Overview

    lunar lander

    Concept of a future moon landing. Credit: NASA/John Frassanito and Associates

     Moon: By going to the moon for extended periods of time, astronauts will search for resources and learn how to work safely in a harsh environment -- stepping stones to future exploration. The moon also offers many clues about the time when the planets were formed.

    Mars: Robotic missions have found evidence of a watery past, suggesting that simple life forms may have developed long ago and may persist beneath the surface today. Human exploration could provide answers to some profound questions.

    Beyond: As humans and robots work together exploring the moon and Mars, NASA spacecraft will continue to send back scientific data from throughout the solar system, laying the groundwork for potential human journeys.

Features

  • lunar surface

    NASA Eyes Lunar Landing Site

    NASA has obtained the highest resolution terrain mapping to date of the moon's rugged south polar region, with a resolution to 20 meters per pixel.

  • Solar array and fuel cell

    Lighting up the Lunar Night

    How do you survive where there's no water or wind and sometimes no sunlight for weeks? The answer could be a fuel cell that works in reverse.

  • This flexible dust screen is one of many technologies tested in Desert RATS.

    Kennedy's Desert RATS

    Three teams from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida journey west each year to participate in the agency's Desert Research and Technology Studies.

  • astronaut shovelling

    NASA RATS Bring the Moon to Earth

    Once a year, the Agency's RATS (Research and Technology Studies) team makes its way to remote a location in the Arizona or California desert to bring the moon right down to Earth -- Figuratively speaking that is.

  • Thumbnail of a footprint of an Astronaut on the Moon

    What Did We Get From Apollo?

    While it culminated with "One Small Step," there was a lot more to the Apollo Program.

  • exploding impact

    Exploding Lunar Eclipse

    On Tuesday morning, Aug. 28th, a team of astronomers and engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center will attempt something never done before--to observe meteoroids hitting the Moon and exploding during a lunar eclipse.

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Reference

    Moon Facts:
    Earth's Moon Average Distance from Earth: 238,855 miles
    Surface Area: 14,645,750 square miles
    Length of Day: 27.3 Earth days
    Length of Year: 27.3 Earth days
      (Orbit Period = Rotation Period)
    Min/Max Surface Temperature: -387° to 253° F
    > Learn More

    Mars Facts:
    Mars Average Distance from the Sun: 141,633,260 miles
    Surface Area: 89,500,000 square miles
    Length of Day: 24.62 hours
    Length of Year: 686.93 Earth days (1.9 Earth years)
    Min/Max Surface Temperature: -125° to 23° F
    > Learn More

Mission Information