The nfold, PCE3, and now research coordination networks (rcns) propose a joint workshop leveraging expertise across disciplinary boundaries to explore how the planetary abiotic background can inform…

This federal contract award, with an ID of 80NSSC25K7141, is a $49,300 grant provided by the Shared Services Center (an agency of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), a private research university located in Troy, New York. The grant will fund a 3-day hybrid workshop in Spring 2025 in Washington, DC that will bring together experts from various disciplines, including prebiotic chemistry, origin of life, and astrochemistry, to explore how the planetary abiotic background can inform life detection strategies and the landscape of life's origins on Earth and other potentially habitable worlds. The workshop will also discuss forthcoming spacecraft missions. The outcome will be a publication in the journal Astrobiology that synthesizes the workshop discussions, findings, and recommendations for life detection mission strategies. The contract does not have a set-aside designation.

The nfold, PCE3, and now research coordination networks (rcns) propose a joint workshop leveraging expertise across disciplinary boundaries to explore how the planetary abiotic background can inform life detection strategies, the landscape of life's origins on earth and on other putative habitable worlds, as well as forthcoming spacecraft missions. The 3-day hybrid workshop, with in person and virtual attendance, will be held in spring 2025 in washington, DC. The workshop will consist of presentations from subject-matter experts, group discussions, and breakout activities designed to engage across career levels and outline community next steps. Workshop attendees will assess the state of knowledge of the 'abiotic background' in the context of ocean worlds, identify knowledge gaps and key areas for new research, and engage in the conceptualization of life detection strategies. The workshop will emphasize attendance by experts from the fields of prebiotic chemistry, origin of life, astrochemistry, and other relevant communities. The workshop outcome will be a publication in the journal astrobiology that synthesizes workshop discussions, findings, and recommendations for life detection mission strategies.