Future colonists on Mars will need to produce fresh food locally to acquire key nutrients lost in food dehydration, the primary technique for sending food to space. In this study […]
regolith
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Undecanoic Acid and L-Phenylalanine in Vermiculite: Detection, Characterization, and UV Degradation Studies for Biosignature Identification on Mars
Solar radiation that arrives on the surface of Mars interacts with organic molecules present in the soil. The radiation can degrade or transform the organic matter and make the search […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Meteorites & Asteroids, Phobos, Status Report
Spectro-photometry of Phobos simulants: I. Detectability of Hydrated Minerals and Organic Bands
Previous observations of Phobos and Deimos, the moons of Mars, have improved our understanding of these small bodies. However, their formation and composition remain poorly constrained.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Status Report
Experimental Identification of Potential Martian Biosignatures in Open and Closed Systems
NASA’s Perseverance and ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rovers have the scientific goal of searching for evidence of ancient life on Mars. Geochemical biosignatures that form because of microbe-mineral interactions could play […]
Posted inExploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Mars Astrobiology Rover Perseverance’s Sample Depot Portrait
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover captured this portrait of its recently completed sample depot using its Mastcam-Z camera on Jan. 31, 2023, the 693rd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. […]
Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Commercial & Private Sector, Exploration Gear & Tech, Life Support Systems, Plant Biology, Space Agriculture, Space Life Science, Status Report
Offworld Botany: Online Dataset Access For Plants Grown In Lunar Regolith
Plants grown in Moon soil struggled with slow growth and poor health … what can we do to help them grow in these conditions? Dig into this processed dataset to […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Why Is Methane Seeping on Mars? NASA Scientists Have New Ideas
A recent paper may help explain why a portable chemistry lab on NASA’s Curiosity rover has continually sniffed out traces of the gas near the surface of Gale Crater.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Exploration Gear & Tech, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Sample Return, Status Report
Asteroid (101955) Bennu In The Laboratory: Properties Of The Sample Collected By OSIRIS-REx
On 24 September 2023, the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission dropped a capsule to Earth containing approximately 120 g of pristine carbonaceous regolith from Bennu.
Posted inAstrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs
Curiosity Rover Searches For New Clues About Mars’ Ancient Water
The rover has arrived at an area that may show evidence liquid water flowed on this part of Mars for much longer than previously thought.
Posted inAstrogeology, Callisto, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Impact events, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report
Large Impact Features on Ganymede and Callisto as Revealed by Geological Mapping and Morphometry
We have performed topographic and geological mapping of 19 large impact features on Ganymede and Callisto in order to gather morphometric and crater age data that allow us to quantify […]