The Astromaterials Data System Sept. 2023 Update is now available. Subscribe to our Astromaterials Data System Community mailing list here!

New Feature! Search for Astromat Data by Sample Name

Use Astromat’s new ‘Sample Lookup’ feature to access a page with all data available and links to external data for the sample. You can also use the updated Astromat Search application to filter a query by specific sample name(s).

The Astromaterials Data Archive is now the primary NASA-sponsored archive for returned samples (see NASA’s Planetary Science Division’s Information and Data Management Policy Supplement to SPD-41A). Astromat is currently upgrading the ADA to accommodate the entire spectrum of laboratory analytical data. Astromat will continue to inform the community about progress via this mailing list, the ARES Newsletter, and the ExMAG community.

MetSoc 2023Astromat team members met with community members at our Astromat Town Hall and during the poster sessions. The Astromat Town Hall slides provide an overview of the status and next developments of Astromat.

GSA 2023 (October 15-18, 2023, in Pittsburgh)Come by the Astromat-EarthChem-SESAR booth in the exhibit hall to learn more about Astromat’s data systems and services.See Kerstin Lehnhert’s related talk on Monday, 16 October: Standardizing Mineral Data from Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Materials for Reuse in Mineral Informatics

AGU Fall Meeting 2023 (upcoming in Dec.)Astromat team members will present several Astromat-related talks (program TBD). Send us an email if you’d like to meet up in person in San Francisco.

ExMAG’s Facilities & Informatics Subcommittee is establishing a Working Group on Astromaterials Data Management to provide feedback and advice to Astromat and support Astromat with the development of community-agreed-upon standards. If you are interested in participating, please email Pierre Haenecour. Feel free to contact the Astromat Team with any other questions.

Astromaterials Data System Sept. 2023 Update

The Astromaterials Data System hosted a Town Hall at the 86th annual meeting of The Meteoritical Society at UCLA on August 15, 2023. We had a great turnout in person and online to hear about the upcoming developments for our system and collaborations. Feel free to reach out with any feedback or questions at info@astromat.org

Astromat_TownHall_MetSoc_final.pdf

Astromaterials Data System Town Hall at MetSoc 2023

The Astromaterials Data System’s Synthesis Database has been updated and now includes over 1.2M analytical data points. The new analytical data made available are mainly from meteorites. We’ve also released an updated version of the Astromaterials Data System Search application that allows users to filter and search for astromaterials sample data based on analytical method, sample type, chemical variables, and more. Feel free to provide us with any feedback at info@astromat.org as you check out the new data and application features!

New Astromaterials Data Available through Astromat's Synthesis Database

For those who are attending the Goldschmidt 2026 conference next week, we’d love to catch up with you at one of the scheduled events below! We will be at Booth 218 in the poster hall throughout the conference. Please stop by for a demo of our systems, or any questions you may have regarding access to astromaterials samples data, data management planning and publishing data at Astromat.

Toward Science-ready, AI-ready Geochemical Data (Sunday, 12 July, 10:00 - 17:00)

Toward Consistent, Comprehensive, and Meaningful Documentation of Analytical Methods in Geochemistry: The Data Repository Perspective (Monday, 13 July, 10:30;  room 520CF, session 06-O1)

Making Returned Sample Analytical Data Reusable: Metadata Curation in Astromat (Wednesday, 15 July, 17:00 - 19:00; room 516BCDE - 517, session 01d-P1)

Editors’ Roundtable on Publication of Geochemical Data (Tuesday, 14 July, 13:00 - 14:00; room 525AB)

Where to next for publishing geochemical data and analytical protocols (Thursday, 16 July 2026, 13:00 - 14:00; room 520BE)

Open Data in Geochemistry, Booth: 218. This exhibit booth will feature multiple data systems that provide services for open geochemical data: the Astromaterials Data System, the AuScope Geochemistry Network AGN, EarthChem, and GEOROC.

Thank you to all of you who registered for the Astromat workshop at MetSoc 2026. The workshop is at capacity and registration has closed. If you are interested to be placed on a waiting list, please contact us at info@astromat.org.

Astromat is part of an effort by the OneGeochemistry initiative to make the reporting of protocols for a wide range of analytical techniques more consistent, meaningful, and machine-readable. A new page on our web site describes the development of Technique-Aligned Protocol Profiles (TAPP). We are looking for experts (you!)  to review and improve the TAPPs. Sign up for an Expert Working Group that fits your expertise. Participants in TAPP Expert WGs will become co-authors of a publication about the TAPPs.

Astromat Newsletter July 2026

The Astromaterials Data System, NASA’s designated archive for laboratory analytical data of returned samples, will host a workshop in conjunction with the 88th Annual Meteoritical Society Meeting on August 9, 2026 in Frankfurt, Germany. 

This 2-part, free workshop aims to help researchers navigate the landscape of astromaterials sample data, from finding and accessing lab analytical data, to generating Open Science Data Management Plans (OSDMPs) for funding proposals, to documenting their own lab analytical data following community best practices, to depositing and archiving data in compliance with funders’ and journals’ policies. We specifically aim at early-career researchers to help them develop skills in digital cosmochemistry and make them aware of the resources available to support their data management. 

Visit MetSoc's event page for draft agenda and registration

Data Management Bootcamp for Astromaterials Researchers:

01. Data Management 101 for astromaterials samples (1:00 PM – 3:00 PM)

02. Method-specific documentation of analytical protocols (3:30 PM – 5:00 PM)

Astromat Workshop at MetSoc 2026: Data Management Bootcamp for Astromaterials Researchers

Here are the latest updates about the Astromaterials Data System. Please feel free to contact us with any questions at info@astromat.org.

Sign up for the Astromat Newsletter here.

Over 3,800 datasets from the OSIRIS-REx Sample Analysis have been archived in the Astromat Data Archive (ADA) so far. Ca. 40 datasets were submitted to the AstroRepo over the past year containing mostly data for Apollo samples (including ANGSA) and meteorites. The Astromat Synthesis has grown to 2.5 million analytical measurements.

Please stop by the Astromat booth at the LPSC 2026. We will be in the poster hall throughout the conference. We hope that our booth will serve as a meeting point during the week and we encourage you to come find us for any questions you may have regarding access to astromaterials samples data, data management planning, publishing data at Astromat, and more. We also look forward to getting your feedback on the Astromat services and how we can improve to better support your research.

New Astromat Data Submission Interface Launched

Astromat has launched a new data submission interface as part of an effort to consolidate and modernize our archiving systems. The updated platform supports a more streamlined curation and review process, helping submitted datasets move more efficiently toward approval and publication. This initial release establishes a unified framework for managing sample and analytical metadata and will continue to evolve through community feedback. We welcome your input as we refine and improve the submission experience.

Astromaterials Data System Town Hall at MetSoc 2023

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