Solid state CO2 has been detected throughout the outer solar system, even at temperatures where crystalline CO2 is unstable, requiring that the CO2 be trapped in a separate host material.
Enceladus
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Status Report
Exomorphic Catalysis: A Discipline Dedicated to Energetic Disequilibria and the Activation of Life-Potential in Non-Terrestrial Environments
The search for life beyond Earth has long been guided by two dominant paradigms: astrobiology, which seeks environments capable of supporting life as we know it, and planetary engineering, which […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Saturn, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Cassini Proves The Existence Of Complex Chemistry Within Enceladus’ Ocean
Scientists digging through data collected by the Cassini spacecraft have found new complex organic molecules spewing from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. This is a clear sign that complex chemical reactions are […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Alien Carousel – In Situ Life Detection On Icy Moons With A Single-actuator Holographic Microfluidic Platform
Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, is considered one of the most promising places in the solar system to find life.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release
Limiting Ice World Exploration: U.S. Will Retire Its Only Icebreaker Thus Stranding Polar Research
Editor’s note: space agencies around the world have long used polar locations as analogs wherein the sudy of geology and biology informs our understanding of the extremes to which Earth […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Saturn
Study Questions Oceanic Origin Of Organics In Enceladus’s Plumes
Organic molecules detected in the watery plumes that spew out from cracks in the surface of Enceladus could be formed through exposure to radiation on Saturn’s icy moon, rather than […]
Posted inEnceladus, Europa, Extinction events, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Impact events, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Impacts on Ocean Worlds Are Sufficiently Frequent and Energetic to Be of Astrobiological Importance
Evidence for the beneficial role of impacts in the creation of urable or habitable environments on Earth prompts the question of whether meteorite impacts could play a similar role at […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Enceladus, Europa, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Slantwise Convection And Heat Transport In The Icy Moon Oceans
Ocean heat transport on icy moons shapes the ice shell topography, a primary observable of these moons. Two key processes control the heat transport: baroclinic instability driven by surface buoyancy […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Simulating The Solar System’s Ice Volcanoes In The Lab
Scientists have been able to recreate the extreme conditions found on icy moons in deep space – and revealed the unstable behaviour of water.
Posted inBiophysics, Enceladus, Europa, Habitable Zones, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Radiation
Estimating The Potential Of Ionizing Radiation-induced Radiolysis For Microbial Metabolism On Terrestrial Planets And Satellites With Rarefied Atmospheres
Ionizing radiation is known to have a destructive effect on biology by causing damage to the DNA, cells, and production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), among other things.