Editor’s note: many of the tools that are used in astronomy to conduct analyses of chemistry in space – astrochemistry – utilize technology that has had long-standing applications in a […]
sensor
Posted inWater/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
How Will We Monitor Life In Alien Oceans?
Editor’s note: when we start to explore the oceans on other worlds we will need to be ready to utilize a wide range of detection methods optical, auditory – and […]
Posted inMars
ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Astrobiology Mission Heat Shield Enters Integration Phase
[ArianeGroup] Following a successful vibration test campaign designed to validate its mechanical resistance to the stresses of launch and the journey to Mars, the Front Shield for Rosalind Franklin has […]
Posted inTricorders & Sensors
How To Actually Build Your Own Working Tricorder
Editor’s note: Hamzah Abugosh has built a functional tricorder. I share the same fascination he has with the notion of a Tricorder as seen on Star Trek since I was […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Tricorder Tech: A Simple Filter Swap Could Advance Marine eDNA Biomonitoring
Editor’s note: with recent speculation about the potential habitability of other worlds and understanding the processes whereby other biospheres arise and evolve, thought needs to be given to developing sensor […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: DIYNAFLUOR: An Affordable DIY Plug-and-Play Nucleic Acid Fluorometer for eDNA Quantification in Resource Limited Settings
Editor’s note: with recent speculation about the potential habitability of other worlds and understanding the processes whereby other biospheres arise and evolve, thought needs to be given to developing sensor […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Europa, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Icy Worlds, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, Radiation, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Tricorder Tech: Developing Robust Electronics That Can Withstand Harsh Conditions on Cold Planetary Bodies
A NASA-sponsored team has developed electronics that can operate reliably in the harsh radiation and temperature conditions found on distant planetary bodies like Europa, an ocean world orbiting Jupiter. Not […]
Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Astronauts and Explorers, Exploration Gear & Tech, Press Release, Radiation, Space Physiology & Medicine, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Cosmic Radiation Aboard Artemis II Orion Will Be Monitored by Six Specialized Chips Supplied by ADVACAM
When, in February March 2026, the massive SLS rocket lifts off from the launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with four astronauts on board, six chips designed […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Artemis & Lunar Exploration, Astrobiology (general), Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Citizen Science / Open Science, Courses, Education and Outreach, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Space Life Science, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech For Everyone: NASA’s STELLA Open Science Instrument
Editor’s note: NASA has just authored a paper on a new way for people with a wide variety of interests to use – and build – sensor technology that is […]
Posted inExploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Laser Ablation Sampling With Low‐Power Plasma: A LA‐MIP‐MS Instrument for Spaceflight
Rationale Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is a commonly used ion source for mass spectrometry‐based chemical analysis of a wide range of materials. Traditional ICP ion sources use high power (> 1000 W) […]