Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Mars Exploration Rovers (MER)

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

Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Psyche Mission

Space Communications & Navigation Program

Space Operations Mission Directorate

Space Technology Mission Directorate

Tech Demo Missions

NASA’s Tech Demo Streams First Video From Deep Space via Laser

The video, featuring a cat named Taters, was sent back from nearly 19 million miles away by NASA’s laser communications demonstration, marking a historic milestone. NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications experiment beamed an ultra-high definition streaming video on Dec.

Posted December 18, 2023

NEOWISE

Comets

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA)

NEO Surveyor (Near-Earth Object Surveyor Space Telescope)

Planetary Defense

Planetary Defense Coordination Office

WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer)

NASA’s NEOWISE Celebrates 10 Years, Plans End of Mission

The asteroid and comet-hunting infrared space telescope has gathered an impressive haul of observations, but it’s now at the mercy of the Sun, which is accelerating its demise. NASA’s NEOWISE has had a busy decade. Since its reactivated mission began on Dec.

Posted December 13, 2023

Perseverance (Rover)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Mars

Mars 2020

The Solar System

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Deciphers Ancient History of Martian Lake

Now at 1,000 days on Mars, the mission has traversed an ancient river and lake system, collecting valuable samples along the way. Marking its 1,000th Martian day on the Red Planet, NASA’s Perseverance rover recently completed its exploration of the ancient river delta that holds evidence of a lake that filled Jezero Crater billions of […]

Posted December 12, 2023