planetary protection Archives

Venus dayside synthesized false color image by UVI (2018 Mar 18) No.2. A synthesized false color image of Venus using 283-nm and 365-nm images taken by UVI. Images are colorized as follows: 283 nm → blue; 365 nm → red; mixture of both → green. In the 283 nm band observed by UVI, there is an absorption band of sulfur dioxide (SO2). Also, there is an absorption band of an unidentified chemical substance in the 365 nm band. For example, it can be said that the amount of SO2 is relatively low in the bluish areas in this image. A lying V-shaped pattern can be seen in a UV image of Venus like this. © PLANET-C Project Team / JAXA Source

A Panspermia Origin For Venus Cloud Life

by Keith CowingJuly 1, 2026July 1, 2026

[USRA] Panspermia is the idea that life can originate on one planetary body and then be transferred to other bodies. Impacts are often the suggested method for transfer, as they […]

An artist's rendering of Europa and Jupiter based on images sent by visiting spacecraft. Europa is the closest orbiting of the three Jupiter’s large ‘Galilean’ moons to be visited by Juice – any human astronaut that lands there would receive a lethal radiation dose on a timescale of hours. And spacecraft electronics are almost as susceptible to radiation as human biology. CREDIT NASA/JPL-Caltech

Europa, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Earth As A Potential Source Of Llife For Europa’s Subsurface Ocean

by Keith CowingJune 22, 2026June 21, 2026

The paper discusses the possibility of dust particles containing living bacteria ejected from Earth reaching Europa and landing on its surface.

The morphology of bacterial cells is altered following exposure to simulated Martian conditions. TEM visualization of K. pneumoniae (A) and S. marcescens (C), size (FSC) and complexity (SSC) quantification by flow cytometry of K. pneumoniae (B) and S. marcescens (D). Scale bars are 500 nm in panel A and 250 nm in panel C. n = 5–7 biological replicates from two independent experiments. *P ≤ 0.05, **P ≤ 0.01. Friedman test followed by Dunn’s multiple comparison test. FSC, forward scatter; M9, minimal media; SSC, side scatter; UV, ultraviolet. Effects of simulated Martian environmental stressors on specific human pathogen-immune system interactions, mBio via PubMed

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Mars, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release

Pathogens Survive Conditions On Extraterrestrial Locations

by Keith CowingJune 16, 2026June 16, 2026

Micro organisms from our planet could survive on celestial bodies where water is present, such as Mars. That is the conclusion of PhD candidate Tommaso Zaccaria after experiments with simulated […]

New fall lines for the Pust'e U'lany meteorite fall. Red lines correspond assuming a spherical shape (eastern extremities correspond to ∼5 g), with four WRF models (labels correspond to initialisation time). Two of the models match the find quite well laterally. Along the fall line, a higher drag shape (cylinder option in the code of M. C. Towner et al. (2022)) provides a somewhat better fit (yellow line). This figure is adapted from Fig. 8 of L. Shrben´y et al. (2026). -- astro-ph.EP

Away Teams & Field Reports, Meteorites & Asteroids, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

Freo Doctor: Atmospheric Modelling for Meteorite Falls and Spacecraft Re-Entries

by Keith CowingJune 10, 2026June 10, 2026

How much does the wind affect the path of meteorite falls? We finely model the lower ~30 km of the atmosphere using Weather Research and Forecasting open source tools at […]

Coupon arrangements within the Planetary Atmosphere Chamber (PAC) during low-Mars-orbit (LMO) simulations. (A) The coupons for Exp-1 and Exp-2 were held inside sterile polystyrene petri dishes and placed in the central part of the UV beam within the PAC. (B) To enhance thermal cooling of coupons in Exp-3, coupons were placed directly on the upper surface of the stainless-steel liquid nitrogen (LN2) control plate. Exp-3 compared survival rates for two species on UV-exposed aluminum coupons and doped coupons covered by the Mojave Mars Simulant (MMS) filters (see text). The coupon temperatures were estimated by comparing four thermocouples (TC) placed left-to-right within the UV beam. -- Microorganisms via PubMed

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Status Report

Biocidal Conditions in Low-Mars-Orbit Can Inactivate Bioburden on External Mars Spacecraft Surfaces and Dust Particles Within a Few Sols

by Keith CowingJune 8, 2026June 8, 2026

Mars Sample Return Program planning includes a series of spacecraft staged both on the Martian surface and in low-Mars-orbit (LMO).

Notional image of a "BSL-5" facility (one step up from a current terrestrial BSL-4 facility) on the Moon. Grok via Astrobiology.com

Artemis & 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 CowingJune 4, 2026June 4, 2026

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.

Overview of the proposed sample safety assessment protocol summarizing the workflow and decision-making processes. Reprinted from reference 5, previously published -- Applied and Industrial Microbiology

Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Sample Return

Mars Sample Return Campaign: Biological Risk And A Proposed Sample Safety Assessment Protocol

by Keith CowingJune 3, 2026June 3, 2026

Returning surface samples from Mars to Earth has been a major planetary science objective, with the potential for the detection of microbiological life and the possibility of improving our understanding […]

The Investigating Mars at Three Sites Campaign would visit three different locations on Mars. Source NASEM, A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars (The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2025), https://doi.org/10.17226/28594.

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astronauts and Explorers, Away Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Space Physiology & Medicine, Status Report

Highlighting A Science Strategy For Human Exploration Of Mars

by Keith CowingMay 26, 2026May 26, 2026

A Science Strategy for Human Exploration of Mars, charts a bold, scientifically based blueprint for humanity’s greatest cosmic adventure—sending explorers to Mars to answer the universe’s most profound questions: Is […]

Data processing overview: RGB imaging capture, data upload, data processing, and candidates human review process. -- astro-ph.EP

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return

A Cloud-Based Tool For Meteorite Recovery Using Drones And Machine Learning

by Keith CowingMay 21, 2026May 21, 2026

We present a cloud-based tool that uses drones and machine learning to help recover instrumentally observed meteorite falls.

Graphical Abstract -- Current Microbiology

Biophysics, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Radiation, Space Life Science

Radiation-Resistant Microbes: Pioneers for Life Beyond Earth

by Keith CowingMay 20, 2026May 20, 2026

Radiation is one of the most pervasive environmental stressors that has profoundly influenced microbial evolution, driving the development of intricate survival strategies in extreme environments.