Jet Propulsion Laboratory

First Science Images Released From ESA Mission With NASA Contributions

The new images from the Euclid mission include a cluster of thousands of distant galaxies, demonstrating the spacecraft’s unique abilities. The Euclid mission, which will investigate the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, released its first five science images Tuesday, Nov.

Posted November 7, 2023

Curiosity (Rover)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Mars

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

The Solar System

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Clocks 4,000 Days on Mars

The mission team is making sure the robotic scientist, now in its fourth extended mission, is staying strong, despite wear and tear from its 11-year journey. Four thousand Martian days after setting its wheels in Gale Crater on Aug. 5, 2012, NASA’s Curiosity rover remains busy conducting exciting science.

Posted November 6, 2023

Earth

Carbon Cycle

Climate Change

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Natural Disasters

Wildfires

NASA Flights Link Methane Plumes to Tundra Fires in Western Alaska

Methane ‘hot spots’ in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta are more likely to be found where recent wildfires burned into the tundra, altering carbon emissions from the land. In Alaska’s largest river delta, tundra that has been scorched by wildfire is emitting more methane than the rest of the landscape long after the flames died, scientists have […]

Posted November 1, 2023

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

JPL Engineers Put Their Skills to the Test With Halloween Pumpkins

Pumpkin carving reaches new heights during the annual competition, where spacecraft-building engineers mix ingenuity and creativity for some spectacular results. When mechanical engineers accustomed to building one-of-a-kind spacecraft turn that focus to pumpkins, the results can be hauntingly good.

Posted November 1, 2023

Lucy

Asteroids

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA)

NEO Surveyor (Near-Earth Object Surveyor Space Telescope)

NEOWISE

Planetary Defense

Trojan Asteroids

WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer)

Data From NASA’s WISE Used to Preview Lucy Mission’s Asteroid Dinkinesh

Researchers have utilized infrared survey data to refine the asteroid’s size and surface brightness in support of the Nov. 1 encounter by NASA’s Lucy mission. NASA’s Lucy mission will soon have its first asteroid encounter as the spacecraft travels through deep space en route to Jupiter’s orbit. But before the spacecraft passes 265 miles (425 […]

Posted October 30, 2023

SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography)

Climate Change

Earth

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Oceans

Water on Earth

See SWOT Mission’s Unprecedented View of Global Sea Levels

Data on sea surface heights around the world from the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission yields a mesmerizing view of the planet’s ocean. The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite is sending down tantalizing views of Earth’s water, including a global composite of sea surface heights.

Posted October 30, 2023

Mars

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The Solar System

NASA Is Locating Ice on Mars With This New Map

The map could help the agency decide where the first astronauts to the Red Planet should land. The more available water, the less missions will need to bring. Buried ice will be a vital resource for the first people to set foot on Mars, serving as drinking water and a key ingredient for rocket fuel. […]

Posted October 26, 2023

Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Readying a Little Rover

An engineer prepares a small rover for testing in a thermal vacuum chamber on Oct. 24, 2023, at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

Posted October 25, 2023

Europa Clipper

Europa

General

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Jupiter Moons

Small Bodies of the Solar System

The Solar System

How NASA Is Protecting Europa Clipper From Space Radiation

To explore the mysterious ice-encrusted moon Europa, the mission will need to endure bombardment by radiation and high-energy particles surrounding Jupiter.

Posted October 24, 2023

Voyager Program

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The Solar System

Voyager 1

Voyager 2

NASA’s Voyager Team Focuses on Software Patch, Thrusters

The efforts should help extend the lifetimes of the agency’s interstellar explorers. Engineers for NASA’s Voyager mission are taking steps to help make sure both spacecraft, launched in 1977, continue to explore interstellar space for years to come.

Posted October 20, 2023