One way in which we can attempt to relate chemical pathways to geochemical environments is by studying the kinetics of a given sequence of reactions and identifying the conditions under […]
Sample Return
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report
Profiling Near-Surface Winds On Mars Using Attitude Data From Mars 2020 Ingenuity
We used attitude data from the Mars Ingenuity helicopter with a simple steady-state model to estimate windspeeds and directions at altitudes of 3 meters up to 24 meters, the first […]
Posted inExploration Gear & Tech, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return
Perseverance Looks Back While Climbing A Steep Slope On Mars
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is negotiating a steeply sloping route up Jezero Crater’s western wall with the aim of cresting the rim in early December. During the climb, the rover […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Mars Perseverance Rover Observes Red Rocks With Green Spots at Serpentine Rapids – Possible Biosignatures?
Editor’s note: I will make this simple: did NASA find evidence of life on Mars? No. Did NASA find an interesting rock feature that might signal or indicate that there […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report
Subsurface Microbial Colonization at Mineral-Filled Veins in 2-Billion-Year-Old Mafic Rock from the Bushveld Igneous Complex, South Africa
Recent advances in subsurface microbiology have demonstrated the habitability of multi-million-year-old igneous rocks, despite the scarce energy supply from rock-water interactions.
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Conferences and Meetings, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Life Support Systems, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Sample Return, Space Life Science, Space Physiology & Medicine, Status Report
Planetary Protection Metagenomics in Spaceflight Workshop
The Planetary Protection Metagenomics in Spaceflight Workshop is scheduled for November 19-22, 2024, at NASA Ames in Mountain View, California.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return
New Team to Assess NASA’s Mars Sample Return Architecture Proposals
NASA announced Wednesday a new strategy review team will assess potential architecture adjustments for the agency’s Mars Sample Return Program, which aims to bring back scientifically selected samples from Mars, […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Ocean World Genomics: Molecular Monitoring For Marine Change And Threats Using eDNA
New DNA* technology promises to improve efforts to monitor marine life in the Southern Ocean, and detect the presence of non-native marine species close to Antarctica.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Sample Return, Status Report
Discovery Of Interstellar 1-cyanopyrene: A Four-ring Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon In TMC-1
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are thought to be the most abundant class of molecules in space, yet their interstellar lifecycle is poorly understood due to difficulties detecting individual PAHs.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report
Astromaterials Data Archiving Announcement from the Astromaterials Data System
The Astromaterials Data System (Astromat) is the primary NASA-sponsored archive for laboratory analyses of returned samples (see NASA’s Planetary Science Division’s Information and Data Management Policy Supplement to SPD-41A).