The IMEWG (International Mars Exploration Working Group) is planning to stand up a sub-working group to identify international science and planetary protection goals and scope priorities in the upcoming transition […]
Planetary Protection & Biosafety
Posted inDesert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Mars Rover Sample Processing
The Rosalind Franklin rover’s drill has a maximum reach of two metres – deeper than any other mission has ever attempted on the Red Planet. This depth allows access to […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Extremophile Hotspots Linked To Containerized Industrial Waste Dumping In A Deep-sea Basin
Editor’s note: Over the past several decades our definition of “life as we know it” on Earth has undergone a paradigm shift as we have discovered various “extremophiles” living in […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Away Team Sample Return And Tracking: Physical Sample Tracking And Attribution In Earth And Environmental Sciences
Physical samples and their associated data and metadata underpin scientific discoveries across disciplines and can enable new science when appropriately archived. However, there are significant gaps in current practices and […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Desorption of Terrestrial Noble Gases in Mars 2020 Sample Tubes: Implications for Mars Sample Return
The Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign aims to collect and transport to Earth samples of martian atmosphere contained in sample tubes onboard the Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance. Understanding and mitigating […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Meteorites & Asteroids, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Status Report
Infall And Disk Processes – The Message From Meteorites
How do planetary systems, in general, and our own Solar System (SS), in particular, form? In conjunction, Astronomy and Isotope Cosmochemistry provide us with powerful tools to answer this age-old […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Habitable Zones, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs
Perseverance Rover Uncovers Clues To Ancient Martian Chemistry
NASA’s Perseverance Rover spent three years exploring the floor of Jezero Crater, located just north of the Martian equator.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release
Rosalind Franklin Astrobiology Rover May Find Martian Biosignatures Uncovered By Rockfalls And Ancient Floods
The Rosalind Franklin mission’s chance of finding evidence of past life on Mars has been boosted by two studies that show that the rover won’t have to travel far to […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Who Are The Space Invaders? Planetary Protection And The Role of Biological Interactions Between Extraterrestrial And Terrestrial Biospheres
Exploring our solar system and returning pieces of it to Earth is a central part of the existential quest to search for life beyond our home planet.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Life Support Systems, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Planetary Protection Knowledge Gap Closure Enabling Crewed Missions to Mars
As focus for exploration of Mars transitions from current robotic explorers to development of crewed missions, it remains important to protect the integrity of scientific investigations at Mars, as well […]