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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.

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What’s Up: March 2026 Skywatching Tips

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Restless Kīlauea Launches Lava and Ash

Make history

Artemis II Moon Rocket Heads Back to Launch Pad 

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, secured to the mobile launcher, is seen as it rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B, Friday, March 20, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth with launch opportunities beginning in April 2026.

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Restless Kīlauea Launches Lava and Ash

NASA Laser Reflecting Instrument Makes GPS Satellite More Accurate

NASA’s Hubble Unexpectedly Catches Comet Breaking Up

Dim Delights in Cancer

A Bit of Gray on an Emerald Isle

Featured Video

Experience the closest thing to standing next to the actual JWST

Joining other historic NASA missions like Apollo, Voyager, and the Discovery Space Shuttle, Webb’s Optical Telescope Element Pathfinder has made its way to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Smithsonian museum for permanent display.

The Pathfinder is the largest intact mirror support structure of its kind, comprised of exotic lightweight materials invented for the purpose of seeing near to the very limits of the observable universe.

Featured Missions

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

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IMAP

Launched September 24, 2025, IMAP will help researchers better understand the boundary of the heliosphere, a huge bubble created by the Sun surrounding and protecting our solar system.

More about IMAP

Artist's concept of Pandora viewing a transiting exoplanet

Pandora

Pandora is a small satellite designed to characterize exoplanet atmospheres and their host stars. It is slated to observe at least 20 different planets during its one year of science operations.

More about Pandora

Dragonfly on the ground

Dragonfly

Dragonfly, the first-of-its-kind rotorcraft to explore another world, will fly to various locations on Saturn’s moon Titan and investigate the moon’s habitability.

More about Dragonfly

Featured Video

What’s Up: March 2026 Skywatching Tips

A total lunar eclipse blood moon takes centre stage, Venus and Saturn cozy up for a conjunction, and we celebrate the vernal equinox.

More Skywatching Tips from NASA

2026 NASA Science Calendar

A black and white photograph of an unnamed lunar crater captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) on August 30, 2023. The image shows dramatic contrast between light and shadow as early morning sunlight illuminates only the western wall of the crater, which appears bright white against the dark lunar landscape. The interior of the crater remains in complete shadow, creating a striking bowl-shaped void. The surrounding lunar surface displays the characteristic rough, textured terrain of the Moon with various small craters and ridges visible. This high-resolution image demonstrates LROC's capability to capture detailed topographical features, part of LRO's mission to map the lunar surface for future exploration efforts.

Image of the Month

March: Good Morning, Moon. The image was taken by LROC (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera)

NASA Science 2026 artwork commemorating America's 250th Anniversary. The illustration uses blue tones with warm pastel accents showing humanity's space exploration journey. An open history book at the bottom emits light, with Earth emerging above it. A pathway extends from the book past the Moon, Mars, and Saturn into deep space, featuring spacecraft including NISAR, ISS, Parker Solar Probe, LRO, MRO, Dragonfly, NEO Surveyor, Webb, and Roman Space Telescope. An Artemis astronaut and robotic rover appear on opposite pages of the book, with the astronaut stepping onto the cosmic path—symbolizing how scientific discovery leads the way for human exploration in our journey beyond Earth.

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Learn about those of the NASA corps who make “space sailing” their career profession.

Enhanced satellite image from NOAA's Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) showing a massive nor'easter over the Atlantic Ocean on February 14, 2024. The storm appears as a dramatic spiral structure with vibrant false-color representation: bright yellow and orange areas in the center indicate thick, high-altitude ice clouds, while green and teal regions around the edges represent warmer cloud formations. The image displays the classic counterclockwise rotation of the storm system extending from eastern Canada southward toward the Caribbean. Thin black outlines show coastlines of North America. The visualization was captured by the VIIRS instrument, highlighting different cloud types and temperatures through color enhancement. This powerful storm system began in the Southwestern United States on February 10, eventually developing into a nor'easter that caused significant disruptions across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states.

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See all images for 2026

NASA Volunteers help discover Earth-like candidate planet

NASA volunteers and a citizen scientist-turned-professional helped discover a candidate planet remarkably similar to Earth.

A planet illuminated against the blackness of space, its axis tilted to the left of the frame. The planet has a wide band of pale orange around its equator, pale blue regions above and below that, and wispy white clouds scattered around its face.

Mark your calendars

Most Notable 2026 Astronomical Events

This year will be busy for avid skywatchers, with some incredible opportunities to view meteor showers, planets, and the Moon in the night sky.

See the Top Sky Watching Events

A horizontal panoramic composition displays four distinct phases of the Moon arranged linearly against a stark, solid black background. Starting from the far left, a Full Moon is shown in complete illumination, revealing the intricate textures of its craters and dark volcanic plains. Moving to the right, the Third Quarter phase appears half-lit on the left side, followed by a New Moon depicted as a faint, dark silhouette barely distinguishable from the void. The sequence concludes on the far right with a First Quarter moon, illuminated on its right half. The progression highlights the stark play of light and shadow across the lunar topography, illustrating a simplified version of the lunar cycle.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Division Highlight: Biological & Physical Sciences

Revolutionary research in extraordinary places
BPS research contributes to breakthroughs that advance national priorities and maintain U.S. leadership in science and technology.

Studying the fundamental effects of space stressors (such as radiation and microgravity) on biological and physical phenomena promotes mission success and benefits life on Earth.

BPS_Goals_Image_NoText

Dive Deeper

NASA Science 2026 artwork commemorating America's 250th Anniversary. The illustration uses blue tones with warm pastel accents showing humanity's space exploration journey. An open history book at the bottom emits light, with Earth emerging above it. A pathway extends from the book past the Moon, Mars, and Saturn into deep space, featuring spacecraft including NISAR, ISS, Parker Solar Probe, LRO, MRO, Dragonfly, NEO Surveyor, Webb, and Roman Space Telescope. An Artemis astronaut and robotic rover appear on opposite pages of the book, with the astronaut stepping onto the cosmic path—symbolizing how scientific discovery leads the way for human exploration in our journey beyond Earth.

SMD Community Public Meetings

View upcoming and past community public meetings.

Public 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

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