-
Kepler's Search for "Alien Earths" Covered by CNN
NASA’s Kepler mission, which will search for Earth-like planets in our galaxy, launches next week. CNN.com has the full story, including a special video interview with the mission’s Principal Investigator, Bill Borucki.
February 25, 2009 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice
-
Methane-Spewing Martians?
A research team, funded as part of the Astrobiology Science and Technology Instrument Development and Mission Concept Studies (ASTID), is building optical devices that may help scientists understand if methane on Mars could be a sign of life. The recent discovery of methane in the atmosphere of Mars raised the question of whether or not the gas could be produced by living organisms. The team hopes their instruments will be able to measure isotopic abundances in methane signatures that could distinguish a biological origin from a geological one.Source: [Astrobiology Magazine]
January 15, 2009 / Written by: Michael Schirber
-
Jill Tarter Receives TED Prize
Please join in congratulating Jill Tarter, Director of the SETI Institute’s Center for SETI Research, and holder of the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI, for her award of the prestigious TED Prize. The TED Prize, an initiative of the TED Conference, is awarded annually and grants three extraordinary individuals a wish to change the world, one hundred thousand dollars, and support in making the wish come true. Jill and the other two recipients, undersea exploration pioneer Sylvia Earle and economist, musician, and social reformer Maestro and Dr. Jose Antonio...
November 25, 2008 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice
-
ASTID Funds 15 New Projects
The Astrobiology Science and Technology Instrument Development (ASTID) Program this summer approved 15 proposals for funding, including mission concept studies and concept studies for small payloads and satellites.
The new projects were selected out of 97 proposals submitted in response to the NASA Science Mission Directorate’s 2007 Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) solicitation. The new projects range from instruments for astrobiology investigations on future planetary exploration missions to a prototype artificial-gravity platform for small satellites and planetary landers to a nanosatellite designed to search for transiting Earth-like extrasolar planets.
The 15 newly funded projects are:
William...
October 1, 2008 / Posted by: Shige Abe
-
New 2008 NASA Astrobiology Roadmap Available
The NASA Astrobiology Roadmap provides guidance for research and technology development across the NASA enterprises that encompass the space, Earth, and biological sciences. The ongoing development of astrobiology roadmaps embodies the contributions of diverse scientists and technologists from government, universities, and private institutions. The Roadmap addresses three basic questions: how does life begin and evolve, does life exist elsewhere in the universe, and what is the future of life on Earth and beyond? Seven Science Goals outline the following key domains of investigation: understanding the nature and distribution of habitable environments in the universe, exploring for habitable...
September 23, 2008 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice
-
Molecules in the Atmospheres of Extrasolar Planets - A Workshop in Paris
Where Salle Cassini, Observatoire Paris, Paris, France
Exoplanets are being discovered at an ever accelerating pace, and planetary scientists and astronomers are increasingly called upon to make the transition from discovery to characterization. This workshop aims at bringing together different scientific communities: solar system planetary scientists, brown dwarf and exoplanet modellers and observers, molecular spectroscopy and instrument development experts. We will cover different topics: radiative transfer, line lists, photochemical models, dynamics, and observations using space- and ground-based facilities. Current results will be discussed in the context of the preparation of upcoming missions, SPITZER, JWST, and
September 19, 2008 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice
-
NASA's Carl Sagan Fellows to Study Extraterrestrial Worlds
NASA announced Wednesday the new Carl Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowships in Exoplanet Exploration, created to inspire the next generation of explorers seeking to learn more about planets, and possibly life, around other stars.
Planets beyond our solar system, called exoplanets, are being discovered at a staggering pace, with more than 300 currently known. Decades ago, long before any exoplanets had been found, the late Carl Sagan imagined such worlds, and pioneered the scientific pursuit of life that might exist on them. Sagan was an astronomer and a highly successful science communicator.
NASA’s new...
September 8, 2008 / Written by: NASA Press Release
