Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) is a suite of instruments developed for use on the Mars Science Laboratory. By looking for evidence of water, carbon, and other important building blocks of life in the Mars soil and atmosphere, this suite...

Order numbers in scientific notation.

I'm sure most of us grew up with the knowledge that Pluto was our solar system's ninth planet. So what changed about the definition?

Earth and Mars were likely generated by regular collisions between giant Moon-to-Mars-size rocks, rather than tiny pebbles clumping together.

As part of NASA’s preparation for next year’s Mars mission, the Mars 2020 rover took its first driving test at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California on December 17. <br/>

When the Hubble Space Telescope observed Mars near opposition in May, 2016, a sneaky companion photobombed the picture. Phobos, the Greek personification of fear, is one of two tiny moons orbiting Mars. In 13 exposures over 22...

Tucked inside the Curiosity rover is a miniature chemistry lab designed to unlock the secrets of Mars. Principal Investigator Paul Mahaffy, Deputy Principal Investigator Pamela Conrad, and MSL Participating Scientist Jennifer...

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft is quickly approaching Mars on a mission to study its upper atmosphere. When it arrives on September 21, 2014, MAVEN's winding journey from Earth will culminate with a dramatic engine burn, pulling the spacecraft...

Mars is a cold and barren desert today, but scientists think that in the ancient past it was warm and wet. The loss of the early Martian atmosphere may have led to this dramatic change, and one of the prime suspects is the solar wind....

Michelle Thaller talks about the close encounter between Mars and Comet Siding Spring at the Oct 17, 2014 liveshot. This is a canned interview.<b<b<b<br/>r/>r/>r/>

Look up to the night sky just before dawn, or after dusk, and you might see a faint column of light extending up from the horizon. That luminous glow is the zodiacal light, or sunlight reflected toward Earth by a cloud...

Comet ISON (C/2012 S1) may become a dazzling sight as it traverses the inner solar system in late 2013. During the weeks before its Nov. 28 close approach to the sun, the comet will be observable with small telescopes, and...

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai is the first island of this type to erupt and persist in the modern satellite era, it gives scientists an unprecedented view from space of its early life and evolution. The new study offers insight...

This video profiles Synthia Tonn, a junior engineer on the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument team responsible for SAM's ground support equipment as well as its 'plumbing,' or the series of tiny, winding gas lines that connect...

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN), set to launch in 2013, will explore the planet's upper atmosphere, ionosphere and interactions with the sun and solar wind. Scientists will use MAVEN data to determine the...

It started as a project for long term space survival, when NASA estimated that crews headed to or living on Mars would spend 80% of their waking hours farming! But, with support from the National Science Foundation, research into a...

NO DESCRIPTION

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made a record-breaking 25th flight on April 18, 2022. The navigation camera aboard the rotorcraft captured its longest and fastest flight to date on the Red Planet. The helicopter covered 2,310...

Jared Espley talks about the close encounter between Mars and Comet Siding Spring at the Oct 17, 2014 liveshot. This is a canned interview.<b<b<br/>r/>r/>

Without a spacesuit, there is no chance of surviving in the scary cosmic void. In science fiction movies, we often see people’s heads exploding or being frozen by the apparent pressure differential or lack of heat, respectively. As long...

Using a ShakeWeight, how long would it take to produce enough energy to power a house for a day? Are we making progress toward clean and alternative energy sources? PBS Digital Studios is grateful to Bill and Melinda Gates for their...

You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers! Is Mars habitable? Do aliens exist? Are there oceans on other worlds? Our "We Asked a NASA Expert" video series answers all of these questions and more. Tune in to our playlist to learn all...

At NASA, our mission is to explore. We visit destinations in our solar system and study worlds beyond to better understand big questions. How did we get here? Where are we headed? Are we alone?



While our...

Pioneer rocket scientist Robert H. Goddard once said, 'It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.' Fifty years after its inception, NASA's Goddard Space Flight...