Planetary Exploration Science Technology Office
This blog post originated in the 2018 Science Mission Directorate Science and Technology Report. PROJECT Planetary Exploration Science Technology Office (PESTO) KEY POINTS A new office has been created to manage the development of scientific instruments, space vehicle technologies, and mission support technologies needed for future planetary science missions. The search for life in the solar system includes studying the interfaces between water and rock—thought to be in abundance under the icy mantel of Jupiter’s moon Europa. PESTO is developing technologies to traverse through the deep ice covering this ocean world, as well as instruments to assess habitability and to detect biomarkers. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute) Planetary Science missions span the solar system and encompass the harshest known environments. From the scorching, caustic surface of Venus to the frigid cold-traps on the Moon, advanced technologies are needed to orbit, land, and explore all planetary bodies to seek answers to the fundamental science questions that guide NASA exploration:...