Mars vast clay region - View showing the transition between clay units in the Oxia Planum and Mawrth Vallis regions on Mars, taken by the HiRISE camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. -- ESA Larger image

Analog Studies, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Astrobiology Rover Targets A Vast Bed Of Clay In Its Search For Life

by Keith CowingJune 4, 2026June 26, 2026

In the region where the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover will search for signs of life, clay deposits extend beyond previous estimates, a new study finds. One hypothesis even suggests a […]

This view of a crescent Mars was captured on May 15, 2026, at about 5:03 a.m. PDT by NASA’s Psyche mission as it approached the planet for a gravity assist. The image has been processed into a natural-color view using red, green, and blue data from the multispectral imager instrument. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mars, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Mars, A Post-Habitable Planet?

by Keith CowingMay 27, 2026May 27, 2026

Mars provides a critical analog to once habitable exoplanets that have since lost their surface liquid water.

ExoCAM simulations of Earth from the present up to 2.0 Gyr in the future, assuming CO2 remains fixed at 400 ppm. The top row shows surface temperature, the middle row shows precipitation minus evaporation, and the bottom row shows the habitability metric developed by Woodward et al. (2025) (Eqs. (D1) and (D2)). All quantities are 20-year averages after the model has reached a steady-state. Increases in temperature due to a brightening sun cause an increase in habitability up to 1.5 Gyr due to the greening of the poles, but habitability decreases significantly by 2.0 Gyr as Earth becomes too hot for complex vegetative life. This corresponds to a weak temperature dependence of weathering, in which Earth’s CO2 levels do not change even as the climate warms (c.f., Graham et al., 2024). -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Space Agriculture, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Maximum Lifetime Of The Vegetative Biosphere

by Keith CowingMay 23, 2026May 23, 2026

We use a three-dimensional model to calculate steady-state climates at various intervals in Earth’s future, across a parameter space of increasing insolation and decreasing CO2 mixing ratio.

Schematic cross sections of Earth and Mars, showing the major internal components and atmospheric components, to scale. For simplicity, oceanic and continental crust for Earth are not distinguished, nor is the interior structure of Earth’s mantle shown. -- astro-ph.EP

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Mars As An Exoplanet: Lessons From A Planet At The Edge Of Habitability

by Keith CowingMay 20, 2026May 20, 2026

Mars is the Solar System’s canonical small, rocky planet that transitioned from early geologic activity and surface liquid water to a cold and arid planet with a thin, cold, CO2-dominated […]

Astronauts and Explorers, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Conferences and Meetings, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Life Support Systems, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Plant Biology, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering

Limits of Terrestrial Life and the Probability of Growth on Mars (Virtual Meeting)

by Keith CowingMay 20, 2026May 20, 2026

Committee on Planetary Protection (CoPP) (Virtual Meeting June 1-2, 2026)June 1 – 2, 2026 This meeting is to provide information to NASA so it can develop a prioritized list of […]

Maps of annual mean sea ice and continental precipitation (A) and annual mean sea surface temperature (in ocean regions) and surface air temperature (over continents) (B) for simulations with Earth-like ocean salinity (35 g/kg) and obliquity (23.5◦ ), at Archean instellation on the left and present-day instellation on the right. Land contours mapped in the figure (in black) are more detailed than the actual Earth-like continent configuration used in the model. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Synergistic Effects of Ocean Salinity and Planetary Obliquity Enhance Habitability of Cold Exo-Earths

by Keith CowingMay 6, 2026May 6, 2026

Past work has shown that ocean salinity and planetary obliquity both influence the climates of Earth-like exoplanets throughout the habitable zone of Sun-like stars. The effects of salinity and obliquity […]

This image of Venus taken by NASA’s Mariner 10 spacecraft (left) is paired with an artist’s depiction of three possible atmospheres on a recently discovered exoplanet, Gliese 12b. This new University of Washington study explores how much surface water a planet needs to support life. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (Caltech-IPAC)

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Planets Need More Water To Support Life Than Scientists Previously Thought

by Keith CowingApril 20, 2026April 20, 2026

Unfortunately for science fiction fans, desert worlds outside our solar system are unlikely to host life, according to new research from University of Washington. Scientists show that an Earth-sized planet […]

The concept behind the model is simple: life can travel to and terraform planets around other stars. In doing so, the planet that life travels to becomes more similar to the planet it came from. In this example, life from a planet resembling Earth travels to a red planet. The process plays out again and again. Each time, after being terraformed, a planet becomes more "Earth-like" than would be expected from random chance, given the locations of the planets. However, the focus is not on identifying Earth-like planets. Instead, the aim is to identify any group of planets that are more similar to each other than would be expected by chance, and are localised in space. This technique is agnostic: it does not require making assumptions about habitability or passing judgment on the "kinds of planets" that are amenable to life. -- Institute of Science Tokyo

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Terraforming & Geoengineering

Terraforming/Panspermia: A New Way To Detect Life Beyond Earth Without Knowing What Life Looks Like

by Keith CowingApril 16, 2026

A research team of Specially Appointed Associate Professor Harrison B. Smith of Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at Institute of Science Tokyo and Specially Appointed Associate Professor Lana Sinapayen of National […]

Habitability factors at time period from ∼4.1 Ga till end of LHB (left) and current (right) Earth (green), Venus (yellow), and Mars (red). -- astro-ph.EP

Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Mars, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Venus

Habitability Study of Terrestrial Planets: Application to Venus-like Worlds

by Keith CowingApril 9, 2026April 9, 2026

The study of planetary habitability beyond Earth remains a central and challenging project in planetary science. Analysis of large volumes of planetary data from space missions such as CoRoT, Kepler, […]

Artist’s impression showing possible choices for the scale of human involvement in the future of Mars.

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Beta Pictoris, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Mars, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

A Research Roadmap For Assessing The Feasibility Of Warming Mars

by Keith CowingApril 3, 2026April 3, 2026

This roadmap outlines research pathways to determine whether Mars could be warmed with non-biological methods. It does not presuppose that warming Mars is desirable; its purpose is to identify what […]

Terraforming & Geoengineering

ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Astrobiology Rover Targets A Vast Bed Of Clay In Its Search For Life

Mars, A Post-Habitable Planet?

Maximum Lifetime Of The Vegetative Biosphere

Mars As An Exoplanet: Lessons From A Planet At The Edge Of Habitability

Limits of Terrestrial Life and the Probability of Growth on Mars (Virtual Meeting)

Synergistic Effects of Ocean Salinity and Planetary Obliquity Enhance Habitability of Cold Exo-Earths

Planets Need More Water To Support Life Than Scientists Previously Thought

Terraforming/Panspermia: A New Way To Detect Life Beyond Earth Without Knowing What Life Looks Like

Habitability Study of Terrestrial Planets: Application to Venus-like Worlds

A Research Roadmap For Assessing The Feasibility Of Warming Mars

University of New Mexico Scientists help Uncover 4.1 billion-year-old Martian Meteorite Revealing Clues to Planet’s Ancient Past

Detection Of HNCOH+ In The Interstellar Medium

Advancing Methane Detection Technology For Future Mars Missions

Comets Probably Didn’t Seed Life On Earth After All, New Study Suggests

Voyager 1 Interstellar Probe Conserves Power, Resolves Brief Communications Pause

The Carbon Connection: From Stars To Life

NASA Space Apps Challenge 2026

Rocky Worlds DDT Workshop

Voyager 1 Reaches One Light Day From Earth

NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee Meeting (Hybrid)