Astro Adventures

Our first asteroid sample return mission successfully returned to Earth, a record takeoff in space for a NASA astronaut, and our Artemis II mission is nearing conclusion—a handful of stories to be told this week at NASA!

Satellites such as Landsat have observed the decline of chimpanzee habitat in Africa's equatorial forest belt. By developing habitat suitability maps for chimps, the Jane Goodall Institute uses Landsat and other satellite data to empower local communities to drive conservation on their own property. Smartphone apps also collect data in real time, allowing communities to safeguard village forest reserves and develop land use plans for watersheds, people, and chimps. Following years of forest loss, habitats have recovered in the last few decades. https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/jo... Credits: Conservation dashboards were developed with the assistance of NASA, the University of Maryland, Esri, Maxar, and the United States Agency for International Development. Jane Goodall Institute/Lilian Pintea video clip

Where are the Apollo missions' Moon rocks kept? When these alien samples are not being researched by institutions or enjoyed by museumgoers, NASA maintains a specialized Lunar Sample Curation Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center to preserve and keep them safe. The analysis of these samples enables us to learn more about the origins of not just our moon, but also our planet. Dr. Juliane Gross, Deputy Apollo Sample Curator (September 2019 - December 2022), discusses more about lunar sample curation.