A new study in Earth and Planetary Science Letters looks at the role of the mineral jarosite in determining when and under what conditions water was present on Mars. On Earth, jarosite can only form in the presence of water, so the detection by the Mars Rover Opportunity of its presence on Mars means that water had to exist at some point in the past. The new study, by scientists at NAI's Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Team, is the first in a series of experiments designed to provide a roadmap of sorts for scientists who may someday study Martian samples brought back to Earth.

The team discovered a way to use the noble gas argon, which accumulates in jarosite over time, to determine the age of the mineral and the surface conditions under which it formed. "Our experiments indicate that over billion-year timescales and at surface temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) or colder, jarosite will preserve the amount of argon that has accumulated since the crystal formed," says lead co-author Joseph Kula of Syracuse University, "which simply means that jarosite is a good marker for measuring the amount of time that has passed since water was present on Mars."

Moreover, since the development of life requires water, knowing when and for how long water was present on the Martian surface has implications for the search for potential habitats harboring life, the scientists say. "Jarosite requires water for its formation, but dry conditions for its preservation," says co-lead author Suzanne Baldwin, also of Syracuse University. "We'd like to know when water formed on the surface of Mars and how long it was there. Studying jarosite may help answer some of these questions."

Jarosite is a byproduct of the weathering of rocks exposed at the surface of a planet (such as Earth and Mars). The mineral forms when the right mixture of oxygen, iron, sulfur, potassium, and water is present. Once formed, the crystals begin to accumulate argon, which is produced when certain potassium isotopes in the crystals decay. Potassium decay is a radioactive process that occurs at a known rate. By measuring the isotopes of argon trapped within the crystals, scientists can determine the age of the crystals.

However, because argon is a gas, it can potentially escape rapidly from the crystals under hot conditions or slowly over long durations at cold conditions. In order to determine the reliability of the "argon clock" in jarosite, the scientists had to determine the temperature limits to which the crystals could be subjected and still retain the argon. Using a combination of experiments and computer modeling, the team found that argon remains trapped inside the crystals for long periods of time over a range of planetary surface temperatures.

"Our results suggest that 4 billion-year-old jarosite will preserve its argon and, along with it, a record of the climate conditions that existed at the time it formed," Baldwin says. The scientists are in the process of conducting further studies on jarosite that formed less than 50 million years ago in the Big Horn Basin in Wyoming, which they hope will reveal when the minerals formed and how fast environmental conditions changed from water-saturated to dry. The results can be used as a context for interpreting findings on other planets.

Source: NAI Newsletter

Posted by Keith Cowing at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The purpose of the Landing Site Workshop is to begin to identify and evaluate potential landing sites for future Mars missions presently under study. This would focus on sites best suited to achieving science objectives as defined for a possible 2018 joint rover mission, which would conduct in-situ science investigations including drilling and cache samples for possible return to Earth and subsequent analysis within the constraints imposed by engineering requirements, planetary protection requirements, and the necessity of ensuring a safe landing.

The preliminary scientific objectives for the possible 2018 joint rover are being defined (subject to change). It is expected that the rover would land at a geologically diverse site interpreted to have strong potential for past habitability and for preserving the physical and chemical signs of life and organic matter. The rover would 1) analyse the local geology and define the local stratigraphy at km to sub-mm scales and down to ~2 m depth; 2) evaluate the nature of past habitable environments at the landing site, and search for evidence of abiotic, or pre-biotic carbon chemistry; 3) investigate favorable geological materials for preserving biosignatures at the site and analyse them for physical or chemical signs of life; and 4) select, document, collect, and cache samples that could be returned to Earth for definitive analysis. Cached samples would be selected to address the following broad science goals in order of priority: a) critically assess evidence for life, pre-biotic chemistry, or abiotic organic matter in samples and determine their preservation potential; b) determine the magmatic, magnetic and atmospheric history in samples to constrain the mechanisms and ages for the accretion, early differentiation and thermal evolution of Mars; c) reconstruct the history of surface and near surface processes and climate change using detailed geochemical and mineralogical analyses; and d) assess potential hazards and resources for future human explorers.

An ESA/NASA-appointed Landing Site Steering Committee will use the results of the workshop as the basis for establishing a list of potential landing sites for study. Community consensus with respect to high priority sites will also be solicited. The goal is to gather information on candidate landing sites and develop a list of high priority candidates for future joint missions in a timely manner utilising instruments on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) while it is still operating. Candidate sites are also to be provided to the Mars Odyssey and Mars Express teams.

The workshop will be held during February 29 to March 2, 2012, in the Washington, DC area, and will be preceded by MEPAG #26.

Points of Contact: John Grant, Matt Golombek, and Nicolas Mangold, Co-Chairs, Mars Landing Site Steering Committee

Source: NAI Newsletter

Posted by Keith Cowing at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Comparative Survival Analysis of Deinococcus Radiodurans and the Haloarchaea Natrialba Magadii and Haloferax Volcanii, Exposed to Vacuum Ultraviolet Irradiation

Ximena C. Abrevaya, Ivan G. Paulino-Lima, Douglas Galante, Fabio Rodrigues, Pablo J.D. Mauas, Eduardo Corton, Claudia de Alencar Santos Lage
(Submitted on 29 Sep 2011)

The haloarchaea Natrialba magadii and Haloferax volcanii, as well as the radiation-resistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans, were exposed to vacuum-UV (V-UV) radiation at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS). Cell monolayers (containing 10⁵ - 10⁶ cells per sample) were prepared over polycarbonate filters and irradiated under high vacuum (10^-5 Pa) with polychromatic synchrotron radiation. N. magadii was remarkably resistant to high vacuum with a survival fraction of ((3.77 ± 0.76) x 10^-2), larger than the one of D. radiodurans ((1.13 ± 0.23) x 10^-2). The survival fraction of the haloarchaea H. volcanii, of ((3.60 ± 1.80) x 10^-4), was much smaller. Radiation resistance profiles were similar between the haloarchaea and D. radiodurans for fluencies up to 150 J m^-2. For fluencies larger than 150 J ^-2 there was a significant decrease in the survival of haloarchaea, and in particular H. volcanii did not survive. Survival for D. radiodurans was 1% after exposure to the higher V-UV fluency (1350 J m^-2) while N. magadii had a survival lower than 0.1%. Such survival fractions are discussed regarding the possibility of interplanetary transfer of viable micro-organisms and the possible existence of microbial life in extraterrestrial salty environments such as the planet Mars and the Jupiter's moon Europa. This is the first work reporting survival of haloarchaea under simulated interplanetary conditions.

Full paper

Comments: Draft version (without figures), Accepted for publication in Astrobiology
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
Cite as: arXiv:1109.6590v1 [astro-ph.EP]
Submission history
From: Ximena Celeste Abrevaya [view email]
[v1] Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:02:52 GMT (131kb)

Posted by Keith Cowing at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A little bit of Mars - a 140 square metre Marsyard - has been recreated in the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, complete with two rovers and a working laboratory for space robotics and astrobiology researchers. The public exhibition is part of the Pathways to Space project led by Dr. Carol Oliver at the Australian Centre for Astrobiology at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. There are three other consortium members - the Australian Centre for Field Robotics at the University of Sydney (which designed and built the rovers), the Powerhouse Museum, which is Australia's largest science museum, and industry partner Cisco.

Pathways to Space has been funded with a million dollar grant from the Australian Federal Government's Australian Space Science Research Program, matched by a total of $1.5M in kind from the project partners. A high school student-focused education program is at the heart of the project. The key objective - to be tested by longitudinal research - is to encourage 50 to 100 students from more than 2000 participants to go onto space-related university courses and, eventually, space-related careers.

The project also has the facility to allow schools across Australia - and potentially overseas - to participate using its TelePresence system and unique rover driving and exploration software to draw in any school with a standard video system. A monthly forum is planned for students with guests from around the world sharing their Visions of Mars and answering student questions via TelePresence.

For more information: http://www.pathwaystospace.org

Posted by Keith Cowing at 4:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Liza Coe: Many people who have not been to Death Valley think of it as an inhospitable patch of sand in the middle of a desert. Although it is one of the driest areas on the planet, the land supports so much life.

Interdisciplinary studies are an important way to bring together many concepts. Much of education today is very segregated, especially in high school: history, math, biology, earth science, and everything else is learned separately. However, it has been demonstrated that interdisciplinary studies can grab and maintain students' interests as well as helping them retain knowledge longer.

All of the places that we visited today can be used as an interdisciplinary site. We started off at Scotty's Castle and along the ride we noticed many significant geological formations. The history of Scotty's Castle can be tied into the time period, with a lesson about the other economic and historical events that happened in the 1930s and 1940s. Also, along the ride, the types minerals that are abundant in the desert area can be discussed, and students can learn how to identify geological features, such as alluvial fans and fault lines.

We then headed to the Ubehebe craters, which are a great analog to formations to look for on Mars. These craters are Maar craters, where magma meets groundwater. The water table boils and released pressure in a volcanic eruption. The craters are what are left over after such eruptions. Many students may believe a crater is only from an asteroid or from a mountainous volcano, so this site affords an opportunity to learn about all sorts of volcanic features.We ended our long day at Badwater Basin, which is one of the lowest places in the world, at -282 feet. This used to be a sea, and this place could be used to talk about watersheds and how desertification occurs over time. We can incorporate math into this by looking at negative numbers, and students can compare the sea levels of the lowest places in the world. This was a very long but rewarding day as we got to take in all the beauty of Death Valley.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 9:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Date/Time: Monday, May 23, 2011 11:00AM Pacific
Presenter: Mark Allen (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech)

Abstract: The ESA/NASA ExoMars/Trace Gas Orbiter (EMTGO) mission, with a planned launch in 2016, is based on a concept that can be traced back to the NAI. EMTGO is also the first truly international mission in which NASA is a participant; the contributions from ESA and NASA are closely intertwined. The primary objective of EMTGO is to characterize the chemical composition of the Martian atmosphere, particularly trace species that may be signatures of extant biological and/or geological processes, and its variability in space and time. It is hoped that these measurements, along with a good understanding of the contemporaneous atmospheric state, may allow localization of the surface source(s) of the "exotic" trace gases. The international science payload selected for this mission has the capability to inventory the atmospheric composition with more sensitivity than has flown on previous deep space planetary missions. One measure of this capability is the ability to detect three cows on Mars belching methane. Several of the NAI principal investigators and co-investigators are members of the payload science teams.

Participation Instructions:

TO JOIN USING A VIDEOCONFERENCING SYSTEM: Please RSVP to Marco Boldt (Marco.Boldt@nasa.gov) if you will be joining by Polycom. To view the slides, connect to http://connect.arc.nasa.gov/nai_directors_seminar/

TO JOIN USING A WEB BROWSER: The slides and audio/video for this meeting will be presented using Adobe Connect. To join the meeting, connect to: http://connect.arc.nasa.gov/nai_directors_seminar/

Posted by Keith Cowing at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Date/Time: Monday, May 23, 2011 11:00AM Pacific
Presenter: Mark Allen (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech)

Abstract:

The ESA/NASA ExoMars/Trace Gas Orbiter (EMTGO) mission, with a planned launch in 2016, is based on a concept that can be traced back to the NAI. EMTGO is also the first truly international mission in which NASA is a participant; the contributions from ESA and NASA are closely intertwined.

The primary objective of EMTGO is to characterize the chemical composition of the Martian atmosphere, particularly trace species that may be signatures of extant biological and/or geological processes, and its variability in space and time. It is hoped that these measurements, along with a good understanding of the contemporaneous atmospheric state, may allow localization of the surface source(s) of the "exotic" trace gases.

The international science payload selected for this mission has the capability to inventory the atmospheric composition with more sensitivity than has flown on previous deep space planetary missions. One measure of this capability is the ability to detect three cows on Mars belching methane.

Several of the NAI principal investigators and co-investigators are members of the payload science teams.

For more information and participation instructions: http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/seminars/detail/192

Posted by Keith Cowing at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 28-September 1, 2011
Denver, Colorado
At the Fall 2011 American Chemical Society National Meeting

Mars is the most accessible location outside of the Earth to investigate for evidence of past and present habitable zones and for extinct or extant extraterrestrial life.  Chemistry-based approaches provide the central tool in these exploration efforts. This search involves the interplay of physical, organic, inorganic, analytical, biological, and geochemistry along with inputs from atmospheric physics and remote imaging. NASA and ESA missions, some joint, will launch over the next 10 years and carry chemistry-based instrumentation to examine whether evidence of past/present habitability and habitation exists and where on Mars future exploration should be directed.

Submit abstracts by March 21 to: http://abstracts.acs.org

You need to register for an ACS user name and password, log in, select 242nd National Meeting, create new abstract (if first time), then "Chemistry as a Tool for Space Exploration and Discovery at Mars" under "CASW".

Contributed papers may be in the form of oral talks or posters. Symposium is co-sponsored by the NASA Astrobiology Institute.

Mark Allen (Mark.Allen@jpl.nasa.gov)
Jeff Bada (jbada@ucsd.edu)
Ronald Cohen (rccohen@berkeley.edu)

[Source: Planetary Exploration Newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 9:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A new study in a recent issue of Science from NAI's NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Team and their colleagues looks at late accretion in the formation of the Earth, Moon, and Mars. Puzzled by the presence of highly siderophile elements (HSUs) in the terrestrial, lunar, and martian mantles, they show that the bombardment by leftover planetesimal populations dominated by massive projectiles can explain these additions. Their inferred size distribution matches those derived from the inner asteroid belt, ancient martian impact basins, and planetary accretion models. The largest late terrestrial impactors, at 2500 to 3000 kilometers in diameter, potentially modified Earth's obliquity by ~10*, whereas those for the Moon, at ~250 to 300 kilometers, may have delivered water to its mantle. [Source: NAI Newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The MSL Participating Scientist Program is intended to enhance the scientific return from the MSL mission (http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/) by augmenting the existing MSL science team to include new investigations that broaden and/or complement the funded Principal Investigator (PI)-led investigations, thus maximizing the contribution of MSL to the future exploration and scientific understanding of Mars. The second and equally important goal of this opportunity is to increase the number of scientists supporting daily mission operations.

Notices of Intent are due January 21, 2011, and proposals are due March 22, 2011.

Go to: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/

Select "Solicitations" then "Open Solicitations" then "NNH10ZDA001N".

Questions concerning this program may be addressed to

Dr. Michael Meyer
202-358-0307
HQ-MSLPS@mail.nasa.gov

Posted by Keith Cowing at 1:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Date/Time: Wednesday, December 1, 2010 11:00AM Pacific
Presenter: David Gilichinsky (Russian Academy of Sciences)

Abstract: The terrestrial cryosphere is the only widespread and rich depository of viable ancient organisms on Earth. The age of the isolates corresponds to the longevity of the frozen state of the embedding strata, with the oldest known dating back to the late Pliocene. If life ever existed on frozen extraterrestrial bodies such as Mars, traces might have been preserved and could be found at depth within Martian ice or permafrost. Permafrost on Earth and Mars vary in age, from a few million years on Earth to a few billion years on Mars. Such a difference in time scale would have a significant impact on the possibility of preserving life on Mars, which is why the longevity of life forms preserved within terrestrial permafrost can only be considered an approximate model for Mars.

I will focus on one of the terrestrial environments which are close to Mars in age - active volcanoes in permafrost areas. Here the age of volcanic deposits frozen after eruption is much younger than the age of surrounding permafrost. The same processes (past eruptions of Martian volcanoes) periodically burned through the frozen strata and formed the thermal and water oases. Simultaneously, products of eruptions (lava, rock debris, scoria, ash) rose from the depths to the surface and froze. The age of these frozen volcanic deposits is thus much younger than the age of the surrounding permafrost. Images taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on board the ESA Mars Express mission discovered young volcanoes 2-15 Myr old on Mars. In other words, the age of the youngest Martian volcanoes date back to the age of volcanoes on Earth.

Culture- and culture-independent methods show the presence of viable thermophilic and hyperthermophilic bacteria and their genes within pyroclastic frozen material on Earth. These bacteria and archeae have not been found in permafrost outside the areas of active volcanism. The presence of thermophilic communities in frozen ash and scoria raise questions about the origin of these microorganisms and their life style in such environments. The only way for thermophiles to get into frozen pyroclastic material is through deposition during eruption. In other words, catastrophic geological events may transport thermophiles from the depths to the surface and these thermophiles may survive at subzero temperatures.

Such terrestrial microbial communities might serve as a model for Mars, particularly for young Martian volcanoes that date back to ages close to those for terrestrial volcanoes. To explore these hypotheses we are characterizing different volcanic microbial communities on Earth within volcanic permafrost. One such area of active volcanism is the Klyuchevskaya Volcano Group (55*'N, 160*E) on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far-East, where mountainous permafrost predominates from the elevations ~1000 m asl and up. I will describe our studies of microorganisms isolated from this area.

For more information and participation instructions: http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/seminars/detail/184 [Source: NAI Newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear Colleague: You are invited to participate in the fourth landing site workshop for the 2011 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover mission. The workshop will be held in the vicinity of Pasadena, California, on September 27-29, 2010. The workshop will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Monrovia, California, and will be just before the MEPAG meeting to be held at the same location.

This workshop is expected to focus on the outstanding science questions, surface characteristics, and relative merits of the final MSL landing sites remaining under consideration. Outcomes will include a list of testable hypotheses that can be accomplished at each site using the MSL science payload. We anticipate a final, fifth landing site workshop will be held in the early spring of 2011 that will be the final workshop prior to selection of the site by NASA Headquarters.

We are soliciting a range of presentations related to the four remaining landing sites under consideration: Eberswalde crater (23.86*S, 326.73*E), Gale crater (4.49*S, 137.42*E), Holden crater (26.37*S, 325.10*E), and Mawrth Vallis (24.01*N, 341.03*E). Presentations related to refined understanding of the geologic setting and physical nature of the surface at each site are especially welcomed. Talks should emphasize the pros and cons of the science possible at each site relative to the mission science objectives and describe testable hypotheses that can be evaluated using the MSL science payload. Talks on the characteristics of the surface should focus on aspects that are important for landing or roving. Identification of specific candidate science targets and traverses within and/or outside the ellipse (for go to sites) is encouraged. An overview of the mission science objectives, a description of the engineering constraints on surface characteristics important for landing and roving, as well as other aspects of the MSL mission, can be found at http://marsoweb.nas.nasa.gov/landingsites/ and http://webgis.wr.usgs.gov/msl. A description of the MSL science payload may be found at http://msl-scicorner.jpl.nasa.gov/.

All members of the scientific community are encouraged to participate in this important activity. Persons wishing to make a presentation at the workshop should provide a title and brief (several sentence) description of the content to John Grant (grantj@si.edu) and Matt Golombek (mgolombek@jpl.nasa.gov) by August 1, 2010. The input from the science community is critical to identification and evaluation of optimal landing sites for the MSL. We look forward to your continued involvement in these activities!

Sincerely, John Grant and Matt Golombek Co-Chairs, Mars Landing Site Steering Committee

Source: NAI Newsletter

Posted by Keith Cowing at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Join us for the second in a series of NASA Astrobiology Postdoctoral Program (NPP) seminars!

Date/Time: Monday, July 12th, 11am Pacific Time
Title: "Impact Bombardments on Early Earth and Mars: Implications for Habitability"
Speaker: Oleg Abramov, University of Colorado, Boulder

Abstract: Lunar rocks and impact melts, lunar and asteroidal meteorites, and an ancient martian meteorite record thermal metamorphic events with ages that group around and/or do not exceed 3.9 Gyr. That such a diverse suite of solar system materials share this feature is interpreted to be the result of a post-primary-accretion cataclysmic spike in the number of impacts commonly referred to as the late heavy bombardment (LHB). We report numerical models constructed to probe the degree of thermal metamorphism in the crust in the effort to recreate the effect of the LHB on the Earth and Mars; outputs were used to assess habitable volumes of crust for possible near-surface and subsurface primordial microbial biospheres. Our analysis shows that there is no plausible situation in which the habitable zone was fully sterilized on Earth and Mars, at least since the termination of primary accretion of the planets and the postulated impact origin of the Moon. Our results explain the root location of hyperthermophilic bacteria in the phylogenetic tree for 16S small-subunit ribosomal RNA, and bode well for the persistence of microbial biospheres even on planetary bodies strongly reworked by impacts. In fact, on Mars, the LHB may have been very beneficial for habitability by generating widespread hydrothermal activity, releasing water vapor into atmosphere, and likely temporarily changing global climate to a warmer and wetter state.

For more information and connection information: http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/seminars/detail/178

Source: NAI Newsletter

Posted by Keith Cowing at 9:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NAI scientists from the University of Wisconsin Team and their colleagues have shown that the true age of this famous meteorite is 4.091 billion years, about 400 million years younger than earlier age estimates. Their study shows that it formed during a time when Mars was wet and had a magnetic field, conditions that are favorable for the emergence and development of life. This finding precludes ALH84001 from being a remnant of primordial Martian crust, as well as confirming that volcanic activity was ongoing in Mars over much of its history. Their paper appears in the April 16, 2010 issue of Science.

[Source: NAI Newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 5:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This two week summer course will be held in Utrecht, The Netherlands at the Universiteit Utrecht from July 5-16, 2010.

Planet Mars has water ice near its surface, and dry rivers, deltas and gigantic canyons attest to past water flow on the surface. But how much water did flow on Mars? What was the past climate, and how long was the planet wet? Was there ever life on Mars and could life exist there in the future? This course focusses on Mars surface dynamics and landforms related to water. Topics include a general introduction to the Mars, comparison of terrestrial and Martian fluvial systems with a variety of landforms including impact craters, drainage patterns, rivers, deltas and canyons. Techniques employed in the course include image analysis, quantitative data analysis, laboratory experiments and physics-based modelling.

The aims of this course are (i) to introduce the student to planet Mars, (ii) to develop a thorough understanding of fluvial and deltaic morphodynamics on Earth and Mars, and (iii) to infer the implications for past hydrology and climate of Mars. We believe that a combination of dedicated lectures, literature and hands-on observation (image and elevation analysis), experimentation (creating self-organising landscapes with water and sand) and physics-based modelling (in a spreadsheet) by the student greatly enhances the acquired understanding of earth- and planetary science. The end product of this course will be an extended abstract on a case study in the style of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.

For more information: http://www.utrechtsummerschool.nl/index.php?type=courses&code=H18 [Source NAI newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Release Date: January 15, 2010
Notice of Intent to propose Due: February 12, 2010
Proposals Due: April 15, 2010

With this amendment, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Announcement of Opportunity (AO) NNH08ZDA009O, "Stand Alone Missions of Opportunity Notice (SALMON)," is amended to establish a new Program Element Appendix (PEA) as Appendix H6, ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Instruments Investigations. This PEA solicits Principal Investigator (PI)-led instrument science investigations for the ExoMars 2016 Orbiter mission. The ExoMars 2016 Orbiter mission is a joint ESA-NASA mission. Together, NASA and ESA expect to select sufficient instrument science investigations to address the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter mission science objectives. All proposed investigations must describe a science investigation with goals and objectives that address the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter mission science objectives. Further information on the ExoMars 2016 Orbiter mission is available at http://salmon.larc.nasa.gov/SALMONreflib.html#ExoMars.

Continue reading "SALMON AO Amendment 4: Release of a Solicitation for ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Instruments Investigations" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 9:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rocco Mancinelli, PI of NAI's Emeritus Team at the SETI Institute, will use a zeppelin airship to observe red salt ponds turn green while the environment is changed from near-Martian conditions into wetlands. Work will begin next year on a decades-long project to restore thousands of acres of industrial salt-harvesting ponds in San Francisco Bay into native wetland habitat. The ponds are colored red because of the color of microbes that flourish in the extremely salty conditions. Green microbes will replace red ones as the wetlands are restored.

For more information: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Salt-ponds-could-be-clue-to-life-on-Mars-79280337.html [Source NAI Newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 1:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 25-27, 2009 in Frascati, Italy - The NASA Mars Program Office has announced that travel funding will be made available for as many as 5 students who are U.S. citizens or legal residents, with Mars-related interests, to attend the Workshop on Methane on Mars: Current Observations, Interpretation and Future Plans, November 25-27, 2009 in Frascati, Italy. An application must be submitted by September 28, 2009, to be considered for this funding. NASA Headquarters will make the selections and students will be notified no later than October 15, 2009. Reimbursable costs include registration fees, transportation (airfare, mileage to/from airport, parking, rental car) and lodging/per diem. In most cases, actual expenses will exceed the funding provided.

Continue reading "Student Travel Grants - Workshop on Methane on Mars" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Based on new image data from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), a case can be made that several structures in Vernal Crater, Arabia Terra are ancient springs. This interpretation is based on comprehensive geomorphologic analysis coupled with assessment of multiple hypotheses.

Continue reading "A Case for Ancient Springs in Arabia Terra, Mars" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Liquid water is essential to life as we know it on Earth; therefore, the search for water on Mars is a critical component of the search for life. Olivine, a mineral identified as present on Mars, has been proposed as an indicator of the duration and characteristics of water because it dissolves quickly, particularly under low-pH conditions. The duration of olivine persistence relative to glass under conditions of aqueous alteration reflects the pH and temperature of the reacting fluids.

Continue reading "Short- and Long-Term Olivine Weathering in Svalbard: Implications for Mars" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 5:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Astrobiology. October 2008, 8(5): 1001-1011.
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/ast.2007.0142

We report on the design, operation, and data analysis methods employed on the VNIR imaging spectrometer instrument that was part of the Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE). The imaging spectrometer is a hyperspectral scanning pushbroom device sensitive to VNIR wavelengths from 400-1000 nm. During the MARTE project, the spectrometer was deployed to the Rio Tinto region of Spain. We analyzed subsets of three cores from Rio Tinto using a new band modeling technique. We found most of the MARTE drill cores to contain predominantly goethite, though spatially coherent areas of hematite were identified in Core 23. We also distinguished non Fe-bearing minerals that were subsequently analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and found to be primarily muscovite. We present drill core maps that include spectra of goethite, hematite, and non Fe-bearing minerals. Astrobiology 8, 1001-1011.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Astrobiology. October 2008, 8(5): 1013-1021.
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/ast.2006.0107

The 2005 Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE) project conducted a simulated 1-month Mars drilling mission in the Rio Tinto district, Spain. Dry robotic drilling, core sampling, and biological and geological analytical technologies were collectively tested for the first time for potential use on Mars. Drilling and subsurface sampling and analytical technologies are being explored for Mars because the subsurface is the most likely place to find life on Mars. The objectives of this work are to describe drilling, sampling, and analytical procedures; present the geological analysis of core and borehole material; and examine lessons learned from the drilling simulation.

Continue reading "The Subsurface Geology of Rio Tinto: Material Examined During a Simulated Mars Drilling Mission for the Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE)" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Astrobiology. October 2008, 8(5): 1049-1060.
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/ast.2007.0146

Sampling of subsurface rock may be required to detect evidence of past biological activity on Mars. The Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE) utilized the Rio Tinto region, Spain, as a Mars analog site to test dry drilling technologies specific to Mars that retrieve subsurface rock for biological analysis. This work examines the usefulness of visible-near infrared (VNIR) (450-1000 nm) point spectrometry to characterize ferric iron minerals in core material retrieved during a simulated Mars drilling mission. VNIR spectrometry can indicate the presence of aqueously precipitated ferric iron minerals and, thus, determine whether biological analysis of retrieved rock is warranted. Core spectra obtained during the mission with T1 (893-897 nm) and T2 (644-652 nm) features indicate goethite-dominated samples, while relatively lower wavelength T1 (832-880 nm) features indicate hematite. Hematite/goethite molar ratios varied from 0 to 1.4, and within the 880-898 nm range, T1 features were used to estimate hematite/goethite molar ratios. Post-mission X-ray analysis detected phyllosilicates, which indicates that examining beyond the VNIR (e.g., shortwave infrared, 1000-2500 nm) will enhance the detection of other minerals formed by aqueous processes.

Continue reading "Visible-Near Infrared Point Spectrometry of Drill Core Samples from Rio Tinto, Spain: Results from the 2005 Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE) Drilling Exercise" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Astrobiology. October 2008, 8(5): 1023-1047.
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/ast.2006.0104

A search for evidence of cryptic life in the subsurface region of a fractured Paleozoic volcanosedimentary deposit near the source waters of the Rio Tinto River (Iberian pyrite belt, southwest Spain) was carried out by Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE) project investigators in 2003 and 2004. This conventional deep-drilling experiment is referred to as the MARTE ground truth drilling project. Boreholes were drilled at three sites, and samples from extracted cores were analyzed with light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Core leachates were analyzed with ion chromatography, and borehole fluids were analyzed with ion and gas chromatography. Key variables of the groundwater system (e.g., pO2, pH, and salinity) exhibit huge ranges probably due to surficial oxygenation of overall reducing waters, physical mixing of waters, and biologically mediated water-rock interactions.

Continue reading "Underground Habitats in the Rio Tinto Basin: A Model for Subsurface Life Habitats on Mars" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This research focuses on the general circulation and climate system of Mars. There have been 7 successful spacecraft missions to Mars in the past 10 years returning valuable new data about the thermal structure of the atmosphere, the seasonal cycles of dust, water, and carbon dioxide, and the nature of the surface and subsurface. Our group interprets these data using a Mars General Circulation Model. We use the model to simulate the observations and determine what physical and dynamical processes are responsible for them. The model includes a full surface heat budget, a cloud microphysics package, a two-stream radiation code for gases and aerosols, a level-2 boundary layer scheme, mass conserving tracer transport algorithms, and CO2 condensation/sublimation physics. Topics we are currently studying include coupling between the present day dust, water, and CO2 cycles, the effect of orbital changes on past climates, and the nature of the early Martian atmosphere when surface pressures were thought to be higher than they are today. The goal of this work is to understand how the Martian atmosphere and climate system have evolved through time. Deadline: Feb 1, 2009 http://fellowships.hq.nasa.gov/gsrp/research/detail.cfm?oppID=33

Posted by Keith Cowing at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This amendment replaces the draft text in Appendix C.24 entitled "Moon and Mars Analog Mission Activities" with the final text. NASA Moon and Mars Analog Mission Activities (MMAMA) research addresses the need for integrated interdisciplinary field experiments as an integral part of preparation for planned human and robotic missions to the Moon and Mars. The focus of this program is on providing high-fidelity scientific investigations, scientific input, and science operations constraints in the context of planetary field campaigns. Funding provided in this program element is intended to enable researchers to conduct scientific investigations and integrate their instruments, projects, and/or protocols into field activities designed to help NASA plan for future exploration of the Moon, Mars, and other planetary bodies with both robots and humans.

Continue reading "ROSES-08 Amendment 32: Final text for Moon and Mars Analog Mission Activities (MMAMA)" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 8:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Using data from the CRISM instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, astrobiologists from NAI's SETI Institute and Marine Biological Laboratory teams present findings of silicate mineralogy indicating a wide range of past aqueous activity in the Mawrth Vallis on Mars. This work, published in the August 8 issue of Science, suggests that abundant water was once present on Mars and that hydrothermal activity may have occurred. The Mawrith Vallis could be a landing site for future rover missions to Mars. [Source: NAI Newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 6:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Using data from the CRISM instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, astrobiologists from NAI's SETI Institute and Marine Biological Laboratory teams present findings of silicate mineralogy indicating a wide range of past aqueous activity in the Mawrth Vallis on Mars. This work, published in the August 8 issue of Science, suggests that abundant water was once present on Mars and that hydrothermal activity may have occurred. The Mawrith Vallis could be a landing site for future rover missions to Mars.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 10:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Researchers from NAI's University of California, Berkeley Team have a new study in Science focused on Box Canyon in Idaho. Incised into a basaltic plain with no drainage network upstream, and approximately 10 cubic meters per second of seepage emanating from its vertical headwall, the canyon is a veritable poster child of groundwater seepage erosion. But this new study posits evidence that the canyon?s formation was caused rather by catastrophic megaflood 45,000 years ago. Their results imply that flooding of this kind may have caused similar features on Mars. [Source: NAI Newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Presenter: J. William Schopf
Date/Time: 2/25/2008 11:00 AM PST

Throughout recorded Earth history, microbial life has been ubiquitous, abundant, metabolically diverse, and, for the Precambrian four billion years of geologic time, biotically predominant. In the search for life elsewhere in the Cosmos, the prokaryote-dominated world of the Precambrian is the best analogue we know. Though evidence of microbe-level life will thus be sought in rocks returned from Mars, for the first such missions only minimal samples will be available. This raises important questions: What amount of rock is needed to detect past life? What evidence is required to establish biogenicity? How can true fossils be distinguished from contaminants?

Continue reading "2/25 Director's Seminar: "Can Rocks from Mars Yield Definitive Evidence of Past Life?"" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Astrobiology December 2007, 7(6): 971-986

http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/ast.2006.0096

Dissolved H2 concentrations up to the mM range and H2 levels up to 9-58% by volume in the free gas phase are reported for groundwaters at sites in the Precambrian shields of Canada and Finland. Along with previously reported dissolved H2 concentrations up to 7.4 mM for groundwaters from the Witwatersrand Basin, South Africa, these findings indicate that deep Precambrian Shield fracture waters contain some of the highest levels of dissolved H2 ever reported and represent a potentially important energy-rich environment for subsurface microbial life. The

Continue reading "Hydrogeologic Controls on Episodic H2 Release from Precambrian Fractured Rocks--Energy for Deep Subsurface Life on Earth and Mars" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Norbert Schorghofer of NAI's University of Hawai'i Team has a new paper in Nature describing a climate model he developed which accounts for the advance and retreat of the subsurface martian ice layers. The model reveals forty major ice ages over the past five million years, and explains the present distribution of subsurface ice on Mars. His findings outline expectations of ice stratigraphy at the NASA Mars Phoenix Mission's landing site.

Source: NAI Newsletter

Posted by Keith Cowing at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Scientists from NAI's University of California, Berkeley Team have a new paper out in Nature outlining evidence for the presence of an ancient ocean on Mars. The study points to a large body of liquid water at the pole which could have shifted Mars' spin axis. This shift would have in turn deformed the shoreline of this ocean relative to the rest of the surface topography, in accordance with observations. [Source: NAI Newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 8:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Scientists from NAI's IPTAI Team have a paper out in Geophysical Research Letters detailing a new mechanism for recent methane release on Mars. Their results show that increasing salinity can cause destabilization of subsurface methane hydrates, and that active thermal or pressure fluctuations are not required to account for the presence of methane in the atmosphere. [Source: NAI Newsletter]

Posted by Keith Cowing at 8:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jennifer Heldmann has been invited to participate in a special COSPAR Colloquium on Mars Special Regions. This meeting is an essential step in developing an international consensus on the definition of "special" regions on Mars, which will in-turn determine the application of planetary protection requirements for future Mars lander missions. This 3-day meeting will take place in Rome, Italy on 18-20 September 2007. For more on COSPAR Colloquia visit: http://cosparhq.cnes.fr/Meetings/Colloq.htm

Posted by Keith Cowing at 4:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tom McCollum of the University of Colorado, Boulder team has recently contributed a chapter titled "The Habitability of Mars: Past and Present" that appears in the book "Solar System Update", published this summer by Praxis Publishing. The chapter summarizes current thinking about current and past conditions on Mars that might allow life to exist there.

Continue reading "The Habitability of Mars: Past and Present" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 1:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NASA Mars Picture of the Day: Gullied Recesses

"This image shows gullies on the wall of a martian south mid-latitude impact crater. The channels in each gully head beneath an eroding overhang of layered rock, providing support for the hypothesis that some—if not all—martian gullies result from release of groundwater to the surface."

Posted by Keith Cowing at 1:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Towards the end of our summer expedition while flying back to Eureka from our camp on Axel Heiberg, I spotted a lake with what appeared to be green ice on it.

Continue reading "Green ice, Ravens, Ice Caves and the Movie ‘Contact’" »

Posted by Dale Andersen at 6:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The MARS Journal, a new online peer reviewed open access journal, is now open for submission of manuscripts. The MARS Journal will publish scholarly papers in three general categories:

Mars Science: Observations, data, theory, models, and reviews of scientific literature Mars Technology: Instruments, spacecraft, missions, tools and techniques, and software Mars Policy: Exploration strategy, economics, planetary protection, history, and commentary Be among the first to publish (for free) in The MARS Journal.

See: http://marsjournal.org

Posted by Keith Cowing at 12:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Review of the Next Decade Mars Architecture" is tentatively scheduled for release during June. However, release dates of National Academies reports depend on successful completion of the review process and on printing schedules.

This report evaluates NASA's Mars exploration program for the next 10 years, and looks at whether it optimizes scientific returns, given the agency's current funding limitations. The report also discusses whether the program incorporates findings from current missions and follows guidelines outlined in a previous report from the Research Council.

Continue reading "NRC Report on Next Decade Mars Architecture" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Safe on Mars, Astrobiology Magazine

"The National Research Council was tasked with evaluating the risks of landing humans safely to work on Mars. Their report highlights a number of unique aspects in transit to the red planet, as well as once humans step out onto the surface."

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)