One of the analytical advantages of Laser desorption/ablation mass spectrometry (LDMS) is its potential for spatially-resolved composition analysis of solid samples, supporting 2D chemical mapping and/or 3D depth profiling as […]
Tricorders & Sensors
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Education and Outreach, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Life Support Systems, Missions & Hardware, People Of Astrobiology, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Tricorders & Sensors, Video, Audio, Webcasts, Podcasts, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Ocean Planet Recon: ASU Expedition Finds An Aquatic World Teeming With Life
Imagine descending nearly a mile and a half into a watery abyss, watching the sunlight disappear as the world around you turns completely black. Then suddenly, you find yourself surrounded […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report, Titan, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Terrestrial Analogs To Titan For Geophysical Research
Saturn’s moon Titan exhibits remarkable parallels to the Earth in many geophysical and geological processes not found elsewhere in the solar system at the present day.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Life Support Systems, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Origin & Evolution of Life, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 19 February 2026: Return Overland Traverse From Lake Untersee
Dale: Arrived UAL airbase about 2:45 on UTC/GMT after a 5 hr 45 min drive across the polar landscape! Very windy morning but great ride back!
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors
Perseverance Mars Rover Now Autonomously Pinpoints Its Location Using Generative AI
Imagine you’re all alone, driving along in a rocky, unforgiving desert with no roads, no map, no GPS, and no more than one phone call a day for someone to […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Life Support Systems, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, People Of Astrobiology, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 18 February 2026: Eclipse Watching And Base Camp Packing
Dale: A partial eclipse over Lake Untersee yesterday—an ordinary piece of celestial clockwork that felt anything but ordinary from the icy shores of Lake Untersee in the mountains of Antarctica. […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astronauts and Explorers, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Life Support Systems, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, People Of Astrobiology, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 15 February 2026: Diving Under The Ice At Lake Untersee
Keith, Sorry for the quiet—our days have been packed, and out here every usable hour feels borrowed. Since my last report the weather has changed its mind a few times. […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Survival Limits Of Psychrotolerant Microorganisms With Relevance For Planetary Protection Of The Icy Moons
Investigating the survival limits of extremophilic microorganisms exposed to simulated space conditions can shed light on the ability of terrestrial microorganisms to survive and propagate on other planetary bodies.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Titan, Tricorders & Sensors
Astrobiology Droid Update: Dragonfly Aerodynamic Testing
In sending a car-sized rotorcraft to explore Saturn’s moon Titan, NASA’s Dragonfly mission will undertake an unprecedented voyage of scientific discovery. And the work to ensure that this first-of-its-kind project […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Tricorders & Sensors
NASA Study: Non-biologic Processes Don’t Fully Explain Mars Organics
In a new study, researchers say that non-biological sources they considered could not fully account for the abundance of organic compounds in a sample collected on Mars by NASA’s Curiosity […]