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NASA Science

NASA Science seeks to discover the secrets of the universe, search for life elsewhere, and protect and improve life on Earth and in space.

This illustration depicts a warm hued underwater landscape framed by a spherical cave opening. The microscopic building blocks of life - molecules, amino acids, proteins, bacteria, microorganisms, and extremophiles - appear to grow on surfaces and float throughout the composition. Ediacaran fossils are embedded in the surrounding rock. Hot smokers and stromatolites decorate the foreground and slime molds and lichens fill out the scene. A central hydrothermal vent emits glowing gold particles which coalesce into the shape of a human being. Molecular structures intersperse with these particles and drift upward toward the water’s blue-lit surface. The rippling reflection on surface resembles a distant spiral galaxy. From stars to life, we are the same.    125%

Featured Missions

Our mission milestones showcase the breadth and depth of NASA science.

Boxy, SmallSat in orbit over the Moon

Lunar Trailblazer

Launching in 2024, the goal of Lunar Trailblazer is to understand the form, abundance, and distribution of water on the Moon, and the lunar water cycle.

Artist Rendering of NISAR

NISAR

Launching in 2025, NISAR will systematically map Earth and study changes to ice sheets, glaciers, and sea ice in fine detail, as climate change warms the air and ocean.

3 spacecraft are shown on an equally spaced on orbit path above the earth showing the north america visible below.

GeoXO

GeoXO will advance observations of Earth’s weather, atmosphere and ocean for short-term forecasts and warnings and long-term planning for the effects of our changing planet. 

Featured Story

Found: First Actively Forming Galaxy as Lightweight as Young Milky Way

For the first time, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has detected and “weighed” a galaxy that not only existed around…

Read the Story
Hundreds of overlapping objects at various distances are spread across this field. Galaxies’ colors vary. The majority appear orange, pink, and white, some are shades of orange or blue. Most galaxies appear as fuzzy ovals, but a few have distinctive spiral arms. At the very center is a tiny galaxy nicknamed Firefly Sparkle that looks like a long, angled, dotted line. Smaller companions are nearby.

NASA Science is Delivering

NASA Science is delivering: every second of every day, of every week, of every year. 2024 is proving to be yet another year of exceptional scientific discovery and achievement. From soft landing back on the Moon a few months ago, to celebrating the Heliophysics Big Year and a Total Solar Eclipse in the contiguous United States, to receiving stunning imagery from James Webb, NASA Science is as busy as ever. Recently launched earth science missions are also providing us unprecedented views of our planet and incredible insight into the health of our oceans and atmosphere, and helping decision-makers improve lives on Earth and safeguard our future. And we are charting a new, sustainable path for Mars Sample Return.
 
Looking ahead, we have many exciting launches on the horizon. At NASA, we are fortunate that our science and exploration endeavors are inextricably linked and help us discover and innovate for the benefit of humanity. Together, we explore to advance scientific understanding. Ultimately, exploration enables science, and science enables exploration.
 
The NASA Science team is continuing to deliver for the benefit of all.

Read Nicky Notes
Dr. Nicky fox casually chats with undergraduate students over coffee in a laboratory at the University of Delaware. Students take notes in front of a whiteboard while seated around Dr. Fox.
Dr. Nicola (Nicky) Fox, the Associate Administrator (AA) for the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) for NASA, visited the University of Delaware to discuss the scientific missions being undertaken by the SMD and to visit with various groups on campus. Pictured: Dr. Fox visiting with Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy Ben Maruca and students in the Delaware Space Observation Center (DSpOC).

Earth

Your home. Our mission.
And the one planet that NASA studies more than any other.

Learn more about our Earth
True color image of Arctic sea ice on 2 September 2016 from the Suomi NPP VIIRS instrument.

How we Look at Earth

Images, stories, and discoveries about the environment. Where every day is Earth Day.

The sum of Earth's plants, on land and in the ocean, changes slightly from year to year as weather patterns shift.

Free and open access to an immense archive of Earth science data empowers users to better understand and protect our home planet.

Earth Action

NASA’s projects advance what’s possible here on Earth.

This image shows the Earth from a distance centering on the Atlantic Ocean near Florida. Three storms are visible - Milton, Kirk, and Leslie. Milton is in the Gulf of Mexico, Kirk in the more northern Atlantic, and Leslie nearer the coast of Africa.

See how the planet is changing in ways that affect the lives and livelihoods of individuals across the globe.

Science crew members retrieve a canister from melt ponds on the Arctic Ocean.

From the unique vantage point in space, NASA collects critical long-term observations of our changing planet.

From the far reaches of space, NASA scientists aim to expand their knowledge of how our ocean, atmosphere, and ecosystems interact with one another.

Two images of the same lake side by side. The water is a dark blue in both images. The land on the left is covered in green foliage, whereas it is largely brown on the right and there is snow covered peaks along the left side of the lake.

Earth is constantly changing. World of Change documents how our planet’s land, oceans, and atmosphere are changing over time.