"Do plants require Molydenium to respire? If so, how much, and where is this element most common? "
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Salt Discovered in Saturn's Outermost Ring
For the first time, scientists working on NASA’s Cassini mission have detected sodium salts in ice grains of Saturn’s outermost ring. Detecting salty ice indicates that Saturn’s moon Enceladus, which primarily replenishes the ring with material from discharging jets, could harbor a reservoir of liquid water — perhaps an ocean — beneath its surface.
Cassini discovered the water-ice jets in 2005 on Enceladus. These jets expel tiny ice grains and vapor, some of which escape the moon’s gravity and form Saturn’s outermost ring. Cassini’s cosmic dust analyzer has examined the composition of those grains and found salt within...
Source: [NASA Press Release]
June 24, 2009 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice
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NASA’s Weird and Wonderful Rovers
NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers have exceeded all expectations by surviving the rigors of exploring the red planet for five years – well beyond their intended lifespans. The rovers have returned a wealth of important data about Mars, but they’ve also taught NASA engineers important lessons about navigating the surface of an alien world. These lessons have inspired a new generation of weird and wonderful rovers that are capable of climbing, crawling and jumping almost any obstacle NASA can imagine. The technology could prove invaluable in the future exploration of our solar system.To view a recent article...
May 29, 2009 / Posted by: Aaron Gronstal
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Planetary Science Decadal Survey: White Papers Posted for Comment
Comments are being solicited from members of the astrobiology community on the following paper(s) that will be submitted to the 2009-2011 Planetary Science Decadal Survey. Papers will be revised based on community feedback. Additonal papers will be posted here as they become available.
- Astrobiology Research Priorities for Exoplanets (Last Updated: May 28, 2009)
- Astrobiology Research Priorities for Mercury, Venus, and the Moon (Added: June 8, 2009)
- Astrobiology Research Priorities for Mars (Added: June 10, 2009)
- Astrobiology Research Priorities for the Outer Solar System (Added June 15, 2009)
Please send comments to ps_decadal@nx.arc.nasa.gov no later than...
May 20, 2009 / Posted by: Marco Boldt
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Outer Space Oreos
Scientists have previously exposed organisms and biomolecules to the many rigors of space, but those experiments only managed to take “before” and “after” pictures of their samples. A planned small satellite will monitor on a continuous basis the negative effects of space on biology. The upcoming O/OREOS mission will be the first demonstration flight of the ASTID small payloads initiative.
Source: [Astrobiology Magazine]
May 7, 2009 / Written by: Michael Schirber
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Planetary Science Decadal Survey
Dear Colleague:
This is the first of what will be a regular series of newsletters to the astrobiology community regarding the 2009-2011 Planetary Science Decadal Survey. We all get too much email, so I’ll try to keep these concise!
The key points in this newsletter are these:
1) The decadal survey will establish the priorities for planetary exploration in the U.S. for the coming decade.
2) Astrobiology is a major crosscutting theme of NASA’s planetary science activities and a central facet of the survey’s scientific scope.
3) The process is just getting started, and will...Source: [National Academies Space Studies Board]
April 24, 2009 / Written by: Steve Squyres
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NASA Astrobiology Website is Official Webby Honoree
The NASA Astrobiology Program website has been selected as an Official Honoree of the 13th annual Webby Awards! The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences presents Webby Awards and names Official Webby Honorees in 70 categories spanning art, health, music, and science. Of nearly 10,000 entries to the competition, fewer than 15% were selected as honorees, and the NASA Astrobiology Program website shares this year’s distinction in the category of Website/Science with ten other websites including the likes of Seed Magazine, the California Academy of Sciences, and...
April 15, 2009 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice
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Invisible Yellowstone
Research conducted in Yellowstone National Park by astrobiologists from NAI’s Montana State Team is highlighted in the 30-minute film Invisible Yellowstone, produced by MSU’s Thermal Biology Institute and MSU’s Science and Natural History filmmaking program. The film is available on DVD by contacting Daniella Scalice at daniella.m.scalice@nasa.gov
April 9, 2009 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice
