![[LEFT] Diagram of a pixel component from a microbolometer array showing the absorbing surface, electrically conducting bridge connecting the absorber to the readout electronics, and the mirrored surface below the absorber. [RIGHT] A digital render of the Enceladus Thermal Mapper instrument. The arrow shows the location of the filter assembly. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Tailoring.png?resize=1200%2C606&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.IM]. We present the results of an initial study into the feasibility and design of the Enceladus Thermal Mapper (ETM) instrument, designed to provide detailed temperature data for Enceladus, an […]
cartography
Posted inEnceladus
The Enceladian Crater Production Function
[astro-ph.EP]. Interpreting Enceladus’s past and present surface history and interior state remains challenging, owing to uncertain prescription of its impact bombardment history and limited interpretation of its crater statistics. Further […]
Posted inUncategorized
Perseverance Astrobiology Droid Has Completed A Martian Marathon
[NASA] On June 14, 2026, Mars Perseverance rover completed a Martian “marathon” by surpassing 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers) of travel. The day before, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter snapped this view […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report
Overhead View Of A Small Chaotic Area In Shalbatana Vallis On Mars
This view was generated from the digital terrain model and the nadir and colour channels of the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express.
Posted inAstrogeology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report
Subsiding Terrain On Mars
This observation features a plateau adjacent to subsiding terrain in Xanthe Terra, possibly traversed by a fault.
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astrobiology (general), Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Citizen Science / Open Science, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, NASA Astrobiology Program, Status Report
NASA Redesigns Science Discovery Engine Infrastructure
The Science Discovery Engine (SDE), NASA’s centralized, search capability for all open-source science data and information, recently released a major upgrade to its backend infrastructure. Shifting to OpenSearch, an Amazon […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Formation And Trapping Of CO2 From Cryogenic Irradiation Of Carbonate
The detection of CO2 on the Jovian satellite Europa by Galileo NIMS and recent mapping of the leading side by JWST has revealed that it is most concentrated in geologically […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Comets and Asteroids, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Planetary Exploration 3.0: A Roadmap for Software-Defined, Radically Adaptive Space Systems
The surface and subsurface of worlds beyond Mars remain largely unexplored. Yet these worlds hold keys to fundamental questions in planetary science – from potentially habitable subsurface oceans on icy […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report
Spectral Decomposition Reveals Surface Processes on Europa
Competing processes shape Europa’s surface: geological activity replenishes material through resurfacing, while bombardment by charged particles alters surface chemical composition. Each process leaves distinct spectral signatures.
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report
Mars Orbital Recon: The Upstream Edge Of A Crater in Athabasca Valles
This observation should provide us a closer look at lava-topography interactions in this area.