Observing Earth NASA's Earth Observatory is a government-funded project managed within the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. They provide us with an in-depth perspective from the hundreds of satellites launched and maintained by the United States that are working 24/7, tracking the weather, redirecting voice and data communications, and sending GPS information to and from [...]
A Meteorite From Mars When meteorites from space are found on earth, scientists can usually determine where they came from based on information about the geology of the other terrestrial planets. An example in recent years is the meteorite NWA7034, found in the Sahara Desert in 2011. NASA scientists not only classified it as [...]
The Electromagnetic Spectrum Visual light seen by the human eye is only one type of energy found in the universe and represents the smallest part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Units of electromagnetic radiation are particles known as photons that travel along wavelengths at varying frequencies, providing heat and both visible and invisible light. A [...]
Sample Return Missions As the Solar System was being formed 4.5 billion years ago, fragments of rock and metal orbited the sun, colliding to form large spinning masses that increased in size and gravity to form the terrestrial planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Much farther away, a safe distance from the [...]