Laser-based exploration of planetary surfaces: lab, field, and mission instruments and concepts

The capability for simultaneous multispecies detection, rapid analysis, high sensitivity, and high spatial resolution make laser spectroscopy technologies very attractive for the in-situ characterization of organic, mineralogical, and chemical species during planetary exploration.

Big Picture Science Radio Show - ZZZZZs Please

The science of why we sleep and technology that may allow us to record dreams.

Our Galactic Center

Evidence has been accumulating for several decades that many galaxies harbor central mass concentrations that may be in the form of black holes with masses between a few million to a few billion times the mass of the Sun.

SETI Institute/NSF REU Students Final Talks

The REU class of 2014 give their final public presentations. In a series of 3 minute talks, the students discuss the projects they have conducted with their SETI mentors this summer.

Bay Area Meteorite's Long History

It turns out that the black color of the so-called Novato meteorite dates from it being blasted by debris more than 4 billion years ago, at the same time as the cataclysmic birth of the moon.

Khayyam: A Tunable Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer for Broadband Observation of Diffuse Emission Line Targets

Sona Hosseini reports on progress toward development of a tunable spatial heterodyne spectrometer (TSHS) at the fixed focus of the Coudé Auxiliary Telescope (CAT) in the Shane Telescope at Lick Observatory (Khayyam).

Investigations of strange, linear features on Mars (AKA playing with dry ice blocks in the Utah desert)

Dr. Diniega presents an alternative Mars geomorphology hypothesis: blocks of CO2 ice that form naturally on the dune surfaces each winter may fall onto and slide down the dune slope, carving out features such as those observed.

Allen Telescope Array picks up ISEE3 Satellite

The ISEE3 satellite – originally launched in 1978 to study the interaction of Earth’s magnetic field with the solar wind – made a close approach to Earth yesterday, during which its transmitter was picked up by the ATA .

Update August 8 - Forest Fires in Vicinity of Allen Telescope Array

2:00 pm - Jon Richards reports that the Array is “up and running.” The Bar K restaurant, about a five minute drive from the observatory and a favorite luncheon spot for those at the Array, was destroyed after the fire crossed highway 89. This is a sad loss both for the owners, Jack and Donna Garner, who’ve run this establishment for four decades, but for all those who enjoyed their home cooked sandwiches and savory milkshakes.

SETI Institute To Support Scientific Research At NASA Ames

The SETI Institute has been chosen as a key partner to support scientific and technical mission and project services at NASA Ames Research Center.