Despite the very thin Martian atmosphere, there are also winds on Mars that are central to the climate and the distribution of dust.
ESA
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, PLATO, Press Release
Plato Earth-like Exoplanet Searcher Is Ready For Final Tests
By fitting its sunshield and solar panels, engineers have completed the construction of Plato, the European Space Agency’s mission to discover Earth-like exoplanets. Plato is on track for the final […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report
Planning Considerations Related to Contamination Control for the Return and Analysis of Martian Samples
The joint National Aeronautics and Space Administration and European Space Agency Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign is a proposed multi-mission effort to bring selected geological samples from Mars to Earth […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
ExoMars And Mars Express Observe Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
Between 1 and 7 October, ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Mars Express spacecraft turned their eyes towards interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, as it passed close to Mars.
Posted inDesert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Mars Rover Sample Processing
The Rosalind Franklin rover’s drill has a maximum reach of two metres – deeper than any other mission has ever attempted on the Red Planet. This depth allows access to […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrogeology, Astronauts and Explorers, Away Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, People Of Astrobiology, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
ESA Offworld Astronaut Cave Exploration Training
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli took pictures of MBRSC astronaut Mohammad AlMulla while he was conducting a microbiological investigation close to the underground base camp in Abel Cave.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astronauts and Explorers, Away Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
ESA Away Team Training: Underground Microbiology
Ettore Lopo and Marco Vattano, the science team of ESA CAVES 2025 course, explain the latest details of microbiological analyses to astronauts Mohammad AlMulla (MBRSC) and Makoto Suwa (JAXA).
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 inAnalog Studies, Astronauts and Explorers, Away Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, People Of Astrobiology, Status Report
ESA Underground Astronaut Training For Offworld Cave Exploration
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli is ready to descend the active shaft in Abel Cave to reach the underground base camp.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrogeology, Astronauts and Explorers, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
ESA Away Team Tricorder Training
ESA is developing a digital tool to support lunar exploration. The Electronic Field Book (EFB) is an all-in-one information system that exchanges data and integrates science activities in remote environments.