined with 11 images taken by the Mastcam on the mast, or "head," of the rover on March 16. The hole visible to the left of the rover is where its robotic drill sampled a rock nicknamed "Nontron." The Curiosity team is nicknaming features in this part of Mars using names from the region around the village of Nontron in southwestern France. Photo courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

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NASA to allow InSight Mars lander to conduct science for several more ...

Mars is a cold desert world. It is half the size of Earth. Mars is sometimes called the Red Planet. It's red because of rusty iron in the ground.

Explore Mars! Click and drag to rotate the planet. Scroll or pinch to zoom in and out. Credit: NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD)

Like Earth, Mars has seasons, polar ice caps, volcanoes, canyons, and weather. It has a very thin atmosphere made of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon.

There are signs of ancient floods on Mars, but now water mostly exists in icy dirt and thin clouds. On some Martian hillsides, there is evidence of liquid salty water in the ground.

Scientists want to know if Mars may have had living things in the past. They also want to know if Mars could support life now or in the future.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took this picture of Mars as it was making its closest approach to Earth in 60,000 years!

In this picture of Mars, you can see water-ice clouds, polar ice, and some rocky features.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took this picture with its panoramic camera near "Solander Point" on Mars.

NASA's Mars Exploration Program

NASA Solar System Exploration

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All About Mars | NASA Space Place NASA Science for Kids

(Photo : Amy Sussman/Getty Images for World Science Festival) NEW YORK - MAY 29: Musician Mark Everett (L) and physicist Michio Kaku (R) speak at the panel discussion "Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives" at the World Science Festival held at the Paley Center for Media on May 29, 2008 in New York City.

According to a physicist, humans have a small chance to go to other worlds unknowingly through the power of quantum physics. This window could, for example, make a person wake up in the harsh environment of Mars rather than in their bedroom.

The expert said that the tiny but calculable probability could let quantum waves modify space-time and warp a tunnel through it, leading us to be transported to the Martian planet effortlessly.

(Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images for World Science Festival)NEW YORK - MAY 29: Musician Mark Everett (L) and physicist Michio Kaku (R) speak at the panel discussion "Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives" at the World Science Festival held at the Paley Center for Media on May 29, 2008, in New York City.

The famous Michio Kaku is the physicist who theorized this bizarre but fascinating possibility. According to the scientist, he always gives his students exercises related to quantum physics. One of the equations he asks his students to construct is the same as the scenario he believes is possible: to calculate the likelihood of us waking up on Mars tomorrow while presenting all the corresponding causes that exist throughout what we know as the 'multiverse.'

The idea is somewhat strange for many, but Kaku provided several pointers anchored to quantum physics that make it doable in a report by the New York Times.

According to Kaku, quantum theory materialized through the inspiration of the concept presented by Heisenberg called the uncertainty principle. In this setup, a small probability could still occur, such as humans being able to exist in a different plane like the red planet.

The physicist wrote, "there's a tiny but calculable likelihood that our quantum wave will tunnel its way through space-time and wind up there."

Kaku explained that, in reality, calculations that attempt to solve the possibility of people waking up on Mars would take longer than the lifetime of the billion-year-old universe to write up and complete.

But despite those challenges, Kaku said we still have a small chance to make this theory possible. Regarding the state of reality, he referenced the famous British genetics specialist J.B.S Haldanewho said that the universe is "not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose."

ALSO READ: Magnetar Model Simulation Demonstrates How Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts Originate

It is highly improbable for an individual to exist in the Martian environment tomorrow, but if they did, further improbabilities would soon follow, such as the limitations against the extreme conditions of the planet and the absence of the breathable air from its atmosphere, among other things.

Kaku emphasized that unlikely does not automatically mean impossible. These trivial chances are what quantum physics is studied for, a field that offers those possibilities and could tackle subjects ranging from the universe's origins to our present and future existence by using the level of quantum uncertainty, The Bytereports.

A new study from the Physics of Life Reviews, titled "At the crossroad of the search for spontaneous radiation and the Orch OR consciousness theory," also suggests a similar idea.

Based on their models, simulations show that a mass and gravitational pull could scratch or crush the quantum waves in other forms. This meant that numerous possibilities could occur instead of only a single, uniform measurement, with the quantum properties to make other aspects of life, such as our minds, break free from the classical mechanics' one-input, one output restrictions.

RELATED ARTICLE: Perpetual Motion Machines: Experts Developed Model of Once-Impossible Time Crystal Model

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Thinking of Waking Up Tomorrow on Mars? Physicist Says That We Actually ...

David Lang, 80 of Le Mars, died Monday, June 20, 2022, at Unity Point St. Lukes Hospital in Sioux City.

David Harold Lang was born Dec. 31, 1941 in Le Mars, to Harold and Louise (Schoenrock) Lang and was raised on their family farm in rural Le Mars. He attended the Le Mars public schools and graduated from Le Mars Community High School in 1959.

Dave was enlisted in the United States Air Guard for six years and was stationed in Vietnam.

Dave was a gifted carpenter and worked for Klinger Construction in Sioux City for many years. Dave also did small construction projects for others and helped his brothers farm.

Dave was a long time member of Trinity Lutheran Church in rural Hinton, where he was baptized and confirmed. Dave was also a member of Wasmer American Legion Post 241 of Le Mars.

Dave is survived by his brother: Kendall Lang of rural Le Mars; four nieces: Nancy, Niki, Natalie, and Noelle; and many other extended relatives.

Dave is preceded in death by his parents; and sister, Neva (Noel) Fries; and brother, Daniel Lang.

The funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, June 25, at Trinity Lutheran Church in rural Hinton. Burial with military honors will follow at Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in rural Hinton.

Visitation with the family present will begin at 9:30 a.m., Saturday at the church.

Arrangements are with Rexwinkel Funeral Home of Le Mars.

Expressions of sympathy can be extended to the family throughwww.rexwinkelfh.com.

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Obituary: David Lang (6/24/22) | Le Mars Daily Sentinel

A new analysis of a Martian meteorite is challenging current thinking about how terrestrial planets acquired volatile elements, including the elemental ingredients of life, early in their formation.

Researchers analyzed the Chassigny meteorite, which fell to Earth in 1815 and is thought to be a sample from the deep interior of Mars and thus providing a window into the early days of the solar system.

The main hypothesis for the formation of rocky planets such as Earth is that they initially acquired volatiles such as water and elements which vaporize at low temperatures from the solar nebula, the swirling disk of material around the young sun. These volatiles dissolved into the fiery magma oceans of young planets but later outgassed into their atmospheres. Further volatiles were delivered later on, when chondritic meteorites primitive, rocky asteroids formed from dust and grain in the early solar system smashed into the planets, according to that hypothesis.

Related: Iron meteorites point to millions of years of chaos in early solar system

But the new research suggests that Mars' development may have been different.

Sandrine Pron, a postdoctoral fellow at ETH Zrich in Switzerland, and Sujoy Mukhopadhyay, a professor at the University of California, Davis, made extremely careful measurements of the minute quantities of the isotopes of krypton, a noble gas, in samples of the meteorite at the UC Davis Noble Gas Laboratory. They were able to deduce the origins of elements in the rock.

The pair found krypton isotope ratios indicating volatiles originating from chondritic sources instead of those associated with the solar nebula. This finding suggests that volatiles from meteorites were incorporated into the mantle of the Red Planet much earlier than scientists previously thought, while the nebula was still present.

Notably, Mars is thought to have cooled much faster than Earth, taking around 4 million years to solidify, compared with 50 million to 100 million years for our planet. This means the Red Planet is offering earlier insight into the history of volatiles in the solar system.

"The Martian interior composition for krypton is nearly purely chondritic, but the atmosphere is solar," Pron said in a statement (opens in new tab). "It's very distinct."

The observations "contradict the common hypothesis that, during planet formation, chondritic volatile delivery occurred after solar gas acquisition," while also posing questions about the formation of planetary atmospheres, the researchers wrote in a study describing the new work.

The research was published June 16 in the journal Science (opens in new tab).

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Mars meteorite challenges leading theory of how the Red Planet formed - Space.com

You can now save a whopping $110 on Elegoo's Mars 2 Pro resin 3D printer when you grab it from Amazon, so if you want to kickstart your day with a deal, you're in luck.

We like this deal a lot, it's a $110 discount (opens in new tab) on a 3D printer that features in our best 3D printers guide and it's not often you see discounts like this. Some of the best features of this printer are that it has a built-in air filter, it offers fast, high-resolution layer printing and you'll do well to find something that matches it in it's price range.

On the face of it, you only get $60 off so you must click to apply the coupon to save a further $50 on the price you pay. If you like this deal and want to check out more, or 3D printers aren't quite for you then you can always check out our telescope deals, camera deals and our VR headset deals guides, for top discounts.

This is actually a printer we've tested so we can vouch for its quality and if you want a more in-depth look at it, you can read our Elegoo Mars 2 Pro review. It is a smaller sized model so it's not ideal for larger prints but it is a model that helps 3D printing to become more accessible and affordable than ever.

For your money you get a 3.5 inch touch screen, a 1620 x 2560 pixel (or 50 microns) printing resolution, faster printing than it's predecessors and build volume of 129mm x 80mm x 160mm. The printer size is 200mm x 200mm x 410mm and it's a perfect small 3D printer that you can move around and fit into tight spaces.

If you're looking to create and print tabletop models and figures or something of a similar size, this printer is the one for you. It may not be the best option for larger models but that doesn't mean it isn't a quality printer. It's also one of the top models out there in the price range and with the discount of up to $110 (opens in new tab), this deal shows great value.

Today's best 3D Printers deals

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Save up to $110 on the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 3D printer at Amazon - Space.com

Six Views of Nili Fossae, as Seen by MROs CRISM: Seen are six views of the Nili Fossae region of Mars captured by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, or CRISM, one of the instruments aboard NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The varying colors represent minerals on the Martian surface seen in different wavelengths of light. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/JHU-APL. Download image

The map, to be released in batches over six months, covers the vast majority of the planet, revealing dozens of minerals found on its surface.

Scientists are about to get a new look at Mars, thanks to a multicolored 5.6-gigapixel map. Covering 86% of the Red Planets surface, the map reveals the distribution of dozens of key minerals. By looking at mineral distribution, scientists can better understand Mars watery past and can prioritize which regions need to be studied in more depth.

The first portions of this map were released by NASAs Planetary Data System. Over the next six months, more will be released, completing one of the most detailed surveys of the Martian surface ever made. (Read more about these map segments.)

NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, or MRO, has been mapping minerals on the Red Planet for 16 years, with its Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, or CRISM.

Using detectors that see visible and infrared wavelengths, the CRISM team has previously produced high-resolution mineral maps that provide a record of the formation of the Martian crust and where and how it was altered by water. These maps have been crucial to helping scientists understand how lakes, streams, and groundwater shaped the planet billions of years ago. NASA has also used CRISMs maps to select landing sites for other spacecraft, as with Jezero Crater, where NASAs Perseverance rover is exploring an ancient river delta.

The first piece of this new map includes 51,000 images, each of which represents a strip 336 miles (540 kilometers) long by 6 miles (10 kilometers) wide that was captured as MRO passed overhead. The resolution is lower than CRISM maps made from targeted observations because the data was acquired with the instrument looking straight down, a different imaging strategy designed to cover much more of the planet.

To acquire its data, CRISM used two spectrometers, one of which was designed with three cryocoolers to keep temperatures low so that it could more clearly detect the longest wavelengths of reflected solar infrared light. Used in succession, the last of these cryocoolers completed its lifecycle in 2017, limiting the instruments capabilities to view visible wavelengths. So this will be CRISMs last map covering the instruments full wavelength range. The instrument is now in a standby mode and may record data a few more times in the coming months before being decommissioned.

One last map will be released within the year, covering visible wavelengths and focusing only on iron-bearing minerals; this will have twice the spatial resolution of the latest map.

The CRISM investigation has been one of the crown jewels of NASAs MRO mission, said Richard Zurek, the missions project scientist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Analyses based on these final maps will provide new insights into the history of Mars for many years to come.

MRO is led by JPL, which is a division of Caltech in Pasadena. CRISM is led by Johns Hopkins Universitys Applied Physics Laboratory.

For more information, visit:

https://mars.nasa.gov/mro

and

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/mission/index.html

News Media Contacts

Andrew GoodJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.818-393-2433andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov

Karen Fox / Alana JohnsonNASA Headquarters, Washington301-286-6284 / 202-358-1501karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov

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NASA Mars Orbiter Releasing One of Its Last Rainbow-Colored Maps NASA Mars Exploration - NASA Mars Exploration

June 23, 2022

The Earthmen came by the handful, then the hundreds, then the millions. They swept aside the majestic, dying Martian civilization to build their homes, shopping malls, and cities. Mars began as a place of boundless hopes and dreams, a planet to replace an Earth sinking into waste and war. It became a canvas for mankinds follies and darkest desires. Ultimately, the Earthmen who came to conquer the red-gold planet awoke to discover themselves conquered by Mars. Lulled by its ancient enchantments, the Earthmen learned, at terrible cost, to overcome their own humanity.

"The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury

Science fiction works about Mars are imaginary journeys into a fantastical word.

Theyre also a mirror held up to todays world a "Red Mirror."

Thats the name of the upper-level online course at Arizona State University alternately taught by Joe Lockard and Peter Goggin, both associate professors in ASUs Department of English.The course which invites students to beam in from wherever you are is the subject of a recent paper published by the professors in the journal Science & Education.

A very substantial literature has accumulated that employs Mars as a discursive center for issues that have preoccupied American culture, the paper states.A Mars literature course can undertaketo historicize and trace the imaginative development of a trope that reflects the changing nature of the USA. Taking as its starting point H.G. Wells 'War of the Worlds,' our Mars literature course demonstrates how this planetary trope crossed the Atlantic, entered and merged with the American milieu, and now both emblematizesand questions notions of progress.

Lockard and Goggin use primarily six works "War of the Worlds," "Princess of Mars," "The Martian Chronicles," "The Martian Time-Slip," "Moving Mars" and "Red Mars" to discuss issues like colonialism, imperialism, anti-fascism, gender conflict, race and authoritarianism.

We titled the course Red Mirror because it was our understanding that Mars serves as a mirror of Earth and earthly society, Lockard said. Mars has been a way of examining problems on Earth by constructing societies via fiction.

The course, which has been taught since 2013, resonates with students, Goggin said, because the novels used in the class confront both historic and current world problems.

For example, Kim Stanley Robinsons "Red Mars" trilogy, according to one review, fundamentally questions the apparent dichotomy between the sciences and culture, the merely human body and a world of technological possibility.

Sound familiar?

It wasnt a science fiction course, Goggin said. We (ASU) already had courses on science fiction. This is kind of like, Hey, this is actually happening. This is happening in real time.

So its both an interrogation, but then also in some cases, celebration of misogyny and racism and colonialism, and things have not changed significantly in terms of some attitudes. So that really was also useful for our students learning in terms of critical analysis or critical thinking.

We titled the course Red Mirror because it was our understanding that Mars serves as a mirror of Earth and earthly society.

Associate ProfessorJoe Lockard

Lockard and Goggin believe using fictional pieces of work emboldens students to speak up about sensitive issues.

When they read Ray Bradbury, theres this great story where all the Black people decide to leave and go to Mars, Lockard said. The N-word is used by the racist whites, and it gives students a chance to dig into that in ways perhaps they may not have felt comfortable doing if it was an actual novel about race. In some ways, it allows for a perhaps less risky reflection.

Said Goggin: I think theres a nice synchronicity there that the students begin to appreciate as they start making those kinds of connections, seeing the critical issues that the literature begins to illustrate for them as they think about actual real-world events.

Although theyre using works of fiction to teach their class, Goggin and Lockard have discovered one thing: They better have their facts straight.

Sometimes you get students who know more about science fiction than you do, Goggin said. Its kind of like a comic-con type of thing. You gotta be on the ball.

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Mars science fiction writing is a 'Red Mirror' to today's world - ASU News Now

The Mars Volta just returned with their first song in a decade, "Blacklight Shine," and news of a reunion tour this fall. They've now added a few new dates to that tour: additional shows in NYC, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Tickets to all dates go on sale Friday, June 24 at 10 AM local, and you can see their updated dates below.

The new NYC show is on September 30 at Terminal 5, the night after the first, on 9/29 at the same venue.

Watch the 11-minute video for "Blacklight Shine," which was directed by guitarist Omar Rodrguez-Lpez, below.

UPDATE (6/24): Second Dallas and Seattle shows added, third LA show added. Updated dates are listed below.

THE MARS VOLTA: 2022 TOUR09/22 Dallas, TX The Factory in Deep Ellum09/23 Dallas, TX The Factory in Deep Ellum09/25 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle09/27 Philadelphia, PA The Metropolitan Opera House09/29 New York, NY Terminal 509/30 New York, NY Terminal 510/01 Boston, MA MGM Music Hall at Fenway10/03 Washington, DC The Anthem10/05 Toronto, ON Massey Hall10/06 Detroit, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre10/08 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom10/11 Denver, CO The Mission Ballroom10/14 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre10/15 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre10/18 San Francisco, CA The Warfield10/19 San Francisco, CA The Warfield10/21 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium10/22 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium10/23 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium

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The Mars Volta add shows to reunion tour - Brooklyn Vegan