Astrobiology at NASA

---

The NASA program in Astrobiology created the largest body to date, bringing together researchers from many disciplines and providing funding for many labs and space missions. A similar program, called Aurora, was recently discussed for development in Europe.

Astrobiology at NASA started in 1992 with the establishment of the NASA Specialized Center for Research and Training (NSCORT) in Exobiology. This brought together 4 research institutions in the US - the University of California, San Diego; the Scripps Research Institute; the Scripps Institute of Oceanography; and the Salk Institute of Biological Studies - encouraging collaboration between the scientists at each institution.

Around this time, NASA also developed its Exobiology Program in the Space Science Division.This program defines the main goal of Exobiology as an effort "to understand the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe." Research focuses on following the chemicals neededfor life from their formation in stars to their inclusion in living biological systems.

Finally, in 1996, the Astrobiology Program was founded, expanding upon the research areasdefined in the concurrently running Exobiology Program.