Mars, Mars, Mars:
NASA's Main Online Resources

NASA has such a wealth of material available online that it can be a daunting task to locate just what it is you may be looking for. Regrettably, their own site pages do not offer terribly clear immediate listings of all their links, so we have tried to supplement their lists with some of our own (all, of course, ultimately derived from NASA's pages, but we are trying to save you the effort we expended identifying them).

Overview

NASA's stunning amount of online material makes it hard even to know what's available, much less to find it. While each of their major sites contains a veritable treasury of useful or interesting material, it is helpful to at least be able to find all of those major sites, so here they are. (Sites referred to as being "in the NASA domain" are sites whose web addresses end in .nasa.gov) To further help you find NASA online material, we also include a NASA power search capability, as well as a separate search for NASA multimedia (image, video, and audio) resources.

Because this page is quite long, we here provide a headings summary with a jump-to link to each section.

NASA-Domain Sites

NASA Main: the "front-door" page to the myriad of NASA-operated web sites.

NASA Top-Level Programs

• Aeronautics Research

  • Airspace Systems

  • Aviation Safety & Security

  • Vehicle Systems

• Education

  • Elementary & Secondary Education

  • Higher Education

  • Informal Education

  • Technology & Products Office

  • Education Flight Projects Office

• Exploration Systems

  • Constellation Systems

  • Human Systems

  • Exploration Systems

  • Prometheus Nuclear Systems & Technology

  • Innovative Partnerships

• Science Missions

  • Earth-Sun System Missions

  • Solar System Missions

  • Universe Missions

• Space Operations

  • International Space Station

  • Space Shuttle

  • Launch Services

  • Space Communications

NASA Operational Centers

NASA Headquarters

• Ames Research Center

• Dryden Flight Research Center

• Glenn Research Center

• Goddard Space-Flight Center:

  • NASA Independent Verification and Validation Facility
  • Goddard Institute for Space Studies
  • Wallops Flight Facility

• Jet Propulsion Laboratory

• Johnson Space Center:

  • White Sands Test Facility

• Kennedy Space Center

• Langley Research Center

• Marshall Space Flight Center

• Stennis Space Center

The NASA Site Network

• Earth Observatory

• Greatest Images of NASA

• Human Spaceflight Web

• Mars Exploration

• NASA Education Program

• NASA History

• NASA Image Exchange

• NASA Technology

• Planetary Photojournal

• Science@NASA / Ciencia@NASA

• NASA Supercomputing Facility

Current NASA Missions

• Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE)
  Major mission of the Explorer program.

• ACRIMSAT Mission
  The ACRIMSAT Mission will measure Total Solar Irradiance (TSI), measuring the Sun's energy, during its five-year mission life.

• Aqua
  Aqua, Latin for water, is a NASA Earth Science satellite mission named for the large amount of information that the mission will be collecting about the Earth's water cycle.

• Aura Mission
  A mission dedicated to the health of Earth's atmosphere.

• CALIPSO
  CALIPSO will provide the next generation of climate observations, drastically improving our ability to predict climate change and to study the air we breathe.

• Cassini-Huygens Mission
  Unlocking the secrets of Saturn.

• Chandra X-ray Observatory 
  Third of NASA's Great Observatories, Chandra will increase our understanding of the Universe.

• CloudsAT
  CloudSat's cloud-profiling radar is 1,000 times more sensitive than typical weather radar and can detect clouds and distinguish between cloud particles and precipitation.

• Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer (CHIPS)
  CHIPS uses an extreme ultraviolet spectrograph to study the "Local Bubble" surrounding our Solar System.

• Cluster ESA/NASA Mission
  The four Cluster spacecraft carry out 3D measurements in the Earth's Magnetosphere.

• Deep Impact
  Exploring Comet Tempel 1 to determine the origins of life in our Solar System.

• Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (EP-TOMS)
  Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (EP-TOMS), along with the Ozone Monitoring Instrument onboard AURA, are currently the only NASA spacecraft on orbit specializing in ozone retrieval.

• Earth Observing-1
  As the first New Millennium Program Earth Observing Mission, EO-1 has validated advanced land imaging and unique spacecraft technologies.

• Expedition 12
  Mission to the International Space Station.

• Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer (FAST)
  FAST, the second mission in NASA's Small Explorer Satellite Program (SMEX), is a satellite designed to study Earth's aurora.

• Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) Mission
  FUSE looks at light in the far ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

• Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) Mission
  Mapping the history of star formation in the Universe.

• Genesis Mission
  The search for origins.

• Geotail Mission
  A mission to study the tail of Earth's magnetosphere.

• Gravity Probe B (GPB) Mission
  Mission to test two unverified predictions of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity.

• Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment
  The twin satellites are making detailed measurements of Earth's gravity field to learn more about gravity and Earth's natural systems.

• High Energy Transient Explorer-2 (HETE-2) Mission
  HETE-2 is a small scientific satellite designed to detect and localize gamma-ray bursts.

• Hubble Space Telescope
  Learn how the Hubble has expanded our knowledge of the cosmos.

• Ice Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICEsat) Mission
  The ICESat mission will provide multi-year elevation data regarding ice sheet mass balance as well as cloud property information, especially for stratospheric clouds common over polar areas.

• Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE)
  IMAGE is a mission to study the global response of the magnetosphere to the changes in solar wind.

• International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL)
  INTEGRAL is the most sensitive gamma-ray observatory ever launched.

• Jason
  Jason-1 is the first follow-on to the highly successful TOPEX/Poseidon mission that measured ocean surface topography.

• Mars Express
  Mission to search for subsurface water from orbit.

• Mars Exploration Rover - Opportunity
  Opportunity explores Meridiani.

• Mars Exploration Rover - Spirit
  Spirit explores the Gusev Crater.

• Mars Global Surveyor
  Surveyor will return data regarding Mars' surface features, atmosphere, and magnetic properties. Scientists will use the data gathered from this mission to learn about the Earth by comparing it to Mars.

• Mars Odyssey
  This orbiter is mapping the mineralogy and morphology of the Martian surface.

• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
  The MRO mission will examine to determine if long-standing bodies of water ever existed on the planet.

• MErcury, Surface, Space Experiment, GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) Mission
  MESSENGER will study Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun.

• Hayabusa (MUSES-C)
  Hayabusa (MUSES-C) is Japan's asteroid sample return mission.

• NOAA-M Environmental Satellite
  A new environmental satellite that will improve weather forecasting and monitor environmental events around the world.

• Polar Mission
  The Polar Mission is to obtain data from both high- and low-altitude perspectives of the polar region of geospace.

• Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI)
  RHESSI's primary mission is to explore the basic physics of particle acceleration and explosive energy release in solar flares.

• Rosetta Mission
  Rosetta will orbit comet 67P and accompany it on its journey to the Sun.

• Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) Mission
  RXTE is a satellite that observes the fast-moving, high-energy worlds of black holes, neutron stars, X-ray pulsars and bursts of X-rays that light up the sky and then disappear forever.

• Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) Mission
  SAMPEX Studies the energy,composition, and charge states of particles from supernova explosions in the distant reaches of the galaxy, from the heart of solar flares, and from the depths of nearby interstellar space.

• SMART 1
  SMART 1's two part mission will test new technologies and explore darker regions of the Moon's south pole for the first time.

• Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)
  SOHO is designed to study the internal structure of the Sun, its extensive outer atmosphere and the origin of the solar wind.

• Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE)
  A NASA-sponsored satellite mission that will provide state-of-the-art measurements of incoming x-ray, ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared, and total solar radiation.

• Spitzer Space Telescope
  Spitzer will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space.

• Stardust
  The first comet sample return mission from beyond the Earth-Moon system.

• Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS)
  A mission that was designed to study the chemical composition of interstellar gas clouds.

• Swift
  The Swift mission seeks to tell us more about the most powerful explosions in the universe.

• Terra
  Terra is a multi-national, multi-disciplinary mission involving partnerships with the aerospace agencies of Canada and Japan and is an important part of NASA’s Science Mission, helping us better understand and protect our home planet.

• Thermospere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics Mission (TIMED)
  The TIMED mission is studying the influences of the Sun and humans on the least explored region of Earth's atmosphere.

• Topex Mission
  The Topex mission will collect information with which scientists can relate changes in ocean currents to atmospheric and climate patterns.

• Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) Project
  A system of satellites and ground stations that make up a portion of the Space Network and provides mission services for near Earth satellites and orbiting vehicles.

• Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) Mission
  TRACE enables solar physicists to study the connections between fine-scale magnetic fields and the associated plasma structures on the Sun.

• Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)
  The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) designed to monitor and study tropical rainfall.

• Ulysses Mission
  A mission to study the Sun at all latitudes.

• Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS)
  The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) was launched in 1991 by the Space Shuttle Discovery and orbits at an altitude of 375 miles. Designed to operate for three years, six of its ten instruments continue to function, measuring ozone and hemical compounds found in the ozone layer.

• Voyager - The Interstellar Mission
  Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 continue their ground-breaking journey with their current mission to study the region in space where the Sun's influence ends and the dark recesses of interstellar space begin.

• Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)
  A mission to take the first full sky picture of the early Universe.

• Wind Mission
  A mission to investigate the solar wind and its impact on the near-Earth environment.

• XMM-Newton
  The Mirror Modules on this x-ray observatory allow XMM-Newton to detect millions of sources, far more than any previous X-ray mission.

Multimedia At NASA

Main Image Repository Sites

• Dryden Image Gallery -- A collection of images and multimedia on NASA aircraft, aeronautics facilities and research.

• Earth Observatory -- Images of the Earth, with an emphasis on environmental change and natural hazards.

• Kennedy Multimedia Gallery -- Images and video from the Kennedy Space Center, including shuttle launches and landing, crew training and satellite launches.

• Greatest Images in NASA -- A selection of the best and best-known images from a half-century of exploration and discovery.

• Planetary Photojournal -- A vast archive of images from across the Solar System, from the early missions to Mars and Venus to Cassini and Deep Impact.

Multimedia Search

NASA Sites Outside the NASA Domain

• Hubble Space Telescope Site: The internet home of the Hubble Space Telescope--a NASA Origins mission that seeks answers to fundamental questions about the universe and our place in it.

• NASA Astrophysics Data System: a NASA-funded project which maintains three bibliographic databases containing more than 4.5 million records: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Physics, and ArXiv e-prints.

• Spitzer Space Telescope Site: The internet home of the Spitzer Space Telescope--a NASA mission managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology.

NASA Sites Especially Relevant to Mars

Research and Development Efforts

• Constellation Systems: the spaceflight system-development program for constructing safe and efficient space-transport vehicles and long-term human habitats and laboratories for use on the Moon and Mars.

• Exploration Systems: developing system concepts, architectures, engineering tools, communications networks, and new technology necessary to implement the Constellation program goals.

• Prometheus Nuclear Systems & Technology: developing mission-enabling nuclear electric power and propulsion technologies ro expand our ability to navigate and explore the solar system and beyond.

Mars Exploration

"Gateway" (Portal) Sites

• JPL's Mars-Exploration Site

• The NASA Center for Mars Exploration

Past Mars Missions

• Mariners 3 & 4

• Mariners 6 & 7

• Mariners 8 & 9

• Vikings I & II

• Mars Observer

• Mars Pathfinder

• Mars Climate Orbiter

• Mars Polar Lander

Ongoing Mars Missions

• Mars Express: searching for subsurface water from orbit.

• Mars Exploration Rover - Opportunity: exploring Meridiani.

• Mars Exploration Rover - Spirit: exploring the Gusev Crater.

• Mars Global Surveyor: returning data regarding Mars's surface features, atmosphere, and magnetic properties; the data gathered will be used to learn about the Earth by comparing it to Mars.

• Mars Odyssey: mapping the mineralogy and morphology of the Martian surface.

• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: will determine if long-standing bodies of water ever existed on the planet.

Planned Mars Missions

• Phoenix: (launch 2007, arrive 2008) - a stationary, in-situ investigation of volatiles (especially water), organic molecules and modern climate; It will "follow the water" and measure indicator molecules at high-latitude sites where Mars Odyssey has discovered evidence of large ice concentrations in the Martian soil.

• Mars Science Laboratory: (launch 2009, arrive 2010) a roving long-range, long-duration science laboratory marking a major advance in surface measurements, and paving the way for a future sample-return mission; the mission will also demonstrate the technology for "smart landers" with accurate landing and hazard avoidance, needed to get to promising but difficult-to-reach scientific sites.

• Mars Missions Beyond 2009: these include "Scout"-class missions such as Phoenix (see above), the next set for 2011 launch; a sample-return mission for somewhere between 2010 and 2020; an Astrobiology Field Lab to follow up from Mars Science Laboratory findings (see above); and possible deep-drilling landers for extended surface probes.

Miscellaneous Mars-Relevant NASA Sites

• NASA Image Exchange: search all of NASA for images or other multimedia files.

• Planetary Photojournal: the chief NASA repository of image data from planetary missions.

• NASA Quest: free Web-based interactive explorations to engage students in authentic scientific and engineering processes.

• Mars Fact Sheet: an extensive tabulation of Mars data.

• Time on Mars: free Java software displaying Mars images and data showing showing the hourly changes on the planet (and of its moons).

• Human Space Flight Web Gallery: artists' concepts--images and videos--of future manned missions.

• Mars Network: a proposed communication and navigation infrastructure at Mars.

• Imagine Mars Home Page: youth-oriented Mars educational materials

• Mars Exploration Program Landing Sites: extensive data and images relating to future-mission site posibilities.

Search All of NASA Online

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		What If We Find Life on Mars?:  · speculations on the consequences of proven extraterrestrial life
		Science and Religion:  · a brief look at how they do or do not conflict
		Further Mars Resources:  · where to find more Mars-related information
		NASA Online Resources:  · there's so much, it needs a page of its own
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