Keith’s note: One of the most awe inspiring things NASA does is Astrobiology – the search for life elsewhere in the universe. Yet despite this astonishing work, the NASA Astrobiology program is a scattered mess and stumbles upon itself to engage the public. And it can’t even link NASA’s few stories on this topic to their own program. Oh yes: the White House talks about this topic now and it is likely to get mentioned in the State of the Union speech tonight – one way or another. The trailer for Apple TV’s “For All Mankind” season 5 trailer just dropped – and they open with a prime task: “our mission is to find life”. Here’s a chance to expand NASA’s reach beyond the usual suspects – and maybe even make a few converts. Why not have weekly chats about this? What’s accurate and what is not – and why. The future of Mars Sample Return and the presidential mandate to go to Mars would seemingly be ample rationale for doing so. Just sayin’.

Keith’s note: the other day NASA press Secretary Bethany Stevens @NASASpox said “We continue to embrace President Trump’s open science commitment as an agency. We have fostered open science since our inception so that the public can build upon our innovations. We continue to make all NASA data publicly available, and welcome public participation using our data.” Meanwhile NASA SMD is looking to exactly the opposite and cut funding for access to that very same data. According to an online petition “We are urging NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) Directorate to reverse the 2025 reductions to the NASA Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) and GeneLab, including the GeneLab Sample Processing Laboratory (SPL). OSDR is NASA’s primary source for understanding space biology, containing a shared library and lab system housing nearly 600 studies across 45 species. Over 1,000 researchers worldwide have produced more than 160 published papers using OSDR data, mostly through volunteer effort, multiplying the return on investment. The cuts also threaten the SPL, which provides the consistent methods needed to compare biological results across missions, and training programs for hundreds of students for careers in space science. Decades of NASA-funded work is at risk. Restoring funding is essential to protect that investment and keep future astronauts safe.” More below.

Keith’s note: the following memo “Guidance to Limit Commitments in Advance of SMD Apportionment” was sent out yesterday to NASA center CFOs. Full memo below.

Keith’s note: The following was sent out today by the chairs of NASA’s NASA Planetary Science Analysis/Assessment Groups: “The recent decision by NASA’s Planetary Science Division to cease financial support for planetary science Analysis/Assessment Groups (AGs), effective the end of April 2026, is deeply disappointing. That support enabled, among other things, day-to-day leadership of the AGs, in-person meetings of the science community (including NASA officials), and websites for the dissemination of information and reports to the science community and the public.” (more below)

Keith’s note: the following was issued by Terik Daily, chair of the SBAG (Small Bodies Assessment Group): “Dear Colleagues, The draft findings from this month’s 34th Meeting of the Small Bodies Assessment Group are now available for community comment: Community feedback on the draft findings will be taken until Sunday, February 8. After that date, the findings will be finalized. Please send feedback on the draft findings to the SBAG Chair at terik.daly -at – jhuapl.edu.” (Full document below.)

Keith’s note: last week NASA decided to halt support for MD Planetary Science Division Analysis and Assessment Groups. The following email was shared widely by the ExMAG executive committee: “Dear Colleagues, The NASA Planetary Science Division (PSD) Director recently announced that the PSD will cease formal support for various Analyses and Assessment Groups (AGs) effective in May 2026.” Full email below.

Keith’s note: NASA JPL issued this release on Tuesday 27 January 2026: “NASA’s Juno Measures Thickness of Europa’s Ice Shell.” Juno is paving the way for a follow-on mission: Europa Clipper (and ESA’s JUICE mission too). Europa Clipper has a number of prime goals – one of which is to understand the potential habitability of Europa i.e. its ability to host life – which has been a core interest/goal of NASA’s Astrobiology Program for the past 30 years. You’d think that NASA would want to talk about their whole life-in-the-universe program since billions are being spent on it vis-a-vis Europa Clipper. Guess again. NASA ignores its Astrobiology Program. Here are three overt astrobiology memes mentioned in this release – no mention of “Astrobiology” however. Only NASA could deliberately limit access or mention to one of the most profound things that the agency does. When I ask SMD PAO about this they never respond. Never. NASA has a truly inept way of exercising its branding abilities. Once the excitement of Artemis II fades, NASA needs to keep the enthusiasm going by better presenting all of the other exciting things that it does in a way that is consistent across all of its public-facing resources – not stovepiped.

• “Slightly smaller than Earth’s moon, Europa is one of the solar system’s highest-priority science targets for investigating habitability. Evidence suggests that the ingredients for life may exist in the saltwater ocean that lies beneath its ice shell. Uncovering a variety of characteristics of the ice shell, including its thickness, provides crucial pieces of the puzzle for understanding the moon’s internal workings and the potential for the existence of a habitable environment.” (has a link to Europa Clipper Mission Science that never uses the word Astrobiology or points to the NASA Astrobiology program.
• “The thick shell, as suggested by the MWR data, implies a longer route that oxygen and nutrients would have to travel to connect Europa’s surface with its subsurface ocean. Understanding this process may be relevant to future studies of Europa’s habitability.”
• “The small size and shallow depth of these features, as modeled in this study, suggest they are unlikely to be a significant pathway for oxygen and nutrients to travel from Europa’s surface to its salty ocean.”
• 29 January 2026 Update: And NASA just did it again – an overtly astrobiology-oriented posting that makes zero mention of astrobiology: NASA’s Galileo Mission Points to Ammonia at Europa, Recent Study Shows: “… the first discovery of ammonia-bearing compounds on the surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa. Ammonia is a nitrogen-bearing molecule, and nitrogen — like carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen — is key to life as we know it. As the first such detection at Europa, the finding has important implications for the geology and potential habitability of this icy world and its vast subsurface ocean.” … “It also provides a tantalizing target for follow-up by the Europa Clipper mission”

Keith’s note: on 23 January 2026 the co-chairs of the Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG) sent this out to a wide distribution: Dear members of the OPAG community: “We are reaching out to you all in light of the announcement last week by NASA about AG funding and to offer reassurances about the future of the Outer Planets Assessment Group. OPAG is not disbanding.” (Full memo below)

Keith’s note: on 16 January 2026 NASA Planetary Science Division Director Louise M. Prockter: distributed this letter “The Future of the Planetary Science Analysis and Assessment Groups (AGs)” — (Full Text below).

Keith’s note: these are the current NASA Planetary Science Analysis Groups listed by NASA – just in case that page goes away (it happens a lot at NASA these days). Full page below

• Extraterrestrial Materials Analysis Group (ExMAG)
• Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG)
• Mapping and Planetary Spatial Infrastructure Team (MAPSIT)
• Mars Exploration Analysis Group (MEPAG)
• Mercury Exploration Assessment Group (MExAG)
• Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG)
• Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG)
• Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG)