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.

June is national ocean month

The Ocean and Climate Change

Monitor earth and Space weatheR

GOES-U Launch

you can get involved

Citizen Science
The image depicts a visualization of ocean currents on Earth, particularly focusing on the Atlantic Ocean. The intricate, swirling patterns represent the movement of water, showcasing the dynamic flow of currents. The landmasses, including parts of North America, Greenland, and Europe, are shown in a brownish hue, contrasting with the blue of the ocean. The currents are illustrated with white, wavy lines, emphasizing their direction and motion, creating a mesmerizing, almost artistic depiction of the perpetual movement of the ocean.

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).

Featured Missions

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

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

GOES-U

Launched on June 25, 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.

More about GOES-U
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.

More about Europa Clipper
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!

More about Viper

Latest News

More Science News
Article
6 min read

Pillars of Creation Star in New Visualization from NASA’s Hubble and Webb Telescopes

Mosaic of the Pillars of Creation visualization model, composed of 4 rectangular strips oriented 45 degrees clockwise from vertical. Strips alternate between Hubble and Webb views of the visualization model, with each strip labeled: “Hubble” at lower right corners of first and third strips; “Webb” at upper left corners of the second and fourth strips. Webb strips have drop shadows that make it look like they are overlaid on top of larger Hubble image. Mosaic shows 3 vertical structures (pillars) of thick smoke-like material. Pillar edges are glowing, with thin wisps of material moving away into space. In Hubble strips, pillars are dark brown and opaque, on greenish blue background. In Webb strips, pillars are bright orange to brown with a distinct area of bright red at the top of middle pillar. A red star appears at the tip of a peak in the left pillar and the background is deep blue.
Article
3 min read

NASA Selects Participating Scientists to Join ESA’s Hera Mission

This artist’s concept shows ESA’s Hera spacecraft and its CubeSats in orbit around the Dimorphos moonlet
Clouds of gas and dust with many stars. The clouds form a flat, blue background toward the bottom, and become thicker and smokier toward the top. Stars on one side light the nebula. A thick arc of gas and dust reaches around from the bottom-right corner of the image toward the top-left corner. It begins as a dark and obscuring cloud at bottom right and gradually becomes brightly lit by many stars at the upper left. Other large, foreground stars lie between the nebula and the viewer.
2 min read

Hubble Captures Infant Stars Transforming a Nebula

Article6 days ago
This image was acquired by the Front Right Hazard Avoidance Camera A on June 16, 2024 (Sol 1181) at the local mean solar time of 14:20:10. The image shows the area in front of the rover at Bright Angel with the arm extended as the PIXL instrument investigates the surface.
2 min read

A Bright New Abrasion

Article6 days ago
A meeting room with a rectangular arrangement of tables is shown, with participants seated around the tables. The room appears to be a formal setting for a discussion or meeting. On the left side, there are several individuals of diverse ethnicities and genders, each with laptops, documents, and bottled drinks in front of them. On the right side, there is another group of participants, similarly equipped with laptops, documents, and bottled drinks. At the head of the table, a large flat-screen TV is mounted on the wall with the JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) logo above it. The participants seem engaged in a focused discussion or presentation, with some taking notes and others speaking. The room is well-lit with overhead lights, and a blue curtain is visible in the background.
3 min read

Artemis, Architecture, and Lunar Science: SMD and ESDMD Associate Administrators visits Tokyo

Article1 week ago
Featured Story

Surprising Phosphate Finding in NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample

Scientists have eagerly awaited the opportunity to dig into the 4.3-ounce (121.6-gram) pristine asteroid Bennu sample collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx…

Read the Story
Featured Video

Pillars of Creation Star in New Visualization

Made famous in 1995 by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the Pillars of Creation have captured imaginations worldwide with their arresting, ethereal beauty. Now, NASA has released a new 3D visualization of these towering celestial structures using data from NASA's Hubble and James Webb space telescopes.

Learn more about the visualization
SCience

By the Numbers

Science is interconnected; no important question stands alone. The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is an organization where discoveries in one scientific discipline have a direct route to other areas of study. This flow is something extremely valuable and is rare in the scientific world.

Learn More about Science by the Numbers
A complex info graphic with text, numbers, icons on a dark blue background laid out in a circular design

RCW 7

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image presents a visually striking collection of interstellar gas and dust. Named RCW 7, the nebula is located just over 5,300 light-years from Earth in the constellation

Learn More about RCW 7

featured image

Hubble Captures Infant Stars Transforming a Nebula

Clouds of gas and dust with many stars. The clouds form a flat, blue background toward the bottom, and become thicker and smokier toward the top. Stars on one side light the nebula. A thick arc of gas and dust reaches around from the bottom-right corner of the image toward the top-left corner. It begins as a dark and obscuring cloud at bottom right and gradually becomes brightly lit by many stars at the upper left. Other large, foreground stars lie between the nebula and the viewer.
earth information center

Explore our changing planet

Earth is our home, shared with millions of species. Rapid changes like rising temperatures and more frequent extreme weather are transforming our planet. For over 50 years, observations from space and ground have monitored these changes, guiding critical decisions in areas like agriculture and air quality. By understanding how our actions affect Earth's systems, we can help mitigate these impacts. Discover more about how you can make a difference in safeguarding our planet.

Visit the Earth Information Center
Animated GIF of Spacecraft Over Earth
Eyes on the Earth

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.

Learn More about our Sun and Heliophysics
2c.SolarScience_image.jpg

What's out there?

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

Solar Science

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

Magnetospheres

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

A

Ionosphere, Thermosphere, and Mesosphere

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

Heliosphere

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.

Space Weather

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)

Heliophysics Big Year

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

Dive Deeper

An artist’s concept of a landscape. 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.

SMD Community Town Hall Meetings

View upcoming and past community town hall meetings.

Town Hall Meetings

NASA Science Strategy

Our science strategy articulates a forward-thinking vision and presents a comprehensive, cohesive and long-term roadmap for all NASA activities.

Science Strategy

People of NASA Science

Meet the individuals who are instrumental in enabling the realization of NASA Science’s extraordinary mission.

People of Science

NASA Science Careers

Discover career opportunities at NASA Science, where innovation, growth and collaboration shape the future of scientific exploration.

Science Careers
Keep Exploring

More about NASA Science

Science Missions

Hubble floating above Earth

Science News

Red dual opposing jets coming from young stars fill the darker top half of the image, while a glowing pale-yellow, cave-like structure is bottom center, tilted toward two o’clock, with a bright star at its center. See extended description for more.

Science for Everyone

A person looks through a telescope. There is a large solar filter blocking the front of the telescope.

For Researchers