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 […]
Sample Return
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Sample Return, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Offworld Life Science Hardware: Real-Time Culture-Independent Microbial Profiling Onboard the International Space Station Using Nanopore Sequencing
For the past two decades, microbial monitoring of the International Space Station (ISS) has relied on culture-dependent methods that require return to Earth for analysis.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report
In 2008 A NASA/SETI Away Team Found A Freshly Fallen Piece Of Asteroid 2008TC#
An SUV-sized Asteroid 2008TC# Impacted on October 7, 2008 in the Nubian Desert, Northern Sudan: Dr. Peter Jenniskens, NASA/SETI joined Muawia Shaddas of the University of Khartoum in leading an […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Away Team Droid Tech: Towards Automated Sample Collection and Return in Extreme Underwater Environments
In this report, we present the system design, operational strategy, and results of coordinated multi-vehicle field demonstrations of autonomous marine robotic technologies in search-for-life missions within the Pacific shelf margin […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Away Team Deep-Sea Datasets: Long-Term Visual Localization Of The Eiffel Tower Hydrothermal Vent
Visual localization plays an important role in the positioning and navigation of robotics systems within previously visited environments.
Posted inComets and Asteroids, Exploration Gear & Tech, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report
Geophysical Observations Of OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Capsule Re-Entry
Sample Return Capsules (SRCs) entering Earth’s atmosphere at hypervelocity from interplanetary space are a valuable resource for studying meteor phenomena.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report
Asteroid Bennu: Properties Of The Sample Collected By OSIRIS-REx
On September 24, 2023, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission dropped a capsule to Earth containing ~120 g of pristine carbonaceous regolith from Bennu. We describe the delivery and initial allocation of this asteroid […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Away Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report
AwayTeam Tech: Distributed Instruments for Planetary Surface Science: Scientific Opportunities and Technology Feasibility
In this paper, we assess the scientific promise and technology feasibility of distributed instruments for planetary science. A distributed instrument is an instrument designed to collect spatially and temporally correlated […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Simulations Show How Low Gravity On Ocean Worlds Might Help To Sustain Warm Water Circulation For Millions Of Years
A new study led by team members at UC Santa Cruz have used a complex computer model to investigate how the influence of low gravity, as found on ocean worlds […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Sample Return
An OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Has Surprising Phosphate Content
Scientists have eagerly awaited the opportunity to dig into the 4.3-ounce (121.6-gram) pristine asteroid Bennu sample collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer) […]