Desert Worlds Archives

Location of all three MET stations, Lake Fryxell (LF), Explorer Cove (EC) and Marble Point (MP). The site investigated by Büdel et al. (2008) is marked as B. Note the proximity of Lake Fryxell and Explorer Cove to the Büdel site (all within the MDV inland) and the coastal location of the Marble Point -- Springer Nature via PubMed

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Dew And Frost Do Not Serve As Water Sources For Rock-dwelling Organisms In The Dry Valleys Of Antarctica

by Keith CowingMay 4, 2026May 4, 2026

Rock-dwelling chlorolichens and cyanobacteria provide most of the total biomass of the ice-free zone of Antarctica, i.e., the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), and yet, the water sources of MDV are […]

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report

Astrobiological Implications of Lava Flows Superposed on Martian Glaciers

by Keith CowingMay 4, 2026May 4, 2026

Volcanic eruptions and glacial ice have occurred at virtually all latitudes and altitudes throughout Mars history.

Thermal evolution of a 1 M⊕ model with no atmosphere (top row) and a model with a thin 0.01% H-He by mass atmosphere/envelope.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Desert Worlds, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Ice Giant, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

ORCHARD: A General Planetary Evolution Code

by Keith CowingApril 30, 2026April 30, 2026

We present ORCHARD, a publicly available planetary evolution code based on the gas giant evolution code, APPLE, capable of modeling the evolution and structures of terrestrial, super-Earth, sub-Neptune, Neptune, and […]

SEM images demonstrating the morphological changes of A. calidoustus conidia during exposure to SMC (irradiation, atmosphere, regolith, and cooling). White arrows indicate intact conidia, red arrows indicate lysed conidia, and yellow arrows indicate soil particles. Scale bar equals 5 µm. -- Environmental Microbiology

Analog Studies, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Radiation, Space Life Science, Status Report

Survival Of NASA-cleanroom Microbial Isolates Under Simulated Space And Martian Conditions

by Keith CowingApril 28, 2026April 28, 2026

Planetary protection hinges on understanding microbial survival following reduction procedures, the stressors of space travel, and exposure to extraterrestrial environmental conditions. This study identified 23 fungal strains isolated from NASA […]

TOP - NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover captured this 360-degree view of a region filled with low ridges called boxwork formations between Nov. 9 and Dec. 7, 2025. At 1.5 billion pixels, this is one of the largest panoramas Curiosity has ever taken. Larger image BOTTOM - NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover captured this 360-degree panorama of a region nicknamed “Crocodile Bridge” on the rim of Jezero Crater. This region holds some of the oldest rocks anywhere in the solar system. Larger image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return

NASA’s Perseverance, Curiosity Panoramas Capture Two Sides of Mars

by Keith CowingApril 28, 2026April 28, 2026

NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers have captured two 360-degree landscapes that highlight how the missions are revealing details of the Red Planet’s formation, watery past, and potential for life (astrobiology).

Compilation of the seasonal variation of the maximum (red markers), minimum (blue markers), and average (green markers) temperatures inside CheMin based on interior platinum resistance thermocouple number 2615 data including all drill holes up to “Kings Canyon” (sol 4266). Diurnal maximum ground temperatures for the first 2500 sols reported by Martínez et al. (2021) are plotted as gray circles. -- JGR Planets

Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report

Rover-Induced Mineral Transformations: Extent of the Effect for the Mars Science Laboratory and Opportunities for Future Landed Mission

by Keith CowingApril 27, 2026April 27, 2026

X-ray amorphous sulfate hydrates are a substantial component (up to 23 wt%) of the sedimentary rocks and sands analyzed to date by the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover at Gale […]

(A) Map of the study area within the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert. Salar Grande is outlined by the white dashed line. The star depicts the sampling location. (B) Photo of two halite nodules analyzed in this study. Arrows in the inset show chlorophyll-colored bands indicative of the endolithic community. -- Astrobiology via Sage

Analog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

The Lipidome of a Mars Analog Poly-Extreme Community in Atacama Halite Endolith: Chemotaxonomy, Lipid Adaptation, and Implications for the Search for Extraplanetary Biosignatures

by Keith CowingApril 27, 2026April 27, 2026

We analyzed the lipidome of the endolithic community in halite nodules from Salar Grande in the hyperarid Atacama Desert, which is considered an analog for martian subsurface environments.