One of the most important jobs of the Chief Scientist of the Mars Program at JPL is figuring out what kind of future missions should be developed. To assist Dr. Dan McCleese as part of that process, I have created at least a hundred different images. A few of them have found their way into the public's view so here's a link:

"AstroCorbiologist" visiting Mono Lake, California, August, 2000

Mono Lake is beautiful lake but is an extreme environment for life to cope with. The lead JPL astrobiologist Ken Nealson has conducted research at Mono Lake so I couldn't pass up the chance to get a closeup look. If you're curious about the strange shapes out in the lake, you'd really enjoy seeing them for yourself. They're strangely-shaped tufa formations. It's a good place for an out-of-this-world experience but don't drink the water! It's super-alkaline.

My rock collecting expedition to South Greenland, summer, 2004

Greenland is an astrobiologist's dream - a land of extreme temperatures and lichen beyond imagination. I was fascinated at how alive it was - in the middle of summer, at least. I actually went swimming in a Greenlandic lake and have pictures to prove it! The unusual illness I got while I was there might have come from the lake - my doctor said they hadn't seen a case of it in their entire career. No one else caught it but me and I was the only one that went in the lake. I'm OK now but that extreme "life on the edge" experience taught me to be more careful when you are the first person to ever swim in a particular lake, especially in Greenland. Science doesn't really know what might be lurking in there. Click on the Greenlands pic above for the story of my participation in GeoAdventure 2004. Next big trip for is an expedition to South Africa and Namibia. That part of the world is so scientifically rich that I can't even begin to tell you!