NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has recorded the sounds of electrical discharges —sparks — and mini-sonic booms in dust devils on Mars. Long theorized, the phenomenon has now been confirmed through […]
Desert Worlds
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Fossils & Paleontology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering
Mapping Mars’ Large River Drainage Systems For The First Time
Billions of years ago, it rained on Mars. The water collected in valleys and rivers, filled and spilled over the rims of craters, and was funneled into canyons, perhaps even […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering
The Role Of Extremophile Microbiomes In Terraforming Mars
Terraforming Mars toward sustainable life-supporting ecosystems poses unprecedented challenges. Extremophilic microbes, which thrive in Earth’s most extreme environments, offer promising biological strategies for initial Mars colonization providing tools for resource […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Desert Worlds, Icy Worlds, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Terraforming & Geoengineering
Mars South Pole: Suspected Underground Lake Is Probably A Layer Of Rock And Dust
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has revisited and raised new questions about a mysterious feature buried beneath thousands of feet of ice at the Red Planet’s south pole. In a […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Geochemical Mobility of Elements in Antarctic Environments Affected by CO2-Rich Hydrothermal Fluids: Astrobiological Implications
Hydrothermal systems are widespread in our solar system. Identification of alteration mineral assemblages on Mars and potentially in ocean worlds such as Enceladus suggests the existence of extensive hydrothermal fluid-igneous […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Icy Worlds, Life Support Systems, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Sample Return, Status Report
Desert Cyanobacteria Under Non-Earth Conditions: Implications For Astrobiology And Sustainable Life Support
The astonishing capability of life to adapt to extreme conditions provides a new perspective on what habitable means.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report
Seasonal and Diurnal Variability of Atmospheric Pressure in Jezero Crater, Mars, from MEDA Measurements on the Perseverance Rover
We present an analysis of atmospheric pressure variability inside Jezero Crater on Mars based on measurements from the MEDA meteorological station aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover.
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors
Evidence Of Ancient Underground Water Reveals Mars May Have Stayed Habitable Longer Than Believed
Scientists from New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) have uncovered new evidence that water once flowed beneath the surface of Mars, revealing that the planet may have remained habitable for […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Desert Worlds, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Status Report
Frosty Alcoves Viewed On Kaiser Crater Dunes On Mars
Kaiser Crater hosts a large field of sand dunes. Every winter the dunes are covered with a layer of seasonal carbon dioxide ice (dry ice). In early spring the ice […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Icy Worlds, Mars, Status Report
A Look At The Icy Terrain In The South Polar Region Of Mars
The High Resolution Stereo Imaging camera on board ESA’s Mars Express captured this frosty scene in the Ultimi Scopuli region near the south pole of Mars on 19 May 2022.