A growing compilation of articles on chemistry related to outer space Learn more about research on the ISS, Mars, or asteroid particles collected at the surface of the Itokawa asteroid, test your knowledge about the Moon, build your own Mars rover, and much more.
Focus: Quite Detached—Astropharmacy and Astrotoxicology in Space Flight July 2, 2024 Human space travel is likely to increase which presents new challenges for pharmacology and toxicology due to low gravity, high radiation, extreme temperatures, and vacuum conditions
Clever Picture:Exploring Mars August 3, 2021 2021 has already added three new Mars expeditions and hopes are high that the first humans will land on Mars in the 2030s
Interview: On the Moon, We Can Look into the Past July 16, 2019 Professor Ralf Jaumann, German Aerospace Center, talks about research on and about the Moon
Interview: How Amino Acids Formed in the Universe December 1, 2015 Professor Meierhenrich, France, about his involvement in the Rosetta mission and its importance for chemists
Research Highlight: Water Electrolyzer for Mars January 5, 2021 One of the main challenges for manned Mars expeditions is the need for sufficient oxygen and fuel
Print Your Own Mars Rover December 19, 2020 ExoMy is a fully 3D printed rover inspired by ExoMars, developed by the European Space Agency (ESA)
Research Highlight: The Origin of Diamonds in Meteorites October 6, 2020 Micro- and nanodiamonds in ureilite meteorites can be formed by impact shock events
Research Highlight: Titan on Earth – Icy Formation of Polycyclic Organics November 5, 2019 Aromatics can be efficiently synthesized via galactic cosmic ray exposure of low-temperature acetylene ices on Titan’s surface
Helium Hydride Detected in Space April 27, 2019 Unstable ion detected in the planetary nebula NGC 7027 using an aircraft telescope
Organic Molecules on Mars June 9, 2018 NASA rover Curiosity detects various organic compounds in Martian rocks
Chocolate Flavor in Space February 17, 2018 Chocolate flavonoids (propanol and butanals) formed within the interstellar medium through interaction with ionizing radiation
Explaining Magnetic Anomalies on the Moon March 10, 2012 Surprisingly simple explanation to a decades-old scientific puzzle – magnetic anomalies on the moon are the result of asteroid collision
Chemistry of Exploding Stars January 29, 2012 Meteorite contains evidence of formation of sulfur molecules derived from the ejecta of a supernova explosion
Ozone Layer Discovered on Venus October 14, 2011 Venus’ newly discovered ozone layer may help in the search for life on other planets
A Planet Made of Diamond September 2, 2011 Discovery of a new binary system that includes a planet made of diamond
Research Highlight: Small Molecule, Big Role February 18, 2011 How the simplest molecule – H2 – governed the cosmological development of our universe