NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI)

Letter from the Director

We live in exciting times. From an astrobiological perspective, the enduring triumph of the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity , the promise of Cassini-Huygens, and the accumulating catalog of extrasolar planets and planetary systems, are obvious highlights. We also live in interesting times. The transformation of NASA from an agency focused on the origin, future, and occurrence of life in the Universe (NASA 2003 Strategic Plan) to one with a novel Vision for Space Exploration is still underway.

The broad astrobiological goals, articulated in the Strategic Plan and the Astrobiology Roadmap, remain the...

Read More...

Project Reports

Organized by Astrobiology Roadmap Objective (2003 Version)

Goal 1: Understand the nature and distribution of habitable environments in the Universe

• Objective 1: Determine whether the atmosphere of the early Earth, hydrothermal or exogenous matter were significant sources of organic matter. (58 reports)

Goal 2: Explore for past or present habitable environments, prebiotic chemistry and signs of life elsewhere in our Solar System

• Objective 2: Develop and test plausible pathways by which ancient counterparts of membrane systems, proteins and nucleic acid were synthesized from simpler precursors and assembled into protocells. (28 reports)

Goal 3: Understand how life originates from cosmic and planetary precursors

• Objective 3: Replicating, catalytic systems capable of evolution, and construct laboratory models of metabolism in primitive living systems. (62 reports)

Goal 4: Understand how past life on Earth interacted with its changing planetary and Solar System environment

• Objective 4: Expand and interpret the genomic database of a select group of key microorganisms in order to reveal the history and dynamics of evolution. (94 reports)

Goal 5: Understand the evolutionary mechanisms and environmental limits of life

• Objective 5: Describe the sequences of causes and effects associated with the development of Earth's early biosphere and the global environment. (103 reports)

Goal 6: Understand the principles that will shape the future of life, both on Earth and beyond

• Objective 6: Define how ecophysiological processes structure microbial communities, influence their adaptation and evolution, and affect their detection on other planets. (58 reports)

Goal 7: Determine how to recognize signatures of life on other worlds and on early Earth

• Objective 7: Identify the environmental limits for by examining biological adaptations to extremes in environmental conditions. (57 reports)

Project Reports

Organized by Team

• Carnegie Institution of Washington
• Indiana University, Bloomington
• Marine Biological Laboratory
• Michigan State University
• NASA Ames Research Center
• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• Pennsylvania State University
• SETI Institute
• University of Arizona
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of Colorado, Boulder
• University of Hawaii
• University of Rhode Island
• University of Washington
• Virtual Planetary Laboratory (JPL/CalTech)