Planetary Defense
NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office is working to keep Earth safe from asteroids and other hazards that come from deep...
NASA’s Space Launch System Booster Passes Major Milestone on Journey to Mars
A booster for the most powerful rocket in the world, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), successfully fired up Tuesday for its second qualification ground test at Orbital ATK’s test facilities...
Juno on Jupiter’s Doorstep
NASA’s Juno spacecraft obtained this color view on June 21, 2016, at a distance of 6.8 million miles (10.9 million kilometers) from Jupiter.Juno will arrive at Jupiter on July 4. As Juno makes...
Behind the Scenes at QM-2: Getting Ready to Test the World’s Largest Solid Rocket Motor
For two monumental minutes on June 28, the Space Launch System (SLS) solid rocket boosters — the largest ever built for flight — will fire up in an amazing display of power as engineers verify their...
NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Closing in on Jupiter
Today (6/24), at exactly 9:57 and 48 seconds a.m. PDT, NASA’s Juno spacecraft was 5.5 million miles (8.9 million kilometers) from its July 4th appointment with Jupiter. Over the past two...
NASA Scientists Discover Unexpected Mineral on Mars
Scientists have discovered an unexpected mineral in a rock sample at Gale Crater on Mars, a finding that may alter our understanding of how the planet evolved. NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory...
Astronomers Find the First ‘Wind Nebula’ Around a Magnetar
Astronomers have discovered a vast cloud of high-energy particles called a wind nebula around a rare ultra-magnetic neutron star, or magnetar, for the first time. The find offers a unique window...
NASA Mars Rover Descends Plateau, Turns Toward Mountain
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has analyzed its 12th drilled sample of Mars. This sample came from mudstone bedrock, which the rover resumed climbing in late May after six months studying other...
