Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Poised for Science: NASA’s Europa Clipper Instruments Are All Aboard

The science performed by the complex suite of instruments recently added to the spacecraft will reveal whether Jupiter’s moon Europa has conditions that could support life.

Posted January 30, 2024

Astrophysics

Black Holes

Galaxies, Stars, & Black Holes

Goddard Space Flight Center

Gravitational Waves

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO)

LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna)

Stellar-mass Black Holes

Supermassive Black Holes

NASA Collaborating on European-led Gravitational Wave Observatory in Space

The first space-based observatory designed to detect gravitational waves has passed a major review and will proceed to the construction of flight hardware. On Jan. 25, ESA (European Space Agency), announced the formal adoption of LISA, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, to its mission lineup, with launch slated for the mid-2030s.

Posted January 25, 2024

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

STEM Engagement at NASA

University High Wins L.A. Ocean Sciences Bowl at NASA’s JPL

The annual competition aims to help students expand their ocean-related knowledge outside the classroom and to become environmental stewards. University High School of Irvine, California, emerged victorious on Jan. 20 at the Los Angeles regional Ocean Sciences Bowl tournament, which NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has hosted annually since 2000.

Posted January 22, 2024

Mars Exploration Rovers (MER)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Mars

Mars Exploration Program

Opportunity (Rover)

Spirit (Rover)

20 Years After Landing: How NASA’s Twin Rovers Changed Mars Science

This month marks the 20th anniversary of Spirit and Opportunity’s landing on Mars, part of a mission whose legacy will extend far into the future. In January 2004, twin NASA rovers named Spirit and Opportunity touched down on opposite sides of Mars, kicking off a new era of interplanetary robotic exploration. They arrived in dramatic […]

Posted January 17, 2024

Ice & Glaciers

Cryosphere

Earth

Earth Science

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA Study: More Greenland Ice Lost Than Previously Estimated

A new, comprehensive analysis of satellite data finds that majority of glaciers on the landmass have retreated significantly. The Greenland Ice Sheet has shed about one-fifth more ice mass in the past four decades than previously estimated, researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California reported in a new paper.

Posted January 17, 2024

NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar)

Cryosphere

Ice & Glaciers

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Sea Ice

This US-Indian Satellite Will Monitor Earth’s Changing Frozen Regions

NISAR will study changes to ice sheets, glaciers, and sea ice in fine detail, as climate change warms the air and ocean. NISAR, the soon-to-launch radar satellite from NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), will measure some key Earth vital signs, from the health of wetlands to ground deformation by volcanoes to the […]

Posted January 10, 2024

Juno

Europa

Goddard Space Flight Center

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Jupiter

Jupiter Moons

Rings of Jupiter

The Solar System

NASA’s Juno to Get Close Look at Jupiter’s Volcanic Moon Io on Dec. 30

The orbiter has performed 56 flybys of Jupiter and documented close encounters with three of the gas giant’s four largest moons. NASA’s Juno spacecraft will on Saturday, Dec. 30, make the closest flyby of Jupiter’s moon Io that any spacecraft has made in over 20 years. Coming within roughly 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) from the […]

Posted December 27, 2023

Deep Space Network

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA History

Space Communications & Navigation Program

NASA’s Deep Space Network Turns 60 and Prepares for the Future

Editor’s Note: Text regarding the name of JPL’s first ground stations was updated on Dec. 27, 2023. The agency’s DSN provides critical communications and navigation services to dozens of space missions, and it’s being modernized to support dozens more. NASA’s Deep Space Network marks its 60th year on Dec. 24.

Posted December 22, 2023

The Universe

Astrophysics

Astrophysics Division

Electromagnetic Spectrum

Exoplanet Science

Galaxies

Herschel Space Observatory

Infrared Space Observatory (ISO)

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

Nebulae

SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) / 747-SP

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

Spitzer Space Telescope

Stars

WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer)

Meet the Infrared Telescopes That Paved the Way for NASA’s Webb

The Webb telescope has opened a new window onto the universe, but it builds on missions going back 40 years, including Spitzer and the Infrared Astronomical Satellite. On Dec. 25, NASA will celebrate the two-year launch anniversary of the James Webb Space Telescope – the largest and most powerful space observatory in history. The clarity […]

Posted December 22, 2023

Climate Change

Carbon Cycle

Earth

Greenhouse Gases

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Oceans

As the Arctic Warms, Its Waters Are Emitting Carbon

Runoff from one of North America’s largest rivers is driving intense carbon dioxide emissions in the Arctic Ocean. When it comes to influencing climate change, the world’s smallest ocean punches above its weight. It’s been estimated that the cold waters of the Arctic absorb as much as 180 million metric tons of carbon per year […]

Posted December 21, 2023