Sample Return
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

ESA Away Team Training: Land of Fire – Lanzarote, Canary Islands

by Keith Cowing

A crew of astronauts explored the barren and dry landscape of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands in 2017 to simulate a planetary mission. The trip started with a visit to […]

Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Giant Deep-sea Vent Tubeworm Symbionts Use Two Carbon Fixation Pathways To Grow At Record Speeds

by Keith Cowing

In the deep-sea environment of the East Pacific Rise, where sunlight does not penetrate and the surroundings are known for their extreme temperatures, skull-crushing pressures, and toxic compounds, lives Riftia […]

Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors

Perseverance Astrobiology Droid Crosses An Ancient Martian River Bed To Reach A Science Target

by Keith Cowing

After detouring through a dune field to avoid wheel-rattling boulders, NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover reached its latest area of scientific interest on June 9. The route change not only shortened […]

Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Away Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

A Novel Methodology for Autonomous Planetary Exploration Using Multi-Robot Teams

by Keith Cowing

One of the fundamental limiting factors in planetary exploration is the autonomous capabilities of planetary exploration rovers.

Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrobiology (general), Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Ceres, Enceladus, Europa, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Life Support Systems, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Mimas, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Space Life Science, Status Report, Titan, Tricorders & Sensors, Triton, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Marine Science Can Contribute to the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Life

by Keith Cowing

Abstract: Life on our planet likely evolved in the ocean, and thus exo-oceans are key habitats to search for extraterrestrial life. We conducted a data-driven bibliographic survey on the astrobiology […]

Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

Sample Return Contamination? Soluble Organic Compounds and Cyanide in Apollo 17 Lunar Samples: Origins and Curation Effects

by Keith Cowing

We analyzed twelve Apollo 17 samples through the Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis (ANGSA) program to determine the abundances of a variety of compound classes, including amino acids, aldehydes, ketones, […]

Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Space Life Science, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: The Limits, Capabilities, and Potential for Life Detection with MinION Sequencing in a Paleochannel Mars Analog

by Keith Cowing

No instrument capable of direct life detection has been included on a mission payload to Mars since NASA’s Viking missions in the 1970s. This prevents us from discovering whether life […]

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