Mars on Earth is the
featured topic at Foothill

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   The club's official renewal period ended at the February 9 general meeting, however it is never too late to send your check. See the membership application form on page 6, and complete it as though you were a new member. Please note that the subscription offers have closed for the year, and are not available for late-renewing members.

Miscellaneous club business

   The board is very close to offering an array of logowear clothing that members may purchase. Expect to hear more about this next month. Likewise, we are drafting a list of accessories to add to the loaner scope program. Watch for details!

   Dr Pascal Lee of the SETI Institute will present "Mars on Earth: Polar Research and the Human Exploration of Mars" on Wednesday, March 7 at 7 p.m. This multi-media presentation is the next installment in the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series at Foothill College, Los Altos Hills. Admission is free, and the public is invited.

   The non-technical program will focus on the huge Haughton impact crater in the high Canadian Arctic, which resembles the surface of Mars in many ways. Canadian expeditions to this remote site can help prepare for eventual trips to Mars. Lee, a scientist and explorer who has led Haughton research teams, will report on their findings and the ways in which their work relates to possible Mars explorations.

   Lee earned advanced degrees in astronomy and space science at Cornell, and spent many years in the Earth's Arctic and Antarctic regions. Among his many other titles, he is chief scientist for the Mars Society's simulated Mars habitat. During 14 months spent in Antarctica, he was part of a team that searched for meteorites (rocks from space) in the most remote frozen regions on the Earth.

   "Mars on Earth" will be presented in the Foothill College Smithwich Theater on the Los Altos Hills campus. From Interstate 280, exit at El Monte Road and travel west to the campus. Plenty of parking is available on site, however, visitors are required to purchase a $2 parking permit. Seating will be on a first-come, first served, basis. Children over 13 are most welcome. Call the series hotline at 650/949-7888 for more information.

   The Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series is sponsored by NASA Ames Research Center, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and SETI Institute.

Dates and deadlines

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