 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
The Astrobiology of Earth
Investigations of Earth provide high quality science return in their own right as well as analog environments for understanding life on other worlds and testbeds for technology development and mission concepts. Some of the top sites for Astrobiology study include:
Antarctica and the Arctic, especially the dry valleys and thick ice covered lakes, are analog environments for Mars and Europa (Lake Vostok, Lake Hoare, ice shelf).
Glaciers and ice sheets enable understanding of the adaptation of cold-tolerant organisms and also preserve evidence about the co-evolution of life and the environment over time. These studies are relevant to searching for evidence of life on Mars and Europa as well as understanding climate/biological evolution on Earth.
Hot springs provide understanding of extreme environments and origin and early evolution of life relevant to detecting life beyond Earth.
Hot deserts provide clues on the limits of life and how life may be detected beyond Earth.
Impact sites for comet/meteorite impact-caused global mass extinctions and their relation to biological evolution.
Volcanoes are important sites for understanding rapid change and ecosystem evolution and recovery from sterilization events.
Deep ocean hydrothermal vents and cold seep communities are analog environments for Mars and Europa exploration as well as primary sites for understanding the origin and evolution of life.
Subterranean environments and caves may harbor the largest biota on Earth and provide an excellent analog for possible subsurface life on Mars, as well as a technology testbed environment for Mars deep drilling, climate history, and the search for life.
Missions to the stratosphere for understanding biology in extreme environments and extraterrestrial/terrestrial atmospheric chemistry. (See Web sites on aerobiology and physical aerobiology.)
The Leonid Meteor Storm is a terrestrial opportunity to study a comet’s interaction with Earth for insight into the origin of life as well as past and contemporary extraterrestrial/terrestrial atmospheric chemistry.