This is not a NASA Website. You might learn something. It's YOUR space agency. Get involved. Take it back. Make it work - for YOU.
Astrobiology
LATEST
Will Mars Sample Return Ever Return A Mars Sample?
Will Mars Sample Return Ever Return A Mars Sample?

Keith’s note: Mars Sample Return, however well-intentioned and lauded by advisory committees, has been tossed around and modified and rescheduled so many times that it is no longer clear what it should do – or if it is even needed. It has always been somewhat gospel that NASA would not send human crews to Mars until a sample return mission had allowed the question of current life to be addressed. The current scenario has a Mars sample return to Earth in 2033 and (one would guess) basic findings a year later. A decade ago NASA talked about sending humans to Mars in the mid 2030s. Now it is the 2040s. Given the increasingly slow pace and out of control costs with which NASA develops human spaceflight capabilities, in order to meet a mid 2040s goal, basic mission design and hardware development needs to happen shortly after the sample comes back to Earth. Add in recent JPL layoffs, private plans by SpaceX et al to simply go there regardless of a sample return mission, and China’s plans to do sample return sooner than the U.S., and the entire NASA Mars Sample Return paradigm has become hopelessly clouded and conflicted. Given incredible advances in nanotechnology and genomics perhaps it is time to consider in situ life detection missions that actually look for life instead of sniffing around the edges. Here is what NASA OIG said the other day:

  • The trajectory of the MSR Program’s life-cycle cost estimate, which has grown from $2.5 to $3 billion in July 2020, to $6.2 billion at KDP-B in September 2022, to an unofficial estimate of $7.4 billion as of June 2023 raises questions about the affordability of the Program. Characteristics intrinsic to big and complex missions like the MSR Program are hard to quantify in estimates but can drive project costs upwards throughout development. These include fully understanding the mission’s complexity, initial over-optimism, a less than optimal design/architecture, and the team’s ability to perform to expectations. When developing its cost and schedule estimate for KDP-C, and as the MSR Program addresses its architecture issues, Program management must consider these intrinsic characteristics and not attribute past cost growth to just the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, or supply chain issues.
  • Additionally, MSR Program formulation is impacted by coordination challenges between NASA and ESA. While communication processes are formally documented and being followed, NASA and ESA are experiencing issues related to schedule transparency, asynchronous design progress, and mass allocation, which appear to stem from differing operational approaches, acquisition strategies, and agency funding mechanisms. The CCRS project team noted that significant progress has been made addressing interface issues between the two entities.
  • The MSR Program recently acknowledged it likely cannot meet the life-cycle cost estimate and launch dates established at KDP-B. A September 2023 report by an Independent Review Board recommended the Program consider modifications to specific mission designs. Accordingly, it is critical that before the MSR Program is approved to proceed from formulation into development, viable alternatives to the Program’s mission architecture are considered—including mission launch and sample return alternatives—as well as the value of the samples returned, the Program’s schedule, life-cycle cost estimate, and the Agency’s historic leadership position in space exploration.
(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • March 1, 2024
NASA’s Astrobiology PR Team Needs A Refresh
NASA’s Astrobiology PR Team Needs A Refresh

Keith’s note: I guess its nice that NASA’s Astrobiology program officially emails info about job openings – in Norway. It might be a little more appropriate to start sending out info on job openings – in the U.S. – for all the people being laid off at NASA JPL and NASA Goddard. Meanwhile at the official NASA Astrobiology website the top story is about a undergraduate fellowship with a due date of 2 February 2024 – almost 2 weeks ago. Why bother being accurate. Just sayin’

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • February 14, 2024
Domains Of Life Sciences In Spacefaring: What, Where, And How To Get Involved
Domains Of Life Sciences In Spacefaring: What, Where, And How To Get Involved

“The integration of biology and spacefaring has led to the development of three interrelated fields: Astrobiology, Bioastronautics, and Space Bioprocess Engineering. Astrobiology is concerned with the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe, while Bioastronautics focuses on the effects of spaceflight on biological systems, including human physiology and psychology. Space Bioprocess Engineering, on the other hand, deals with the design, deployment, and management of biotechnology for human exploration. This paper highlights the unique contributions of each field and outlines opportunities for biologists to engage in these exciting avenues of research. By providing a clear overview of the major fields of biology and spacefaring, this paper serves as a valuable resource for scientists and researchers interested in exploring the integration of these disciplines.” More here: “Astrobiology, Bioastronautics, And Space Bioprocess Engineering: Domains Of Life Sciences In Spacefaring: What, Where, And How To Get Involved

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • February 6, 2024
Pam Melroy: Finding Life Elsewhere In The Universe? “Inevitable”
Pam Melroy: Finding Life Elsewhere In The Universe? “Inevitable”

Keith’s note: On Saturday 27 January 2024, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy appeared on CNN with Christiane Amanpour. A variety of topics such as warfare in space, safety, going to the Moon etc. were discussed but the one topic that got the most air time was Astrobiology – the search for life elsewhere in the universe. Transcript of that portion of the interview plus a link to the entire video.

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • January 28, 2024
Why Is It So Hard To Figure Out NASA’s Astrobiology Program? (With NASA PAO Update)
Why Is It So Hard To Figure Out NASA’s Astrobiology Program? (With NASA PAO Update)

Keith’s 30 Dec 2023 note: Imagine you are interested in the whole life in the universe thing at NASA – the program called “astrobiology” (since 1996).” If you google the word you get https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/ as the first result. Not bad. My Astrobiology.com website is usually 3rd or 4th in the U.S. sometimes first globally. (I run it from my basement). If you search for “astrobiology” news on Google – well, I win that research result hands down (again, from my basement). Duh – I am interested in the topic and I am writing book about it. But let’s see what happens if you go to NASA.gov in search of “astrobiology” – perhaps not knowing that word – but rather the idea of “searching for life in the universe”. Search for “life in the universe” and the first result is about black holes. Not even close – and there is no link to the NASA Astrobiology Program in the top dozen or so results. “Search for life” works better – but there is still no link to the NASA Astrobiology program – the place where this all happens. If you use an earlier term like “exobiology” there is still no direct link. Using “Aliens” takes you to the right place. But try and use the “astrobiology” word and it gets less direct and more confusing – especially if you presume that astrobiology is a major activity at NASA.

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • January 3, 2024
Talking Heads Talking Space On TV
Talking Heads Talking Space On TV

Keith’s note: I was on Deutsche Welle TV today talking about Astrobiology Mars, Europa Clipper, JWST, international cooperation, space stations, and the year ahead in space. [Audio]. What is always frustrating to me (and by now I unfortunately understand why) is how rarely NASA sends anyone to talk on TV – especially non-American TV – about space exploration in general – and talk about everything – human and robotic, Earth and Astrophysics, commercial and civilian – everything – that all nations and all companies and so many individuals are doing – in and about space. When tired NASA spokesmouths like Bill Nelson do get on TV its to repeat pre-prepared, non-controversial, and non-committal talking points that brag about some things but gloss over other things that are best left unmentioned since the answer is embarrassing or uncertain. The NASA talking heads stick to the official Artemis II launch in 2024 even though no one at NASA believes that is even remotely possible – much less lunar landings in 2025, 2026, 2027 … I was probably the only person on global TV – here or internationally – talking about space to a zillion people today – and probably the only one who tried to be inclusive and enthusiastic about everyone’s success and opportunities – and I am certain that I was the only person on TV saying the word “astrobiology” today. Really pathetic, NASA. Someone please prove me wrong. (sigh) I’ll be on another global network in a few days. Update: here’s the DW segment with an intro – and then my banter.

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • January 2, 2024
A Confluence Of Climate Change And Astrobiology:  The Anthropocene
A Confluence Of Climate Change And Astrobiology: The Anthropocene

Keith’s note: Astrobiologists are often focused on how a planet’s life history shapes the life on it and how that life can, in turn, alter a planet’s life history. Life forms as small as cyanobacteria can totally alter the atmosphere. So can humans. As we deal with changes we have brought to our ecosphere these lessons have applicability. They also may suggest ways to mitigate the bad effects of human activity. Here is one example. We all got sick and stopped polluting as much – and the Earth “noticed”. Moreover, as we look to expand humanity to other worlds or giant space colonies some people talk about altering sterile locations to become habitable via terraforming. Yet again, the impact of the anthropocene on Earth has relevance. More information: Short Term Impact of Human Activity During the Anthropocene: The Corona Pandemic Reduced The Melting Of Himalayan Glaciers

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • December 21, 2023
An Astrobiology Thought For Today
An Astrobiology Thought For Today

Keith’s note: An earthling – Weevil (by Dix Balino) and Mars Droid Perseverance’s “Bit Carousel” (NASA JPL). What lifeforms on Earth seem to be “alien” and what will our first robotic emissaries look like as they search for life on the “alien” worlds we will visit? A preview. More information on this topic at Astrobiology.com

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • December 5, 2023
Time Travel: An Antarctic Astrobiology Website From 1996
Time Travel: An Antarctic Astrobiology Website From 1996

Keith’s note: This is a revised version of the original website that was first posted – from Antarctica – in 1996. As far as Dale Andersen (who is in Antarctica now doing Astrobiology research) and I know we ran one of the first – if not the first website updated FROM someone onsite in Antarctica. You might find out 1996 take on things interesting … Dale wrote: “We have radio telephones that allow us to contact McMurdo via several repeaters which have been placed in Taylor Valley. With this phone line we can send data via computer (e-mail, access the web etc.) at about 4800 baud. The signal is first sent to McMurdo, and is then forwarded by the servers there to Black Island (thirty miles to the west of McMurdo), and then uplinked by satellite back to the states where it enters into the Internet and ends up at Keith’s house in Virginia.“ and I said “When images have been placed on the remote FTP server, I use FTP to retrieve the images (usually from my home). I then manipulate the images into thumbnail and webpage – optimized versions with Adobe PhotoShop 4.0, link them to a webpage using World Wide Web Weaver 1.1, and then mount them on the Reston Communications webserver. My webserver is a Radius 81/110 Mac clone, with 40 Mb of RAM, running Webstar 2.0, connected to the Internet via a dedicated 128 kbps ISDN connection.” In other words this was sporty at the time but still rudimentary. Here are the pics. Oh yes – they got to hang out with Sir Edmund Hillary there.

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • November 24, 2023
More Bad Weather At Lake Untersee, Antarctica
More Bad Weather At Lake Untersee, Antarctica

Dale Andersen: “The weather at Lake Untersee has been rough lately. Following the test run of our tents with a small storm that rolled through last week with 70 mph winds, our team of 7 faced the might of a 105 mph (159 kph)blizzard at Lake Untersee over the last several days. Some tents were deliberately collapsed to avoid destruction, while others suffered damage in the storm. Yet, like the Phoenix rising from ashes, we rallied, and, piece by piece we resurrected our camp, a true display of teamwork and resilience in the face of nature’s challenges. #AntarcticaStrong #SciencePrevails – here is an audio recording of a typical night (last night) with winds hitting the tent walls.” See: Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 15 November 2023: More Bad Weather At Lake Untersee.

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • November 15, 2023
Bad Weather At Lake Untersee, Antarctica
Bad Weather At Lake Untersee, Antarctica

Hi Keith, Yesterday here at Lake Untersee, we experienced a day of contrasting weather. It started off beautifully with plenty of sunshine and very little wind. The highlight of the day, our seasoned field team member, Birgit Sattler, rejoined us, arriving via a Twin Otter aircraft operated by Ultima-Antarctic Logistics and operated by the skilled Ken Borek pilots. The serene weather, however, took a dramatic turn in the afternoon. Winds began to surge, reaching gusts of over 70 mph. This sudden change in weather conditions led to the unfortunate loss of one of our North Face Dome tents. We acted swiftly during the ground blizzard that had formed to secure the tent and its contents by weighing it down with rocks. More

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • November 7, 2023
Lake Untersee Update – Using 23rd Century Star Trek Tents In Antarctica Today
Lake Untersee Update – Using 23rd Century Star Trek Tents In Antarctica Today

Dale Andersen: “We’re excited to embark on a journey of discovery at Lake Untersee, a mysterious and untouched gem nestled in the heart of Antarctica. Our mission is to unravel the secrets of this ancient lake and its surrounding oasis, where time-locked paleolake basins and permafrost hold clues to understanding our planet’s past and future. Join us as we delve into this fascinating world, where science meets adventure in one of […]

  • NASA Watch
  • November 5, 2023
Career Pivot
Career Pivot

Keith’s note: I am making a totally unexpected – but still exciting – career pivot effective 30 October 2023. After more than 25 years today is my last day with SpaceRef – not by choice. So now I am technically unemployed or semi-retired. Either way I am now going to focus only on what interests me and nothing else. More to follow. Here’s a hint. True Star Trek fans should be able to piece this together from the pics above. If you comment – wrong answers only 😉 FYI: I have Dan Goldin, Gerry Soffen, Barry Blumberg, Jill Tarter – and so many others – and (of course) ALH84001 to thank for creating the field that I will be focusing the rest of my career on. NASAWatch.com will continue albeit in a much more focused form and Astrobiology.com will continue in a more expanded form while I re-engage (and finish) with my book on Astrobiology. There will probably be no TV things for me for a while as the news outlets are all covering pre-World War III preparations. Otherwise, I am just going to to look up – and beyond. Ad Astra y’all.

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • October 31, 2023
Asteroid Bennu Sample Contains Carbon And Water
Asteroid Bennu Sample Contains Carbon And Water

According to NASA “Initial studies of the 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu sample collected in space and brought to Earth by NASA show evidence of water and high-carbon content, which together could indicate the building blocks of life on Earth may be found in the rock. NASA made the news Wednesday from its Johnson Space Center in Houston where leadership and scientists showed off the asteroid material for the first time since it landed in September.” Keith’s note: A student in the audience at JSC asked the NASA OSIRIS_REx panel “where did asteroid Bennu come from?” A basic question people in the real world might want to know. The NASA panelists laughed at his question and the audience chuckled at NASA’s reaction. Not a smart thing for NASA SMD and PAO staff to do. Just sayin’.

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • October 11, 2023
Talking About NASA Astronomy & Astrobiology On Arabic Language TV
Talking About NASA Astronomy & Astrobiology On Arabic Language TV

Keith’s note: I was just on Alaraby TV in Qatar talking about the recent discovery of methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of super-earth exoplanet K2-18b by the Webb Space Telescope and what this means in terms of Astrobiology and the search for life in the universe. It is fun to not have to talk to jaded American TV. Surprise: People outside of our Americo-centric news bubble are interested in things we don’t seem to care much about. Among many other international networks, I have been on Alaraby, Al Arabiya, Alhurra, and Al Jazeera. Also, since I am being translated into Arabic in real time, it is fun since I used to be a professional American Sign Language interpreter (often on TV) and the translators like that I am good at parsing technical things for translation at a pace that facilitates translation – in real time. Keith’s fun aside, I get the clear impression that NASA has little – if any – interest in making people available to this vast viewing audience. I have asked NASA PAO about this in the past but they always declined to answer. To be certain, the viewership of these Arabic language networks overlaps – but the core audience is somewhere between 200-300 million located in over 150 countries. NASA has an astonishing soft power and branding reach and it rarely takes full advantage of it. This is one example. Baffling. Anyway: here’s the [Audio]

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • October 1, 2023
Daring Mighty Things Then, Now, And In The Future
Daring Mighty Things Then, Now, And In The Future

Keith’s note: I came across this photo by Morgan Cable standing in an ice cave and was instantly reminded of the iconic photo taken by Herbert Ponting in Antarctica in 1911. I hope NASA PAO starts to pay a little more attention to the parallels between terrestrial and extraterrestrial exploration as we move out into the solar system with humans and droids. Indeed, that core notion was the impetus for a NASA Administrator’s Symposium that Astronaut John Grunsfeld and I organized for NASA in 2004: “Risk and Exploration Earth, Sea And The Stars” (proceedings for which I was co-editor) Photos: [LEFT] NASA JPL scientist Dr. Morgan Cable tweeted via @starsarecalling on 16 September 2023. Her caption says: “Mapped a moulin today with LIDAR! We’re here at Athabasca Glacier in Canada to do science and engineering testing for the Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS) Project @NASAJPL Dare mighty things!” [RIGHT] This photo was taken by Herbert Ponting on 5 January 1911 during Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s ‘Terra Nova Expedition’ aka ‘The British Antarctic Expedition’. Charles Wright and Thomas Griffith Taylor are shown standing in the ice cave or “grotto”. Imagine the Ponting photo updated with Morgan Cable standing in an ice cave on Europa with a lander against. dark sky in the background while Jupiter looms on the horizon.

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • September 17, 2023
NASA UAP Report Simply Repeats What Has Already Been Said
NASA UAP Report Simply Repeats What Has Already Been Said

Keith’s note: NASA has released its latest UAP report. There is a media briefing at 10:00 am EDT and of course, NASA PAO made sure that news media only saw the report by waiting until 29 minutes before the event to release it so we could all speed read it and ask intelligent questions. I spoke with the BBC World Service about the report moments before the press briefing began [Audio]. In a nutshell the report offers nothing new and simply repeats what was said at the committee’s 22 May 2023 meeting in other words – there is weird stuff going on out there and we need to study it more – and maybe dial down the stigma and add some more science. — Update: In the media briefing NASA speakers tried to put forth the notion that NASA should – and will – take study of UAP sightings much more serious using scientific rigor and with transparency to the public. There is no proof for/against the origin of these things – terrestrial or extraterrestrial. The committee chair David Spergel said “NASA can be a key player in a whole of government approach to UAP”. Bill Nelson said that NASA will announce a new Director of UAP research. Moments later a reporter asked who that person is. NASA SMD AA Nicky Fox said that they have a person who has been working on this for a while but she refused to give out “his” name. Dan Evans, NASA SMD assistant deputy associate administrator for research added that they are not going to name the person but that “Science should be free”. The whole stigma/trolling/harassment issue was cited – which is real. Oddly the entire panel was named. That said, what happened to all of that talk of “transparency” Bill Nelson? — Second Update: Here is the [Audio] from my second interview on the BBC World Service as the press event was ending.

(more…)
  • NASA Watch
  • September 14, 2023