Current models of chemical evolution during star and planetary formation rely on the presence of dust grains to act as a third body.
Meteorites & Asteroids
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Impact events, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report
Effect Of A Giant Meteorite Impact On Paleoarchean Surface Environments And Life
Large meteorite impacts must have strongly affected the habitability of the early Earth. Rocks of the Archean Eon record at least 16 major impact events, involving bolides larger than 10 […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
The Origin Of Most Meteorites Finally Revealed
An international team led by three researchers from the CNRS, the European Southern Observatory (ESO, Europe), and Charles University (Czech Republic) has successfully demonstrated that 70% of all known meteorite […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Impact events, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Saudi Arabia Crater Holds Clues For Extraterrestrial Life
In the search for life in space, scientists have studied life in some of the earth’s most extreme environments.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
How Did The Building Blocks Of Life Arrive On Earth?
Researchers have used the chemical fingerprints of zinc contained in meteorites to determine the origin of volatile elements on Earth. The results suggest that without ‘unmelted’ asteroids, there may not […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report
Astromaterials Data Archiving Announcement from the Astromaterials Data System
The Astromaterials Data System (Astromat) is the primary NASA-sponsored archive for laboratory analyses of returned samples (see NASA’s Planetary Science Division’s Information and Data Management Policy Supplement to SPD-41A).
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report
Detections Of Interstellar 2-cyanopyrene And 4-cyanopyrene In TMC-1
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the most ubiquitous compounds in the universe, accounting for up to ~25% of all interstellar carbon. Since most unsubstituted PAHs do not possess permanent […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report
Antarctic Search for Meteorites Program (ANSMET) Report October 2024
Early last February, ANSMET returned home from a short but successful field season: we recovered 208 meteorites in just over two weeks in our first return to Antarctica since the […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Sample Return, Societal Issues, Space Life Science, Status Report
Design, Development, And Operation Of An ISO Class 5 Cleanroom For Planetary Instrumentation And Planetary Protection Protocols
Cleanrooms are controlled environments where the number of airborne particles is reduced to a level defined by an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard. These facilities have applications in different […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Sample Return, Status Report
Variations Of Organic Functional Chemistry In Carbonaceous Matter From The Asteroid 162173 Ryugu
Primordial carbon delivered to the early earth by asteroids and meteorites provided a diverse source of extraterrestrial organics from pre-existing simple organic compounds, complex solar-irradiated macromolecules, and macromolecules from extended […]