Terrestrial algae play a critical, yet often overlooked, role in the functioning of biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which are considered microecosystems, particularly in extreme environments.
Away Team
Posted inAstronauts and Explorers
Cavenauts Begin ESA CAVES 2026 Training
NASA astronaut candidate Ben Bailey takes a photo of John McFall, a member of ESA’s astronaut reserve and the Fly! Project, whilst measurements are being taken of the water parameters […]
Posted inCryobiology
Coordinated Proteome-scale Remodeling Underlies Polyextremophilic Survival In Antarctic Cryo-hypersaline Brines
Introduction – Cryo-hypersaline brines combine sub-zero temperatures with near-saturated salinity, creating one of Earth’s most extreme habitats. Antarctic Deep Lake provides a natural model for studying how proteins remain stable […]
Posted inTricorders & Sensors
How To Actually Build Your Own Working Tricorder
Editor’s note: Hamzah Abugosh has built a functional tricorder. I share the same fascination he has with the notion of a Tricorder as seen on Star Trek since I was […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astronauts and Explorers, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Sample Return, Status Report
Away Team Training: ESA CAVES 2025 Underground Campsite At Abel Cave
A view of the kitchen area at the Abel Cave campsite, where the ESA CAVES 2025 course crew and support team are staying.
Posted inNews Summary Archives, Status Report
Hot life in Antarctica: A Novel Metabolically Versatile Pyrodictiaceae Genus Thriving At A Volcanic–cryosphere–marine Interface
Deception Island fumaroles in Antarctica represent rare environments where extreme heat intersects with cryospheric and marine conditions, creating remarkable environmental gradients.
Posted inAstrogeology, Astronauts and Explorers, Away Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, People Of Astrobiology, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Away Team Mission: NASA, USGS Scientists Go Rock Hounding in California’s High Desert
Editor’s note: when it comes to conducting field trips – sorties – Away Team missions – on another world, astrogeology and astrobiology and astrochemistry overlap with one another all the […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Meteorites & Asteroids, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report
Freo Doctor: Atmospheric Modelling for Meteorite Falls and Spacecraft Re-Entries
How much does the wind affect the path of meteorite falls? We finely model the lower ~30 km of the atmosphere using Weather Research and Forecasting open source tools at […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Status Report
Gorgona Island (Colombia) As A Terrestrial Analog Of Syrtis Major (Mars): Evidence From Geochemical Meta-analyses And Compositional Figures Of Merit
The identification of terrestrial analogs is a key strategy for advancing our understanding of the geological and geochemical evolution of Mars.
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astronauts and Explorers, Away Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Space Physiology & Medicine, Status Report
Highlighting A Science Strategy For Human Exploration Of Mars
A Science Strategy for Human Exploration of Mars, charts a bold, scientifically based blueprint for humanity’s greatest cosmic adventure—sending explorers to Mars to answer the universe’s most profound questions: Is […]