About this Research Topic
Terrestrial analogues used for planetary exploration are environments and associated geomaterials on Earth sharing physical, chemical and/or geological similarities with extraterrestrial environments or with conditions or features that approximate those found on other planetary bodies. These environments are often extreme as they are generally considered inhospitable for most known lifeforms. Such environments are, however, inhabited by organisms known as extremophiles, which are mostly bacteria that can survive the extreme conditions and develop special metabolic pathways that can be of great interest when looking for extraterrestrial life.
Detailed characterization and understanding of terrestrial analogues are essential to prepare for upcoming and ongoing missions, including testing and improving technologies, developing workflows, protocols and space mission concepts, understanding human factors in space exploration, and understanding bio-geochemical processes and how microbiological activity is preserved as biosignatures in the rock record.
The goal of this Research Topic is to advance our knowledge of how terrestrial analogues can efficiently be exploited for the production of valuable benchmarking data for ongoing and future planetary missions.
Work focusing on the exploration of new or well-known terrestrial analogues for planetary exploration are welcome in this collection.
The study of these extreme terrestrial environments has the potential to expand our knowledge of what kind of processes might be expected on other planets and what kind of evidence we might expect from the presence of extant or fossil water activity and associated microbial life.
Terrestrial analogues are essential to prepare upcoming and ongoing missions, including testing and improving technologies, developing workflows, protocols and space mission concepts, and understanding the optimal function of humans in space exploration.
In this collection we are accepting original research and review articles dealing with one of the following topics: analogues for surface planetary processes, geochemical and astrobiological investigations using field analogues, field methods and sampling techniques including developing analytical strategies for planetary exploration, determining the geology processes that formed the terrestrial analogues, characterization of extreme environments, Earth observation of extreme environments and numerical modelling applied to the study of terrestrial analogue.
Original research article outlining either a new or established method, protocol, or technique including laboratory simulation studies applied to the study of terrestrial analogues are welcome.
We also encourage research focused on testing robotic missions in terrestrial environments, training crewed exploration missions using terrestrial field analogues, and testing exploration technology
applications. Furthermore, we welcome perspective and opinion articles outlining the use of the analogue field sites in engaging the public, as well as space agencies, the media, and educators.
Detailed characterization and understanding of terrestrial analogues are essential to prepare for upcoming and ongoing missions, including testing and improving technologies, developing workflows, protocols and space mission concepts, understanding human factors in space exploration, and understanding bio-geochemical processes and how microbiological activity is preserved as biosignatures in the rock record.
The goal of this Research Topic is to advance our knowledge of how terrestrial analogues can efficiently be exploited for the production of valuable benchmarking data for ongoing and future planetary missions.
Work focusing on the exploration of new or well-known terrestrial analogues for planetary exploration are welcome in this collection.
The study of these extreme terrestrial environments has the potential to expand our knowledge of what kind of processes might be expected on other planets and what kind of evidence we might expect from the presence of extant or fossil water activity and associated microbial life.
Terrestrial analogues are essential to prepare upcoming and ongoing missions, including testing and improving technologies, developing workflows, protocols and space mission concepts, and understanding the optimal function of humans in space exploration.
In this collection we are accepting original research and review articles dealing with one of the following topics: analogues for surface planetary processes, geochemical and astrobiological investigations using field analogues, field methods and sampling techniques including developing analytical strategies for planetary exploration, determining the geology processes that formed the terrestrial analogues, characterization of extreme environments, Earth observation of extreme environments and numerical modelling applied to the study of terrestrial analogue.
Original research article outlining either a new or established method, protocol, or technique including laboratory simulation studies applied to the study of terrestrial analogues are welcome.
We also encourage research focused on testing robotic missions in terrestrial environments, training crewed exploration missions using terrestrial field analogues, and testing exploration technology
applications. Furthermore, we welcome perspective and opinion articles outlining the use of the analogue field sites in engaging the public, as well as space agencies, the media, and educators.
Keywords: extreme environments, astrobiology, analogues, microbiology, extremophiles, planetary missions
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
