On the Past, Present, and Future Role of Biology in NASA's Exploration of our Solar System

Hand, Kevin; Phillips, Cynthia B.; Chyba, Christopher F.; Toner, Brandy; Katija, Kakani; Orphan, Victoria; Huber, Julie; Cavanaugh, Colleen M.; Carlson, Marian; Christner, Brent; Templeton, Alexis; Seewald, Jeffrey; Hofgartner, Jason D.; Amend, Jan P.; Orcutt, Beth N.; Bartlett, Douglas H.; Falkowski, Paul; Anderson, Rika; Spear, John R.; Shank, Tim; Fischer, Woodward W.; Hazen, Robert M.; Hoehler, Tori; D'Hondt, Steven; Pitesky, Jo; Lynch, Kennda; Shock, Everett L.; Craft, Kate; Boyd, Eric; House, Christopher H.; Reysenbach, Anna-Louise; Glass, Jennifer; Fike, David; Baross, John A.; Gogarten, Johann Peter; Kaçar, Betül; El-Naggar, Moh; Murray, Alison E.; Dupont, Christopher; Scully, Jennifer; Rothschild, Lynn; Trembath-Reichert, Elizabeth; Klein, Frieder; Cohen, Phoebe A.; Gile, Gillian H.; Lloyd, Karen; Dekas, Anne; Delaney, John R.; Skidmore, Mark; Buongiorno, Joy; Rogers, Karyn; Hofmann, Amy; Brazelton, William J.; Anbar, Ariel; Manalang, Dana Ann; Stevenson, Bradley; Neuer, Susanne; Hara, Ellie; Nordheim, Thomas; Shapiro, Russell; Bradley, Alexander S.; Mikucki, Jill; Brown, Michael E.; Glamoclija, Mihaela; Reyes, Carolina; Sánchez-Román, Mónica; Farmer, Jack D.; Giovannelli, Donato; Suel, Gurol; Trumbo, Samantha; Cameron, Marissa; Osburn, Magdalena; Bradley, James Andrew; Garcia-Pichel, Ferran; Steen, Andrew D.; Marlow, Jeffrey; Trubl, Gareth; Robinson, Kirtland; Caro, Tristan; Fulfer, Victoria; Parker, Ceth W.; Feyhl-Buska, Jayme; Roussel, Anaïs 2021. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society

Link to online paper: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021BAAS…53d.229H

Abstract

Here we provide a brief perspective on the role of biology in NASA’s planetary science goals, and its spacecraft missions, past, present, and future. We argue that while biology — via astrobiology — generates much interest and excitement for NASA, biology is vastly under-represented as a science within NASA Planetary Science Division missions.