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Astrobiology Hero Poster Series

Banner image reads Astrobiology Heroes Presents in block white text with a drop shadow against a light blue background.

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.

"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!"

Unidentified citizen of Earth

Astrobiology Enthusiast

OSIRIS-REx - Journey to an Asteroid

NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft is the first U.S. mission to return samples from an asteroid to Earth. OSIRIS-REx left Earth in 2016 traveled to Bennu, a carbon-rich asteroid that records the earliest history of our Solar System. The spacecraft delivered the sample to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023. Scientists are studying samples returned by the mission to determine Bennu’s physical and chemical properties. To read more about OSIRIS-REx, check out Issue 3 of the Astrobiology Graphic Histories.

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An artist representation of the OSIRIS-REx mission in comic book style. The spacecraft reaches out to collect samples from the asteroid Bennu. Pink diagonal bands of light emanate up from the asteroid surface. The Earth is seen in the distance. The poster text reads (top to bottom), Astrobiology Heroes Presents, OSIRIS-REx. Picking up pieces of an asteroid (splash text)! Delivering samples to scientists on Earth, including astrobiologists studying life's earliest ingredients (text box). NASA's first asteroid sample return mission (text box)!

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. To read more about Kepler, check out Issue 6 of the Astrobiology Graphic Histories.

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This poster shows a comic book style image of the Kepler spacecraft. Behind is a field of stars with white squares indicating Kepler's field of view. Spilling out of the space telescope are dozens upon dozens of planets. They land in a huge pile of planets at the bottom of the frame with new ones falling and bouncing down to settle amongst the myriad worlds. The text reads (top to bottom) Astrobiology Heroes Presents: Kepler. Eyes on distant stars and planets (splash text). A legacy of thousands of planet discoveries (text box)!! Exoplanets of many shapes and sizes (text box)!

Perseverance and Ingenuity

NASA’s Perseverance rover is exploring the surface of Mars. The robotic astrobiologist is helping scientists understand the potential for ancient life on the red planet and collecting samples that could be returned to Earth in the future. Perseverance was joined by its sidekick Ingenuity, a helicopter that performed the first powered flight on another planet! To read more about Perseverance, check out Issue 2 of the Astrobiology Graphic Histories.

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The image is a comic book style artist representation of the Perseverance rover on Mars. Perseverance is left of frame while the Ingenuity helecopter flies in the right of frame. Center are sample canisters that the rover has collected on the surface of Mars. The martian landscape spreads out around them with layers of hills visible in the background against a red/pink sky. The text reads (top to bottom) Astrobiology Heroes Presents: Perseverance and Ingenuity. The Dynamic Martian Duo (splash text)! Meet the rover searching for signs of ancient life and collecting samples (text box)! And everyone's favorite flying sidekick (text box)!

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. To read more about Alvin, check out Issue 4 of the Astrobiology Graphic Histories.

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The image shows a comic drawing of Alvin to the left as it cruises toward hydrothermal vents in the foreground right. The vents spew black smoke up into the water column. They are surrounded by tube worms, clam-like shellfish and an octopus. Other vents can be seen in the background in silhouette. The text for the poster reads (from top to bottom): Astrobiology Heroes Presents: ALVIN. The submersible explorer (as a splash bubble). Adventures to extreme environments in the deep ocean! (text box) Studying Earth as an Ocean World! (text box)

Lynn Margulis, a Scientific Rebel

Lynn Margulis was the first female principal investigator of NASA’s Exobiology Program and pushed the boundaries of knowledge in many fields related to astrobiology. Margulis was funded for her research in microbial evolution and organelle heredity. She championed the significance of symbiosis in evolution, now the leading theory to describe how eukaryotic cells evolved from prokaryotic origins. The endosymbiotic theory states that some of the organelles in eukaryotic cells were once prokaryotic microbes. This was a major advancement in the field of evolutionary biology and altered scientific understanding of the evolution of life on Earth. To read more about her role in the history of astrobiology at NASA, check out Issue 7 of the Astrobiology Graphic Histories.

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This poster shows Lynn Margulis in comic art. She is center frame with a smile, visible in full. She wears loose fitting clothing that blows about in motion, as does her hair. She is partially encased in a cell wall with the lower part of her body inside, but visible through the opaque wall. She reaches out toward a mitochondria, which floats alongside other organelles in the image. More cells and organelles are visible in the background. Text reads (top to bottom), Astrobiology Heroes Presents, Lynn Margulis. A rebel in biology (splash text). The visionary who rewrote our understanding of evolution with endosymbiosis theory (text box)! Cells inside cells inside cells! Co-evolving over time, enabling the diversity of life as we know it (text box).

Carl Sagan, Hero of Science Communication

The name Carl Sagan is synonymous with excellence in science communication. From his seminal work in ensuring astrobiology was woven into the foundations of space exploration at NASA to his groundbreaking book and tv show, Sagan has inspired generations of scientists to consider the possibilities of the cosmos and our place within it. Sagan was an early career scientist when he was invited to participate in some of the first discussions of exobiology and astrobiology research at NASA. He went on to contribute to numerous NASA missions that shaped our understanding of life’s potential beyond Earth. To read more about his role in the history of astrobiology at NASA, check out Issues 1, 2, and 4 of the Astrobiology Graphic Histories.

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This poster shows a comic art style image of Carl Sagan. He stands to the left against a purple background. Constellations of stars glow in the background and space missions that he was involved in fly in an arc around him to the right. Bottom right is the planet Jupiter. The poster reads (top to bottom) Astrobiology Heroes Presents, Carl Sagan. The face of science and exploration (splash text). "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the Universe." (quote in text box). "The origin and evolution of life are connected in the most intimate way with the origin and evolution of the stars." (quote in text box).

Check out more posters featuring NASA Science and Missions!

This illustration depicts a warm hued underwater landscape framed by a spherical cave opening. The microscopic building blocks of life - molecules, amino acids, proteins, bacteria, microorganisms, and extremophiles - appear to grow on surfaces and float throughout the composition. Ediacaran fossils are embedded in the surrounding rock. Hot smokers and stromatolites decorate the foreground and slime molds and lichens fill out the scene. A central hydrothermal vent emits glowing gold particles which coalesce into the shape of a human being. Molecular structures intersperse with these particles and drift upward toward the water’s blue-lit surface. The rippling reflection on surface resembles a distant spiral galaxy. From stars to life, we are the same.

Astrobiology Poster and Virtual Backgrounds

Astrobiology is the scientific study of life’s origin, evolution, and distribution in the Universe.

From Stars to Life
An illustration of an ocean wave framed inside a droplet of water in sunset colors of pinks, blues, and purples. The wave sweeps around to the right, following the motion of luminescent pink, golden auroras on the horizon. The auroras and water curve upward through the sky, meeting up with a large bluish/purplish spiral galaxy in the upper left. On the far side of the galaxy is an exoplanet system and distant deep field galaxies. On the auroral path is Earth’s Moon, the asteroid Bennu, Mars, and Europa - all bodies in our solar system where water has been found. Above the horizon, the international space station hovers in the sky, while the Europa Clipper mission hovers near Jupiter’s icy moon. Molecular structures drift up from the ocean’s depths, becoming constellations once they reach the sky. They follow the auroras and cresting water upward toward the galaxy, connecting life to the stars. A few meteors streak across the middle sky. Backlit by the setting sun, a NASA-funded research vessel sails in the foreground. Below the water’s surface, the vessel’s submersible explores the ocean’s depths. A ground-based observatory perches on a cliff on the horizon.

Ocean Worlds Poster and Virtual Backgrounds

The story of water connects each of us to processes that shape our universe.

Follow the water
A collection of posters set in a collage format.

Solar System and Beyond Poster Set

This NASA poster set showcases the beauty of our solar system and beyond.

Explore our neighborhood
Illustrated poster of spacecraft

Visions of the Future

JPL's Exoplanet Travel Bureau presents: Visions of the Future.

Visit fantastic destinations
illustrated poster of the Europa Clipper spacecraft silhouetted above Europa with Jupiter in the background

Europa Clipper Poster

NASA’s Europa Clipper mission to study the subsurface ocean of Jupiter's moon Europa.

Journey to an ocean world

Kepler Space Telescope Poster

Kepler taught us that our galaxy has more planets than stars.

Discover with Kepler
An illustrated poster of the Spitzer Space Telescope along with the exoplanets of the TRAPPIST-1 system

Spitzer Space Telescope Poster

Spitzer helped reveal TRAPPIST-1, the first known system of seven Earth-sized planets.

See in infrared
colorful retro illustration of the TESS space telescope and planetary systems

TESS Space Telescope Poster

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, focused on a single patch of stars.

Discover small planets
illustration of the Hubble Space Telescope with whimsical galaxies, planets, and stars

Hubble Space Telescope Poster

Hubble, space-based observatory that has revolutionized astronomy and exoplanet observations.

Decades of research
illustrated poster depicting the James Webb Space Telescope against a colorful geometric background

James Webb Space Telescope Poster

Webb is able to gather light that has been traveling for 13.5 billion years.

Search for clues of habitability
Vertically oriented poster with a colorful image of Jupiter against a black background. Title, “James Webb Space Telescope: Jupiter” is at lower left. Blue, white, and red NASA "meatball" logo and words “National Aeronautics and Space Administration” are at upper right. Along the bottom is a series of thin vertical bars ranging from purple at left to blue, green, yellow, orange, and red at right. Bars are separated slightly, with black in between. Bar colors are brightest at the bottom, fading up to black. Brightness varies from bar to bar, giving the array an undulating feel. Image shows infrared light from Jupiter translated into visible colors. The Great Red Spot in the lower right quadrant appears white with light pink around the edges. Planet’s atmospheric bands (zones and belts) form horizontal stripes of swirling pinkish-white, light to dark blue, greenish-gray, and gray. North and south polar regions appear to glow green, capped with bright yellow and orange.

Webb Posters and Printables

An ever growing collection of Webb themed posters and printable products you can download and print.

Observe more from Webb
2023 Earth Day poster

Earth Day Posters and Downloads

This is a collection of illustrated posters in NASA's annual celebration of Earth Day.

Celebrate Earth with NASA
front of the 2019 Earth Science Week poster

Geoscience is Everywhere

Geoscientists study all aspects of Earth: the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and the biosphere.

A vision for Earth exploration

Galaxy of Horrors

Download our free posters based on real NASA science... if you dare!

Tour terrifying destinations