chemical conditions in the collapsing envelope, the formation and evolution of 

 circumstellar disks and protostars, and the interaction of the protostellar wind 

 with the collapsing envelope and the parental molecular cloud. A study of these 

 questions as a function of age of the protostar, coupled with information on the 

 effects on biogenic materials from these environmental factors and the corre- 

 sponding role of biogenic compounds in the collapse process (e.g., as cooling 

 agents), could provide general constraints on the origin of life in other solar 

 systems. In particular, an important question to answer is that of the relative 

 time scales for planet formation, the origin of life, and the decay of the eruptive 

 activity of star formation. It should be repeated here that objects such as HL 

 Tau may provide excellent analogs for studying the early stages of formation of 

 the solar system and the study of astrophysical boundary conditions on the 

 origin of life in planetary systems. 



Although there is secure theoretical support for this global picture of star 

 formation, the observational evidence is rather limited. Astronomers lack an 

 adequate observing tool. In particular, as evidenced by Appendix C, a resolution 

 of about 0.01 arcsec is required to resolve planet formation in the dusty disk 

 around protostars in the Taurus dark cloud, the nearest site of star formation 

 (see fig. 3-3). Such resolution will not be available in the near future. However, a 

 permanent manned presence in Earth orbit, along with construction capabilities, 

 raises the possibility of large arrays of orbiting telescopes. These could easily 

 have baselines capable of resolving planets at 1 AU from their stars. Over the 

 longer term, observing facilities could be placed at a lunar base. 



Detailed studies of collapsing protostars with sufficient spatial and spectral 

 resolution to decipher the chemical and kinetic variations inflicted on the bio- 

 genic elements and compounds as a function of time is essential to understand- 

 ing whether the formation of a protoplanetary system similar to our own proto- 

 solar nebula is a common occurrence in the universe. Further, having formed a 

 protoplanetary system, it is also critically important to understand whether the 

 final stages of the star-formation processes in the center of the nebula have any 

 significant influence over the planet-formation process, and/or the early history 

 of the newly formed planetary surfaces and atmospheres. Observationally, we 

 have recently understood that the star-formation process is far from quiescent, 

 even for the low-mass stars similar to our Sun. What is yet unknown is when the 

 precise epoch of planetary system formation occurs in relation to the energetic 

 outflows and HH object formation and acceleration and the existence of a very 

 large rotating disk system of molecular gas and dust. And how do these various 

 phenomena affect the newly formed planets? What are the signposts of systems 

 that are about to form planets versus those that have already formed planets 

 versus those that never will? Will these planets be like the assemblage in our own 

 solar system? What is the distribution of raw materials from which they can 

 form? In time it may be possible to detect and spectroscopically examine planets 

 in orbit about other stars, as well as any debris left over from the formation of 



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