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JPL NEWS

The Latest from Space

Read the latest news and discoveries from JPL’s dozens of active space missions exploring Earth, the solar system and worlds beyond.

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November 14, 2016

The first of two satellites has been completed for a follow-on to NASA's GRACE mission.

First GRACE Follow-On Satellite Completes Construction

November 14, 2016

First GRACE Follow-On Satellite Completes Construction

The first of two satellites has been completed for a follow-on to NASA's GRACE mission.
November 10, 2016

NASA is set to launch its first Earth science small-satellite constellation, which will help improve hurricane intensity, track and storm surge forecasts, on Dec. 12.

NASA to Launch Fleet of Hurricane-Tracking SmallSats

November 10, 2016

NASA to Launch Fleet of Hurricane-Tracking SmallSats

NASA is set to launch its first Earth science small-satellite constellation, which will help improve hurricane intensity, track and storm surge forecasts, on Dec. 12.
November 10, 2016

Two NASA space telescopes jointly observed a microlensing event, when a distant star brightens due to the gravitational field of at least one foreground cosmic object.

NASA Space Telescopes Pinpoint Elusive Brown Dwarf

November 10, 2016

NASA Space Telescopes Pinpoint Elusive Brown Dwarf

Two NASA space telescopes jointly observed a microlensing event, when a distant star brightens due to the gravitational field of at least one foreground cosmic object.
November 7, 2016

CubeSats are challenging JPL engineers to build next-gen antennas.

A Box of 'Black Magic' to Study Earth from Space

November 7, 2016

A Box of 'Black Magic' to Study Earth from Space

CubeSats are challenging JPL engineers to build next-gen antennas.
November 7, 2016

NASA is launching six next-generation, Earth-observing small satellite missions to demonstrate innovative approaches for studying our changing planet.

NASA Small Satellites Will Take a Fresh Look at Earth

November 7, 2016

NASA Small Satellites Will Take a Fresh Look at Earth

NASA is launching six next-generation, Earth-observing small satellite missions to demonstrate innovative approaches for studying our changing planet.
November 4, 2016

New video shows bright clouds of methane drifting across Saturn's largest moon, Titan.

Watching Summer Clouds on Titan

November 4, 2016

Watching Summer Clouds on Titan

New video shows bright clouds of methane drifting across Saturn's largest moon, Titan.
November 4, 2016

What would we do if we discovered a large asteroid on course to impact Earth? That highly unlikely scenario was discussed at a recent NASA-FEMA tabletop exercise.

NASA, FEMA Hold Asteroid Emergency Planning Exercise

November 4, 2016

NASA, FEMA Hold Asteroid Emergency Planning Exercise

What would we do if we discovered a large asteroid on course to impact Earth? That highly unlikely scenario was discussed at a recent NASA-FEMA tabletop exercise.
November 2, 2016

Laser-zapping of a globular, golf-ball-size object on Mars by NASA's Curiosity rover confirms that it is an iron-nickel meteorite fallen from the Red Planet's sky.

Curiosity Mars Rover Checks Odd-looking Iron Meteorite

November 2, 2016

Curiosity Mars Rover Checks Odd-looking Iron Meteorite

Laser-zapping of a globular, golf-ball-size object on Mars by NASA's Curiosity rover confirms that it is an iron-nickel meteorite fallen from the Red Planet's sky.
November 1, 2016

Scientists have produced the first global maps of human emissions of carbon dioxide ever made solely from satellite observations, using data from NASA's OCO-2.

New, Space-Based View of Human-Made Carbon Dioxide

November 1, 2016

New, Space-Based View of Human-Made Carbon Dioxide

Scientists have produced the first global maps of human emissions of carbon dioxide ever made solely from satellite observations, using data from NASA's OCO-2.
October 27, 2016

"Orbit," an educational experience, lets the public explore satellites through sound.

Art Turns Public Eyes (and Ears) Toward Space

October 27, 2016

Art Turns Public Eyes (and Ears) Toward Space

"Orbit," an educational experience, lets the public explore satellites through sound.
October 27, 2016

The 15,000th near-Earth asteroid (2016 TB57) was discovered this month.

Catalog of Known Near-Earth Asteroids Tops 15,000

October 27, 2016

Catalog of Known Near-Earth Asteroids Tops 15,000

The 15,000th near-Earth asteroid (2016 TB57) was discovered this month.
October 27, 2016

The most powerful telescope orbiting Mars provides new details of the scene where Europe's test lander hit the surface last week.

Further Clues to Fate of Mars Lander, Seen From Orbit

October 27, 2016

Further Clues to Fate of Mars Lander, Seen From Orbit

The most powerful telescope orbiting Mars provides new details of the scene where Europe's test lander hit the surface last week.
October 27, 2016

80 years of daring to do what few others have tried, including bouncing radio signals off a giant, orbiting balloon in 1960.

No Balloons for JPL's Birthday, Just a 'Satelloon'

October 27, 2016

No Balloons for JPL's Birthday, Just a 'Satelloon'

80 years of daring to do what few others have tried, including bouncing radio signals off a giant, orbiting balloon in 1960.
October 27, 2016

New results from NASA's GRAIL mission yield insights into the huge impacts that dominated the early history of Earth's moon and other solid worlds in our solar system.

NASA Moon Mission Shares Insights into Giant Impacts

October 27, 2016

NASA Moon Mission Shares Insights into Giant Impacts

New results from NASA's GRAIL mission yield insights into the huge impacts that dominated the early history of Earth's moon and other solid worlds in our solar system.
October 25, 2016

NASA's Juno spacecraft at Jupiter has left safe mode and has successfully completed a minor burn of its thruster engines in preparation for its next close flyby of Jupiter.

NASA's Juno Mission Exits Safe Mode, Performs Trim Maneuver

October 25, 2016

NASA's Juno Mission Exits Safe Mode, Performs Trim Maneuver

NASA's Juno spacecraft at Jupiter has left safe mode and has successfully completed a minor burn of its thruster engines in preparation for its next close flyby of Jupiter.
October 25, 2016

Two new studies offer a direct view of rapid melting from the undersides of glaciers in West Antarctica, with implications for future rates of global sea level rise.

Studies Offer New Glimpse of Melting Under Antarctic Glaciers

October 25, 2016

Studies Offer New Glimpse of Melting Under Antarctic Glaciers

Two new studies offer a direct view of rapid melting from the undersides of glaciers in West Antarctica, with implications for future rates of global sea level rise.
October 21, 2016

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has identified new markings on the surface of the Red Planet that are believed to be related to Europe's Schiaparelli test lander, which arrived at Mars on Oct. 19.

Camera on Mars Orbiter Shows Signs of Latest Mars Lander

October 21, 2016

Camera on Mars Orbiter Shows Signs of Latest Mars Lander

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has identified new markings on the surface of the Red Planet that are believed to be related to Europe's Schiaparelli test lander, which arrived at Mars on Oct. 19.
October 21, 2016

Heartbeat stars got their name because if you were to map out their brightness over time, the result looks like an electrocardiogram, a graph of the electrical activity of the heart.

'Heartbeat Stars' Unlocked in New Study

October 21, 2016

'Heartbeat Stars' Unlocked in New Study

Heartbeat stars got their name because if you were to map out their brightness over time, the result looks like an electrocardiogram, a graph of the electrical activity of the heart.
October 21, 2016

A new study suggests Uranus has two tiny, previously undiscovered moonlets orbiting near two of the planet's rings.

Uranus May Have Two Undiscovered Moons

October 21, 2016

Uranus May Have Two Undiscovered Moons

A new study suggests Uranus has two tiny, previously undiscovered moonlets orbiting near two of the planet's rings.
October 20, 2016

A NASA analysis of a 2015 Texas flood is the first to document the full life cycle and impacts of a flood on both land and ocean.

The Life Cycle of a Flood Revealed

October 20, 2016

The Life Cycle of a Flood Revealed

A NASA analysis of a 2015 Texas flood is the first to document the full life cycle and impacts of a flood on both land and ocean.
October 20, 2016

As winter comes to the southern parts of Saturn's moon Titan, NASA's Cassini spacecraft has been following dramatic seasonal changes in the temperature and composition of the atmosphere there.

Cassini Sees Dramatic Seasonal Changes on Titan

October 20, 2016

Cassini Sees Dramatic Seasonal Changes on Titan

As winter comes to the southern parts of Saturn's moon Titan, NASA's Cassini spacecraft has been following dramatic seasonal changes in the temperature and composition of the atmosphere there.
October 20, 2016

NASA statement notes achievement of Europe's ExoMars mission putting a science and communication asset into orbit around Mars.

NASA Statement on ExoMars Mission

October 20, 2016

NASA Statement on ExoMars Mission

NASA statement notes achievement of Europe's ExoMars mission putting a science and communication asset into orbit around Mars.
October 20, 2016

Ten thousand volunteers viewing images of Mars have helped identify targets for closer inspection, yielding new insights about erosional features known as "spiders."

Citizen Scientists Seek South Pole 'Spiders' on Mars

October 20, 2016

Citizen Scientists Seek South Pole 'Spiders' on Mars

Ten thousand volunteers viewing images of Mars have helped identify targets for closer inspection, yielding new insights about erosional features known as "spiders."
October 19, 2016

Juno mission managers are working to bring the spacecraft out of safe mode, while the science team shares interesting findings from the August 27 Jupiter flyby.

Juno Spacecraft in Safe Mode for Latest Jupiter Flyby Scientists Intrigued by Data from First Flyby

October 19, 2016

Juno Spacecraft in Safe Mode for Latest Jupiter Flyby Scientists Intrigued by Data from First Flyby

Juno mission managers are working to bring the spacecraft out of safe mode, while the science team shares interesting findings from the August 27 Jupiter flyby.
October 18, 2016

The next target for NASA's New Horizons mission -- which made a historic flight past Pluto in July 2015 -- apparently bears a colorful resemblance to its famous, main destination.

New Horizons: Possible Clouds on Pluto, Next Target is Reddish

October 18, 2016

New Horizons: Possible Clouds on Pluto, Next Target is Reddish

The next target for NASA's New Horizons mission -- which made a historic flight past Pluto in July 2015 -- apparently bears a colorful resemblance to its famous, main destination.
October 18, 2016

A new NASA/university study finds tide gauges, the longest, best-quality historical records of ocean water levels, may have underestimated 20th century global sea level rise.

Historical Records May Underestimate Sea Level Rise

October 18, 2016

Historical Records May Underestimate Sea Level Rise

A new NASA/university study finds tide gauges, the longest, best-quality historical records of ocean water levels, may have underestimated 20th century global sea level rise.
October 18, 2016

A new study finds clues to where clouds gather on hot Jupiters, and what they're likely made of.

Cloudy Nights, Sunny Days on Distant Hot Jupiters

October 18, 2016

Cloudy Nights, Sunny Days on Distant Hot Jupiters

A new study finds clues to where clouds gather on hot Jupiters, and what they're likely made of.

Explore

exotic travel poster art to download for free

Visions of the Future

Free Travel Posters

Download and print our futuristic space tourism posters.

JPL Travel Posters

Take a virtual trip to 14 alien worlds, and maybe even plaster your living room with planetary art, via the new, futuristic space tourism posters. The posters are available free for downloading and printing.

Explore Jupiter

Ride Along With Juno

Explore Jupiter

Ride along with the Juno spacecraft in real-time.

Explore Jupiter

In this interactive visualization, you can ride along with the Juno spacecraft in real-time at any time during the entire mission. For example, watch the arrival at Jupiter on the 4th of July, 2016, or see Juno use Earth’s gravity as a slingshot to pick up speed, or just learn about the science of Jupiter and about the spacecraft itself. You can even turn on and off the magnetic field, aurorae, and the radiation belt, all in 3D! All of this and more is waiting to be explored.

Woman holds up a home-made spacecraft in a classroom.

Teach. Learn. Intern.

JPL Education

Activities, resources and programs for the classroom – plus JPL internships.

Discover activities, resources and programs for the classroom and beyond – plus JPL internships.

Mars Exploration

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.

JPL Infographics

Create. Upload. Explore.

Infographics

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

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.

Stars and Galaxies

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.

Visit the Exoplanet Exploration website

THE SEARCH FOR ANOTHER EARTH

Explore Exoplanets

See how astronomers find exoplanets and characterize them.

A long list of "candidate exoplanets" comes from the Kepler mission. Kepler has made thousands of likely exoplanet discoveries, but in order for each planet to be considered "confirmed", its existence has to be verified using other instruments, a process that takes time.

Eyes on the Earth

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.

Visit the Exoplanet Exploration website

THE SEARCH FOR ANOTHER EARTH

Explore Exoplanets

See how astronomers find exoplanets and characterize them.

The Search for Exoplanets

A long list of "candidate exoplanets" comes from the Kepler mission. Kepler has made thousands of likely exoplanet discoveries, but in order for each planet to be considered "confirmed", its existence has to be verified using other instruments, a process that takes time.

Search our Gallery of the Universe.

View Our Universe

PhotoJournal

The imagery database of JPL missions, the solar system and beyond.

Search our publicly released images from various JPL missions, spacecraft, the Solar System and beyond.

Earth Right Now

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.

Visit the Exoplanet Exploration website

THE SEARCH FOR ANOTHER EARTH

Explore Exoplanets

See how astronomers find exoplanets and characterize them.

A long list of "candidate exoplanets" comes from the Kepler mission. Kepler has made thousands of likely exoplanet discoveries, but in order for each planet to be considered "confirmed", its existence has to be verified using other instruments, a process that takes time.

Journey Through Space and Time

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.

Eyes on Exoplanets

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.

Asteroid Watch

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

Asteroid Watch

Detect, track and characterize potentially hazardous asteroids and comets.

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.