Europa Clipper’s main science goal is to determine whether there are places below the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa that could support life.
Astrogeology
Posted inAstrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
A Window Into Prebiotic Worlds?
A perspective article published today in Science magazine’s Insights section provides a unique assessment of the study by Dustin Trail and Thomas McCollom contextualizing a new calibration they built to […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs
Accomplishments of the Curiosity Rover’s Chemistry and Mineralogy CheMin Instrument
Minerals are like a time capsule; they provide a record of what the environment was like at the time they formed. Different minerals are linked to different kinds of environments. […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Finding Evidence Of Past Life In Serpentinite Rock
NASA-supported researchers have provided new insights into microorganisms that survive on products from serpentinization reactions.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrogeology, Astronauts and Explorers, Away Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Missions & Hardware, Moon, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Away Team Training: Turning Astronauts Into Planetary Explorers
ESA’s geology training course PANGAEA has come of age with the publication of a paper that describes the quest for designing the best possible geology training for the next astronauts […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Icy Worlds, Interstellar, Press Release
Discovery Of Amorphous Ice May Change Our Understanding Of Water
Researchers at UCL and the University of Cambridge have discovered a new type of ice that more closely resembles liquid water than any other known ices and that may rewrite […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Icy Worlds, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Panspermia, Status Report
New Signatures of Bio-Molecular Complexity in the Hypervelocity Impact Ejecta of Icy Moon Analogues
Impact delivery of prebiotic compounds to the early Earth from an impacting comet is considered to be one of the possible ways by which prebiotic molecules arrived on the Earth.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Jupiter, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Early Water Delivery To Terrestrial Planet Regions During The Stages Of Jupiter’s Formation And Migration In The Grand Tack Model
The formation and subsequent migration of gas giants could significantly affect the material mixing in the Solar System.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Panspermia, Press Release
“Green” Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Full Of Water And Carbon Compounds
“All comets indeed give evidence … of a lot of bad luck, affliction, peril and danger” wrote German author Thomas Hartmann in 1606, reflecting the fact that for a long […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
Isotope Research Shows That Our Solar System Formed From “Poorly Mixed Cake Batter”
Earth’s potassium arrived by meteoritic delivery service finds new research led by Carnegie’s Nicole Nie and Da Wang.