Stanford Astrobiology and Space Exploration

This course gives an overview of the excitement of astrobiology and space exploration, from the origin of our own biofriendly universe to questions of the future of mankind both on Earth and beyond. The instructor, Dr. Lynn Rothschild of NASA, will host a series of leaders in the field from NASA, UC Santa Cruz, the SETI Institute, the U.S. Astronaut Corps and, of course, Stanford. Created by Stanford.


Average Course Length

20 hours


Skill Level

Intermediate



Pick a lesson


1: Astrobiology and Space Exploration Introduction
2: From Interstellar Molecules to Astrobiology
3: Pushing the Envelope for Life
4: Replaying the Tape
5: From the Ground Up: Suborbital Flight and Small Satellites
6: Life Beyond Its Planet of Origin
7: ALH 84001 and Other Martian Meteorites
8: Controlled Environmental Life Support
9: Genomic Dark Matter: The Emergence of Small RNAs
10: Life in Space, Life on Earth
11: The Asteroid Challenge: Will We Be Ready?
12: Planetary Systems Around Other Stars