1 big thing: The lunar renaissance is here

2. How weightlessness changes the immune system

3. New photos from a new satellite constellation

4. Out of this world reading list

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5. Weekly dose of awe: Clouds over the water

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Plus: Understanding the immune system in space

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1 big thing: The future of rocket fuel

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2. Space is the next cybersecurity frontier

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India makes history with its first successful Moon landing

3. A big week for the Moon

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5. Weekly dose of awe: Cosmic ring

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1 big thing: Space's looming labor problem

2. Starship investigation closed

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3. Out of this world reading list

4. Weekly dose of awe: It's full of stars

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1 big thing: SpaceX's big stakes

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2. Asleep on the Moon

3. Rehearsing for an asteroid sample return

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5. Weekly dose of awe: Crash landing, new crater

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1 big thing: The danger of hyped-up alien claims

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How to live in space

2. How to live in space

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3. Astronaut Ellen Ochoa on sparking STEM interest

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5. Weekly dose of awe: A new view of the lunar south pole

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The atmospheres of planets beyond this solar system are coming into focus and helping scientists decide what constitutes evidence of life and where to look for it.

Why it matters: As increasingly sensitive telescopes and other tools study more exoplanets in search of signs of life, scientists are trying to hammer out a framework for determining — and communicating — if and when such extraordinary evidence is found.

"When there is a robust detection of life on another planet it will be insane," says Jessie Christiansen, an astrophysicist at the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at the California Institute of Technology.

Driving the news: NASA scientists this week reported detecting carbon dioxide and methane and a lack of ammonia in the atmosphere of an exoplanet about 124 light years away from Earth, suggesting there could be an ocean of water on its surface.

They may have also detected dimethyl sulfide (DMS), a compound that on Earth is affiliated largely with life, but there is far less confidence in that result and more data is needed.

Scientists have put forth other possible signatures of life under certain conditions.

How it works: The James Webb Space Telescope studied light from K2-18 b's star as it passed through the exoplanet's atmosphere.

Different molecules in the atmosphere dim the starlight at different wavelengths that can be detected by JWST.

The planet orbits its star in the theoretical habitable zone, a distance at which liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. But K2-18 b is not an Earth-like planet.

It's more than eight times the size of Earth and a lot less dense. That and the presence of carbon dioxide and methane suggest it could be a Hycean exoplanet, a hypothetical world covered in oceans and shrouded in a thick atmosphere of hydrogen.

The big picture: JWST isn't sensitive enough to study Earth-like planets around Sun-like stars. But the planets it can study may help to narrow the search for habitable worlds.

The telescope is best suited for looking at the atmospheres of planets around red dwarf stars, which are smaller and cooler than our Sun. They are also the most plentiful type of stars in the galaxy. 

Scientists worry, however, that planets around these types of stars, even in their habitable zones, could be bombarded with solar flares that would make it difficult for the worlds to hold on to an atmosphere.

If planets around red dwarf stars can't retain an atmosphere, it will "really change the equation of how much habitable real estate there is in the galaxy," Christiansen says.

Between the lines: There is still a lot of space for people to speculate about the chemical signatures of life because there aren't ways to confirm them, Christiansen adds.

"One thing that feels consistent is the idea that atmospheres on planets that have life will probably be more complex than those that don't have life." 

That means life's fingerprint very likely won't be left with one molecule. And the planet's environment and evolution matter. 

"The context is essential because we don't know all of the configurations a purely lifeless planet can take on. We don't know the nature of the most common planet in the universe," says University of California, Riverside astrobiologist Eddie Schwieterman.

"[W]e're only just starting to understand the composition of those atmospheres and there is probably a suite of combinations of gases" that are signatures of life. 

The intrigue: A promising biosignature on one planet may not be a sign of life on another whose physical and chemical features might offer different, non-life-related ways to create that molecule.

"Compelling signs of life on our planet today around another planet may have nothing to do with life," says University of California, Riverside biogeochemistry professor Timothy Lyons. 

The chapter of a planet's history could also be a factor: methane, which is produced by several processes, may have been a potential biosignature for life on Earth during a 1-billion-year window but not in the rest of Earth's history when it was overshadowed by oxygen in the atmosphere or made from a reaction of sunlight and water, not microbes.

What's happening: Scientists are now trying to come up with a framework — basically a flow chart for confirming a discovery — that lays out what needs to be tested when one signature or another is spotted.

It's "likely that multiple measurements and approaches, spanning disciplines and missions, will be needed to make a convincing claim" about finding life, a group of researchers working on the standards wrote last year. "Life detection will therefore not be an instantaneous process, and it is unlikely to be unambiguous."

The framework is a systematic way of reporting a detection of life, Schwieterman says. It "acknowledges the various complexities and allows us to be honest with each other." 

Alien atmospheres are helping scientists search for life

Life's fingerprint may not be left with one molecule.

Illustration of planets creating a hydrogen molecule

Exoplanets

The atmospheres of planets beyond this solar system are coming into focus and helping scientists decide what constitutes evidence of life and where to look for it.Why it matters: As increasingly sensitive telescopes and other tools study more exoplanets in search of signs of life, scientists are trying to hammer out a framework for determining — and communicating — if and when such extraordinary evidence is found.

A look at the scientific breakthroughs changing the world, explorations in space and in worlds beyond our own and the threats posed to us by our own planet, both out of our control and of our own making.

A run of alien-related news last week didn't present proof that extraterrestrial life exists. But it did reveal how distorted, misrepresented and hyped the search for life beyond Earth can become.

Why it matters: Unscientific claims of alien life and far-from-confirmed findings illustrate alien illiteracy that risks undermining the possible moment when life somewhere in the universe is discovered.

"There should be a lot of value assigned to that finding," says Eddie Schwieterman, an astrobiologist at the University of California, Riverside.

"The consequences are going to be very far-reaching for our civilization, both for science and culture."

Driving the news: A self-proclaimed "ufologist" presented what he claimed were "alien corpses" to Mexico's Congress last week.

Experts dismissed the claims and the researcher presented no hard evidence for his assertion. But it still spread far and wide on social media and in mainstream media in Mexico, the U.S. and beyond.

On Friday, NASA announced the first report from its UAP (unidentified anomalous phenomena) study team, saying the team hadn't found evidence that UAPs are extraterrestrial in origin but that the space agency would use their data to try to help illuminate more about what UFOs could be.

Earlier in the week, NASA scientists announced the James Webb Space Telescope had detected carbon dioxide and methane — and possibly a molecule closely associated with life on Earth — in the atmosphere of a planet 120 light years from Earth. The detection of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) was very weak but many latched on to the finding.

Details: Some of the news coverage and hype around these developments elicited eye rolls and sighs among scientists.

The gravity of finding life beyond Earth requires scientists "to put a lot of value on doing it right and having the correct procedures for reporting claims and being honest about the uncertainty," Schwieterman says.

He's part of a community-wide effort among researchers to create a framework and standards for detecting life.

What's happening: Alien conspiracy theories aren't new. But the internet, social media and now the arrival of generative AI are turbocharging dangerous narratives about extraterrestrial life, says Wasim Khaled, CEO and co-founder of Blackbird.AI, which helps organizations trace narratives that may cause reputational or financial harm and respond to them.

"Discussions around aliens are fueling a new era of disinformation in a world where it has become popular to erode trust in governments," he tells Axios. Claiming coverups is one way to reduce trust in government and "it is very easy because there is no irrefutable proof" that there isn't evidence of alien life, Khaled adds.

When an announcement happens (the Department of Defense releasing a report on UAPs, for example), conspiracy theories and narratives about government coverups are surfaced, "making that scientific finding nonscientific," he says. "The actual story that takes hold in the public can be really different."

The problem has two prongs, he says: People can "cherry pick findings and then people can run with it." And then there are paper mills that turn out fake scientific papers and flood the information space.

"Generative AI is making it worse" because the papers look more real than in the past. The technology is being used to create photos, images and "entire personas pushing a scientific finding that never happened," he says.

The intrigue: Schwieterman says he strongly believes the "first solid detection of life elsewhere will only be apparent in retrospect because of all of the uncertainties in detection and we're limited in the types of information we can collect remotely."

The enormity and excitement of the findings — which could be a gas in an atmosphere across the galaxy or an extinct microbe on Mars — could get lost in the noise and expectations set by previous claims and announcements.

"The saddest thought for me about my career is that if life is detected elsewhere, it will register as a whimper," says Sarah Rugheimer, a professor of astronomy at York University.

The bottom line: "There is a need for a greater sense of awareness of where we are in space and time," Schwieterman said. 

"I think if we had that there would be more critical thinking applied to UAP and these other extraordinary claims without dismissing the possibility of finding life elsewhere."

Editor's note: The spelling of Eddie Schwieterman's surname was corrected.

Hyped up alien claims risk undermining future ET discoveries

If alien life is ever confirmed, the public may not recognize how exciting that is.

Aliens

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NASA returns its largest asteroid sample to Earth

The OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample touched down in Utah on Sunday.

Two side by side black and white pictures showing the arm of a spacecraft touching the surface of an asteroid and kicking up particles

One of OSIRIS-REx's arms touching the surface of asteroid Bennu. Photo: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Lockheed Martin

NASA

NASA&#x27;s OSIRIS-REx mission to sample an asteroid brought its rubbly haul back to Earth Sunday. Why it matters: Scientists hope to use high-powered lab equipment to study the sample of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="asteroid Bennu" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2020/10/24/nasa-osiris-rex-asteroid-sample" data-vars-content-id="450cde64-6b2c-4d90-8d62-d99c2654aa1d" data-vars-headline="NASA returns its largest asteroid sample to Earth" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2020/10/24/nasa-osiris-rex-asteroid-sample" target="_self">asteroid Bennu</a> to learn more about how our solar system has evolved over billions of years.

NASA released on Thursday the first report from the unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) study team, which found no evidence of aliens but suggests NASA could aid in government efforts to figure out what UAP are.

The big picture: Unlike much of the data on UAP that falls under the purview of the Department of Defense, NASA is focused on making its data unclassified and public, showing the public how science like this is done. 

The space agency has also largely focused its scientific search for life in the universe elsewhere, looking for possible signs of microbial life on Mars or understanding the habitability of the oceans of icy moons.

"The NASA independent study team did not find any evidence that UAP have an extraterrestrial origin," NASA administrator Bill Nelson said during a press conference announcing the release of the study. "But we don't know what these UAP are."

Driving the news: The new report suggests NASA should make use of its considerable sensor network to help collect high quality data that could explain what UAP are.

Analyzing UAP data is particularly difficult because researchers often lack multiple measurements and sensor calibration is less than ideal, according to the report.

"The importance of detecting UAP with multiple, well-calibrated sensors is paramount, and NASA could potentially leverage its considerable expertise in this domain to utilize multispectral or hyperspectral data as part of a rigorous data acquisition campaign," the report reads.

The UAP study team was established last year and tasked with the challenge of recommending to NASA how the agency can help with demystifying UAP.

Between the lines: NASA's Earth-observing spacecraft aren't perfectly suited to detecting UAP but those well-calibrated sensors could be used to understand the environments in which these objects appear, giving it context.

"NASA's assets can play a vital role by directly determining whether specific environmental factors are associated with certain reported UAP behaviors or occurrences," the report says.

What to watch: NASA has appointed NASA scientist Mark McInerney director of UAP research to help lead these efforts for the space agency and collaborate across the federal government.

Editor's note: This story was updated after NASA named the director of UAP research.

NASA releases new UAP report, and finds no evidence of aliens

Illustration of a UFO lifting the NASA logo upward with a beam of light

NASA released on Thursday the first report from the unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="study team" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/14/nasa-uap-investigation-unidentified-aerial-phenomena" data-vars-content-id="489fa943-a4bc-4e07-842b-860fea524004" data-vars-headline="NASA releases new UAP report, and finds no evidence of aliens" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/14/nasa-uap-investigation-unidentified-aerial-phenomena" target="_self">study team</a>, which found no evidence of aliens but suggests NASA could aid in government efforts to figure out what UAP are.The big picture: Unlike much of the data on UAP that falls under the purview of the Department of Defense, NASA is focused on making its data unclassified and public, showing the public how science like this is done.

Funding for research that could help NASA keep astronauts healthy and safe while living sustainably in space needs a major boost, according to a landmark report.

Why it matters: NASA plans to send astronauts to far-afield destinations like the Moon and Mars, but to make that happen, the space agency needs to figure out how to mitigate any risks they might be exposed to during their time in space — from radiation to the effects of zero gravity.

Driving the news: The new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine says NASA's Division of Biological and Physical Sciences is "severely underfunded" and needs to see its science budget increased by a factor of 10.

"Research in the space environment has taken remarkable steps over the last decade, but NASA, the rest of the U.S. government, and the wider space community globally have bold exploration plans that require commensurate investments in biological and physical science research," Krystyn Van Vliet, co-chair of the report's steering committee said in a press release.

The study suggests research is needed into how a person's history and genetics could affect their response to a mission in space, how reproduction and growth are influenced by the space environment, and other issues. 

The study also recommends more resources are allocated for two major lines of research — one focusing on building "biological support systems" that would let people live in space for more than three years and another that would develop a "sustainable ecosystem" to reduce wasted resources in space.

Between the lines: Biological and physical sciences disciplines can often be siloed, making it harder to solve these problems that cross fields. 

"These communities don't always talk with each other to connect the dots or be inspired by techniques developed in other areas," Van Vliet tells Axios. 

The team behind the report tried to ask questions that would require a cross-disciplinary approach. "They're going to need to take expertise across all of those disciplines that are more traditionally siloed," she added. 

NASA's Division of Biological and Physical Sciences is "severely underfunded," according to a new report.

Astronauts

Funding for research that could help NASA keep astronauts healthy and safe while living sustainably in space needs a major boost, according to a landmark <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/decadal-survey-on-life-and-physical-sciences-research-in-space-2023-2032#sectionWebFriendly" data-vars-content-id="9d6f7f14-b268-4900-8e6c-4bf18969343b" data-vars-headline="How to live in space" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/decadal-survey-on-life-and-physical-sciences-research-in-space-2023-2032#sectionWebFriendly" target="_blank">report</a>.Why it matters: NASA plans to send astronauts to far-afield destinations like the Moon and Mars, but to make that happen, the space agency needs to figure out how to mitigate any risks they might be exposed to during their time in space — from radiation to the effects of zero gravity.

Miriam Kramer

Stories

NASA returns its largest asteroid sample to Earth

How to live in space

Hyped up alien claims risk undermining future ET discoveries

Alien atmospheres are helping scientists search for life

NASA releases new UAP report, and finds no evidence of aliens

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Axios Space: 🛸 Alien illiteracy

💸 Axios Space: A looming labor problem

🚀 Axios Space: SpaceX's high stakes

Axios Space: 🌗 The lunar renaissance

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