Spanish Astrobiology Center

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Spanish Astrobiology Center ( es, Centro de Astrobiología, links=no (CAB)) is a state-run institute in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

dedicated to

astrobiology Astrobiology, and the related field of exobiology, is an interdisciplinary scientific field that studies the origins, early evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. Astrobiology is the multidisciplinary field that investig ...

research, and it is part of the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) as well as the

Spanish National Research Council The Spanish National Research Council ( es, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, CSIC) is the largest public institution dedicated to research in Spain and the third largest in Europe. Its main objective is to develop and promote res ...

(CSIC).

. Its main objective is "understanding life as a consequence of the evolution of the matter and energy in the Universe."

History

The foundation of Spain's Astrobiology Center (CAB) had its beginnings in 1998 when a group of Spanish scientists led by Juan Pérez-Mercader, presented a proposal of affiliation to the newly created

NASA Astrobiology Institute The NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) was established in 1998 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) "to develop the field of astrobiology and provide a scientific framework for flight missions." In December 2019 the institute' ...

(NAI). The affiliation was accepted and the center was officially created on 19 November 1999. It operated from offices at the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) until it moved to its own building inaugurated in January 2003.

Organization

The Astrobiology Center is based in

Madrid, Spain Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, its Director is Víctor Parro García, and the Vicedirector is Francisco Najarro. The center is organized into several research and support units, and some of these are associated to Spanish universities, including the

University of Valladolid The University of Valladolid is a public university located in the city of Valladolid, Valladolid province, autonomous region of Castile and Leon, Spain. Established in the 13th century, it is one of the oldest universities in the world. The un ...

and the

Autonomous University of Madrid The Autonomous University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; UAM), commonly known as simply la Autónoma, is a Spanish public university located in Madrid, Spain. The university was founded in 1968 alongside the Autonomous Universi ...

. The center is part of the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) as well as the

(CSIC). The center is structured in several departments:CAB - Official Flier
Accessed on 6 December 2018. Astrophysics Department, Molecular Evolution Department, Planetary Science and Habitability Department, Advanced Instrumentations Department, as well as several support units.

Research

CAB has contributed to NASA in its mission to better characterize and find conditions for life in the Universe, and has prioritized Martian weather research and endurance of some

extremophile An extremophile (from Latin ' meaning "extreme" and Greek ' () meaning "love") is an organism that is able to live (or in some cases thrive) in extreme environments, i.e. environments that make survival challenging such as due to extreme temper ...

microorganisms.Spain's Centro de Astrobiología
Elizabeth Howell, ''Astrobiology Magazine''. 18 January 2019. CAB has developed instruments for multiple missions: *

Rover Environmental Monitoring Station Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) is a weather station on Mars for Curiosity rover contributed by Spain and Finland. REMS measures humidity, pressure, temperature, wind speeds, and ultraviolet radiation on Mars. This Spanish project ...

(REMS) for the ''Curiosity'' rover *

Temperature and Winds for InSight Temperature and Winds for InSight (TWINS) is a NASA meteorological suite of instruments on board the ''InSight'' lander that landed on Mars on 26 November 2018. TWINS provides continuous wind and air temperature measurements to help understand t ...

(TWINS) on the

InSight Insight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect within a particular context. The term insight can have several related meanings: *a piece of information *the act or result of understanding the inner nature of things or of seeing intu ...

mission * MEDA ( Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer), which rides on NASA's ''Perseverance'' rover launched in 2020 *

Raman Laser Spectrometer Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) is a miniature Raman spectrometer that is part of the science payload on board the European Space Agency ''Rosalind Franklin'' rover, tasked to search for biosignatures and biomarkers on Mars. The rover is planned ...

(RLS) for detecting minerals and potential biological pigments for the

European Space Agency , owners = , headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France , coordinates = , spaceport = Guiana Space Centre , seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png , seal_size = 130px , image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...

's ''Rosalind Franklin'' rover also to be launched in 2022. * CAB is also developing a life-detector called Signs Of LIfe Detector (SOLID) to be potentially flown in a future mission.

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial flier of the Astrobiology Center
(in English) Science and technology in Spain Government of Spain 1999 establishments in Spain Research institutes in the Community of Madrid Astrobiology Extraterrestrial life Origin of life Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial {{Spain-org-stub