NASA’s Mars 2020 mission has initiated collection of samples from Mars’ Jezero Crater, which has a wide range of ancient rocks and rock types from lavas to lacustrine sedimentary rocks. […]
Sample Return
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Sampling Mars: Geologic Context and Preliminary Characterization of Samples Collected by the NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission
The NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission has collected samples of rock, regolith, and atmosphere within the Noachian-aged Jezero Crater, once the site of a delta-lake system with a high […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release, Sample Return
NASA Media Briefing On OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Mission Findings
NASA will brief media at 11 a.m. EST Wednesday, Jan. 29, to provide an update on science results from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith […]
![(A) X-ray fluorescence composite map. Red color shows P abundance, green shows Mg abundance, and blue shows Si abundance. White circles outline areas analyzed by ACRONM. White arrows indicate matrix and clasts that contain nanometer-to-micrometer scale phosphate detectable by EDX-TEM only [shown in (B)].](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Inorganic-Interpretation-of-Luminescent.png?resize=1200%2C721&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Inorganic Interpretation of Luminescent Materials Encountered by the Perseverance Rover on Mars
A major objective of the Mars 2020 mission is to sample rocks in Jezero crater that may preserve organic matter for later return to Earth.
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Commercial & Private Sector, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Sample Return
Extremophile Spinoffs: Bioactive Compounds Identified In Bacteria From The Andes
An article published in the journal Scientific Reports describes how researchers analyzed biofilm produced by bacteria found in the El Medano hot springs, located in Chile in the central Andes, […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Icy Worlds, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Microbial Diversity Discovered In Lake Enigma, Antarctica
Scientists have discovered a thriving microbial ecosystem beneath 14 metres of ice covering Antarctica’s Lake Enigma, a previously thought-to-be entirely frozen lake.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Icy Worlds, Mars, Sample Return, Status Report
Earth to Mars: A Protocol for Characterizing Permafrost in the Context of Climate Change as an Analog for Extraplanetary Exploration
Permafrost is important from an exobiology and climate change perspective. It serves as an analog for extraplanetary exploration, and it threatens to emit globally significant amounts of greenhouse gases as […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Sample Return, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Calorimetric Measurement Of Energy And Nutrient Stimulation Of Microorganisms From The Continental Deep Subsurface
Microbial activity in the deep continental subsurface is difficult to measure due to low cell densities, low energy fluxes, cryptic elemental cycles and enigmatic metabolisms. Nonetheless, direct access to rare […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Sample Return, Status Report
Geochemical Context for Hydrothermal Organic Molecules In Mars-analogue Samples From Earth
Hydrothermal environments—where chemical interactions between heated water and rock take place—are of great interest for astrobiology as they may create habitable environments and preserve signs of life.
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Radiation, Sample Return, Status Report
Active Plasma Sterilizer For Planetary Protection And Contamination Control For Space Missions
This paper introduces a novel, compact plasma sterilization system, the Active Plasma Sterilizer (APS), for planetary protection space missions.