SCI-FI AUTHOR'S PREDICTION OF MARS ICE FIELD COMES TRUE

I got this off USENET . . dunno how to post a link

Rocket River

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 26
February 2005

SCI-FI AUTHOR'S PREDICTION OF MARS ICE FIELD COMES TRUE

Cape Canaveral, FL -- In an eerie case of fact imitating fiction, a key
prediction made by sci-fi author Dennis Chamberland about the location of
ice on Mars was proven correct this week. The European Space Agency
announced February 21 that its Mars Express Spacecraft discovered what
appears to be a subterranean ice field on Mars' Elysium desert, in the exact
position described in Chamberland's book, Abyss of Elysium, published last
year by Quantum Editions.



Mercury Astronaut Scott Carpenter whose comments now appear uncannily
prophetic wrote the Foreword to the 444-page novel. Said Carpenter of the
book; "it is the kind of story that will lead to real life imitating fiction
one day."



"I am just as astonished and excited about this as anyone," Chamberland said
from his home near Cape Canaveral, Florida. "It just seems amazing that the
book and reality came together so precisely. Obviously, I imagined that
many of the elements of the book's fiction could come to pass in the future
but I was surprised that fact and fiction merged so quickly."


Abyss of Elysium is a richly detailed glimpse into the future of Mars
exploration. The novel's plot was written to highlight the rigors and
challenges of setting up a manned outpost tens of millions of miles away
from earth. It is filled not only with the technical challenges but of the
emotional and psychological hurdles future Mars explorers will inevitably
face.



The ESA spacecraft did not take direct pictures of ice, but of surface
features suggestive of ice beneath the sands at the location described in
Chamberland's novel. Two observations imply that the ice is still there.
These findings were presented on 21 February at ESA's Mars Express Science
Conference at ESTEC in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.


"When we go to Mars, as the book states, we will go to where the water is,"
said Chamberland. "We will locate our colonies near the deposits on
purpose. On Mars, water is life. Finding water on Mars is more valuable
than finding gold. It is not just important. It is essential. When we
finally establish a human colony on Mars, it now appears it will be in the
same position as predicted in the story. Of all the places on Mars to find
ice it is amazing to me that we've found it exactly where my book predicted.
Now that's just awesome! Not only have we got a good idea where the water
really is, it appears there will someday be a Martian colony in the exact
same place as it is found in the pages of the book!"


"Dennis, ESA and NASA are focusing on finding the water on Mars, and for
good reason," commented former Skylab Astronaut, Dr. Duane Graveline. "But
the motivation for that search goes far beyond simply finding water
deposits, because it is in the water that we will find the evidence of
ancient life." Graveline is the author of the book "Our Father" which
describes the discovery of subsurface Mars water and living organisms.



For more information on Chamberland's book Abyss of Elysium visit:
www.MarsWars.com


Media Contact: Mark E. Ward, Sci Tek Communications: 407-254-0840,
markeward@aol.com

Media Resources: www.MarsWars.com/media.html