Formulating policies for planetary protection issues and keeping them up-to-date is the responsibility of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) panel on planetary protection. In an article in Frontiers in […]
Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans
Posted inAstrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Mars, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return
NASA Presentation: Exploring Mars Together: Draft for Community Feedback (2023)
Editor’s note: this presentation at NASA was assembled in 2023 prior to the cancellation of the Mars Sample Return Mission. While the notion of returning samples from Mars by NASA […]
Posted inLife Support Systems, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Plant Biology, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Space Physiology & Medicine, Space Stations, Status Report
2022 Annual Highlights of Results from the International Space Station
The 2022 Annual Highlights of Results from the International Space Station is now available. Read about the pioneering discoveries made in life and physical sciences, human health, and new technologies […]
Posted inMissions & Hardware, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
NASA’s Quick Start Guide To Space Station Payload Design
This easy-to-use guide provides best practices and “tricks of the trade” to help the payload developer successfully work with NASA on designing, developing, and flying a payload on the space […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans
Congressional Testimony By Natalie Batalha: Early Science Results for Transiting Exoplanets Observed by JWST
JWST is ushering in a new epoch of exoplanet science that will rewrite textbooks. Progress will stem largely from the characterization of exoplanet atmospheres enabled by JWST technology. Herein, I […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Astrochemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans
Independent Review of the Community Report from the Biosignature Standards of Evidence Workshop
From time immemorial, humanity has asked the question, Are we alone in the universe? Perhaps no scientific discovery would have a greater impact on humanity’s relationship to the cosmos than […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans
Origins, Worlds, and Life: A Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023-2032
“The next decade of planetary science and astrobiology holds tremendous promise. New research will expand our understanding of our solar system’s origins, how planets form and evolve, under what conditions […]
Posted inPanspermia, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans
Sending Life To The Stars
No longer solely in the realm of science fiction, the possibility of interstellar travel has appeared, tantalizingly, on the horizon. Although we may not see it in our lifetimes — […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans
Long-awaited Review Reveals Journey Of Water From Interstellar Clouds To Habitable Worlds
Dutch astronomer Ewine van Dishoeck (Leiden University, the Netherlands), together with an international team of colleagues, has written an overview of everything we know about water in interstellar clouds thanks […]
Posted inPlanetary Protection & Biosafety, Policy, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans
Assessment of the Report of NASA's Planetary Protection Independent Review Board
The goal of planetary protection is to control, to the degree possible, the biological cross-contamination of planetary bodies. Guidelines developed by the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) are used by […]