NAI
2009 Annual Science Report
Reporting | JUL 2008 – AUG 2009
Letter from the Director: 2009 NAI Annual Report
Starting NAI’s Second Decade
The year reported here, July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009, marks a major transition and the start of the second decade of the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI). What began as an experiment in science management has matured into a vibrant community of geographically distributed researchers and educators linked together by some of the most modern collaborative technologies. The major transition was the start of the ten teams selected in the Cycle-5 NAI competition. The new teams were announced in October 2008, and began their tenure on Feb. 1, 2009.
The first order of business ...
Continue reading.This Year At a Glance
16
Teams
180
Project Reports
673
Publications
74
Field Sites
Breakdown of Top Journal Publications
- 14Science
- 7PNAS
- 18Nature
Team Reports
- Arizona State University
- Carnegie Institution of Washington
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Montana State University
- NASA Ames Research Center
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Icy Worlds
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Titan
- Pennsylvania State University
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of Colorado, Boulder
- University of Hawaii, Manoa
- University of Wisconsin
- VPL at University of Washington
Browse by Roadmap Objectives
Based on the 2008 Astrobiology Roadmap- Goal 1
- 1.1Formation and evolution of habitable planets.
- 1.2Indirect and direct astronomical observations of extrasolar habitable planets.
- Goal 2
- 2.1Mars exploration.
- 2.2Outer Solar System exploration
- Goal 3
- 3.1Sources of prebiotic materials and catalysts
- 3.2Origins and evolution of functional biomolecules
- 3.3Origins of energy transduction
- 3.4Origins of cellularity and protobiological systems
- Goal 4
- 4.1Earth's early biosphere.
- 4.2Production of complex life.
- 4.3Effects of extraterrestrial events upon the biosphere
- Goal 5
- 5.1Environment-dependent, molecular evolution in microorganisms
- 5.2Co-evolution of microbial communities
- 5.3Biochemical adaptation to extreme environments
- Goal 6
- 6.1Effects of environmental changes on microbial ecosystems
- 6.2Adaptation and evolution of life beyond Earth
- Goal 7
- 7.1Biosignatures to be sought in Solar System materials
- 7.2Biosignatures to be sought in nearby planetary systems