Hydrogen-producing hydrothermal systems in the deep ocean are rare but critical to understanding Earth’s internal processes and the conditions that may have fostered life’s origins.
Unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS) technology on Earth has become increasingly prevalent and accessible, and for extraterrestrial applications, the Ingenuity helicopter has proven the viability of flight on Mars.
Space missions or spacecraft equipment destined for sensitive environments, such as Mars, Europa, or Enceladus, are required to be designed to avoid forward contamination.
A Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) review of data collected from near-Earth asteroids Bennu and Ryugu supports the hypothesis that they were originally part of the Polana collisional family in the […]
In 2024, NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance collected an unusual rock sample. The rock, named Sapphire Canyon, features white, leopardlike spots with black borders within a red mudstone and might hold […]
They’ve survived for billions of years in boiling acid, deep-sea vents and salt flats. Now, some of Earth’s oldest life forms — microbes called Archaea — are offering a new […]
The Europa Clipper mission will arrive at the Jovian system in 2030 and analyze ice grains sourced from the icy material on its surface using impact mass spectrometry, which will […]
Future planetary exploration missions will rely heavily on efficient human–robot interaction to ensure astronaut safety and maximize scientific return.
The detection of viable life is a key objective for both in situ astrobiological experiments on extraterrestrial bodies, and for planetary protection protocols on Earth following sample return.
The Extraterrestrial Materials Analysis Group (ExMAG) meeting is scheduled for September 15–19, 2025, at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) in Houston, Texas.
