Astrobiology News

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Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.

Surprising Phosphate Finding in NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample

6 min read

Scientists have eagerly awaited the opportunity to dig into the 4.3-ounce (121.6-gram) pristine asteroid Bennu sample collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer) mission since it was delivered to Earth last fall. They…

Article4 days ago

Why Scientists Are Intrigued by Air in NASA’s Mars Sample Tubes

5 min read

Tucked away with each rock and soil sample collected by the agency’s Perseverance rover is a potential boon for atmospheric scientists. Atmospheric scientists get a little more excited with every rock core NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover seals in its titanium…

Article1 week ago
A group of four people, sitting around the exhibit hall table, engaging in a shrinky dink craft. The table is covered with a blue cloth and various materials including pens, badges, and small tools. Behind them are exhibit booths labeled "Meteor Mayhem" and "Infiniscope," with additional conference attendees visible in the background.

NASA SCoPE Engages and Empowers at AbSciCon 2024 with Gaming Activities and Childcare Support

2 min read

At the AbSciCon conference held from May 6-10, 2024 in Providence, RI, NASA SCoPE (SMD Community of Practice for Engagement) left a lasting impression with its engaging activities centered around gaming. The NASA SCoPE exhibit hall booth was a vibrant…

Article2 months ago
Artist’s rendering of NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft.

NASA Selects Students for Europa Clipper Intern Program

4 min read

NASA has selected 40 undergraduate students for the first year of its Europa ICONS (Inspiring Clipper: Opportunities for Next-generation Scientists) internship program, supporting the agency’s Europa Clipper mission. Europa ICONS matches students with mentors from the mission’s science team for a…

Article2 months ago

NASA Grant Brings Students at Underserved Institutions to the Stars

5 min read

At the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, interns from Cal State LA are learning key skills studying the origins of life. What does wastewater management in Los Angeles have to do with the search for life on Mars? Eduardo Martinez certainly…

Article2 months ago

Media Get Close-Up of NASA’s Jupiter-Bound Europa Clipper

4 min read

Excitement is mounting as the largest spacecraft NASA has ever built for a planetary mission gets readied for an October launch. Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California are running final tests and preparing the agency’s Europa Clipper…

Article3 months ago

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Earns Neil Armstrong Space Flight Achievement Award

3 min read

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer) team received the American Astronomical Society’s Neil Armstrong Space Flight Achievement Award “for exceptional performance and extraordinary perseverance in successfully delivering a sample from asteroid Bennu to Earth.”…

Article3 months ago

NASA’s Europa Clipper Survives and Thrives in ‘Outer Space’ on Earth

5 min read

A gantlet of tests prepared the spacecraft for its challenging trip to the Jupiter system, where it will explore the icy moon Europa and its subsurface ocean. In less than six months, NASA is set to launch Europa Clipper on…

Article3 months ago

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission Awarded Collier Trophy

3 min read

NASA and the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer) mission team have won the National Aeronautic Association’s (NAA) Robert J. Collier Trophy. NAA awards the trophy annually for what it determines is “the greatest achievement…

Article3 months ago

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission Awarded Robert Goddard Memorial Trophy

3 min read

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx team was selected as the winner of the National Space Club and Foundation’s 2024 Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy for their tremendous work on the first U.S. mission to bring an asteroid sample to Earth. The winning…

Article3 months ago