'Saturn's orbit has brought it so close to the sun that it is extremely difficult to see even with the best of telescopes. Fortunately, we have Cassini in the front row.'
This month's International Year of Astronomy feature explores how Saturn has been a consistent source of surprises for 400 years.
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Cassini-Huygens to Saturn
Studying Saturn and its rings and moons.
› Mission home page
Dawn
Dawn, the first spacecraft ever planned to orbit two different bodies after leaving Earth, will orbit Vesta and Ceres, two of the largest asteroids in the solar system.
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Epoxi
The Epoxi mission recycles the already "in flight" Deep Impact spacecraft to investigate two distinct celestial targets of opportunity.
› Mission overview
Mars Exploration Rovers
Spirit and Opportunity have been exploring Mars since January 2004. Clues found in some rocks indicate liquid water once covered the ground.
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Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
This orbiter has the most powerful telescopic camera ever to another planet, plus five other scientific instruments.
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Mars Odyssey
This orbiter studies Mars' surface composition and radiation environment and has instruments to detect water and shallow buried ice.
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Microwave Instrument
on Rosetta Orbiter
This JPL instrument will study gases given off by a comet as the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft orbits the comet. Rendezvous with the comet is scheduled for 2014.
› Rosetta home page
Stardust-NExT
The Stardust-NExT mission recycles the already "in flight" Stardust spacecraft to flyby and investigate comet Tempel 1 in Feb. 2011.
› Mission overview
Voyager
Voyager 1 and 2 flew past Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 2 also flew by Uranus and Neptune. Voyager 1 is now approaching interstellar space.
› Mission home page
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Mars Orbiter Shows Angled View of Martian Crater
The high-resolution camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has returned a dramatic oblique view of the Martian crater that a rover explored for two years.
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JPL Blog: Five Things About Viewing Mars in August
For the last few years, e-mails have cirulated in August promising wonderful views of Mars. JPL outreach specialist and amateur astronomer Jane Houston Jones is here to set the record straight.
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Meteorite Found on Mars Yields Clues About Planet's Past
NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity is investigating a metallic meteorite the size of a large watermelon that is providing researchers more details about the Red Planet's environmental history.
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What's Up for August? Meteors!
The Perseid meteor shower will dazzle in the early morning hours of Aug. 13. Plus, a popular planet shows up in the night sky. |
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From the Lab to the Moon
Before astronauts could walk its surface, NASA/JPL's robotic explorers had to fly past, slam into, and land on the moon.
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Free Spirit - Measuring Progress
Engineers continue crab-driving a test rover at JPL in an effort to plan how to dislodge Spirit from loose sand on Mars. |
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