NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivered 4.29 ounces (121.6 grams) of material from asteroid Bennu when it returned to Earth on Sep. 24, 2023; the largest asteroid sample ever collected in space […]
regolith
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Some Bacteria Could Survive Under Mars Conditions
An international team of radiation specialists, biologists and infectious disease experts has found four types of bacteria that are capable of surviving exposure to the hostile Mars environment. In their […]
Posted inEuropa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Jupiter, Status Report
Subsurface Thermophysical Properties of Europa’s Leading and Trailing Hemispheres as Revealed by ALMA
We present best-fit values of porosity — and the corresponding effective thermal inertiae — determined from three different depths in Europa’s near-subsurface (~1-20 cm). The porosity of the upper ~20 […]
Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Moon, Press Release, Space Weather & Heliophysics
Hydrogen Detected In Lunar Samples
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) researchers have discovered solar-wind hydrogen in lunar samples, which indicates that water on the surface of the Moon may provide a vital resource for future […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Moon, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Comparative Raman Spectroscopy Of Astrobiology Relevant Bio-samples And Planetary Surface Analogs Under UV–VIS–IR Excitation
We investigated the potential of a laser selection in the broad optical range, from ultraviolet through visible to infrared (excitation wavelengths of 325, 532, 785, and 1064 nm) for combined analysis […]
Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Press Release, Space Weather & Heliophysics
Electrons From Earth May Be Forming Water On The Moon
A team of researchers, led by a University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa planetary scientist, discovered that high energy electrons in Earth’s plasma sheet are contributing to weathering processes on […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Mid-infrared Spectroscopy Of Planetary Analogs: A Database For Planetary Remote Sensing
The MERTIS (MErcury Radiometer and Thermal Infrared Spectrometer) instrument onboard the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission will provide mid-infrared data, which will be crucial to characterize the surface mineralogy of Mercury.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Moon, Plant Biology, Press Release, Space Agriculture
NASA Space Biology Research Funding Opportunity: Exposure To Lunar Regolith Simulant
NASA Space Biology is soliciting proposals for ground-based plant or animal studies (and/or their associated microbes) that will characterize the responses of these organisms to conditions that recapitulate the stressors […]
Posted inMars
Water in the Martian Regolith from OMEGA/Mars Express
Here we discuss one of the current reservoirs of water on Mars, the regolith and rocks exposed at the surface. This reservoir is characterized by the presence of H_{2}O- and […]