Spanish Astrobiology Center ( (CAB)) is a state-run institute in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
dedicated to
astrobiology
Astrobiology (also xenology or exobiology) is a scientific field within the List of life sciences, life and environmental sciences that studies the abiogenesis, origins, Protocell, early evolution, distribution, and future of life in the univ ...
Spanish National Research Council
The Spanish National Research Council (, 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 research that will help bring about scientific and techn ...
(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
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. The name is of Hebrew origin and has the meaning "God has been gracious." It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries around the world and in the Philippi ...
, 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 List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
, its director is
Víctor Parro García Víctor is a Spanish masculine given name, equivalent to Victor in English and Vítor in Portuguese. Notable people with the given name include:
* Víctor Barrio (1987–2016), Spanish bullfighter
* Víctor Cabrera (Argentine footballer)
* Vícto ...
, 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 ...
and the
Autonomous University of Madrid
The Autonomous University of Madrid (; UAM), commonly known as la Autónoma, is a Spanish public university located in Madrid, Spain. The university was founded in 1968 by royal decree. UAM is widely respected as one of the most prestigious univ ...
Spanish National Research Council
The Spanish National Research Council (, 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 research that will help bring about scientific and techn ...
(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 () is an organism that is able to live (or in some cases thrive) in extreme environments, i.e., environments with conditions approaching or stretching the limits of what known life can adapt to, such as extreme temperature, press ...
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, ultraviolet radiation on Mars. This Spa ...
InSight
Insight is the understanding of a specific causality, 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 se ...
mission
* MEDA (
Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer
The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) is an instrument on board the Mars 2020 ''Perseverance (rover), Perseverance'' rover that will characterize the dust size and morphology, as well as surface weather.''Perseverance'' rover launched in 2020
*
Raman Laser Spectrometer
Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) is a miniature Raman spectroscopy, Raman spectrometer that is part of the science payload on board the European Space Agency Rosalind Franklin (rover), ''Rosalind Franklin'' rover, tasked to search for biosignatures ...
(RLS) for detecting minerals and potential biological pigments for the
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member International organization, international organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 ...