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news

| October 30, 2014

As it soared past Saturn's large moon Titan recently, NASA's Cassini spacecraft caught a glimpse of bright sunlight reflecting off hydrocarbon seas.
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Specular Spectacular
Cassini Sees Sunny Seas on Titan

news

| October 27, 2014

A tiny instrument designed at JPL will launch this afternoon (Oct. 27) to the International Space Station.
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JPL's tiny Radiometer Atmospheric Cubesat Experiment will launch on this Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket this afternoon.
NASA Instrument Preparing for Launch to Space Station

news

| October 27, 2014

NASA is developing a new instrument that can detect heat and water stress in plants.
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NASA's ECOSTRESS will monitor how plants react to heat and water stress.
NASA's ECOSTRESS Will Monitor Plant Health

news

| October 24, 2014

NASA invites social media followers to apply for credentials to get a preview of the Orion spacecraft's first flight test during NASA Social events Dec. 3 involving each of its 10 centers.
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An artist's impression of the first Orion spacecraft in orbit attached to a Delta IV
NASA Hosts First Agency-wide Social Media Event for Orion's First Flight Test

news

| October 24, 2014

Rosetta's comet destination is beginning to show a clearly visible increase in activity.
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Rosetta Comet Spreads Its Jets
Rosetta's Comet Scrambling Its Jets

news

| October 24, 2014

NASA scientists have identified an unexpected ice cloud on Saturn's moon Titan that is similar to exotic clouds found far above Earth's poles.
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This cloud in the stratosphere over the north pole of Titan is similar to Earth's polar stratospheric clouds.
NASA Finds Methane Ice Cloud in Titan's Stratosphere

news

| October 24, 2014

The imaging spectrometer on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has provided an image of the coma surrounding a comet that flew near Mars this week.
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Images From Mars-Orbiting Spectrometer Show Comet's Coma
Mars Orbiter's Spectrometer Shows Oort Comet's Coma

news

| October 23, 2014

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft obtained this ultraviolet image of hydrogen surrounding comet Siding Spring on Oct. 17, 2014, two days before the comet's closest approach to Mars.
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MAVEN Ultraviolet Image of Comet Siding Spring's Hydrogen Coma
MAVEN Ultraviolet Image of Comet Siding Spring's Hydrogen Coma

news

| October 22, 2014

Pareidolia is the psychological phenomenon where people see recognizable shapes in clouds or otherwise unrelated objects.
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Do you see any recognizable shapes in this nebulous region?
Illusions in the Cosmic Clouds

news

| October 22, 2014

An older galaxy ignites with an outer ring of stellar life.
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Ring of Stellar Fire
Galactic Wheel of Life Shines in Infrared

news

| October 20, 2014

A camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has taken the highest-resolution image ever made of an Oort Cloud comet, taking advantage of the comet's Mars flyby.
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These images were taken of comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on Oct. 19, 2014
Mars Orbiter Image Shows Comet Nucleus is Small

news

| October 20, 2014

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity caught an image of a celestial visitor -- comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring -- as the comet approached near to Mars on Oct. 19, 2014.
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Mars Rover Opportunity's View of Passing Comet
NASA Rover Opportunity Views Comet Near Mars

Videos

| October 24, 2014

Take a jaunt on the wild side as NASA JPL Shuttle Radar Topography Mission conducts an aerial safari of Africa varied topography.
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SRTM: A NASA Safari into Africa's Topography
SRTM: A NASA Safari into Africa's Topography

Videos

| October 17, 2014

Mars program Chief Engineer Robert Shotwell describes Mars Odyssey's unprecedented view of comet Siding Spring as the comet sweeps by the Red Planet on Oct. 19 and how it will maneuver to take images.
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NASA's Mars Odyssey Maneuvers to Image Comet Siding Spring
NASA's Mars Odyssey Maneuvers to Image Comet Siding Spring

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.
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Thousands Explore the JPL Universe at Open House 2014
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.
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Comet Siding Spring: A Close Encounter with Mars
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.
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RapidScat installation on the International Space Station
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.
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Your Window to the Universe Just Got Better
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.
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What's Up - October 2014
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.
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Curiosity Rover Report: A Taste 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.
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We made it! Curiosity reaches 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.
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Video showing Opportunity's tracks along the rim of Endeavour Crater on Mars
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.
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Video: RapidScat: NASA's Newest Wind Watcher
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.
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A New Measure of Ocean Winds
A New Measure of Ocean Winds

images

| October 30, 2014

The view was obtained during NASA's Cassini orbiter's flyby on July 24, 2012, also called the 'T85' flyby by the Cassini team. This was the most intense specular reflection that Cassini had seen to date.
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The view was obtained during NASA's Cassini orbiter's flyby on July 24, 2012, also called the 'T85' flyby by the Cassini team. This was the most intense specular reflection that Cassini had seen to date.
Sunglint on a Hydrocarbon Lake

images

| October 30, 2014

This near-infrared, color view from NASA'S Cassini orbiter shows the sun glinting off of Titan's north polar seas.
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This near-infrared, color view from NASA'S Cassini orbiter shows the sun glinting off of Titan's north polar seas.
Specular Spectacular

images

| October 30, 2014

The linear depression in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is a graben. The graben in this area of Mars are called Sirenum Fossae.
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The linear depression in this image from NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is a graben. The graben in this area of Mars are called Sirenum Fossae.
Sirenum Fossae

images

| October 29, 2014

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE, with its high resolution and eight years in orbit about Mars, has shown that many dunes and ripples on the planet are active.
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NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE, with its high resolution and eight years in orbit about Mars, has shown that many dunes and ripples on the planet are active.
Hardened Dunes in Arcadia Planitia

images

| October 29, 2014

This image captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a small channel cutting into young volcanic lavas in a region where massive catastrophic flooding took place in the relatively recent past in the Athabasca Valles region.
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This image captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a small channel cutting into young volcanic lavas in a region where massive catastrophic flooding took place in the relatively recent past in the Athabasca Valles region.
Sand Sources Near Athabasca Valles

images

| October 29, 2014

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this image to aid in the search for the missing lander, Mars 2. If the debris field is found, it could serve as a future landing location to study the effects of crash landing on the Martian surface.
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NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this image to aid in the search for the missing lander, Mars 2. If the debris field is found, it could serve as a future landing location to study the effects of crash landing on the Martian surface.
Search for the Mars 2 Debris Field

images

| October 29, 2014

This image NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows an impact crater that was cut by lava in the Elysium Planitia region of Mars. It looks relatively flat, with a shallow floor, rough surface texture, and possible cooling cracks.
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This image NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows an impact crater that was cut by lava in the Elysium Planitia region of Mars. It looks relatively flat, with a shallow floor, rough surface texture, and possible cooling cracks.
Which Way is Up?

images

| October 29, 2014

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the southern flank, where the volcanic material has been eroded into a ridge and channel surface.
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the southern flank, where the volcanic material has been eroded into a ridge and channel surface.
Apollinaris Mons

images

| October 28, 2014

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows layering in the south polar cap.
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows layering in the south polar cap.
South Pole Layers

images

| October 27, 2014

This image from NASA's Terra spacecraft shows Lake Mackay, the largest of hundreds of ephemeral lakes scattered throughout Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and is the second largest lake in Australia.
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This image from NASA's Terra spacecraft shows Lake Mackay, the largest of hundreds of ephemeral lakes scattered throughout Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and is the second largest lake in Australia.
Lake Mackay, Australia

images

| October 27, 2014

This image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows befitting moons named for brothers, Prometheus and Epimetheus. Both are small, icy moons that orbit near the main rings of Saturn.
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This image from NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows befitting moons named for brothers, Prometheus and Epimetheus. Both are small, icy moons that orbit near the main rings of Saturn.
A Forethought and an Afterthought

images

| October 27, 2014

This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a graben cutting through a plateau. The graben is part of Sirenum Fossae.
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This image captured by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a graben cutting through a plateau. The graben is part of Sirenum Fossae.
Sirenum Fossae

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

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.
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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.
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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.
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Asteroid Watch

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.
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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.
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JPL Infographics

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.
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3-D Exploration

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.
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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.
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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.
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Fire and Ice

Image of the Day

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Education and Public Events

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.
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Educator Workshop: Lunar and Meteorite Sample Certification
Saturday, November 8
Educator Workshop: Lunar and Meteorite Sample Certification
The Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM) concept seeks to rendezvous with, capture, and redirect to translunar space an entire small near-Earth asteroid with a mass of up to approximately 1000 metric tonnes.
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The Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM) concept seeks to rendezvous with, capture, and redirect to translunar space an entire small near-Earth asteroid with a mass of up to approximately 1000 metric tonnes.
Thursday, Nov. 6 and Friday, Nov. 7
Lecture: Asteroid Redirect Mission
Rosetta is an international mission spearheaded by the European Space Agency with support and instruments provided by NASA.
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Landing: Rosetta to Deploy Lander on Comet
Wednesday, November 12
Landing: Rosetta to Deploy Lander on Comet
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Asteroid Redirect Mission
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.
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NASA’s Dawn Mission to the Asteroid Belt
Thursday, Dec. 4 and Friday, Dec. 5
Lecture: NASA’s Dawn Mission to the Asteroid Belt

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