National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Using a NASA radar flying aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, scientists are getting their first look inside the moon's coldest, darkest craters.

Two independent groups have made the first ground-based detection of thermal emissions from extrasolar planets. The studies open a new frontier for monitoring alien worlds from Earth, and also paves the way for further observations of extrasolar atmospheres.

A team of NASA and university scientists has achieved the first definitive detection of methane in the atmosphere of Mars. This discovery indicates the planet is either biologically or geologically active.

Earth’s temperature depends on how much sunlight the land, oceans, and atmosphere absorb, and how much heat the planet radiates back to space. This fact sheet describes the net flow of energy through different parts of the Earth system, and explains how the planetary energy budget stays in balance.

A technology development engine that may help NASA safely return astronauts to the lunar surface has successfully completed its third round of testing.

The methane found on Mars could be a sign of life on the red planet. Researchers are devising an instrument to measure the isotopic abundances that could distinguish a biological origin from a geological one.

Discovery rolled to the launch pad Wednesday for its STS-119 mission, targeted to launch on February 12. Commander Lee Archambault and crew will deliver the final set of solar arrays to the space station.

For 12 years, elementary school students have helped NASA scientists verify satellite measurements of the atmosphere.

The University of Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey, which has discovered 70 percent of all known near Earth objects, is about to begin operating a new telescope. The Mount Lemmon telescope will increase survey productivity, helping to identify potentially hazardous objects like asteroids and comets on collision courses with Earth.

Every time we get into our car, turn the key and drive somewhere, we burn gasoline, a fossil fuel derived from crude oil.