Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS)

Mars

NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover Discovers Field of Honeycomb Textures

As NASA’s Curiosity rover recently began climbing up a Martian valley nicknamed “Valle Grande,” it sent back images that were a familiar sight to mission scientists: honeycomb-like textures called polygonal fractures, each one about 1.5 to 3 inches (4 to 8 centimeters) across.

Posted July 29, 2026

Curiosity (Rover)

Astrobiology

Mars

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS)

The Solar System

NASA’s Curiosity Finds Organic Molecules Never Seen Before on Mars

After years of lab work, the results are in: A rock that NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover drilled and analyzed in 2020 includes the most diverse collection of organic molecules ever found on the Red Planet. Of the 21 carbon-containing molecules identified in the sample, seven of them were detected for the first time on Mars. […]

Posted April 21, 2026

Curiosity (Rover)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Mars

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS)

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Sees Martian ‘Spiderwebs’ Up Close

For about six months, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has been exploring a region full of geologic formations called boxwork, low ridges standing roughly 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters) tall with sandy hollows in between. Crisscrossing the surface for miles, the formations suggest ancient groundwater flowed on this part of the Red Planet […]

Posted February 23, 2026

Get Involved

Glenn Research Center

Opportunities For Students to Get Involved

Opportunities to Contribute to NASA Missions & Get Involved

Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS)

Technology

Technology for Space Travel

NASA Selects Winners of the 2024-2025 Power to Explore Challenge

NASA has chosen three winners out of nine finalists in the fourth annual Power to Explore Challenge, a national writing competition designed to teach K-12 students about the enabling power of radioisotopes for space exploration.

Posted May 7, 2025

Get Involved

Glenn Research Center

Opportunities For Students to Get Involved

Opportunities to Contribute to NASA Missions & Get Involved

Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS)

Technology

Technology for Space Travel

Nine Finalists Advance in NASA’s Power to Explore Challenge

NASA has named nine finalists out of the 45 semifinalist student essays in the Power to Explore Challenge, a national writing competition for K-12 students featuring the enabling power of radioisotopes.

Posted April 23, 2025

Perseverance (Rover)

Johnson Space Center

Mars

Mars 2020

Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS)

How NASA’s Perseverance Is Helping Prepare Astronauts for Mars

The rover carries several swatches of spacesuit materials, and scientists are assessing how they’ve held up after four years on the Red Planet. NASA’s Perseverance rover landed on Mars in 2021 to search for signs of ancient microbial life and to help scientists understand the planet’s climate and geography. But another key objective is to […]

Posted March 26, 2025

Glenn Research Center

Opportunities to Contribute to NASA Missions & Get Involved

Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS)

Technology

Technology for Space Travel

NASA Reveals Semifinalists of Power to Explore Challenge

NASA has selected the 45 semifinalists of the Power to Explore Challenge, a national competition for K-12 students featuring the enabling power of radioisotopes.

Posted March 21, 2025

Curiosity (Rover)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Mars

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS)

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Captures Colorful Clouds Drifting Over Mars

While the Martian clouds may look like the kind seen in Earth’s skies, they include frozen carbon dioxide, or dry ice. Red-and-green-tinted clouds drift through the Martian sky in a new set of images captured by NASA’s Curiosity rover using its Mastcam — its main set of “eyes.” Taken over 16 minutes on Jan. 17 […]

Posted February 11, 2025

InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Mars

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)

Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS)

NASA Mars Orbiter Spots Retired InSight Lander to Study Dust Movement

New images taken from space show how dust on and around InSight is changing over time — information that can help scientists learn more about the Red Planet. NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) caught a glimpse of the agency’s retired InSight lander recently, documenting the accumulation of dust on the spacecraft’s solar panels. In the […]

Posted December 16, 2024

Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS)

Technology

Technology for Space Travel

After 60 Years, Nuclear Power for Spaceflight is Still Tried and True

Six decades after the launch of the first nuclear-powered space mission, NASA is embarking on a bold future of human exploration and scientific discovery.

Posted October 23, 2024