The Southwest Research Institute-led Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) instruments aboard ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) spacecraft and NASA’s Europa Clipper made unique observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS in late 2025. […]
Europa
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
New Method Sharpens The Search For Alien Biology
For decades, the search for life beyond Earth has revolved around a key question: What molecules should scientists be looking for on other planets or moons?
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Cryobiology, Dione, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Habitable Zones, Hyperion, Iapetus, Icy Worlds, Mimas, Oberon, Status Report, Titan
Quantum Chemical Insights into the Dissociation of Phenol: Shedding Light on Impact Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Icy Moon Exploration
CDA revealed that Enceladus hosts a rich organic and inorganic chemical inventory in its subsurface ocean, hinting at its potential habitability. Analysis of fragmentation patterns with laser desorption experiments for […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
New Sulfur-dependent Ecosystem In A Gas Vent In The Depths Of The Chilean Pacific
Unlike most similar emanations described to date, this one shows no evidence of methane emission or consumption. The absence of this molecule and its abundance of sulfur make it a […]
Posted inEnceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Jupiter, Saturn, Status Report, Titan
Ammonia As A Parameter Shaping Habitability On Icy Moons
The search for life now extends beyond the traditional habitable zone to include the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn. These moons feature ice-covered surfaces overlying substantial oceans formed primarily […]
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 inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Identifying Amino Acid Isomers With Mass Spectrometry On Icy Ocean
Enceladus and Europa are compelling targets for astrobiology investigations due to their potentially habitable subsurface oceans connected to the icy surface by geological processes.
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 inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report
Europa’s Lyman-α Emissions From HST/STIS Observations
Context. An image of Lyman-α (Lyα) emission from Europa obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope’s Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST/STIS) provided the first evidence for localized water vapor (H2O) aurora, […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Thermophysical Properties of Europa’s Surface Constrained by Galileo Photopolarimeter-Radiometer Temperature Measurements
Thermal measurements constrain the physical properties of icy satellite surfaces, including grain size, porosity, and regolith structure. On Europa, analyses of the Galileo Photopolarimeter-Radiometer (PPR) dataset revealed thermal inertia heterogeneities, […]