We publish the first NIR spectra of grain particulate mixtures of water ice, epsomite, and halite at cryogenic temperatures.
Europa
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
New Constraint On Europa’s Ice Shell: Magnetic Signature From The Ocean
Jupiter’s icy moons are believed to host subsurface liquid oceans, and among them, Europa stands out as one of the most promising candidates for extraterrestrial life.
![Left: An interferometer with two antennas, separated by a baseline B and has a time delay between the wavefront reaching the receivers of τg. The fringe pattern is shown, with the Full Width Half Maximum of the correlated signal given by 1.22λ/B [6]. Right: Schematic of the VLBI tracking of spacecraft, with a quasar used for phase-referencing [13]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Implementing-The-PRIDE-Technique.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inCitizen Science / Open Science, Europa, Missions & Hardware, Status Report
Implementing The PRIDE Technique For The JUICE Mission At The University of Tasmania
The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft is a European Space Agency (ESA) mission to study the Jovian system, currently undergoing an eight-year cruise phase.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Parameter Space Exploration of Low-to-moderate-temperature Hydrothermal Systems on Ocean Worlds Using a Monte Carlo Framework
We explore the hydrogeologic and physical conditions necessary to sustain hydrothermal activity within the shallow subseafloors of ocean worlds, exploring wide ranges of multiple parameters using a Monte Carlo framework.
Posted inEuropa, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Venus
Astrobiology Droid Update: Juice Team Resolves Anomaly On Approach To Venus
The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) is on track for its gravity-assist flyby at Venus on 31 August, following the successful resolution of a spacecraft communication anomaly […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Europa, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Jupiter, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Replicating The Flyby Sampling Of Salty Ocean World Ice Grains Using Impact Ionization Mass Spectrometry
The Europa Clipper mission will arrive at the Jovian system in 2030 and analyze ice grains sourced from the icy material on its surface using impact mass spectrometry, which will […]
Posted inEnceladus, Europa, Extinction events, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Impact events, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Impacts on Ocean Worlds Are Sufficiently Frequent and Energetic to Be of Astrobiological Importance
Evidence for the beneficial role of impacts in the creation of urable or habitable environments on Earth prompts the question of whether meteorite impacts could play a similar role at […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Enceladus, Europa, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Slantwise Convection And Heat Transport In The Icy Moon Oceans
Ocean heat transport on icy moons shapes the ice shell topography, a primary observable of these moons. Two key processes control the heat transport: baroclinic instability driven by surface buoyancy […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
Europa Clipper Radar Instrument Proves Itself at Mars
The agency’s largest interplanetary probe tested its radar during a Mars flyby. The results include a detailed image and bode well for the mission at Jupiter’s moon Europa.
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Simulating The Solar System’s Ice Volcanoes In The Lab
Scientists have been able to recreate the extreme conditions found on icy moons in deep space – and revealed the unstable behaviour of water.