exploraiton Archives

Representative anchoring mechanisms for small-body sampling robots. (a) Mechanical penetration.

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report

Offworld Science Droids: A Review Maps Key Technologies For Small-body Sampling Robots

by Keith CowingApril 30, 2026April 30, 2026

Unlike planetary rovers operating on the Moon or Mars, robots working on asteroids and comets must interact with surfaces where gravity is extremely weak, terrain is highly irregular, and material […]

Workflow of space missions. A. BOSS: Cyanobacterial biofilms were air-dried on the ground and integrated in the EXPOSE-R2 facility. Dried samples were exposed in LEO for 1.5 years. After retrieval to Earth dried cells were tested for viability and biomarker detectability. B. BIOMEX: Cyanobacterial cells were mixed with Martian and Lunar regolith simulants, air-dried on the ground and integrated in the EXPOSE-R2 facility. Dried samples were exposed in LEO for 1.5 years. After retrieval to Earth dried cells were tested for viability and biomarker detectability, while re-hydrated cells were investigated for genome integrity. C. BIOSIGN: Cyanobacterial cells will be mixed with Martian regolith simulant, air-dried on the ground and integrated in the EXPO2 facility. After retrieval to Earth dried cells will be analyzed for viability and biomarker detectability. D. CyanoTechRider: Cyanobacterial cells will be air-dried, exposed to ionizing radiation and integrated into the Space Rider. Dried cells will be re-hydrated in orbit and the genome sequenced after retrieval to Earth.

Analog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Icy Worlds, Life Support Systems, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Sample Return, Status Report

Desert Cyanobacteria Under Non-Earth Conditions: Implications For Astrobiology And Sustainable Life Support

by Keith CowingNovember 16, 2025November 15, 2025

The astonishing capability of life to adapt to extreme conditions provides a new perspective on what habitable means.

Apps - Games, Away Teams & Field Reports, Education and Outreach, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Status Report

NASA Mars Explorer App

by Keith CowingJuly 28, 2025July 28, 2025

NASA Goddard is actively preparing for the future human exploration of Mars.

Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

Antarctic Biosecurity Policy Effectively Manages The Rates Of Alien Introductions

by Keith CowingApril 13, 2025April 13, 2025

Reducing the rates and impacts of biological invasions is a major policy goal of international biodiversity agreements.

Analog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Life Support Systems, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Space Physiology & Medicine, Status Report

NASA SOMD 2025 TRISH Appendix A – Enhancing eXploration Platforms and ANalog Definition (EXPAND) Exploratory Studies

by Keith CowingMarch 4, 2025

Release date: March 4, 2025, 11:59 p.m. ETStep-1 proposals due date: April 16, 2025, 11:59 p.m. ETStep-2 proposals due date: July 2, 2025, 11:59 p.m. ET The NASA-funded Translational Research Institute […]

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Analog Studies, Apps - Games, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Education and Outreach, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ice Planet Update: Digital Twin Of RRS Discovery Shows How Antarctic Research Began

by Keith CowingJuly 8, 2024July 7, 2024

A project led by the University of Southampton has created a ‘digital twin’ of RRS Discovery – the pioneering research vessel that first took explorers Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest […]

In November 2021, AUV Sentry was deployed in the Gulf of California to detect and map hydrothermal plume structures in the deep ocean. Plumes are composed of a buoyant stem and neutrally-buoyant layer. These plumes are dynamic, subject to tidal advection, diffusion, and turbulent mixing. We infer the spatiotemporal structure of plumes from sparse partial-observations and plan informative trajectories that respect operational constraints of AUV Sentry. Field data are shown on the right from two onboard science point-sensors. The dORP/dt sensor shows areas of reactive water, likely indicating buoyant stem detections. The OBS sensor shows areas of high turbidity, which can persist throughout a plume. Combining these sensor signals, we can infer the plume structure and dynamics. -- cs.RO

Artemis & Lunar Exploration, Away Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report

Away Team Droid Tech: Robotic Planning Under Uncertainty in Spatiotemporal Environments in Expeditionary Science

by Keith CowingJuly 8, 2024July 7, 2024

In the expeditionary sciences, spatiotemporally varying environments — hydrothermal plumes, algal blooms, lava flows, or animal migrations — are ubiquitous. Mobile robots are uniquely well-suited to study these dynamic, mesoscale […]

exploraiton

Offworld Science Droids: A Review Maps Key Technologies For Small-body Sampling Robots

Desert Cyanobacteria Under Non-Earth Conditions: Implications For Astrobiology And Sustainable Life Support

NASA Mars Explorer App

Antarctic Biosecurity Policy Effectively Manages The Rates Of Alien Introductions

NASA SOMD 2025 TRISH Appendix A – Enhancing eXploration Platforms and ANalog Definition (EXPAND) Exploratory Studies

Ice Planet Update: Digital Twin Of RRS Discovery Shows How Antarctic Research Began

Away Team Droid Tech: Robotic Planning Under Uncertainty in Spatiotemporal Environments in Expeditionary Science

Cracks In A Martian Crater’s Ice

Stellar Tidal Systematics In Apsidal-motion Searches For Circumbinary Planets: CH Ind And SW CMa

Chondrule Formation In The Outer Disk From The Primary Three-dimensional Chemical Composition Of CM Chondrules

Habitable Worlds Observatory’s Concept and Technology Maturation: Initial Feasibility and Trade Space Exploration

First Look at a Time-Series Observation with New NIRISS SOSS Multistripe Subarrays