Apr 19, 2007 | SCIENCE
Antarctic Lake Robot Probe Sets Sights on Outer Space
(UIC News Bureau) - A robotic probe designed to draw an underwater three-dimensional map showing the biological and geochemical composition of an ice-bound Antarctica lake may prove to be the ideal tool to search for life on other planets or moons where ice is known to exist. Peter Doran, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, is the lead investigator in a three-year, $2.3 million dollar study funded by NASA to build the probe that will map Antarctica's West Lake Bonney, a two-and-a-half mile long, one-mile wide, 130 foot-deep lake located in the continent's McMurdo Dry Valleys.

Mar 12, 2007 | SCIENCE
DEPTHX Robot Prepares to Explore Earths Deepest Sinkhole
(NASA | Astrobio.net) - A group of scientists and engineers are in northeastern Mexico this month to test an autonomous underwater robot, DEPTHX. The goal of their project is to create a comprehensive 3-D map of the worlds deepest sinkhole, Cenote Zacatón, and to collect water samples to learn about its chemistry and biology. The current activity is a test run in a smaller, nearby sinkhole, in preparation for deploying DEPTHX in Zacatón.

Mar 09, 2007 | SCIENCE
Prototype Space Probe Prepares To Explore Earth's Deepest Sinkhole
(University of Texas-Austin) - Scientists return this week to the world's deepest known sinkhole, Cenote Zacaton in Mexico, to resume tests of the autonomous underwater vehicle Deep Phreatic Thermal eXplorer (DEPTHX). They follow a series of successful tests dives to shakedown the vehicle's autonomous navigation and mapping capabilities.

Mar 06, 2007 | SCIENCE
DEPTHX Diving
(Carnegie Mellon University) - NASA is preparing an underwater robot for a plunge into Earth's deepest sinkhole. The mission will be used to map the Zacatón sinkhole, and also to develop technologies that could be used to explore below the icy crust of Europa.

Sep 12, 2006 | SCIENCE
Exploring Europa by Way of the Arctic
(NASA - JPL) - This summer, scientists spent two weeks performing research in the arctic as an analog site for Europa.

Apr 20, 2006 | MISSIONS
Satellite Detects Massive Rivers Flowing Under Antarctica
(ESA) - Using data from the ERS-2 satellite, scientists discovered large rivers flowing beneath the Antarctic ice sheet.

Sep 22, 2004 | MISSIONS
NASA Selects Contractor for First Prometheus Mission to Jupiter
(NASA) - Northrop Grumman Space Technology has been selected as the contractor for co-designing the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) spacecraft.

Jul 08, 2004 | SCIENCE
New Map Reveals Hidden Features of Ice-buried Antarctic Lake
(NSF) - Scientists have developed the first-ever map of water depth for Antarctica's Lake Vostok.

Dec 17, 2002 | SCIENCE
Researchers Find Possible Precursors to Early Life on Earth in Meteorite
(NASA) - Meteorites may have delivered the cell membranes for the earliest life on Earth.

Oct 11, 2002 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Boost for Life on Jupiter Moon
(BBC) - New observations made by the Galileo spacecraft may strengthen the argument for life on Europa.

Oct 08, 2002 | SCIENCE
Life May Swim within Distant Moons
(BBC) - Oceans of water may lie beneath the icy surfaces of more moons in our solar system than previously thought.

Sep 17, 2002 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
One Small Step... but Only on a Hospitable Planet!
(ESA) - Robotic explorers in our solar system may pave the way for future human missions.

Jul 11, 2002 | SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGIES
Ice Cube of Exotic Microbes
(Astrobiology Magazine) - A pocket of permafrost deep beneath Antarctica offers a chance to test sterile drilling techniques before exploring elsewhere for exotic microbes.

Apr 29, 2002 | SCIENCE
Looking for Life in All the Right Places
(Space.com) - A report from the second Astrobiology Science Conference.

Apr 17, 2002 | SCIENCE
A Fresh Start for Life?
(InScight) - The earliest living cells arose in fresh water rather than salt water, says a team of astrobiologists.

Apr 11, 2002 | SCIENCE
Audio: Developments in Astrobiology
(KQED-FM) - In conjunction with the second Astrobiology Science Conference, astrobiologists describe developments in the field.

Feb 26, 2002 | SCIENCE
Alien Life More Likely to Be Found outside Solar System
(Spaceflight Now) - Astrobiologist Norman Pace believes Mars and Europa aren't very promising places for life.

Feb 19, 2002 | SCIENCE
Bugs from Hell
(NASA Astrobiology Institute) - Miles below Earth's surface, a community of microbes thrives.

Feb 14, 2002 | SCIENCE
Wrenching Tides on Europa Could Force Life to Evolve
(Space.com) - Ruptures in Europa's icy crust might permit photosynthesis and compel life to adapt rapidly.

Feb 04, 2002 | SCIENCE
Life without Volcanic Heat
(NASA Astrobiology Institute) - Spires on the ocean floor hint that habitats for life may be more common that previously thought.

Jan 29, 2002 | SCIENCE
Explorers to Study Ice Worms
(JASON Project) - Worms that thrive in glaciers and disintegrate at room temperature may be a model for life on Europa.

Jan 13, 2002 | SCIENCE
Evidence of Bacteria on Europa?
(NASA Astrobiology Institute) - Reddish streaks criss-crossing this icy moon of Jupiter might be a sign of life.

Jan 11, 2002 | MISSIONS, TECHNOLOGIES
Ice Explorer Conceived for Other Worlds Gets Arctic Test
(NASA) - NASA has successfully field-tested a prototype of a robot that may one day melt through ice on Mars or Europa to look for life.

Dec 28, 2001 | MISSIONS, TECHNOLOGIES
Ice Melter Could Find Europa's Warm Heart
(Space.com) - A future mission may melt through Europa's ice to look for life in the planet's hidden ocean.

Dec 11, 2001 | SCIENCE
Café Methane
(NASA Astrobiology Institute) - Scientists have found life thriving at methane seeps on the cold, dark ocean floor. Similar environments on other planets might also provide a home for life.

Dec 04, 2001 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Ocean Inside Jupiter's Moon Callisto May Have Cushioned Big Impact
(NASA) - A recent image from NASA's Galileo spacecraft adds evidence that Callisto may hold an underground ocean.

Nov 26, 2001 | SCIENCE
Life in the Universe: Is It Just around the Corner?
(SpaceRef.com) - Astrobiologist Chris Chyba discusses the possibilities for life beyond Earth.

Oct 30, 2001 | TECHNOLOGIES
NASA Bulldozer Rovers Could Get the Scoop on Mars
(NASA) - Tiny bulldozer rovers may some day dish up the dirt and pack it in on Mars.

Aug 23, 2001 | SCIENCE
Advances in Our Understanding of Life
(NASA Astrobiology Institute) - Excerpts from testimony by astrobiologist Jack Farmer to the House Subcommiteee on Space and Aeronautics.

Aug 17, 2001 | SCIENCE
Life on Ice
(NASA Astrobiology Institute) - Psychrophiles, organisms that are able to survive in extremely low temperatures, may serve as analogues for possible life on other planets.

Jul 27, 2001 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Eilene Theilig: Faith, by Jupiter
(CNN) - The manager of NASA’s Galileo mission to Jupiter discusses the 12-year-old spacecraft and what it has taught us so far.

Jul 16, 2001 | SCIENCE
Life Down Under
(NASA Astrobiology Institute) - Particles from Jupiter's magnetic field may make life possible in a subsurface ocean on Europa.

Jun 23, 2001 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Europa: Chewy or Crunchy?
(NASA Astrobiology Institute) - For geophysicist William B. Moore, the question of whether life exists on Jupiter's moon Europa boils down to whether the moon's center is chewy or crunchy.

May 25, 2001 | MISSIONS
Galileo Succeeds in Its Closest Flyby
(NASA) - NASA's Galileo spacecraft has successfully completed a flyby of Jupiter's moon Callisto, closer than any of the spacecraft's previous flybys of Jovian moons.

Apr 25, 2001 | SCIENCE
Life as we didn't know it
(NASA) - Biologists always thought life required the Sun's energy, until they found an ecosystem that thrives in complete darkness.

Apr 13, 2001 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Focus on Europa
(NASA Astrobiology Institute) - Scientists from a variety of disciplines met recently to consider the possibility of life on Europa, and to plan how to look for it.

Apr 09, 2001 | MISSIONS, TECHNOLOGIES
Life's chemical fingerprints
(NASA Astrobiology Institute) - Using a technique called Raman spectroscopy, researchers are developing instruments that may one day search for life on Mars, Europa, or Callisto.

Mar 27, 2001 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Mars or Europa: Where does life exist?
(Space.com) - Leading experts discuss where and how best to conduct the hunt for life elsewhere in our solar system.

Mar 16, 2001 | TECHNOLOGIES
Ice probe reveals images deep within Antarctic ice
(NASA) - The technology may one day be used to explore other planets.

Mar 16, 2001 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Through Thick or Thin: Exploring Europa's Outer Layer of Ice
(NASA Astrobiology Institute) - When NASA's Galileo spacecraft sent back images and data of the Jovian moon Europa, scientists began thinking seriously that life just might exist on this enigmatic, frozen world.

Mar 09, 2001 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Ganymede's liquid past
(NASA) - Long swaths of bright, flat terrain on the surface of Jupiter's icy moon Ganymede may testify that water or slush emerged there about a billion years ago, say planetary scientists.

Feb 02, 2001 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Jovian moons
(NASA Astrobiology Institute) - Jupiter's four largest moons were discovered by Galileo in 1610. Three of them might hold oceans of liquid water beneath their icy exteriors. Liquid water is a prerequisite for life.

Dec 22, 2000 | MISSIONS
Cassini probe snaps photos of Ganymede, Callisto and Europa
(NASA) - Passing by Jupiter, the Cassini spacecraft has returned new images of the giant planet 's largest moons. Three of them may harbor oceans of water.

Dec 17, 2000 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Evidence of ocean on Jupiter's moon Ganymede
(NASA) - Data from the Galileo space probe suggest that liquid water may lie beneath Ganymede's icy crust.

Dec 08, 2000 | MISSIONS
NASA's Galileo celebrates five years orbiting Jupiter
(NASA) - In its years of service, Galileo has provided evidence of liquid water on Europa and Callisto.

Aug 25, 2000 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS, TECHNOLOGIES
Strong evidence of ocean of water on Europa
(NASA) - Magnetic readings from the Galileo space probe provide the latest indication of liquid water under the thick ice of this moon of Jupiter.

Aug 22, 2000 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS, TECHNOLOGIES
Galileo returning data on Ganymede and Europa
(Spaceflight Now/NASA) - Measurements of Ganymede's magnetic field may indicate whether there is an ocean of water beneath its surface.

Aug 10, 2000 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Scientists uncover evidence of tidal squeezing on Europa
(space.com) - Images show folds where Europa's icy crust has been compressed by tidal forces from Jupiter.

Jul 06, 2000 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Galileo to crash into Jupiter
(space.com) - To avoid contaminating Jupiter's moons, NASA will deliberately crash land the aging spacecraft.

Jun 08, 2000 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS, TECHNOLOGIES
Cracks in Europa's ice may create habitat for life
(space.com) - As icebergs slide past each other, friction may melt ice. The liquid water might provide a habitat for living organisms.

May 03, 2000 | SCIENCE, EDUCATION
Astronauts hunt microbes and meteorites at the South Pole
(Science@NASA) - Astrobiologists and astronauts -- including Jim Lovell of Apollo 13 -- traveled to Antarctica in January to study microbial life there. Their findings will shed light on whether life may exist on frozen bodies such as Mars and Europa.

Apr 20, 2000 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
New image of Europa
(Spaceflight Now) - The image suggests the presence materials conducive to life on Europa's icy surface.

Feb 21, 2000 | MISSIONS
With mission ending, NASA considers crash-landing Galileo probe
(Yahoo!/AP) - The spacecraft could send valuable data as it plunges into Jupiter or one of its moons. NASA will not crash Galileo into Europa for fear of planetary contamination.

Dec 13, 1999 | SCIENCE
Antarctic discovery supports possibility of life on Europa
(SpaceViews) - Scientists have found bacteria living in a lake three kilometers below the surface of Antarctica. The finding may shed light on whether life could exist on Jupiter's moon Europa.

Sep 30, 1999 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Sulfuric acid found on Europa
(Science@NASA) - Sulfur from volcanoes on Io may be responsible for a battery acid chemical on Europa. The finding has implications for astrobiology.

Sep 19, 1999 | SCIENCE
Water: an astrobiologist's pointing dog
(space.com) - Scientists generally believe that the limitations of the laws of chemistry mean that liquid water is necessary for life.

Sep 18, 1999 | SCIENCE
More evidence of ocean on Jupiter's moon Europa
(Astronomy Now) - Researchers say that curving cracks in Europa's icy surface indicate the presence of an ocean of liquid water underneath.

Sep 17, 1999 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Spacecraft search for solar system's oases
(space.com) - A variety of missions are planned to search for water elsewhere in the solar system. Liquid water is believed to be necessary for life.

Sep 09, 1999 | SCIENCE
Divining water on Europa
(Science@NASA) - NASA scientists are analyzing data from an ingenious experiment to find hexagonal ice crystals on the surface of Europa. If they succeed, it could greatly strengthen the case that underground water on this moon of Jupiter.

Aug 27, 1999 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
New Europa images may be further evidence of ocean
(NASA) - Two dark, reddish regions on this moon of Jupiter suggest that its icy surface may have melted through from an ocean below. Alternatively, warm ice may have welled up from below and disrupted the surface.

Aug 16, 1999 | MISSIONS
Galileo Europa Mission status report
(NASA) - The spacecraft has flown past Callisto, a moon of Jupiter. Previous evidence suggests an ocean of liquid water may lie beneath Callisto's icy crust.

Aug 12, 1999 | MISSIONS
Galileo to fly by Europa today
(NASA) - The moon of Jupiter is a prime target in the search for life elsewhere in the solar system.

Jul 27, 1999 | SCIENCE
Astrobiologists to hunt for microbes in Siberia
(Science@NASA) - Cryophiles are single-celled organisms that thrive in cold conditions. They may hold clues to whether life could exist on other worlds, and to how to find it.

Jun 07, 1999 | SCIENCE
Complex Europan life unlikely
(SpaceViews) - A team of scientists claims that, because of the few sources of energy available, any life on Europa would be limited to single-celled organisms.

Oct 23, 1998 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS, TECHNOLOGIES
Signs of water on Callisto
(Science@NASA) - Scientists may have discovered a salty ocean and some ingredients for life on Jupiter's moon.