The Perseverance rover recently began exploring the Jezero crater rim after traversing the crater floor, fan deposits, and margin unit. In the rim deposits, several plagioclase-rich light-toned float rocks (LTF) […]
astrogeology
Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Dust Evolution During Protoplanetary Disk Bbuildup Enhances CO Ice Relative To Water
Water ice is expected to be the dominant volatile component of bodies formed in the outer Solar System. However, recent observations of comets and trans-Neptunian objects suggest that the relative […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report
Tianwen-2 Target Asteroid (469219) Kamo’oalewa Probably Develops An Itokawa-compositional But Ultra-highly Space-weathered Surface
China’s Tianwen-2 mission plans to return samples from a small, rapidly spinning Earth quasi-satellite (469219) Kamo’oalewa. Previous studies linked Kamo’oalewa to lunar composition and origin.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Artemis & Lunar Exploration, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report
Legged Robot Could Accelerate Resource Prospecting On The Moon And The Search For Life On Mars
Planetary surface missions currently operate cautiously. On Mars, communication delays between Earth and rovers (typically between four and 22 minutes), as well as data transfer constraints due to uplink and […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
Iron Isotope Anomalies And The Origin Of The Earth
Understanding the origin of the Earth requires determining the original formation location of its building material.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Ice Giant, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, Status Report, Titan, Uranus
HiDef Neighbors: Solar System Objects As Exoplanet Analogs I. Gaseous Objects, Planets, Planetary Systems, And Small Bodies
Context. Intermediate-resolution spectral observations are vital tools for characterizing the composition and physical properties of Solar System bodies in detail. At present, the planets and moons of our Solar System […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Status Report
The SPHEREx Ices Investigation: An Overview
SPHEREx is a NASA mission designed to perform an all-sky spectroscopic survey in the 0.75 – 5 μm wavelength range. Its primary science objectives are to investigate: (1) inflationary cosmology, […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return
DNA Fragments Could Survive In Martian Rocks For More Than 100 Million Years
The Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, has led a study published in Communications Earth and Environment, showing that if life had ever emerged on Mars, DNA fragments could be preserved […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Observations Of Exocomets
Active small bodies in extrasolar systems, the extrasolar analogues of Solar System comets, provide insights into the orbital evolution and physical processes shaping planetary systems.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Io, Jupiter, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Status Report
Analysis Of Io’s tidal Response As A Function Of The Properties Of The Partially Molten Layer
Io’s internal heat is generated by Jupiter-driven tidal dissipation and Laplace resonance. This energy partially melts the mantle, but the melt fraction, depth, and spatial distribution of dissipation remain poorly […]