Any life on Mars in the past, present, or future would have to contend with challenging conditions including, among others, shock waves from meteorite impacts and soil perchlorates—highly oxidizing salts […]
Analog Studies
Posted inAnalog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Reconstructing Jezero Crater’s Paleoenvironment: Insights from Perseverance Rover and Orbital Data
Jezero Crater on Mars is a critical site for investigating ancient aqueous environments due to its preserved delta and lacustrine features.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Production and Preservation of Lipid Biosignatures in SO4-Rich Hypersaline Lakes of the Cariboo Plateau
Modern and ancient hypersaline lakes and oceans have been identified across the solar system, but the habitability and potential of these environments to preserve organic matter remain unknown.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Sample Return
Multi-technique Characterization Of Iron Reduction By An Antarctic Shewanella: An Analog System For Putative Martian Biosignature Identification
Microbes from terrestrial extreme environments enable testing of biosignature production in conditions relevant to astrobiological targets.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Planetary Analog Sites In The Indian Subcontinent And The Indian Ocean: Underexplored Environments Suited For Astrobiological And Space Research
The central objective of astrobiology is to evaluate the habitability of other planetary bodies and given the high cost and logistical complexity of space missions, preliminary investigations of planetary analog […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrogeology, Astronauts and Explorers, Away Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, People Of Astrobiology, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
ESA Offworld Astronaut Cave Exploration Training
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli took pictures of MBRSC astronaut Mohammad AlMulla while he was conducting a microbiological investigation close to the underground base camp in Abel Cave.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Sample Return
Waking Up Microbes Trapped In Permafrost For Up To 40,000 Years
In a new study, a team of geologists and biologists led by CU Boulder resurrected ancient microbes that had been trapped in ice—in some cases for around 40,000 years.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astronauts and Explorers, Away Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
ESA Away Team Training: Underground Microbiology
Ettore Lopo and Marco Vattano, the science team of ESA CAVES 2025 course, explain the latest details of microbiological analyses to astronauts Mohammad AlMulla (MBRSC) and Makoto Suwa (JAXA).
Posted inAnalog Studies, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Assessment Of Methods For Evaluating Structural Stability Of Cell Envelope Fragments In Hypersaline Brines As Biosignatures Of Ancient Microbial Life
The study of biomolecular stability of proteins and lipids in extreme saline environments is critical for understanding the preservation of potential microbial biosignatures of ancient life on Earth and other […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astronauts and Explorers, Away Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, People Of Astrobiology, Status Report
ESA Underground Astronaut Training For Offworld Cave Exploration
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli is ready to descend the active shaft in Abel Cave to reach the underground base camp.