Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report

Characterization of Aqueous Alteration and Formation of Salty Exposures at Ius Chasma, Mars

Intriguing outcrops in Ius Chasma provide a window into past aqueous processes in Valles Marineris, Mars. Hydrous sulfate minerals are abundant throughout this region, but one area in Ius Chasma […]

Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Away Team Droid Tech: The PIXL Instrument on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

The Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) is a micro-focus X-ray fluorescence spectrometer mounted on the robotic arm of NASA’s Perseverance rover.

Posted inAnalog Studies, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Practicing For Offworld Away Team Missions: Astrogeology And Astrobiology On Lanzarote, Canary Islands

ESA spacewalk instructor Hervé Stevenin carries all sorts of instrumentation, from high-tech spectrometers to NASA replicas from the Apollo era. ESA is assessing if the tools are suitable for future […]

Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Venus

ESA Approves EnVision Mission To Venus – The Closest Planet To Earth

ESA’s next mission to Venus was officially ‘adopted’ today by the Agency’s Science Programme Committee. EnVision will study Venus from its inner core to its outer atmosphere, giving important new […]

Posted inAstrogeology, Astronauts and Explorers, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Astronauts Use Tricorders And Geology Tools During ESA Away Team Training

While NASA astronaut Stephanie Wilson has created a small trench to analyze with a portable spectrometer some levels of now-buried rock deposits, ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst looks for more clues […]

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