Earth Science Division

Science-enabling Technology

Earth

Earth Science

Earth Science Division

Earth's Moon

General

Goddard Space Flight Center

Langley Research Center

Lunar Science

Science Instruments

Science Mission Directorate

Small Satellite Missions

Technology

NASA Tech to Use Moonlight to Enhance Measurements from Space

NASA will soon launch a one-of-a-kind instrument, called Arcstone, to improve the quality of data from Earth-viewing sensors in orbit. In this technology demonstration, the mission will measure sunlight reflected from the Moon— a technique called lunar calibration.

Posted June 21, 2025

Earth Science

Earth Science Division

Earthquakes

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Natural Disasters

Volcanoes

NASA’s Ready-to-Use Dataset Details Land Motion Across North America

An online tool maps measurements and enables non-experts to understand earthquakes, subsidence, landslides, and other types of land motion. NASA is collaborating with the Alaska Satellite Facility in Fairbanks to create a powerful web-based tool that will show the movement of land across North America down to less than an inch.

Posted June 6, 2025

Earth Science Division

Earth Science Technology Office

Science-enabling Technology

Technology Highlights

c-FIRST Team Sets Sights on Future Fire-observing Satellite Constellations

Two NASA-developed technologies are key components of a new high-resolution sensor for observing wildfires: High Operating Temperature Barrier Infrared Detector (HOT-BIRD), developed with support from NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO), and a cutting-edge Digital Readout Integrated Circuit (DROIC), developed with funding from NASA’s Smal

Posted June 3, 2025

Earth Science

Ames Research Center

Ames Research Center's Science Directorate

Earth Science Division

Earth Science Showcase – Kids Art Collection

On April 16, 2025, the Earth Science Division at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley held an Earth Science Showcase to share its work with the center and their families. As part of this event, kids were invited to draw something they like about the Earth. These are their masterpieces. Sora U. Age 9. […]

Posted April 26, 2025

Earth Science

Airborne Science

Earth

Earth Science Division

Electromagnetic Spectrum

Wildfires

NASA Airborne Sensor’s Wildfire Data Helps Firefighters Take Action

Data from the AVIRIS-3 sensor was recently used to create detailed fire maps in minutes, enabling firefighters in Alabama to limit the spread of wildfires and save buildings. A NASA sensor recently brought a new approach to battling wildfire, providing real-time data that helped firefighters in the field contain a blaze in Alabama.

Posted April 23, 2025

Earth Science

Earth Science Division

Science-enabling Technology

Technology Highlights

Entrepreneurs Challenge Winner PRISM is Using AI to Enable Insights from Geospatial Data

NASA sponsored Entrepreneurs Challenge events in 2020, 2021, and 2023 to invite small business start-ups to showcase innovative ideas and technologies with the potential to advance the agency’s science goals.

Posted April 22, 2025

NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar)

Earth

Earth Science

Earth Science Division

NASA-ISRO Mission Will Map Farmland From Planting to Harvest

Data from the NISAR satellite will be used to map crop growth, track plant health, and monitor soil moisture — offering detailed, timely information for decision making. When it launches this year, the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite will provide a powerful data stream that could help farmers in the U.S. and around the […]

Posted March 12, 2025

Ames Research Center's Science Directorate

Ames Research Center

Earth Science

Earth Science Division

Water & Energy Cycle

FARMing with Data: OpenET Launches new Tool for Farmers and Ranchers

A NASA and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)-supported research and development team is making it easier for farmers and ranchers to manage their water resources.

Posted March 4, 2025

Ames Research Center's Science Directorate

Ames Research Center

Earth Science

Earth Science Division

General

Wildfires

Wildland Fire Management

NASA Tests Drones to Provide Micrometeorology, Aid in Fire Response

In Aug. 2024, a team of NASA researchers and partners gathered in Missoula, Montana to test new drone-based technology for localized forecasting, or micrometeorology. Researchers attached wind sensors to a drone, NASA’s Alta X quadcopter, aiming to provide precise and sustainable meteorological data to help predict fire behavior.

Posted February 14, 2025

Airborne Science

Ames Research Center

Earth Science Division

NASA Awards Contract for Airborne Science Flight Services Support

NASA has awarded Dynamic Aviation Group Inc. of Bridgewater, Virginia, the Commercial Aviation Services contract to support the agency’s Airborne Science Program.

Posted February 3, 2025