NAI
2002 Annual Science Report
Reporting | JUL 2001 – JUN 2002
This Year At a Glance
15
Teams
121
Project Reports
0
Publications
0
Field Sites
Breakdown of Top Journal Publications
- 0Science
- 0PNAS
- 0Nature
Team Reports
- Arizona State University
- Carnegie Institution of Washington
- Harvard University
- Marine Biological Laboratory
- Michigan State University
- NASA Ames Research Center
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- NASA Johnson Space Center
- Pennsylvania State University
- Scripps Research Institute
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of Colorado, Boulder
- University of Rhode Island
- University of Washington
- Virtual Planetary Laboratory (JPL/CalTech)
Browse by Roadmap Objectives
Based on the 1998 Roadmap- 1.0Astrobiology is multidisciplinary, and achieving our goals will require the cooperation of different scientific disciplines and programs.
- 2.0Astrobiology encourages planetary stewardship, through an emphasis on protection against biological contamination and recognition of the ethical issues surrounding the export of terrestrial life beyond Earth.
- 3.0Astrobiology recognizes a broad societal interest in our subject, especially in areas such as the search for extraterrestrial life and the potential to engineer new life forms adapted to live on other worlds.
- 4.0In view of the intrinsic excitement and wide public interest in our subject, Astrobiology includes a strong element of education and public outreach.
- 1.0How does life begin and develop?
- Goal 1
- Goal 2
- Goal 3
- Goal 4
- 1.0Determine whether the atmosphere of the early Earth, hydrothermal systems or exogenous matter were significant sources of organic matter.
- 2.0Develop and test plausible pathways by which ancient counterparts of membrane systems, proteins and nucleic acids were synthesized from simpler precursors and assembled into protocells.
- 3.0Replicating, catalytic systems capable of evolution, and construct laboratory models of metabolism in primitive living systems.
- 4.0Expand and interpret the genomic database of a select group of key microorganisms in order to reveal the history and dynamics of evolution.
- 5.0 Describe the sequences of causes and effects associated with the development of Earth's early biosphere and the global environment.
- 6.0Define how ecophysiological processes structure microbial communities, influence their adaptation and evolution, and affect their detection on other planets.
- 2.0Does life exist elsewhere in the universe?
- Goal 5
- Goal 6
- Goal 7
- Goal 8
- 7.0Identify the environmental limits for life by examining biological adaptations to extremes in environmental conditions.
- 8.0Search for evidence of ancient climates, extinct life and potential habitats for extant life on Mars.
- 9.0Determine the presence of life's chemical precursors and potential habitats for life in the outer solar system.
- 10.0Understand the natural processes by which life can migrate from one world to another. Are we alone in the Universe?
- 11.0Determine (theoretically and empirically) the ultimate outcome of the planet-forming process around other stars, especially the habitable ones.
- 12.0Define climatological and geological effects upon the limits of habitable zones around the Sun and other stars to help define the frequency of habitable planets in the universe.
- 13.0Define an array of astronomically detectable spectroscopic features that indicate habitable conditions and/or the presence of life on an extrasolar planet.
- 3.0What is life's future on Earth and beyond?
- Goal 9
- Goal 10
- 14.0Determine the resilience of local and global ecosystems through their response to natural and human-induced disturbances.
- 15.0Model the future habitability of Earth by examining the interactions between the biosphere and the chemistry and radiation balance of the atmosphere.
- 16.0Understand the human-directed processes by which life can migrate from one world to another.
- 17.0Refine planetary protection guidelines and develop protection technology for human and robotic missions.