![View of the Hindsight application: drive panel synchronization (A) ensures consistent arrangement of data sources. The playhead (B) is accessible across the drive panel, tying all visualizations to the same timestamp. The fault in question is highlighted across data in red via the fault overlay (C). -- [cs.HC]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Hindsight.png?resize=1200%2C723&ssl=1)
[cs.HC] While Mars rover operators plan drives across hazardous Martian terrain and diagnose unexpected faults, the necessary information is distributed across separate systems and often reconstructed through manual correlation and […]
Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry
Posted inPluto
New Horizons Finds Evidence Of Recent Liquid On Pluto’s Surface
[NASA] “Pluto never stops surprising us,” said Alan Stern, principal investigator of New Horizons and lead study author from the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado. “In addition to suggesting […]
Posted inIo
Lava World Recon: Juno Measures Subsurface Temperature Of Io
[SwRI] NASA’s Juno mission has made the first direct measurements of the temperature below the surface of Jupiter’s moon Io, which reveal significant heating in the upper few feet of […]
Posted inMars
Mars Curiosity Blog Sols 4961-4967: Approaching a Break in the Rock Record?
[NASA JPL] Earth planning date: Friday, July 24, 2026
![This global map of Mars (greys) is overlaid with a map of ice “consistency,” C. Values of C near one (dark blue) indicate a high likelihood of ice in three independent mappings. Lower values of C (lighter blues) indicate lower confidence in ice being present, and indicate detection in at least one dataset. The extreme north and south are both rich in ice (dark blues), ice is absent near the equator, and the presence of ice is uncertain (light blues) in the mid-latitude regions best for astronauts. Credit: Morgan & Putzig et al., 2025; Sizemore et al., 2026 -- [PSI]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Laying-Odds.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inMars
Laying Odds On The Potential For Martian Water
[PSI] We know Mars has water ice in its polar regions, but astronauts (and their solar powered equipment!) would much rather experience life closer to Mars’ equator. As NASA looks […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Small-Scale Mineral And Microbial Heterogeneities Near A Fumarole At The Furnas Hydrothermal Zone On The Azores
[Life (Basel)]. The Azores are characterized by intense volcanic activity, creating unique environments such as fumarole sites, where geothermal gases and high temperatures drive distinct chemical and biological processes.
![A close-up of the polygon fractures discovered by NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover highlights their honeycomb-like textures. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS [Larger Image]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Curiosity-Mars.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inMars
Curiosity Mars Rover Discovers A Field Of Honeycomb Textures
[NASA] Mission scientists have never seen so many of the many-sided geologic features in one place on the Red Planet.
Posted inExtinction events
Dinosaur-killing Asteroid Also Created A Dust Cloud That Insulated Earth, Charbroiling Cretaceous Creatures
[Purdue University] Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid about the size of Mount Everest smacked into Earth near where the Yucatan Peninsula is today. That impact created the Chicxulub crater […]
Posted inMars
Current Water Trapping Micro-habitats On The Surface Of Mars
[Science Direct] This paper presents a conceptual model exploring a possible mechanism by which liquid water could potentially be maintained in direct contact with hypothetical microorganisms during warm daytime periods […]
![(A) Summary interpolation of the extent of bedrock geologic units based on in situ mapping. The width of the mapping corridor is ∼120 m. White dots are positions occupied during the traverse for which images are available for mapping. (B) Summary of interpreted stratigraphic relationships between identified lithologic units along the Jezero crater floor traverse (A and B adapted from Crumpler et al., 2023; Fig. 19). (C) Orbital image of Jezero crater floor with the path of the Perseverance overlaid in white. (D) Inset of the crater floor campaign, with all Máaz abrasion patches shown (Guillaumes, Montpezat, Bellegarde, and Alfalfa), and the OEB (Octavia E. Butler) landing site indicated. The Guillaumes and Alfalfa abrasions are highlighted, as they are the focus of this article (altered from NASA). -- [Astrobiology (journal)]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/The-Possible-Aqueous.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inMars
The Possible Aqueous Origins of Manganese Alteration Minerals in the Máaz Formation of Jezero Crater
[Astrobiology (journal)] Home to a lake around 4 billion years ago, Jezero Crater is a unique location to study the interplay between igneous processes and aqueous alteration on ancient Mars.