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Project Reports

• Subsurface Biospheres

  Members of our team at UNC Chapel Hill focus on molecular studies of deep subsurface communities

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 2.2 4.1 4.3 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.1 7.2

• Planetary Biology, Evolution and Intelligence

  Chris Chyba, Cynthia Phillips, Kevin Hand- The project has two components. The first, an overview of the astrobiological potential of various geological features on Europa, is proceeding well — we are continuing study of various proposed formation mechanisms for different features types such as ridges, bands, and chaotic terrain. The second, a search for current geological activity by comparing Galileo images taken on different orbits, is also in progress. We have performed a first-stage search of the Galileo Europa images to find overlapping images, and are currently working on an automated search method to make sure that we find all possible comparison images. We are also working on automated processing techniques.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1 7.2

• Microbial and Biogeochemical Characterization of a Terrestrial Analogue Site for Mars.

  Vertical and horizontal excavations at the Lupin gold mine in northern Canada allow access to a 500-meter thick permafrost/rock environment overlying a methane-bearing brine/rock environment.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 2.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1

• Chemistry Models for Extrasolar Planets

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 3.1 6.1 7.1 7.2

• Dynamics of Comets, Asteroids, and Planets

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2

• Astrobiology Winter School

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.2 3.1 6.1 7.1

• Project 7. Astrobiotechnology

  With continued support from NASA astrobiology instrument development funding (through the Astrobiology Science and Technology Instrument Development, or ASTID, Program), as well as NAI funding, Steele and colleagues continued to develop biotechnology instrumentation for solar system exploration

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 4.2 5.3 6.2 7.1

• Darwinian Chemistry

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1

• Cosmic Ice Laboratory: Organic Synthesis in Energetically Processed Ices

  In the Cosmic Ice Laboratory we simulate the low-pressure and temperature environment of space using a high-vacuum chamber and a cryostat. Ice samples condensed onto a cooled mirror inside the cryostat are irradiated with 1-MeV protons, to simulate cosmic-ray bombardment, or are photolyzed to simulate vacuum-UV exposure.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.2 3.1 7.1

• Untangling Europa’s Evolution

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.2

• Origin of Irregular Satellites

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.2

• From Stars to Genes: Addition to Extrasolar Planetary Systems

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 4.2 4.3 5.1 5.2

• Cometary Water and Volatile Abundances

  any comets have been observed to have activity at large heliocentric distances on their inbound orbital legs at distances too far from the sun to be caused by sublimation of pure water ice.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.2 3.1

• The Impact of Atmospheric Particles on Life

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 2.2 3.1 4.1 4.3 7.1

• Deep Impact Target Characterization

  The Deep Impact mission is the first planetary mission to carry out direct experimentation on a cometary body by delivering a 360-kg impactor to comet 9P/Tempel 1 at 10.2 km/s on UT July 4, 2005. UHNAI team members were closely involved in the world-wide effort of ground- and Earth-orbital observations to characterize the target nucleus pre-impact and to observe throughout the period of Encounter

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.2 3.1

• Icelandic Subglacial Volcanic Habitats

  Successful field test of drill in June 2005. We expect drill to be fully operational for planned June 2006 expedition.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 2.2 5.3 6.2 7.1

• From Stars to Genes

  Thermal evolution of Io: The thermal equilibrium of a silicate body subject to tidal heating has been studied and applied to the thermal state of Io. The results of this work demonstrate that heat transport in Io is accomplished predominantly by melt segregation and not by convection as previously assumed.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.2

• Origin and Evolution of Organics in Planetary Systems

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1

• Chondritic Meteorites as Records of Aqueous Activity on Asteroidal Parent Bodies

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.2 3.1

• Kuiper Belt Orbital Studies

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2

• Searching for Water and Organic Material in the Outer Solar System

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.2