These are the “heroes” of astrobiology, exploring the hidden depths of the Earth, roving the worlds of our solar system, and peering at planets around distant stars. These amazing giants of exploration are shaping the future of astrobiology research, helping scientists deepen our knowledge about the origin and evolution of life on Earth, and the potential for life in the Universe.
Astrobiology Heroes Poster Series
Download images of some of Astrobiology's greatest Heroes
"Look, up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No... it's a powerful telescope in an Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit!"
Alvin - The Deep Ocean Submersible Explorer
Alvin is a crewed deep-ocean research submersible that in 1977, was used to explore the ocean floor near the Galapagos Islands and identified hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the sea for the first time. The finding showed us that deep ocean environments could be habitats for life on worlds far from the energy of the Sun. Suddenly, subsurface oceans on icy worlds in the outer Solar System became a focus of astrobiology research. Icy moons like Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus are now prime targets for astrobiology exploration.
Downloads:
Landscape Image (Desktop Wallpaper, Videoconference Background)
Portrait Image (Phone Wallpaper)
Kepler - Eyes on Exoplanets
NASA’s powerful Kepler space observatory was designed to survey a specific portion of our region of the Milky Way galaxy. An important part of Kepler’s work was the identification of Earth-size planets around distant stars. Kepler left a legacy of more than 2,600 exoplanet discoveries, paving the way for future scientific efforts and the search for life beyond the Solar System.
Downloads:
Landscape Image (Desktop Wallpaper, Videoconference Background)
Portrait Image (Phone Wallpaper)
Perseverance and Ingenuity
Currently traveling from Earth to the Red Planet, NASA’s Perseverance rover is just at the start of its adventures on the surface of Mars. The robotic astrobiologist will be looking for signatures of ancient life while collecting samples that will be returned to Earth by a future Mars Sample Return mission. Perseverance is joined by its sidekick Ingenuity, a helicopter that will perform the first powered flight on another planet!
Downloads:
Landscape Image (Desktop Wallpaper, Videoconference Background)
Portrait Image (Phone Wallpaper)