A new study is helping to answer a longstanding question that has recently moved to the forefront of earth science: Did our planet make its own water through geologic processes, […]
Astrogeology
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Press Release
What Chemistry Is Rosetta’s Comet Lander Looking For?
Today, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta mission is attempting one of the most ambitious maneuvers in space exploration: to soft-land a robotic probe on a comet for the first […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Beta Pictoris, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Volatile Planetary Evolution and the Possibility of Life
In another step forward in the search for habitable planets, a team of researchers based out of the US and Chile announced that they have located a large swarm of […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Moon, Press Release
Water on the Moon: It’s Been There All Along
Traces of water have been detected within the crystalline structure of mineral samples from the lunar highland upper crust obtained during the Apollo missions, according to a University of Michigan […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors
Mars Icebreaker Life Mission
Missions to Mars have only scratched its surface. To go deeper, scientists are proposing a spacecraft that can drill into the Red Planet to potentially find signs of life.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Meteorites & Asteroids, People Of Astrobiology, Status Report
Dr. David S. McKay Has Passed Away
From the NASA JSC Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate
Posted inAstrogeology, Education and Outreach
Geobiology 2013: An International Training Course in a Rapidly Evolving Field
Applications due: February 15, 2013 In this intense multidisciplinary summer course, June 9 – July 12, explore the coevolution of the Earth and its biosphere, with emphasis on how microbial […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Habitable Zones
Meteorites Most Likely Source of Earth's Water
A new study, supported in part by the NASA Astrobiology Institute, suggests that meteorites and their parent asteroids are the most-likely sources of water on Earth. The research led by […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life
Finding Iron's Role In Life on Early Earth
When life began on Earth, iron may have done the job of magnesium, making life possible. On the periodic table of the elements, iron and magnesium are far apart. But […]
Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Moon, Press Release
NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Reveals Ice Content in Shackleton Crater on the Moon
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft has returned data that indicate ice may make up as much as 22 percent of the surface material in a crater located on the […]