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.
August Meteor shower
September 14, 2024
Exploring Jupiter's Ocean World
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.
Featured Missions
Our mission milestones showcase the breadth and depth of NASA science.
NISAR
Launching in September 2024, 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.
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.
Lucy
Launched in October 2021, Lucy will explore a record-breaking number of asteroids, flying by three asteroids in the solar system’s main asteroid belt, and by eight Trojan asteroids that share an orbit around the Sun with Jupiter.
2024 NASA Space Apps Challenge
NASA invites a global community of innovators, technologists, storytellers, and problem solvers to register for the 2024 NASA Space Apps Challenge, the largest annual global hackathon. The annual event, held this year on October 5-6, fosters innovation through international collaboration by providing an opportunity for participants to utilize NASA’s free and open data and space-based data from space agency partners.
More about the 2024 NASA Space Apps Challenge
NASA-Funded Studies Explain How Climate Is Changing Earth’s Rotation
Researchers used more than 120 years of data to decipher how melting ice, dwindling groundwater, and rising seas are nudging…
Read the Story
What's this mysterious rock?
As NASA’s Perseverance rover prepares to ascend to the rim of Jezero Crater, its team is investigating a rock unlike any that they’ve seen so far on Mars.
More about PerseveranceBy 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
Nov 16, 2022
Europa Clipper High Gain Antenna Installed
Workers prepare to install the nearly 10 feet (3 meters) wide dish-shaped high-gain antenna to NASA’s Europa Clipper, a spacecraft to study Jupiter’s icy moon, at the agency’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, June 17, 2024.
Learn More about Europa Clipper
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
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
What's out there?
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.
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.
Space Weather
Researching how environmental conditions in space can impact satellites, communications, and power grids on Earth.
Heliophysics Big Year
Celebrating solar science and the Sun's influence on Earth and the solar system.
Dive Deeper
SMD Community Town Hall Meetings
View upcoming and past community 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.
People of NASA Science
Meet the individuals who are instrumental in enabling the realization of NASA Science’s extraordinary mission.
NASA Science Careers
Discover career opportunities at NASA Science, where innovation, growth and collaboration shape the future of scientific exploration.
