NASA Mission Information

The Space Science Data Operations Office (SSDOO) of NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center does not only offer NASA mission data but also information about the projects, spacecraft and instruments that collect these data. Selected missions of the past, present and future in the areas of Astrophysics, Planetary Sciences and Space Plasma and Solar Physics are listed below:

Astrophysics

• Chandra X-ray Observatory (formerly known as AXAF) - NASA mission to observe X-rays from high energy regions of the universe, such as hot gas in the remnants of exploded stars (1999)
  
• Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) - NASA mission to study high energy electromagnetic radiation from the cosmos (1991-present)
  
• Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) - NASA mission to measure the diffuse infrared and microwave radiation from the early universe (1989-1993)
  
• Extreme UltraViolet Explorer (EUVE) - NASA mission to study UV sources and interstellar gas (1992-present)
  
• Hubble Space Telescope (HST) - NASA mission to perform observations in the visible, near-ultraviolet, and near-infrared (1990-present)
  
• International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) - International mission to obtain spectra of stellar sources (1978-1996)
  
• X-Ray Timing Explorer (XTE) - NASA mission to study X-ray sources including stellar black holes, neutron stars and quasars (1995-present)
  
• Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite - NASA Small Explorer Project (SMEX) designed to study the chemical composition of interstellar gas clouds (1998-present)
• Complete list of astrophysics missions
  

Planetary Science

• Apollo - NASA manned lunar missions (1967-1972)
• Cassini - NASA/European Space Agency Mission to Saturn (1997-present)
• Deep Space 2 - NASA probe to penetrate Mars near the south pole to test for ice and to determine the thermal and physical properties (1999)
• Galileo - NASA Mission to Jupiter (1989-present)
• Lunar Prospector - NASA Global Orbiter Mission to the Moon (1997-present)
• Magellan - NASA Venus Radar Mapping Mission (1989-1994)
• Mars Climate Orbiter - NASA's Mars Surveyor '98 program to study the Martian weather, climate, and water and carbon dioxide budget (1998-present)
• Mars Global Surveyor - NASA Global Orbiter Mission to Mars (1996-present)
• Mars Pathfinder - NASA Environmental Survey Mission to Mars (1996-present)
• Mars Polar Lander - NASA's Mars Surveyor '98 program to study the Martian weather, climate, and water and carbon dioxide budget (1999)
• NEAR - NASA Rendezvous Mission to Near-Earth Asteroid (1996-present)
• Viking - NASA Orbiters/Landers to Mars (1975-1982)
• Voyager - NASA Missions to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and beyond (1977-present)
• Complete List of Planetary missions

Space Plasma and Solar Physics

• IMAGE - NASA MIDEX mission to study the global response of the magnetosphere to the changes in the solar wind (2000)
• IMP-8 - NASA Explorer mission to study the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere (1973-present)
• ISEE - NASA Explorer missions to study the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere (1977-1997)
• ISTP - International Solar-Terrestrial Physics Program with multiple spacecraft (1992-present)
• Pioneer 10/11 - NASA mission to study Jupiter, Saturn, the interplanetary medium, and beyond (1972-1996)
• SOHO - Joint NASA/ESA ISTP mission to study the sun and solar wind (1995-present)
• Solar Maximum Mission - NASA mission to study the sun (1980-1989)
• Voyager - NASA mission to study the gas giant planets, the interplanetary medium, and beyond (1977-present)
• Yohkoh - Joint ISAS/NASA mission to study the sun (1991-present)
• Complete list of Space Plasma and Solar Physics flight projects

For further information, users may do a query of Spacecraft Name, Discipline, Launch Date or any combination of the three.

If you have any questions about a particular mission which is not listed above, please send them to Dr. James Thieman (thieman@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov).

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Curator: Carolyn Ng
Responsible Party: Nathan James, NSSDC/GSFC-Code 633
Last Updated: 8 January 1999, CYN