Moon
Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Life Support Systems, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Moon, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Sample Return

Protecting Earth From Extraterrestrial Contamination: The Case For A Lunar Biocontainment Facility

by Keith Cowing

The advancement of space exploration into an era of sample return missions from Mars, asteroids, and icy moons raises the potential for biological contamination either to or from Earth.

Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Moon, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Moon Record Analysis Challenges Impact Origin Of Earth’s Water

by Keith Cowing

A long-standing idea in planetary science is that water-rich meteorites arriving late in Earth’s history could have delivered a major share of Earth’s water. A new study argues that the […]

Posted inExploration Gear & Tech, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Sample Return

Contaminants, Including Ink, Detected In Meteorites Suggest Sample Preparation Needs Improving

by Keith Cowing

Several contaminants, including traces of ink, originating in the preparation of subsamples, have been identified in Martian meteorites by the EHU’s research group. The finding highlights the importance of stricter […]

Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Moon, Press Release

Chang’e Mission Samples Reveal How Exogenous Organic Matter Evolves On The Moon

by Keith Cowing

Elements essential to life, such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur, were “delivered” to the Earth and Moon during the early stages of the Solar System via asteroids and […]

Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Missions & Hardware, Moon, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report

First Lunar Farside SETI Observations for Periodic Signals With The Low-frequency Radio Spectrometer Of Chang’E-4 Mission

by Keith Cowing

Chang’E-4 (CE4), the first mission to soft-land on the lunar farside, provides a unique opportunity for astronomical observations from an environment shielded from terrestrial radio interference, and thus serves as […]

Posted inAnalog Studies, Artemis & Lunar Exploration, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report

Legged Robot Could Accelerate Resource Prospecting On The Moon And The Search For Life On Mars

by Keith Cowing

Planetary surface missions currently operate cautiously. On Mars, communication delays between Earth and rovers (typically between four and 22 minutes), as well as data transfer constraints due to uplink and […]

Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Missions & Hardware, Moon, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

LEAG-ExMAG Artemis Sample Return SAT Reports Now Available

by Keith Cowing

The Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG) and Extraterrestrial Materials Analysis Group (ExMAG), were requested and empowered by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and Planetary Science Division (PSD) to establish a […]

Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Artemis & Lunar Exploration, Away Teams & Field Reports, Conferences and Meetings, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Moon, Status Report, Video, Audio, Webcasts, Podcasts

Foundational Artificial Intelligence for the Moon and Mars (FAIMM) Webinar

by Keith Cowing

On Monday, February 23, 2026 at 12 pm Eastern Time, the planetary science division will host a webinar overview of program element C.12 Foundational Artificial Intelligence for the Moon and […]

Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Moon, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Our Moon’s 4-Billion-Year Impact Record Suggests Meteorites Didn’t Supply Earth’s Water

by Keith Cowing

A long-standing idea in planetary science is that water-rich meteorites arriving late in Earth’s history could have delivered a major share of Earth’s water. A new study by Universities Space […]

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