Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Researchers analyzing pulverized rock onboard NASA’s Curiosity rover have found the largest organic compounds on the Red Planet to date. The finding, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests prebiotic chemistry may have advanced further on Mars than previously observed.

Posted March 24, 2025

Earth

Earth Science

NASA Takes to the Air to Study Wildflowers

For many plant species, flowering is biologically synced with the seasons. Scientists are clocking blooms to understand our ever-changing planet. NASA research is revealing there’s more to flowers than meets the human eye.

Posted March 24, 2025

SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography)

Earth

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Oceans

Next-Generation Water Satellite Maps Seafloor From Space

More accurate maps based on data from the SWOT mission can improve underwater navigation and result in greater knowledge of how heat and life move around the world’s ocean. There are better maps of the Moon’s surface than of the bottom of Earth’s ocean. Researchers have been working for decades to change that. As part […]

Posted March 19, 2025

Euclid

Galaxies, Stars, & Black Holes

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Stars

ESA Previews Euclid Mission’s Deep View of ‘Dark Universe’

With contributions from NASA, the mission is looking back into the universe’s history to understand how the universe’s expansion has changed. The Euclid mission — led by ESA (European Space Agency) with contributions from NASA — aims to find out why our universe is expanding at an accelerating rate. Astronomers use the term “dark energy” […]

Posted March 19, 2025

Astrophysics

Astrophysics Division

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Science-enabling Technology

Technology Highlights

Atomic Layer Processing Coating Techniques Enable Missions to See Further into the Ultraviolet

Astrophysics observations at ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths often probe the most dynamic aspects of the universe. However, the high energy of ultraviolet photons means that their interaction with the materials that make up an observing instrument are less efficient, resulting in low overall throughput.

Posted March 18, 2025

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Students Dive Into Robotics at Competition Supported by NASA JPL

Robots built by high schoolers vied for points in a fast-moving game inspired by complex ocean ecosystems at the FIRST Robotics Los Angeles regional competition.

Posted March 17, 2025

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite

Climate Science

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Oceans

NASA Analysis Shows Unexpected Amount of Sea Level Rise in 2024

Last year’s increase was due to an unusual amount of ocean warming, combined with meltwater from land-based ice such as glaciers. Global sea level rose faster than expected in 2024, mostly because of ocean water expanding as it warms, or thermal expansion. According to a NASA-led analysis, last year’s rate of rise was 0.23 inches […]

Posted March 13, 2025

SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe and Ices Explorer)

Astrophysics

Exoplanets

Galaxies

Heliophysics

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH)

The Big Bang

The Milky Way

The Search for Life

The Sun

The Universe

Cosmic Mapmaker: NASA’s SPHEREx Space Telescope Ready to Launch

NASA’s latest space observatory is targeting a March 8 liftoff, and the agency’s PUNCH heliophysics mission is sharing a ride. Here’s what to expect during launch and beyond. In a little over a day, NASA’s SPHEREx space telescope is slated to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. […]

Posted March 7, 2025

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA Turns Off 2 Voyager Science Instruments to Extend Mission

The farthest-flung human-made objects will be able to take their science-gathering even farther, thanks to these energy-conserving measures. Mission engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California turned off the cosmic ray subsystem experiment aboard Voyager 1 on Feb.

Posted March 5, 2025

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

STEM Engagement at NASA

University High Knows the Answers at NASA JPL Regional Science Bowl

In a fast-paced competition, students showcased their knowledge across a wide range of science and math topics. What is the molecular geometry of sulfur tetrafluoride? Which layer of the Sun is thickest? What is the average of the first 10 prime numbers? If you answered “see-saw,” “radiation zone,” and “12.9,” respectively, then you know a […]

Posted March 3, 2025