A new analysis of data from Galileo has revealed clay-type minerals at the surface Europa that appear to have been delivered by a spectacular collision with an asteroid or comet. […]
astrobiology
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology
Dale Andersen's Antarctic Field Report 10 December 2013
I just got off the phone with Dale Andersen who is at Lake Obersee, Antarctica. He reports that his team’s dives have been a success and that microbial mat and […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Policy, Status Report
Comments Transcript: NASA Planetary Science Division Research and Analysis Program Restructuring Virtual Town Hall
The following is a transcript of the comments section from the NASA Planetary Science Division Research and Analysis Program Restructuring Virtual Town Hall held on 3 Dec 2013.
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Budgets and Policy
Testimony of Dr. Sara Seager, Hearing on Astrobiology
“We stand on a great threshold in the human history of space exploration.” Dr. Sara SeagerProfessor of Planetary Science, Professor of Physics, Class of 1941 Professor Massachusetts Institute of Technology […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Budgets and Policy, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans
Testimony of Dr. Mary A. Voytek, Hearing on Astrobiology
“For thousands of years, humans have looked up at the stars and wondered whether life exists beyond our home planet.” December 4, 2013 Statement of Dr. Mary A. Voytek Senior […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Budgets and Policy
Testimony of Dr. Steven J. Dick, Hearing on Astrobiology
“Chairman Smith, Ranking Member Johnson, and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the subject of the past and future of astrobiology.” Testimony of […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Habitable Zones
The Habitable Epoch of the Early Universe
In the redshift range 100
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Hubble Traces Subtle Signals of Water on Hazy Worlds
Using the powerful eye of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, two teams of scientists have found faint signatures of water in the atmospheres of five distant planets. The presence of atmospheric […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology
Refuges for Life and Novel Microbial Biospheres on Terrestrial Planets Near the End of Their Habitable Lifetimes
The future biosphere on Earth (as with its past) will be made up predominantly of unicellular microorganisms. Unicellular life was probably present for at least 2.5 Gyr before multicellular life […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report
Dale Andersen's Antarctic Field Report 2 December 2013
We made the first dives beneath the thick, perennial ice (3.6 m) of Lake Obersee yesterday. It was nice being back under the ice again, and its always interesting. […]