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Saturn Moon May Hide a 'Fossil' Core or an Ocean

A new study focused on the interior of Saturn's icy moon Mimas suggests its cratered surface hides one of two intriguing possibilities: Either the moon's frozen core is shaped something like a football, or the satellite contains a liquid water ocean.Read more More images of Saturn's moon Mimas

Mars Rover Examining Boulders Exhumed by Ancient Crater

A new panorama from NASA’s Mars rover Opportunity shows the dramatic landscape where the rover is investigating rocks tossed outward by an impact that dug a 100-foot-wide crater along a steep hill jutting out from Endeavour Crater.Read more More images from Opportunity

Name the First-Ever Comet Landing Site

The European Space Agency invites you to submit a name for the site where the lander aboard its comet-orbiting spacecraft, Rosetta, will make the first soft landing on a comet. The winner gets a trip to Germany to attend events related to the landing, scheduled for November 12.Read more More about the Rosetta mission

Saturn Spacecraft Zapped by Electrically Charged Moon

New analysis indicates that during a 2005 flyby, NASA's Cassini spacecraft at Saturn was zapped by a beam of electrons coming from the surface of Saturn's moon Hyperion, marking the first time a charged surface has been detected on a celestial object other than Earth’s moon.Read more More about the Cassini mission at Saturn

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What's Happening Now

news

| October 14, 2014

A camera on the lander aboard the comet-orbiting Rosetta spacecraft snapped this "selfie" of one of the spacecraft's 52-foot-long solar arrays, with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko hovering in the background some 10 miles away.

A composite image from a camera on the Rosetta mission's Philae comet lander shows a solar array

Spacecraft Beams Back Selfie with a Comet

video

| October 15, 2014

JPL hosted a record 45,000 visitors during its 2014 Open House event on Oct. 11 and 12, which showcased the laboratory's dozens of active missions exploring Earth, the solar system and the universe beyond.

Thousands Explore the JPL Universe at Open House 2014

news

| October 9, 2014

NASA's extensive fleet of science assets, particularly those orbiting and roving Mars, have front row seats to image and study a once-in-a-lifetime comet flyby on Sunday, Oct. 19.

Mars Orbiters 'Duck and Cover' for Comet Siding Spring Flyby

NASA Prepares Spacecraft for Oct. 19 Mars Comet Flyby

news

| October 15, 2014

What makes one rose bush blossom with flowers, while another remains barren? Astronomers ask a similar question of galaxies.

Slow-Growing Galaxies Offer Window to Early Universe

s

| October 6, 2014

Time-lapse footage of the RapidScat "wind watcher" instrument being installed on the International Space Station, followed by reaction by the team after its activation.

RapidScat installation on the International Space Station

s

| September 9, 2014

Overhead and on-the-ground views of the 25-mile journey NASA's Opportunity Mars rover has made since landing in 2004.

Video showing Opportunity's tracks along the rim of Endeavour Crater on Mars

Opportunity's Long Tracks on Crater Rim

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| September 2, 2014

A new tool for tracking hurricanes and tropical storms, ISS-RapidScat is the first instrument specifically created to watch Earth from the International Space Station.

A New Measure of Ocean Winds

images

| December 23, 2013

The globe of Saturn, seen here in natural color, is reminiscent of a holiday ornament in this wide-angle view from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

Painted Lines on an Ornament

images

| January 28, 2013

NASA's Cassini spacecraft simultaneously peers through the haze in Titan's equatorial region down to its surface and captures the vortex of clouds hovering over its south pole just to the right of the terminator on the moon's dark side.

Senkyo and Vortex

images

| September 21, 2014

This image shows an artist concept of NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission.

MAVEN (Artist's Concept)

images

| October 12, 2012

Smooth surfaces of windblown sand and dust of the 'Rocknest' area signal an appropriate place for NASA's Curiosity to collect and use the mission's first few scoopfuls of soil.

Curiosity's Location During First Scooping

s

| October 9, 2014

Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring will make a close flyby of Mars on Oct. 19. At a distance of only 87,000 miles, it's a near miss of the Red Planet.

Comet Siding Spring: A Close Encounter with Mars

news

| October 14, 2014

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft orbiting Mars sees a solar-particle storm, gets ultraviolet images of tenuous oxygen, hydrogen and carbon coronas, and yields a map of variable ozone.

NASA Mission Provides Its First Look at Martian Upper Atmosphere

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| August 27, 2014

The Rosetta mission will give us an unprecedented look inside a comet, watching the icy traveler become active as it nears the sun.

The Rosetta Mission Asks: What Can We Learn From Comets?

news

| October 15, 2014

An annotated mosaic from the Rosetta spacecraft shows "Site J," the primary landing site on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for the mission's Philae lander.

Rosetta's Comet Landing Site Close Up

images

| April 29, 2013

The spinning vortex of Saturn's north polar storm resembles a deep red rose of giant proportions surrounded by green foliage in this false-color image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

The Rose

news

| October 15, 2014

A NASA spacecraft designed to track Earth's water in one of its most important, but least recognized, forms -- soil moisture -- has arrived at its California launch site.

The transportation canister containing NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP)

NASA Soil Moisture Mapper Arrives at Launch Site

s

| March 19, 2013

How can you communicate with Mars spacecraft when the Sun is in the way? Learn more about 'solar conjunction' in this 60-second video.

Mars in a Minute: What Happens When the Sun Blocks our Signal?

news

| October 16, 2014

ESA invites you to submit a name for Rosetta mission's comet landing site. Winner gets a trip to Germany to attend events related to the comet landing on Nov. 12.

Image depicts the primary landing site on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Your Chance To Name A Comet Landing Site

news

| October 16, 2014

A new study suggests the cratered surface of Saturn's icy moon Mimas indicates the moon's frozen core is shaped something like a football, or the moon has a liquid water ocean.

This mosaic of Saturn's moon Mimas was created from images taken by Cassini

Saturn Moon May Hide a 'Fossil' Core or an Ocean

news

| October 16, 2014

NASA's decade-old Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is working near the base of a steep-sloped hill called "Wdowiak Ridge," shown in a dramatic new panorama from the rover.

Opportunity's Northward View of 'Wdowiak Ridge'

NASA's Opportunity Rover Gets Panorama Image at 'Wdowiak Ridge'

news

| October 16, 2014

New analysis indicates that during a 2005 flyby, NASA's Cassini spacecraft was zapped by a beam of electrons coming from the surface of Saturn's moon Hyperion.

Cassini obtained this false-color view of Saturn's moon Hyperion

Cassini Caught in Hyperion's Particle Beam

news

| October 15, 2014

An annotated mosaic from the Rosetta spacecraft shows "Site J," the primary landing site on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for the mission's Philae lander.

Rosetta's Comet Landing Site Close Up

news

| October 15, 2014

A NASA spacecraft designed to track Earth's water in one of its most important, but least recognized, forms -- soil moisture -- has arrived at its California launch site.

NASA Soil Moisture Mapper Arrives at Launch Site

news

| October 15, 2014

NASA's RapidScat gives forecasters a new eye on winds far out to sea and will help researchers understand why a breeze over the ocean sometimes builds into a hurricane.

NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman captured this view of Typhoon Vongfong from space while he orbited the Earth

NASA's RapidScat Keeps a Watchful Eye on Ocean Storms

news

| October 15, 2014

What makes one rose bush blossom with flowers, while another remains barren? Astronomers ask a similar question of galaxies.

Slow-Growing Galaxies Offer Window to Early Universe

news

| October 14, 2014

A composite image from a camera on the Rosetta mission's Philae comet lander shows a solar array, with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in the background.

Rosetta Selflessly Beams Back Comet Selfie

news

| October 14, 2014

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft orbiting Mars sees a solar-particle storm, gets ultraviolet images of tenuous oxygen, hydrogen and carbon coronas, and yields a map of variable ozone.

NASA Mission Provides Its First Look at Martian Upper Atmosphere

news

| October 10, 2014

NASA will host a news teleconference on Tuesday, Oct. 14, to announce early science results from its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission.

NASA Shares Early Results From MAVEN Mars Orbiter

news

| October 9, 2014

NASA's extensive fleet of science assets, particularly those orbiting and roving Mars, have front row seats to image and study a once-in-a-lifetime comet flyby on Sunday, Oct. 19.

NASA Prepares its Science Fleet for Oct. 19 Mars Comet Encounter

Videos

| October 15, 2014

JPL hosted a record 45,000 visitors during its 2014 Open House event on Oct. 11 and 12, which showcased the laboratory's missions and science.

Thousands Explore the JPL Universe at Open House 2014

Videos

| October 9, 2014

Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring will make a close flyby of Mars on Oct. 19. At a distance of only 87,000 miles, it's a near miss of the Red Planet.

Comet Siding Spring: A Close Encounter with Mars

Videos

| October 6, 2014

Time-lapse footage of the RapidScat "wind watcher" instrument being installed on the International Space Station, followed by reaction by the team after its activation.

RapidScat installation on the International Space Station

Videos

| October 5, 2014

We've put our news, images, missions and videos front and center and given you a better view of our universe right from the homepage.

Your Window to the Universe Just Got Better - Tour the Updated jpl.nasa.gov

Videos

| September 30, 2014

What's Up for October? A lunar eclipse, a solar eclipse and Mars has a close encounter with a comet.

What's Up - October 2014

Videos

| September 25, 2014

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has collected its first sample from the base of Mount Sharp.

Curiosity Rover Report: A Taste of Mount Sharp

Videos

| September 11, 2014

After 2 years and nearly 9 kilometers of driving, NASA's Mars Curiosity has arrived at the base of Mount Sharp.

We made it! Curiosity reaches Mount Sharp

Videos

| September 9, 2014

Overhead and on-the-ground views of the 25-mile journey NASA's Opportunity Mars rover has made since landing in 2004.

Opportunity's Long Tracks on Crater Rim

Videos

| September 8, 2014

Mission scientists and engineers describe how their small team, on a tight budget and short deadline, created ISS-RapidScat to measure ocean winds.

RapidScat: NASA's Newest Wind Watcher

Videos

| September 2, 2014

A new tool for tracking hurricanes and tropical storms, ISS-RapidScat is the first instrument specifically created to watch Earth from the International Space Station.

A New Measure of Ocean Winds

Videos

| August 29, 2014

Red star(Antares) meets red planet(Mars) and view the zodiacal light that points towards Jupiter.

What's Up - September 2014

Videos

| August 27, 2014

The Rosetta mission will give us an unprecedented look inside a comet, watching the icy traveler become active as it nears the sun.

The Rosetta Mission Asks: What Can We Learn From Comets?

images

| October 17, 2014

This image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows lava flows near Arsia Mons.

Lava Flows

images

| October 16, 2014

This stereo vista from NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity shows 'Wdowiak Ridge,' from left foreground to center, as part of a northward look. You will need 3-D glasses to view this image.

Opportunity's Northward View of 'Wdowiak Ridge' (Stereo)

images

| October 16, 2014

This north-looking vista from NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity shows 'Wdowiak Ridge,' from left foreground to center. This version is presented in false color, which enhances visibility of the rover's wheel tracks at right.

Opportunity's Northward View of 'Wdowiak Ridge' (False Color)

images

| October 16, 2014

This vista from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows 'Wdowiak Ridge,' from left foreground to center, as part of a northward look with the rover's tracks visible at right.

Opportunity's Northward View of 'Wdowiak Ridge'

images

| October 16, 2014

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of the floor of Candor Chasma.

Candor Chasma

images

| October 15, 2014

Most surface ice on Mars is temporary. The polar layered deposits are thick stacks of permanent water ice at each pole, and the South Polar residual cap may be a permanent (although dynamic) layer of carbon dioxide ice as seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissanc

Perennial Frost in a Crater on the Northern Plains

images

| October 15, 2014

In the northern section of this from image NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, we see flat terrain that is probably an ancient lava field. These dust avalanches are common in dust-covered regions on Mars.

A Collection of Landforms in Eastern Elysium Planitia

images

| October 15, 2014

Melas Chasma is the widest segment of the Valles Marineris canyon, and is an area where NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has detected the presence of sulfates.

Mounds of Layered Material on the West Edge of Melas Chasma

images

| October 15, 2014

The objective of this observation from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is to examine a light-toned deposit in a region of what is called 'chaotic terrain' at the base of the Valles Marineris canyon system.

A Light Toned Deposit in Arsinoes Chaos

images

| October 15, 2014

An annotated mosaic from the Rosetta spacecraft shows 'Site J,' the primary landing site on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for the mission's Philae lander.

Rosetta's Comet Landing Site Close Up

images

| October 15, 2014

NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) spacecraft is slowly lowered into place in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.

NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Lowered into Place

images

| October 15, 2014

A small galaxy, called Sextans A, is shown here in a multi-wavelength mosaic captured by the ESA's Herschel mission. In this image, the purple shows gas; blue shows young stars and the orange and yellow dots are newly formed stars heating up dust.

Sluggish Galaxy Grows Stars Slowly

Missions

JPL is the leading U.S. center for robotic exploration of the solar system, and has 19 spacecraft and 10 major instruments carrying out planetary, Earth science and space-based astronomy missions.

Explore

YOUR PLANET IS CHANGING. WE'RE ON IT.

Earth Right Now

Learn more about the vital signs of our changing planet.

Earth Right Now

Earth system science is the study of how scientific data stemming from various fields of research, such as the atmosphere, oceans, land ice and others, fit together to form the current picture of our changing climate. Climate scientists separate factors that affect climate change into three categories: forcings, feedbacks, and tipping points.

FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY

Mars Exploration

Discovering the possibilities for past or present life on the Red Planet.

Mars Exploration

Among our discoveries about Mars, one stands out above all others: the possible presence of liquid water on Mars, either in its ancient past or preserved in the subsurface today.

VIEW OUR GALACTIC NEIGHBORHOOD

The Solar System

Discover the planets, their moons and other small bodies that orbit our Sun.

The Solar System

The solar system consists of a central star, the Sun, and all of the smaller celestial bodies that continuously travel around it. The smaller bodies include eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, which are themselves orbited by more than 140 moons. In addition, the solar system contains millions of rocky asteroids and billions of icy comets as well as giant clouds of dust and gas.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

Asteroid Watch

Detect, track and characterize potentially hazardous asteroids and comets.

Asteroid Watch

In 1998, The NASA Near-Earth Object Program Office was established at JPL to coordinate NASA-sponsored efforts to detect, track and characterize potentially hazardous asteroids and comets that could approach the Earth. The primary computational activities of this Office involve the continuous (and largely automatic) use of new data to update the orbits of Near-Earth objects so that their future orbital paths can be examined for close Earth approaches.

SEE LIGHT YEARS AWAY

Stars and Galaxies

View a whole new universe of dust and stars hidden from Earth-bound eyes.

Stars and Galaxies

The Universe is continually radiating a wealth of information to Earth, sending signals in wide-spectrum of light. However, not all of these messages reach the ground. Because our planet's atmosphere blocks most radiation coming in from space, humans need to launch telescopes beyond it to get a complete cosmic picture.

Create. Upload. Explore.

Infographics

Design and share your creation utilizing our library of data and imagery.

Infographics

What is an infographic? As we see it, an infographic is artwork for your brain. It is a way of taking numbers, spreadsheets and all types of other highly technical data and combining it with interesting images and turning it into a one-page, easily digestible, fun-to-look-at graphic.

Tour the Cosmos

3-D Exploration

Interact with the entire solar system as you control space and time.

3-D Exploration

Interact with the entire solar system as you control space and time.

Fly along with NASA Satellites

Eyes on the Earth

Learn how we collect critical data about Earth's atmosphere, land and oceans.

Eyes on the Earth

Learn how we collect critical data about Earth's atmosphere, land and oceans.

Search for another Earth

Earthlike Planets

Explore a 3D simulation of all planets discovered around other stars.

Eyes on Exoplanets

Explore a 3D simulation of all planets that have been discovered around other stars.

Blazing Black Holes Spotted in Spiral Beauty

Image of the Day

view all images

Education and Public Events

NASA's extensive fleet of science assets, particularly those orbiting and roving Mars, have front row seats to image and study a once-in-a-lifetime comet flyby on Sunday, Oct. 19.

Sunday, Oct. 19

Flyby: A Close Encounter with Mars- Comet Siding Spring

NASA makes actual lunar samples from the historic Apollo missions available to lend to teachers. You must attend this certification workshop to bring the excitement of real lunar rocks and regolith samples to your students.

Saturday, Nov. 8

Educator Workshop: Lunar and Meteorite Sample Certification

Thursday, Nov. 6 and Friday, Nov. 7

Lecture: Asteroid Redirect Mission

Dr. Marc Rayman will give a fascinating and entertaining presentation on the Dawn mission and its two exotic destinations as well as its use of ion propulsion.

Thursday, Dec. 4 and Friday, Dec. 5

Lecture: NASA’s Dawn Mission to the Asteroid Belt