Update from Dale Andersen: “We are settling in at Lake Untersee now, getting the camp set up. Safety is our number one priority and we need to make sure we […]
Icy Worlds
Posted inDale Andersen's Field Reports
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: 6 November 2026: Setting Up Lake Untersee Basecamp
Keith’s update: Dale Andersen sent an update overnight update to me: “First night at Untersee. All is well after yesterday’s traverse. Now it’s time to get shelter in place – […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine
Scott Base: Lessons For A Mars Exploration Program
[Antarctic Science]. Scott Base is New Zealand’s year-round Antarctic research station, and it provides an operationally established template for designing sustained human presence in extreme, remote environments such as Mars.
Posted inAstrochemistry
Pre-Accretion Formation of Sulfuric Acid in Interstellar Ice Analogs: Implications for Sulfate in Ryugu and Bennu
[The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters] Sulfate-bearing phases and soluble sulfate species, including sodium sulfate (Na2SO4), in carbonaceous asteroids are commonly attributed to parent-body aqueous alteration, yet the formation of […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Microbes Can Grow In Mars-like Conditions. What That Means For The Search For Life
[University of Florida] A new experiment reveals that Earth’s microbes can grow in harsh conditions similar to what may exist just below the surface of Mars, suggesting new directions in […]
Posted inDale Andersen's Field Reports
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: 5 November 2026: Traverse to Lake Untersee
Keith’s note: after a routine traverse along the standard route from Ultima Airbase, Dale Andersen and his team arrived at their base camp location at Lake Untersee, Antarctica. Dale sent […]
Posted inAstrogeology
Using Vibrations To Reveal What Lies Beneath Other Planets’ Surfaces
[Virginia Tech] Modern space exploration hasn’t quite reached Star Trek levels of boldly going where no one has gone before. But if, like the denizens of the USS Enterprise, astronauts […]
Posted inDale Andersen's Field Reports
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: 3 November 2026: Digging Out and Packing Before the Traverse to Lake Untersee
[Dale Andersen]. Hi Keith – We’ve continued our first job of the season which has been digging snow. Drifting snow around the base resulted in quite a few people at […]
Posted inHabitable Zones
A Whole-Earth Simulation Built To Help Find Life On Other Planets
[University of Washington] It’s a dizzyingly busy time for scientists searching for life on distant planets. To date, astronomers have cataloged more than 6,000 planets beyond our solar system and […]
Posted inComets and Asteroids
Uncertainty Estimation of Incoming Comet Trajectories with a Thermophysical Non-gravitational Force Model for Comet Interceptor Encounter Planning
[astro-ph.EP] The European Space Agency Comet Interceptor mission is designed to fly-by an as-yet undetermined incoming long-period or dynamically-new comet, which will require an accurate prediction of its trajectory.