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.

Monitor earth and Space weatheR

GOES-U Launch

VIPER robotic moon rover

Fly your name to the Moon
An artist’s concept of a landscape framed inside a sphere, which doubles as an eclipse. The concept is composed of dusky purples, oranges, golds, and greens. In the left foreground, a young woman wearing a white dress basks in the rays of a solar eclipse. She stands under a bright orange fall tree rooted to the side of a rocky mountain trail. The scene overlooks a valley with a river running through the middle towards distant hazy blue mountains. Nocturnal animals – including a fox, owl, possum, and bat – emerge to investigate the sudden onset of night. A deer stands on a grassy knoll at right in front of a line of fall colored trees. The Milky Way trails across the sky, leading up from the young woman to the eclipse and glittering stars at top right. Two hot air balloons float in the distance. This concept was created in celebration of the Heliophysics Big Year, which is bookended by the Annular Eclipse in October of 2023 and the Total Solar Eclipse in April of 2024. It also serves as the cover of the 2024 NASA Science Planning Guide.

Welcome to our NASA Science website

A gateway to our missions, research, and engagement efforts.

The Science Mission Directorate inspires the learners of today and develops the leaders of tomorrow. One of our key strategies is to purposefully and actively engage with audiences and learners of all ages to share the story of NASA’s integrated science program. From exoplanet research to better understanding Earth’s climate to understanding the influence of the sun on our planet and the solar system, our work is interdisciplinary and collaborative. Similarly, this website showcases our work in a crosscutting way so that we may build stronger connections with you, our most important stakeholder. Together, we lead a globally interconnected program of scientific discovery that encourages innovation, positively impacts people’s lives, and is a source of inspiration.

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Dr. Nicola Fox speaking at a recent event in Washington, D.C.
Science Mission Directorate Associate Administrator, Dr. Nicola Fox, speaking at a recent event in Washington, D.C. about the success of the Parker Solar Probe mission.
NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

April 8, 2024 - Total Solar Eclipse Citizen Science

  • Contribute to NASA Research on Eclipse Day – and Every Day

    NASA is celebrating the Sun during the Heliophysics Big Year, which extends through the end of 2024. You can get involved to help us learn more about our star and its influence on our planet. With exciting experiments happening during the total solar eclipse on April 8, to widespread investigations going on throughout the year, keep reading to find a project that's right for you.

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  • Eclipse Citizen Science for Educators

    Citizen science projects are a great way for formal and informal students and enthusiasts to learn science by doing it. There are a number of these participatory projects addressing a wide variety of research questions. These projects have a range of difficulty, training requirements, time requirements, and equipment – in short, there really is a project for everyone!

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  • Eclipse Citizen Science for Everybody

    On April 8, 2024, participants both in and outside the eclipse path can join NASA to learn more about our Sun and Earth and the effects of a total solar eclipse. Don't have experience doing science? No problem! Projects are available for participants of any skill level.

    Explore

Featured Missions

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

Artist concept of the GOES-U satellite in orbit around the earth

GOES-U

Launching no earlier than May 2024, GOES-U will provide advanced detection and monitoring of environmental phenomena that directly affect public safety, protection of property, and the nation’s economic health.

artist's concept of Europa Clipper

Europa Clipper

Launching in October 2024, Europa Clipper’s main science goal is to determine whether there are places below the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, that could support life.

Illustration of NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) on the surface of the Moon

VIPER

VIPER launches late 2024 and will be NASA's first robotic Moon rover to measure the location and concentration of water ice and other resources. These resources could eventually be harvested to sustain human exploration on the Moon, Mars — and beyond!

Featured Story

Antarctic Sea Ice Near Historic Lows; Arctic Ice Continues Decline

Sea ice at both the top and bottom of the planet continued its decline in 2024. In the waters around…

Read the Story

The Sun and Heliophysics

NASA studies the star at the center of our solar system and its influence on space, Earth, and our solar system. This research helps us to not only understand how the universe works, but also protect our technology and astronauts in space.

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What's out there?

An aqua-colorized satellite image of the sun with solar flares

Exploring the Sun's structure, behavior, and the effects of its radiant energy on the solar system and Earth.

Learning how protective magnetic fields surrounding planets shield them from solar wind and cosmic radiation.

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Studying the regions where Earth's atmosphere transitions into the ionized plasma of space.

Understanding how the invisible bubble surrounding our solar system is protecting life here on Earth.

An X 1.4 solar flare erupted on the right side of the sun on the evening of April. 24, 2014. This composite image, captured at 8:42 p.m. EST, shows the sun in ultraviolet light with wavelength of both 131 and 304 angstroms. Cropped.

Researching how environmental conditions in space can impact satellites, communications, and power grids on Earth.

A total solar eclipse is seen on Monday, August 21, 2017 above Madras, Oregon. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the contiguous United States from Lincoln Beach, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of South America, Africa, and Europe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Celebrating solar science and the Sun's influence on Earth and the solar system.