NASA Space Administration

As of now, an impressive archive has amassed, comprising more than 4 million captivating photographs captured by astronauts and satellites from the vast expanse of outer space. These awe-inspiring images serve a multitude of purposes, ranging from the purely artistic to the profoundly scientific, collectively unraveling the intricate narrative of our planet's dynamic evolution across the ages. Within this extensive collection of cosmic snapshots, each image tells a unique story, shedding light on Earth's ever-transforming face. Some of these visuals, captured with an artist's sensibility, evoke a profound sense of wonder and appreciation for the sheer beauty of our world. They serve as a testament to human creativity and the boundless inspiration that our planet provides, inspiring artists, photographers, and dreamers to envision Earth from a celestial perspective. Yet, the significance of these photographs extends far beyond their aesthetic appeal. They play a pivotal role in advancing scientific understanding, enabling researchers to scrutinize and comprehend the intricate workings of our planet's ecosystems, climate, geology, and geography. These photographs are like a time-lapse movie, capturing the ebb and flow of nature's processes, documenting the impact of human activities, and unveiling the mysteries of Earth's natural phenomena. Through this colossal visual record, we gain invaluable insights into environmental changes, deforestation, urbanization, natural disasters, and climate variations. Scientists employ these images to monitor the health of our oceans, track melting ice caps, study the movement of tectonic plates, and forecast weather patterns. They are indispensable tools in the arsenal of global environmental stewardship, guiding us towards more sustainable and responsible practices to safeguard our planet's future. In essence, these 4 million photographs are a testament to human curiosity, ingenuity, and our insatiable desire to explore the cosmos from the vantage point of our own celestial home. They encapsulate the story of Earth, a living, breathing entity, constantly evolving and adapting, and they inspire us to continue our quest for knowledge and stewardship of this precious blue jewel in the cosmos.

The cutting-edge innovation known as the ISS Roll Out Solar Arrays (iROSA) represents a remarkable stride in the realm of space technology. These state-of-the-art solar arrays are currently being meticulously installed on the International Space Station (ISS), and they come with a host of enhancements that significantly augment the station's energy-generation capabilities. With improved efficiency, iROSA is revolutionizing the way the ISS harnesses and utilizes solar energy to meet its power demands. The advanced iROSA technology isn't confined to the ISS alone; its influence extends far beyond the confines of Earth's orbit. Beyond powering the ISS and ensuring its sustainability, these remarkable solar arrays have been earmarked to play a pivotal role in the forthcoming lunar Gateway outpost. As humanity takes its next giant leap toward lunar exploration, iROSA will serve as a dependable and efficient source of energy for this lunar waystation, providing the necessary power to support the myriad activities and experiments conducted there. Furthermore, the reach of iROSA extends to the deep reaches of space itself, as it is poised to contribute to the groundbreaking DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission. As this mission embarks on its voyage to the Didymos asteroid system, iROSA technology will be integral in powering the spacecraft's instruments and propulsion systems. By harnessing the Sun's energy efficiently in the cold and distant expanse of space, iROSA not only ensures the mission's success but also represents a monumental achievement in sustainable energy generation for space exploration. In summary, the deployment of iROSA represents a milestone in space technology, improving the ISS's power generation and extending its applications to support lunar exploration at the Gateway outpost and facilitate ambitious missions like DART. This technology embodies the spirit of innovation and collaboration that drives human exploration beyond our planet's boundaries, promising to revolutionize our capacity to harness the boundless power of the Sun in the harsh and demanding environment of outer space.

Asteroids, those celestial wanderers, have journeyed through the vastness of space for eons, preserving the secrets of the universe's infancy. These rocky remnants bear witness to the tumultuous formation of planets, the violent collisions that shaped our solar system, and the raw materials that laid the foundation for life as we know it. But at NASA, we're not content with mere glimpses. We're driven by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, a desire to unearth the untold stories hidden within these cosmic travelers. Our missions are like cosmic detectives, seeking to decipher the intricate language of these ancient stones, answering questions that have intrigued humanity for generations. With cutting-edge technology, unparalleled expertise, and an unrelenting spirit of exploration, we are embarking on a journey of discovery. We aim to unlock the secrets of these time-worn sentinels, understanding their compositions, their histories, and their potential impacts on our home planet. As we reach out to touch the stars, we invite you to join us on this thrilling odyssey. Together, we will unravel the mysteries of our solar system's past and, perhaps, gain invaluable insights into our future. At NASA, the quest for knowledge knows no bounds, and we are determined to bring the wonders of the cosmos a little closer to Earth. Stay tuned as we venture into the heart of the universe's ancient guardians, because in space exploration, the journey is just as captivating as the destination.

Astronauts have a unique perspective of our home planet that very few people get to experience. Hear from explorers who have had the opportunity to see Earth from above and how it changed their perspective of life on our planet.

ScienceCasts: A Tetrad of Lunar Eclipses A total lunar eclipse on April 15th marks the beginning of a remarkable series of eclipses all visible from North America.

ScienceCasts: A Summer of Super Moons The summer of 2014 will be bathed in moonlight as three perigee "supermoons" occur in consecutive months: July, August, September.

ScienceCasts: Space-Time Vortex NASA has announced the results of an epic physics experiment which confirms the reality of a space-time vortex around our planet.

ScienceCasts: What Lies Inside Jupiter For four long centuries the gas giant's vast interior has remained hidden from view. NASA's Juno probe, scheduled to launch on August 5th, could change all that.

ScienceCasts: A Meteor Shower from Halley's Comet Soon, Earth will pass through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet, source of the annual Orionid meteor shower. Forecasters expect 25 meteors per hour when the shower peaks on Oct. 21st.

ScienceCasts: A Supermoon Trilogy A series of three supermoons will appear on the celestial stage on December 3, 2017, January 1, 2018, and January 31, 2018.

NASA ScienceCasts: Unlocking the Origins of the Universe AMS-02 is helping scientists investigate many fundamental physics questions from its place on the space station. Astronauts are conducting a series of spacewalks to perform repairs and extend the life of the observatory.

Somewhere Out There, New Planets are Forming NASA needs your help! Yes you. Somewhere out there, new planets are forming. Professional astronomers need your help to hunt for the disks where they form. Disk Detectives help find where planets are forming by searching for stars surrounded by giant disks of gas and dust. Join the Disk Detective citizen science project and help us solve the mystery!

Seasons - NASASpaceAdministration Seeing Equinoxes and Solstices from Space NASASpaceAdministration

4000 Exoplanets Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive NASASpaceAdministration

Earth Day Poster 2021 NASA Science Art Director Jenny Mottar explains the inspiration behind the 2021 NASA Earth Day poster.

NASA's Climate Advisor Discusses Climate Change NASA studies Earth’s climate so closely and with so many missions that the agency has a climate advisor to the presidential administration. NASA provides real data for decision-makers about our climate. Watch to hear from NASA’s Climate Advisor Gavin Schmidt.

Planetary Defense By the Numbers: May 2021 How many near-Earth objects have been found thus far? How big are they? Are there any left to discover? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this month's Planetary Defense: By the Numbers video. Near-Earth objects (NEOs) are asteroids and comets that orbit the Sun and come within 30 million miles of Earth’s orbit. While many NEOs have been found and closely studied, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office was established to manage the agency’s ongoing efforts to find, track, study, and if necessary, lead efforts to mitigate a potentially hazardous NEO that could pose a potential impact threat to Earth.

Team Members from NASA's Two New Venus Missions Share Excitement On Wednesday, June 2, 2021, NASA announced selection of two new missions to Venus, Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor. Part of NASA’s Discovery Program, the missions aim to understand how Venus became an inferno-like world when it has so many other characteristics similar to ours – and may have been the first habitable world in the solar system, complete with an ocean and Earth-like climate. Hear from mission team members about why they are excited to explore Venus.

Draining Earth's oceans, revealing the two-thirds of Earth's surface we don't get to see Three fifths of the Earth's surface is under the ocean, and the ocean floor is as rich in detail as the land surface with which we are familiar. This animation simulates a drop in sea level that gradually reveals this detail. As the sea level drops, the continental shelves appear immediately. They are mostly visible by a depth of 140 meters, except for the Arctic and Antarctic regions, where the shelves are deeper. The mid-ocean ridges start to appear at a depth of 2000 to 3000 meters. By 6000 meters, most of the ocean is drained except for the deep ocean trenches, the deepest of which is the Marianas Trench at a depth of 10,911 meters.

Rocket Dispatch as Seen from the Space Station

ScienceCasts: Amazing Sunset Sky Show Venus and Jupiter are converging for a must-see close encounter at the end of June. It could be the best backyard sky show of 2015.

Rocket Engine Testing the NASA Way ! Stennis Space Center has long been known as the agency’s largest rocket testing facility and they have been extremely busy with the testing of the upgraded RS-25 engines. In fact all RS-25 Engine testing happens exclusively at Stennis Space Center! If these look familiar to you, it may be due to the fact that they were used as the space shuttle main engine for the last 30 years. Compared to the 3 RS-25 engines that the space shuttle had the SLS will utilize 4 of them to produce 2 Million pounds of thrust. The thorough testing of the RS-25 plays an essential role in upholding NASA’s high standards of efficient and reliable engines.

Why Did NASA Release Water into Space ? There were a LOT of unknowns about spaceflight in the early 1960s, including what would happen if a rocket exploded en route to orbit. Enter Project Highwater.

ScienceCasts : Solar Minimum is Coming Intense solar activity such as sunspots and solar flares subsides during solar minimum, but that doesn’t mean the sun becomes dull. Solar activity simply changes form.

ScienceCasts: 2016 Ends with Three Supermoons Nothing beats a bright and beautiful "supermoon." Except maybe, three supermoons! 2016 ends with a trio of full moons at their closest points to Earth.