"Must extraterrestrial intelligent life be carbon-based, or can we expect different kinds of life for intelligence?"
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Early Earth Focus Group Activities
2006
Generation of initial science results from the Deep Time Drilling Project
This activity focused on geochemistry and geobiology of the McRae Shale in the Hamersley drill core. This core arrived at ASU in September, 2005. Due to damage during shipping, samples had to be carefully repacked. The core was available for sampling, in a suitably-equipped laboratory, beginning in January, 2006, at which time a PIs workshop was held at ASU. High stratigraphic resolution samples were obtained and characterized for stable isotopes and elemental abundances. Initial results were presented at the 2006 AbSciCon and submitted to the 2006 GSA meeting.
2005
The Early Earth Focus Group sponsored a joint NAI-NSF workshop on Deep Time Drilling at the Earth System Processes conference in Calgary, Canada, in August, 2005. This workshop was attended by ~ 50 people, including administrators from both organizations. Attendees provided overviews of ongoing and planning drilling projects and discussed the potential for collaborative efforts between the agencies, particularly with regard to sample storage, curation and distribution.
With the creation of the ADP, the “operational” aspects of the focus group are being relocated to an administrative committee (the Astrobiology Steering Committee) overseen by the NAI Director. This is an appropriate evolution, the net result of which will be that the future activities of the focus group will center on advisory/outreach functions rather than “mission planning”. Consequently, it was proposed that the name of the group change from “ Mission to Early Earth Focus Group” to “Early Earth Focus Group.” The future activities of this refocused focus group remain to be developed.
2004
2004 was dominated by preparations for the drilling activities of the Deep Time Drilling Project field expedition to Western Australia . EEFG continued work with the NAI Director to develop the ADP as a program that will facilitate both sampling and outreach to the broader astrobiology community
2003
The primary activity was the development of plans to integrate the planned drilling activities of the EEFG into the ADP of the NAI. The latter program is in many ways an outgrowth of the EEFG’s activities. It will serve as an “umbrella” for collaborative early Earth sampling activities under NAI auspices. Focus Group leadership also played a key role in formulating policies for the ADP.
2002
A formal proposal for funding of the pilot project was submitted to the NAI and an update of the projects plans were provided at a “break out” session at the Astrobiology Science Conference. EEFG Initiated exploration of collaboration with researchers in Russia and Finland to sample sediments from the early Proterozoic. Discussions were initiated at the Russian Astrobiology Workshop in March and during the visit to Finland in June 2002.
2001
The major activity was a field expedition to Western Australia in the summer of 2001. The primary goals were to 1) obtain samples from the earliest geologic record ( Jack Hills region) and 2) to become familiar with the local stratigraphy and astrobiologically-relevant localities in order to develop concepts for a pilot astrobiology drilling project (Pilbara region).
