AbGradE is back to action and will organise its signature event on August 31st, 2026 the day before the 26th European Astrobiology Network Association (EANA) conference on September 1-4. Both […]
icy moons
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
The Complex Molecules Detector (CMOLD)
Organic chemistry is ubiquitous in the Solar System, and both Mars and a number of icy satellites of the outer Solar System show substantial promise for having hosted or hosting […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Away Team Field Test Of WATSON Biosignature Tricorder In Greenland
During 2019 field tests near Greenland’s Summit Station, a high-elevation remote observing station, the WATSON (Wireline Analysis Tool for the Subsurface Observation of Northern ice sheets) instrument is put through […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Callisto, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Jupiter, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report
Iceworld Morphology: Dome Craters on Ganymede and Callisto May Form by Topographic Relaxation of Pit Craters Aided by Remnant Impact Heat
The icy Galilean satellites display impact crater morphologies that are rare in the Solar System. They deviate from the archetypal sequence of crater morphologies as a function of size found […]
Posted inEnceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Ice Shell Thickness Reveals Water Temperature On Ocean Worlds
Cornell University astrobiologists have devised a novel way to determine ocean temperatures of distant worlds based on the thickness of their ice shells, effectively conducting oceanography from space.
Posted inAstrogeology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Status Report
Europa’s Double Ridges Produced By Ice Wedging
Double ridges are sprawling features observed globally across the icy surface of Europa. They consist of two topographic highs flanking a trough.
Posted inEuropa, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Oceanography Of Ice-Covered Moons
NASA-supported scientists have published a review of current knowledge regarding how ice-covered moons operate compared to Earth. The paper focuses on the interaction between ice and the liquid ocean of […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Status Report
Iceworld Recon: Orbital View Of Snow Drifts In Patagonia
Editor’s note: we currently have a fleet of spacecraft studying Mars – a cold planet with a large variety of geological features governed by frozen water and carbon dioxide. Earth […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
High-gain Antenna Installed On The Europa Clipper Astrobiology Probe
The addition of a high-gain antenna will enable the agency’s Europa Clipper spacecraft in August 2023 – set to launch in October 2024 – to communicate with mission controllers hundreds […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Press Release
Ice World Surveys: Laser-based Ice-core Sampling For Studying Climate Change
Editor’s note: as we prepare to visit ice-covered ocean worlds such as Europa and Enceladus – and one day to actually drill beneath their outer surface – we’re certainly going […]