In the movies, humans often fear invaders from Mars. These days, scientists are more concerned about invaders to Mars, in the form of micro-organisms from Earth. Three recent scientific papers […]
Panspermia
Posted inAstrochemistry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia
Vitamin B3 Might Have Been Made in Space, Delivered to Earth by Meteorites
Ancient Earth might have had an extraterrestrial supply of vitamin B3 delivered by carbon-rich meteorites, according to a new analysis by NASA-funded researchers. The result supports a theory that the […]
Posted inPanspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety
Could Life Hitch a Ride to Saturn and Jupiter?
A new study supported by the NASA Astrobiology Institute suggests that the possibility of life being transferred from the inner solar system to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, although […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Panspermia
Nature's Starships: Observed Abundances and Relative Frequencies of Amino Acids in Meteorites
The class of meteorites called carbonaceous chondrites are examples of material from the solar system which have been relatively unchanged from the time of their initial formation. These meteorites have […]
Posted inIcy Worlds, Panspermia
Life Could Have Hitched a Ride to Outer Planet Moons
Life on Earth or Mars could have been brought to the moons of Jupiter or Saturn on rocks blasted off those planets, researchers say. These findings suggest if scientists ever […]
Posted inIcy Worlds, Panspermia
Seeding Life on the Moons of the Outer Planets via Lithopanspermia
Material from the surface of a planet can be ejected into space by a large impact, and could carry primitive life forms with it. We performed n-body simulations of such […]
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety
Could Life Have Survived a Fall to Earth?
It sounds like science fiction, but the theory of panspermia, in which life can naturally transfer between planets, is considered a serious hypothesis by planetary scientists. The suggestion that life […]
Posted inMissions & Hardware, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report
NASA Policy Directive: NPD 8020.7G Biological Contamination Control for Outbound and Inbound Planetary Spacecraft
NPD 8020.7GEffective Date: February 19, 1999Expiration Date: February 19, 2018 Subject: Biological Contamination Control for Outbound and Inbound PlanetarySpacecraft (Revalidated 05/17/13 w/change 1)
Posted inMissions & Hardware, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Policy, Sample Return, Status Report
NASA Policy Instruction NASA Policy on Planetary Protection Requirements for Human Extraterrestrial Missions – NPI 8020.7 – NPD 8020.7G
In May 2012, the Planetary Protection Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC) Science Committee formulated a recommendation that NASA Procedural Requirements (NPR) be developed for planetary protection on human […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Impact events, Moon, Panspermia, Press Release
Building Blocks of Early Earth Survived Collision That Created Our Moon
Unexpected new findings by a University of Maryland team of geochemists show that some portions of the Earth’s mantle (the rocky layer between Earth’s metallic core and crust) formed when […]