Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets (ASTEP)

AbSciCon 2010 First Announcement

The Astrobiology Science Conference 2010 will be held at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) April 26–29, 2010. Please submit the Indication of Intent form http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/abscicon2010/iofi/ by October 1, 2009, in order to be added to the mailing list to receive reminders and other pertinent information related to the conference.

          Lunar and Planetary Institute               

August 7, 2009 / Posted by: Marco Boldt

Planetary Science Decadal Survey: White Papers Posted for Comment

Comments are being solicited from members of the astrobiology community on the following paper(s) that will be submitted to the 2009-2011 Planetary Science Decadal Survey. Papers will be revised based on community feedback. Additonal papers will be posted here as they become available.

• Astrobiology Research Priorities for Exoplanets (Last Updated: May 28, 2009)
• Astrobiology Research Priorities for Mercury, Venus, and the Moon (Added: June 8, 2009)
• Astrobiology Research Priorities for Mars (Added: June 10, 2009)
• Astrobiology Research Priorities for the Outer Solar System (Added June 15, 2009)
• Astrobiology Research Priorities for Primitive Asteroids (Added July 22,...

Read More

July 27, 2009 / Posted by: Marco Boldt

Lead Astrobiology Civil Servant Position Now Available

The Planetary Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is now advertising for the senior Program Scientist for Astrobiology. In general, this civil servant will oversee the science content and execution of the Astrobiology Program. A detailed description of the position and how to apply for this opportunity can be found on http://www.usajobs.gov/ with a announcement number (or search number): HQ09B0156. This position opened on July 10 and will close August 10, 2009. I encourage anyone who is interested to apply.

James L. Green
Director Planetary Science Division

July 10, 2009 / Written by: James Green

Salt Discovered in Saturn's Outermost Ring

For the first time, scientists working on NASA’s Cassini mission have detected sodium salts in ice grains of Saturn’s outermost ring. Detecting salty ice indicates that Saturn’s moon Enceladus, which primarily replenishes the ring with material from discharging jets, could harbor a reservoir of liquid water — perhaps an ocean — beneath its surface.

Cassini discovered the water-ice jets in 2005 on Enceladus. These jets expel tiny ice grains and vapor, some of which escape the moon’s gravity and form Saturn’s outermost ring. Cassini’s cosmic dust analyzer has examined the composition of those grains and found salt within...

Read More

Source: [NASA Press Release]

June 24, 2009 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice

Sphere

Deep-ESP. Credit: Henry Bortman
A team of researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute conducted the first field test earlier this year of a new configuration of Deep-ESP. The device is designed to perform long-term studies of how deep-sea ecosystems respond to environmental changes.

The Deep-ESP project – ESP stands for Environmental Sample Processor – will provide scientists with a view of how deep-sea ecosystems respond over time to changes in environmental conditions.

Source: [Astrobiology Magazine]

June 15, 2009 / Written by: Henry Bortman

A New Way to Keep Clean

It is almost impossible to get a spacecraft completely clean before launch. Therefore, missions to other planets carry some risk of forward contamination – where microorganisms from Earth travel along with the spacecraft to its destination. This is a big problem in the search for life on planets like Mars, because you don’t want to contaminate the site you’re going to be studying. To help combat this problem, a team of scientists funded by a NASA ASTEP award have developed a new cleaning protocol that could be used for future missions to Mars and beyond.

Source: [Astrobiology Magazine]

June 9, 2009 / Posted by: Aaron Gronstal

Probing Antarctica’s Lake Bonney

In a project designed to help NASA plan for a future mission to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa, researchers have begun testing an autonomous underwater vehicle, known as ENDURANCE, in the ice-covered waters of Antarctica’s Lake Bonney. The biggest problem they’ve run into so far? Bubbles.

Source: [Astrobiology Magazine]

May 21, 2009 / Written by: Henry Bortman