LETTERS

THE SECRETS OF MARS

"The Martian air force will now undoubtedly claim that Pathfinder is a weather balloon it intentionally dropped from the sky." KEN LEVIN Novato, Calif.

Three cheers for Yankee ingenuity! I never thought landing on Mars [SPACE, July 14] could launch such brilliant feelings of national pride. Never mind the cost-efficient design, bouncing-ball landing and extraordinary photographs. The real story here is that Americans love a challenge. These young rocket scientists more than met our expectations with their beautiful and simple solutions--which were inexpensive to boot. NASA has reaffirmed my belief that its programs are worthy of my tax dollars. ANDREA L. MILLER Northport, N.Y.

The great adventure on Mars is something less than cutting-edge science. With all the hype, you would think something new is going on. What a farce! This is another public relations ploy. No new technology has been developed on this project. The information to be gained is of marginal use to society or science. We already have in hand a sample of rock from Mars in the form of a meteorite. Why go there to get others? Ten more trips are planned. Was that earlier Mars rock another fraud foisted on the public to keep interest in NASA alive so that its funding would be secure? NASA needs to refocus its efforts. ALLEN CRAIG FLETCHER Vero Beach, Fla.

One thing is clear. Mars is a dead planet. The most important thing we learn from the Mars exploration is that good planets are hard to find. We must take care of the one we have. SEIFU HAILU Boston

The most profound of all mysteries is how NASA has managed to persuade the government to continue funding the insanity of space exploration while it cuts essential services to here-and-now Americans. We have no compelling evidence of life beyond our own, and far from proving to the Martians that life on Earth is intelligent, the Pathfinder mission can only have the reverse effect on any aliens that might be busily tracking our activities from their UFOs. FAY KNIGHT Saratoga, Calif.

Overpopulation, overdevelopment, herbicides, pesticides, deforestation, poaching, rampant pollution--and let's not forget we on Earth haven't the foggiest idea how to dispose of spent nuclear fuel safely. Just think, in 20 years or less, we'll have our very own Mars! CHERYL Y. ESBENSHADE Lancaster, Pa.

There's no such thing as an earthquake on Mars. It's a marsquake. BRUCE CARLETON JR. Henniker, N.H.

IN THE COSMIC NEIGHBORHOOD

Roger Rosenblatt's conclusion on the basis of the Pathfinder mission to Mars [VIEWPOINT, July 14] is: "We are alone in the universe." That makes about as much sense as saying, "There are no elephants in my backyard; therefore there are no elephants elsewhere." Based on the two planets we know best, you could say there's a 50% chance of finding life on any given planet. Common sense and mathematics dictate that in a universe of trillions of star systems, the conditions for life could be rare and still occur millions of times. If it could happen here, we can be sure it has happened elsewhere. ANNIE GOTTLIEB New York City

We seem to be losing our childlike sense of wonder, curiosity and inquiry. The drive to produce, compete and conquer hardens us to the mysteries of life and the universe. The amazing achievement of Pathfinder, as well as other space missions, ought to reawaken in us that lost sense of wonder, awe and reverence. Rather than feeling cosmic loneliness, I for one sense a deeper, more abiding connection with the universe in all its mystery, which is still unfolding and is unending. DAVID T. MAYSCHAK Wasilla, Alaska

AN END TO POLITICAL ADS

In his plan to fix the problems of campaign financing [NATION, July 14], top G.O.P. fund raiser Wayne Berman omitted the most urgently needed reform: a ban on all paid political advertising, which would remove the burden on both political parties of coping with skyrocketing advertising costs. Let the networks, at their own discretion, provide free time for the important debates. An end to advertising would halt the need for soft and hard money and the obscene kind of influence peddling it engenders. And it would be a blessing to America's TV audience, sickened by nauseating political ads. GENE GRAMM New York City

GOODBYE TO A WONDERFUL FELLA

For me, Christmas isn't Christmas until I've watched (and cried at the end of) It's a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart [APPRECIATION, July 14]. And no imaginary friend seems so real as the invisible rabbit Harvey. Stewart has been my favorite for years, and as you pointed out, his life both on and off the screen has been a reason for high admiration for this actor. I will miss him. MAVIS MOON San Jose, Calif.

I was gratified that you acknowledged Stewart's personal character in addition to his wonderful acting ability. From It's a Wonderful Life we learned that when a bell rings, it means an angel has just got his wings. The day Stewart passed away the whole world heard a bell ring! He will be greatly missed. TIFFANY L. CONSOER Fort Myers, Fla.

Not enough can be said about Jimmy Stewart's integrity, his character and the way he lived his life in an age of material values and misplaced priorities. There will never be another like him. JILL PASSALACQUA Woodside, Calif.

THAT SICKENING FIGHT

The opportunity to make millions of dollars by entertaining sports fans is a privilege, not a right, and moral principles should be part of it. Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier are real role models. Show the nonconformists like Mike Tyson [SPORT, July 14], Dennis Rodman and Roberto Alomar that when you are given this privilege and you lose control and "snap," you permanently lose the opportunity to compete. Teach these bad apples a lesson they can never forget: one snap and you're out. It would be a good lesson too for all the kids who look up to and admire these athletes. GEORGE RODRIGUEZ Great Neck, N.Y.

Evander Holyfield created undue advantage for himself in the very early rounds of the fight through a head butt. No matter how it is masked, a head butt is a foul in the boxing arena. Tyson, through his biting actions, was simply saying, "Hey, friend! If you want to fight, please, let's fight clean. I'm not going to fold my arms and let you take me out with unfair tactics." It takes courage to do what Tyson did. In our society, it has become clear that the opposite of courage is not cowardice but conformity. IKECHUKWUE IBENEGBU Columbus, Ohio

JOBS AT HOME FOR FERGIE?

With many qualified spokespeople to host a TV show in the U.S., why would ABC sign Sarah Ferguson to be an anchor [PEOPLE, July 14]? When she did the cranberry-juice commercial on television, people in my neighborhood could not understand what the Duchess of York was saying, so they did not buy the product. ABC should be ashamed even to consider her. What's wrong with Fergie's getting jobs at home? MARY G. WEAVER Chester, Va.

NEW GUARD IN HONG KONG

I am a tour escort and accompany groups to Asia on a regular basis. I don't believe that people in Hong Kong wanted their island to be returned to China [ONE COUNTRY, MANY SYSTEMS, June 30]. Satisfaction with the handover was certainly not the feeling I heard expressed when I talked to Hong Kong residents shortly after the decision to return the island had been made. The Chinese know all too well what happens to dissidents. The closer it got to the deadline for the handover, the more people were afraid to express their true feelings to strangers and in front of TV cameras. If Hong Kong had not been a British colony, it would most likely be a typical Chinese city today: shoddily built and polluted, instead of the clean, architectural showpiece it is. NAME WITHHELD ON REQUEST San Diego

A BIGGER NATO

NATO's expansion toward Russia's borders is a provocative act that proves the West's cold war mentality is still very much alive [WORLD, July 14]. How would Americans feel if Russia entered into a broader military alliance with Mexico and stationed troops and equipment south of the Rio Grande? JOHN J. MOELAERT Victoria, B.C.

I am fearful about the security of the newly independent Central and East European nations in the critical struggle for their democratic transformation if they are left in the "wilderness" outside NATO. They are ripe for possible intimidation and exploitation. Realistically, it is too early to bet on Russia's success in creating democratic institutions that will guarantee a break with the Soviet past. There is still too much of a mentality that craves a controlling God-like figure, as opposed to individual freedom and free enterprise, the basis of a democracy. nato is much more than a military alliance that reacts to threats. It is an active, positive force that allows nations to become democracies, the best guarantee of peace. A democratic Russia has nothing to fear from NATO,expanded or otherwise. A Russia bent on following its Soviet past, however, should be limited in its scope of aggression. KALMAN NEMETH Harwinton, Conn.