The Planetary Society
65 N. Catalina Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91106-2301 (626) 793-5100 Fax (626)
793-5528
E-mail: tps@planetary.org Web: http://planetary.org
Louis Friedman, Executive Director of The Planetary Society, issued the
following statement regarding the NASA announcement about possible liquid
water on the surface of Mars:
“The apparent discovery of evidence for liquid water close to the surface
of Mars is enormously exciting. If this liquid water has broken through to
the surface in the relatively recent past, as is now suggested, it changes
our understanding of Mars profoundly.
“The possibility of life in the martian subsurface is now even more
credible, and the implications for future robotic and human exploration are
exciting. The question of life __ past, present and future __ dominates the
public interest in Mars. NASA and Malin Space Science Systems are to be
commended for making available the unprecedented amount of mission data,
some 27000 images, that led to this discovery. We hope space programs, not
only NASA’s but around the world, can respond to this public interest.”
THE PLANETARY SOCIETY
Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray and Louis Friedman founded the Society in 1980 to
advance the exploration of the solar system and to continue the search for
extraterrestrial life. With 100,000 members in over 140 countries, the
Society is the largest space interest group in the world. Dr. Friedman is
the former head of the Mars Program at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
For more information or to schedule an interview with Dr. Friedman, please
contact Susan Lendroth at (626) 793-5100 ext. 214 or by e-mail at
susan.lendroth@planetary.org.
