Donald Savage
Headquarters, Washington, DC                      February 9, 1998
(Phone:  202/358-1547)

NOTE TO EDITORS:  N98-12

SYMPOSIUM ON MARS SAMPLE RETURN MISSION AT AAAS MEETING

       What are the benefits of exploring Mars? Is it possible to 
find signs of life using robotic explorers? What are the risks of 
bringing a sample of the Red Planet back to Earth?  These are 
among the issues to be discussed by a panel of scientists, 
including Dr. Wesley T. Huntress, Jr., NASA's Associate 
Administrator of Space Science, at the American Association for 
the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting and Science 
Innovation Exposition in Philadelphia, PA, on Feb. 15, 1998.

       The panel, called "Mars Sample Return Missions: Scientific, 
Technical and Social Challenges," will begin at 3 p.m.  Panelists 
are Dr. Huntress; Dr. Klaus Keil, Professor of Planetary 
Geosciences and Chair, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and 
Planetology, University of Hawaii, Manoa; Dr. Rita R. Colwell, 
President, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, College 
Park, MD;  Dr. Jonathan Y. Richmond, Director, Office of Health 
Safety, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, 
GA; Dr. Margaret S. Race, SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA; and 
Dr. John D. Rummel, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, 
and NASA.

       Following the symposium, the panelists will take part in a 
round-table discussion on the benefits and challenges of Mars 
sample return and will take questions from the audience.

       The AAAS annual meeting is scheduled for Feb. 12-17 at the 
Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.  Reporters can 
register and obtain accreditation at the newsroom, which will be 
located in room 405 in the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel, 1201 
Market St., after it opens on Thursday, Feb. 12.