A team of scientists has used NASA’s Goldstone Solar System Radar and the U.S. National Science Foundation Green Bank Telescope (NSF GBT) to carry out the most extensive radar study […]
Europa
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Callisto, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Temperature-programmed Desorption Of SO2 From Water Ice Surfaces: Adsorption Energy Distributions
Context. Sulphur-bearing species play a key role in the chemical evolution of the interstellar medium and icy Solar System bodies such as the Jovian moons, yet the sulphur budget remains […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Probing The Habitability Of Potential Sulfuric Acid Rich Subsurface Lakes In Europa’s Ice Shell Via Saci/STIV Integrated Models
Experimentally modeling the habitability of extreme ocean world conditions, such as those on Jupiter’s moon: Europa, would benefit from integrated microbe-virus model studies to provide both a microbial model and […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Electrical Properties of Icy World Oceans from Laboratory Measurements
Many icy bodies in the Solar System are hypothesized to harbor subsurface liquid-water oceans, with Jupiter’s moon Europa among the most promising for astrobiology research. NASA’s Europa Clipper mission will […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Io, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
SwRI Findings Reconsider The Existence Of Europa’s Vapor Plumes
Looking back at 14 years of Hubble telescope data for Jupiter’s moon Europa has given Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientists a better understanding of its tenuous atmosphere. The findings have […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
A Framework For Evaluating Biosignature Potential Against The Abiotic Baseline On Ocean Worlds
Ocean worlds are considered as targets for life detection missions because they meet several key requirements for habitability. However, identifying potential life on other worlds requires observing clear and unambiguous […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
Two Spacecraft Observed Both Hemispheres Of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Simultaneously
The Southwest Research Institute-led Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) instruments aboard ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) spacecraft and NASA’s Europa Clipper made unique observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS in late 2025. […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Cryobiology, Dione, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Habitable Zones, Hyperion, Iapetus, Icy Worlds, Mimas, Oberon, Status Report, Titan
Quantum Chemical Insights into the Dissociation of Phenol: Shedding Light on Impact Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Icy Moon Exploration
CDA revealed that Enceladus hosts a rich organic and inorganic chemical inventory in its subsurface ocean, hinting at its potential habitability. Analysis of fragmentation patterns with laser desorption experiments for […]
Posted inEnceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Jupiter, Saturn, Status Report, Titan
Ammonia As A Parameter Shaping Habitability On Icy Moons
The search for life now extends beyond the traditional habitable zone to include the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn. These moons feature ice-covered surfaces overlying substantial oceans formed primarily […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Formation And Trapping Of CO2 From Cryogenic Irradiation Of Carbonate
The detection of CO2 on the Jovian satellite Europa by Galileo NIMS and recent mapping of the leading side by JWST has revealed that it is most concentrated in geologically […]