Barry wrote: The concept of an expanding Earth is a fascinating theory and since it has not been disproven, is a valid scientific question. Your lack of scientific curiousity about any new scientific theories show beyond a shadow that you are incapable of ever becoming a scientist. Also, your fantasies and constant pretending running around in canvas and duct tape space suits says everyhting that needs to be said about you dioesn't it? Been playing Mr. Mars Man in Utah lately?

Chris writes: It's not a new theory and requires the creation of matter or some other improbable method of injecting matter into the earth.

BTW, Mark has never been involved in a MDRS Simulation and has told you so many times yet you ask him this all the time. Memory disorder?

Barry wrote: Talk about lame science....take that back, its theatre and publicity stunts, not science. Show me one scientific paper that has come from your duct tape and canvas space suit "research"? Come to think of it, I saw a episode once of the Three Stooges go to Mars. They had on fake space suits made out of canvas too. So there, you have an analogy now for what you feel is important.

Chris writes: I've posted here abstracts coming out of MDRS and FMARS some of which have been in peer reviewed scientific journals and when I did Ed your "ami affectueux" tried to suggest we were a cargo cult. I could provide a sample of 30 some odd papers written concerning work being done at MDRS and FMARS. Not that it matters in short order you will again post nonsense and claim there is no science being done by the Mars Society. Barry you are dishonest or have a very bad memory. Which is it?

Here is part of an abstract from a PDF. Note the references to other pervious works by Clancey and others...

Principles for Integrating Mars Analog Science, Operations, and Technology Research
William J. Clancey, PhD
Chief Scientist, Human-Centered Computing NASA-Ames Research Center Computational Sciences Division MS 269-3, Moffett Field, CA 94035
Workshop on Analog Sites and Facilities for the Human Exploration of the Moon and Mars
May 21-23, 2003, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO

Abstract

During the Apollo program, the scientific community and NASA used terrestrial analog sites for understanding planetary features and for training astronauts to be scientists. Human factors studies (Harrison, Clearwater, & McKay 1991; Stuster 1996) have focused on the effects of isolation in extreme environments. More recently, with the advent of wireless computing, we have prototyped advanced EVA technologies for navigation, scheduling, and science data logging (Clancey 2002b; Clancey et al., in press). Combining these interests in a single expedition enables tremendous synergy and authenticity, as pioneered by Pascal Lee’s Haughton-Mars Project (Lee 2001; Clancey 2000a) and the Mars Society’s research stations on a crater rim on Devon Island in the High Canadian Arctic (Clancey 2000b; 2001b) and the Morrison Formation of southeast Utah (Clancey 2002a). Based on this experience, the following principles are proposed for conducting an integrated science, operations, and technology research program at analog sites:

1. Authentic work: The single, most important aspect of integrated research is involving human factors and technology developers in actual work settings, where planetary scientists are confronted with significant logistic difficulties. Thus real issues are identified and prioritized, and work system design
is treated holistically (not just as a technology problem).

2. PI-based projects: Experience at FMARS and MDRS suggests that use of analog facilities be organized around projects led by independently funded principal investigators. Each “rotation” pays for its own operations and shares facility overhead. Over time, institutional committees might actively seek to shape the facility and attract particular kinds of research (e.g., include a greenhouse and waste water recycling system).

3. Unencumbered baseline studies: Human exploration research begins by living and working with scientists who use conventional tools and methods, to identify practices that may be hindered in planetary environments, and hence identify issues requiring new work practices (e.g., the inability to draw maps when wearing spacesuit gloves).

4. Closed simulations: Research stations at analog sites (e.g., FMARS, MDRS) enable simulations in which a crew lives and works in isolation (only email contact) over extended periods, doing authentic, PI-based work, in both baseline and encumbered modes (e.g., wearing heavy suits with gloves). Thus, a integrated study is possible with a mix of maintenance tasks, sampling and laboratory analysis, reporting, recreation, etc., so the interactions of available space, schedules, roles, tools, etc. can be studied. 5. Observation and documentation: The basic method of study is observing as a participant (“participant observation,” Greenbaum & Kyng 1991), combining field notes, photography, surveys, interviews, and systematic recording using time-lapse video, audio, movement tracking, etc. (Clancey, 1999; 2001a; 2002c).

--Chris Vancil